76-year-old cyclist dies after collision with SUV in Montreal

MONTREAL – A pair of independent Montreal city councillors have tabled a motion to get the city to declare a state of emergency on homelessness next week.

The motion calls on the city to usher in a host of measures including requisitioning private accommodation spaces to shelter the unhoused before winter comes and allocating more resources to shelters.

Craig Sauvé, one of the councillors behind the motion, says Montreal needs to step up to protect the lives of its growing homeless population as shelters scramble to accommodate the city’s unhoused.

Community group Resilience Montreal says declaring a state of emergency may help homeless shelters put a roof over more people’s heads and prevent people from dying in the cold.

A City of Montreal spokesperson says other measures are better suited to addressing the problem than declaring a state of emergency, such as building more modular housing units.

If Montreal did back the motion, it would join a growing list of cities across Canada that have declared a state of emergency on homelessness in recent years, including Toronto, Edmonton and Hamilton, Ont.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 16, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

MONTREAL – Two people are missing after a house caught fire Friday evening in Saint-Georges, Quebec, about 85 kilometres southeast of Quebec City.

Quebec provincial police say they received a 911 call at around 5 p.m.

Spokesperson Élizabeth Marquis-Guy says police are still working to locate the missing men.

Police say one of the men is in his 50s while the other is in his 60s.

Firefighters battled the flames well into the night and have since put out the fire.

Marquis-Guy says the cause of the fire is not yet known, and the investigation is ongoing.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 16, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

LIMA, Peru – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is announcing $35 million in Canadian funding for programs across the Pacific Rim ranging from cybersecurity training to fighting domestic violence.

The funding pulls from money that was already allocated, such as the Indo-Pacific strategy the Liberals announced two years ago.

The prime minister made the announcement in Peru in his second day at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.

The largest projects involve improving access to reproductive health care for women in Peru and fostering sustainable communities in the country’s Andes region.

Trudeau met Saturday with Peruvian President Dina Boluarte as well as Chilean President Gabriel Boric.

The prime minister is set to hold a press conference Saturday afternoon alongside Trade Minister Mary Ng.

The APEC group aims to resolve trade barriers and grow economies across the Pacific Rim, but it’s been challenged by rising protectionism.

A frequent topic of discussion at the summit’s public events has been how to maintain rules-based trade as U.S. president-elect Donald Trump vows to implement sweeping tariffs.

Canada has doubled down on its focus on trade, announcing Friday that negotiations were complete for a trade agreement with Indonesia.

That country has a booming economy, and Trudeau’s office says it is Canada’s largest export market in Southeast Asia, particularly for agriculture, manufactured goods and natural resources.

As part of Canada’s engagement across the Pacific Rim, Trudeau has announced support for programs such as a $3.9-million investment in the BlackBerry Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence in Malaysia, which will train 3,500 people from across the region in an effort to boost local jobs in government, research, and industry.

Another project involves integrating at least 2,500 Venezuelan refugees with medical degrees into Peru’s medical system.

Trudeau has also announced that Canada will seek to expand nuclear-energy collaboration across Southeast Asia, particularly for countries grappling with how to adequately power computers and data centres used for artificial intelligence.

Trudeau said that would bring jobs and more regional clout to Canada.

The prime minister had informal meetings on the sidelines of the APEC summit, where Chinese President Xi Jinping is a particularly important figure due to Beijing’s push for closer ties to South America.

Xi this week unveiled a mega port in Peru, and newspapers and billboards around Lima have been promoting Chinese companies. An ad from one Chinese alcohol maker shows Machu Picchu and the Great Wall of China, wishing a successful APEC summit in both Spanish and Chinese.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 16, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.