Members of the Canadian Forces have been deployed to help deal with wildfires along the Alberta-Northwest Territories boundary that have forced the evacuation of the town of Hay River.
A spokesperson for National Defence said Monday a reconnaissance team was on the ground in the community, located along the south shore of Great Slave Lake. With the road out of town closed by the fire, residents continued to be evacuated by air.
The military deployment, scheduled until Aug. 29, underscores the impact of an unprecedented wildfire season, including in the area burned and equipment and personnel attempting to control it.
The Canadian Press story can be found on The Globe and Mail website here.
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TODAY’S HEADLINES
Inquest into cadet’s suicide to shine rare public light on Royal Military College – In a rare move, the Ontario coroner’s office will hold an inquest into the death of an officer cadet at Kingston’s Royal Military College, forcing public scrutiny on a case that would typically be investigated by the military behind closed doors. Story here.
Métis senator calls for coerced sterilization to be a Criminal Code offence – Senator Yvonne Boyer is on a mission to change the Criminal Code to establish an offence for forced and coerced sterilization procedures – an issue her office has received numerous calls and messages about and one that keeps her up at night. Story here.
Henry VIII’s long-lost doodles, discovered by Ottawa professor, hint at monarch’s inner turmoil – An Ottawa university professor has stumbled across fresh evidence of the inner turmoil of England’s most famous king that has eluded Tudor scholars for centuries. Story here.
Operation Jagdakommando’: U.S. agency’s airborne northern-border migration sweep – U.S. border agents used helicopters and a fixed-wing airplane to round up 124 people earlier this year along the Canada-U.S. border. Customs and Border Protection says the sweep, dubbed “Operation Jagdakommando,” was in response to what it calls unprecedented illicit cross-border activity. Story here.
Heat wave spreads from B.C.’s south coast to southern, central Interior – Health authorities and local and provincial governments across British Columbia are urging caution as a sweltering heat wave that began on the south coast this weekend has now prompted 41 warnings or special weather statements across the southern and central Interior. Story here.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to hold cabinet retreat in Prince Edward Island – The Prime Minister’s Office said Justin Trudeau will hold a session with his cabinet in Charlottetown next Monday to Wednesday. The office said the retreat will be a chance for cabinet ministers to focus on top issues, including the economy, addressing the cost-of-living, housing, health care and climate change.
THIS AND THAT
Summer break – Both the House of Commons and the Senate are on breaks. The House sits again on Sept. 18. The Senate sits again on Sept. 19.
Deputy Prime Minister’s day – Chrystia Freeland is scheduled to meet with First Nation leaders in Edmonton about Indigenous economic opportunities. She will also participate in a discussion hosted by the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce on economic plans.
Ministers on the road – Housing Minister Sean Fraser is in Burnaby, B.C., where he is scheduled to ride the SkyTrain and speak to reporters. Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu is in Iqaluit on Monday for an announcement. Rural Economic Development Minister Gudie Hutchings and Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey are in Rocky Harbour to announce support for tourism projects in western Newfoundland and Labrador.
THE DECIBEL
Last week, Ontario’s Auditor-General released a report on the province’s decision to open up 3,000 hectares of protected Greenbelt area for development. Queen’s Park reporter Jeff Gray spoke to The Decibel about problems around the Greenbelt plan and where the Ford government went wrong.
PRIME MINISTER’S DAY
The Prime Minister is on vacation with his family in British Columbia.
LEADERS
No schedule released for Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is in Edmonton for a roundtable discussion, to speak about housing affordability and to meet with NDP MPs Blake Desjarlais (who represents the riding of Edmonton Griesbach) and NDP MP Heather McPherson (who represents the riding of Edmonton Strathcona). On Monday evening, Singh is to attend the Edmonton Strathcona NDP nomination meeting.
OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the NDP is caving to political pressure from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre when it comes to their stance on the consumer carbon price.
Trudeau says he believes Jagmeet Singh and the NDP care about the environment, but it’s “increasingly obvious” that they have “no idea” what to do about climate change.
On Thursday, Singh said the NDP is working on a plan that wouldn’t put the burden of fighting climate change on the backs of workers, but wouldn’t say if that plan would include a consumer carbon price.
Singh’s noncommittal position comes as the NDP tries to frame itself as a credible alternative to the Conservatives in the next federal election.
Poilievre responded to that by releasing a video, pointing out that the NDP has voted time and again in favour of the Liberals’ carbon price.
British Columbia Premier David Eby also changed his tune on Thursday, promising that a re-elected NDP government would scrap the long-standing carbon tax and shift the burden to “big polluters,” if the federal government dropped its requirements.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Simon Jolin-Barrette, minister responsible for consumer protection, has tabled a bill to force merchants to calculate tips based on the price before tax.
That means on a restaurant bill of $100, suggested tips would be calculated based on $100, not on $114.98 after provincial and federal sales taxes are added.
The bill would also increase the rebate offered to consumers when the price of an item at the cash register is higher than the shelf price, to $15 from $10.
And it would force grocery stores offering a discounted price for several items to clearly list the unit price as well.
Businesses would also have to indicate whether taxes will be added to the price of food products.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.
He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.
In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.
Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.
He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.
Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.
He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
