Alberta Premier Danielle Smith isn’t happy with the federal government’s strategy for a net-zero transition and said she could use the Sovereignty Act to fight it.
She made the suggestion during a media availability on Thursday where the province launched a new campaign to encourage Canadians to call the federal government with their concerns about the Clean Electricity Regulations(opens in a new tab).
“We’re preparing a Sovereignty Act motion,” Smith said. “I’m hoping we don’t have to use it – that’s why we’re at the table.”
According to the Alberta government’s website, the Sovereignty Act, which was passed last year, allows the province to fight federal laws and protects its constitutional freedoms.
“The act will be used to address federal legislation and policies that are unconstitutional, violate Albertans’ charter rights or that affect or interfere with our provincial constitutional rights,” the website reads(opens in a new tab).
While the draft regulations may seem like an opportunity to utilize the act, Smith said it isn’t the first time she threatened to use it.
“I had a couple of hard lines,” she said. “They had proposed an emissions cap that was unreasonable on fertilizer and they’ve dropped that because they realized that food production is at risk.
“They continue to talk about a 42 per cent emissions reduction by 2030 on oil and natural gas – that is not on. They are talking about 75 per cent plus reductions on methane by 2030.”
Smith says her government has already “demonstrated good faith” by achieving emissions reductions of 44 per cent.
“These clean electricity regs, which would be a net-zero cap by 2035 are also not on,” she said.
“If we can get aligned on 2050, then we won’t need to build a fence to defend our constitution.”
That 2050 target is a lot more achievable for Alberta, Smith said, suggesting that the federal government is “asking for perfection starting out of the gate.”
“We know that we can use carbon capture utilization and storage but it’s not perfect technology yet,” she said.
“They want it to be 95 per cent effective starting in 2035 as if there isn’t going to be incremental learning along the way.”
Smith says other technologies, like nuclear power, will have to be researched before they can be brought online in Alberta.
“That’s the kind of constructive and mutually beneficial conversation we want to have with Ottawa and if we do that, then I think we can come together on an agreement.”
AESO CONCERNS
Earlier on Thursday, the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) expressed its own concerns about Ottawa’s net-zero target in 2035.
The agency said 72 per cent of Alberta’s electricity in 2022 was produced by natural gas, with 12 per cent derived from coal.
The federal government’s plan to shift to net-zero by 2035 would cost Alberta $118 billion, the AESO said.
While it could not provide a detailed analysis of its figures, it insisted the 2035 deadline would have a serious impact on the lives of everyday Albertans.
“Moving down this path is going to have a cost implication to each and every Albertan and every household,” said AESO president and CEO Michael Law.
“The aspect that we are focusing on is the incremental cost of moving faster versus taking a slower, slightly more pragmatic approach to the transition.”
CRITICS QUESTION CLAIMS
Multiple experts in the field told CTV News they don’t entirely trust the data AESO revealed Thursday.
Dr. Sara Hastings-Simon, who is in the University of Calgary’s Department of Earth, Energy and Environment, is one of those skeptics.
“Some of this discussion that’s going on really does veer more into the political than the technical,” she said.
“It’s not a constructive way to address the challenges we need to address.”
Hastings-Simon agrees that the federal proposal needs some tweaks, but she’s optimistic it’s still achievable by 2035.
She points to a shift away from coal — something that was originally doubted.
“The technology we have available, and the cost of that technology, is progressing much faster than has been expected,” she said.
“There are a lot of resources, technology and generation assets that we have the ability to take advantage of.
“We can go a lot further than is being suggested today.”
Hastings-Simon said the province is correct in asking questions of the federal plan — she just believes the conversations could be more constructive if approached in a different manner.
For now, she believes pushing grid goals back 15 years would be detrimental.
“Climate denialism has largely, in a lot of circles, been replaced by climate delay,” she said.
“So the idea that we’re going to push off targets to the future and slow down our action on climate is worrying.”
AD CAMPAIGN
The Alberta government is also looking outside its boundaries to drum up more support for its fight over the clean energy regulations.
The campaign, called TellTheFeds.ca, is appealing to all Canadians to contact Ottawa with their own concerns about a shift to net-zero by 2035.
It consists of radio, television and billboard advertisements.
The federal government is accepting public feedback on its CER until Nov. 2.
TORONTO – Canada Goose Holdings Inc. says it has signed a deal that will result in the creation of its first eyewear collection.
The deal announced on Thursday by the Toronto-based luxury apparel company comes in the form of an exclusive, long-term global licensing agreement with Marchon Eyewear Inc.
The terms and value of the agreement were not disclosed, but Marchon produces eyewear for brands including Lacoste, Nike, Calvin Klein, Ferragamo, Longchamp and Zeiss.
Marchon plans to roll out both sunglasses and optical wear under the Canada Goose name next spring, starting in North America.
Canada Goose says the eyewear will be sold through optical retailers, department stores, Canada Goose shops and its website.
Canada Goose CEO Dani Reiss told The Canadian Press in August that he envisioned his company eventually expanding into eyewear and luggage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Almost seven years since news broke of an alleged conspiracy to fix the price of packaged bread across Canada, the saga isn’t over: the Competition Bureau continues to investigate the companies that may have been involved, and two class-action lawsuits continue to work their way through the courts.
Here’s a timeline of key events in the bread price-fixing case.
Oct. 31, 2017: The Competition Bureau says it’s investigating allegations of bread price-fixing and that it was granted search warrants in the case. Several grocers confirm they are co-operating in the probe.
Dec. 19, 2017: Loblaw and George Weston say they participated in an “industry-wide price-fixing arrangement” to raise the price of packaged bread. The companies say they have been co-operating in the Competition Bureau’s investigation since March 2015, when they self-reported to the bureau upon discovering anti-competitive behaviour, and are receiving immunity from prosecution. They announce they are offering $25 gift cards to customers amid the ongoing investigation into alleged bread price-fixing.
Jan. 31, 2018: In court documents, the Competition Bureau says at least $1.50 was added to the price of a loaf of bread between about 2001 and 2016.
Dec. 20, 2019: A class-action lawsuit in a Quebec court against multiple grocers and food companies is certified against a number of companies allegedly involved in bread price-fixing, including Loblaw, George Weston, Metro, Sobeys, Walmart Canada, Canada Bread and Giant Tiger (which have all denied involvement, except for Loblaw and George Weston, which later settled with the plaintiffs).
Dec. 31, 2021: A class-action lawsuit in an Ontario court covering all Canadian residents except those in Quebec who bought packaged bread from a company named in the suit is certified against roughly the same group of companies.
June 21, 2023: Bakery giant Canada Bread Co. is fined $50 million after pleading guilty to four counts of price-fixing under the Competition Act as part of the Competition Bureau’s ongoing investigation.
Oct. 25 2023: Canada Bread files a statement of defence in the Ontario class action denying participating in the alleged conspiracy and saying any anti-competitive behaviour it participated in was at the direction and to the benefit of its then-majority owner Maple Leaf Foods, which is not a defendant in the case (neither is its current owner Grupo Bimbo). Maple Leaf calls Canada Bread’s accusations “baseless.”
Dec. 20, 2023: Metro files new documents in the Ontario class action accusing Loblaw and its parent company George Weston of conspiring to implicate it in the alleged scheme, denying involvement. Sobeys has made a similar claim. The two companies deny the allegations.
July 25, 2024: Loblaw and George Weston say they agreed to pay a combined $500 million to settle both the Ontario and Quebec class-action lawsuits. Loblaw’s share of the settlement includes a $96-million credit for the gift cards it gave out years earlier.
Sept. 12, 2024: Canada Bread files new documents in Ontario court as part of the class action, claiming Maple Leaf used it as a “shield” to avoid liability in the alleged scheme. Maple Leaf was a majority shareholder of Canada Bread until 2014, and the company claims it’s liable for any price-fixing activity. Maple Leaf refutes the claims.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Companies in this story: (TSX:L, TSX:MFI, TSX:MRU, TSX:EMP.A, TSX:WN)
TORONTO – TD Bank Group, which is mired in a money laundering scandal in the U.S., says chief executive Bharat Masrani will retire next year.
Masrani, who will retire officially on April 10, 2025, says the bank’s, “anti-money laundering challenges,” took place on his watch and he takes full responsibility.
The bank named Raymond Chun, TD’s group head, Canadian personal banking, as his successor.
As part of a transition plan, Chun will become chief operating officer on Nov. 1 before taking over the top job when Masrani steps down at the bank’s annual meeting next year.
TD also announced that Riaz Ahmed, group head, wholesale banking and president and CEO of TD Securities, will retire at the end of January 2025.
TD has taken billions in charges related to ongoing U.S. investigations into the failure of its anti-money laundering program.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
