GM workers at CAMI auto plant ratify collective agreement

Calgary is lifting water restrictions that lasted much of the summer following successful repairs to a major feeder main.

Mayor Jyoti Gondek told a news conference Sunday morning that the Bearspaw South feeder main is now open and back in service for the Calgary region.

Since late August, there has been a ban on any outdoor water use with potable supplies, and Calgarians have been urged to take shorter showers, skip toilet flushes and hold off on laundry and dishes.

It was the second round of water rationing since the feeder main in northwest Calgary burst in early June.

“Whether you turned off the shower while you were soaping up or only did full loads of laundry, every litre saved reduced pressure on our water system, making sure that we all had safe, treated drinking water reaching our homes and our businesses while our crews worked tirelessly to repair the feeder main,” Gondek said Sunday.

There are still two smaller sections of pipe to repair in October and November, but the city said they won’t require city-wide water restrictions because the sections can be isolated while keeping the feeder main running.

The city is asking residents to ease into normal water use over the next few days to help even out any spikes in demand, which it said will be easier on the system.

“You may have a mountain of laundry you’ve been waiting to tackle, a pressure-wash job that you’ve been holding off, or you may just want to take that extra-long, guilt-free shower,” Francois Bouchart, the city’s director of capital priorities and investment, said Sunday.

“Where possible, we would just ask you to please space these things out over the next few days.”

Bouchart cautioned that the water flowing from taps may appear cloudy and smell of chlorine, but assured that the conditions are temporary and the water is safe to drink.

It all began June 5, after the massive water main supplying 60 per cent of the drinking water for the city ruptured and flooded streets. A directive was issued to have Calgarians cut their indoor water use by 25 per cent. Car washes and indoor pools were also closed.

Crews scrambled to repair the line and, in the process, found five more weak spots to fix. The city declared a state of local emergency which remained in place until just before July’s Calgary Stampede, and most restrictions were lifted and public outdoor pools reopened.

Then, in early August, Gondek announced that extended tests on more than 10 kilometres of pipe revealed over a dozen more problem spots that needed to be fixed. The city’s 1.6 million residents and those in surrounding communities were once again urged to conserve water indoors while a sweeping ban on outdoor watering resumed.

Daily updates were issued on the progress of repairs, as well as how much water the city was using. Non-potable water filling stations for gardens were also set up.

On some days, water use was higher than what officials said was the limit for keeping the system safely running, prompting pleas for conservation from Gondek and city officials.

Many residents, commuters and businesses also faced street closures while repair work was done.

“We know this has not been easy. We have asked you to make some changes to your most basic routines and make sacrifices personally so that we had enough water for the most essential uses,” Bouchart said.

The city said it expects to receive a forensic report from consultants on what caused the problems with the feeder main by the end of October, and details on its findings will be shared when they are available.

The cost of June’s emergency repair, which included the five hot spots, has been estimated to be between $20 and $25 million, according to the city. It said initial estimates of the latest repairs is somewhere between $15 and $20 million.

Gondek said Sunday that she will work with fellow mayors across Canada to make sure funding sources are established to address the safety and security of infrastructure like water networks.

When asked by reporters about compensation for residents or businesses affected by the disruptions, Bouchart responded that the city has been in contact with affected parties and that recommendations will come forward at a later date.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 22, 2024.

The two top contenders in British Columbia’s provincial election dove deep into the various issues plaguing the Metro Vancouver area on Sunday, in some cases hearing directly from those most affected.

NDP Leader David Eby listened to an account of the housing supply pressures squeezing the province from an 82-year-old man who was forced out of his apartment by a $1,250 monthly rent increase.

Frank Riley told Eby that B.C. needs more housing for people, including seniors, the disabled and the poor.

“What’s important to me is that we build a community that’s welcoming to all,” Riley said. “In order to do that we have to have facilities to be able to look after people who have medical difficulties, mental difficulties. Low-cost housing for people that don’t have the money to be able to handle things, as well as bringing in the people who have the knowledge to be able to do these things.”

Eby and B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad zeroed in on the challenges facing Metro Vancouver communities on the second official day of campaigning.

Rustad will be in Surrey, while Eby, focusing on housing, is making stops in North Vancouver, Port Moody, Coquitlam and Langley.

Riley said he and his wife were previously living in a two-bedroom apartment in Burnaby, paying $1,050 per month in rent, but the building sold and the rent soared to $2,300 a month.

“I don’t make that much pension, so we ended up scrambling,” he said.

Riley, who took Eby on a brief tour of his new neighbourhood, said he now lives in an affordable rental housing development in Port Moody called The Springs, jointly owned with the St. Andrews Housing Society and operated by Catalyst Community Developments.

The Springs, built on the site of the existing Inlet United Church, was announced in 2017 by the former B.C. Liberal government. Construction under the NDP government started in 2019 and the 55-unit project was completed in 2022.

The NDP has provided additional funding to keep rents affordable.

Riley said he now pays $1,501 a month for a one-bedroom apartment at The Springs, which he calls fair.

He said he is currently undecided in how he will vote next month.

“I’ve voted mostly NDP, to be truthful,” said Riley. “I was an old worker from way back with Telus.”

Eby said he heard Riley’s concerns and it further cemented his commitment to build more affordable housing for people in B.C.

“I think that Frank’s perspective is one that’s pretty broadly shared, that the provincial government should be working really hard to ensure people who are struggling to get housing for different reasons are supported,” he said at a campaign stop in Langley.

Eby said while he is working with non-profit groups, municipal governments and other organizations to build more rental properties and affordable housing developments, Rustad has other plans.

“The weird thing is that John Rustad thinks that shouldn’t happen. That there’s no role for the provincial government,” said Eby. “I just couldn’t disagree more with that.”

Rustad said in an interview Sunday that his party would be announcing their housing policy in the coming days, but called Eby’s approach to the issue “chaotic.”

“In general, on housing, Eby’s approach seems to be very much an authoritarian approach, overriding local governments,” he said. “We think there’s a better way to be able to achieve that by working with local governments and doing pre-zoning as part of their official community plans.”

The B.C. campaign officially started Saturday, ahead of the election on Oct. 19.

Eby walked along North Vancouver’s waterfront Lonsdale Quay and Shipyards District early Sunday, where he viewed the sites of several proposed affordable housing developments.

One such site is the recently purchased 300,000-square-foot Insurance Corp. of B.C. building where hundreds of affordable homes are planned, Eby said.

“North Vancouver has been a great partner for this,” said Eby. “They identified three BC Builds sites right off the top. They’ve fast-tracked permitting for those sites (where) the rental housing is particularly affordable. There are many cities like that in the province we’re closely working with and we’re visiting today.”

Rustad noted he planned to return to Surrey many times throughout his campaign, arguing it has been ignored and treated as a second-class city by the NDP government.

He said ahead of the community’s campaign kickoff event that his party would focus on the city’s specific needs, including a lack of hospital and transit services, as well as affordability, crime and the education system.

He said his campaign would continue to highlight the failures of the NDP. His party will also be revealing its own proposals in coming days, starting with an announcement about affordability on Monday, he added.

The party also issued a statement Sunday saying he and Teresa Wat, Conservative candidate for Richmond-Bridgeport, plan to shut down “every single drug den injection site” in the Vancouver suburb.

Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau was scheduled to spend Sunday campaigning in her Victoria riding, where she’d lauched her campaign a day earlier.

Eby spent the campaign’s first day criss-crossing the Lower Mainland with stops in Richmond, North Vancouver, Langley and Burnaby.

Rustad was on Vancouver Island Saturday night after opening his campaign in the morning at Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 22, 2024.

NEW YORK – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says that at a time when the world faces increasing instability, leaders have a choice: bury their heads in the sand or put their differences aside for the sake of future generations.

“We can recognize that, collectively, we have a responsibility to set our differences aside, to confront the serious global challenges, and to deliver on a pact for the future,” Trudeau said at the Summit of the Future in New York on Sunday.

The Summit of the Future, announced by UN Secretary-General António Guterres in 2021, continues through Monday ahead of the 78th meeting of the United Nations General Assembly.

Its goal is to reform the UN, reinvigorate multilateralism and agree on solutions to new challenges at a time when the global institution has faced criticism for its handling of issues including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the war in Gaza.

Guterres urged member nations last week to compromise and approve the “Pact of the Future,” a blueprint to address a wide range of global challenges. But there’s been pushback from Russia, Saudi Arabia and other countries who object to some of the language on issues including climate change and reforming international financial institutions.

Trudeau urged leaders to deliver on the plan so that every generation “has a real and fair shot.”

In a separate meeting with Guterres Sunday evening, Trudeau reiterated it was important leaders work together, lean in and solve these big problems.

Trudeau met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Kathy Hochul, New York State’s Democratic governor, earlier in the day.

“While diplomacy is hard and diplomacy about diplomacy is even harder, we can do hard things,” Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the UN, said Wednesday.

“We can think beyond what has been, push ourselves to create a system that meets this moment and the opportunities of the future.”

Thomas-Greenfield said the Biden administration supports changes to the makeup of the UN Security Council, helping it become more inclusive through creation of two permanent seats for Africans and a new elected seat for small island developing states.

Canada has been active at the United Nations since it was formed in 1945 and helped draft the UN Charter.

Trudeau, co-chair of the UN Sustainable Development Goals Advocates group, will reaffirm Canada’s commitment to its 2030 Agenda, a 15-year global framework adopted in 2015 that envisions a secure world free of poverty and hunger, with equal education and universal health coverage as well as other lofty goals.

Trudeau will also co-host a discussion with Haiti’s acting prime minister, Garry Conille, about “solutions that are Haitian-led,” a news release said.

Canada is closely invested in Haiti’s response to the ongoing humanitarian, security and political crises. A UN report released in June said surging gang activity had displaced nearly 580,000 people in the Caribbean country since March.

While at the assembly, Trudeau will also co-host an event with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen about climate change, carbon pricing and industrial decarbonization.

Pressing geopolitical challenges and the conflict in the Middle East will cast a shadow over the assembly and its formidable future plans.

Canada abstained last week from a high-profile UN vote demanding that Israel end its “unlawful presence” in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank within a year.

The State of Palestine brought the non-binding motion, which passed 124-14. Canada was among 43 abstentions. The United States voted against it.

“We cannot support a resolution where one party, the State of Israel, is held solely responsible for the conflict,” said Bob Rae, Canada’s ambassador to the UN.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is also set to address a special meeting of the UN Security Council on Tuesday about Russia’s ongoing invasion, Thomas-Greenfield said.

Russia has a permanent seat on the Security Council and has been resoundingly criticized over its aggression in Ukraine being a violation of the UN Charter.

“We intend to keep the pressure on Russia,” said Thomas-Greenfield.

The prime minister is attending the assembly in New York until Wednesday morning.

Later that day, the Trudeau government is expected to face its first test in the House of Commons since the NDP ended its supply and confidence deal with the Liberals.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is putting forward a motion stating the House has no confidence in the government or the prime minister. Members will vote on it Wednesday.

The New Democrats and Bloc Québécois have said they intend to vote against the motion, avoiding a general election.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 22, 2024.

— With files from Dylan Robertson in Ottawa and The Associated Press