Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today…
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has stepped up action in the federal response to B.C. ports potentially shutting down again in the dispute between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada and the BC Maritime Employers Association, convening an incident response group typically gathered at times of “national crisis” or events with major implications for Canada.
In a statement, the Prime Minister’s Office says Trudeau spoke with B.C. Premier David Eby about the labour dispute and agreed on the need to “ensure the stability” of national supply chains.
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Here’s what else we’re watching …
Wildfire-scarred Metis settlement wants new road
A Metis settlement in northern Alberta is asking for a second road out the community two months after a devastating wildfire.
There is only one way in and out of the East Prairie Metis Settlement, and chair Raymond Supernault says if a fire starts in the north end of the settlement, it would block the only road and trap the community.
The 40-kilometre range road on the north end of the community connects with Highway 2 about 360 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.
Managing asthma in bad air quality
The death of a nine-year-old boy in B-C whose asthma was exacerbated by wildfire smoke is a horrific example of how dangerous poor air quality can be for people suffering from underlying respiratory and cardiac conditions, experts say.
Dr. Anne Hicks, clinical lead of the children’s environmental health clinic at the University of Alberta says there is a definite increase in asthma exacerbations when wildfire smoke pollutes the air.
She recommends people use Environment Canada’s online Air Quality Health Index to check the level of pollution in their communities, stay inside a cool space and use an air purifier if the air quality is bad, and wear a mask when you do have to go outside.
Inmates at a Halifax-area jail say their rights have been violated by months-long rolling lockdowns, as correctional officers refuse work because of dangerous conditions in the provincial detention centre.
A series of complaints recently brought before the Nova Scotia Supreme Court tell a similar story: inmates locked in their cells for extended periods, sometimes 23 hours a day, because of staff shortages at the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility.
The details are included in complaints known as habeas corpus applications, in which a judge assesses the conditions of a person’s confinement to determine whether a detainee’s Charter rights have been violated.
Ontario municipalities face ambulance pressures
Several Ontario municipalities say their paramedic services are under immense pressure, with worrying stretches of times during which no ambulances are available to respond to calls — but the province doesn’t track the problem.
The government does have data on the hours paramedics spend waiting in emergency rooms to transfer patients to the care of a hospital, which are often a key factor in ambulance availability, but won’t disclose it.
Some emergency officials and community leaders say more needs to be done to help paramedic services, but the lack of publicly available provincial information makes it hard to assess the scope of the problem.
Toronto-born Laysla De Oliveira says her grit and determination comes from the sacrifices of her immigrant parents.
She channels those qualities in her new role as a U.S. Marine Raider in “Special Ops: Lioness” — a new spy thriller series on Paramount Plus.
Inspired by a real-life U.S. military program, De Oliveira plays Cruz Manuelos, who is recruited to the Lioness team to infiltrate and take down a terrorist group by befriending the daughter of a man linked to the organization.
The series, which premieres on Sunday, is stacked with Hollywood A-listers, including Zoe Saldana, Nicole Kidman and Morgan Freeman.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 20, 2023.
