Joly, women foreign ministers say it’s time a woman leads the United Nations

MONTREAL – Three men have been injured after a 24-year-old man entered a mosque southwest of Montreal armed with a knife.

Police in Châteauguay, Que., on Montreal’s South Shore, say the three men were in their fifties and suffered only minor injuries, with one transported to hospital.

The suspect entered the Muslim cultural centre in Châteauguay Friday afternoon. A physical altercation followed, but police wouldn’t confirm whether the knife was used to cause any of the injuries. Police were called around 1:40 p.m.

Police say the 24-year-old has been transported to the police station and an investigation is underway, but they did not provide any details about a possible motive.

In a statement on X, the National Council of Canadian Muslims says it is “greatly concerned” about the incident.

“However, we do not have information at this point to make a suggestion as to the motivation behind the incident, and we encourage our community not to speculate as the investigation continues,” the organization said.

Amira Elghawaby, Canada’s special representative on combating Islamophobia, said the news was “very distressing.”

“Our thoughts are with the victims, hoping the injuries sustained are not serious and that their recovery will not be difficult,” she said on X.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 20, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek is urging the Alberta government to preserve pieces of the massive Green Line transit project now being dissolved.

City council voted this week to wind down the $6.2-billion project after Premier Danielle Smith’s government said it would pull its $1.53 billion in funding — unless the city altered and extended the line’s route.

The city estimates halting work will cost $850 million on top of $1.3 billion already spent on land acquisition, utility construction and new light-rail vehicles.

In a Thursday letter, Gondek asks the province to preserve some of the work already done to save taxpayer money and prevent delays in future work, including retaining the contract for new vehicles.

The province has hired an engineering firm to come up with new proposals by the end of the year.

Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen says the Green Line was poorly engineered, and had faced escalating costs even as it’s scope shrank.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 21, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

WHITEHORSE – Yukon officials say they are working to understand how groundwater moves through an area where a failure at a mine released millions of tonnes of cyanide-laced ore into the surrounding environment, about 480 kilometres north of Whitehorse.

An update posted to the territory’s website says 18 new groundwater wells have been installed so far at the site of the Eagle Gold mine.

The bulletin says high levels of cyanide are being detected in some wells, particularly those closest to the slide site, a result that had been expected.

The territory says work is underway to “increase our understanding” of how groundwater travels through the area and inform plans for water treatment.

The mine owner, Victoria Gold, is in receivership, and the Yukon government announced last month that an independent review of the slide was underway.

Friday’s bulletin says testing this month in Haggart Creek, where nearly 70 dead fish were found in August, found cyanide concentrations below the guideline for aquatic life, and barriers are in place to prevent fish from entering the creek near the slide.

It adds there have been no new reports of further fish die-offs in the creek.

The territory says work is continuing on a safety berm in the slide area, allowing for the installation of wells and interception of contaminated water for treatment.

It says that a lined storage pond was completed last week to increase water storage capacity at the site, and another will be finished in the coming days.

The Yukon government will continue to provide updates as more results from groundwater and other testing become available, the bulletin says.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 20, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.