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Middle class prosperity minister says Canada can't measure who is in the middle class – CTV News

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OTTAWA —
Canada has no official way of measuring who is and isn’t a member of the middle class, Minister of Middle Class Prosperity Mona Fortier said Monday.

Conservative MP Pat Kelly asked Fortier in the House of Commons to provide the number and percentage of individuals who she considers to belong to the middle class.

“The income required to attain a middle-class lifestyle can vary greatly based on Canadians’ specific situation,” Fortier replied.

“Canada has no official statistical measure of what constitutes the middle class.”

Since her cabinet position as minister of middle class prosperity and associate minister of finance was announced, Fortier has been dogged with questions about she defines the middle class. However, speaking on CTV Power Play shortly after being appointed to cabinet in November, she could not do so.

“There’s no unique definition for middle class,” she told host Joyce Napier.

“We have to make sure we represent the realities in a rural, remote or even urban setting, regional differences…and respond to the needs of families.”

She added that would be learning more about her role in her mandate letter, which has since been released. In it, Fortier is tasked mainly with supporting the Ministry of Finance. However, the few times the words “middle class” are mentioned in the letter, their definition remains unclear.

“You will develop cross-government approaches to ensure that the prosperity and quality of life of the middle class are central to government policy-making,” the mandate letter reads.

The letter also tells Fortier to work with finance officials to ensure the department has “the analytical and advisory capabilities that it needs to support and measure the impact of an economic agenda focused on growing the middle class and those people working hard to join it.”

Without any official statistical measure for that group, it’s unclear how her ministry plans to know whether that group has grown in size or whose quality of life she is measuring.

Still, in her answer on Tuesday, Fortier maintained the actual income that allows Canadians to live a middle-class lifestyle varies based on a number of factors.

As examples, she cited child care expenses and whether Canadians live in large cities as being variables that could impact this “middle-class lifestyle.”

Despite having no official statistical measure of the group, Fortier insisted “the government’s focus on middle-class prosperity reflects its priority on policies that grow the economy and benefit a very broad group of Canadians.”

According to information from Statistics Canada, the median after-tax income for Canadian households was $59,800 in 2017.

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RCMP arrest second suspect in deadly shooting east of Calgary

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EDMONTON – RCMP say a second suspect has been arrested in the killing of an Alberta county worker.

Mounties say 28-year-old Elijah Strawberry was taken into custody Friday at a house on O’Chiese First Nation.

Colin Hough, a worker with Rocky View County, was shot and killed while on the job on a rural road east of Calgary on Aug. 6.

Another man who worked for Fortis Alberta was shot and wounded, and RCMP said the suspects fled in a Rocky View County work truck.

Police later arrested Arthur Wayne Penner, 35, and charged him with first-degree murder and attempted murder, and a warrant was issued for Strawberry’s arrest.

RCMP also said there was a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Strawberry, describing him as armed and dangerous.

Chief Supt. Roberta McKale, told a news conference in Edmonton that officers had received tips and information over the last few weeks.

“I don’t know of many members that when were stopped, fuelling up our vehicles, we weren’t keeping an eye out, looking for him,” she said.

But officers had been investigating other cases when they found Strawberry.

“Our investigators were in O’Chiese First Nation at a residence on another matter and the major crimes unit was there working another file and ended up locating him hiding in the residence,” McKale said.

While an investigation is still underway, RCMP say they’re confident both suspects in the case are in police custody.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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26-year-old son is accused of his father’s murder on B.C.’s Sunshine Coast

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RICHMOND, B.C. – The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the 26-year-old son of a man found dead on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast has been charged with his murder.

Police say 58-year-old Henry Doyle was found badly injured on a forest service road in Egmont last September and died of his injuries.

The homicide team took over when the BC Coroners Service said the man’s death was suspicious.

It says in a statement that the BC Prosecution Service has approved one count of first-degree murder against the man’s son, Jackson Doyle.

Police say the accused will remain in custody until at least his next court appearance.

The homicide team says investigators remained committed to solving the case with the help of the community of Egmont, the RCMP on the Sunshine Coast and in Richmond, and the Vancouver Police Department.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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Metro Vancouver’s HandyDART strike continues after talks break with no deal

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VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, have broken off without an agreement following 15 hours of talks.

Joe McCann, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they stayed at the bargaining table with help from a mediator until 2 a.m. Friday and made “some progress.”

However, he says the union negotiators didn’t get an offer that they could recommend to the membership.

McCann says that in some ways they are close to an agreement, but in other areas they are “miles apart.”

About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people who can’t navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last week, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.

McCann asks HandyDART users to be “patient,” since they are trying to get not only a fair contract for workers but also a better service for customers.

He says it’s unclear when the talks will resume, but he hopes next week at the latest.

The employer, Transdev, didn’t reply to an interview request before publication.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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