Officials lift brief evacuation order for Valemount, B.C. ask fire risk eases

MONTREAL – The provincial Crown corporation in charge of liquor sales in Quebec says a computer issue resulted in all its products being temporarily listed at 30 per cent off on its website.

Société des alcools du Québec spokesperson Laurianne Tardif confirmed the accidental sale happened between midnight and 8:30 a.m. on Saturday.

She says the SAQ was able to fix the issue shortly after it was reported.

An analysis is currently underway to determine what happened, but Tardif says the issue was a programming error and not an external virus or hack.

The SAQ did not answer a question on how many products were bought during the eight-and-a-half hour window, or how many customers took advantage of the reduced prices.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

OTTAWA – The Liberal government is announcing more details on its existing strategy and funding to fight a rise in hate crimes targeting multiple communities.

Diversity Minister Kamal Khera released the Action Plan on Combatting Hate last week, which aims to co-ordinate how various departments promote diversity and prevent violent incidents and speech online targeting minorities.

Khera said the funding is needed because Statistics Canada is reporting an increase in hate crimes involving Jews, Muslims, LGBTQ+ people and other communities.

“Whether it is online or on our streets, hateful words (and) actions are having a devastating impact on our communities and our entire country, whether it is our mosques being attacked, communities being divided or even losing loved ones,” she said outside a mosque in Brampton, Ont.

She noted the arrest last week of a London, Ont. man whom police say had verbally harassed a woman wearing an Islamic headscarf and brandished a knife. A self-described white nationalist in that same southwestern Ontario city murdered four members of a Muslim family in 2021 in what a judge ruled to be an act of terrorism.

“We cannot allow hate to go unchecked; the cost of inaction is far too great,” Khera said.

The action plan released last Tuesday details how Ottawa intends to spend the $273.6 million the Liberals allocated in this April’s budget for various programs, over the course of six years.

Khera said that allocation includes a $65 million top-up to a fund that helps community institutions and religious centres cover the cost of installing cameras or hiring security guards. She noted Ottawa has increased the annual amount of cash institutions can apply for, such as those who feel it’s necessary to get round-the-clock security.

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs said the extra cash for security is “very welcome as many institutions have been stretched beyond capacity,” noting Jewish schools have been shot at, synagogues have been vandalized and Jewish businesses have been set ablaze.

Tuesday’s action plan largely reiterates work that federal departments and agencies are already doing, with the idea of creating consultation panels that can spot gaps in laws and programs or address barriers to implementing an existing Anti-Racism Strategy.

It listed various programs helping anti-racism organizations to monitor and combat online hatred, as well as training for Crown prosecutors on “the unique dynamics of hate crimes.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 29, 2024

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

SURREY, B.C. – New Democrat Leader David Eby, speaking before his largest crowd of the provincial election campaign, says he’s making a tax relief election promise that will benefit more than 90 per cent of people in British Columbia.

The NDP would implement an annual tax cut of $1,000 for the average family starting next year if the party forms government on Oct. 19, Eby said Sunday at a packed campaign event in Surrey, B.C.

The plan will exempt $10,000 of individual income from annual taxes every year, which will reduce taxes by more than $1,000 for most households and more than $500 for individuals, he said.

It means, Eby said, people will not pay provincial income tax on the first $22,580 of their earnings.

He said the plan would provide $1,000 in relief immediately.

“A $1,000 tax cut the year after that, the year after that and the year after that,” said Eby.

The NDP leader’s tax relief promise comes less than one week after B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad promised, if elected, a tax relief plan for renters and homeowners that would exempt housing costs from provincial income taxes.

Rustad’s plan, which he called the Rustad Rebate, would start in 2026 at $1,500 and grow to exempt up to $3,000 a month in housing costs from provincial income taxes in 2029.

Eby said Rustad’s plan is back loaded, meaning people in B.C. wouldn’t see support next year and wouldn’t be eligible for the full benefits until 2029.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 29, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.