TORONTO —
As hereditary chiefs from Wet’suwet’en First Nation return to British Columbia, protesters show no signs of removing the blockades crippling the country’s rail network despite ongoing pleas from the federal government.
“The time has come. The barricades must come down,” Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said during an interview with CTV’s Question Period Sunday, reiterating Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s message to protesters Friday.
“The law must be obeyed. But at the same time we are not in any way stepping back from our commitment to continue the dialogue that is part of the entire reconciliation agenda.”
On Friday, Trudeau said court injunctions to put an end to the blockades “must be obeyed” and that “the law must be upheld.”
But little has changed at theblockade near Belleville, Ont. blocking a critical east-west rail line between Toronto and Montreal, where there are no signs that protesters plan on dismantling their camp. Meanwhile, Via Rail said it is set to resume certain routes, including its Quebec City-Montreal-Ottawa route on Monday.
“We all understand the importance of a peaceful resolution, but a speedy resolution because the impact of these barricades is unacceptable, untenable,” said Blair, noting that while the government wants protesters to remove the blockades, he understands there is still “a lot of work to be done” with Indigenous leaders.
The Wet’suwet’en hereditary leaders spent Friday near the Belleville-area blockade meeting with Mohawk supporters.
Following the meeting, Hereditary Chief Woos said the group was ready to engage in nation-to-nation talks with the B.C. and federal government once the RCMP and Coastal GasLink leave their traditional territory and cease work on the natural gas pipeline project.
The RCMP have “temporarily” closed a remote detachment that stood on Wet’suwet’en territory at the 29-kilometre mark on the Morice West Forest Service Road, positioning themselves instead in the nearby town of Houston, B.C. However, the RCMP says patrols will continue in the area.
Blair said the RCMP has held up their end of the deal, but noted that the RCMP will not abandon the area entirely.
“I have great confidence in the deputy commissioner in B.C. and in her officers. They have been working tirelessly to resolve this peacefully, and I would encourage the hereditary chiefs to come back to that discussion and let’s work together,” he said.
“The role and the duty and responsibility of the RCMP is to provide policing services and keep safe the thousands of people that live in that region. We’re not going to be able to abandon them and so they will continue to receive the services that they need from the RCMP.”
He also noted that Costal GasLink is in the process of obtaining a new permit and work would not continue on the territory until that permit is issued.
CHARLOTTETOWN – Public health officials in P.E.I. say more than 550 people have experienced symptoms of gastrointestinal illness after an outbreak of norovirus was detected at a shellfish festival last weekend.
The province’s chief public health officer says the new number is based on responses to an online questionnaire aimed at people who attended the P.E.I. International Shellfish Festival in Charlottetown from Sept. 19 to 22.
Public health officials say four ill people went to emergency departments and one person was hospitalized.
Norovirus, which is spread through contaminated foods or liquids,has been detected in stool samples from some of those who became ill after attending the festival.
To minimize the risk of gastrointestinal illness at future events, officials are recommending additional health inspections before and during the festival, enhanced sanitation during food preparation and preventing food handlers from working when sick.
Other recommendations include: having more hand-washing stations; working with a sanitation company to clean common touch surfaces daily; and keeping samples of prepared food in cold storage for at least 48 hours after the event has ended.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 27, 2024.
MONTREAL – More than 100 Quebec musicians, comedians and other artists are rallying behind a historic Montreal concert hall that temporarily closed its doors this week after a court ordered it to stop making too much noise.
Heavyweights of Quebec’s entertainment industry, like composer Robert Charlebois and singer-songwriter Coeur de pirate, signed the letter that was published in La Presse decrying the court ruling that led to La Tulipe’s decision to shut down.
This week the Court of Appeal ordered La Tulipe — which opened its doors more than a century ago — to ensure no noise from its sound equipment is audible in a neighbouring building.
Calling on the City of Montreal to intervene, the letter says the court ruling ignores cultural workers and that it has allowed unhappy neighbours to silence a “cultural jewel.”
On Thursday night, a crowd of protesters equipped with drums and other percussion instruments gathered in front of La Tulipe to show their support for the venue — and anger at the owner of the adjacent building that brought the venue to court.
That same day, The Plateau-Mont-Royal borough where La Tulipe is located took the first step to modify a bylaw, invoked by the court in its ruling, so that the rule no longer applies to concert halls.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 27, 2024.
OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be travelling to France next Thursday to attend the Francophonie summit.
The meeting of French-speaking countries, which happens every two years, will be held on Oct. 4 and 5 in Villers-Cotterêts and Paris.
The Prime Minister’s Office says Trudeau will work with other heads of state to further shared priorities including democracy and human rights.
Representatives from Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Quebec will also be at the meetings.
Leaders are also expected to make a decision on applications to join the international francophonie body, including Nova Scotia’s application for observer status.
Trudeau has attended the summit four times since he was first elected in 2015.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 27, 2024.
