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WINNIPEG – Grand Chief Cathy Merrick of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs will lie in state at the provincial legislature following her sudden death.

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew made the announcement during a news conference Saturday morning where the province’s Indigenous leaders paid tribute to the late leader.

Merrick was outside the Winnipeg Law Courts building on Friday talking to reporters about two court cases when she said she felt dizzy and fell to the ground.

Fire and paramedic crews arrived, performed chest compressions and carried Merrick away on a stretcher to an ambulance, but she did not survive.

Kinew says the decision to have Merrick lie in state at the legislature was made in consultation with her family as well as the leadership of Pimicikamak Cree Nation, where Merrick was a former chief.

He says Merrick did a tremendous service to all people in Manitoba, and he wats all Manitobans to appreciate that.

“She moved the needle in the direction of righteousness and justice and kindness, and also reconciliation,” Kinew told the news conference at the headquarters of Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, which represents more than two dozen northern Manitoba First Nation communities.

Kinew said the decision would also mean people who won’t be able to travel to Pimicikamak will be able to pay their respects to Merrick in Winnipeg.

He said details on when Merrick will lie in state are being worked out, and an announcement will come later.

Merrick took over the helm of the chiefs assembly in 2022 and was the first woman elected to the role.

She supported families of the victims of serial killer Jeremy Skibicki, pushing long and hard for authorities to search a landfill where the remains of two of the four Indigenous women are believed to be.

She also championed reform of the child welfare system, and called for better transportation, health care and other services in First Nation communities.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 7, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

VICTORIA – The company operating British Columbia’s ferries says divers have recovered a propeller that fell off one of its vessels and triggered an oil spill earlier this week, but notes it will take six months to complete the needed repairs.

A statement from BC Ferries says the propeller from the 60 year-old Queen of New Westminster — which weighs about 4,500 kilograms — was pulled from the seabed Saturday morning after two days of recovery work.

Officials took the ferry out of service earlier this week after discovering the starboard propeller had “sheared off from its propulsion shaft.”

The incident also saw about 800 litres of light hydraulic oil spilled into surrounding waters, though BC Ferries says the type of oil leaked “disperses quickly in the marine environment” and no oil sheens have been detected.

The company says a preliminary visual inspection suggests the propeller shaft may have fractured due to structural fatigue, and the repairs are expected to be significant and involve completely disassembling port and starboard propeller systems.

It estimates the full repair could take half a year, noting the work will also depend on global parts availability and manufacturing timelines.

Meanwhile, all of the vessel’s sailings up to Sept. 30 have been cancelled, and BC Ferries says it’s looking at ways to add additional trips on other boats.

CEO Nicolas Jimenez said the company plans to ask the BC Ferries Commission for permission to add a net new vessel to its major routes, adding impact to service would have been minimal this week if the company had a backup craft.

The Queen of New Westminster operates on the popular Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay route between Metro Vancouver and Greater Victoria. It can carry more than 250 cars and 1,300 passengers.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 7, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

MONTREAL – Advanced voting kicked off on Friday in Montreal’s LaSalle-Émard-Verdun riding, and party leaders are helping get out the vote as the federal byelection on Sept. 16. draws nearer.

Polls show a three-way battle emerging between the Liberal Party of Canada, the Bloc Québécois and the New Democratic Party and although LaSalle-Émard-Verdun is considered a Liberal stronghold, the NDP candidate in the race, Craig Sauvé, says he is fired up.

“I’m feeling the vibe of an election we can win. I’ve had that feeling in the past,” said Sauvé, who is also a city councillor in Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante’s administration.

“Among the three main parties, we have the biggest army of volunteers. There are hundreds of them,” said the 43-year-old as he went door-to-door with NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh.

As they passed in front of Lévis-Sauvé elementary school, teacher Céline-Audrey Beauregard recognized Sauvé and called him by his first name.

“I know you’re busy, but we’d like to invite you to our class,” said Beauregard, catching her breath.

“I was talking to my students about the byelections, so I took off running when I saw you pass by the window,” Beauregard said, adding that a fellow teacher was watching her students.

“When we go door-to-door, there’s always someone who says, ‘thank you for helping me with this or that, or for solving this problem,’” Singh responded when asked why he thought his party had a chance of coming out on top. “People love Craig.”

“The Liberals have abandoned you. People are having trouble paying for groceries and they’re having trouble paying the rent,” Singh continued, arguing the NDP was bringing back hope.

Standing outside an advanced polling station, a man named George, who described himself as a “senior citizen looking for housing,” declined to say who he voted for.

“All of the parties spoke well on the issue during the campaign,” he said.

However, Paola Castro, who also voted early, was not shy about revealing who got her vote.

“I don’t want to go into details because sometimes we get judged because of our ideas, but I made a decision based on my principles, and I’m voting for (Conservative Leader) Pierre Poilievre,” said Castro.

For her part, Diane Kipling voted in advance to help the NDP team of volunteers.

“It helps the party know who voted in the riding, so it’s less work for them when it’s time to get out the vote on election day,” she said.

Another candidate also bearing the surname Sauvé, Louis-Philippe Sauvé, was canvassing in front of a local Metro station.

“My candidacy is based on the conviction that I can win, and I will win,” said Sauvé, who is running for the Bloc Québécois.

He says the issues voters are raising vary depending on which part of the riding they live in.

“In Ville-Émard, they talk to me a lot about public safety, while in Verdun, they’re going to talk to me about the environment, climate change (and) housing because the housing crisis is particularly acute there.”

The Bloc Québécois is planning to send a delegation to the riding to help their candidate out on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the Liberal Party is backing its candidate, Laura Palestini, after it suffered a surprise defeat by the Conservatives in the Toronto-St. Paul’s byelection back in June. The Liberals have taken to X, posting pictures of senior cabinet ministers like François-Philippe Champagne, Steven Guilbeault, Mélanie Joly, Pablo Rodriguez and Marc Miller campaigning alongside Palestini.

The riding was previously held by former Liberal MP and cabinet minister David Lametti until his resignation in January.

Palestini did not tell The Canadian Press where she was campaigning on Friday, and her team did not respond to requests for comment.

As for the Conservatives, Louis Ialenti is running as the party’s candidate in the race, but like the Liberals, Poilievre’s party did not respond to requests to meet the candidate in the field.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 7, 2024.