Heritage minister pitches major CBC funding hike ahead of possible snap election
Canadian Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge is pitching a massive overhaul of CBC/Radio-Canada that would see the broadcaster's news programming be ad-free, and its per capita funding nearly doubled. But an impending snap election means that plan could never be enacted. P&P hears from Minister St-Onge.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
25 minutes ago
- CTV News
‘The dust will fly' – but control measures returning this fall to Chatham-Kent
Chatham-Kent council has voted to reinstate its dust suppression program after backlash from rural residents who were left frustrated by the initial decision to cut it during 2025 budget talks. Council voted 13-3 on Monday night to bring the program back, months after eliminating it in an effort to save about $1.3 million from the municipal budget — a move that represented a 0.8 per cent savings on the tax rate. The change of direction came after vocal opposition from residents who live on gravel roads, including farmers and members of the Kent Federation of Agriculture. 'We're very happy that it's coming back,' said KFA president Jim Brackett, who lives on a dirt road in Morpeth. But Brackett warned that reinstating the program isn't enough — it has to be done properly. 'It has to be applied properly and has to be applied at the right rate, it has to be the right product, and it has to be done twice a year to be the most effective,' he said. The dust, he added, has serious consequences for both people and crops along with motorist's safety. 'It's bad for our health. And if you were doing a construction site in town, you would be obligated to mitigate the dust,' said Brackett. 'I wash my vehicle every couple of days because of this. My house, I can't open the windows. My crops, it'll form a layer over the crops and interfere with translocation, increase the heat.' He explained, 'I already know of one resident that's been forced off the road because he was in a cloud of dust.' Although residents have been calling for immediate relief, municipal staff say the program won't resume until sometime this fall due to tendering and administrative delays. 'If they wanted to, they could be doing it quickly, but it sounds like it's going to be September before we get it back,' said Brackett. 'I may not get dust control this year, but someone may. So as long as some of our members get dust control and some of our people that travel the rural roads, then that's a plus versus nothing.' Ward 6 Councillor Michael Bondy, who originally voted to cut the program, brought the issue back to the council table after hearing from residents across the municipality. 'I heard from a lot of rural voices, and they felt pretty slighted and, frankly, kind of ripped off because something that had been done for 40 plus years was cut from the budget with my help, because I voted to help cut it from the budget, because we were told by staff that it's ineffective, it doesn't work and it's a waste,' said Bondy. Bondy told CTV News there are upwards of 1700 kilometres of gravel roads across the municipality. 'It was just another one of these instances of the rural voices just weren't heard and I'm a city guy, but I represent all of Chatham-Kent as a councillor, right? So I thought, well, I'll bring this back. This should be an easy one. Well, not quite that easy, but it did pass after an hour and a half discussion.' Bondy says red tape is now the main hurdle. 'The dust will fly unless the process can be changed because there has to be a report to council. It has to be tendered. The tender award has to be signed and contracted... blah blah. What am I saying? I'm saying red tape is what it is. It's red tape.' While hopeful that staff can speed up the process, Bondy acknowledged it may take time. 'I'm really hoping that, you know, staff can maybe get this moving a little earlier as it is only the beginning of June,' he said. 'I thought this was going to be rather simple, because it's been done for 40 plus years, by the same people. So I didn't think it would be difficult to reinstate. But I'm not complaining because we did vote to reinstate it, so, you know, we're halfway there, I would say.' Meantime, residents like Brackett are cautiously optimistic, saying any progress is better than none.
Calgary Herald
29 minutes ago
- Calgary Herald
Don't assume further rate cuts from the Bank of Canada, Poloz warns
Former Bank of Canada governor Stephen Poloz warned markets should not be assuming further rate cuts by the central bank, which will remain primarily focused on the inflation risk caused by tariffs over a weakening economy. Article content 'Inflation has been kind of firming lately, using the core measures the Bank of Canada pays attention to,' said Poloz, now special adviser to Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, during a webinar on Tuesday. 'And the counter tariffs that the government has put in place will start boosting inflation in the next couple of months.' Article content Article content On June 4, the Bank of Canada decided to hold its policy rate for the second straight time at 2.75 per cent, as it assesses how tariffs are affecting the Canadian economy. Article content Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem said it was too early to see the impact of retaliatory tariffs on the published CPI data but expects to see those effects in the coming months. The Government of Canada imposed 25 per cent tariffs on almost $60 billion worth of United States goods in response to U.S. tariffs, although certain exemptions apply. Carney has also signalled further potential retaliatory tariffs. Article content Poloz said the central bank had to learn a hard lesson during the post-pandemic era, when inflation unexpectedly jumped higher than expected. At the time, Macklem said inflation would be 'transitory.' Article content Article content 'The central bank said, 'Don't worry, that's a transitory thing.' Well, transitory turned out to be two years,' said Poloz. 'Having learned that lesson the hard way, I think central banks are going to be much more preoccupied with inflation risks.' Article content Article content The Canadian economy grew by 2.2 per cent in the first quarter of this year, mainly as the result of a rise of exports, as businesses pulled forward their inventory to get ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff announcements. Macklem said he expects growth in the second quarter to be considerably weaker, while many economists are forecasting a recession this year. Article content The unemployment rate also hit seven per cent in May, as tariff uncertainty continued to slow hiring demand and the manufacturing sector showed significant job losses in the last few months. Article content Article content Poloz said the deterioration in the labour market is a 'recessionary indicator' and he expects further layoffs as the result of tariffs in the coming months. This will be a point of concern for the Bank of Canada but Poloz noted that governments have shown a willingness to use fiscal policy to address the economic damage brought on by tariffs, while the central bank can remain focused on price stability.
Calgary Herald
29 minutes ago
- Calgary Herald
Trans Mountain eyes pipeline capacity increase by early 2027
Article content (Bloomberg) — The Trans Mountain pipeline could handle an additional 75,000 barrels of crude a day by a early 2027, the government-owned company's top executive said, potentially helping Canadian oil producers expand shipments to non-US markets. Article content Chemicals that make crude flow more easily through the line could be used in less than two years as a first stage of the capacity increase, Trans Mountain CEO Mark Maki told reporters at a conference in Calgary. After that, increased pumping power could boost flows to about 1.14 million barrels a day, but that would require dredging the nearby waterway to allow tankers to carry more oil. Article content Article content Article content Trans Mountain, running from Alberta to a marine terminal near Vancouver, had its capacity increased to as much as 890,000 barrels a day when a twin pipeline was completed along its route a year ago. Article content Article content Dredging 'reduces the number of tankers that have to transit,' Maki said. 'It's an important piece' of optimizing the line. Article content Pressure has been growing for Canada to find new export outlets for its oil since President Donald Trump threatened tariffs on the country earlier this year. Canada ships most of its oil to the US due to a lack of pipelines to domestic ports. Article content Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is pressing Prime Minister Mark Carney for a new 1 million barrel-a-day line running from Alberta to the northern British Columbia city of Prince Rupert and is offering to backstop the project by pledging oil for the line that the province collects as royalties. Alberta has reached out to pipeline companies about building such a new line, she said Wednesday. Article content Article content 'She's talked, I'm sure, to every pipeline company, including us,' Maki said. Optimizing 'the existing kit is the first priority for us.' Article content The Trans Mountain system is running at about 85% of its capacity because western Canadian oil production hasn't yet increased enough to fill the system, Maki said. Trans Mountain projects the system will fill by 2027 or 2028, he said. Article content The Canadian government — which acquired Trans Mountain in 2018 when previous owner Kinder Morgan Inc. threatened to scrap the expansion amid opposition in BC — has pledged to sell the pipeline. Such a sale shouldn't be done too quickly, Maki said. Trans Mountain's value would increase once it's optimized and final tolls have been set, he said.
