‘Common ground': CTV Atlantic commentator calls for empathy for Alberta
CTV News Atlantic commentator Steve Murphy speaks with Alberta Primetime host Michael Higgins about perceptions of Alberta on a national level.
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CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Doug Ford's Bill 5 is now law in Ontario. Here's what happens next
Social Sharing Now that Ontario's controversial Bill 5 is law, all eyes are on what Premier Doug Ford does with the new powers it gives his government. Bill 5, also called the Protecting Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act, empowers the government (among other things) to create special economic zones, where cabinet can exempt companies or projects from having to comply with any provincial law, provincial regulation or municipal bylaw. Ford pitches Bill 5 as a way of shoring up Ontario's economy in the face of Donald Trump's tariffs by speeding up major infrastructure and resource projects. Ford's officials insist the government won't exempt any company in a special economic zone from Ontario's minimum wage rules or other labour laws. But the wide-open way the legislation is written would allow cabinet to hand out exemptions from any law, whether labour, environmental or operational. Asked this week which laws he's considering overriding with Bill 5 — and whether any laws are off the table for such exemptions — Ford offered no specifics. WATCH | Your quick guide to Bill 5: Breaking down the Ford government's controversial Bill 5 8 days ago Duration 7:16 The Ford government has been receiving criticism from Ontario's opposition parties, as well as environmental and Indigenous leaders on their controversial Bill 5. CBC's Mike Crawley breaks down what you need to know about the legislation. "I just want to speed up the process," he said during a news conference on Thursday, moments after Bill 5 received Royal Assent, making it law. Ford then talked of how long it takes for a mine to get into production, an issue that is actually tackled in a different part of Bill 5: revisions to the Mining Act designed to shorten Ontario's approval process to two years from the current four years. Pressed again on which laws he would exempt companies from in the special economic zones, Ford said every situation is different. Ford wants to move 'as quickly as possible' "Let's see what companies come to the table, and depending on how quickly we can get opportunities and jobs, we'll reveal them," Ford said. Ford wants Ontario's first special economic zone to be the Ring of Fire mineral deposit, some 500 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay, in the heart of Treaty 9 territory. The area is said to be full of so-called critical minerals, such as cobalt, lithium and nickel, in high demand for the tech industry. The premier said on Thursday that he wants to make the Ring of Fire a special economic zone " as quickly as possible" but has also said he won't do so without consulting with First Nations Energy and Mines Minister Stephen Lecce says the province is already "consulting meaningfully" with First Nations and will continue to do so over the coming months. "We're all going to be part of this endeavour to really listen to those voices and help build a common vision for responsible resource development that unlocks the bounty of the resource, to change the lives of northerners and to ensure Indigenous share in that bounty," Lecce said alongside Ford at Thursday's news conference inside Queen's Park. The skepticism from many First Nations leaders is palpable. The Chiefs of Ontario invited Ford to attend their annual assembly June 17 to 19 and sent Ford a message that his attendance would mark the start of consultations on Bill 5. "This legislation, introduced without prior consultation with First Nations rights holders, raises serious concerns due to its far-reaching implications on inherent Treaty rights and community obligations to the land, waters, and wildlife," says the invitation letter from Ontario Regional Chief Abram Benedict. The Chiefs of Ontario, the umbrella group representing more than 130 First Nations across the province, are warning of "resistance, on the ground, and in the courts" against Bill 5. WATCH | What the 'duty to consult' First Nations means for governments: What is a duty to consult — and how will it affect Bill 5? 2 days ago Duration 8:45 One thing to watch for in the months to come is whether the provincial government's push to fast-track the Ring of Fire is replicated by the federal government. Ford put the Ring of Fire at the top of his list presented to Prime Minister Mark Carney for consideration as a potential nation-building project. Ford calls Carney 'Santa Claus' Carney asked all the premiers to come to last Monday's First Ministers Meeting in Saskatoon with their ideas of projects that would be "in the national interest," either by helping to diversify the Canadian economy or to reach new export markets. It's now up to Carney to decide which projects merit federal backing, whether through fast-track approvals or funding. Ford described Carney as Santa Claus for this approach. But to make the metaphor accurate, it means Ford and his fellow premiers have merely written their letters to Santa Claus, and they now have to wait until Christmas comes to find out whether Santa brings them what they asked for. The other items on Ford's list are also projects that could be designated special economic zones: new nuclear power plants, a new deep-sea port on James Bay, Ford's vision of a tunnel under Highway 401 through Toronto, and an expansion of the GO Transit network. If Carney endorses any of these, you can expect the Ford government will use its Bill 5 powers to speed up the process of moving that project from endorsement to reality. On Friday, Carney's Liberals tabled a bill in the House of Commons called the One Canadian Economy Act, designed in part to speed up the approval process of major infrastructure projects, a goal similar to Ontario's Bill 5. One line in the text of Bill 5 says its purpose is making Ontario "the best place in the G7 to invest, create jobs and do business." Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade Minister Vic Fedeli, whose chief role is attracting companies to the province, says investors around the world are hoarding capital in hopes of some economic certainty. Will Bill 5 attract investment? "That capital that's building up needs to unleash, and we want them to know that when they come to Ontario, it can be unleashed very quickly here," Fedeli said at the news conference alongside Ford and Lecce. Having Bill 5 powers on the books means Ontario could try to entice investors to set up shop in a special economic zone, but officials won't say whether that incentive is now being dangled at any particular companies. More questions remain on how exactly the government will use other powers it obtained through Bill 5, such as the power to ignore the independent scientific committee that determines whether a species is endangered or threatened in Ontario. You can expect a backlash from conservation groups whenever the government uses that power, for instance by scrapping measures that would protect the habitat of a species at risk. What's unknown is when, where and with what species the government will take such a step. Another 'watch this space' related to Bill 5: what happens with the expansion of a landfill on the edge of the southwestern Ontario town of Dresden, which the legislation exempts from having to go through a comprehensive environmental assessment.
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Millions of seahorses worth $29M smuggled illegally, study finds
Nearly five million smuggled seahorses were seized globally by authorities over a 10-year period, Canadian researchers found, warning it's only the "tip of the iceberg" in an illegal trade that is likely far larger in scale. To track how widespread the issue is, researchers at the University of British Columbia pored over public seizure reports and news stories shared between 2010 and 2021, finding nearly 300 seizures of seahorses involving 62 different countries. In total, the five million seahorses seized were worth an estimated $29 million ($21 million US), they said in a study recently published Conservation Biology. Dried seahorses are often sought for use in traditional medicine. The most common destinations for them are China and Hong Kong, the study found, but they can be purchased in Canada online and in traditional medicine shops. Because the study's conservative estimates are only drawn from public records, the "real scale of illegal seahorse trade will be much bigger," said Sarah Foster, lead author and a researcher at UBC's Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, who is also program lead at Project Seahorse, a marine conservation organization. While none of the study's publicly reported seizures were in Canada, 19 "enforcement files" related to seahorses have been opened since 2020, according to a statement from Environment and Climate Change Canada. That includes 15 in the Pacific region, "primarily involving dried seahorses or seahorse-based products (e.g., traditional medicines or supplements)." A tangled network The study also offers details on smuggling methods and the complexity of smuggling routes, said Foster. Most seahorse seizures involved passenger luggage in airports, but the largest volumes were moved by ship, she said. In the sea cargos, they were often traded alongside other wildlife, like pangolins, elephant ivory, penguin scales, sea cucumbers and shark fins. "So in devising strategies to find and flag illegal seahorse trade, authorities will also be helping to address that issue for other marine and other wildlife species," said Foster. In one unusual seizure recorded in Vietnam, the seahorses seemingly came from Peru; but when authorities looked into the species, they found that they were originally from West Africa. "These seahorses had gone [from] West Africa, [to] Peru, [and] Vietnam on their way, purportedly, to eventually end up in mainland China," she said. To counter this global trade, governments need to work together to share information and strategies on how to catch smugglers, said Foster. And more importantly, she added, guard against the threat to the species and biodiversity. Ripple effect of the trade Seahorses can be legally traded under rules outlined by the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), an agreement signed by 183 countries, including Canada. Exporters are required to have a permit, proving their trade is monitored, legally sourced and doesn't harm populations. "Those permits are very, very hard to get," said Max Valentine, campaign director of illegal fishing and transparency for Oceana, an international advocacy organization for ocean conservation. "Most of this illegal trade is [from] people who are not catching them with the permits, or with the regulations in place." Currently, two seahorse species are considered critically endangered, and another 13 are considered vulnerable to extinction, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Endangered seahorses find a home in underwater hotels 2 years ago Duration 1:01 Frames of biodegradable metal are being installed underwater off Australia's east coast to provide a home for the endangered White's Seahorses. The structures will eventually corrode, leaving a semi-natural reef that will help the wider ecosystem and give seahorses a chance to recover their species' population. Illegal harvesting has serious repercussions not just on seahorse populations, but also on the underwater environment as a whole, said Valentine. Seahorses are usually caught by bottom trawling — using large, weighed-down nets dragged across the ocean floor — which Valentine says is "widely considered one of the most destructive fishing practices on the planet." "[The nets] rip up all of the habitat that they come in contact with," she said. "By the time they've pulled these nets out of the water, everything is already dead. So we've lost all of that biomass, all of those organisms from the environment." Taking seahorses out of the environment also disrupts the food chain, she said, affecting the populations seahorses feed off of, and those that eat them, too. Saving the sea one seahorse at a time Valentine said when she first heard of this "bombshell" seahorse smuggling study, she was "shocked and appalled." "To learn that there's been such a devastating harvest, illegal harvest of these species … is really disappointing." By shedding light on the issues seahorses face, the study's authors say they hope they can bring attention to the broader threats encountered by marine life.
CTV News
5 hours ago
- CTV News
CTV National News: 'When I'm screwed, my kids are screwed'
Watch A family in Ottawa says U.S. President Trump's travel ban on citizens from 12 countries could mean an idefinite separation from their son. Judy Trinh reports.
