B.C. Premier Eby says Ottawa must increase its subsidy for B.C. ferry users
Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that starting Aug. 1, there will be a 50 per cent fare cut for passenger, vehicle and commercial users of Marine Atlantic — a constitutionally mandated ferry service connecting Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.
Eby says now it's time for the federal government to have a 'serious look' at the current funding formula for B.C. ferry users.
The premier acknowledged that Carney's announcement today was an election promise, but says Ottawa must 'up the federal subsidy' for B.C. ferry users, which has not changed for almost two decades.
Eby has noted previously that the federal government subsidizes ferry users in Atlantic Canada by about $300 per person, while ferry users in B.C. receive $1 per person, and says provinces must receive the same per-capita funding, regardless of the program.
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Carney's announcement comes after the federal government heavily criticized the BC Ferries contract with a Chinese state-owned company to build one of its vessels, even as the Canada Infrastructure Bank loaned the company money for the ferry.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 28, 2025.
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2 hours ago
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Cheaper Marine Atlantic fares are a win for tourism industry, says Hospitality N.L.
More affordable fares for passengers using Marine Atlantic ferries is a win for Newfoundland and Labrador, according to Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador chair John Deveraux. "With lower fares, we're definitely going to see an increase in more visitors to explore our province, [and] ease of cost for residents, visitors and businesses alike," he told CBC. On Monday, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that he's cutting Marine Atlantic passenger and vehicle fares in half by increasing funding to the ferry service that operates between Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador. Ottawa is also freezing commercial freight rates on that route. "If we are going to build a stronger, more united economy, and we are doing that, we are going to need to make it more affordable to travel around this country, for people and for businesses," Carney said. "Today's announcement will mean more Canadians can see more of Atlantic Canada." Deveraux said Hospitality N.L. has spent years advocating for the ferry service to make its routes more affordable. On Friday, passengers will begin to see those savings. "I think there's going to be average savings of about $300 to $400 one way from Argentia and probably about $100 to $200 one way from Port aux Basques," he said. More ferries needed Marine Atlantic is experiencing a spike in travellers this summer, and Deveraux says there's been an increased interest and usage of the ferry service during peak seasons in the last few years. While the ferries are not sold out, Deveraux said, Marine Atlantic will need to develop a plan around fleet capacity. "Now we've got to hopefully up our fleet," he said. Marine Atlantic currently operates four ferries on two different routes. The year-round ferry service operates between Port aux Basques and North Sydney, N.S., with three vessels on its regular fleet: The Blue Puttees, Highlanders, and Leif Ericson. The second seasonal route operates between Argentia and North Sydney. It runs up to three times per week from June to September using the service's newest vessel, the Ala'suinu. Marine Atlantic spokesperson Darrell Mercer told CBC that the Leif Ericsson, the ferry's dedicated commercial vessel, is approaching 35 years in service. As the ferries age, he said, the boats run into more issues. "What may fit for our service today might not necessarily be what fits in the years and years ahead," Mercer said. "Fleet renewal is a constant discussion that we have with the [federal] government." Hospitality N.L. is prepared to support Marine Atlantic as it works with the federal government to expand its fleet, he said. "The only way they're going to be able to, especially in peak season, to accommodate more passengers is to have more vessels," Deveraux said. "Anything we can do to help will be there to stand beside them." Refunds by September Mercer said 110,000 people should receive automatic refunds by Sept. 1 to accommodate the ferry service's changing rates. Deveraux expects these savings to benefit the province's economy and entice people to eat at restaurants and experience more of Newfoundland and Labrador. "Our hiking and our icebergs and our whales and everything else, it's definitely a bucket list trip, and word is getting out there that the hidden gem is no longer," he said.
3 hours ago
Hudson's Bay takes landlords to court over billionaire's lease takeover
Hudson's Bay has solidified its faith in a controversial deal to sell leases to a B.C. billionaire by asking a court to force landlords critical of her to let her move in. A motion filed by the collapsed department store late Tuesday asked the Ontario Superior Court to reassign 25 of its leases to Ruby Liu. Fifteen of the leases cover properties in Ontario, including Fairview Mall, Sherway Garden, Bayshore Shopping Centre and Bramalea City Centre. The remaining 10 are split evenly between Alberta and B.C. and include West Edmonton Mall, CF Market Mall and Guildford Town Centre. The group of leases will cost Liu about $69 million, minus a litany of fees she has to pay as a condition of taking them on, the latest documents show. The Bay thinks Liu should get the leases because the deal will help it repay creditors, offer jobs to former Bay employees and fill vacant properties so landlords avoid the visual and economic blight of a 'dark' or empty store for a significantly prolonged period. If landlords aren't forced to accept Liu, the company warns significant benefits and value creation will be lost and it will have to turn its former stores back over to landlords. The filing sets up the Bay for a fight that will pit it against some of the country's most prominent landlords, including Cadillac Fairview, Oxford Properties and Primaris. If it wins, Liu estimates the retailer will make a $50 million dent in the roughly $1.1 billion in debt it had when it filed for creditor protection in March. That process led the Bay to close all of its stores and start soliciting buyers for its leases. One dozen bidders made offers for 39 properties. Liu was designated the winner of the bulk of them. The Vancouver-based entrepreneur made her fortune in Chinese real estate and owns three B.C. malls, including the Woodgrove Centre and Mayfair Shopping Centre, which she is willing to sell to advance her push for the Bay leases. Liu inked two deals to buy a collective 28 leases that belonged to the Bay and its sister Saks stores in May. The first deal — for three leases at malls Liu owns — sailed through court with no opposition. Ruby Liu has drafted a plan for a new self-named department store. Liu owns three B.C. malls, including the Woodgrove Centre and Mayfair Shopping Centre, which she is willing to sell to advance her push for the Bay leases. Photo: (Ben Nelms/CBC) The second became fraught shortly after it was announced, when landlords began meeting with Liu and found she had little information to share about her bid to open a new department store named after herself and replete with retail, dining, entertainment and recreational spaces. A package Liu sent landlords in early June, which was obtained by The Canadian Press, showed she thought she was capable of opening up to 20 stores within just 180 days of signing leases. It offered a vague financial budget and mentioned hiring efforts and meetings with prospective suppliers but did not name the potential vendors. Court records filed on Tuesday showed the initial package and meetings with Liu left Cadillac Fairview with the strong impression that Ms. Liu is making this up as she goes. Primaris REIT felt her plans were predicated upon hope, optimism and not on experience. New plans filed alongside the Bay's motion show Liu has taken another stab at a business roadmap. Promise of new flagship stores This time around she's budgeting $375 million for her venture and is looking at opening three tiers — flagship, platinum and standard — of a new, self-named department store. Though she has spoken repeatedly about putting dining, entertainment and recreational spaces into her stores, she promises to take on the leases as is. Much has been made of my public comments around the retail concepts that I believe may appeal to modern shoppers, Liu writes. However, this should not be taken as any intention to ignore the terms of the lease. Liu says $120 million will be invested on overdue repairs to roofs, HVAC systems, washrooms, elevators and escalators and $135 million on initial inventory. She projects her plan will create at least 1,800 new jobs and by 2027, generate more than $420 million in annual sales. Despite the landlords' opposition to the assignment of the leases to Liu, she says she is confident that my growing team (which will include former HBC executives) will be able to build fruitful and lasting relationships with them and their communities. Liu's filing was made after 50 pages she sent to judge Peter Osborne — against the Bay's advice — were entered into the court record. They included two notes to Osborne sent a day apart that were appended with letters the Bay's lawyers and landlord lawyers sent to her and her counsel. The records show the Bay's lawyers heeded early criticism from landlords and started pressing Liu to prepare a more in-depth plan. They urged Liu to hire the retailer's former CEO Liz Rodbell as a consultant and KPMG as a financial adviser and bring back Miller Thomson as legal representation and offered to shave $3 million off the price of the leases, if she did so. The new business plan Liu filed Tuesday makes no mention of Rodbell or Miller Thomson but lists KPMG as a potential tax adviser and auditor.
4 hours ago
Canada weighing recognition of Palestinian statehood: source
No decision has been made yet, the source says, but Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to hold a virtual cabinet meeting Wednesday afternoon, at which time the situation in the Middle East will be discussed. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Tuesday the U.K. will recognize a Palestinian state in September unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire in Gaza, allows the UN to bring in aid and takes other steps toward long-term peace. The two leaders spoke Tuesday, according to Carney's office, about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the U.K.'s statement on the recognition of a Palestinian state. WATCH | Starmer says U.K. plans to recognize Palestinian state: France announced a similar plan last week, but without conditions. French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday there was "no alternative" (new window) to recognizing the state of Palestine and intends to do so at the UN General Assembly in September. Asked last week whether he would follow France, Carney said Canada will continue to support a two-state solution with a free and viable Palestine living in peace and side-by-side in peace and security with Israel. Days later, Ottawa announced $10 million in funding for the Palestinian Authority's preparations to lead a globally recognized country (new window) that includes Gaza and the West Bank. The federal government is also adding $30 million to its humanitarian funding for desperate Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Trump says recognition rewards Hamas Starmer, who is under mounting domestic pressure over the issue as scenes of hunger in Gaza horrify many Britons, convened a rare summertime cabinet meeting to discuss the situation in Gaza. It came after he discussed the crisis with U.S. President Donald Trump during a meeting in Scotland on Monday. Trump told reporters he didn't mind Starmer taking a position on statehood. But he told reporters on board Air Force One travelling back to the U.S. that recognizing a Palestinian state would reward Palestinian militant group Hamas. You're rewarding Hamas if you do that. I don't think they should be rewarded, he said. WATCH | Carney responds to France's intent to recognize Palestinian state: Starmer said Tuesday that Britain will recognize a Palestinian state before the United Nations General Assembly unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza, agree to a ceasefire and commit to a long-term, sustainable peace, reviving the prospect of a two-state solution. And this includes allowing the UN to restart the supply of aid, and making clear there will be no annexations in the West Bank, he said. Israel's Foreign Ministry rejects British move Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu rejects the two-state solution on both nationalistic and security grounds. The shift in the British government's position at this time, following the French move and internal political pressures, constitutes a reward for Hamas and harms efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and a framework for the release of hostages, Israel's Foreign Ministry said on X. Enlarge image (new window) Palestinians carry aid supplies that entered Gaza on trucks through Israel in Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip Tuesday. Photo: Reuters / Dawoud Abu Alkas Starmer also repeated U.K. demands that Hamas release all the hostages it holds, agree to a ceasefire, disarm and accept that they will play no part in the government of Gaza. In a televised statement, he said that his government will assess in September how far the parties have met these steps before making a final decision on recognition. Britain has long supported the idea of an independent Palestinian state existing alongside Israel, but has said recognition should come as part of a negotiated two-state solution to the conflict. But Starmer said Tuesday Britain was willing to take the step because the very idea of a two-state solution is reducing and feels further away today than it has for many years. He said that despite the set of conditions he set out, Britain believes that statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people. Announcement follows France France would become the first (new window) among the G7 to recognize a Palestinian state. More than 140 countries recognize a Palestinian state, including a dozen in Europe. As with France, British recognition would be largely symbolic, but could increase diplomatic pressure for an end to the conflict — especially as Starmer appears to have the tacit approval of Trump. Both Israel and Hamas are facing pressure at home and abroad to reach a deal following almost two years of war, with the humanitarian situation inside Gaza deteriorating and Israelis worried about the conditions in which hostages are being held. Netanyahu condemned Macron's decision, saying that such a move rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy. A Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launch pad to annihilate Israel — not to live in peace beside it. Let's be clear: the Palestinians do not seek a state alongside Israel; they seek a state instead of Israel, Netanyahu said in a post on X (new window) . With files from The Associated Press and Reuters
