Alberta cabinet minister Ric McIver voted in as new legislature Speaker
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CTV News
43 minutes ago
- CTV News
Town of Essex invites residents to help shape 2026 budget at fall engagement sessions
Essex town hall can be seen in this undated photo. (Town of Essex) The Town of Essex is gearing up to host two budget engagement events this fall to gather feedback on the upcoming 2026 budget. The first session will be held Tuesday Sept. 23, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Essex Arena in the Shaheen Room. ADVERTISEMENT The second session will be held Thursday Oct. 2, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the community room at the Harrow Arena. 'We want residents to come out in person and really see how the municipal budget works, and to take time providing their feedback,' Bondy said. 'There are so many competing priorities in the municipality, so having public engagement is key to getting residents to supporting the budget process.' According to Bondy, the municipality has a lot of challenges because of how big and spread out it is. 'We have the four wards that all have competing priorities, so do residents want to see more roads done? We've done a great job at doing roads. Maybe now they want to see more development in our parks and recreation,' she said. Bondy added, it's important that the municipality listens to residents and that they get what they want out of their tax dollars. 'Tax dollars can only go so far, and it's really good to have residents understand the process, see what we're dealing with. Many residents think municipalities have a lot of money. We don't have a lot of money, so we really need to use it wisely.' The online interactive budget tool allows residents and business owners to create their own draft budget by allocating funds to capital initiatives they believe are important to the community's growth and prosperity. Participants can prioritize key spending areas and submit feedback that will help guide council and administration in making informed decisions for the upcoming budget. Bondy said the 2026 draft budget was expected to tabled late fall. The upcoming meetings are being held in addition to gathering feedback online through Friday Oct. 10. — Dustin Coffman/AM800 News
CBC
44 minutes ago
- CBC
Federal government taps Cohere to work on use of AI in public service
The federal government has signed an agreement with a Canadian artificial intelligence company to identify areas where AI can enhance public service operations. Cohere will look at how its products can improve federal public services, said Sofia Ouslis, a spokesperson for Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon. The agreement sets up "early-stage collaboration" between the federal government and the Toronto-based tech company, she said. Cohere develops large language models, a type of generative AI focused on language, and the company specializes in AI services for businesses. "The focus is on identifying where Cohere's Canadian-built AI tools can improve public services, making them faster, smarter and more secure. While there are no formal deadlines attached, the government sees this as a priority and is moving quickly to explore real-world applications," Ouslis said. Ouslis said the agreement does not include a "financial component." Cohere said in a blog post Tuesday it signed the agreement "to transform the public sector with our secure, sovereign AI technology." "Accelerating AI adoption will deliver massive productivity and efficiency gains to enhance public services and modernize operations," it said. A government news release also said the agreement with Cohere involves looking at building Canada's commercial capabilities to use and export AI, but did not provide details about what that effort will involve. Using artificial intelligence to increase efficiency in the public service was one of Prime Minister Mark Carney's election promises. Carney also promised to cap the size of the public service, and most departments and agencies have since been asked to find program spending cuts of up to 15 per cent. The government news release said AI "has the potential to significantly improve government operations and services for Canadians," and that Ottawa is "seeking to harness the power of this transformative technology while building a vibrant made-in-Canada technology sector."
CTV News
3 hours ago
- CTV News
Canada Post heads back into bargaining with union after delay
A Canada Post truck is seen at a distribution centre in Montreal on Friday, Dec.13, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi OTTAWA — Canada Post and the union representing postal workers are set to return to the bargaining table today. Plans to rekindle talks late last week were delayed due to a lack of federal government mediators. The Canadian Union of Postal Workers claimed labour unrest at Air Canada was pulling attention from the postal service's dispute, which has stretched on for more than a year and a half. A few weeks ago, unionized postal workers rejected the Crown corporation's latest offer that would have included wage hikes of around 13 per cent over four years and added part-timers to the workforce. Canada Post is seeking a formal response from the union on those proposals and has warned the postal service is bleeding millions of dollars in business daily tied to uncertainty around collective bargaining. The union says it has prepared offers that meet members' demands and is upholding a ban on overtime work in the meantime. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 20, 2025.
