Federal government moving ahead with Nutrition North external review
The announcement was made by the federal minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs in Ottawa Tuesday. Aluki Kotierk, the former president of Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, will be leading the review.
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Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
What are ‘nation-building projects' anyway?
Opinion The Canadian Press reports that 38 CEOs of Canadian energy companies signed a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney, congratulating him for his election win and pitching policy measures like overhauling (read 'gutting') the Impact Assessment Act, scrapping federal emissions caps on oil and gas and repealing industrial carbon pricing. Carney met with them and thanked them for their communications. (Carney talks partnerships with energy execs, Free Press, June 2). Then, 13 premiers met with the PM to pitch their favourite projects which include pipelines and nuclear plants. The process sounds more like a high-stakes version of Dragons' Den, with the feds ready to dole out the public purse, than it does a thoughtful, serious assessment of the very real dangers that Canada faces — not just from the U.S. tariffs and the economy, but also from climate change. Couldn't the premiers smell the smoke emanating from the infernos blazing across the northern forests as they sat behind closed doors in a Saskatoon hotel room? Now the PM and cabinet will make decisions about which of these projects make the cut — which ones will be 'pre-approved' and fast-tracked. A few hints are leaking out: looks like nuclear will make the short list, along with 'decarbonized barrels of oil' — which is shorthand for as yet unproven carbon capture, but which sounds like a perfect oxymoron. What are the criteria for these decisions? Does anyone know? Will the public get that information? Will Parliament? Just a week before that, 130 civil society organizations from across the country, representing many thousands of Canadians, also wrote the PM, reminding him that the 'nation-building' energy and infrastructure projects that Canada needs will not only create good jobs and build the economy, but also respect Indigenous rights and protect the climate. Oil and gas development and pipelines will not meet these goals, never mind the threats of Alberta separation. Did Alberta Premier Danielle Smith not get the memo that several oilsands sites were evacuating due to wildfires? Oh, the irony). Nuclear builds are too slow to address the global warming crisis and nuclear is among the most expensive forms of electricity production. Taxpayer dollars can be invested way more efficiently in actual renewable energy sources (including efficiency and storage) — all available now and ready to be deployed, and regional and national grid interconnections that are so sorely needed. These are the best investment for energy supply, requiring less capital investment and providing the best return on the dollar in terms of energy production, job creation, and rapid greenhouse gas reduction. And imagine for a moment a remote nuclear plant engulfed in a wildfire. (Thinking here about Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe who promotes 'small modular nuclear reactors' for remote communities while acknowledging at the time that his province 'cannot manage and handle a single other fire'). Oil, gas and nuclear projects are more properly 'nation destroying' projects. Ask any of the First Nations currently evacuating their homes and territories as climate change creates prime conditions for out-of-control fires. It's unlikely the PM will meet with civil society groups (though we did ask). Will he meet with and more importantly, hear the concerns of, First Nations worried that 'fast tracking' impact assessments will only run rough-shod over their rights and lands? As Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Derek Nepinak put it 'We need to talk about these issues collectively… our inherent rights, treaty rights and human rights are at issue…' Also at issue: our children's future. How is it that we can be at this point in history where we know without a doubt what the impacts of climate change are — and yet our governments seem prepared to invest and go whole hog into the very same industrial development schemes that created the problem in the first place? If it's true as the International Energy Agency has stated that countries will be seeking non-fuel-dependent sources of energy and actually winding down fossil fuel infrastructure by 2030, why would Canada spend crucial resources (our money) on exactly these fuel dependent technologies? (For the record, nuclear is dependent on uranium and therefore not renewable). Can you say, 'stranded assets'? Not only are we at risk of betting the farm on unsustainable projects and creating even more economic chaos for the future, by not changing the development paradigm we put at risk the very building blocks and sustainers of life itself — water, air, forests, oceans, the ability to grow food. We owe it to future generations (as well as ourselves and especially those being drastically impacted by climate change today) to turn this ship around. The energy CEOs might not agree, but that's what our premiers should be calling for. That's what our new government should be determined to do. Anne Lindsey volunteers with the No Nukes MB campaign of the Manitoba Energy Justice Coalition and has been monitoring nuclear waste since the 1980s.
Toronto Star
5 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Canada's wildfire season on track to be the second worst on record
OTTAWA—The 2025 wildfire season is on track to be Canada's second-worst on record, federal officials said Thursday, as hundreds of fires burn across Ontario and Western Canada and smoke blankets some urban centres. Approximately 3.7 million hectares of land have burned so far in Canada, only second at this point of the wildfire season to the devastating 2023 fires during which 15 million hectares were ravaged and more than 200,000 Canadians were forced to flee. Current forecasts expect higher-than-normal temperatures across the country and a 'hot and dry' summer. The highest wildfire risk remains in Western and Northern Canada. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'We are clearly experiencing and maybe in store for a challenging year, but I would hesitate drawing too many comparisons to 2023 at this point,' Michael Norton, director general at Natural Resources Canada's northern forestry centre, told reporters. That's because a 'slight downturn' in fire activity is expected this month, and drought conditions were worse and several large fires happened at the same time that year. Ottawa has so far received three requests for federal assistance, two in Manitoba and one in Ontario, as Prime Minister Mark Carney last Sunday deployed Canadian Armed Forces aircraft and personnel to help emergency personnel in the northwest of the province. Around 500 international forest firefighters have come from the U.S. and Australia, and more than 100 more are coming from Costa Rica. Still, long-debated plans for a national emergency response agency or wildfire firefighting service do not appear to be in sight, with federal officials saying Thursday the matter was still being considered. 'One of the things that we want to make sure is that we don't end up spending a lot of time and effort duplicating services that are already available and that already work very well,' Emergency Preparedness Minister Eleanor Olszewski told reporters during a news conference on the wildfire situation. The update comes as Canada prepares to host international leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump, for the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Alta. this weekend. Wildfires are expected to be one of several subjects discussed at the summit. Olszewski told reporters that G7 countries have already agreed in principle to a 'wildfire charter' that would include an international agreement on how wildfires should be dealt with globally. Federal cabinet ministers also faced several questions about the Carney government's decision to try to cut short debate and pass Bill C-5, its legislation that would give the government new powers to evade existing laws and regulations to fast-track 'nation-building' development projects, through the House of Commons by the end of next week. The Carney government on Thursday put forward a motion that would only give one day of hearings from civil society groups, stakeholders and experts next week, many of which have raised concerns about Indigenous consultation and environmental protections. Politics Headlines Newsletter Get the latest news and unmatched insights in your inbox every evening Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. Please enter a valid email address. Sign Up Yes, I'd also like to receive customized content suggestions and promotional messages from the Star. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Politics Headlines Newsletter You're signed up! You'll start getting Politics Headlines in your inbox soon. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page.
Global News
8 hours ago
- Global News
Canada Post asks jobs minister to direct union to vote on ‘final offers'
Canada Post said Friday it is asking Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu to direct the postal workers' union to hold a vote on the 'final offers' the national mail carrier presented earlier this week, rather than continue talks it says are at an impasse. The statement was released as the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) met with Hajdu and Secretary of State for Labour John Zerucelli on Friday as an overtime ban continues for workers. It was not immediately clear what was achieved at the meeting, which comes as the threat of wider strike action grows with little movement at the negotiating table. Canada Post said that 'given the level of the impasse and CUPW's negotiating position, it is not possible to reach tentative agreements in the normal course' through negotiations. It added that 'the best hope of achieving freely negotiated collective agreements is an employee vote' administered by the Canada Industrial Relations Board, which Hajdu can order as minister through her powers under the Canada Labour Code. Story continues below advertisement Such a vote would effectively adopt the final offers presented by Canada Post as a new collective agreement, in a method similar to a membership-wide ratification of a tentative deal. CUPW did not immediately comment. Hajdu and Zerucelli have yet to comment on the meeting with CUPW or Canada Post's request. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy In an email to Global News earlier Friday, CUPW said it was still reviewing the 'final offers' to its urban postal operations and rural and suburban mail carriers, but that a preliminary review had determined the proposals 'fall short.' 'Canada Post's responses demonstrate that not only do they not want to bargain in good faith, but they also want several significant issues to be non-negotiable including: part-time flex staffing and weekend delivery as well as dynamic routing and load levelling,' the statement read. 10:53 CUPW reviewing Canada Post offer amid overtime ban Canada Post and CUPW have been trying to negotiate a new contract for more than 18 months, which led to a month-long strike last year. Story continues below advertisement The Crown corporation has said its latest proposal was an 'enhanced offer' from the one it made earlier this month, despite its latest financial report showing mounting challenges. Under the new offers, Canada Post says employees will receive a signing bonus of $1,000 or $500, depending on their role. The cost-of-living allowance payments will have a lower inflation threshold, meaning they will get triggered with inflation at 7.16 per cent instead of 13.59 per cent. The Crown corporation said it will also end mandatory overtime. However, the company also says it's remaining firm on its original wage offer of six per cent in the first year, followed by three per cent in the second year and two per cent in each of the following two years, for a compounded total of 13.59 per cent. Canada Post said Friday the final offers 'entirely' reflect the recommendations from a federally-commissioned report this month that called for significant overhauls to the company's operations. The report said daily door-to-door mail delivery should be phased out and community mailboxes established 'wherever practicable,' among other changes, and called on the federal government to remove moratoriums on rural post office closures. Canada Post is 'facing an existential crisis: It is effectively insolvent, or bankrupt,' the report from the Industrial Inquiry Commission said. Story continues below advertisement The Crown corporation earlier this week posted a nearly $1.3-billion operating loss for 2024, while revenues fell by $800 million, or 12.2 per cent, compared with 2023. Last year's strike contributed to a 'net negative impact of $208 million' towards Canada Post's $841-million loss before tax, the latest annual report said. When the corporation presented its offers on Wednesday, it said in a news release that the final offers were 'designed to move negotiations forward and return certainty and stability to customers, Canada Post's employees, and all Canadians.'
