Latest news with #Canadian
Hamilton Spectator
31 minutes ago
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Quebec passes bill requiring newcomers to adopt shared values
QUÉBEC - The Quebec legislature has passed a bill requiring immigrants to embrace the common culture of the province. Newcomers to the province must adhere to shared values including gender equality, secularism and protection of the French language. The law is Quebec's answer to the Canadian model of multiculturalism that promotes cultural diversity. The Quebec government believes the Canadian model is harmful to social cohesion. Quebec can use the new law to withhold funding for groups and events that don't promote Quebec's common culture. Critics have said the legislation is an attempt to assimilate newcomers and could stoke anti-immigrant sentiment. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 28, 2025.
eNCA
36 minutes ago
- Climate
- eNCA
Thousands to evacuate as Canada's Manitoba province declares wildfire emergency
OTTAWA - More than 17,000 people in Canada's western Manitoba province were being evacuated on Wednesday as the region experienced its worst start to a wildfire season in years. "The Manitoba government has declared a province-wide state of emergency due to the wildfire situation," Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew told a news conference. "This is the largest evacuation Manitoba will have seen in most people's living memory," he said. Kinew said he asked Prime Minister Mark Carney to send in the Canadian military to help with the evacuations and firefighting. Military aircraft, Kinew said, would be deployed "imminently" to help move people out of endangered remote northern communities to safety, along with additional firefighting resources. The evacuations include the town of Flin Flon, where 5,000 residents were told earlier to get ready to flee on a moment's notice as a major wildfire bore down on the mining town named after a fictional character in a 1905 paperback novel. Residents of several other remote towns and Indigenous communities have also now been told to leave. Most of the evacuees are expected to be transported to the Manitoba capital of Winnipeg. Premier Kinew said the widespread nature of the fires was cause for alarm. "For the first time, it's not a fire in one region, we have fires in every region. That is a sign of a changing climate that we are going to have to adapt to," Kinew said. Twenty-two wildfires were active in the province. Nearly 200,000 hectares of forests have been scorched in just the past month, or triple the annual average over the previous five years, Kirstin Hayward of the Manitoba wildfire service said. "Manitoba has the highest fire activity in Canada so far this year, due in part to a prolonged period of warm and dry conditions," she said.
Sky News AU
an hour ago
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Justin Trudeau accused of deliberate act to ‘draw attention' away from the King
Menzies Research Centre's Freya Leach has called out former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau over a 'clearly obvious move' during King Charles' visit. 'He wanted to stand out. He wanted to draw attention from the King,' she said. Mr Trudeau has sparked a furore after he raised eyebrows when he was spotted wearing a bright green pair of sneakers to go with his suit during his attendance to see King Charles open Canada's Parliament. Mr Trudeau drew attention with his odd fashion choice, which made him stand out among the royal and other politicians who opted for suits and dress shoes.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Business
- Yahoo
S. Jack Hu, University of Georgia provost, named UC Riverside chancellor amid steep challenges
S. Jack Hu, a senior vice president for academic affairs and provost at the University of Georgia with deep experience in leading research enterprises and guiding outreach to students from rural and low-income communities, has been named the new chancellor of UC Riverside. Hu's appointment, announced Wednesday afternoon by the UC Board of Regents, takes place at a crucial moment for the UC system and higher education, which has come under fierce critique by President Trump, who has revoked billions in medical and scientific research funding and derides diversity efforts while his administration threatens to take away the ability of colleges to enroll international students. Hu starts July 15 and will replace Chancellor Kim A. Wilcox, who is retiring after serving in the role since 2013. Under Wilcox, the Inland Empire campus grew dramatically in enrollment and footprint and joined the American Assn. of Universities, a prestigious group of the top 71 American and Canadian research campuses. During his time, UC Riverside increased in size by more than 5,000 students and 200 faculty, opened a $87-million business school building, and ushered in a new medical school that will graduate its ninth class next month. Read more: James B. Milliken, University of Texas chancellor, named UC president "Over his distinguished career at leading public research institutions, Dr. Hu has championed innovation and academic initiatives that have increased opportunities for students and faculty and have positively impacted their lives and the communities they serve,' said UC President Michael V. Drake in a statement. "UC Riverside has established itself as a global leader in providing world-class scholarship. Dr. Hu has the academic acumen and collaborative mindset to move the campus forward with integrity and purpose." In a statement, Hu said he was "honored" and "deeply grateful" to join UC Riverside. Born in Hunan province, China, Hu was an undergraduate at Tianjin University, and will be the first Asian American chancellor of UC Riverside. His annual salary will be $824,000, a slight increase over Wilcox's salary of $810,000. Speaking at the regents meeting in Sacramento, he shared his personal story as an immigrant from China and the first in his family to go to college as "a testament to the transformative power of education." "More than 40 years ago, I came to America to pursue a dream, arriving at the University of Michigan with a small suitcase and a thirst for learning. But never in my wildest dreams I'd imagine that I would became the chancellor of the University of California Riverside," Hu said. Hu, 61, oversaw instruction, research, public service, outreach and information technology spread across 19 colleges and schools at the University of Georgia. He began his Georgia post in 2019. During his tenure, the university's graduation rate increased by 20%, and the campus retained its status as one of nine public universities with a six-year graduation rate of more than 90%, a common measure of higher education success. UCLA and UC Berkeley are also in the group. Hu spent the bulk of his career at the University of Michigan, where he earned master's and doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering and developed a specialty in researching the quality and productivity of manufacturing systems. He rose through faculty and administrative ranks in Michigan for more than 20 years before being appointed vice president for research in 2015, a role in which he oversaw a $1.5-billion research portfolio across campuses in Ann Arbor, Dearborn and Flint. "On behalf of the UC Board of Regents, we are proud to welcome Dr. Hu as UC Riverside's next chancellor,' said Janet Reilly, regents chair and search advisory committee member. "Dr. Hu's reputation as a results-oriented team player makes him the ideal partner to bolster UC Riverside's impact on students and the region through robust research, economic development, and community engagement.' Read more: With billions at stake, California joins suit to stop Trump cuts to university science research At Riverside, Hu will take the helm of a campus grappling with deep cuts to federal funding grants, including those from the National Institutes of Health, a UC-wide hiring freeze and a UC-wide Department of Justice investigation over allegations of antisemitic employment discrimination tied to pro-Palestinian protests. The Riverside campus has largely been spared from the targeted Trump administration investigations over admissions policies or antisemitism allegations that have hit UCs including those in Los Angeles and Berkeley. Last year, UC Riverside received more than $40 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health — one of the federal agencies that has made the deepest cuts to higher education funding — and is targeted in lawsuits by states and research groups to halt the reduction. In an interview, Hu acknowledged that "federal funding cuts are a tremendous challenge." "The key as a country is that we must invest in science, in talent, in innovation," he said. "The UC system is a leader in the country in terms of being a research university system. We need to work with federal government, with agencies, to sustain the partnership that universities in the country have built with the federal government. Without such investment, I think the U.S will not be able to complete globally." Read more: Trump lawyer says U.S. plans to sue UC over antisemitism allegations Hu told The Times that universities will "need to diversify the sources of funding: state support, federal funding for research, for students, industry support, foundation support, all of those are important." He added that his priorities will include "student success, social mobility, research and scholarship, expanding healthcare access for the region, and supporting communities in the Inland Empire region." Hu will lead one of UC's most diverse and unique campuses. UC Riverside traces its origins to agricultural research into citrus but has grown into a multifaceted research university with globally ranked programs in entomology — the study of insects — plant and animal sciences, air pollution and alternative fuels. The main Riverside campus is 1,900 acres and the university has more than 26,000 students and 4,700 faculty and staff. But it is often overshadowed by other UCs, such as the more selective UCLA and UC Berkeley. Still, Riverside consistently ranks on lists of the top U.S. public universities. The campus, which draws more than 14,000 commuter students, was the top UC last year in accepting first-year and transfer students, and ranked first in the system for accepting low-income individuals and those who were the first in their families to attend college. As it has grown in size and popularity, UC Riverside has also faced hurdles. While expanding its enrollment, adding new programs and building new centers, students have complained of crowded housing and dining areas, parking shortages and some offerings that are stretched thin, such as services for immigrant students. To address some of the shortages, the university is building a $156-million instructional facility as well as hundreds of new apartments. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Utah uranium mine is first energy project approved under Trump's 14-day review process
Interior Secretary Doug Burghum. (Photo by) A uranium mine in southern Utah is the first project to be approved under President Donald Trump's emergency declaration streamlining the development of energy infrastructure. Owned and operated by the Canadian company Anfield Energy, the Velvet-Wood uranium project received a green light on Friday under the federal government's new, 14-day environmental review process for energy projects. The permitting process for similar projects has taken years in the past — but in January, Trump declared a national energy emergency, slashing the environmental review process for a number of energy projects like uranium, crude oil, natural gas, coal, biofuels, geothermal and critical minerals. Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced the mining project in Utah would be the first to be reviewed. And on Friday, Anfield received approval from the Bureau of Land Management, or BLM. 'This approval marks a turning point in how we secure America's mineral future,' said Doug Burgum, Department of the Interior secretary, in a statement. 'By streamlining the review process for critical mineral projects like Velvet-Wood, we're reducing dependence on foreign adversaries and ensuring our military, medical and energy sectors have the resources they need to thrive. This is mineral security in action.' Sitting near the Utah-Colorado border in San Juan County about 40 miles east of Canyonlands National Park, the Velvet-Wood project is the combination of two mines — the existing Velvet Mine, which produced nearly 400,000 tons of ore between 1979 and 1984, and the nearby Wood area, which hasn't yet been mined according to an economic assessment from Anfield. 'We are very pleased that the Department of the Interior has greenlit our Velvet-Wood project in an expedited manner,' said Anfield CEO Corey Dias in a statement. 'This confirms our view that Velvet-Wood was well-suited for an accelerated review, given that it is a past-producing uranium and vanadium mine with a small environmental footprint. The Company will now pivot to advancing the project through construction and, ultimately, to production.' Anfield has been eyeing this site for years, purchasing it in 2015 and submitting a plan of operation to the state of Utah and BLM in 2024. According to the Department of the Interior, the operation will disturb about three acres, and much of the mining will take place underground. The normal environmental review process usually takes local input into consideration, weighing environmental and cultural concerns against the project's goals. That includes a public comment period that, depending on the project, can result in thousands of comments. According to BLM documents, public input was not required because of the president's emergency order. Still, the region's tribal governments have concerns, as noted in BLM's environmental assessment. The agency met with representatives from the Hopi, Pueblo of Zuni, Navajo, Pueblo of San Felipe and Ute Mountain Ute tribes, all of whom were critical of the operation and the federal government's expedited review. 'The Tribal Nations expressed similar concerns with the emergency procedures, water impacts, transportation, and uranium contamination,' the BLM documents read, including worries that the mining and transportation of uranium ore, which would take place near Bears Ears National Monument, could impact cultural sites. Anfield also owns Shootaring Canyon uranium mill, located in Garfield County between Hanksville and Lake Powell. Just one of three licensed and completed uranium mills in the country, it hasn't been operational in years — Anfield says it plans to reopen the mill, although that will require additional licensing and infrastructure improvements. If it becomes operational, the mill will be used to convert uranium ore into concentrate to be used in nuclear reactors. This story was originally published in Utah News Dispatch.
