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Winnipeg Free Press
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Premier steadfastly behind big energy projects in face of criticism
Minutes after declaring the second wildfire state of emergency this summer, Premier Wab Kinew stood by his support for the development of an energy corridor through Manitoba, even as the climate crisis forces thousands to flee their homes. 'If we want a stronger ability to be climate resilient in the future, we've got to pay the bills,' Kinew said at the wildfire briefing Thursday. 'If we want stronger health care and education, we've got to have the hard hats building big projects,' said the premier. Kinew has promoted 'nation-building projects' such as a proposal by Fox Lake Cree Nation that has received temporary federal approval to look at exporting liquefied natural gas to Europe from Port Nelson on Hudson Bay in northern Manitoba. Manitoba's first Indigenous premier came under fire in a Globe and Mail opinion piece Saturday headlined Wab Kinew's development dreams threaten our people's way of life, which was written by author, environmentalist and Mathais Colomb Cree Nation member Clayton Thomas-Müller. 'I was a little amused to see that headline while I was on a sundance ceremony over the weekend,' Kinew said Thursday. Thomas-Müller wrote it was 'jarring and triggering' to hear a fellow Indigenous person promoting an energy and trade corridor to ship fossil fuels during the climate crisis. When asked how in good conscience he could support big energy projects as Manitoba burns, Kinew fired back. 'Every fire engine that I've seen, every flight carrying an evacuee, every chainsaw that a firefighter is using during this wildfire season has been powered with conventional energies,' the premier said, adding fossil fuels will be a part of life for the foreseeable future. 'This is who we are today and there is definitely a path forward to be able to develop our economy while still practising our way of life — whether we're talking about our way of life as a contemporary Canadian or also as an Indigenous person,' said the premier, who often touts the untapped economic potential of Manitoba's vast critical minerals. New federal legislation fast-tracks certain infrastructure projects deemed to be in the 'national interest' after U.S. President Donald Trump upended the reliable trading relationship with Canada. In June, Fox Lake Cree Nation's majority-owned subsidiary NeeStaNan received authorization from the Canada Energy Regulator to export liquefied natural gas. The two-year federal approval allows the proponents to approach potential partners, investors and other parties with materials to suggest they have a real project under consideration. 'Approval received does not mean that we are going to have LNG exports tomorrow,' said Robert Parsons, who teaches supply chain management at the University of Manitoba's Asper School of Business. 'Instead, it is a starting point.' NeeStaNan signed a memorandum of understanding with Northern Prince LNG to assess the development of an LNG export terminal near Port Nelson, on the western shore of Hudson Bay. The feasibility of a year-round facility handling energy exports as well as bulk commodities such as ore, potash, grain and containers is under review. The project would require the construction of a 150-kilometre heavy rail spur to connect the port with Hudson Bay Railway near Gillam. 'There would be a need for lots of infrastructure, including pipelines, liquefaction and port facilities, all needing separate environmental approvals,' said Parsons, who holds master's degrees in chemical engineering and business administration. 'We already know from facilities on the West Coast that these projects do take quite a bit of time,' he said. The Port Nelson proposal is 'realistic,' said the expert. 'Every fire engine that I've seen, every flight carrying an evacuee, every chainsaw that a firefighter is using during this wildfire season has been powered with conventional energies.'–Premier Wab Kinew It's a better location than the port in Churchill because it is south of the permafrost line and much closer to major infrastructure, Parsons said. Unlike crude oil or bitumen, the consequences of accidents involving LNG are less severe, and is in demand as a 'realistic' transition fuel to reduce emissions, he said. 'There are environmental purists who pooh-pooh natural gas,' without proposing realistic alternatives, Parsons said. Germany pinned its hopes on renewable solar and wind energy and is now seeing a significant uptick in consumption of fossil fuels, especially coal, said Parsons. Fox Lake Chief Morris Beardy didn't make himself available for an interview, but in a NeeStaNan news release he said the proposal aligns with federal and provincial goals: to develop nation-building projects that include Indigenous communities, reduce inter-provincial trade barriers and create new Arctic trade routes to Europe to provide access to new markets for Canada's natural resources. Tuesdays A weekly look at politics close to home and around the world. At a first ministers meeting in June, Kinew said Canada needs to get its natural resources to overseas markets, and Hudson Bay 'is probably the most tenable course towards hitting international tidewaters.' 'We've got communities who are ready to engage in northern Manitoba to bring these natural resources to market,' Kinew said at the gathering in Saskatoon. 'So let's use the private sector to figure out the engineering, the best route and how to energize the Western Canadian engine that's going to power the Canadian economy.' He said Thursday that no Manitoba mega-project has been announced yet. 'We're doing the legwork to try and get ready and make sure that the partners that we need to have on-side have their concerns around ownership and decision-making and environmental aspects all looked after.' Carol SandersLegislature reporter Carol Sanders is a reporter at the Free Press legislature bureau. The former general assignment reporter and copy editor joined the paper in 1997. Read more about Carol. Every piece of reporting Carol produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. 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Hamilton Spectator
09-07-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Carney ministers told to cut billions from federal spending
OTTAWA — The Liberal government wants to find at least $21.5 billion in annual savings from the federal budget by 2028 — significantly more than the reductions Prime Minister Mark Carney promised during the recent election campaign — as the new administration looks for fiscal room after pledging huge sums to the Canadian military while promising to keep expenses under control. The bigger-than-expected drive to reduce spending was billed as 'ambitious' in a letter sent to all cabinet members Monday by Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne and Treasury Board President Shafqat Ali. Audrey Milette, a spokesperson for Champagne, confirmed the letter's contents to the Star after they were first reported by the Globe and Mail. The goal, Milette said, is for each minister to find savings from their government department of 7.5 per cent for the 2026-27 fiscal year. The target will increase to 10 per cent in 2027-28 and 15 per cent in 2028-29, she said. Milette confirmed the reductions the government is now seeking are larger than the targets the Liberals proposed in the recent election campaign, but would not say exactly how much money is now being targeted. According to the government, the new process would base reductions on the estimates for total government spending for the current fiscal year, but would exclude more than $300 billion earmarked for transfers to other governments and individuals, public debt charges and statutory spending. The main spending estimates tabled in Parliament this spring included another $143.1 billion in 'operational and capital' funding, but Milette would only confirm Monday that the pool of money subject to the review is larger than that. That means the government is seeking annual internal savings of more than $21.5 billion within the next three years — a higher target than the $13 billion the Liberals earmarked in their platform for the April 28 election. Milette stressed, however, that the government still has no intention of cutting services or transfer payments to individuals and other levels of government. Milette noted that Carney's campaign promise was to balance operational spending over three years, while using public funds to spur economic growth. 'It's really a long-term plan,' Milette said. 'It's a transformation of how we want to do things as a government.' Milette declined to share a copy of Monday's letter from Champagne and Ali, but a government source who spoke on condition they weren't named provided excerpts to the Star. The letter said the government's 'new investments must be anchored by a new fiscal plan' that 'spends less on operations and invests more' in initiatives that grow the economy, according to the excerpts the source provided. Cabinet ministers were asked to look at the programs in their respective portfolios and determine whether they are 'core' to the federal government's mandate, and whether they 'duplicate what is offered elsewhere' by Ottawa or other levels of government, the letter said. The source said cabinet ministers are expected to identify potential savings by the end of the summer. 'You will be expected to bring forward ambitious savings proposals to spend less on the day-to-day running of government, and invest more in building a strong, united Canadian economy,' the letter said, according to the excerpts. The letter also nodded to 'investments' the government has made since the April election. That includes reductions in revenue from the Liberals' cut to sales tax cut for first-time homebuyers for housing worth less than $1.5 million, and to cut income tax for the lowest bracket from 15 to 14 per cent. The Liberals also scrapped plans for a digital services tax under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, and pledged during the campaign to cancel plans for an increase to capital gains taxes. The Carney government also announced it would aggressively ramp up the annual defence budget with an extra $9 billion in the current fiscal year, and billions more in annual spending to come after Canada agreed in June to a new target with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) that would see all members of the alliance spend the equivalent of five per cent of their economic output on defence and defence-related initiatives by 2035. The core defence commitment alone, at 3.5 per cent of Canada's gross domestic product (GDP), could require at least another $40 billion per year in federal dollars devoted to the military, depending on how the economy over the next decade. Carney alluded to federal spending changes the accommodate the spending boost at the NATO summit in the Netherlands on June 25. 'If we are moving to the higher and higher levels of defence spending because that's necessary, then we will have to make considerations about what less the federal government can do in certain cases, and how … we're going to pay for it,' he told reporters in The Hague. The government source said Champagne sent a second letter to cabinet colleagues Monday that asked them to prioritize initiatives that cost nothing or can be funded by reallocating existing funds ahead of the federal budget planned for this fall. The basic idea, the source said, is to send a 'strong message' to cabinet that the government is serious about spending less while 'investing more' in areas like tax cuts and defence spending. Don Davies, the interim leader of the New Democratic Party, said he is concerned the spending reductions will include cuts to social programs. Accusing Carney of leading the most 'right wing' Liberal government since cuts to tackle the rising debt in the 1990s, Davies said Carney's administration is pursuing an 'austerity' agenda. 'Canadians are going to be seeing massive cuts,' he said. For David Macdonald, senior economist with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, the spending reductions will likely mean cuts to the public service in areas of government other than the Department of National Defence, which is projected to see its budget increase. That could mean cuts to federal program spending that are deeper than those seen since the 1990s, Macdonald said. 'These would be historic,' he said.
Globe and Mail
07-07-2025
- Health
- Globe and Mail
Alberta to consult public about nuclear power, premier says
Report on Business Meet Chris Hannay Follow Chris, The Globe's private health care reporter as he looks at the private business that powers our health care system from doctor's offices to pharmaceuticals.
Winnipeg Free Press
05-07-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
A lifetime of service
Stéphane Dorge always knew his father Gerry as a man of honesty and integrity. Stéphane could recall shopping at Canadian Tire with his dad. He was eight or nine and had allowance money to spend. He couldn't tell you what he bought with it but could vividly recall the experience and its impact. 'The cashier gave me back too much money, maybe $5 too much,' he said, with the childhood excitement of having bonus money to spend. SUPPLIED Dorge with his dad Alphee Dorge and mom Anne Bourrier. 'We left the store and I told Dad, 'I've got extra money.' Dad said, 'We need to go back there and return that money. That person has to balance their till. You don't make money on the backs of others.'' Those words stayed with him and reminded him of the kind of person his father always was and the kind of man he'd want to grow up to be. Gerald (Gerry) Dorge died on Jan. 13, 2025, at the age of 80. Raised in Ste. Agathe in rural Manitoba, Dorge loved working on the farm. His love of reading and learning began early on, instilled by his mother. 'He would share a lot of the stuff he read, which was a good life lesson,' said Stéphane. 'His mother would make him read all the classics — Moby Dick, Tom Sawyer — he remained curious until the very end.' After a move to Winnipeg in his teens, Dorge met Raymonde, with whom he built a family and a life of love and companionship that kept them happily married for 57 years. SUPPLIED Gerry and Raymonde were married in 1967. The entrepreneur eagerly embraced leadership roles, in which he thrived. Through the busiest of days, he made time for reading history and politics and — most importantly — two or three newspapers, including the Free Press, the Globe and Mail and the New York Times. He was involved in multiple business ventures, including Country Kitchen restaurants and Canadian publishers. Highly committed to the Francophone community, he was editor-in-chief for La Liberté and held the position of CEO for Entreprises Riel. He took great pride in the long-lasting business and personal relationships he created over the years. 'His legacy is that sense of service,' said Stéphane. 'My dad sat on a lot of boards. What he taught me was, 'Don't sit around and do nothing. If you believe in a cause, go and serve.'' Lifelong friendships are a gift and to have one last 61 years is rare. Denis Hamel had that privilege. Shortly after Dorge was diagnosed with lung cancer, Hamel remembers seeing the quote, 'The older you get, the more you realize it's not about who knows you the longest, it's about who makes you feel seen, heard, understood, appreciated, supported and loved.' Hamel forwarded the quote to Dorge and told him he checked all those boxes. SUPPLIED Dorge participating in a meeting of Canadian Publishers. A few months before Dorge died, Hamel recalled a memorable visit with his friend. 'We talked about how long we had known each other and all the projects and crazy things we had done. At that time, we both thought he might have two to three years to enjoy life. Towards the end of the visit I said, 'Gerry, you know I love you.' His reply was, 'I have known you for a long time. You know I love you too, and why did it take us 61 years to say that?'' It was the summer of 1964 when Hamel met Dorge and a few others who were invited to a meeting and tasked with organizing a section of the Young Catholic Workers in Manitoba. 'That was the beginning of a lifelong friendship for all of us,' said Hamel. 'This is also where Gerry met Raymonde, the love of his life, at one of the dances. We organized dances and bowling events for young Catholic workers who were from small towns around the province,' he said of their common interest in being of service to community. 'Gerry was serious, focused and intense. He had a huge influence on my life as he was my confidante and adviser. Gerry had a thirst for knowledge and convinced me to join him to take the Certificate in Management course at the University of Manitoba and then to get our professional CIM certification. Gerry used his skills as a coach and mentor for many of his employees and friends.' SUPPLIED Dorge and his mom camping in St. Lupicin, the village where his mom was raised. When Dorge was in the process of buying a printing business and didn't want to buy the building that came with it, he came up with a plan to make it a successful endeavour for his old friend, too. 'Gerry knew that my brothers and I were looking for a place to expand our business and he put a deal together where he bought the printing business and we bought the building.' The community-minded businessman was a Rotary Club member, on the board of the Caisse Populaire, Recycle Manitoba and the Weekly Newspaper Association, among others. At Lumière des Prairies, his last place of employment, he developed long-term funding for the centre and organized three successful fundraising events. His commitment to community service and volunteerism merged with his passion for work and remained at the centre of his life until he retired last year, just before turning 80. 'He was always very busy,' said his daughter, Lisa Dorge. 'Growing up, he wasn't around a whole lot. SUPPLIED Gerry Dorge, seen here giving his eldest grandson, Alix, a spin on the riding mower, died in January at the age of 80. 'My dad… there were two sides of him; half of him was business that went to work in a suit. On the weekend, he'd be in sweats and a baseball cap driving a tractor. Two different people melding together. 'My best memories of him are summers and weekends. We went to Montreal, Texas — we saw the mountains. We did a lot of road trips in our camper. Every summer, we would travel as a family. He was really happy and very fortunate to see all of his grandchildren graduate and one grandson get married.' Dorge loved spending time in his mother's birthplace, St. Lupicin near Notre Dame de Lourdes. It's where he delighted in summers with his family. 'My dad loved nature, he loved camping,' said Lisa. 'Weekends and summers we would do a lot of that: camping, boating, fishing. He and Mom had a cottage and a trailer. He loved mowing the lawn and every grandchild got a ride on the tractor.' Outside of his love of community, it was his love of family that remained front and centre throughout his life: his grandparents, his parents, his wife, children and grandchildren. Dorge maintained an appreciation for preserving history, ancestry and cultural heritage. SUPPLIED Family gathered for Dorge's 80th birthday in May 2024. 'He loved deep, meaningful conversations,' Lisa said. 'He was very personable. He really believed in kindness, in good manners and strong etiquette. People spoke very highly of him, his generosity and his love of people — his heart of gold.' fpcity@
CBC
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Is F1 The Movie a victory lap for Brad Pitt?
Social Sharing This year's summer action blockbuster has finally zoomed into theatres. F1 The Movie stars Brad Pitt as a down-on-his-luck professional driver who is asked to join an F1 team on the brink of collapsing. But as the sport gains popularity in the real world, what does this film add to the sports movie canon? Today on Commotion, the Globe and Mail's film editor Barry Hertz joins guest host Rad Simonpillai to discuss whether F1 The Movie delivers on its promise of adrenaline-fuelled action. WATCH | Today's episode on YouTube:
