Latest news with #Québec
Yahoo
a day ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Tesla faces collapsing sales in Canada's Québec province, with new registrations tumbling 85%
Tesla sales in Québec plunged 85% in the first quarter, mirroring sharp declines seen in Europe. Canada has frozen $43 million in Tesla EV rebates due to Trump's tariffs and fraud concerns. Musk's DOGE work sparked backlash, boycotts, and dealership vandalism across the US and Europe. Tesla's sales woes have reached Canada. Data from the vehicle registration authority in the province of Québec shows a dramatic decline in Tesla registrations in the first quarter of 2025. Only 524 new Tesla vehicles were registered in Québec between January and March 2025, down over 85% from the 5,097 units logged in the final months of 2024. The company's top-selling Model Y saw the steepest drop in terms of pure numbers, falling from 3,274 units in the final quarter of 2024 to 360 in the first quarter of 2025. The Model 3, Tesla's cheapest car, plunged from 1,786 to just 96 units over the same period, a fall of 94%. While the drop is precipitous, it should be noted that auto sales are generally lower in the first quarter of the year than later in the year. Though confined to one region of Canada, the collapse mirrors similar issues in Europe, where Tesla sales fell by nearly 50% in April despite overall EV demand continuing to grow. In Québec, as in Europe, demand for electric vehicles remains strong, suggesting that Tesla's slump is less about market conditions and more about the brand itself. Several factors appear to be converging. Tesla has been excluded from Canada's federal EV rebate program, with $43 million in rebates frozen and each individual claim now under review. Transport Minister Chrystia Freeland ordered the freeze in March following a last-minute surge in Tesla rebate applications — from 300 a day to nearly 5,800 — which triggered a probe into possible abuse. Freeland also said that Tesla would remain ineligible for future incentives as long as President Donald Trump's 25% tariffs on Canadian goods are in place. In parallel, provinces, including British Columbia, Prince Edward Island, and Manitoba, have removed Tesla from their rebate programs. Tesla's registration drop in Québec also comes amid a broader global backlash, especially in Europe, against CEO Elon Musk, who has endorsed a number of European political parties, including Germany's far-right AfD party and Britain's populist Reform UK party. In North America, Musk's role leading the Department of Government Efficiency has led to protests, boycotts, and vandalism of Tesla dealerships across at least a dozen states. Musk said this week he was stepping away from DOGE after months of involvement as a "special government employee." Federal law stipulates that those with this title cannot serve for more than 130 days in a 365-day period. Tesla's shares, which had come under pressure during Musk's DOGE stint, began rebounding in April after he announced he would step back from government work and "spend 24/7 at work" on his companies. In a Q&A published by Ars Technica on Tuesday, he said he'd been too involved in politics since wading into the 2024 presidential race last year — a campaign he heavily financed to the tune of nearly $300 million. In a sit-down with Bloomberg at the Qatar Economic Forum last week, he said he's no longer going to be spending big on politics, like he did in the 2024 election. Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. Read the original article on Business Insider Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
CBC
2 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Tarquti Energy Corporation to develop wind energy for 2 Nunavik communities
Tarquti Energy Corporation will develop the project. Energy produced by the turbines will be sold to Hydro-Québec, who will then sell electricity to building owners in the communities.
CBC
2 days ago
- General
- CBC
Quebec language office pressed transit agency for months before Habs playoff run
Social Sharing Quebec's language watchdog contacted the Montreal transit agency at least six times in the wake of a complaint about using the word "go" on city buses to cheer on a local soccer team. The watchdog — the Office québécois de la langue française — asked for multiple updates on the agency's efforts to remove the word, and kept the complaint open for nine months until "go" had been scrubbed from more than 1,000 city buses in Montreal, according to emails obtained by The Canadian Press. The correspondence contrasts with the office's public comments responding to an April report in the Montreal Gazette that revealed how the transit agency had replaced the expression "Go! Canadiens Go!" on its buses with "Allez! Canadiens Allez!" to appease the watchdog. The news report, coinciding with the Montreal Canadiens' first home game of the Stanley Cup playoffs, prompted a public outcry and elicited a declaration from French Language Minister Jean-François Roberge in support of the expression "Go! Habs Go!" At that time, the watchdog said it had "contacted the [transit agency] to inform it of the complaint and remind it of its obligations under the French language charter." But the office didn't share details about the length of its review and the number of times it pressed transit officials for updates. The internal correspondence reveals how an adviser for the language office sent at least six emails to the transit agency between May 2024 and January 2025, informing the agency of a complaint and asking about its plans to fix the problem. The documents were obtained under access-to-information law. The complaint, received on April 29, 2024, related to city buses displaying the expression "Go! CF Mtl Go!" – a reference to Montreal's professional soccer club. WATCH | 'Go' has got to go: No more 'Go! Canadiens Go!' on Montreal buses after language watchdog intervenes 1 month ago Duration 2:36 The transit agency initially responded to the language office in June 2024, explaining that such slogans give bus drivers "a way to salute national sports teams." Using the word "go" kept the message shorter and prevented it from scrolling across the buses' electronic displays, the email explained. Still, the agency agreed to remove the word, but warned the process could take several months. In response, the adviser asked why the change couldn't be made "over a few days when the vehicles are in the garage." The transit agency replied that each bus had to have its display changed manually, using a USB key. In July, the language watchdog informed the agency that the complaint would remain open until all the buses had been changed. The adviser then followed up two more times over the fall and winter to request updates. Eventually, the transit agency reported in January that 1,002 of its 1,104 buses had been updated, and the remaining 102 buses were out of service. The language office then agreed to close the complaint, on condition that each of the remaining buses would be updated before returning to service. In an email statement to The Canadian Press, a spokesperson for the language watchdog said the correspondence is "part of a normal process for handling a complaint." The language office never received a complaint about "Go! Habs Go!" and was never informed that the transit agency was planning not to use the word "go" in relation to the hockey team, said Gilles Payer. He said the office would not have pursued a complaint about "Go! Habs Go!," since the expression is a trademark, which does not need to be translated. Context is important when using 'go,' says minister's office A spokesperson for Roberge told The Canadian Press the minister was not aware of the issue until the change was first reported in April. But the documents show his own ministry was informed of the complaint shortly after it was received and intended to participate in the review. According to Quebec's French language charter, complaints involving public bodies must be flagged to the French Language Ministry. The ministry did not respond to questions about its role in response to this complaint. Roberge's spokesperson Thomas Verville said the language office received more than 10,000 complaints last year. "The minister does not intervene in the complaints received" by the office, he said. "That would be political interference." Still, Roberge announced in April that he had held "several discussions" with the language office, and that any future complaints about the expression "Go! Habs Go!" would "be deemed inadmissible." He said the slogan has been used for decades to support the Montreal Canadiens. He also said employees of the language office were receiving threats. Verville said there is a "huge difference" between using the word "go" in reference to the Montreal soccer team as compared to the Montreal Canadiens. He said fans of CF Montréal typically chant "Allez Montréal" during matches, while "Go! Habs Go!" has long been part of Quebec culture. He added Roberge spoke out specifically to defend the expression "Go! Habs Go!," which was not the subject of the original complaint. He did not say whether the minister opposes the use of the word "go" in reference to other sports teams. A spokesperson for the transit agency said it is still in discussions with the language office to "obtain official confirmation that we are allowed to use the word "go" in a sporting context and that we will not be penalized if we do so."
CTV News
2 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Negotiations continue on day 3 of residential construction strike
The Alliance syndicale de la construction and the Association des professionnels de la construction et de l'habitation du Québec (APCHQ) are set to continue talks Friday as the residential construction strike enters its third day. The APCHQ and the Alliance syndicale met on Thursday afternoon in the presence of a mediator assigned to the case. Although no agreement was reached on renewing the workers' collective agreement, which expired on April 30, the two parties agreed to continue discussions. Unlike in other sectors, pay rises negotiated in the construction industry are not retroactive to the expiry date of the previous collective agreement. Three other sectors of the construction industry — civil engineering/roads, institutional/commercial, and industrial — settled their agreements before they expired. The wage increases are eight per cent for 2025, five per cent for 2026, five per cent for 2027 and four per cent for 2028. The Alliance syndicale brings together all the construction unions, representing 200,000 workers. Around 60,000 of them work in residential construction. – This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on May 30, 2024.
CBC
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBC
Building a new type of cinema to fight climate collapse in Waiting for the Storms
Le Bel Écran is a monthly column about Quebec's screen culture from a local perspective. "With ecological awareness, a new economy of cinema should be born," writes Marcos Uzal in the April issue of Cahiers du cinema. Part critical examination and part manifesto, the most influential film magazine in the French-speaking world dives into the question of making environmentally conscious art amidst impending climate catastrophe. They discuss films like Todd Haynes apocalyptic Dark Waters about the poisonous forever chemicals of the Dupont company and also, the Quebec documentary, Geographies of Solitude, Jacquelyn Mills's ode to the "living archive" of Sable island and the life and activism of Zoe Lucas, a naturalist and environmentalist who lived on the remote strip of land off the coast of Nova Scotia for over 40 years. Yet, the bulk of their coverage isn't about subjects but action: amidst an ongoing climate crisis, how can filmmakers responsibly make films with minimal environmental impact? This question has been on the mind of Quebec filmmaker, François Delisle for over a decade. One of Quebec's most respected filmmakers, known for critically acclaimed films like Chorus, The Meteor and Ca$h Nexu$, Delisle's latest film Waiting for the Storms (Le temps in French) was a turning point for the director. Set in various futuristic eras, the film follows various characters across different landscapes as each grapples in their own way with the impact of climate catastrophe. With echoes of Chris Marker's pivotal post-apocalyptic film from 1962, La jetée, the film uses still rather than moving images. An anxious and desperate film, Delisle explains that the process changed how he viewed filmmaking, "from an ecological point of view, I'm unsure I'll ever be able to look back." Relying on relatable archetypes, the film vibrates with urgency, offering a pathway towards hope and change amidst disaster. In an era of irony poisoned apathy, it's a film that feels deeply sincere in its message and approach, reflecting the cautious optimism of its maker. "Every film I make, leads into the next one," Delisle says. His previous film, Ca$h Nexu$, explored social injustice and inequality. Doing research on that film led him to climate injustice, which set him on a new path. "At first," he explains, "I was in shock, an almost zombie-like state, then I started to write." Ca$h Nexu$ also motivated Delisle to make some drastic decisions: he'd no longer fly, reducing his carbon footprint. "I went to Korea for a 15 minute Q &A," he says. "It used to be that I'd take advantage of those opportunities to travel and explore new countries, but now ethically, flying that far to speak to people for 15 minutes seems wrong." The decision was borne out of his research but also the future, "I have children. I don't want to live off the backs of my children and the future generation. At first, I had a mourning period, but now it's second nature." That doesn't mean that Delisle doesn't engage with his audience. With Waiting for the Storms, he's presented various Q&As across Montreal. He describes the experience as taxing but rewarding, the discussion moving from the cinema into the streets. People, young people in particular, want to share their experiences. "After five minutes, they seem to forget the movie is mostly still images," he says. "People have questions about the future, which are difficult for me to answer, I'm just a simple citizen filmmaker with a strong point of view." Delisle isn't the only Quebec filmmaker looking towards ecology as a subject. Sylvain L'Espérance's Archeology of Light, Anne-Marie Rocher's Urban Forests and Robert Morin's Festin boréal are among a growing number of films tackling our increasingly strained relationship with the natural world. While drastically different in tone and approach, the films question through form and action, the way we live our lives. What does it mean to lose touch with the environment and how can we forge a pathway to the future? For Delisle, that question explicitly means sacrifice. He emphasizes that he isn't cynical and actually sees a hopeful path for the future, but it necessitates major changes. "We're going to have to mourn our current lifestyles and until we move past that, we can't make any changes. And we have to change. I don't think that means sacrificing our happiness. I don't think that happiness can be calculated in money or possessions, but rather, is measured in exchanges with one another and also our health." Compared to many other art forms, cinema requires a lot of resources and contributes to pollution. Delisle points to Hollywood as a huge polluter, but suggests that most filmmaking practices aren't exactly ecologically minded. Building on what he learned from Waiting on the Storm, Delisle plans to make further changes, such as abandoning the use of artificial lights. "It almost looks like a student film set, but it's up to us as filmmakers to find cinema through this process," he says. "I wonder, will cinema survive this change? How can we imagine the cinema of the future? These are questions I ask myself."
