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China launches spacecraft it says will return samples and yield ‘groundbreaking discoveries'
China launches spacecraft it says will return samples and yield ‘groundbreaking discoveries'

Toronto Star

time37 minutes ago

  • Science
  • Toronto Star

China launches spacecraft it says will return samples and yield ‘groundbreaking discoveries'

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China launched a spacecraft that promises to return samples from an asteroid near Mars and yield 'groundbreaking discoveries and expand humanity's knowledge of the cosmos,' the country's space agency said. The Tianwen-2 probe launched early Thursday from southern China aboard the workhorse Long March 3-B rocket. The probe will collect samples from the asteroid 2016HO3 and explore the main-belt comet 311P, which lies even further from the Earth than Mars, according to the China National Space Administration.

Provinces ‘hold the key' to unlocking homebuilding, new report argues
Provinces ‘hold the key' to unlocking homebuilding, new report argues

Toronto Star

time43 minutes ago

  • Business
  • Toronto Star

Provinces ‘hold the key' to unlocking homebuilding, new report argues

OTTAWA - While the federal government and cities across Canada are making strides on expanding the housing supply, the provinces still need to get serious about building quality homes, a new report released Thursday argues. No province earned a grade higher than C+ in the report assembled by the Task Force for Housing and Climate, a non-governmental body that was struck in 2023 with backing from the philanthropic Clean Economy Fund. The task force's 'report card' evaluated governments based on their policies for building homes quickly and sustainably. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW It gave the federal government the highest grade in the country — a B — while Alberta ranked at the bottom of the pile with a D+. The rest of the provinces' scores were in the C range. Mike Moffatt, the report's author and founding director of the Missing Middle Initiative at the University of Ottawa, suggested that the provinces have thus far avoided 'scrutiny' for their role in perpetuating the housing crisis, while Ottawa and the cities have taken the heat for red tape and high costs. 'Provinces really hold the key here. They have the most policy levers and, in many cases, they've actually done the least,' he said. The task force is co-chaired by former Edmonton mayor Don Iveson and former deputy leader of the federal Conservatives Lisa Raitt. Prime Minister Mark Carney was one of the group's members before becoming federal Liberal leader. 'Currently, no government is doing enough to get these homes built,' said Raitt in a statement accompanying the report. The task force compiled its report card based on its evaluations of government policies to encourage factory-built housing, fill in market gaps, boost density, map high-risk areas and update building codes. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW The report found plenty of variability even within provinces, said He said both Saskatchewan and Ontario are doing well on building away from high-risk areas but are falling short on increasing density. The report gave British Columbia, Quebec and Prince Edward Island a score of C+ — the highest score received by any province. Moffat said B.C.'s grade suffered because while it encourages density 'on paper,' its slow permit approvals and high building costs frustrate development. While Alberta is doing well on the pace of housing starts alone, he said, that's mostly due to leadership at the municipal level in Calgary and Edmonton — not provincial policy. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said in the provincial legislature in November that the government was 'not standing in the way of the private sector to build more affordable housing.' She said increasing housing supply would 'automatically' bring down costs for Albertans. Moffatt said Smith's stance is 'correct' — lowering barriers to development is critical to expanding the supply of affordable housing — but that's 'only part of the story.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW He said Alberta has to take 'responsibility' for the housing demand it induces through its successful marketing campaign to lure Ontarians to the province. Moffatt said the province also has to make sure homes are built sustainably and not in the path of wildfires, and can't abdicate its responsibility for filling gaps in social housing. 'We need both. We need a strong, robust private sector to deliver housing, but we also need government to come in and fill in the gaps,' he said. Moffatt said the provinces are falling behind on mapping flood plains and need to take responsibility for provincial legislation that leads to higher development charges. He noted that the report card was based only on implemented policies and did not capture the impact of proposed legislation such as Ontario's Bill 17, which is meant to speed up permits and approvals, simplify development charges and fast-track infrastructure projects. The report said the federal government's housing accelerator fund, which encourages municipalities to simplify zoning rules to get more shovels in the ground, has made progress but needs enforcement tools to keep cities accountable after they strike funding deals with Ottawa. Moffatt said he hopes to use the report card framework to track progress on housing goals in the future, and to work on separate research to evaluate municipalities' housing policies. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 29, 2025. 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.

South Korean navy patrol plane crashes in country's south, killing 4
South Korean navy patrol plane crashes in country's south, killing 4

Toronto Star

timean hour ago

  • General
  • Toronto Star

South Korean navy patrol plane crashes in country's south, killing 4

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A South Korean navy plane crashed during a training flight on Thursday, killing all four crew members on board, the navy said. The P-3 patrol plane took off from its base in the southeastern city of Pohang at 1:43 p.m. and crashed due to unknown reasons, the navy said in a statement. It said it had identified the bodies of the four crew members and was in the process of recovering them.

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