With a new coronavirus variant spreading, the B.C. government plans to restore mandatory masking for staff at all health-care facilities and long-term care residencies October 3. While masks would not be mandatory for patients and residents, a health ministry note states that they “will mask when directed by a health-care worker or based on personal choice.” [node:read-more:link]
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said today that she is prepared to use her province’s Sovereignty Act in a pushback against the federal government’s planned emissions reductions over concerns that they could result in local power blackouts. “I’m hoping we don't have to use it,” she said. “But we are going to defend our constitutional jurisdiction to make sure that we develop our oil and gas industry at our own pace, and that we develop our electricity system so that it achieves the goal of reliability and affordability.” [node:read-more:link]
Northvolt, a Swedish battery manufacturing giant, confirmed today that it plans to build an electric vehicle battery plant east of Montreal, its first outside Europe. The first $7-billion phase would have annual cell manufacturing capacity of up to 30 gigawatt-hours and the plant is expected to create 3,000 jobs at full production. [node:read-more:link]
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said today that he will enforce a controversial school “pronoun” policy despite a provincial judge’s decision to issue an injunction. The judge suspended the policy pending the outcome of a legal challenge by the University of Regina Pride Centre for Sexuality and Gender Diversity. Announced in August, the initiative would require students younger than 16 to have parental consent before changing their pronouns or preferred first names in a school setting. [node:read-more:link]
The independent Canadian Climate Institute estimates that national carbon emissions rose slightly in 2022 from 2021, leaving the country well short of its goal of a 40-45% reduction from 2005 levels by 2030. Petroleum production and buildings remain the key underlying factors, part of a long-term trend the CCI expects to offset progress elsewhere and underscoring “the pressing need to speed up policy action at all levels of government.” [node:read-more:link]
Mainly due to an immigration surge, Canada has become one of the fastest-growing countries, according to data published September 27. They show that between July 2022 and July 2023, the population rose 2.9% to 40.1 million and Statistics Canada said 98% of the growth was from net international migration. [node:read-more:link]
Prime Minister Trudeau apologized September 27 after a Nazi-allied war veteran was formally recognized by then House of Commons Speaker Anthony Rota during last week’s visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Embarrassed at home and abroad, the PM also said the government had reached out diplomatically to Ukraine. [node:read-more:link]
The federal government is trying to address growing concerns about generative artificial intelligence with a voluntary code of conduct for developers. Innovation, Science & Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne expects it to “build safety and trust as the technology spreads.” [node:read-more:link]
The sale of what used to be called the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool, now known as Viterra, is to be reviewed by the federal government. It is controlled by Glencore, a Swiss multinational with the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board the B.C. Investment Management Corporation as minority shareholders, but a Missouri-based Bunge Limited has agreed to buy Viterra for more than US$8 billion. [node:read-more:link]
Foreign interference and national-security issues in Canada’s banking and insurance sectors are in the sights of the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions. “Over the two years that I’ve been Superintendent, geopolitical risk and its offshoots have increased in significance,” says Peter Routledge. “There’s a possibility that that intensity metastasizes over into the financial system, and we want our institutions ready to adapt.” [node:read-more:link]
Vera Jourova, a Czech politician who is the European Commission’s vice-president for “values and transparency”, says the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, has “the largest ratio of mis- or disinformation posts” in the world. Moreover, she warns, billionaire Elon Musk’s dismantling of a monitoring team likely means the problem will grow. [node:read-more:link]
Draft legislation the government says will improve consumer choice by limiting corporate concentration is being slammed by the president of he Business Council of Canada. “C-56 is a trojan horse,” says Goldy Hyder. “It will upend a legal regime that fostered all the globally competitive Canadian companies doing business today.” [node:read-more:link]
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland announced today that the federal government is increasing the Canada Mortgage Bonds program by 50% to $60 billion to boost low-cost financing for the construction of rental housing. The expectation is that it will add 30,000 units annually. [node:read-more:link]
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has received a classified intelligence briefing that points to India’s role in the killing of a prominent Sikh activist in B.C. last June. “It was very clear […] that there is credible information that the Indian government was involved,” he said, adding that he doesn’t think details should be made public for now because it could compromise the criminal investigation. [node:read-more:link]
Expelled from the UN Human Rights Council after invading Ukraine, Russia is applying to rejoin for a three-year term despite the fact that President Vladimir Putin and his military stand accused of war crimes. In its application, Russia seeks to stop the council becoming an “instrument which serves political wills of one group of countries.” [node:read-more:link]
