B.C. government considers ‘Plan B’ if salmon need help through Chilcotin slide zone

By Dirk Meissner

WILLIAMS LAKE (CP) – Plans to help migrating salmon make it up British Columbia’s Chilcotin River to spawning grounds are in the works after a massive landslide breach created barrier challenges, but officials will wait to see if the water carves a new route for the fish, says Nathan Cullen, the provincial water, land and resource stewardship minister.

Cullen said Thursday that the breach created a new “choke point” on the river that could impede sockeye salmon movement upstream, but the fish are extremely resilient and face many challenges on their journey to spawning grounds.

The government’s plan to help salmon if needed comes as central Interior First Nations say they are measuring the impacts of the landslide that blocked the Chilcotin River for days, followed by a breach of the dam and a subsequent torrent of water that sent trees and debris downstream. 

Cullen said at a news conference that the narrow spot on the river seems to be eroding, but doesn’t seem to be at a point where the fish can pass.

The Williams Lake First Nation said Thursday some heritage village sites that date back 4,000 years were swept away as the Chilcotin River carved at riverbanks, while the Tsilhqot’in National Government said critical salmon migration routes were seriously damaged and the threat of more slides exists.

Poilievre calls for tariffs on Chinese-made EVs, solar panels, batteries and steel

OTTAWA (CP) – Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he would impose big new import taxes on a host of Chinese-made goods including electric cars, solar panels and semiconductors if his party wins the next election.

Poilievre made the announcement in Hamilton, standing in front of a few dozen employees at the city’s Stelco steel plant. 

Steel is among the products Poilievre says requires new import tariffs as he accuses China of breaching labour and environment standards to “crush” Canadian industry.

Poilievre says the federal Liberals are refusing to follow the lead of U.S. President Joe Biden and protect Canada’s interests with higher tariffs on Chinese products.

However in late June Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland launched the required consultation process to impose new tariffs on Chinese-made EVs and EV-supply chain materials and products. 

Currently the only Chinese-made EVs entering Canada are made by the American giant Tesla, but China’s biggest EV manufacturer BYD recently established a corporate presence in this country and intends to launch products here.

Parks Canada’s lease system, building rules could delay Jasper rebuild

By: Jack Farrell

JASPER (CP) – Residents of Jasper, Alta., who lost their homes in last month’s wildfire face unique rebuilding challenges tied to leasing provisions nearly as old as Canada, following modern rules dictating what they can and can’t construct.

Lawyer Jessica Reed said property owners in the townsite in Jasper National Park own their buildings but, unlike other municipalities, don’t own the land they sit on.

“The actual owner of the land, even if you looked at the land title, is the King himself,” said Reed, a partner with a firm that has offices in four Rocky Mountain municipalities, including Jasper.

This means that each property owner in Jasper, like those in other communities located within a national park, is a leaseholder with the Crown and must make annual payments tied to property values, Reed said.

The Canada National Parks Act also stipulates the leases are usually for 42-year terms, although some are shorter, and renewing involves renegotiating terms of the leases. 

Reed said this has already caused headaches for Jasper homeowners, as banks sometimes refuse to issue mortgages if the existing lease on a property is shorter than the prospective mortgage term.

That problem could become much bigger, given 358 homes and businesses in the town of 5,000 people were recently levelled by fire, she said.

Five homes unsafe following Vancouver fires, crane collapse

VANCOUVER (CP) – Vancouver Fire Rescue Services say five homes are unsafe to occupy after a massive fire and crane collapse in the city’s Dunbar neighbourhood.

The fire department says in a statement that 81 people registered for assistance after being evacuated Tuesday but most can go home following the blaze at a multi-storey apartment building under construction that led to nine more fires at nearby homes.

The department says power has been restored to the area and city sanitation teams are cleaning up debris left by the fire.

Officials say the debris is not considered a significant health concern for most people, but those who want to clean up on their own should ensure they have proper safety equipment.

The department says efforts to remove the crane, involving the property owner, contractors, the city and the provincial workers’ safety agency, are expected to begin in the coming days. 

Roads in the area remain closed.

Calgary mayor says city considering replacing water pipe that ruptured

CALGARY (CP) – Calgary’s mayor says the city is considering ways to strengthen a key water main for the long term, including replacing it altogether. 

Jyoti Gondek says in the spring the city could add a liner or a sleeve to the pipe to strengthen it, or dig alongside it and built an entirely new one.

The pipe in northwest Calgary ruptured in early June, drenching a stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway and nearby parkland. 

The break forced Calgarians to undertake a series of water conservation measures, from not watering lawns to taking shorter showers. 

The restrictions had been gradually easing when, earlier this week, Gondek announced the pipe would have to be shut down again after 16 problem spots had been found. 

The shutdown is to last about a month starting from Aug. 26, and Gondek says city officials are working with business that rely on outdoor water to find ways to keep operating. 

Saskatchewan government promises to cover $1M of landfill search for missing woman

By: Jeremy Simes

SASKATOON (CP) – The Saskatchewan government will pay $1 million to help cover the cost of a landfill search for the remains of a missing woman, the province announced Thursday. 

Saskatoon police have said it cost $1.5 million to look through a section of the city landfill where the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier were discovered last week.

“We are pleased to support the Saskatoon Police Service with the costs of this search, and our government is happy to recognize their truly exceptional efforts in bringing closure to the Trottier family,” Policing Minister Paul Merriman said in a statement.

“Policing is challenging work, and this investigation brings that to light all too well. We are truly proud of the Saskatoon Police Service and every officer involved in this investigation.”

Police Chief Cameron McBride, who requested financial aid from Saskatchewan and Ottawa, said he’s incredibly appreciative of the funding. 

Officers spent 93 days searching the site, going through 5,000 tonnes of garbage.

The federal government says it has been in contact with Saskatchewan and is awaiting a formal funding proposal.

Minister for women won’t comment on committee drama as Liberal MP defends actions

By: Alessia Passafiume

OTTAWA (CP) – The federal minister for women won’t comment after a House of Commons committee that was supposed to discuss violence against women last week instead dissolved into political chaos. 

Witnesses Megan Walker and Cait Alexander, who walked out of the meeting, wrote to federal party leaders this week to decry MPs’ behaviour and demand concrete action on the issue.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre responded to their letter Thursday, saying his party will write to other federal parties to demand a recall of the committee to allow them and other victims a chance to speak.

Walker and Alexander directed ire at Liberal MP Anita Vandenbeld, who instigated a procedural fight at the committee by moving a motion to resume debate on abortion rights rather than engaging on domestic violence. 

Vandenbeld said in a lengthy opinion article this week that she was responding to procedural antics by the Conservatives, whom she accused of “hijacking” the committee process for their own political aims.

Students, recent immigrants hit hard by weakening job market, StatCan data suggests

By: Nojoud Al Mallees

OTTAWA (CP) – Students who have been hunting for a summer job and recent immigrants looking for work have felt the brunt of the country’s weakening labour market, Statistics Canada’s latest employment report shows.

The federal agency’s July labour force survey released on Friday says the overall jobless rate held steady at 6.4 per cent last month as the economy shed a modest 2,800 jobs.

The employment rate, which measures the share of the population aged 15 and older who are employed, fell slightly as fewer people looked for work. 

Amidst historically high interest rates, the unemployment rate has climbed 0.9 percentage points over the last year and job vacancies have plummeted.

The latest data suggests young people and recent immigrants, however, have been among the most affected by deteriorating economic conditions.

Among students between the ages of 15 and 24 returning to school in the fall, 51.3 per cent of them were employed last month, down a staggering 6.8 percentage points from a year ago.

Statistics Canada says that’s the lowest employment rate for returning students since July 1997, outside of July 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The slowdown in the Canadian job market has also been particularly felt by recent immigrants, as their unemployment rate has climbed 3.1 percentage points on an annual basis to 12.6 per cent in July.

By comparison, the unemployment rate for people born in Canada rose 0.5 percentage points over the last year to 5.6 per cent in the month.

Fight brewing at CRTC over first Online News Act payment by Google

By: Anja Karadeglija

OTTAWA (CP) – A new fight is playing out at the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission over the first $100-million annual payment Google agreed to pay Canadian news outlets. 

The Canadian Journalism Collective, the group tasked by Google to distribute the money to news outlets, has submitted plans for its governance structure to the CRTC. 

If the regulator is satisfied with those plans, it will grant Google an exemption from the Online News Act, which compels tech companies to enter into agreements with news publishers.

The exemption will then trigger the payments to news outlets.

But some news outlets say the plan put forward by the collective is incomplete, and fear that revising it would delay the payment. 

Instead, they told the CRTC in written submissions they want Google to disburse the funds through an accounting firm while the permanent plan is fleshed out.

Corus is the parent company of Global News, which laid off 35 journalists in June. It said news outlets can’t wait for the money any longer. 

The Canadian Association of Broadcasters called for funds to “flow to qualified recipients as soon as possible.”