Lacombe

Liberals are having some "robust" conversations about the state of their party and its slump in popularity with voters but those talks cannot happen in public, Immigration Minister Marc Miller said Monday.

"The reality is we have to have these conversations behind closed doors," Miller said at the federal cabinet retreat in Halifax.

Canada is moving to match the United States with new tariffs on electric vehicles made in China in a bid to keep the cars from getting a significant foothold in the North American market.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau outlined the plan at the federal cabinet retreat in Halifax on Monday, promising to increase import taxes on Chinese-made EVs to 106.1 per cent on Oct. 1, up from 6.1 per cent.

Tariffs on Chinese-made steel and aluminum products will go to 25 per cent on Oct. 15, with a final list of which products will be affected expected Oct. 1.

The federal government has added 56 properties to a new public lands bank of locations that are suitable for long-term leases so developers can build housing, a move the Housing Minister says will help boost the supply of homes Canadians can afford. 

Sean Fraser made the announcement Sunday in Halifax just ahead of a three-day cabinet retreat intended to prepare for the upcoming fall sitting of Parliament.

"Making public lands available for home construction is going to reduce the cost of construction and in turn reduce the cost of living," Fraser said. 

The Red Deer Rebels are set to begin training this week for the upcoming season.  

Players will report for medicals on Aug. 29, followed by off-ice fitness testing at Red Deer Polytechnic on Aug. 30 in the morning.  

On-ice sessions will begin on Aug. 30 in the afternoon at the Peavey Mart Centrium. 

Work is underway to get Canada's rail system back up and operational.

The Canada Industrial Relations Board released its decision late Saturday, reinforcing the Labour Minister's order for binding arbitration and the extension of collective agreements until a new deal is signed. 

A statement on the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference website says they will comply with the decision, but will also appeal the ruling to federal court.

CN started gearing up late last week, while CPKC workers were back on the job early this morning.

The City of Red Deer is advising pedestrians of an extended trail closure in Capstone.  

Starting today, (Aug. 26), until Oct. 15, the trail connecting the 50 Street/Taylor Drive intersection to 47 Street will be closed for underground utility construction.   

Pedestrians are asked to find an alternate route until work is completed. 

The Wolf Creek Public Schools is preparing to pilot the new draft kindergarten to Grade 6 social studies curriculum this upcoming school year.  

On Aug. 22, the Wolf Creek Public Schools Board of Trustees received a report on the pilot program, that has nearly 20 teachers from seven schools participating.   

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his government will reduce the number of low-wage temporary foreign workers with stricter rules, urging employers to hire Canadian workers instead.

The federal government announced today that it will refuse applications for low-wage temporary foreign workers in regions with an unemployment rate of six per cent or higher.

Employers will be allowed to hire a maximum of 10 per cent of their workforce from the temporary foreign worker program, down from 20 per cent.

Parks Canada says a weekend drenching of rain on parts of Jasper National Park is doing a lot to quell fire activity, but the wet weather also comes with a warning.

In a daily update on the local wildfire situation, Parks Canada says parts of the national park received over 30 millimetres of rain on Friday night.

Cooler temperatures were also in the forecast, which the agency says could further decrease fire activity.

Traffic at Canada's two largest railways is slated to resume today as a rail work stoppage comes to an end following a Saturday decision from the federal labour board. 

Canadian National Railway Co. and Canadian Pacific Kansas City shut down railways last Thursday, locking out workers and disrupting freight traffic countrywide and commuter lines in the Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver areas.

The lockouts affected more than 9,000 railway workers amid an ongoing contract dispute between the two companies and the Teamsters union.