Alberta UCP wraps up voting Thursday, prepares to announce new premier
Alberta’s governing United Conservative Party is scheduled pick the province’s new premier Thursday, and political observers say its next step should be getting back on the same page as the rest of the province.
“The campaign was striking for the lack of focus on the issues that are primary for Albertans,” said political scientist Lori Williams.
“It was about controversies over Ottawa and how to deal with Ottawa.
Red Cross calls for civilian force, less reliance on military for disaster response
Canada needs a new civilian force to respond to natural disasters and other emergencies as such events become more common and severe, the head of the Canadian Red Cross said Tuesday.
In an interview CEO Conrad Sauvé compared Canada’s current approach to responding to emergencies to fighting a fire without any previous planning or preparation.
“We're trying to sort out who does what after the fire started,” he said.
Right now, Sauvé said, "we're not paying for the firehouse."
Lewis confident Poilievre will include all caucus voices, as he picks critics
Ontario Conservative MP Leslyn Lewis said Tuesday she is confident Pierre Poilievre will ensure all of the party's caucus voices are heard, amid calls for him to name her to a critic role.
Lewis ran against Poilievre in the Tories' recent leadership contest and placed a distant third behind his resounding first-ballot victory.
She hails from the party's social conservative wing and during the race repeatedly attacked Poilievre for not talking about issues like abortion, which she and some others in caucus oppose.
Families of missing and murdered Indigenous women seek change ahead of Oct. 4 vigils
Tatyanna Harrison’s 21st birthday would have been on Sept. 29.
Her mother described Tatyanna, whose body was found in Vancouver earlier this year, as a courageous woman with the gift of gab and a deep love for learning.
“It affected (Tatyanna) deeply to witness anything that was unfair or cruel. She wasn't afraid to use her voice to speak on it and this has always been the core of who she was,” Natasha Harrison said.
“I know in my heart she wouldn't be OK with the injustice surrounding her passing.”
Legislation to temporarily boost GST rebate expected to pass this week
Legislation to temporarily double GST rebates to help low- and modest-income Canadians cope with high inflation is expected to pass the House of Commons later this week.
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland says the measure is "a balance between compassion and fiscal responsibility."
Freeland appeared at the House of Common Finance Committee Monday where she commended MPs from all parties for supporting the measure.
The bill is expected to come to a final vote in the House of Commons Thursday, after which it will be sent to the Senate.
Photographer rides out Ian to capture the storm for others
Chuck Larsen has lived on Sanibel Island for 12 years and until last week had never experienced a major hurricane. The 76-year-old who moved from California decided to ride out Hurricane Ian in his condominium with little idea of the horror he was about to go through.
He filled his bathtub with water, stocked up on food and water, and made sure batteries were charged and his windows were rated to withstand 150 mph (240 kph) winds. He followed the forecast thinking the island would get strong wind and rain, and trees would fall, but areas to the north would take the hardest hit.
Former senator and pastor Don Meredith charged with three counts of sexual assault
A former senator who resigned from the upper chamber amid a sexual misconduct scandal is now facing criminal charges.
Don Meredith, 58, has been charged with three counts of sexual assault and one count of criminal harassment, Ottawa police said Saturday.
A source confirmed to The Canadian Press that the man in question was the former Conservative senator.
The charges relate to incidents that allegedly took place in 2013 and 2014 and were reported by an adult woman, police said, offering no other details.
Madame Wu, restaurateur to Hollywood's elite, dies at 106
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sylvia Wu, whose famed Southern California restaurant drew Hollywood's biggest stars for four decades, has died at age 106, according to a news report.
Madame Wu’s Garden on Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica became a dining destination shortly after it opened in 1959, popular for its cuisine and pagoda-style decor featuring jade statues, a stone waterfall and a koi-filled fountain.
Alberta commits $20.8 million over the next four years to fight human trafficking
The Alberta government is providing $20.8 million over the next four years to implement recommendations from a star-led task force on human trafficking.
Country singer Paul Brandt, chair of the Alberta Human Trafficking Task Force, personally thanked Premier Jason Kenney during the funding announcement Sunday at Edmonton International Airport for his willingness to prioritize the issue, and for putting faith in Brandt to lead the group.
The gig is up: Alberta Premier Jason Kenney set to step down from top job
Don’t cry for me, Alberta, I was leaving anyway.
It's Premier Jason Kenney’s swan song message as he prepares to depart the province's top job, forced out by the very United Conservative Party he willed into existence.
"I was never intending to be in this gig for a long time,” Kenney told an audience earlier this month. He had planned for one more provincial election, he said.