Chatham-to-Lakeshore power upgrades completed a year early
By Pam Wright, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Hydro One’s new Chatham to Lakeshore Transmission Line has plugged in a year ahead of schedule. Energized last month, the new line adds approximately 400 megawatts to the grid – enough to power the City of Windsor – in support of Southwestern Ontario’s agri-food and manufacturing industries. Ontario Minister of Energy and Electrification Stephen Lecce, along with other dignitaries, made a special trip to Chatham-Kent to unveil the $237-million line, pointing out its early finish has saved $30 million. Lecce, who oversaw Ontario’s recently approved Energy Affordability Act, stressed that when a project is on time and under budget, it boosts public confidence. According to Lecce, the southwest region is seeing “explosive” growth – double the provincial average – with officials predicting the...
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Franklin the tortoise moving out of refrigerator after chilling since October
KAMLOOPS B.C-(CP)-It’s a big day for Franklin the marginated tortoise who is being brought out of his slumber after spending 15 weeks chilling out in a refrigerator. The tortoise, rescued from the shores of Shuswap Lake in the British Columbia Interior in 2022, has been in the refrigerator at the BC Wildlife Park in Kamloops since Oct. 1, in a hibernation-like state known as brumation. The park’s animal care manager Tracy Reynolds says marginated tortoises are more at home in a warm and dry Mediterranean climate, and winter in the B.C. Interior is “far too harsh” for Franklin to spend outdoors. She says he’s been kept at 6 degrees Celsius in a refrigerator at the park but is scheduled Tuesday to move into an indoor habitat with his new neighbour,...
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Clark, Champagne drop out, Gould plans to join Liberal leadership race
(CP)-The race to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as Liberal leader shifted again on Tuesday when Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne and former B.C. premier Christy Clark both bowed out, and Government House leader Karina Gould signalled she’s in. The two high-profile departures will cast a spotlight on candidates’ French language skills and their ability to organize support in Quebec, now that the race lacks a strong, bilingual front-runner from a province that’s critical to the Liberals’ electoral fortunes. Champagne, long seen as a potential successor to Trudeau, said during an armchair talk in Toronto he will not enter the race, adding he plans to focus on ensuring the government is ready to protect Canadian industry from the trade threats posed by incoming U.S. president Donald Trump. “It was probably the...
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Jaime Battiste first Indigenous candidate to join Liberal leadership race
OTTAWA-(CP)Jaime Battiste says that if he can’t be the most powerful and wealthy candidate in the race for the Liberal party leadership, he hopes to be the most interesting. The MP for Sydney-Victoria is the only First Nations candidate to state his intention to join the leadership race so far. Battiste, who serves as chair of the Liberal party’s Indigenous caucus, says reforming the First Nations child welfare system and ensuring adequate funding for First Nations police services would be his top priorities as a leadership candidate. But the Mi’kmaw MP, who grew up in Eskasoni First Nation, says his focus wouldn’t be squarely on Indigenous issues, adding he also thinks Canadians want to see a marked change in environmental policy and in how the country responds to emergencies like...
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Three facing charges in Simcoe break and enter
NORFOLK COUNTY, ON – Three people are facing charges after Norfolk County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) responded to a break and enter in Simcoe Monday (Jan. 13,). OPP said at about 5:27 p.m. Monday, January 13, 2025, Norfolk County OPP responded to a reported break-and-enter on Norfolk Street South in Simcoe where OPP said a group of individuals had unlawfully entered a business on the property. OPP arrested three people without incident found on the property. During a search of the three OPP said they found and seized suspected fentanyl, ecstasy, morphine, and Canadian currency. Facing charges are: Kirbie Wamsley, 36, from Haldimand County has been charged with the following alleged offences: Break, enter a place – commit indictable offence, Possession of a Schedule I substance – opioid (other than...
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Norfolk County OPP asking for public’s help in locating two stolen trucks
NORFOLK COUNTY-Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) are seeking the public’s help after two pickup trucks were stolen from properties in Delhi Jan., 14, 2025. OPP were called to an Adams Avenue residence Monday, Jan., 13th at about 6:30 a.m. after receiving a report that unidentified individuals had stolen a vehicle from the property sometime during the overnight hours. The vehicle was described as a grey 2000 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck. Around 7:15 p.m., that same day, the Norfolk County OPP investigated another report of the theft of another truck this time from Main Street in Delhi. OPP said between 4:00 a.m. and 7:15 p.m., “one or more unidentified individuals” entered the property and stole a pickup truck . The vehicle was identified as a silver 2000 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck. The...
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Freeland to announce Liberal leadership bid within the next week
(CP)-Former finance minister Chrystia Freeland will announce her intention to run for the Liberal party leadership just before the U.S. presidential inauguration, a source close to her campaign team said Monday. The source, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the announcement, also said Freeland’s first policy promise will be to impose dollar-for-dollar retaliatory tariffs on U.S. imports to match the tariffs U.S. president-elect Donald Trump has vowed to impose on Canada. Trump has promised to impose 25 per cent tariffs on all imports from Canada and Mexico on Jan. 20, the day he is inaugurated. The federal and provincial governments are working together to set retaliatory tariffs to respond to that threat, trying to target U.S. exports that would wreak maximum damage on regions important to Republican leaders...
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Panellists named for teacher disciplinary matters
By Maggie Macintosh Local Journalism Initiative Reporter A POLICE officer, a First Nations lawyer and a community-health program manager are among a dozen people who’ve been chosen to serve as panellists in disciplinary cases involving teachers under a new Manitoba Education Department professional registry and complaint process. Bobbi Taillefer, the province’s first independent education commissioner, has the discretion to dismiss or investigate reports made regarding allegations of improper teacher conduct. Calling a disciplinary panel is one of the options available to her. The new system, which is intended to increase transparency to the disciplinary process, launched just over a week ago online (edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/commissioner). Members of the public and employers are able to flag incidents to the commissioner’s office via separate forms available on the web page. There is also a...
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Ecotour grizzlies less likely to encounter conflict with humans, B.C. study suggests
(Canadian Press) Grizzly bears that visited ecotourism areas along a river on the province’s central coast were less likely than others to encounter conflict with people in communities downstream, a new study by British Columbia-based researchers has found. Jason Moody with the Nuxalk Nation’s fisheries and wildlife program said the research shows ecotourism done right is not a driving factor in conflict between bears and humans. “The findings were pretty clear that if you’re viewing bears in the right way … (it) does not predispose them to bear-human conflicts later on,” said Moody, who contributed to the study and runs an ecotour operation based in Bella Coola. Stories, songs and dances passed down through generations show the Nuxalk and other First Nations along B.C.’s coast have long coexisted with bears,...
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Nunavut’s new senator sets her priorities
By Kira Wronska Dorward Local Journalism Initiative Reporter A year after the retirement of former Nunavut senator Dennis Patterson, the long-awaited announcement about his successor was made on Dec. 19 with Nancy Karetak-Lindell named as the territory’s new representative in the Red Chamber. When asked if the appointment came as a surprise, she replied, “Yes and no. I wasn’t doing much after I retired, but people kept asking me if I was putting my name in, and the more I thought about it, I thought, maybe this is a, hopefully, last thing I could do to help Nunavut in a different way.” Karetak-Lindell, who calls Arviat home, described the application process as similar to a normal job interview with a committee. She called being selected “a great honour. My life’s...
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One in 10 Canadians live in places susceptible to green transition disruption: report
(CP)-One in 10 Canadians live in communities susceptible to workforce disruption from the transition to a greener economy, a new report suggests while underlining solutions that could help those regions adapt. The Institute for Research on Public Policy says governments in Canada have work to do to support the 68 communities it identified as susceptible on the path to drastically lowering Canada’s emissions. While existing programs offer some support, “they are not equipped to guide communities through large-scale economic and societal transformations,” said the report published Tuesday, the first in a series of planned IRPP policy briefs and community profiles delving into the issue. The report highlights recommendations to better direct investments to communities that need it most and increase local-level input when charting the energy transition. Canada’s effort to...
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Liberal leadership race: A look at the potential candidates
(CP)-The federal Liberals are running their first leadership race in more than a decade to replace the departing Justin Trudeau. Candidates must declare by Jan. 23 and pay a $350,000 fee to enter the race. The winner will be named on March 9. Here’s a quick look at who’s in and who’s out. Who’s in Chandra Arya Arya became the first current member of the Liberal caucus to announce his candidacy just four days after Trudeau’s announcement. Arya — first elected as an MP in an Ottawa suburb in 2015 — has said he does not believe he needs to speak French to become prime minister, came out against Trudeau’s carbon pricing system and wants to abolish the monarchy. Frank Baylis A former Montreal Liberal MP and businessman, Baylis was...
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Mi’kmaw MP Jaime Battiste may kickstart campaign to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
NOVA SCOTIA-Sydney-Victoria Liberal MP Jaime Battiste, Canada’s first Mi’kmaw MP, may be making history…again. Battiste announced today he wants to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and become not only the next Liberal Party leader, but a contender to become the first Indigenous Prime Minister. “Before there was a Premier Wab Kinew, there had to be an Elijah Harper,” Battiste wrote in a statement set to be released on Monday. “Before there was a President Barack Obama, there had to be a Jesse Jackson. There must always be people willing to try … even if their journey is one meant to pave the way for future generations.” Battiste isn’t a stranger to history making. In 2019 he was elected as the first Mi’kmaw MP. Nova Scotia’s MP is currently the parliamentary secretary...
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NAN, Hajdu push toward massive child welfare deal
By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Thunder Bay Source THUNDER BAY – Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu said Friday she’s confident the federal government and two Ontario First Nations organizations can reach an agreement on child welfare reform quickly. Nishinawbe Aski Nation (NAN) and the Chiefs of Ontario (COO) are in talks with the feds for an Ontario-only agreement to fix the child welfare system in First Nations months after a Canada-wide $47.8-billion reform deal was rejected. NAN and COO leaders approached the federal government to negotiate a deal in “the spirit of the final settlement agreement,” Hajdu told reporters Friday at her Thunder Bay-Superior North constituency office. “And so that’s where we’re at right now.” She added that “the conversation is going well and we hope that we’ll...
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2023-2025 Essex County OPP Detachment Action Plan outlined
By Sylene Argent Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Essex County OPP Superintendent Mark Loucas reviewed the 2023-2025 Essex County OPP Detachment Action Plan with members of the Essex County OPP Police Service Board-North – which serves Tecumseh, Lakeshore, and Essex – at the December meeting. Loucas told members of the Essex County OPP Police Services Board-North the way the Detachment Action Plan was developed was based on consultation with the Organizational Strategic Plan. The organization develops its priorities, similar to provincial priorities. Those priorities focus on traffic safety on roadways, waterways, and trails, and crime reduction strategies. The local priority stream – through consultation with the Board and community – can develop a Police Action Plan, specific to the community’s needs. Consultation with the Board will be sought when the new...
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No police liaisons could soon mean no job for SD61 board members
BC- Nine school board members elected to the SD61 school board a little over two years ago could soon be replaced by the province over the ongoing standoff over the police liaison program. SD61 has 20k students in 10 middle schools and seven secondary schools across the district in Esquimalt, Oak Bay, Victoria, View Royal, and parts of Saanich and Highlands. The question of whether the School Police Liaison Officer (SPLO) program should be reinstated in those schools came to a head last fall. Lisa Beare, the minister responsible for education and childcare issued a directive by ministerial order for an updated student safety plan to be developed in collaboration with the board of education and police departments.” Then last month, she said the submitted plan was inadequate and that...
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Closing of Manitoba vet clinic highlights need for reliable services in the north
Canadian Press-Whenever Sarah Driediger’s dog Hero needs medical attention, the Thompson, Man., woman will now have to pack up her vehicle and drive eight hours south to Winnipeg. That’s because the northern city’s only full-time veterinary clinic closed at the beginning of this year. Pet owners in the city of about 13,000 and nearby communities will have to head south for services, or rely on pop-up clinics hosted by pet rescues or outside veterinary practices, to access care for their furry loved ones. “It’s hard to find somebody. We have quite a few vets that are eager to come and help, but not to come and stay,” Driediger said in a recent interview. “Even if we have a vet once a week or once a month, that’s not enough. It’s...
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Driver for drug trafficker sentenced to two years less a day in the community
Local Journalism Initiative A Provincial Court judge sentenced a Prince George woman on Wednesday, Jan. 8 to two years less a day, to be served in the community, for possession of methamphetamine and fentanyl for the purpose of trafficking. Under Judge David Simpkin’s conditional sentence order, Robin Taralee Leveille, 33, will spend 10 months in house arrest, with limited allowance to leave her residence, then another 10 months on an 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. curfew. Leveille was charged in September 2023, almost two years after her arrest with co-accused Sebastian Gordon Goudreau, 36. Goudreau, her former boyfriend, is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 11, according to the online court database. Court heard that Prince George RCMP had Goudreau and Leveille under surveillance for nearly two months when they spotted...
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Prorogation means uncertain fate for many bills: Yukon MP
By Talar Stockton Local Journalism Initiative Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article stated the Yukon gets 100 votes – the correct terminology was 100 points, not 100 votes. The News regrets the error. With the resignation of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and prorogation of Parliament, many Canadians have turned to watch the Liberal leadership race. The Yukon will have a say in the next Liberal party leader, said Yukon MP Brendan Hanley, who is a Liberal MP. Each riding gets 100 points in electing the party’s next leader: given our relatively smaller population compared to some other electoral districts, our influence may be stronger, he said. Hanley spoke with the News on Jan. 9, the day after he attended the Liberal Party’s caucus meeting in Ottawa. He said...
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The Latest: Judge sentences Donald Trump in hush money case but declines to impose any punishment
President-elect Donald Trump was formally sentenced Friday in his hush money case, but the judge declined to impose any punishment. The outcome cements Trump’s conviction while freeing him to return to the White House unencumbered by the threat of a jail term or a fine. Here’s the latest: Trump can still vote after sentencing, but can’t own a gun and will have to turn over a DNA sample President-elect Donald Trump doesn’t have to go to jail, pay a fine or perform community service as a result of his New York hush money conviction. A judge ended the case Friday with a sentence of an unconditional discharge, closing the case with no punishment. But unless the conviction for falsifying business records is someday overturned, Trump will have felonies on his...
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