Liberals inherited a mistrusta from previous government on pipelines

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his government inherited a “high degree of mistrust” from the previous Conservative government that has left Canadians skeptical about consultations on pipelines and environmental protection. Trudeau was asked about Energy East from a man at a town hall meeting in Fredericton, who wondered if public meetings will be held in affected communities, and whether detailed maps of the pipeline route would be provided.

Six stories in the news today, Jan. 17

Kirk Wilson, a Toronto bouncer described as a “gentle giant,” has been identified as one of five people who died when a gunman opened fire in a crowded beachfront nightclub in Mexico early Monday. Local authorities initially said two Canadians were among the dead but Global Affairs Canada later confirmed Wilson as the lone Canadian fatality.

Next-gen 911: CRTC braces for emergency video

It’s going to take a lot more than new regulations to allow all Canadians to send urgent, life-and-death text and video messages to emergency call centres, say advocates of so-called next-generation 911 services. Organizations, including the Canadian Interoperability Technology Interest Group, say a hearing this week by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission into expanding 911 service across the country is just the beginning of what’s needed to upgrade services to take advantage of new technologies.

Building boom expected to ebb

New home construction in Kelowna surged an astounding 72 per cent in 2016, but it’s expected to fall back this year. “The pent-up demand has been satisfied to some extent, so 2017’s forecast definitely calls for a moderation from 2016,” said Canada Mortgage & Housing Corporation market analyst Taylor Pardy.

Britain’s Prince Charles co-authors a book on climate change

Penguin Books says Prince Charles has co-authored a book on climate change together with an environmentalist and a Cambridge scientist. The Prince of Wales, long a critic of man-made climate change, wrote the book “Climate Change” with Tony Juniper, a former Friends of the Earth director, and Emily Shuckburgh, a Cambridge University climate scientist.

ILWU members rail against proposed regulations changes

More than two dozen members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada rallied outside the Transport Canada offices on Second Avenue West on Thursday morning to send a strong message to the federal government: allowing the end of cabotage and privatizing Canada’s ports and airports would be a devastating mistake for hundreds of thousands of Canadian workers. Led by president of ILWU Local 400 marine section Terry Engler and president of ILWU Local 523 Regan Fletcher, union members from Prince Rupert to Vancouver rallied to tell the new Justin Trudeau Liberal government to bring in what they promised: change.

VIDEO: 65 proud new Canadians

A bunch of proud new Canadians are waving their red and white flags after taking the Oath of Citizenship this week in Kelowna. A total of 65 local residents became official Canadian citizens on Wednesday at a joy-filled ceremony held at the Rotary Centre of the Arts.

‘Absolutely verboten’ or ‘personal family vacation’: Trudeau…

In the wake of accusations he broke federal law when he flew on a private helicopter during a recent holiday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declined Friday to offer a justification for that decision. Trudeau and his family spent several days over the New Year as the guest of the billionaire philanthropist and spiritual leader the Aga Khan at the Aga Khan’s private island in the Bahamas.

Canadian dairy could face Trump challenge

U.S. dairy groups are calling on Donald Trump to set his sights on Canada’s “protectionist” dairy practices as he seeks to safeguard American jobs. The International Dairy Foods Association, National Milk Producers Federation and U.S. Dairy Export Council, along with the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture say a planned national Canadian ingredients strategy will block U.S. exports in violation of NAFTA and the World Trade Organization.

Justin Trudeau’s Ontario road show takes on partisan edge

Canadians who want to meet the prime minister during his upcoming road tour are being asked to first register their personal details with Liberal MPs. OTTAWA-Canadians who want to meet Justin Trudeau during his upcoming road tour town halls are being asked to first register their personal details with Liberal MPs.

Vancouver Island Party seeking candidates for election

But first, the Vancouver Island Party needs to find candidates for the Island constituencies before the May 9 provincial election. “We have some interest expressed by several people but we don’t have them formally signed up yet,” said party leader Robin Richardson, a Victoria resident who is a Harvard-educated economist and a former Progressive Conservative member of parliament in Toronto, back when Joe Clark was prime minister.

Safehaven continues preparations for Syrian refugee family arrival

They fled their home north of Aleppo for Turkey, but with the assistance of a local refugee sponsorship group in the Comox Valley, a Syrian family of seven is hoping to soon call the Valley home. Formed in February 2016, Safehaven: Refugee Sponsorship Group is assisting the family with its quest to immigrate to Canada, and as such, has raised more than $64,000 to help bring that goal to fruition.

PC gets the country to #EatTogether

As Canadians prepare to come together for the country’s 150th anniversary, President’s Choice is taking a new approach and showing how a shared meal is a perfect opportunity to reconnect with each other. In a video launching the “#EatTogether” concept, a woman comes home to her apartment building, silently lamenting how everyone else seems to be buried in their devices.

Madawaska County BBQ Dipping Sauce

This BBQ sauce is very common and well liked in the Madawaska County of Northern Maine US and New Brunswick Canada. It is most commonly used as a side dipping sauce for chicken, but is also used as a dressing for coleslaw instead of the typical creamy or vinegar ones we are used to seeing.

LETTER: Time to get beyond mudslinging

Doug Griffiths, author of “13 Ways to Kill Your Community,” and paid guest speaker, is upset by Brian W. White, CPA, CA and chairman of Pictou County ‘Amalgamation No Thank You. Now Mr. Griffiths says he no longer wants to talk to Mr. White according to his comments in “Always a way to succeed” which appeared in the New Glasgow News on Dec 21. Well that was the best bit of news I’d heard for some while! Here’s hoping he takes his booty and returns to his native province and soon relieves the Nova Scotia taxpayer.

EDITORIAL: Some ready to throw caution to the wind

Now there’s a novel approach in setting a political agenda: a moderate tone, basing comments on a positive track, avoiding the negative. There was a time when Lisa Raitt’s style in discussing her bid to lead the federal Conservatives would have made all the sense in the world.

U.S. veteran under arrest after five killed, eight wounded in airport shooting

Canadian government officials were trying to determine whether any Canadians were among the casualties of a mass shooting Friday in the baggage area of the airport in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The office of Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion said it had no immediate information about Canadian citizens being among the five people reported dead or eight injured after a gunman opened fire.

PTSD suspected in murders

Lionel Desmond was part of the 2nd battalion, of the Royal Canadian Regiment, based at CFB Gagetown and shown in this 2007 handout photo taken in Panjwai district in between patrol base Wilson and Masum Ghar in Afghanistan. A clearer picture is emerging of Desmond, the former soldier involved in an apparent murder-suicide in Nova Scotia, with his own words on social media revealing a man struggling with PTSD who was trying to get his life back.THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Facebook-Trev Bungay A clearer picture is emerging of the former soldier involved in an apparent murder-suicide in Nova Scotia, with his own words on social media revealing a man struggling with PTSD who was trying to get his life back.

Cold snap freezes bridge in fixed position

Icy roads have created havoc for Metro Vancouverites this winter, and now boats near Westham Island are being affected by the cold. Chris Bryan with TransLink says the Westham Island Bridge, which connects the Island to Ladner Village, will remain in a “fixed” position.

Mother Nature can’t decide which kind of winter to send us

But according to Geoff Coulson, warning preparedness meteorologist for Environment and Climate Change Canada, that was the case in December. After a mild start to December, cold air finally made an extended appearance across the province after about the 7th of the month until the days leading up to Christmas.

Shuswap MLA satisfied with 2016

We are on track to have our entire operating debt written off in 2019, and that’s the first time since 1954. “It’s been a great year, with significant highway and infrastructure improvements,” he said, noting he was particularly pleased with the Malakwa Bridge project, which was on time and on budget, as well as the advancement of the Perry River bridge project.

Building trust with electors

The North Okanagan-Shuswap MP spoke to the Observer on a snowy Friday morning to discuss his accomplishments in 2016, his connection to the Shuswap and national politics. He had already had long day before 10 a.m., flying in from Ottawa the night before, which is three hours ahead.

Updated: 6 hours agoComments (0)The worst of the storm has passed.

A Colorado low dumped up to 30 centimetres of snow on some parts of Northwestern Ontario before moving off to the east on Tuesday. “There was a massive area of precipitation with this thing; rain in southern Ontario to heavy snow in the northern part of the province,” Environment Canada meteorologist Geoff Coulson said Tuesday.