Former senior Canadian diplomats urge Ottawa to issue ‘robust’ sanctions on Israel
OTTAWA — Almost 200 former senior Canadian diplomats are calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney to impose “robust” sanctions on Israel over deteriorating conditions in the Palestinian territories and Lebanon.
In a letter sent to media outlets, the former diplomats asked the federal government to review Canada’s trade agreement with Israel and issue a notice that a strategic partnership agreement will be suspended if those conditions don’t improve.
“It is evident that without robust international sanctions the Israeli government will persist in disregarding international law and human rights
Warmest temperatures of the year so far expected on Victoria Day
The warmest day so far this year is coming right in time for the long weekend.
The early forecast shows Victoria Day Monday could be the hottest day of the year so far with highs reaching 25 C in the GTA. The warmest day we’ve had so far was back on April 14 when Toronto hit 23.8 C
It follows a very warm weekend. On Friday, Toronto is expected to see a high of 19 C with sunshine.
On Saturday, we could see a few midday
StatCan says energy prices help boost March manufacturing sales three per cent
OTTAWA — Statistics Canada says manufacturing sales rose three per cent in March to $73.6 billion, the highest level since January last year, boosted by higher energy prices.
The agency says sales rose in nine of the 21 subsectors it tracks, led by the petroleum and coal product and transportation equipment subsectors.
Sales of petroleum and coal products rose 22.7 per cent to $9.4 billion in March, driven largely by higher prices, as sales in real terms fell 3.5 per
CMHC reports annual pace of housing starts in April up from March
OTTAWA — Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. says the annual pace of housing starts for April rose 17 per cent compared with March.
The national housing agency says the seasonally adjusted annual rate of housing stats came in at 279,317 units for April, up from 239,747 units in March.
The annual pace of rural starts was estimated at 13,694 units for April.
The six-moving average of the seasonally adjusted annual rate was 256
‘I’m terrified’: As clock ticks down for Ontario consumption sites, users fear they won’t survive
For Riley Bisson, the unassuming one-storey house with a red brick exterior in Toronto’s downtown core is more than just a place to safely use drugs without worrying about dying of an overdose.
The Moss Park supervised consumption site has become a refuge, a family, a walk-in clinic and a community where Bisson spends most days mingling with people who are facing the same challenges, the 50-year-old said.
Bisson, who has spent nearly three decades of her life in and out of
Smart glasses: the good, the bad, the unregulated
On today’s The Big Story podcast, have you ever came across a person wearing glasses in public and thought: “Are they filming me?”
With the rise of smart glasses – glasses with cameras and AI technology embedded within them – the concern of privacy has become more prominent. And not only whether or not you’re being filmed, but what happens with the content once it’s captured.
Host Caryn Ceolin speaks with technology lawyer Ritesh Kotak, about how concerned you should be about your privacy,
Toronto to release more free tickets Friday for World Cup fan festival
The City of Toronto is expected to release the second batch of free tickets for its World Cup fan festival on Friday.
Fans can secure general admission tickets once the online portal opens at 10 a.m.
The first allotment of 220,000 free tickets was snapped up within hours of becoming available last week.
Toronto reversed a controversial plan to charge $10 for general admission tickets for what was initially advertised as a free festival, after strong public criticism.
The city says soccer fans looking
Carney, Smith set to make energy announcement; carbon price deal expected
CALGARY — Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith are to meet today in Calgary, where they’re expected to announce an agreement on the future of industrial carbon emission pricing in the province.
A source with knowledge of the discussions has said the leaders are expected to reveal a plan for Alberta to raise its emission price to $130 per tonne by 2040.
Last year, Alberta froze its industrial carbon emission price at $95 per tonne.
The two governments pledged in a memorandum
Travel industry insiders aren’t worried about the future of cruises, even with outbreaks
While a pair of high-profile outbreaks on cruises might have a temporary chilling effect, those in the industry predict the ships’ siren song will lure travellers back in short order.
Lorn Sheehan, a tourism expert at Dalhousie University, says cruises were able to bounce back after COVID-19 and he expects the same will be true in the case of a hantavirus outbreak that locked down an Antarctica-bound adventure cruise, sickening 11 passengers and crew members, including three who died.
He says the travel industry
Rare hearings wrap on alleged mishandling of suicide by military police
OTTAWA — It’s the final day of hearings into the tragic death of a Canadian defence analyst in 2024, launched over allegations military police mishandled a welfare check on the day he took his own life at his Ottawa home.
The rare public interest hearings, which have been taking place since April 20, are the first in more than a decade.
They were called by Canada’s military police watchdog due to the seriousness of the allegations and questions about whether the military police system failed to help