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Trump says Canada is a bad trade partner. Are his tariff threats justified?
Politics

Trump says Canada is a bad trade partner. Are his tariff threats justified?

As Ottawa floats possible solutions to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff threats, it faces a dilemma: does it appease the United States and open up the domestic market, inflicting volatility and job losses but potentially driving down consumer prices, or does it stand firm with retaliatory threats to protect Canadian industries? Canada is bracing for the impact of Trump’s threats to levy blanket tariffs of 25 per cent on all goods entering the U.S. from Canada and Mexico, with much being said about price hikes for certain consumer goods if the tariffs come into force, but little attention paid to what possible solutions, like opening up the market, could mean.“I’m not going to sugarcoat it, there will be job losses if we open up those protected industries,” says Ian Lee, associate profe...
Why an adult interrailing trip around Europe should be your next summer holiday
Life Style

Why an adult interrailing trip around Europe should be your next summer holiday

In the summer of 2017, during those fleeting months of bliss between finishing sixth form and starting university, I made the questionable decision to spend all my Saturday job savings on a boozy (and disastrous) week in Ayia Napa. As well as it being a total car crash, it also meant I missed out on the British rite of passage: the post-A Level summer interrail trip. I had, for a long time, consigned this to the scrap heap of teenage regrets. Until, feeling shamefaced about my carbon footprint while planning my summer annual leave last year, the idea returned. There is, after all, no statute of limitations on an interrail pass. Emma outside Seville cathedral Emma LoffhagenIn the past few decades, there is a sense that the world has shrunk at an alarming pace. It is easier than it has ever ...
Soumya Swaminathan: Zoonotic diseases, climate change threaten human health
Health

Soumya Swaminathan: Zoonotic diseases, climate change threaten human health

Former chief scientist of the World Health Organisation Soumya Swaminathan on Friday said that most emerging viral threats are zoonotic infections transmitted from animals to humans. Swaminathan, who is also the former Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research, emphasised the critical role of integrated research, including data from weather, climate, health, and environmental sources, to predict and prevent future outbreaks. She was speaking after the launch of various initiatives undertaken as part of a major research project on water quality assessment of Vembanad Lake and water-borne infectious diseases at ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) in Kochi. She said that most health threats today originate from environmental factors and suggested estab...
‘I’m homeless’: Jasper residents rally for housing as government negotiations stall
Politics

‘I’m homeless’: Jasper residents rally for housing as government negotiations stall

An Albertan who lost her home in the devastating Jasper wildfire last year says broken promises by the United Conservative Party government in setting up interim housing for those displaced are unacceptable. “I don’t know why the UCP would commit and promise something and then just completely revoke it,” said Sabrina Charlebois, who has been living in a hotel in town since November.“Because they’re not getting their way, they’re just pulling out completely? That’s unacceptable.” Charlebois helped organize a protest Friday on the six-month anniversary of the blaze that displaced an estimated 2,000 Jasper residents.More than 200 people marched through town, stopping in front of the municipal library.Social Services Minister Jason Nixon announced in October that the province would spend $...
Energy industry on both sides of border pushes back on tariffs: ‘Too many jobs on the line’
Politics

Energy industry on both sides of border pushes back on tariffs: ‘Too many jobs on the line’

While United States President Donald Trump continues to talk about tariffs on Canadian exports, his plans are being criticized by some industry groups in both the United States and Canada who say changing the status quo will hurt everyone involved. “Both of our economies, particularly when it comes to energy, are highly integrated and highly efficient,” said Mark Scholz, the president and CEO of the Canadian Association of Energy Contractors (CAOEC).He explained trade over the past 50 years or so has created wealth and prosperity for both Canada and the United States and any export tariffs, taxes, or bans on either side of the border would hurt both nations.“This is too important of a trade relationship, too many jobs are on the line both in Canada, the United States to take this for grant...
Blair says Canada can hit NATO spending target sooner but doesn’t commit – National
Politics

Blair says Canada can hit NATO spending target sooner but doesn’t commit – National

Defence Minister Bill Blair says Canada could hit its NATO defence spending target within just a few years if need be but didn’t commit to doing so. NATO members have all committed to spend the equivalent of two per cent of its GDP on defence but Canada has consistently failed to reach that target.Last summer, following backlash from Republican lawmakers in the U.S., Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canadian defence spending would hit the two per cent marker in 2032.But there was no clear plan to get there, and some military analysts have questioned whether 2032 was possible.Today when Blair was asked by a reporter if Canada could reach that mark in two years, Blair replied that is “absolutely achievable” but didn’t say it would happen. Story continues below advertisement ...
Firerose says ‘truth is coming to light’ about ex-husband Billy Ray Cyrus – National
Entertainment, Movies

Firerose says ‘truth is coming to light’ about ex-husband Billy Ray Cyrus – National

Billy Ray Cyrus’ ex-wife Firerose is speaking out about the 63-year-old singer following his performance at U.S. President Donald Trump’s Liberty Ball on Monday. Cyrus took the stage in Washington, D.C., and his performance was deemed an “epic disaster” by fans after he got frustrated on stage over alleged technical difficulties.“What’s being seen in public now reflects much of what I experienced in private during our relationship,” Firerose, 36, said in a statement to People.“It’s very sad to see those same struggles continue for him, but I’m glad the truth is coming to light — for his potential good because healing is only possible when you confront the truth and accept there’s a problem,” she continued. “For me, I remain focused on my faith, my music, my healing and using my story to en...
Canada Post gets financial lifeline from Ottawa up to $1B amid struggles – National
Politics

Canada Post gets financial lifeline from Ottawa up to $1B amid struggles – National

Descrease article font size Increase article font size Canada Post says the federal government is providing it with a lifeline to help the Crown corporation continue operating as it “deals with significant financial challenges.” The corporation said Friday that Ottawa plans to make repayable funding of up to $1.034 billion available for its 2025-26 fiscal year.Canada Post’s incoming funding comes just two months after it reported steep financial losses in its third quarter, with the national postal service reporting a loss before tax of $315 million amid a decline in parcel revenue and volumes.That quarter’s revenue from parcels had dipped 5.8 per cent and volumes declined by six million pieces, or 9.6 per cent compared to the previous year. ...
Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag’s redemption arc, from reality TV villains to TikTok fame and a number one song
Life Style

Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag’s redemption arc, from reality TV villains to TikTok fame and a number one song

Spencer Pratt was one of the first reality TV villains, but now he’s stolen the internet’s hearts. Pratt made his name on MTV show The Hills. And after years out of the spotlight (bar reprising his role in a The Hills reboot in 2019), he has made an unlikely comeback. It started when the home he shares with wife Heidi Montag burned down in the Pacific Palisades fire, which ripped through Los Angeles earlier this month. Pratt’s unfiltered TikToks documenting his life in the aftermath of the fire have earned him legions of new fans, who have given hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations and even sent Heidi’s 2010 album to number one in the US charts. Their return to the limelight is one of the great reality TV redemption arcs following a decade of relative obscurity.Heidi Montag and Sp...
Former chief trade negotiator says Alberta undermining Canada in U.S. tariff talks
Politics

Former chief trade negotiator says Alberta undermining Canada in U.S. tariff talks

By Dylan Robertson The Canadian Press Posted January 24, 2025 12:40 pm 1 min read Descrease article font size Increase article font size Ottawa’s former chief trade negotiator Steve Verheul says Alberta is undermining Canada’s attempts to prevent the U.S. from levying damaging tariffs. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has rallied most of the premiers to agree that all sectors of the Canadian economy could be deployed to fight back against U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to impose 25 per cent tariffs on all imports from Canada.Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has said that Canada should not threaten the U.S. with retaliatory tarif...