Ford Motor Company of Canada, Ltd. says its workers represented by Unifor have voted in favour of a new contract that runs through 2023. The deal, which was announced by Unifor last week, includes a $1.8-billion investment to build electric vehicles at the company's plan in Oakville, Ont. The agreement between Unifor and Ford is expected to set the tone for upcoming contract talks with Fiat Chrysler and General Motors. Ford says the deal will see more flexible work arrangements and a quicker path for new hires advancing up the ranks. It also includes two 2.5 per cent raises and a $7,250 ratif

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is calling on countries with the largest land mass to do more to protect the biodiversity of their land and water. Trudeau made that call today at a special session of the United Nations via video conference on the sidelines of the virtual General Assembly meeting. Trudeau was taking part in the Leaders Event for Nature and People that also featured the leaders of Costa Rica and Norway. The prime minister was pledging Canada's support for a UN initiative that aims to protect 30 per cent of land and oceans by 2030. But Trudeau says that Canada is the only country

A curfew is being lifted in Louisville, Kentucky, where many people have been arrested for refusing to stop their nighttime protests after a grand jury's decision not to charge officers in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor. Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said in a statement that he decided to allow the curfew to expire as of 6:30 a.m. Monday. Meanwhile, a state lawmaker says she will propose changing Kentucky's legal definition of rioting after Democratic state Rep. Attica Scott was charged with a felony rioting count while participating in Louisville protests for racial justice. Taylor was

The global death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to reach one-million sometime today, based on the official tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. But experts believe the true number is much higher, considering the difficulties in testing and identifying virus-related deaths early in the health crisis. The grim milestone also comes at a time when many countries are either approaching or are in the midst of a second wave of COVID-19. The US already has surpassed 200,000 virus-related deaths, with the CDC warning tens of thousands more Americans could die as the weather gets colder

BC's chief electoral officer says schools won't be used as polling places during the upcoming election, at least not on weekdays. Anton Boegman says two days of advance polling fall on the weekend, and school gyms and auditoriums will be used then, while election day is a Saturday, so school facilities will also be available. But he says advance polls slated for weekdays will be held in other facilities because he understands parents' and teachers' concerns about keeping COVID-19 exposures out of schools. Boegman says using schools for election activities on weekends means all necessary clean

A Quebec woman accused of sending a ricin-laced threat to President Donald Trump has been ordered to remain in U.S. custody. District Court Judge Kenneth Schroeder Jr. says Pascale Ferrier was clearly capable of causing harm when she tried to cross the Canada-U. S. border last week. Ferrier, 53, was arrested while attempting to enter the United States at the Peace Bridge border crossing in Buffalo. Timothy Lynch of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Buffalo says Ferrier had a semi-automatic handgun and 294 rounds of ammunition at the time. Lynch also says experts in Canada found traces of ricin in

International Trade Minister Mary Ng says it is extremely disappointing that the United States has decided to appeal a World Trade Organization ruling against its softwood-lumber duties, particularly because the U.S. is making it impossible for that appeal to be heard. The WTO ruled in August that the U.S.'s import duties on Canadian softwood violate international trading rules because the U.S. cannot prove that Canada is unfairly subsidizing its softwood producers by undercharging for wood coming off government land. Ng says the U.S. decision to appeal is confusing since earlier this year th

The RCMP says there is no safe and proven face covering for officers with beards, but it is working to find one for Sikh members temporarily sidelined from front-line policing. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has publicly expressed disappointment that Sikh RCMP officers find themselves on desk duty during the COVID-19 pandemic because their religiously mandated facial hair makes it difficult to properly wear a mask. In a statement today, the RCMP says while a respirator, such as an N95 mask, is not mandatory in all front-line situations, it is sometimes required to reduce risk. The national poli

B.C. Liberal leader Andrew Wilkinson promised today that if elected, BC liberal government will immediately eliminate the provincial sales tax (PST) for a year. In second year, the PST will be slashed down to three per cent from the current seven percent rate, until the economy recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, said Wilkinson. Wilkinson hopes the step will save people money, bring investment back to BC and stimulate growth for struggling small businesses. "Countless people are still out of work, small businesses are facing bankruptcy, and the public health threat from COVID-19 is still very