Annual inflation cooled sharply to two per cent in August, according to Statistics Canada, marking a major milestone in the Bank of Canada’s efforts to tame price pressures. That’s half a percentage point lower than the 2.5 per cent annual rate recorded in July and continues a general cooling trend through 2024. Inflation remains unthreatening and the Bank of Canada should now focus on trying to stimulate the economy and halting the upward climb in the unemployment rate.The Bank of Canada’s sets its benchmark interest rate in an effort to achieve two per cent inflation, according to its

The Bloc Québécois has won the Montreal Liberal stronghold riding of LaSalle—Émard—Verdun after an extremely tight three-way race with the NDP. The resounding celebrations are another blow to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who faced calls to resign after losing another longtime Liberal seat in Toronto to the Conservatives in June. Elections Canada reported all 187 polls showing the Bloc won the seat 248 votes ahead of the Liberals. Further west in Winnipeg, the NDP maintained its stronghold in the riding of Elmwood — Transcona in a tight byelection race with the Conservatives. Electio

British Columbia Premier David Eby has announced his government has committed to earlier and enhanced pensions for wildland firefighters, saying the province owes them a "deep debt of gratitude" for their efforts in battling recent fire seasons. Eby says in a statement the province and the BC General Employees' Union have reached an agreement-in-principle to "enhance" pensions for firefighting personnel employed directly by the BC Wildfire Service. It says the change will give wildland firefighters provisions like those in other public-safety careers such as ambulance paramedics and correction

British Columbia's premier says the province will be opening secure facilities to provide involuntary care under the Mental Health Act for people with severe addictions. David Eby says the first site, which will also provide care for people with mental illness and brain injuries, will open in Maple Ridge on the grounds of the Alouette Correctional Centre "in the coming months" with plans to expand throughout the province The premier's promise comes a week before the official launch of the provincial election campaign and three months after he appointed Dr. Daniel Vigo is B.C.'s first chief sci

The municipality of Jasper in Alberta's Rocky Mountains is taking the next step this weekend as it recovers from a July wildfire that destroyed a third of its buildings. Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland says the state of emergency will formally end on Sunday. Ireland says the move means Jasper is transitioning from a short-term recovery perspective to a long-term view. He also says removing the state of emergency order will help the tourist town's much needed visitor economy return. The wildfire destroyed more than 350 of the town's buildings, including 800 housing units. The town estimates 2,

Ravneet Singh Bittu, Union minister of BJP from Punjab, has been embroiled in controversy for calling his old 'boss' Rahul Gandhi a 'terrorist'. In fact, Bittu made this comment while reacting to Rahul's recent statement regarding the Sikh community in America. Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Waring and senior party leader Pratap Singh Bajwa criticized Ravneet Bittu's statements. Waring said that Rahul Gandhi's father gave martyrdom for the country and Rahul Gandhi is the person who even forgave his father's killers. On the other hand, Ravneet Bittu alleged that earlier the Con

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland says the government is making some changes to mortgage rules to help more Canadians to purchase their first home. She says the changes will come into force in December and better reflect the housing market. The price cap for insured mortgages will be boosted for the first time since 2012, moving to $1.5 million from $1 million, to allow more people to qualify for a mortgage with less than a 20 per cent down payment. The government will also expand its 30-year mortgage amortization to include first-time homebuyers buying any type of home, as well as anybody bu

A man arrested after anapparent assassination attempt targeting former President Donald Trumpappeared in federal court Monday as the Justice Department prepared to unseal charges. The man, identified by law enforcement officials as Ryan Wesley Routh, was to face a federal magistrate in West Palm Beach. Shackled and wearing a blue jumpsuit, Routh smiled as he spoke with his lawyer and reviewed documents ahead of his initial appearance. It was not immediately clear what charges he will face. The episode occurred Sunday afternoon when Secret Service agents stationed a few holes up from where Trum

Former President of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee Bibi Jagir Kaur launched a major attack on the Bhagwant Mann government. Bibi Jagir Kaur said that the 'AAP' government in Punjab has completed half of its tenure and in these two and a half years, it has made the burden of debt on the head of Punjabis even heavier by raising a debt of more than one lakh crore. Bibi Jagir Kaur criticized the Bhagwant Mann government and said that despite the bad economic condition of the state, the state government kept a budget of 750 crores for the promotion of its works and Aam Aadmi Party is usin