The United States is standing down in its tariff dispute with Canada and lifting a 10 per cent levy on aluminum imported from north of the border. The office of the U.S. Trade Representative says it will lift the tariffs retroactive to Sept. 1 because it expects Canadian exports to "normalize" over the remainder of the year. In a statement, the USTR says it will continue to monitor trade in aluminum and reimpose the tariff if levels spike unexpectedly. The sudden about-face comes just hours before the federal Liberal government was expected to announce a suite of countermeasures in retaliation

New Brunswick's Progressive Conservatives are headed to a majority government. It's the first provincial vote in Canada to be called during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tory Leader Blaine Higgs' campaign repeated a message that his party had successfully guided the province through the pandemic's first wave. It's a disappointing night for the Liberals, whose leader Kevin Vickers lost his bid for a seat in the riding of Miramichi. Kevin Vickers says he's stepping down as leader of the provincial Liberal party. The leader lost his bid for a seat in the riding of Miramichi and his party failed to reg

British Columbia has had 317 additional cases of COVID-19 and six more people have died since Friday. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says 1,595 cases are active in the province, including 58 people who are hospitalized. Nearly half of the active cases are people connected to long-term care and assisted-living facilities, including 471 residents and 320 staff. Dr. Henry says 5,446 people have recovered after testing positive for the illness and more than 3,000 people are being actively monitored for symptoms. The latest case numbers come as students head back to classrooms and smok

Forecasters say Sally, now an extremely dangerous Category 2 hurricane, could approach major hurricane strength as it nears the U.S. Gulf Coast.The National Hurricane Center said Monday that Sally has recently strengthened and developed an inner core, while the warm waters of the Gulf favour additional strengthen in the coming hours. The hurricane is currently packing 100-mph (155-kph) winds as it meanders offshore.The Miam-based forecasting centre said sustained winds of around 110 mph (177 kph) are now expected just before the hurricane makes landfall. That is just shy of a Category 3 hurri

Every member of the Bloc Quebecois caucus, including leader Yves-Francois Blanchet, are in a COVID-19 lockdown. A statement from the party says an employee got a positive test today, days after the Bloc held a full caucus meeting. Bloc spokeswoman Carolane Landry says everyone potentially affected will be screened to ensure they're healthy and will follow public health guidelines. The news comes as the parties in the House of Commons continue debating how the chamber will work once business resumes next week.

A waterfront park along the Fraser River in New Westminster, B.C., has been extensively damaged by a major fire. New Westminster Mayor Jonathan Cote called the situation at Pier Park ``devastating'' in a social media message posted late Sunday night. The park was built in 2009 and includes a lengthy boardwalk along a reclaimed pier just west of a SkyTrain bridge linking Surrey and New Westminster. Cote's Twitter message says it is likely the old pier has been destroyed, while fire officials say the blaze has worked into the creosote pilings beneath the boardwalk and could burn for days. Crews

Canadians should brace for a shortage of office furniture, such as desks and chairs, as people continue to study and work from home this fall. Ikea Canada spokeswoman Kristin Newbigging says the company has seen an increase in demand for office furnishings and other gear needed for work-from-home setups. This comes as a looming second wave of COVID-19 means many Canadians are not returning to the office or school just yet. At the same time, she says the company is experiencing the impacts of overseas suppliers still being closed for business, making it hard to meet demand. And when those supp

The British Columbia government has announced a new lung cancer screening program it says is the first of its kind in Canada aimed at early diagnosis of the deadliest form of the disease. Premier John Horgan says 70 per cent of all lung cancers are diagnosed at an advanced stage, but the program expected to begin by the spring of 2022 would improve survival rates.Horgan says the target population includes heavy smokers or those who have smoked heavily in the past and are between the ages of 55 and 74.Dr. Kim Chi, CEO of BC Cancer, says six British Columbians die every day of lung cancer and ea

The Environment Ministry confirms a CN Rail derailment has occurred at Hunter Creek, near Hope in the eastern Fraser Valley, but the ministry says no cargo is in the water. A statement from CN says at least 20 rail cars carrying potash jumped the rails today as the train crossed a bridge. The company says no one was hurt, no dangerous goods are involved and nothing burned. A cause of the derailment is under investigation and the Transportation Safety Board says it will send a team to the site in order to determine what happened.