B.C. residents can now opt for a flat rate for electric heating and electric vehicle charging at home, replacing the current system where rates vary depending on usage. Under the new plan, customers will no longer be charged more for using additional electricity or less for using less. BC Hydro announced that residents can apply for this fixed rate to potentially save on their monthly bills. The new system is particularly aimed at households with multiple members, where electricity costs can increase due to baseboard heating, heat pumps, and electric vehicle charging. The department stated th

The United States government has listed Quebec's French-language reform as a barrier to trade, as President Donald Trump prepares to impose new tariffs on Canada. The office of the U.S. trade representative released a report on Monday listing "foreign trade barriers" and included Quebec's Bill 96. It says U.S. firms have complained about a provision set to take effect on June 1 requiring companies to translate into French any part of their trademark on product packaging that contains generic terms or descriptions of items. The Quebec law did not appear on the 2024 edition of the list, but the

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has announced the approval of all five major demands from the energy sector, including lifting limits on oil and gas production. Poilievre described this move as a step toward ending Canada's dependence on the U.S. market and strengthening the country’s economy. During his election campaign in St. John’s, he also took aim at Liberal Party leader and his main rival, Mark Carney. Poilievre stated that Carney has promised to maintain a cap on the Canadian energy sector, which he claimed would result in the loss of 54,400 full-time jobs and a $21 billion h

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, who is vying to become Canada’s next prime minister, has vowed to protect and preserve the country’s universal public health-care system. Singh announced that a future NDP government would implement the Canada Health Act to end the privatization of healthcare and ban the purchase of Canadian healthcare facilities by American companies. Singh also targeted Liberal Leader Mark Carney, accusing him of planning to cut healthcare spending upon returning to power. He noted that Carney had previously stated his intention to rein in government spending. It is worth menti

US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are once again at odds. Trump has accused Zelensky of attempting to back out of a mineral deal, stating that if Zelensky does not sign the agreement, Ukraine will face serious consequences. Trump claimed that Zelensky wants to renegotiate the terms of the deal, which he sees as a move toward backing out of the agreement. He further warned that if Ukraine maintains this stance, it will not be easy for the country to become a member of NATO. According to reports, large deposits of lithium are found in the snow-covered plains o

Former Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal has termed the withdrawal of Bikram Singh Majithia's Z+ security by the Punjab government as a dangerous conspiracy. Badal stated in a post on social media that if any harm comes to Majithia or any of their leaders or workers, then Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Arvind Kejriwal, and DGP Punjab will be directly responsible for it. He also alleged that there is an attempt to falsely implicate Majithia in a drug case. Sukhbir Badal further claimed that senior officials of the Aam Aadmi Party government are openly threatening to kill Akali D

U.S. President Donald Trump is set to lay out his plans to realign global trade through "reciprocal" tariffs Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET in the White House Rose Garden. A news release from the White House calls it a "Make America Wealthy Again Event." Trump has called Wednesday "Liberation Day" and says he will impose "reciprocal" tariffs by increasing U.S. duties to match the tax rates other countries charge on imports. It's not clear what the latest levies could mean for Canada or whether Trump will end a temporary pause on economy-wide tariffs on the same day. A White House official confirmed Mo

British Columbians are waking to a future without a consumer carbon tax for the first time in 17 years, after the late-night approval of a bill to end the long-standing policy. The NDP government fast-tracked legislation to kill off the tax on Monday, in time to coincide with today's demise of the federal version of the tax. B.C. became the first jurisdiction in North America to introduce a broad-based carbon tax in 2008. Premier David Eby says it played an important role for many years, but it became a "toxic" issue as a result of campaigns by the B.C. and federal Conservative parties. Eby sa

The death toll from the devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake that hit Myanmar has surpassed 2,700, with thousands more injured, Myanmar media reported Tuesday. The head of Myanmar’s military government, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, told a forum in the capital, Naypyitaw, that 2,719 people have now been found dead, with 4,521 others injured and 441 missing, the Western News online portal reported. With many areas hit by Friday’s earthquake still not reached by rescue crews, those numbers are still expected to rise.