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union-talks-underway-between-foremen-employers-to-avoid-latest-b-c-port-strike
BCOct 31, 2024

Union talks underway between foremen, employers to avoid latest B.C. port strike

Negotiations between British Columbia's port employers and the union representing foremen are entering a final scheduled day in a bid to avoid a labour disruption. Both the BC Maritime Employers Association and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 confirm talks are ongoing with the help of federal mediation services. The current negotiation session began on Oct. 29 and was said to be extendable by two days, if necessary. The union, which represents about 700 foremen at the ports, has said if talks break down it has a mandate from members to strike that expires on Nov. 2. N
punjab-businessmen-exit-social-media-amid-rising-gangster-threats
IndiaOct 31, 2024

Punjab businessmen exit social media amid rising gangster threats

Businessmen in Punjab are increasingly withdrawing from social media due to growing fears of gangsters. Promotion pages on platforms like Facebook and Instagram are being deleted, leading many to revert to traditional business methods. After a recent shooting incident at a showroom in Kapurthala during broad daylight, bullion traders, cloth merchants, and prominent industrialists have distanced themselves from social media to ensure safety. Frequent shooting incidents across Punjab have intensified criticism from opposition parties against the government, but despite the backlash, the situatio
kamala-harris-says-trumps-comments-on-women-are-offensive-to-everybody
WorldOct 31, 2024

Kamala Harris says Trump's comments on women 'are offensive to everybody'

Kamala Harris said Thursday that Donald Trump's comment that he would protect women “whether the women like it or not” showed that the Republican presidential nominee does not understand women's "agency, their authority, their right and their ability to make decisions about their own lives, including their own bodies.” “I think it’s offensive to everybody, by the way," Harris said before she set out to spend the day campaigning in the Western swing states of Arizona and Nevada. Trump appointed three of the justices to the U.S. Supreme Court who formed the conservative majority that
quebec-freezes-two-major-immigration-streams-citing-pressure-on-services
CanadaOct 31, 2024

Quebec freezes two major immigration streams, citing pressure on services

The Quebec government has suspended applications for permanent residency from two immigration streams because it says it can no longer accommodate the rising number of newcomers. Immigration Minister Jean-François Roberge said today the government has frozen the Quebec Experience Program, a path for permanent residency for foreign students who have graduated in the province. Roberge says the government is also suspending applications from the Regular Skilled Worker Program. The two immigration streams were suspended today and will be frozen until June 2025 at the latest. In August, Quebec ann
ottawa-fires-back-at-albertas-application-for-judicial-review-of-carbon-price
AlbertaOct 31, 2024

Ottawa fires back at Alberta's application for judicial review of carbon price

The federal government says Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's application for a judicial review of Ottawa's carbon levy is nothing more than political posturing. Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault and Justice Minister Arif Virani say it's disappointing, but not surprising, that Smith is engaging in a ``political stunt'' ahead of her United Conservative Party leadership review this weekend. They say the temporary exemption for home heating oil is meant to give time to switch to cheaper forms of home heating and that the Supreme Court has signed off on the legality of the levy.
drug-trafficking-investigation-leads-to-charges-against-19-people-in-northern-b-c
BCOct 31, 2024

Drug-trafficking investigation leads to charges against 19 people in northern B.C.

Federal prosecutors have approved charges against 19 people, eight of them still at large, after an investigation into what police call a violent drug trafficking network in northeastern British Columbia. A statement from B.C.'s Combined Special Forces Enforcement Unit says two of the 11 people who were arrested remain in custody, while the others have been released with conditions as they move through the judicial process. It says the other eight, all men, are wanted on outstanding charges that include trafficking, possession of a restricted firearm and careless use or storage of a gun. The u
statcan-to-release-august-gdp-report-estimate-for-third-quarter-economic-growth
CanadaOct 31, 2024

StatCan to release August GDP report, estimate for third quarter economic growth

Statistics Canada is set to publish its August gross domestic product report, which will include an early estimate for economic growth in the third quarter. The agency's preliminary estimate for August suggested the economy did not grow that month. RBC says it expects the economy remained weak in September as well, dampening growth for the third quarter. The Bank of Canada projected in its latest monetary policy report that the economy grew at an annualized rate of 1.5 per cent in the third quarter. The central bank delivered a half-percentage point interest rate cut last week in response to r
pm-modi-celebrates-diwali-with-troops-at-kutch
WorldOct 31, 2024

PM Modi celebrates Diwali with troops at Kutch

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday celebrated Diwali with BSF, Army, Navy and Air Force personnel at Lakki Nala in Sir Creek area in Kutch, Gujarat. Modi left for the Sir Creek area after addressing the National Unity Day event at Kevadia in Gujarat on the occasion of Sardar Patel’s birth anniversary. In Kevadia, Modi said India was working for one nation one election and one nation one secular civil code.
spain-searches-for-bodies-after-flood-of-the-century-claims-at-least-95-lives
WorldOct 31, 2024

Spain searches for bodies after flood of the century claims at least 95 lives

Survivors of the worst natural disaster to hit Spain this century awoke to scenes of devastation on Thursday after villages were wiped out bymonstrous flash floodsthat claimed at least 95 lives. The death toll is expected to rise as search efforts continue with officials removing bodies from vehicles and an unknown number of people still missing. “Unfortunately, there are dead people inside some vehicles,” said Spain’s Transport Minister Óscar Puente in reference to hundreds of cars and trucks stranded on roads stained brown with mud. The aftermath of the floods looked eerily similar to

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BCSep 23, 2026

BC Green Leader Emily Lowan to Run in Saanich North After Rob Botterell Retires

BC Green Party MLA Rob Botterell has announced his retirement from politics, opening the door for party leader Emily Lowan to contest the Saanich North and the Islands riding in the upcoming provincial election. Botterell confirmed his decision during a joint news conference with Lowan in Victoria. Lowan will now seek the seat, which has been held by the Greens since Adam Olsen won it in 2017 and was retained by Botterell in the 2024 election. Elections BC records show Botterell was elected with the Green Party in 2024. The riding is considered significant for the BC Greens, given the party’
CanadaSep 23, 2026

Ontario Launches Canada’s First Medical Drone Pilot Program

Canada’s first medical drone pilot program of its kind has been launched by Peel Regional Paramedic Service in Ontario, allowing life-saving medical supplies to reach patients before an ambulance arrives during emergencies. The pilot project is currently operating in the Bolton area. Under the program, when a 911 call is received, a drone can be dispatched alongside an ambulance to the scene. The drone can deliver an automated external defibrillator (AED) for cardiac emergencies, naloxone for opioid overdoses and medical kits designed to control severe bleeding, particularly in rural and rem
one-charged-second-suspect-sought-in-granville-street-face-slashing
BCSep 23, 2026

One Charged, Second Suspect Sought in Granville Street Face-Slashing

Crown Counsel has approved charges after a 19-year-old man was allegedly slashed in the face with a blade during an early-morning robbery on Vancouver’s Granville Street last month. Vancouver Police are also asking the public to help identify a second suspect. The incident happened around 3:20 a.m. on August 8 in the 900-block of Granville Street. Police say two men approached the victim and his friends, removed a chain necklace from the victim’s neck and slashed him. The victim suffered a five-inch cut stretching from the tip of his nose, beneath his eye and ending near his eyebrow. On Se
canadas-population-growth-hits-slowest-pace-since-wwii
CanadaSep 23, 2026

Canada’s Population Growth Hits Slowest Pace Since WWII

Canada’s population grew by 0.5 per cent between July 2025 and July 2026, marking the slowest annual growth rate recorded since the end of the Second World War. According to Statistics Canada, the pace of population growth was even lower than during the period when border restrictions were imposed to curb the spread of COVID-19. As of July 1, 2026, Canada’s population was estimated at 41.8 million. The report says the slowdown was mainly driven by federal government measures and policy changes aimed at limiting the number of temporary residents. Statistics Canada said Ontario, Quebec and B
b-c-election-advance-voting-set-for-october-16-21
BCSep 23, 2026

B.C. Election: Advance Voting Set for October 16–21

Election activity is intensifying in British Columbia, with Elections B.C. announcing that advance voting will be held from October 16 to 21. Voters will be able to cast their ballots from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. during the advance voting period. Political parties and independent candidates will have until October 3 to enter the race and complete their registration. The 2024 provincial election cost approximately $91 million to conduct. For this election, Elections B.C. has initially requested a budget of $50 million, although the final cost will only be known after the voting process is completed. V