United Conservative Party leadership candidate Danielle Smith says if she wins this week's vote and becomes the next Alberta premier, she would not call an early election to seek a broad mandate on her policy ideas. Smith, the perceived front-runner in the race, says the public tends to punish leaders who call an early election. She says she would wait until the next scheduled election in May 2023, but believes she has a mandate now to proceed with her plans. Smith has said she would immediately pass an Alberta sovereignty act, which would allow the province to ignore federal laws and court ru

In order to provide assistance to sugarcane farmers, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday announced a Rs 20 per quintal hike in the purchase price of sugarcane in the state from the existing Rs 360 to Rs 380 per quintal, said a statement from the chief minister's office. Announcing this on the floor of the Punjab Assembly, CM Mann said, "The farmers will get an additional Rs 20 per quintal under State Agreed Price (SAP) of sugarcane as compared to last year." With this decision, the state government will spend additional Rs 200 crore annually to benefit the farmers. Informing the ho

The Alberta government has announced more than $124 million over two years for addiction and mental health services in Edmonton and Calgary, with another $63 million aimed at reducing homelessness in the province over the same period. The funding for Edmonton and Calgary will go toward increasing treatment spaces while expanding addiction services, with $70 million earmarked for capital spending and $54 million to assist operations. A 75-bed, co-ed long-term treatment facility is planned to be operational in Edmonton by the end of 2023, while a similar facility is to be built in Calgary by ear

As prices soar at the pump and cost of living continues to rise, the BC Green Caucus is calling on the province to work with the federal government to introduce a windfall profits tax on the oil and gas industry that is rebated back to British Columbians. "Gas prices hit 239.9 in Metro Vancouver today, breaking a North American record and costing British Columbians at the pump," said Sonia Furstenau, leader of the BC Greens and MLA for Cowichan Valley. "This problem is systemic. British Columbians are paying obscene prices for fuel and lack affordable alternatives, such as free and consistent

Immunization clinics throughout the Fraser Health region are now providing more people with opportunities to receive a COVID-19 booster dose this fall, including the Omicron (bivalent) booster. Everyone aged 18 and older is eligible to receive the Moderna Omicron (bivalent) vaccine six months after completing their primary series or last booster dose and will be notified when they can book their appointment. The Moderna Spikevax Bivalent COVID-19 vaccine targets both the original COVID-19 virus from 2019 and the Omicron BA.1 variant. Health Canada approved it for use as a booster dose on Sept

United Surrey is committing to dramatically increasing utilization of and participation with city services and programs by unveiling its Accessible Services Plan. After extensive research of neighbouring municipalities, United Surrey will better utilize technology to facilitate the following three proposals to improve resident access:Introduce a 48-hour or under response time for all calls or reports from residents (e.g. potholes, street light malfunctions, missed garbage pick-ups) made online or through a newly designed phone app;Guarantee three-day issuance for temporary business licenses wh

A California woman has been charged with killing a man by ramming her car into him after accusing him of trying to run over a cat in the street, authorities said Wednesday. Hannah Star Esser, 20, was charged with murder in the death of Victor Anthony Luis, 43, and detained on $1 million bail, the Orange County prosecutor’s office said in a statement. Esser was driving in the community of Cypress on Sunday night when she confronted Luis and accused him of trying to run over a cat, authorities said. She and Luis both got out of their vehicles and got into an argument that Esser recorded, au

The World Bank has slashed China's 2022 economic growth projection to 2.8 per cent, pointing to Beijing's "zero-COVID" policy and real estate crisis. Notably, the World Bank forecasted 5 per cent economic growth in April, The Strait Times reported. In the October update of its report on the economic prospects for East Asia and the Pacific (EAP), the World Bank project 2.8 per cent growth, which is the lowest among international institutions. It is pertinent to mention that 2022 will be the first year China's growth will fall below that of the region since 1990, according to The Strait times

The City of Edmonton is considering a big expansion of its network of bicycle lanes. City councillors have voted to push forward a proposal to add 100 kilometres of bike lanes at a cost of 170-million dollars. Edmonton currently has about 15 kilometres of protected bike lanes, mostly in the city centre. Edmonton may spend $170 million to build 100 km of New bike lanes by 2026 A decision will come after the proposal is debated during budget talks this fall.