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House passes bill creating carve-outs for farmers in Canada’s carbon pricing scheme

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:16:27 GMT

OTTAWA — A private member’s bill that would create specific carve-outs for farmers in Canada’s carbon pricing scheme has passed in the House of Commons. The bill would exempt farmers from paying for emissions from natural gas and propane they use for certain activities performed on their farms, such as drying grain, preparing feed, irrigating and heating barns. It passed with the support of Conservative, NDP, Bloc Québécois and Green Party MPs, with a few Liberals, including agriculture committee chair Kody Blois, joining the opposition parties to vote in favour.Theprivate member’s bill introduced by Conservative MP Ben Lobb in February 2022, which would not exempt farmers from the carbon price for activities performed off-site, will now be debated in the Senate.Farmer groups have said they are facing rising production costs, and the proposed law would give them critical financial relief from rising costs. The Agriculture Carbon Alliance, which was created by indus...

Key recommendations of Nova Scotia mass shooting inquiry

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:16:27 GMT

TRURO, N.S. — Here are some of the main recommendations from the public inquiry into the mass shooting that claimed 22 lives in Nova Scotia on April 18-19, 2020:— An external, independent review of the RCMP, including a review of the contract system under which the RCMP provide policing services to much of rural Canada.— After the review, identification by the federal public safety minister of tasks that are suitable to a federal policing agency and ones that are better reassigned to other agencies.— Closing of the RCMPs training depot in Regina and establishment of a Canadian Police College. The RCMP should phase out the depot model by 2032 and create a three-year degree-based model of police education for all police services in Canada.— A review of the RCMP’s critical incident response training, to be completed within six months.— Revision of the RCMP’s national communications policies to state clearly that the objective is to provide accurate i...

S&P/TSX composite gains more than 100 points, U.S. markets also rise

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:16:27 GMT

TORONTO — Canada’s main stock index was up more than 100 points Thursday with broad-based gains led by the base metals sector, while U.S. markets also rose. The S&P/TSX composite index was up 103.34 points at 19,940.99.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 141.43 points at 32,859.03. The S&P 500 index was up 23.02 points at 4,050.83,while the Nasdaq composite was up 87.24 points at 12,013.47.The Canadian dollar traded for 73.89 cents US compared with 73.66 cents US on Wednesday.The May crude contract was up US$1.40 at US$74.37 per barrel and the May natural gas contract was down eight cents at US$2.10 per mmBTU.The June gold contract was up US$13.20 at US$1,997.70 an ounce and the May copper contract was down half a penny at US$4.09 a pound.This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 30, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD=X)The Canadian Press

Camila Cabello celebrates grandmother’s novel and strength

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:16:27 GMT

MALAGA, Spain (AP) — Camila Cabello credits the strong women in her life for her success as an artist and a person. So it was only natural that she was there to celebrate her grandmother’s milestone — the publication of a novel.The Spanish-language book, “Los boleros que he vivido” (“The Boleros that I Have Lived”), has been a decades-long dream project of Cabello’s grandmother, Mercedes Rodriguez.The “Havana” singer traveled last week to Málaga, Spain, to celebrate and help promote Rodriguez’s book, which tells the story of a woman who separates from her husband after many years of marriage. The story across its 329 pages weaves through the woman’s efforts to reunite with her daughter and granddaughters in the U.S. — a tale that mirrors events in the lives of Cabello’s family.“In the end I finished it very quickly, really, very quickly, because it’s the story of my life and I still have a good memory,” Rodriguez said.As Rodriguez, 75, discu...

Ukraine, Finland looking for Canadian help to rebuild economy amid war: ambassadors

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:16:27 GMT

OTTAWA — Ukraine’s ambassador to Canada is urging Canadian businesses to see her country’s eventual recovery as an economic bonanza worth investing in.“We are fighting, we will win the war with your support and then we’ll have a big path together to rebuild Ukraine,” Yuliya Kovaliv told a Thursday lunch event hosted by corporate groups in Ottawa.“Many of you who are from the private sector, you need to start to think about your strategy in participating in the rebuilding of Ukraine,” she said.Kovaliv told the Canadian Club of Ottawa that Ukraine will need a Marshall Plan-style funding package to get back on its feet when the war ends, and Canadian businesses should strategize about what role they can play.Finland’s ambassador to Canada, Roy Eriksson, also told the lunch that Canadian firms can help replace his country’s trade with neighbouring Russia, saying both are familiar with designing products that work in cold climates....

Stocks head toward winning March as Wall Street’s fear falls

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:16:27 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks closed higher again as more fear evaporates from Wall Street. The S&P 500 added 0.6% Thursday, its fifth gain in the last six days. The benchmark index is headed for a gain in March after struggling in earlier weeks on worries about whether the banking system was cracking under the weight of higher interest rates. Forceful actions by regulators worldwide have helped restore confidence. Also boosting stocks have been big bets that the Federal Reserve may cut rates in coming months. But such expectations are also raising concerns of their own for some professionals on Wall Street. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are rising Thursday, keeping Wall Street’s main measure of health on track for a winning month, as a bit more fear evaporates from markets. The S&P 500 was 0.4% higher in late trading. It pared an earlier, bigger gain, but it’s still on pace for a fifth up day in the last six. It’s been on a...

North Dakota governor vetoes transgender pronouns bill

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:16:27 GMT

North Dakota’s Republican governor vetoed a bill that would generally prohibit public schools teachers and staff from referring to transgender students by pronouns other than those reflecting the sex assigned to them at birth. Gov. Doug Burgum’s veto on Thursday could be reversed by the state Legislature. If it became law, public school teachers and employees would be barred from using a transgender student’s preferred pronoun unless they have permission from the student’s parents as well as a school administrator. The bill would also prohibit government agencies from requiring employees to use a transgender colleague’s preferred pronoun.The proposal comes as Republican lawmakers across the U.S. have drafted hundreds of laws this year to push back on LGBTQ+ freedoms, particularly seeking to regulate aspects of transgender people’s lives, including gender-affirming health care, bathroom use, athletics and drag performances.Although the bill also addresse...

Vatican disavows decrees linked to seizure of Native lands

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:16:27 GMT

Responding to Indigenous demands, the Vatican has formally repudiated the “Doctrine of Discovery” — papal documents from the 15th century that legitimized the colonial-era seizure of Native lands.The repudiation will have great symbolic importance. Its immediate practical impact may be limited, though some some Indigenous activists hope it will heighten pressure on government authorities in Canada and the United States to reconsider property laws that arose from the doctrine. Here’s a look at some of reaction to the Vatican statement and the background underlying it.__WHAT DID THE VATICAN DO?Its statement said the 15th century papal decrees “did not adequately reflect the equal dignity and rights of Indigenous peoples” and have never been considered expressions of the Catholic faith. In effect, it marked a historic recognition of the Vatican’s own complicity in colonial-era abuses committed by European powers.The statement was a response to decades of Indigenous demands for th...

Cubs shutout the Brewers for a 2023 Opening Day win

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:16:27 GMT

CHICAGO — For the third time in the last four years, the Cubs have had a successful start to their season against a National League Central division rival.Their pitching had a lot to do with it. Led by starter Marcus Stroman, the Cubs shut out the Brewers 4-0 at Wrigley Field on a cool, party sunny Opening Day afternoon on the north side. It's their second-straight win over Milwaukee at Wrigley Field to start the season, having beaten them 5-4 in 2022. The Cubs also beat the Brewers to open the pandemic-shortened 2020 season at home in July of that year. With the triumph, the Cubs improve to 81-65-2 all-time on Opening Day and go over .500 in openers played at Wrigley Field, as their record goes to 25-24-1.Stroman led the way in the opening effort as he pitched six shutout innings, working out of a couple of jams to start his season on the right foot. He struck out eight batters compared to three walks and scattered three hits in 90 pitches.Keegan Thompson, Brad Boxberger, and Micha...

What to know about the White Sox 2023 Opening Day in Houston

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:16:27 GMT

LaMond Pope of the Chicago Tribune previewed the 2023 White Sox season on "9 Good Minutes" from WGN News Now.HOUSTON — It's the start of something new for the club in more ways than one as they face the reigning World Series champions to open the 2023 season.For one, the White Sox get a fresh start after a frustrating 2022 campaign where they fell short of their big goals coming into the season, finishing 81-81 and out of the playoffs. At the same time, they have new leadership in the dugout, as Pedro Grifol takes over for Tony La Russa after he resigned due to health concerns last October. The chance to make this fresh start a successful one starts on Thursday evening in Houston as the White Sox take on the Astros at 6 p.m. at Minute Maid Park on Opening Day. It's a difficult challenge for the club as they take on the reigning champions to start a three-game series that is completely sold out. Here are a few things to know ahead of the opener.On the road againFor a third-straight y...