Caldwell First Nation to hold first competition pow wow on reserve lands in Leamington
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
Pat Bay highway flyover opening soon, after years of construction
Drivers on Vancouver Island's Saanich Peninsula will soon be taking a flyover to cross Highway 17 at Keating Cross Road, as construction nears completion. (CTV News) Drivers on Vancouver Island's Saanich Peninsula will soon be taking a flyover to cross Highway 17 at Keating Cross Road, as construction nears completion. The area's MLA toured the site Friday afternoon, along with Tsawout First Nation's chief and Central Saanich's mayor. The flyover is set to open to northbound traffic on Monday, July 28. 'This has been about community safety,' says Saanich South MLA Lana Popham. 'And I think that the hard work and the planning that's been put into it has definitely delivered an excellent project for the South Island.' According to B.C.'s Ministry of Transportation and Transit, the traffic changeover will start at midnight on July 27. This means drivers travelling north on the Pat Bay to Keating Cross Road will use Exit 18 onto the flyover. They will no longer have to wait in a turning bay in the middle of the highway to turn left across traffic. The turning lane will permanently close. 'I'm here to celebrate with the local, municipal and provincial government in their efforts and safety, safety of all of us here on the peninsula, including us at Tsawout. We're very proud,' says Tsawout First Nation chief Abraham Pelkey. 'I myself have been sitting in the lineup to turn left and you do feel quite vulnerable,' says Popham. 'So, people are very aware that this is delivering on safety in a really big way.' The province says the project is coming in 'on time and on budget.' The total project budget is $76.8-million – which includes $16.7-million from the federal government and $2.5-million from the District of Central Saanich. Mayor Ryan Windsor told the crowd the first political mention for the work happened 50 years ago – four years before he was born. He says he's thrilled to be talking about the final stages of the work as opposed to when it's going to start. 'Obviously, there'll be a period of adjustment. So slow down, use your common sense when you're coming down he highway. Be safe,' says Windsor. Crews are warning drivers the area is still an active construction zone, while other work is underway to finish the project over the next few months. The province says drivers should watch for new signage and construction activity – and allow for extra travel time. The speed in the area will remain at the reduced 60 km/h limit while work continues. On top of improved safety, the ministry says the project will also reduce idling times and related air emissions, better accommodate growing traffic demands, relieve vehicle congestion and improve access to the Keating Business Park.
CTV News
4 hours ago
- CTV News
Canadian man denied U.S. entry ahead of wedding, cites alleged overstay
A Brockville, man says he was denied entry to the U.S. in June, days before he was going to marry his American fiancée. CTV's Tyler Fleming reports. A Canadian man says he was denied entry into the United States just days before he was supposed to marry his American fiancée in a small ceremony in upstate New York. Devin Hayden, a Canadian citizen who lives near Brockville, Ont., says he and his partner, Bridget Ellis, have been in a long-distance relationship for four years, regularly crossing the border to visit one another. 'It's not a long drive,' says Hayden. 'It's about an hour and a half, including the border.' The couple had planned a June 14 wedding at a park in Kent, N.Y., with a handful of family and friends. But when Hayden attempted to enter the U.S. on June 2, ahead of the ceremony, he was stopped and questioned by border officials and ultimately turned away. 'They asked me to go to the office to pick up a form, and I thought I was just picking up a form,' he says. 'It turns out I had what they called an overstay, and I had to exit the country immediately.' Hayden says officers reviewed his travel history dating back to November and flagged him for spending too many days in the U.S. as a visitor. He disputes that claim, saying his time south of the border totalled just 154 days. Typically, a visitor to the U.S. can only stay to a maximum of 180 days per year in total. 'Once I saw them all group up and stuff, I'm like, all right, something is about to happen. And then I kind of prepared myself,' he said. 'But once they stood me up, and took fingerprints and stuff, I was like, okay, this is a little worse than I thought it would be.' Adding to the confusion, Hayden says his Canadian passport was nearing its expiration date at the time of his attempted crossing and the 'reason' was left blank on the official denial of entry form he was given. Ellis, who lives in upstate New York and was with Hayden travelling across the border, says all she could do was sit and watch. 'It was a little nerve-racking,' she said. 'I had to turn around and come back to Canada and drop him off and then go back to the states.' The couple had envisioned a simple outdoor ceremony, something low-key but meaningful. 'We were just going to be doing it outside, like at a park with the birds and everything,' Ellis says. 'And live our life the way we want to.' Jennifer Behm, a U.S. immigration lawyer and partner at Berardi Immigration Law in Buffalo, N.Y., says denials like Hayden's are not uncommon, especially when marriage is part of the reason for a visit. 'They (US border agents) are inspecting every visitor for two things. One is, what is the purpose of your entry to the United States, and two, do you intend to depart the United States when you say you're going to depart,' says Behm. 'And so, if someone shows up and the scale is tipping a little bit more heavily towards really strong U.S. ties, that's going to raise a red flag and they're going to be asking a lot of questions,' she continued. 'There is no law that says you can't come to the United States and get married—they're not breaking the law—it's just all of these other factors and the compounded weight of not being convinced the individual has plans to return to Canada.' Behm adds this is a common occurrence at the U.S. Canada border, and that the border agent's actions are 'business as usual,' emphasizing this situation is not politically motivated and that an agent's perception of intent to stay can often be enough for a denial. 'I'd be shocked if he was permitted to enter as a visitor anytime soon,' says Behm. 'Generally, we tell clients once you've been denied entry to the United State, you have to do the heavy lifting to re-establish really strong ties back to your home country֫—here, that being Canada—to show the officer that, in the future when you do request entry, you've got something to return back to Canada to.' For now, Ellis continues to travel to Canada to see Hayden. Both are trying to stay positive. 'I'm hoping once the new passport arrives maybe I'll be allowed back in,' Hayden says. 'We're working well through it, considering the circumstances. We're making do with what we can right now. It's hasn't torn us apart.'
CTV News
6 hours ago
- CTV News
Saint John, N.B., gears up for busy festival season
Saint John, N.B., is gearing up for a busy festival season on the waterfront. Festival season kicks off in Saint John, N.B., this weekend, with a string of events along the city's waterfront leading into the peak for cruise ship arrivals. The Boxcar Country Festival runs Saturday and Sunday in the Area 506 Container Village, with headliners Tenille Townes and Tim Hicks. 'The subtitle this year is whiskey, BBQ, and bands,' says Sarah Tippett, a member of the festival's organizing committee. 'We have a second stage which is free all weekend long, with BBQ and whiskey education sessions.' Tippett says up to 7,000 people are expected to attend Boxcar this weekend, which is entering its third year. Next weekend, the Area 506 Festival will celebrate its 10th anniversary on the same large stage. The foundation of Area 506 originally came from stacked shipping containers which became a catalyst for revitalizing the waterfront over the last decade. 'The container village that we used to create for just one long weekend of the summer turned into this semi-permanent seasonal container village,' says Tippett. 'Really, in addition to a music festival lasting for 10 years, the development that it helped to create is really exciting and a point of pride for all of us.' Early August will also see International Culturefest and Buskers on the Boardwalk return to the waterfront area, teeing up a cruise ship schedule which picks up the pace. There have been five cruise ship visits in Port Saint John so far this season, but by November a total of 76 ships will have docked. There are five days on the port's calendar where three cruise ships will be in Saint John Harbour at the same time: Sept. 17, Sept. 23, Oct. 8, Oct. 12, and Oct. 29. Monica Memory is a vendor in the Area 506 Container Village who specializes in offering products from small Canadian businesses. Memory says she's already noticed an uptick in the number of people visiting from Ontario and Quebec this summer. 'I'm really excited for it,' says Memory. 'There's a lot of big ships coming in this year, and so far, the ones who've already been in are really excited about coming in and supporting Canada. So, I'm hoping it may be our best season ever.' Area 506 The Area 506 Festival's main stage in Saint John, N.B. in 2024. (Source: Area 506) For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
