City hall candidates making the most of Stampede week
The Stampede can also double up as a political rodeo as city hall candidates want to connect with potential voters. The signs and billboards are going up...
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CBC
11 minutes ago
- CBC
B.C. report urges greater support for community organizers in aftermath of Lapu-Lapu Day festival tragedy
Social Sharing The report of a B.C. commission created in the aftermath of the tragic events at a Filipino street festival in Vancouver has recommended the province better support community organizers through increased access to safety training and grants to offset security costs. The Commission of Inquiry into Community Events' Safety, headed by former chief justice Christopher Hinkson, was established by the province following the tragic events on April 26 at a Filipino community event. Eleven people died at the Lapu-Lapu Day Block Party in Vancouver, with dozens more injured, after the accused Kai-ji Adam Lo, 30, drove into a crowd of people as the event was winding down. "The lasting trauma experienced by victims, families, and communities remains a solemn reminder of what is at stake in public safety planning," said Hinkson. "However, the Lapu-Lapu Day incident itself is the subject of an ongoing criminal investigation and was excluded from the commission's mandate." The commission, which looked at festival safety in general, heard from municipalities across the province, regional districts, Indigenous partners, police, and event organizers from a wide range of communities, ultimately making six recommendations aimed at improving safety outcomes for community events in the province. Hinkson made six recommendations, calling for all public events in B.C. to include a mandatory risk assessment that takes into account an event's scale, location, activities, and potential hazards. The report recommends the province create a centralized hub for event safety, where event organizers can find standardized advice, training, and practical tools for anyone involved in planning public events. Hinkson suggested the province provide more opportunities for festival organizers to access funding to help pay for security measures at their events, such as fencing, barriers and traffic control, as well as establish clear criteria that define roles and responsibilities for the event during planning. The report also recommends better collaboration between event organizers and emergency personnel that would include routine assessments after public events. Terry Yung, B.C. minister of state for community safety, said his office "fully accepts the intent of the recommendations," and intends to do its best to implement them as soon as possible before the end of the year.
CTV News
31 minutes ago
- CTV News
Canada to ‘align' with U.S. airport screening rules as TSA drops shoes-off policy
A traveller walks to security screening at the Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, B.C., on Sept. 18, 2024. (Ethan Cairns / The Canadian Press) OTTAWA — Ottawa says it will work to align its flight security regulations with those in the U.S. after Washington dropped a rule that required passengers to remove their shoes during security screenings. U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Tuesday that passengers at American airports no longer need to remove their shoes because officials have found other ways to keep travellers safe. Canada does not require passengers flying domestically or to non-U.S. destinations to take off their shoes for screening, unless a security officer decides it's necessary. But those flying to the U.S. through the pre-clearance sections of Canadian airports have been required to remove their shoes. The U.S. Transportation Security Administration introduced the no-shoes rule roughly five years after Richard Reid, who became infamous as the 'shoe bomber,' tried to trigger explosives hidden in his shoes on a Paris to Miami flight in 2001. Transport Canada says in a statement it 'will work with the Transportation Security Administration to ensure requirements are aligned.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 9, 2025. Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press
CBC
31 minutes ago
- CBC
Conservatives raised a record $48.5M last year — and spent even more
Social Sharing The Conservative Party's spending outstripped its record fundraising total in 2024 as it ramped up advertising and internal polling ahead of the federal election. According to records filed with Elections Canada, the party brought in about $42 million in donations and another $5 million in membership fees last year, with total revenues of just over $48.5 million. The party spent just shy of $50 million over the same period — an increase of nearly $13 million over 2023. A large amount of that money went to advertising, with $7.8 million spent on TV, $7.1 million on digital and $1.5 million on radio. More than $2.5 million went to research and polling. The $16.5 million the Conservatives spent on advertising was nearly double the sum the party spent on ads in 2023. In September, the Conservatives launched an ad spot featuring most of the messages they'd take into the election campaign in the spring, including the "let's bring it home" tag line. In the ad's voiceover, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre pledged to "cap spending, axe taxes, reward work, build homes, uphold family, stop crime, secure borders, rearm our forces, restore our freedom." Poilievre told right-wing influencer Jordan Peterson in a December podcast interview that he had done 600 public events over the previous year, including tours of businesses and factories and the rallies that became a signature of his leadership. The Conservatives logged $1.5 million in spending on travel and hospitality and just over $8 million on fundraising efforts in 2024. Sarah Fischer, the party's director of communications, said in an email that the Conservatives ended the year with just shy of $16 million in cash and net assets of just over $9 million. "As is typical in the pre-writ period, in 2024 the party spent slightly more than it raised," said Fischer. The Conservatives were the only party to file annual financial statements with Elections Canada by the deadline; all the other parties were granted an extension. Conservative strategist Fred DeLorey said he's "never seen anything like" the party's fundraising totals and he's not concerned by the level of spending in 2024. "That's what political parties are supposed to do, especially when you are the best fundraising machine in the country," said DeLorey, chair of North Star Public Affairs and the Conservatives' 2021 campaign manager. But he said members should expect the party to take a serious look at whether its spending was effective, in light of the election result. WATCH | Poilievre to face leadership review following election loss: Poilievre to face Conservative Party leadership review following election loss 23 days ago Duration 4:50 By late December, the Conservatives appeared all but certain to form the next government. They had been relentless in their attacks on the unpopular government of Justin Trudeau and his government's signature climate policy, the consumer carbon price. They were also targeting then NDP leader Jagmeet Singh and his party's decision to prop up the Liberal government. The Conservatives failed to form government in the April 28 election, despite gaining seats and getting a larger share of the vote than they had in recent decades. Poilievre lost his long-held seat in the Ottawa-area riding of Carleton. He's now running in an Aug. 18 byelection in a rural Alberta riding. "Were the right voters targeted? Did we lean too hard on the anti-Trudeau and the anti-Singh messages, instead of making our own case?" DeLorey said. Conservative attacks targeting Singh ramped up in the months leading into the election. In January, the party released an ad claiming Singh's party supported the Liberals in order to secure his MP pension. Singh also lost his seat and resigned. The NDP has been reduced to just seven MPs and no longer has official party status in the House of Commons. DeLorey said attacking the NDP leader was "a foolish waste of money." The election shaped up to be a two-party race, with many traditional New Democrat voters lending their support to the Liberals. However, the Conservatives also picked up formerly NDP seats. "I think a very thorough post-mortem should be conducted on all of this stuff. I'm not sure that's happening," DeLorey said. A representative of the party's fundraising arm, the Conservative Fund, is required by the party's constitution to provide a financial report to delegates at the party's next national convention in late January. As leader, Poilievre is also required to report to delegates and hold an accountability session. And he will face a review of his leadership at the convention, which is being held in Calgary.
