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Winnipeg Free Press
25 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Trade top of mind as Canada's premiers are set to hold three-day meeting in Ontario
TORONTO – Tariffs and trade are top of the agenda as the country's premiers arrive in Ontario's cottage country for a three-day meeting that comes at a pivotal time for both Canada-U.S. and domestic relations. The premiers' summer gathering in Muskoka will also feature a Tuesday meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney, as trade talks with the United States are expected to intensify. Most of what the premiers are likely to discuss stems from U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs: trade negotiations, the direct impact on industries such as steel and aluminum, the increased pushes to remove interprovincial trade barriers and speed up major infrastructure and natural resource projects to counteract the effects of tariffs, as well as Indigenous communities' concerns about them. Day 1 of the premiers' meeting involves discussions with Indigenous leaders including the Assembly of First Nations, the Métis National Council and the Native Women's Association of Canada. Carney himself is fresh off a meeting with hundreds of First Nations chiefs, many of whom have expressed concerns about their rights being sidelined as the prime minister looks to accelerate projects in the 'national interest.' Some of the top priorities premiers are pushing include pipelines and mining in Ontario's Ring of Fire region, and chiefs have said that must not happen by governments skirting their duty to consult. Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who has served for the past year as head of the Council of the Federation, is host of the meeting and said in a statement that protecting national interests will be top of mind. 'This meeting will be an opportunity to work together on how to respond to President Trump's latest threat and how we can unleash the full potential of Canada's economy,' Ford wrote. Trump and Carney agreed in June at the G7 summit to try and reach a trade deal by July 21 but Trump recently moved that deadline to Aug. 1, while telling Carney he intends to impose 35 per cent across-the-board tariffs on Canada that same day. Carney has said Canada is trying to get an agreement on softwood lumber exports included in the negotiations with the United States. British Columbia Premier David Eby said he intends to raise the issue and others of particular importance to B.C. at the meeting. '(We want to) get access to the same level of attention, for example, on the softwood lumber as Ontario gets on the auto parts sector, (and) that we get the same amount of attention on capital projects as Alberta is currently getting in relation to their proposals,' Eby said last week in Victoria. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has been making a big push for new pipelines, but said during a press conference Friday that her focus would also be on premiers working together to address the tariff threat, including interprovincial trade. 'I was really pleased to sign (a memorandum of understanding) with Doug Ford during the time he was here in during Stampede, and other provinces are working on those same kind of collaborative agreements,' she said. 'We need to do more to trade with each other, and I hope that that's the spirit of the discussion.' Smith and Ford signed an MOU earlier this month to study new pipelines and rail lines between provinces, and both premiers also talked about wanting Carney to repeal a number of energy regulations like net-zero targets, the West Coast tanker ban and a proposed emissions cap. Ford has also taken a lead role on increasing interprovincial trade, signing MOUs with several provinces and enacting a law to remove all of Ontario's exceptions to free trade between the provinces and territories. Nova Scotia's Tim Houston is another premier banging the drum of interprovincial trade, saying the trade war is forcing action on it. 'We're seeing the benefit of working together to respond to economic threats from the U.S. by breaking down internal trade barriers and opportunities to expand in other international markets,' he wrote in a statement. Ford has said the premiers will also talk about emergency management, energy security, sovereignty and national security, health, and public safety. The premiers have also been pushing the federal government to reform bail laws and Carney said last week that legislation will be introduced in the fall and he expects to discuss the issue with the premiers on Tuesday. The premiers' summer meeting also signals a changing of the guard, with the role of chair of Council of the Federation moving between provinces annually. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. But after Ford is no longer chair, he's not expected to take too much of a back seat on all of the aforementioned issues. He is still premier of the most populous province, has built a strong relationship with Carney, often singing the prime minister's praises, and has done frequent American TV interviews making the case for increased trade over tariffs. Those network appearances, in part, earned him a nickname of 'Captain Canada' — a persona he used to massive political benefit. Ford made the fight against tariffs and Trump the central part of his re-election campaign and voters returned him to government with a third consecutive majority. — With files from Wolfgang Depner in Victoria, Keith Doucette in Halifax and Lisa Johnson in Edmonton This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 20, 2025.
CBC
25 minutes ago
- CBC
This Tlingit artist has taught 2,000 people to make bentwood boxes. She plans to keep going
Joanne Williams estimates she's taught 2,000 people how to make bentwood boxes. "I actually feel pretty complete, but I'm still going ahead to teach more," said Williams, a Tlingit artist, elder and bentwood knowledge-holder from Atlin, B.C. Bentwood boxes are watertight containers invented by coastal First Nations people. They're made by steaming a plank of wood, bending it into a square and fitting it with a lid and base. Williams was taught to make bentwood boxes as a child by her grandmother, elder Elizabeth Nyman, and has now taught bentwood box-making herself all over the west coast, including Haida Gwaii and Mount Currie. She also hosts weekly culture craft nights for Atlinites with the Taku River Tlingit First Nation. Williams says she's inspired to keep teaching by her grandmother, who asked her to pass the knowledge on to other people. "You're actually not supposed to hold secrets back when you're 60 years old, you're supposed to give everything away," Williams said. Bentwood boxes were traditionally used for all purposes, from carrying household items to storing important regalia. "It would have kept all their food and regalia dry," explained Maurice Ouimette, Williams' husband and business partner. "They're the only peoples in the world that developed this technology." The duo is now planning to launch a new home-based business this fall, selling bentwood box-making kits. They're going to mill the wood themselves to make the kits. They'll also sell supplies for beading, sewing and medicine bags. The duo says this business is not a money-making venture. Most of the profits will be donated. "We're trying to reach as many people in the world as possible," Ouimette said. Williams hopes teachers will use the kits to share with young people – but she says anyone can buy them and become teachers themselves.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
The Bay's departure leaves a gaping hole in downtown Toronto. What could fill it?
The flagship Hudson's Bay Company store is pictured in Toronto on January 27, 2014. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette When The Bay finally closed up shop after 355 years, the defunct retailer left more than memories in Toronto's downtown core. The storied department store left in its wake a gaping hole of nearly 700,000 square feet at the corner of Yonge and Queen streets – a massive piece of prime real estate in the heart of the city. Since the doors shuttered to the public at the end of May, the space has been vacant, leaving Toronto residents wondering what might eventually fill the cavernous floors of the designated heritage building at 176 Yonge Street. 'I think that location, in a normal market, would be very, very, very ripe for redevelopment,' says Adam Jacobs, national head of research for Colliers Canada, which specializes in commercial real estate. He says such a project might include an office tower, condo tower, hotel – or a combination thereof – that would incorporate the historic building. But while the space is exactly the sort of location that might attract a grand vision, the timing for that sort of project might not be right. 'So I think the downtown Bay location, yeah, there's a lot of redevelopment potential there, but just right now, there's all these headwinds,' Jacobs says. Those headwinds include a general retreat from massive condo or office tower redevelopments, U.S. tariffs that could drive up supply costs and overall market uncertainty. Not to mention an ongoing subway construction project on the block for the Ontario Line that is expected to keep the street torn up for several years to come. The Bay People walk past the Hudson's Bay store in Toronto on Monday, March 10, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young 'It's just that we happen to be at a moment right now, where the whole condo market is, you know, frozen, and the land market is frozen, and nobody wants to lend money, and suddenly we're building too many apartments instead of not enough apartments. So I think right now, it's quite a bad moment for those big, visionary development projects,' Jacobs says. Still, he notes that large property owners like Cadillac Fairview, which owns the building, have vast holdings and can afford to wait for the right project and market conditions without having to rush to fill an empty building. In a statement to CP24, Cadillac Fairview said it is eyeing options for the site, but hasn't made any decisions yet. 'Cadillac Fairview is constantly assessing the ever-changing retail landscape to ensure the long term success of our shopping centres and the communities where we operate,' wrote Anna Ng, the company's director of corporate communications. 'Our teams are evaluating opportunities to backfill spaces formerly occupied by HBC and we look forward to sharing plans once confirmed.' The Bay walkway A shopper make his way through a walkway connecting Eaton Centre Mall and The Hudson Bay store in Toronto on Monday, May 1, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young One thing Jacobs is quite sure is not in the future for the building: 'I think it's unlikely that it will end up being a department store,' she said. Department store era over The building in the heart of Toronto has had a life as a department store for around 130 years. Known as The Simpson Departmental Store, the building was first erected in 1894 by Edmund Burke of architects Burke and Harwood. It suffered a fire the same year, but was rebuilt a year later, with various additions over the following decades. A city staff report dating back to 2015 notes the building is 'designated on architectural grounds as an outstanding example of late nineteenth century commercial design.' According to the city, 'it is an early example of the use of steel post and beam construction in Canada and of the work of one of Toronto's most important architects.' While that makes it one of the oldest department store buildings around, it is certainly not the first staring down a potential change of use. 'The demise of department stores has been long coming, and so the interesting thing is, we now have a big history of takeovers and adaptive reuse,' says Karen Chapple, director of the School of Cities at the University of Toronto. The Bay The Roll of Honour, a memorial to employees of the defunct retailer Simpson's who served with the Canadian Forces and were killed during the Second World War, is shown at the Hudson's Bay store in Toronto, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Giordano Ciampini She points out that when the May department store company went under in the U.S., one of their buildings in Cleveland became a residential development, while another in Los Angeles became the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Others, she says, became spaces for educational institutions. 'There's so much history too, of malls being transformed into residential use or mixed use with residential. You might have residential, retail, fitness, movie theater, office space – all of that,' Chappel adds. With the attached Eaton Centre acting as a sort of 'public arena,' she says it would be good to keep the space at The Bay public or semi-public as opposed to cordoning it off for an entirely private use. However she agrees with Jacobs that the building's time as a department store is likely over. 'You're just not going to be able to do retail (for the whole building) at this point in time,' she said. Core continues to change Coun. Chris Moise, who represents the downtown ward where the property is located, said he'd like to see any new use take into account the needs of the community, as well as the throngs of people who pour into the area on transit. 'I think we have to think outside of the box and see, what is the missing middle here? And how can we make it work for everybody,' Moise says. Off the top of his head, he says a grocery store and an entertainment complex could be good fits for the area. The Bay People walk past the Hudson's Bay store in Toronto on Monday March 10, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young He says it's unlikely the space will be completely rezoned into a condo development, as some might fear. 'That's an historic building, iconic building, you know, it's on Yonge Street. It's a whole block. I don't think that's going to happen,' Moise says. He points out the site will eventually sit atop two transit lines and is surrounded by theatres, stores, and other spaces that draw people out. In terms of possible city uses, the municipality already has an excess of space nearby. 'Don't forget, the Ontario Line is going to be right there as well and we're looking at Old City Hall to see what to do with that venue,' Moise says. Possible ideas being floated for the Old City Hall site include a museum, an arts facility, an event venue and a library and Moise says he's hoping it will become 'part of the destination' for the area. The Bay Ontario Line construction is seen on Queen Street, between the Hudson's Bay building and the Eaton Centre January 14, 2024. (Joshua Freeman) While the future of the Bay's flagship store is still in the air, Moise says he's in regular discussion with the Downtown Yonge BIA, as well as Cadillac Fairview, which he says is receptive to suggestions. Future uncertain, but reason for optimism Jacobs points out that the dust has not entirely settled on Hudson's Bay's demise. A court battle remains underway between lenders, landlords, and B.C. billionaire Ruby Liu, who wants to buy up to 25 Hudson's Bay leases to open up a new retailer. Whatever the future holds for the site, though, there seems to be consensus that the problem of what to bring to the area is a good one. Chapple says data gathered by UofT researchers show that Toronto's downtown is experiencing a 'slow recovery,' as we get further from the COVID-19 pandemic though the increase in traffic is more attributable to people coming into the core for pleasure rather than work. 'I always see these things as an opportunity. I mean, I think we do too much hand-wringing over change when actually to have a huge site like this open up in the heart of Toronto with incredible transit accessibility, with a rich history (is an opportunity),' Chappel says. Jacobs echoes that idea. 'It's such a unique location, being in the financial core, being right downtown, being right on a subway stop, being a historic building, that I guess I feel pretty optimistic,' he says. With files from The Canadian Press
