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Global News
23 minutes ago
- Global News
Canada's premiers set for 3-day meeting in Ontario with trade top of mind
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. 1:07 Canada 'pretty difficult to deal with,' White House says as trade agreement deadline looms 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. Story continues below advertisement 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. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 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. 5:51 Carney doubles down with counter tariffs Carney has said Canada is trying to get an agreement on softwood lumber exports included in the negotiations with the United States. Story continues below advertisement 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. Story continues below advertisement 6:11 Mapping Canada's strategy to combat U.S. tariffs 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. Story continues below advertisement 0:52 Mexico, Canada coordinate as Trump warns of new USMCA tariffs 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.
CTV News
23 minutes ago
- CTV News
Trade top of mind as Canada's premiers are set to hold three-day meeting in Ontario
Premier of Saskatchewan Scott Moe, left too right, Prime Minister Mark Carney, Premier Dough Ford speak to media following the First Minister's Meeting in Saskatoon, Sask., Monday, June 2, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Liam Richards 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. 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. Allison Jones, The Canadian Press — With files from Wolfgang Depner in Victoria, Keith Doucette in Halifax and Lisa Johnson in Edmonton
CBC
24 minutes ago
- CBC
Accessible housing hard to find for Grande Prairie residents displaced by apartment fire
Leslie Dunagan and her husband, Kevin Guerette, are struggling to find a new home in Grande Prairie, Alta. They are among dozens of people displaced from Margaret Edgson Manor, which caught fire over a month ago. The 70-unit apartment building, which provided affordable housing and 16 wheelchair-accessible units, is now uninhabitable. Many affected residents are staying in hotels or college dormitories while they look for new rentals. Some, including Dunagan and Guerette, have to consider their mobility issues and complex health needs as they search. Dunagan has multiple sclerosis and uses a walker; Guerette is her full-time caretaker. But finding any vacancy is the bigger issue, they said. "You can phone any rental agency in Grand Prairie right now, and they have zero vacancies. Most of them do not even have waitlists anymore because it's that bad," said Dunagan, who lived in the manor with her husband for five years. "It's not even trying to find something accessible, which I need. There are just no vacancies, period." Dunagan and Guerette have applied for more than 15 rentals, but have had no luck so far, they said. The couple is living in a hotel for now. Their insurance company will cover costs for nine months. The fire has highlighted the ongoing challenge of ensuring accessible housing is available when needed, especially in emergencies, a City of Grande Prairie spokesperson told CBC News in an emailed statement. The city doesn't have many vacant, fully accessible units on standby, the spokesperson said. So when an emergency displaces a lot of residents, it further strains an already stretched system. Grande Prairie, a city about 390 kilometres northwest of Edmonton, had a residential vacancy rate of 1.5 per cent in 2023, provincial data shows. The dataset only tracks units in non-subsidized buildings. WATCH | Fire engulfs Grande Prairie apartment building: Dozens displaced after fire engulfs Grande Prairie apartment building 1 month ago The city approved to help cover hotel accommodations for manor residents as they waited for insurance or provincial emergency benefits to begin, the spokesperson said. Several residents were successfully placed in a city-owned housing facility, the spokesperson said. But the municipality is not directly managing individual placements. Instead, it's supporting local organizations that are working with impacted residents. The provincial Assisted Living and Social Services Ministry is working with the Grande Spirit Foundation — which manages the manor — and Grande Prairie Residential Society to help residents, according to Amber Edgerton, press secretary for Assisted Living and Social Services Minister Jason Nixon. The ministry is sending rental and emergency financial assistance to those affected, and has contacted affordable housing and seniors' lodges in the Grande Prairie area to help people find suitable housing, Edgerton said in a statement. Sixty-seven of the manor's units were occupied when the fire ignited on June 9, said Tracy Bussiere, the Grande Spirit Foundation's director of human resources, in an email. She wouldn't specify how many people lived in the building, but said 82 per cent of residents have been rehoused to a lodge, apartment or rent-subsidized unit. The status of 13 per cent of residents is unknown, while five per cent have refused options, she said. Dunagan and Guerette haven't heard much from support organizations, they said. The foundation has offered them spaces in different communities, including at a seniors' lodge about 70 kilometres north in Spirit River, Alta., but moving away is a last resort. "Grande Prairie has become a home for me. My doctors are here … My friends are here," Dunagan said. She hasn't considered living elsewhere since the couple moved to Grande Prairie from Vancouver Island in 2006, Dunagan said. She is only doing so now "because there's nothing here." "How are we supposed to deal with this? How are we supposed to find a new home when there are none?" Dunagan said. Julia Wright, another displaced resident who lived in the manor for seven years, admits that she and her family are lucky to be settling into a new apartment. Wright, who has degenerative disc disease and arthritis, is recovering from surgery. But she also cares for her adult daughter, who is disabled and has multiple complex health conditions. When she went to a local property management company, it happened to have a new listing, she said. "It had all of the ticks for us to be able to live there," Wright said, noting that the location was good, despite being half the size of her first-floor manor unit. "I immediately took it," she said. "There were no ifs, ands or buts about it, because there's nothing in this town." They're living on a fixed income, though, Wright said, and their new rent costs $1,650 per month — more than double the $800 they paid monthly at the manor. "That's going to make a big difference," she said. Starting over In addition to losing their homes, many of the manor's residents escaped the fire with few belongings. Wright, for one, left medications, Kitchen-Aid mixers and the ashes of her daughter's father, she said. "There were two days, I called it my pity party; I broke down," Wright said. "They're just some things that you can't replace, but we'll survive. [We'll] have to do without," she said. Dunagan and Guerette, meanwhile, are starting over without Dunagan's custom wheelchair and thousands of dollars of medication, as well as keepsakes of their son, who died 13 years ago. "We've lost all the pictures of him," Dunagan said. "We had a memory quilt made out of his clothes; we've lost that." "It's just an overwhelming sense of loss," she said.
