Latest news with #OnTheCoast
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The safeguards — and potential pitfalls — of having a power of attorney
Having a younger family member manage their elderly relative's accounts, using a power of attorney, is an important tool in estate planning. Mark Ting, a partner with Foundation Wealth and On The Coast's personal finance columnist, provides advice on how to be careful with the power of attorney after a CBC Radio listener recently shared that she suspected her brother was misusing his power of attorney status to take money from their mother.
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Credit card debt is down in Canada — but household debt is up
Mark Ting, a partner with Foundation Wealth and On The Coast's personal finance columnist, says that while credit card debt going down may seem like a good thing, he's seeing borrowers tack on their debt to larger loans like mortgages. He shares tips on how to manage your debts and credit cards amid financial uncertainty.
CBC
23-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
Credit card debt is down in Canada — but household debt is up
Mark Ting, a partner with Foundation Wealth and On The Coast's personal finance columnist, says that while credit card debt going down may seem like a good thing, he's seeing borrowers tack on their debt to larger loans like mortgages. He shares tips on how to manage your debts and credit cards amid financial uncertainty.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Planning to dredge the Burrard Inlet to maximize oil shipments is underway
An ocean pollution researcher and at least one First Nation are raising concerns about the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority's (VFPA) plan to dredge the Burrard Inlet. Dredging is when the bed of a body of water is dug out to make way for ships or for construction or cleaning purposes. Ocean researcher Juan José Alava told CBC's On The Coast that periodic dredging is common for navigation maintenance in the Inlet. However, he says he was surprised to hear that the port is planning to dredge for the purpose of maximizing oil tanker capacity. The VFPA plan is to maximize oil shipments from the port. Currently, Aframax tankers, a specific size of oil tanker, with a deadweight ranging from 80,000 to 120,000 metric tonnes, can carry loads up to 80 per cent, with the goal of increasing capacity to 100 per cent. However, doing so carries the risk of hitting the sea bottom. According to Alava, another risk is environmental harm. LISTEN | Burrard Inlet could be dredged to maximize oil shipments: Alava is the principal investigator for the Ocean Pollution Research Unit at the University of British Columbia, and says that this development is deeply concerning because of the potential effect on water quality, aquatic life, and First Nations culture in the area that is dependent on the Inlet and the Second Narrows channel. "At what environmental cost, for a single tanker, do you want to dredge the Burrard Inlet? What about the First Nation communities that are living there?" He says that as a scientist who studies marine toxicology, the risk of dredging to increase oil tanker capacity can have a drastic impact on the environment if there is an oil spill, citing lessons learned from the Exxon Valdez southern Alaska spill 36 years ago. Alava says that you can still find oil remnants in B.C. from that spill today, so environmental impact assessments and Indigenous consultation are necessary. Tsleil-Waututh Nation's Chief, Jen Thomas, said in a written statement on May 8, that no formal engagement has happened about dredging the Burrard Inlet that runs past the nation. Thomas says that the nation firmly opposed the Trans Mountain Expansion Project, adding that the Government of Canada built it despite the nation's informed decision not to consent to the project. "Tsleil-Waututh has a sacred, legal obligation to protect, defend and steward our Inlet. We hold inherent and Constitutionally-protected Indigenous title and rights to this area." Under UNDRIP, the B.C. government has a duty to obtain free, prior and informed consent from First Nations when pursuing projects in their territories. Thomas says that the nation will have more to say about the matter once it reviews the proposal and says that it looks forward to meeting with agencies in the future about any projects that may affect Tsleil-Waututh Nation rights and title. Despite concerns from environmentalists and First Nations, B.C. Energy and Climate Solutions Minister Adrian Dix is supportive of the project, pending it meeting environmental assessment and consultation requirements with First Nations. In a report from the Canadian Press released on May 11, Dix says that the province spoke with the Tsleil-Waututh Nation before expressing views about the project to the federal government. The plan, floated by Prime Minister Mark Carney in early May, comes at a time when Canada is looking to diversify energy exports away from the United States. Dix stressed that the dredging would be a federal project, not provincial and that the project "would allow for less traffic at the port and better utilization" because ships could fully load. The dredging project's preliminary stages of environmental assessment and First Nation consultation began on May 20.
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
For the first time, MPs born in the 21st century are headed to the Hill
Canadians elected a total of 112 new MPs this week — including for the first time a handful born this century. Three incoming Liberal MPs — Jake Sawatzky in B.C., and Amandeep Sodhi and Fares Al Soud in Ontario — were all born in the early 2000s. Sawatzky, a 25-year-old master's student in counselling psychology, upset longtime NDP MP Peter Julian. Sawatzky told CBC Radio's On The Coast that he wanted to get into politics to address mental health and addictions issues. "There's a lot of people that just really aren't receiving the treatment they really desperately need, and I was thinking, one person can only do so much — this is more of a policy thing now," he told host Gloria Macarenko. WATCH | First-time Liberal candidate unseats longtime NDP MP Peter Julian: Sawatzky, who was only four when Julian was first elected, said it was also important for him to put his name forward to represent his generation. "The House of Commons should be representative of all people, including young Canadians," he said. "You can have youth committees and that sort of thing, but the best way to have young people represented is to have young people in government." The 21st century club almost had (and still could have) a fourth member. Initial results showed Liberal Tatiana Auguste had won a close race in the Quebec riding of Terrebonne, but the validation process later revealed that the Bloc incumbent had won by 44 votes. That margin is close enough to trigger an automatic judicial recount, meaning it's possible that the riding could flip again in Auguste's favour. Either way, there are signs the House is getting younger overall. Conservative Eric Melillo from Ontario also won re-election this week. Born in 1998, he became the first Gen Z MP to be elected to the House when he initially won his riding in 2019. Sukhman Gill won a seat in B.C. after Monday's vote and will join Melillo as another Gen Z Conservative. The Conservatives are also adding a handful of new MPs with ties to the sporting world. Helena Konanz from B.C. is a former world-ranked professional tennis player and coach, having previously competed in such highly touted tournaments as the U.S. Open and Wimbledon. She's joined by two incoming Conservative MPs from Quebec who have ties to the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. Jason Groleau is a former member of both the Hull Olympiques and Victoriaville Tigers, while Gabriel Hardy was previously a personal trainer for the Quebec Remparts. A number of incoming MPs have plenty of political experience, making the transfer from provincial politics into the federal sphere. Among the more notable names is Roman Baber who was removed from Ontario Premier Doug Ford's caucus in January 2021 over his opposition to pandemic health measures. He would later run for the federal Conservative leadership in 2022 and finish fourth. Other Conservatives joining Baber are Mike Dawson, a former New Brunwsick MLA, and Éric Lefebvre, a former MNA in Quebec Premier François Legault's government. Ellis Ross was also elected for the Conservatives. He had previously served as a minister under former B.C. premier Christy Clark. On the Liberal side, Carlos Leitão is one of the more recognizable figures making the leap from provincial to federal politics. The former Quebec MNA served as the province's finance minister from 2014 to 2018. Braedon Clark, a former Nova Scotia MLA, will also come to Ottawa as a new member of the Liberal caucus. Other incoming MPs have shed their provincial NDP stripes to join the federal Liberal team. Buckley Belanger was initially a Saskatchewan Liberal MLA before switching to the provincial NDP. He's now back in the Liberal fold as he heads to the House of Commons. Similarly, Stephanie McLean, a former Alberta NDP MLA and minister, ran for the Liberals and won a seat in B.C. Incoming Liberal MP Tom Osborne was a longtime Newfoundland and Labrador MHA, serving as a minister for both the provincial Progressive Conservative and Liberal parties. He was also Speaker of the House of Assembly for a time. Among the other new MPs coming to Ottawa is Sima Acan, the first Turkish-Canadian elected to the House of Commons. Incoming Liberal MP David Myles is also bringing his Juno Award-winning musical talents to the Hill. Kent McDonald from P.E.I., David Bexte from Alberta and Emma Harrison from Ontario join a long list of farmers who have been elected to the House going back to the very first Parliament.
