🚨 Quebec announces new security measures to combat contraband smuggling in detention centres

The Quebec government has introduced new security measures to tackle the rise in drone deliveries of illegal items like drugs, weapons, and cellphones in provincial detention centres.

Public Security Minister François Bonnardel unveiled initiatives including body scanners to detect concealed contraband, protective fences around jail windows, and plans to jam cellphone signals.

Between January and March 2025, 247 drones were spotted near detention facilities, with 195 carrying packages; about 70% of these deliveries were intercepted. These measures will be phased in over the coming months, with body scanners expected to be fully operational by March 2027.
#Quebec
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📈 Canadian dollar hits 7-month high after upbeat retail sales data

The Canadian dollar strengthened to a seven-month high against its U.S. counterpart on Friday as the greenback posted broad-based declines and domestic retail sales data supported bets that the Bank of Canada would remain on the sidelines.

The loonie was trading 1% higher at 1.3712 per U.S. dollar, or 72.93 U.S. cents, its strongest intraday level since October 10.

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🏠 More retiring Canadians expect to continue making mortgage payments

A recent Leger survey finds that an increasing number of homeowners expect to carry repayments into their “golden years.”

Royal LePage, which commissioned the report, calls it a new real estate reality shaping up for retirees, as almost three-in-10 Canadians who plan to retire within the next two years expect to exit the workforce with mortgage debt.
#housing
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🇺🇸 Trump says Canada would pay $61B for Golden Dome, but zero as ’51st state’

U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Canada will have to pay US$61 billion to be part of his “Golden Dome” space-based missile defence plan — but would pay nothing if it becomes part of the U.S., a message he claimed to have “told Canada” himself.

I told Canada, which very much wants to be part of our fabulous Golden Dome System, that it will cost $61 Billion Dollars if they remain a separate, but unequal, Nation, but will cost ZERO DOLLARS if they become our cherished 51st State. They are considering the offer!

#US
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🩺 Ontario faces growing shortage of family doctors despite increase in physicians

Ontario is facing a growing shortage of family doctors providing traditional primary care, despite an overall increase in the number of family physicians.

While the number of family doctors rose from 104 to 118 per 100,000 people between 1993-94 and 2021-22, those offering comprehensive primary care dropped from 71 to 64 per 100,000. Nearly 40% of new family doctors are choosing focused practices like emergency departments and hospitals, attracted by higher income and better support.

This shift has left over 2.5 million Ontarians without a family doctor, exacerbating the primary care crisis. Experts call for policy interventions to address this nationwide issue.
#Ontario #healthcare
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Quebec's high number of not criminally responsible verdicts sparks debate

Recent high-profile cases in Quebec have highlighted the province's disproportionately high number of Not Criminally Responsible (NCR) verdicts. These verdicts account for less than 1% of court decisions nationwide, but Quebec has six to seven times more such verdicts than other provinces.

Notable cases include Pierre Ny St-Amand's fatal bus crash into a daycare and the stabbing death of Sgt. Maureen Breau by a man under the mental health review board's care. The Quebec government is working to improve mental health services, while advocates call for reforms like mandatory detention periods and independent audits of psychiatric evaluations.
#Quebec
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🔥 Manitoba declares state of emergency amid wildfires

Manitoba has declared a state of emergency due to severe wildfires, forcing nearly 17,000 residents to evacuate.

Premier Wab Kinew described it as the largest evacuation in recent memory. Communities like Flin Flon, Pimicikamak Cree Nation, and Cross Lake are among those affected.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has deployed the Canadian Armed Forces to assist.
#Manitoba #wildfires
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🚨 Operation blizzard: CBSA seizes illegal drugs in month-long cross-border crackdown

Operation Blizzard, a month-long initiative by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), targeted illegal drugs and precursor chemicals entering or leaving Canada via mail, air cargo, or marine containers. From February 12 to March 13, CBSA officers conducted over 2,600 seizures nationwide, with 67% of seized drugs coming from the U.S. and 17.5% destined for the U.S. Fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and cannabis were among the significant quantities intercepted.

This operation is part of Canada’s border security strategy, responding to U.S. President Donald Trump’s concerns about fentanyl entering the U.S. Ottawa invested $1.3 billion in border security and appointed Kevin Brosseau as the “fentanyl czar”.
#US
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Carney government tables $486 billion spending plan with few details

The Carney government presented Parliament Tuesday with a plan to spend about the same amount of money in the fiscal year ahead as the Trudeau government did in its final year — about $486 billion, a plan that left the Conservatives unimpressed.

Just like Justin Trudeau, Mark Carney’s spending is absolutely out of control. In fact, it’s worse.

- Poilievre

#Carney #Poilievre
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Conservatives will ‘co-operate’ with Liberals to end U.S. trade dispute: Poilievre

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he’s willing to work with the Liberals in Parliament on efforts to resolve the trade war with the United States.

Poilievre is meeting with the Conservative caucus on Sunday as they prepare to return to the House of Commons without him in the chamber.
#US #Poilievre
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🔥 Wildfires force evacuations in Northern Manitoba

A series of intense wildfires in northern Manitoba forced a mandatory evacuation for approximately 600 residents of Cranberry Portage after fires destroyed hydro lines and cut off power.

Smaller nearby communities were warned to prepare for evacuation as fires jumped a major highway.

Residents of Pimicikamak Cree Nation also faced ramped-up evacuations, with five flights planned to Winnipeg after the wildfire crossed the main road, filling the area with smoke and ash. The provincial government declared a state of emergency due to rapidly spreading wildfires and extreme fire conditions.
#Manitoba #wildfires
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🚨 Quebec introduces major bill to reduce interprovincial trade barriers

Quebec has introduced a significant new bill to reduce barriers to interprovincial trade, aiming to boost its economy and strengthen Canada’s internal market.

Tabled by Christopher Skeete, Quebec’s minister delegate for the economy, the legislation will allow goods from other Canadian provinces to be marketed, used, or consumed in Quebec without extra requirements. The government expects this could add between $10 billion and $25 billion to Quebec’s GDP over the next decade.

Other provinces like Nova Scotia, Ontario, and New Brunswick are already streamlining internal trade, but Quebec’s unique framework complicates full economic integration.
#Quebec
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🏥 Quebec’s Bill 106 sparks outcry among doctors

Quebec’s Bill 106, which links 25% of doctors’ pay to performance targets, has sparked strong opposition from physicians across the province.

Doctors warn the bill risks clinic closures, worsens the doctor shortage, and could degrade patient care quality by imposing unrealistic workload demands.

Health Minister Christian Dubé insists the bill aims to improve healthcare access and efficiency, but medical professionals argue it fails to recognize non-clinical duties and could lead to a “fast-food medicine” approach.
#Quebec #healthcare
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📝 Canada drafts "National Interest" bill to fast-track major projects

The Canadian government is drafting a "national interest" bill to expedite major nation-building projects by streamlining the regulatory approval process.

The bill aims to bypass the Impact Assessment Act, focus on economic security, national autonomy, clean growth, and Indigenous and provincial interests. It seeks to reduce project approval timelines to two years.

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🔥 Saskatchewan faces worst wildfire season on record

Saskatchewan is battling one of its worst wildfire seasons, with 16 active fires burning over 500,000 hectares and 8,000+ people evacuated, mostly from northern First Nations communities.

Premier Scott Moe warns provincial resources are stretched thin. Mandatory evacuations are in place in areas like Sturgeon Landing and Denare Beach, while Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation and Métis Nation–Saskatchewan have declared states of emergency.

Power outages and restricted access to Prince Albert National Park are disrupting services.
#Saskatchewan #wildfires
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🏛 Alberta Premier Danielle Smith gains popularity amid federal-provincial tensions

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is seeing a surge in popularity, with a recent poll showing her approval rating at 40%, well ahead of NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi’s 27%.

The escalating tensions between the Alberta government and Ottawa are a key factor driving her support. Nenshi has criticized Smith’s approach, calling it “stupid separatist games.”
#Alberta #Smith
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Premiers heap praise on meeting with Carney, but no specific projects identified

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Monday’s gathering of the country’s premiers to talk over nation-building projects with Prime Minister Mark Carney was the “best” they have had in the last decade.

Provincial and territorial leaders sat down with Carney in Saskatoon on Monday and each premier came armed with wish lists of major projects they hope the federal government will deem to be in the national interest, then fast track for approval.
#Carney
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First Nations threaten highway blockages over Ford government’s Bill 5

The leader of an Ontario First Nation is warning the Ford government it could face lawsuits, protests and disruptions of major Toronto-area highways if the province passes the controversial Bill 5 into law.

The legislation, which critics say gives the premier and his cabinet extraordinary powers to create “no law zones” across Ontario, is set to be fast-tracked this week before MPPs break for the summer.
#Ontario
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💰Ottawa collects extra $617M from import duties in March as counter-tariffs hit U.S.

Ottawa collected an extra $617 million in import duties this past March compared to a year earlier as counter-tariffs against U.S. trade restrictions came into effect.

The federal government’s latest fiscal monitor report, published late last week, shows revenues from customs import duties topped $1 billion in March, more than double the figure from a year earlier.

In March the federal government slapped retaliatory tariffs on billions of dollars in U.S. goods entering Canada — costs that are paid by Canadian businesses importing the items.
#US
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💸🗳 Up to 10k fine for individuals guilty of electoral misinformation

Starting in July 2026, anyone who impersonates an election candidate or spreads false information about the electoral process with the intent to deceive will be liable to a fine of up to $10,000.

A person guilty of spreading misinformation will also be prohibited from voting and running for election for a period of five years.

An organization or company that spreads misinformation could be fined up to $30,000.
#Quebec #election
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🏦 Bank of Canada holds key rate at 2.75% as tariff uncertainty persists

The Bank of Canada held its benchmark interest rate steady at 2.75 per cent Wednesday as policymakers keep waiting for more clarity on how tariffs will impact the economy.

Uncertainty remains high. At this decision, there was a clear consensus to hold policy unchanged as we gain more information.

Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem said after the release of the rate decision.

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