🇺🇸 U.S. ambassador to Canada says trade talks will ‘take a while’

U.S. ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra says the current stage of trade negotiations is slow moving, but not stalled.

It’s going to take a while to work through it. There’s a lot of issues that are still on the table ... the next few weeks are going to kind of be slow. (U.S. President Donald Trump has) got some other priorities.

#US
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💰Canada's trade deficit widened in June to second largest on record

Canada's merchandise trade deficit widened in June to C$5.9 billion ($4.24 billion) as imports grew faster than exports due to a one-time high-value oil equipment import.

The deficit observed in June is the second highest on record after the deficit expanded to its largest in history in April to C$7.6 billion, when the impact of U.S. tariffs first started to weigh.

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📈 Record number of people leaving B.C., mostly for Alberta and Ontario

Economic perspectives from the Business Council of British Columbia, which tracked interprovincial migration, found that out-migration of B.C. residents to other provinces surged to almost 70,000 people over the last few years.

The business council said this was a record level — by comparison, the next closest peaks in out-migration were 64,000 in 1998 and 65,000 in 1975.

Meanwhile, the report found that people moving to B.C. from across Canada dropped to around 55,000, which is below the long-term average of around 62,000.

The majority of people who left B.C. went to either Alberta or Ontario, with two-thirds of those leaving being under the age of 40.
#BritishColumbia #Alberta #Ontario
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Cross-border travel from B.C. to Washington state down 28% in July

The number of B.C. cars crossing into Washington state in July were at their highest level since February — but it was still nearly a third fewer than a year ago.

Southbound crossings at the four main points of entry near Metro Vancouver were down 27.7 per cent last month compared to July 2024.
#BritishColumbia #US
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Majority of Canadians support Palestine recognition even if Trump objects amid trade dispute: survey

A new Angus Reid Institute survey reveals that a majority of Canadians support recognizing Palestine as a state even if it complicates negotiations with the U.S.

🔹Despite warnings from U.S. President Donald Trump, who said Canada’s stance could make a trade deal “very hard” to achieve, 63 per cent of survey respondents say that Canada should go forth with the recognition even if Trump objects.

🔹20 per cent of Canadians think the nation should reverse course to safeguard trade relations. Another 17 per cent of respondents were unsure.
#Palestine #US
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🏠💰Toronto home prices could hit $1.8M, Vancouver $2.8M by 2032 without major supply boost

Median home prices in Toronto could climb to $1.8 million and Vancouver’s to $2.8 million by 2032 if the rate of new housing supply is not increased significantly, new research has found.
#housing
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✈️ Air Canada offers 32.5% increase for flight attendants in contract talks

Air Canada offered its flight attendants an overall increase of more than 30 per cent over four years ahead of a potential strike, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.

The union representing the airline’s more than 10,000 flight attendants announced Tuesday that its members voted 99.7 per cent to strike, putting them in a legal position to walk off the job as soon as Aug. 16. Airlines usually begin winding down operations and canceling flights days before a potential labour disruption.

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🇨🇦🇺🇦 Carney and Zelenskyy speak ahead of Trump-Putin summit in Alaska

Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke by phone Monday, reaffirming their agreement that Ukraine must be a party to any discussions about a possible end to the war in that country.

The two leaders underscored that decisions on the future of Ukraine must be made by Ukrainians [and] international borders cannot be changed by force.

said a statement detailing the discussion that was released by the Prime Minister's Office.

#Carney #Ukraine #US #Russia
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🏠 Ford government fails to hit housing target, even after adding LTC beds, student dorms

Despite adding long-term care beds, retirement homes and student dormitories to its housing statistics, the Ford government fell tens of thousands of units short of its goal last year.

New data released by the province this month confirms that even with its modified definitions of new housing, Ontario achieved less than 80 per cent of its self-imposed 125,000-unit target for 2024.

The figure was introduced by the Ford government after it won the 2022 election, partly with a promise to build 1.5 million new homes over 10 years to 2031.
#housing #Ontario
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🇺🇸📉 Canadian road trips to U.S. plunge for seventh month as boycott continues

Road trips to the U.S. decreased for a seventh straight month as Canadians ramped up their American boycott.
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Canadian-resident return trips by automobile from the neighboring U.S. slumped 36.9 per cent in July from a year ago, Statistics Canada data showed.
#US
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📊 Survey suggests Canadians are open to mandatory service for those under 30 - as long as it’s not military

A recent survey suggests many Canadians are open to the idea of serving their country in some way, even if it’s mandatory.

About seven in 10 respondents support one year of mandatory time donated in the fields of civil protection, which includes disaster response, emergency management and firefighting; public health support in hospitals and elderly care; environmental support with Parks Canada or conservation efforts; or youth services, such as tutoring and after-school programs.

However, when it came to mandatory military service, the overall results were more divisive, with 43 per cent in support of it and 44 per cent opposing it.

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🇺🇸 Canada’s energy minister holds dual Canadian-U.S. citizenship, sees ‘no reason’ to renounce

Canada’s Energy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson holds dual Canada-U.S. citizenship and sees “no reason” to give up his American citizenship “at this time.”

Hodgson confirmed his dual citizenship in an interview, stating he has “no confusion about where my loyalties lie.”

He said he became a dual citizen “in the early 1990s” when he was living and working in the U.S., but noted his history serving Canada both prior to, and after, that time.

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📊 More than half of Canadians want cuts to the federal public service: poll

More than half of Canadians think the size and cost of the federal public service should be reduced in the coming years, a new Leger poll suggests.

🔹The poll indicates that 54 per cent of respondents want the federal bureaucracy cut, 24 per cent want it maintained and four per cent say it should get bigger. The poll suggests 17 per cent of respondents were not sure what should happen.

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🇨🇳 China announces 75.8% tariffs on Canadian canola

China announced a 75.8 per cent preliminary tariff on Canadian canola on Tuesday, following an anti-dumping investigation launched last year in response to Canada’s tax on Chinese electric vehicles.

China’s Ministry of Commerce published the details of the plan on Tuesday, claiming the “dumping” of Canadian canola into the Chinese market is hurting its domestic canola oil market.
#China
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Ottawa pressed to factor in 500,000 undocumented residents as it consults on immigration targets

Economists are urging the government to factor in the estimated 500,000 undocumented residents in Canada as it consults on its forthcoming immigration levels plan.

The immigration levels are annually presented in October or November to help planning for housing, schools, health care and infrastructure.

In October, former prime minister Justin Trudeau and then-immigration minister Marc Miller unveiled plans to reduce permanent resident numbers from 500,000 to 395,000 in 2025 and from 500,000 to 380,000 in 2026. They set a target of 365,000 permanent residents in 2027.
#immigration
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🧑‍⚕️ Saskatchewan health authority implements Indigenous hair consent policy

The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) has introduced a new policy requiring staff to obtain consent before cutting the hair of Indigenous patients, recognizing the cultural and spiritual significance of hair.

This follows an incident where a First Nations woman had her hair shaved without consent in the ICU. The SHA has issued apologies, initiated reviews, and implemented mandatory cultural responsiveness training, completed by over 90% of staff. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe supports the policy as part of reconciliation efforts.
#Saskatchewan
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Conservatives say the justice system favours non-citizens

The Conservatives want to change the Criminal Code to eliminate what they say is a double standard in the justice system that allows non-citizens to get lighter sentences than Canadians who have been convicted of the same crime.

Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner said her party will introduce a private member's bill when the House of Commons returns in September, promising the change will "restore the value of Canadian citizenship."

The bill "will expressly outline that any potential impact of a sentence on the immigration status of a convicted non-citizen offender, or that of their family members, should not be taken into consideration," the Conservative Party says in a statement.

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🇺🇸 U.S. visitors to Canada outnumber Canadians in U.S. in rare reversal

As Canadian travel to the United States continues to decline, new data shows a notable tipping point: More Americans visited Canada this July than Canadians did the United States, in a reversal not seen in years.

Statistics Canada’s latest figures show that U.S. residents made 1.8 million trips into Canada by automobile last month, with only 1.7 million Canadian return trips from the United States.
#US
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💸 Canadian government repatriates ISIS-linked women and children for $170,000

The Canadian government spent at least $170,000 repatriating eight women linked to ISIS and their children from detention camps in Syria. This included costs for business class flights, hotel stays, and meals in Montreal.
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🇺🇸 Nearly 150 Canadians held in ICE custody this year, including two toddlers, data show

At least two Canadian toddlers have been held in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody this year, including one who was detained for 51 days, more than double the legal detention period for migrant children in the United States.

The toddlers are among 149 Canadians ranging between two and 77 years old who have been held at some point in ICE custody since January, when President Donald Trump took office and ordered an expansive immigration crackdown.
#US
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🏠💸 One-third of renters spend more than 50% of income on rent: survey

A survey shows 34 per cent of renters spend more than half of their income on rent, even as the rental market has cooled off recently.

Despite the financial hardship, the survey found 66 per cent of those spending big on rent still say they don't want a roommate.

The report, which surveyed 510 renters across Canada, says only 22 per cent of respondents were spending 30 per cent or less of their income on rent, which is often considered the affordability benchmark.
#housing
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