For its next trick, Ottawa must unload the $34B Trans Mountain pipeline. It won’t be easy

In her budget speech to the House of Commons on Tuesday, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland took a moment to celebrate the finishing touch on expansion of the Trans Mountain oil pipeline. The controversial project has been plagued by delays and massive cost overruns, but Freeland instead focused on its completion, highlighting the: “talented tradespeople and the brilliant … Read more

Actor Jonathan Majors avoids jail time, sentenced to counselling for assault

Actor Jonathan Majors has been ordered to complete a year-long counselling program but avoided jail time Monday for assaulting his ex-girlfriend in a high-profile case that derailed the once-promising star’s career. The 34-year-old star of Creed III and other films had faced up to a year behind bars after he was convicted of misdemeanor assault by … Read more

Why the Conservatives and NDP are headed for a clash over Canada’s working-class votes

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s path to power may be by prosecuting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s past eight years in government, but his road to victory is painted NDP orange. Appealing to working-class voters in rural and northern ridings — like those held by New Democrats across British Columbia and Liberals in northern Ontario — is … Read more

What Japanese moviegoers have to say about Oppenheimer as it debuts on Hiroshima, Nagasaki screens

Oppenheimer finally premiered Friday in the nation where two cities were obliterated 79 years ago by the nuclear weapons invented by the American scientist who was the subject of the Oscar-winning film. The reviews of Japanese filmgoers who spoke to reporters were understandably mixed and highly emotional. The film’s release in Japan, more than eight … Read more

U.S. eases vehicle emissions rules, but overall reduction targets remain unchanged

The Biden administration on Wednesday slashed its target for U.S. electric vehicle adoption from 67 per cent by 2032 to as little as 35 per cent after industry and autoworker backlash in the political battleground state of Michigan. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) instead adopted a “technology neutral” regulatory scheme that allows automakers far more freedom … Read more

Wildfires made Canada’s air quality worse than the U.S. for the first time

Canada’s record-setting wildfire season hiked the country up global pollution rankings — and for the first time made its air quality worse than the U.S., according to a new report by air quality technology company IQAir. “In previous years, Canada had the cleanest air quality in all of North America,” said Glory Dolphin Hammes, CEO of … Read more

Iceland volcano spews smoke, lava in 4th eruption since December

A volcano in Iceland erupted for the fourth time since December on Saturday, the country’s meteorological office said, spewing smoke and bright orange lava into the air in sharp contrast against the dark night sky. In a video shot from a Coast Guard helicopter and shown on public broadcaster RUV, fountains of molten rock soared … Read more

New satellite will track elusive methane pollution from oil and gas industry globally

A privately funded satellite is set to push methane tracking into a new era, once it launches into space on Monday. A collaborative mission between Environmental Defense Fund, Google, the Government of New Zealand and several other partners, MethaneSAT will track methane emissions around the globe in attempts to identify and quantify sources spewing the climate-heating greenhouse gas.  For 20 … Read more

The pharmacare bill is coming today — here’s what you need to know

The Liberal government is expected to table its pharmacare legislation today — possibly the biggest expansion of publicly funded health care in Canada in decades. Because Canada is the only country in the world with a universal health care system that doesn’t have universal drug coverage, the move would take Canada one step closer to parity … Read more

Lab-grown meat could be the future of food — but possibly not in our lifetimes: experts

The Current24:29Will lab-grown meat ever reach our plates? What’s cultivated, meat-like, and could help lower greenhouse gas emissions? Lab-grown meat — and it could be the future of protein. Sometimes known as cultured meat, lab-grown meat is unlike plant-based alternatives from companies such as Beyond Meat or Impossible Foods. Instead, it’s made by taking a few stem … Read more