Chicago’s famous sidewalk ‘rat hole’ has been removed, but its legacy lives on

As It Happens5:43Chicago’s famous sidewalk ‘rat hole’ has been removed, but its legacy lives on Winslow Dumaine doesn’t believe Chicago has seen the last of “the rat hole.” The slab of concrete sidewalk with a rat-shaped imprint had become both a source of both pride and consternation for residents. Officials removed it on Wednesday, and the sidewalk … Read more

Honda to invest $15B to build 4 new EV plants in Ontario

Japanese automaker Honda will make a $15-billion electric vehicle investment in Ontario to build four new manufacturing plants in the province, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced Thursday. According to a government statement released to media in advance of the announcement, the deal will result in “Canada’s first comprehensive electric vehicle … Read more

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

Google fires 28 employees who protested its cloud contract with Israeli government

Google said on Thursday it has terminated 28 employees after some staff participated in protests against the company’s cloud contract with the Israeli government. The Alphabet unit said a small number of protesting employees entered and disrupted work at a few unspecified office locations. “Physically impeding other employees’ work and preventing them from accessing our facilities … Read more

After community backlash, celeb chef David Chang will no longer enforce ‘chili crunch’ trademark

Day 69:34A small business owner resists Momofuku’s bid to trademark Chili Crunch Celebrity chef David Chang says he will no longer enforce the trademark for his chili crunch condiment.  The reversal comes after days of criticism, as some said his company, Momofuku, had attempted to bully business owners from selling their own version of the … Read more

Don’t shut Line 5: Biden administration issues long-awaited position on Canada-U.S. pipeline

The Biden administration has weighed in for the first time on a major cross-border legal dispute that could shut down portions of Enbridge’s Line 5 Canada-U.S. oil pipeline. The opinion came in an amicus brief that, although nuanced, argued against shutting down the pipeline, partly in order to preserve diplomatic relations with Canada. The more than 1,000-kilometre long … 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

Lengthier job hunts for recent graduates could be major factor in unemployment rate

Nearly a year after graduating from Carleton University with a degree in engineering physics, Surya Nareshan is still struggling to find employment. Nareshan, who lives in Ottawa, has applied for dozens of positions since May — mostly in software engineering and optics. While he’s made it through multiple rounds of interviews, including elaborate proficiency testing, he hasn’t yet found … Read more

Advocacy groups decry federal government’s shutdown of mental health website, app

Mental health and addictions experts are slamming the federal government’s decision to shut down an online service that offered help with finding free counselling and peer support over the last four years. Health Canada announced in February that it would stop funding the Wellness Together Canada website and PocketWell app on April 3. Despite a … Read more

Poilievre calls on Trudeau to meet with premiers opposing federal carbon price

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should convene an emergency meeting with the country’s premiers to discuss the federal carbon price, Conservative Pierre Poilievre wrote in a letter Tuesday. Poilievre circulated the letter following the $15-per-tonne increase to the consumer carbon price that kicked in on Monday. The scheduled increase added about 3.3 cents to the carbon … Read more