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Stelco posts strongest quarter since Cleveland-Cliffs takeover amid layoffs
Stelco posts strongest quarter since takeover
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nick Iwanyshyn
The chief executive of Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. says Stelco has posted its strongest quarterly results since the Ohio-based company acquired the steelmaker two years ago, even as it moves ahead with up to 500 layoffs at its Ontario operations.
Lourenco Goncalves says Stelco became a "positive contributor" to Cleveland-Cliffs' third-quarter results for the period ended Sept. 30 amid a sharp improvement in Canada's hot-rolled steel market.
However, he says more needs to be done by the Canadian government to correct "a clearly oversupplied market for galvanized steel in Canada."
Goncalves says without a clear plan from Ottawa aimed at improving market conditions for galvanized steel, the company made the "difficult but necessary" decision to indefinitely idle its galvanizing lines at Stelco.
He says laid off workers will be called back as soon as the current situation improves.
In the meantime, Goncalves says Stelco will concentrate on hot-rolled products "that actually have a market."
He says total production tonnage at Stelco will be maintained, its contribution to Cleveland-Cliffs' earnings will further increase, and about 2,000 Canadian jobs will be preserved.
Stelco produces hot-rolled steel at its Lake Erie Works in Nanticoke, Ont., for products such as construction materials and pipelines, while its Hamilton Works processes steel into cold-rolled and coated products, including galvanized steel, used for automotive, agriculture and infrastructure applications.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 19, 2026.
By Brett Bundale | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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Canadian Coast Guard’s only large drone is testing Arctic capability in Nunavut
The drone will fly as far north as 72 degrees North during testing through spring 2027.
A Hermes 900 Starliner surveillance drone was disassembled and shipped from Greenwood, N.S., to Iqaluit in early October, and its capacity for flying in Arctic conditions will be tested until spring 2027, according to the Canadian Coast Guard.
The drone is currently being housed in Iqaluit’s Transport Canada hangar and is the Canadian Coast Guard’s only large remotely-operated piloted aircraft, but micro drones are also in the fleet.
Monitoring ships in Canada’s waters, pollution detection, ice reconnaissance and surveillance activities in the Arctic are all part of its functionality.
“These test flights help Canadian Coast Guard personnel familiarize themselves with drone operations and procedures so we can expand our use of this system for future surveillance operations in the North,” said Craig Macartney, a communications advisor at federal agency National Defence.
Macartney said the surveillance drone will go as far as 72 degrees North, which is on the same parallel as Pond Inlet.
The Canadian government purchased the Hermes 900 Starliner from Israeli military contractor Elbit Systems for $36 million in 2020.
Since then, the surveillance drone has conducted 80 hours of testing.
“The Canadian Coast Guard is leveraging drone technology to enhance data collection for research, inform vessel deployment decisions, map response areas, monitor hazardous vessels and potential spills, and to expand our surveillance operations in the North,” Macartney said.
Copyright 2026, Nunavut News. All rights reserved.
William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News.
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Quebec's strategic maple syrup reserve running dry amid high demand
Quebec's strategic maple syrup reserve running dry
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi
The Canadian Press
The head of Quebec's maple syrup producer's association says the province's strategic syrup reserve has run dry amid high demand for the product.
Québec Maple Syrup Producers President Luc Goulet says government support will be needed to ensure the industry doesn't miss out on opportunities to grow the sector.
Maple syrup yields depend on weather conditions.
As a result, the producers' association has established a strategic reserve to ensure prices and supply remain relatively stable.
Last year, U.S. commercial customers stocked up, fearing that President Donald Trump would carry out his threat to impose tariffs.
Goulet says the buffer has been exhausted as sales continue to rise.
“Our strategic reserve has been reduced to zero,” Goulet said in an interview at the release of a report on the industry's economic benefits. That means the industry could lose customers if weather conditions are less favourable for maple sap flow, he said.
Goulet cites the stock shortages in 2007 and 2008 as an example.
“We lost some markets because the product wasn’t available,” Goulet said. “Then, consumers very quickly turn to another sweet product. And once that happens, those consumption habits are established.”
Quebec maple syrup is gaining market share abroad, according to the president of the Maple Industry Council, which represents authorized buyers.
Louis Turenne notes that exports increased by 9.34 per cent in 2024 compared to the previous year. The pace accelerated in 2025 with a 15.8 per cent increase as the threat of new tariffs loomed over the industry.
In 2026, exports rose at a slower rate — 2.48 per cent from January through August compared to the same period the previous year. "It's always hard to beat an exceptional year," Turenne said.
Goulet acknowledges that satisfying the demand of eager consumers is a nice problem to have. However, he believes the industry can still grow. “There is still a great deal of untapped potential in Quebec’s maple groves," he said.
Investments from Quebec City “are too low for our liking,” says Goulet, who hopes to have the ear of the newly-elected Parti Québécois government.
“When we’re told that we have an industry that's thriving, that we’re growing, and that we don’t need support — well, I no longer accept that line of reasoning at the government level,” he said.
For his part, Turenne believes that Quebec could encourage increased production by providing financial support to producers, and helping processors in their search for new markets abroad.
Currently, nearly 65 per cent of maple syrup exports go to the United States “We’ve made significant progress in diversifying our markets in recent years. Twenty years ago, that figure was 80 per cent,” Turenne said.
“But we need to accelerate the opening and development of European, Australian, and Asian markets to become less dependent on the U.S. market,” he said.
While the maple leaf graces the Canadian flag, the syrup industry is heavily concentrated in Quebec. More than 70 per cent of North American production is in the province, according to the industry group's report, released Thursday.
When production, processing, and specialized equipment manufacturers are included, the maple syrup industry contributed $1.21 billion to the gross domestic product in 2025, the report said.
In total, the sector employs more than 10,000 full-time equivalent workers and generated $285 million in tax revenue, excluding municipal taxes and fees for the lease of public lands.
This figure does not include the sugar shacks that many Quebecers visit in the spring.
“Sugar shack operations are more akin to the restaurant industry,” Turenne said.
The maple syrup producers' group used the recent election campaign to highlight the industry's importance as an employer and economic driver, and Goulet says the candidates were often surprised by the important role it played.
In some municipalities, "if you take away maple syrup production, you might as well shut down the villages,” Goulet said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 19, 2026.
By Stéphane Rolland | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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6 dépenses que la Ville de Montréal peut payer à ta place en 2023
Tu peux te faire rembourser plusieurs produits! 🤑
Oui, vivre en ville peut coûter cher. Avec la hausse des loyers, les prix en épicerie qui grimpent et les factures des restos qui peuvent nous surprendre une fois le repas terminé, les fins de mois sont parfois quelque peu ardues. Question de redonner un peu à la communauté et d'encourager certains gestes, il existe des subventions et de l'aide financière que tu peux demander à la Ville pour te permettre de réduire tes dépenses annuelles.
Eh oui, dans le cadre d'un programme de transition écologique, la Ville de Montréal offre des rabais de 50 % sur plusieurs produits réutilisables du quotidien. Tu peux aussi obtenir une carte qui te permet de bénéficier de toutes sortes de rabais sur des entrées et des services. Si tu désires faire le grand saut et acheter une demeure, sache aussi qu'il existe un programme pour réduire certains coûts inclus avec l’achat. Bref, tu peux tirer profit de différents avantages. Il faut juste les connaître, puis en faire la demande!
Les couches lavables pour bébé
Pour les petites familles, quelques produits d'hygiène réutilisables pour bébé sont remboursables par la Ville, et ce, dans certains arrondissements. Ainsi, si tu fais l'achat de couches et inserts (en achat ou en service de location), de culotte d'entraînement ou de couches-maillots, tu pourrais te faire rembourser 50 % de ta facture d'un minimum de 50 $. Les parents peuvent se faire rembourser jusqu'à 180 $ maximum par année. Une preuve de résidence et d'achats est requise pour faire la demande.
Pour faire ta demande de subvention
Les produits d'hygiène féminine
Dans le but d'encourager la transition écologique, la Ville rembourse 50 % des coûts de produits hygiéniques féminins, mais, encore une fois, seulement les réutilisables. Si tu utilises des coupes menstruelles, culottes, des serviettes ou éponges hygiéniques lavables ou que tu achètes des tissus pour confectionner des serviettes hygiéniques, tu peux demander un remboursement sur une facture de 60 $ maximum, et ce, au deux ans seulement. N'oublie pas de vérifier si ton arrondissement te permet d'en faire la demande.
Pour faire ta demande de subvention
Les culottes pour fuite urinaire
Vivre avec un problème d'incontinence peut être un stress au quotidien. C'est pourquoi la Ville offre aux personnes qui vivent avec ce genre de tracas de rembourser une partie du coût des culottes réutilisables pour fuite urinaire ou des couches pour adulte. Ainsi, 50 % des frais sont indemnisés, pour un maximum de 75 $. La facture présentée devra aussi être d'un minimum de 30 $ pour que ce rabais puisse s'appliquer. Ce n'est pas tous les arrondissements à Montréal qui offrent cette subvention, alors n'hésite pas à vérifier sur le site Internet de la Ville.
Pour faire ta demande de subvention
La carte accès Montréal
La carte Accès Montréal te permet de profiter d'une panoplie d'activités à rabais. Spectacles, tarifs réduits pour location de bixi, billets pour des parcs, loisir et sports, musées, tu peux même obtenir des rabais sur des entrées pour le spa! La carte est au coût de 9 $ et peut être demandée en ligne ou en personne dans les bureaux d'Accès Montréal.
Pour en faire la demande
Un arbre à bas prix
Afin de verdir Montréal, la Ville offre la possibilité à ses résident.es d'acheter des arbres à planter sur leur terrain, et ce, à faible coût. Bonne nouvelle, ce programme est offert dans tous les arrondissements de l'île.
« Vous pouvez choisir votre arbre parmi une quarantaine d’essences offertes à bas prix », peut-on lire sur le site Web de la Ville. Il y a même, dans certains secteurs, la possibilité de demander une livraison et un service de plantation à petit prix. Pratique si tu avais justement besoin d'un peu d'ombre dans ton jardin.
Pour en faire la demande
Programme d'acquisition d'une première maison
Si tu rêves de t'acheter une maison dans la métropole, mais que tu clignes des yeux à la vue des chiffres exorbitants sur les pancartes d'annonce immobilière, sache que la Ville offre la possibilité d'obtenir une aide financière pour les premier.ères acheteur.euses. Les bénéficiaires du programme pourraient ainsi acquérir un montant forfaitaire à l'achat d'une propriété neuve et un remboursement des droits de mutation si la propriété est déjà existante.
Pour en faire la demande