Mathieu Perreault a (encore une fois) été opéré à l’oeil
November 17, 2021, 01:36 PM
November 17, 2021, 02:07 PM
Il y a un peu plus de deux semaines, on apprenait que Mathieu Perreault allait …
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Here are five things to know about B.C.'s only televised election debate
Five things to know about B.C.'s televised debate
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
British Columbia's three main party leaders took part in the only televised debate on Wednesday night, trading barbs, criticizing their opponents' policies and making their pitch for votes.
Here are five take-aways from the debate between interim B.C. Conservative leader Lorne Doerkson, NDP Leader David Eby and Green Party Leader Emily Lowan:
Conservatives tried to bring down his government 13 times, Eby said.
Eby said neither he nor his party have been perfect while in government, but he defended his snap election call, saying he needed a stronger mandate to respond to tariff threats from the United States.
"This was not a government that was able to deliver the big swings that you and your family need government to be taking for you," he said.
Doerkson said his plan would benefit British Columbians with the lowest incomes
Doerkson said he would pay down the forecasted provincial deficit of $13.8 billion by supercharging the economy without introducing new taxes or raising existing ones.
He also defended plans to give British Columbians a tax cut, which he said would inject $2 billion into the provincial economy.
"When we give a break to business in British Columbia, they spend," he said. "They create an economy."
Top priority to advocate for a better electoral system, Lowan said.
Lowan said her party would push for election process if it held the balance of power in a minority government.
"A voting system where we're not caught between lesser evils, where we are choosing between broken promises or service cuts. And I think we can find that system in proportional representation."
Eby leaves a trail of broken promises, his opponents said.
Doerkson said B.C. residents no longer believe Eby.
"You have had a decade to try to fix what's happening in this province," Doerkson said.
Lowan noted Eby's decision to slow construction on seven long-term care projects.
"This year's election bribes are next year's broken promises."
Eby promised last week that the seven projects are back on track.
A surprise appearance by party leaders who didn't meet the threshold to take part in the debate.
CentreBC Leader Elenore Sturko and interim OneBC leader Dallas Brodie delivered taped messages near the end of Wednesday's debate. They were once caucus colleagues within the Conservatives but split off.
Sturko described her party as socially progressive and fiscally responsible, saying she would bring a centrist voice to Victoria.
Brodie said her party would push for a 25 per cent income tax cut for both individuals and corporations, while promising to end the "greed and corruption" of what she called the reconciliation industry.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 15, 2026.
By The Canadian Press | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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Health ministers set to meet in Winnipeg after Ottawa announces funding extension
Canada's health ministers set to meet in Winnipeg
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby
Canadian health ministers meet in Winnipeg today after the federal government announced it would extend funding for mental health, addictions and home care by one year.
Federal Health Minister Marjorie Michel made the announcement on social media late Wednesday, saying the extension represents $1.2 billion in funding.
The existing funding was set to expire next year.
Manitoba Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara is to host provincial and territorial counterparts today, and Michel is to co-chair Friday's meeting.
Provincial health ministers had said they were worried about "profound and negative" effects on patients and health-care jobs if the federal funding agreements weren't renewed in this year's budget.
Provinces and territories also raised concerns about the future of the Canada Health Transfer as the federal budget states the minimum growth rate will drop to three per cent from five per cent in 2028.
Asagwara says after meeting with Michel that she has shared the unanimous concerns of health ministers and is keen to hear more on federal health funding.
"I am thrilled to be able to say that I feel Minister Michel has been listening," Asagwara said Wednesday.
"I look forward to hearing some news from the minister on this, we all do."
Linda Silas, president of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions, said funding commitments should be a priority.
She said the federal government can't lose sight of the importance of health care as it ramps up spending on defence and other priorities.
"There has to be a just balance, and we have to see our health-care system as an investment, as a human rights issue, and as proud Canadians, it's the core of our fabric, and we need to hear our prime minister speak more loudly about it."
The Canadian Medical Association said in a release Wednesday that the meeting is an important opportunity for the federal government to provide certainty on funding to provinces and territories.
The association said strong and reliable federal funding to maintain universal health care is foundational to growing Canada's economy.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 15, 2026.
By Ian Bickis | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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Ottawa to announce $100 million toward offshore wind projects in Nova Scotia
Ottawa to announce $100M toward offshore wind
THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Julia Nikhinson
The federal government is set to announce a $100-million commitment toward developing offshore wind energy in Nova Scotia in the hope of attracting private investment to projects like the province's Wind West plan.
Federal Energy Minister Tim Hodgson is expected to deliver the announcement in Halifax on Thursday morning. A media advisory says he is to be joined by Justice Minister Sean Fraser — whose riding brushes up against Halifax and who last month attended the world’s largest wind industry trade show in Germany.
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston, who has long called on Ottawa to help cover the costs of the Wind West project, is also set to be on hand for the announcement.
A senior government source, who was not authorized to publicly disclose details ahead of the announcement, said Ottawa is putting $5 million toward deploying a fleet of buoys to help measure wind speeds and ocean conditions.
The information, the source says, will help inform prospective investors ahead of a call for bids in winter 2027.
The provincial government says the first phase of Wind West is estimated to cost about $60 billion and would produce about five gigawatts of power as early as 2033. About $40 billion would be for turbine infrastructure, with another $20 billion for new transmission lines.
In June 2025, Houston said the province's plan to license enough offshore wind farms to produce five gigawatts of electricity would be increased eightfold to 40 gigawatts, well beyond the 2.4 gigawatts Nova Scotia needs.
Houston has said the excess electricity could be used to supply 27 per cent of Canada's total demand. Quebec and Massachusetts have already shown interest in buying electricity from the proposed project.
Thursday's announcement is also expected to include a $3-million commitment to expand modelling to include transmission of offshore wind power from Nova Scotia to Quebec and Ontario, and for underwater survey work to route transmission cables.
Earlier this year, Nova Scotia's offshore energy regulator signalled its intent to begin studying areas of the ocean that could be home to the first turbines of the Wind West project.
Although the federal government says more than 80 per cent of Canada's electricity comes from renewables — such as solar, hydro, nuclear and wind power — Ottawa has faced criticism in recent months from environmental groups over prioritizing conventional oil and gas projects rather than investing in more renewables.
In particular, Ottawa's electricity strategy unveiled in May aims to double Canada's grid. A key component of the strategy is leveraging a build out of natural gas.
Clean Energy Canada, a think tank at Simon Fraser University, said at the time the strategy "overstates the role of natural gas and understates the long-term energy security and affordability benefits of clean energy."
Marine Renewables Canada, the national association for the offshore wind industry, says the global offshore wind market is projected to be a trillion-dollar industry by 2040.
"And while Canada is home to some of the world's longest and most wind-rich coastlines, we have yet to install a single offshore wind turbine," the organization says.
"Nearly 30 countries are ahead of us, and in the North Sea alone, thousands of turbines now generate more than 30 gigawatts of power."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 15, 2026.
— With files from Michael MacDonald and Devin Stevens in Halifax.
By Nick Murray | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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