Discover Narcity
Get the latest and greatest stories every day in your inbox.
Manitoba government says it will use crypto levy to reduce hydro rates
Manitoba to use crypto levy to reduce hydro rates
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
The Manitoba government says it plans direct revenue from a levy on crypto operations to reducing hydro rates.
Finance Minister Adrien Sala says the government expects the measure to bring in about $20 million based on current crypto operations, which he said would translate into $50 a year in savings per ratepayer household.
The returns on the levy could, however, go down if crypto companies leave the province or go bankrupt from the 100 per cent markup on the rates they now face.
Companies warned at an April committee meeting that the sharp rise in their rates would be ruinous.
The government put forward the changes as part of a budget implementation bill introduced Thursday that would also see the Workers Compensation Board restored to the government for financial reporting purposes.
Sala says having WCB on the books will create more volatility but also increase transparency.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 15, 2026.
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Keep reading
Show less
CFB Kingston failed environmental compliance inspection on refrigerants: memo
CFB Kingston failed environmental inspection: memo
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg
Environment Canada sent National Defence a warning letter earlier this year alleging CFB Kingston broke federal environmental rules by failing to test rooftop air conditioners for refrigerant leaks in 2023.
National Defence documents, obtained through Access to Information law, say the base experienced three large halocarbon releases of over 100 kilograms in the past two years.
Halocarbons are greenhouse gases widely used as refrigerants and are associated with climate change.
The Defence Department blamed limited maintenance resources and poor record-keeping.
The documents also say the government’s recent hikes to the defence budget have led to more resources for maintenance and compliance, including at the Kingston base.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has booked tens of billions in added defence spending to meet Canada’s steep NATO spending commitments — although a previous operational spending clawback is reportedly still going ahead.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 15, 2026.
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Keep reading
Show less
Vancouver officer says Gray not lawfully entitled to repel police during fatal arrest
Gray not entitled to repel police, officer says
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
A Vancouver police officer involved in the deadly arrest of Myles Gray in 2015 says he doesn't believe Gray had any lawful right to repel officers' use of force against him.
Const. Eric Birzneck is testifying at a public hearing into Gray's death called by the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner in Vancouver.
Hearing counsel Brock Martland asked Birzneck about scenarios where a member of the public may be legally allowed to resist police use of force if the "police contact is unlawful," but Birzneck says he believed Gray was "arrestable" at the time of the encounter.
Birzneck is one of seven officers involved in the fatal altercation with Gray who are named as respondents in the public hearing, called to determine whether the officers committed misconduct under the Police Act.
He is the first to testify, telling the hearing this week that Gray displayed incredible strength and appeared "impervious to pain" as officers tried to subdue him near the boundary between Burnaby and Vancouver on Aug. 13, 2015.
No charges have been laid over Gray's death, which a 2023 coroner's inquest ruled was a homicide, a term that does not assign legal blame.
The commissioner's notice of public hearing says an earlier disciplinary process had dismissed the misconduct allegations, but the discipline authority found the process "strangely lopsided" and had to decide the case despite "discrepancies and inconsistencies in statements made by VPD members."
The inquest heard that Gray was left with injuries that included a fractured eye socket, a crushed voice box and ruptured testicles, while a paramedic told the inquest that Gray's bruising was so severe, he initially thought he was not a white man.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 15, 2026.
By Darryl Greer | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Keep reading
Show less