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Inspections continue on Mercier Bridge
Quebec’s transport ministry does not expect more emergency repairs but is still assessing similar beams.
No further emergency repair work to the Mercier Bridge is anticipated following initial inspections, according to the Quebec transport ministry (MTMD), but the ministry has not finished assessing the condition of all the bridge’s similar beams.
Last Tuesday, the left Montreal-bound lane was suddenly closed due to a crack in a steel beam that was discovered during maintenance, causing major traffic problems and renewing calls for the aging infrastructure to be replaced.
The beam was repaired over the weekend, a process that involved drilling into the crack and reinforcing the beam with steel plates.
“As a precautionary measure, a new round of inspections for steel beams similar to the one that was repaired is scheduled for the coming weeks,” said MTMD spokesperson Louis-André Bertrand in a statement to The Eastern Door, noting last week’s inspections targeted easily accessible beams.
Planned maintenance will continue no matter the findings of these inspections.
So far, it hasn’t been confirmed how the need for emergency closure arose, according to the MTMD.
“The ministry is continuing its analysis to determine the exact cause of this crack,” Bertrand said.
Grand chief objects to reaction
Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) grand chief Cody Diabo took to Facebook this week to praise Kahnawake workers and criticize regional leaders for failing to offer assistance on traffic, which is exacerbated by regional development Kahnawake opposes, and for taking stances about what should happen on Kahnawake territory without involving the community.
Diabo said Highway 132 and 138 through Kahnawake territory, and the bridge itself, must not increase their footprint under Kahnawake’s “not one more inch” policy.
“Kahnawake has our own priorities, and it does not include making it easier for our community to be a shortcut over the bridge,” he wrote. “We have never been asked how is the development affecting us, instead (we) are expected to accept it and stay silent.”
He tagged Chateauguay mayor Eric Allard, who had called for action on the bridge, including the construction of a new crossing over the Seaway. He also tagged new premier Paul St. Pierre Plamondon and member of the National Assembly Felix Rheaume, who was elected under the Liberal banner to represent the riding of Chateauguay, which includes Kahnawake.
Allard was not available for an interview, and the city of Chateauguay offered no comment.
marcus@easterndoor.com
Marcus Bankuti, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Copyright 2026, The Eastern Door. All rights reserved.
Marcus Bankuti, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Eastern Door.
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Ballots cast on election day in B.C. will be counted by hand, Elections BC says
B.C. election day ballots will be counted by hand
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns
It's the last full day of campaigning in British Columbia's election ahead of final voting day Saturday, when most ballots will be counted by hand.
Elections BC has confirmed that votes cast on election day will be tallied manually, in a departure from 2024, when electronic tabulators were used to count paper ballots for the first time in a general election.
That was hailed as a success in Elections BC's report on the polls, but the agency says in a statement that it's going back to a manual count due to "short time frames and complex operational logistics of a snap election."
It says paper ballots cast at advance polling stations and at district electoral offices will be counted with electronic tabulators, and it expects those results to be reported first.
Elections BC also says the election-night count will not include absentee or main-in ballots, which will be tallied at the final count scheduled Nov. 6 to Nov. 10.
Advance voting numbers released Thursday were down more than 11 per cent compared to 2024, bucking a two-decade upward trend.
There were more than 891,000 advance votes cast from Friday to Wednesday, representing about 24 per cent of all registered voters.
That compares to more than one million advance votes cast in 2024, when numbers spiked 49 per cent over the previous election.
Elections BC's report on the 2024 election says electronic tabulation allowed the first preliminary results to be reported within five minutes of polls closing, and 59 per cent of preliminary results to reported within half an hour.
"In past elections first results typically started to be reported around 45 minutes after polls closed," it said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2026.
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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Advocates flag contributions, not costs, of newcomers in Alberta referendum aftermath
Alberta vote raises labour shortage concerns
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
A union representative for a beef processing plant south of Calgary is warning of worsening labour shortages if immigration policy proposals that narrowly passed in Alberta's referendum are enacted.
"These are tough and high turnover jobs with few candidates lining up to fill them," said Faduma Ahmed, with the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 401 at Cargill's abattoir in High River, Alta.
With 98 per cent of polls reporting in Monday's referendum, a slim majority of votes were cast in favour of limiting access to or charging a fee for provincially funded services based on immigration status. Premier Danielle Smith's government had argued that the cost to provide health care and education to temporary Alberta residents amounts to $1 billion a year and that a surge in newcomers has strained affordability and services.
But critics have warned that the referendum's outcome could make Alberta less attractive to newcomers at a time when jobs desperately need to be filled.
At the Cargill plant, temporary foreign workers, refugees, permanent residents and citizens from all over the globe work side by side and all pay taxes, said Ahmed. It's back-breaking work, with staffers often having to hoist whole carcasses.
"When we sit down to eat, we rarely think about the intense and the gruelling labour it takes to get the food onto our tables, right on our plate," she said, adding that workers have come to her concerned about their ability to pay for health care and school for their children.
"They are foundational to keeping our economy moving, and they are navigating the exact same punishing affordability crisis as every other Albertan."
Ahmed said the union will draw a "hard line" if the proposals become law.
"We will fight to ensure immigrant workers receive the same services they do today, up to and including making the employers pay at the bargaining table to fund the differences."
Another sector that relies heavily on immigration is health care for seniors.
"Often we'll find they'll work in roles that maybe some Canadians may not be interested in," said Leah Lechelt, executive director of the Christian Health Association of Alberta, which represents non-profits that employ 22,000 staff across the province.
She said some college programs for health-care aides have closed or reduced their enrolment simply because there haven't been enough applications domestically.
The workforce hails from around the world, and are mostly health-care aides, but also cleaning and food-service staff, Lechelt said. They deal with vulnerable patients, so regulations largely limit those jobs to permanent residents and citizens.
"It's really a very attractive role for somebody who is fairly new to Canada and sometimes is working on some English language proficiency skills."
The association has established an apprenticeship program that enables those in entry-level jobs, like housekeeping, to train on-site to become health-care aides and pursue a better-paying career path.
"And then we can backfill those positions with other newcomers, maybe starting out in their journey in Canada."
One of the referendum proposals asked whether Albertans would support the province taking more control of immigration from the federal government.
It was an idea the Business Council of Alberta has long advocated, said president Adam Legge.
"There's a bit of a better on-the-ground intel perspective compared to a centralized decision in Ottawa," he said.
"Oftentimes there are some skills and geographic mismatches between what Ottawa approves on an immigration basis and what is needed."
For instance, he said there's a huge demand for workers in the skilled trades, like heavy-duty mechanics, welders and electricians.
He said he heard from members generally that they don't want to see anything deter people from choosing to live in Alberta.
Research by University of Calgary economist Trevor Tombe commissioned by the Calgary Chamber of Commerce found immigrants paid an estimated $4.1 billion in Alberta personal income taxes in 2026.
It also found immigrants younger than 40 had a net fiscal contribution of almost $1 billion, after the cost of provincial family programs, workers' compensation and social assistance are accounted for.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2026.
By Lauren Krugel | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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Un des meilleurs amis de Charles d'OD prend sa défense et parle des commentaires haineux
Cette édition d'OD est marquée par plusieurs candidats aux fortes personnalités comme Julie, Karine, ou Charles. Ce dernier a reçu de nombreux commentaires haineux du public dans les dernières semaines et son ami Le Fit Cook prend la défense de Charles d'OD dans une publication Instagram.
Jérémie Latreille, surnommé « Le Fit Cook » a publié le mardi 27 octobre une photo avec son ami, candidat de l'aventure d'Occupation Double Chez Nous.
Dans la description de sa publication, il mentionne que Charles ne mérite pas les commentaires haineux circulant sur les réseaux sociaux.
La sélection de l'éditeur : Une sexologue aborde la question du code vestimentaire non genré dans les écoles au Québec
''
Il fait du mieux qu'il peut et il a 0 mauvaise intention. Il donne son opinion et prône des belles valeurs.
Le Fit Cook
« Charles est comme ça, il parle fort, il aime avoir le lead, il prend de la place, il est goon, il est loud et parfois même un peu arrogant. Ça fait pas de lui un mauvais gars, je vous confirme qu'il a le cœur dans la main prêt à aider n'importe qui », a écrit Le Fit Cook.
Il demande aux spectateurs de se mettre à la place de son ami avant d'écrire des commentaires négatifs et blessants. Ayant lui-même failli participer à OD l'an dernier, il confirme que l'expérience est « super stressante ».
Le cuisinier explique que Charles vit cette pression tous les jours dans l'aventure où il est jugé par le public québécois.
« Quand est-ce que se coucher à 9 h c'est rendu loser? Le boy est au gym à 5 h 30 le lendemain […] Moi je le trouve cock à l'os, il est en contrôle et il donne un bon show. »
Il rappelle aux spectateurs de la téléréalité : « Calmez-vous, c'est une émission télé dirigée par une équipe de prod. »