By Canadian Press

In the news today: Bloc wins Montreal Liberal stronghold

Sep 17, 2024 | 2:16 AM

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed…

Bloc wins Montreal Liberal stronghold, NDP holds on to seat in Winnipeg byelection

The Bloc Québécois has won the Montreal Liberal stronghold riding of LaSalle—Émard—Verdun after an extremely tight three-way race with the NDP.

The resounding celebrations are another blow to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who faced calls to resign after losing another longtime Liberal seat in Toronto to the Conservatives in June.

Elections Canada reported all 187 polls showing the Bloc won the seat 248 votes ahead of the Liberals.

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Further west in Winnipeg, the NDP maintained its stronghold in the riding of Elmwood — Transcona in a tight byelection race with the Conservatives.

Elections Canada reported the results of all 191 polls in the Winnipeg riding, showing NDP candidate Leila Dance won the race with 48.1 per cent of the vote.

Here’s what else we’re watching…

Inquiry to hear from MPs, elections commissioner

Liberal John McKay and Conservative Garnett Genuis are slated to appear today at a federal inquiry into foreign interference.

Both members of Parliament serve with the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, a group that brings together representatives of various countries to demand accountability from Beijing.

The federal inquiry, led by commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue, is also scheduled to hear from representatives of the Office of the Commissioner of Canada Elections, which carries out investigations.

The latest round of public hearings is focusing on the capacity of federal agencies to detect, deter and counter foreign interference.

The hearings, scheduled to continue through Oct. 16, will be relatively broad in scope, examining democratic institutions and the experiences of diaspora communities.

Calgary council facing fallout of Green Line spat

Calgary city council is set to face the fallout Tuesday of losing Alberta government funding for its Green Line light rail transit project, as Mayor Jyoti Gondek says it’s clear the province isn’t willing to budge on its rerouting demands.

Council is set to hear recommendations on how it could pay for the cost of abandoning the project and will mull over how it might transfer responsibility to the province.

While the city has already spent $1.4 billion on land acquisition, utility work and new rail vehicles, the full cost of killing the project in its current form is expected to become more clear.

Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen penned a letter to Gondek in early September saying the province would pull its $1.53 billion in funding from the $6.2-billion project if the city doesn’t rejig the line’s route and extend it farther south.

Jasper council to discuss provincial funding ask

The town council of Jasper, Alta., is set to discuss today if it will ask for funding from the provincial government to offset reduced property tax revenues for the next three years.

The potential request comes as town administration proposes property tax relief for residents affected by a devastating wildfire in July.

One-third of the town’s buildings were destroyed, and the municipality estimates it has lost access to $1.25 million in annual property tax revenue.

Under the town’s proposal, all property owners would be given a one-month tax break for when a mandatory evacuation order was in place.

Property owners whose homes or businesses were destroyed would have their remaining or outstanding 2024 bill nullified.

The proposal means Jasper would forgo over $1.9 million in municipal property tax revenue this year, or roughly 17 per cent of its overall budget.

Smith to announce supports for squeezed classrooms

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is set to announce a plan to help school classrooms being squeezed by an influx of new families.

Smith has scheduled a televised address to air on Global and CTV and to stream online at 6:50 p.m. local time.

Smith says her government was taken by surprise at the number of people who moved to Alberta last year.

The province’s population grew by more than 200,000 people in 2023-24, and Smith says every single school is facing capacity issues.

The province’s two largest divisions, Edmonton Public Schools and the Calgary Board of Education, say their schools are expected to have a utilization rate of well over 90 per cent this school year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published September 17, 2024.

The Canadian Press