In the news today, April 26

Big business leaders worried about Canada’s aging demographics have been urging political parties to avoid inflaming the immigration debate ahead of this fall’s federal election. Goldy Hyder of the Business Council of Canada says he’s promoted the economic case in favour of opening the country’s doors to more people. The head of the lobby group representing chief executives of Canada’s largest corporations says he’s already raised the issue with political leaders who are shifting into campaign mode for the October vote. Hyder says Canada is 10 years away from a “demographic pressure point,” when the country will desperately need immigrants to fill jobs and keep the economy humming.

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QUEBEC WARNS OF POSSIBLE DAM FAILURE

Quebec public security officials called for the immediate evacuation of an area along the Rouge River west of Montreal on Thursday because of the risk a hydro dam could fail. Simon Racicot, director of production and maintenance with Hydro-Quebec, told reporters the dam at Chute Bell was built to withstand what he called a millennial flood. He says that means a flood that happens every 1,000 years. Hydro workers discovered earlier in the day the millennial level of water had been reached.

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TRUDEAU SLAMS ONTARIO ON CARBON TAX FIGHT

The Ontario government’s attempt to block the federal carbon tax is shortsighted and irresponsible, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told an environment conference in Montreal Thursday. But Trudeau’s criticism of those who disagree with his government’s plan to address climate change didn’t stop at Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s administration. Trudeau accused some federal opposition parties of denying climate change even exists and said other provinces joining Ontario in challenging the federal Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act are wasting public money.

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1 MILLION RECYCLABLE BOTTLES “LOST” DAILY IN B.C.

An environmental organization based in Vancouver says one million recyclable bottles and cans “go missing” every day in British Columbia and it’s calling for higher deposits to discourage consumers from littering or throwing them away. Chloe Dubois, of the Ocean Legacy Foundation, says her organization analysed data from the Brewers Recycled Container Collection Council and Encorp Pacific, the corporation in charge of container management, to compare bottles and cans sold with the number that are returned. The foundation says about 387 million beverage containers, including items like plastic drink bottles and beer cans, didn’t make it back into the province’s regulated deposit refund system in 2017.

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KILLER WHALES HUNTING FOR SEALS IN VANCOUVER INLET

Several killer whales have been hanging out in Vancouver’s harbour, entertaining onlookers and feeding on seals, sea lions and other cetaceans. Dr. Lance Barrett-Lennard, director of Marine Mammal Research at Ocean Wise, says the predators called Bigg’s killer whales are discovering hotspots with an abundance of harbour seals and Vancouver’s harbour may be one of those areas. The whales have been spotted in the harbour twice, and Barrett-Lennard’s research team has identified a group of five that came in on Tuesday as being a matriarch and her four offspring, between two and 18 years old. The pod that visited the harbour last week was also a mother travelling with three sons born between 1984 and 1997.

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ALSO IN THE NEWS:

— The General Council of the Conservative Party of Canada in Quebec meets. Leader Andrew Scheer delivers remarks on the morning of April 27.

— Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, convenes a panel discussion, hosted by the Public Policy Forum, on the spread of misinformation about vaccines on social media and the impact it is having on vaccine-preventable diseases in Canada.

— Andrew Berry, charged with the second-degree murders of his daughters, stands trial.

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The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

In the news today, April 26

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