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200 homes or structures damaged, more in danger from devastating Halifax wildfire - globalnews.ca - Canada - county Centre - municipality Regional, county Halifax - county Halifax
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200 homes or structures damaged, more in danger from devastating Halifax wildfire
devastating wildfire burning near Halifax, which crews are continuing to work on Tuesday.In a statement Monday night, the municipality said a full assessment of the damage cannot yet be confirmed, and the estimated numbers are based on initial visual inspectors by first responders.The municipality said it is currently developing a plan to support affected residents “once detailed mapping is completed.”“It is anticipated that this process will take several days, or maybe longer, as the fires remain active,” it said, adding that representatives from the Insurance Bureau of Canada will be available to speak with affected residents at the evacuation centre at the Canada Games Centre.The blaze broke out Sunday afternoon in the Tantallon area, about a 30-minute drive from downtown Halifax, and has since grown to about 788 hectares. Mandatory evacuation orders are in place in a number of neighbourhoods, impacting more than 16,400 residents.In an update Tuesday morning, Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency Deputy Chief Dave Meldrum said most of the 200 damaged structures were single-family homes, but they also included detached buildings like garages and sheds.“Our thoughts are with the residents affected by this terrible fire,” he said.Meldrum said the fire behaviour Monday night was “stable” due to favourable weather conditions and firefighters were able to make some progress.HRFE has 60 firefighters, six engines, 10 tankers and a number of other ancillary units at the scene, he said.
Justin Trudeau - Danielle Smith - Rachel Notley - Alberta - What Danielle Smith’s Alberta election win means for the rest of Canada - globalnews.ca - Britain - Canada - city Ottawa - county Smith - city Columbia, Britain
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What Danielle Smith’s Alberta election win means for the rest of Canada
Danielle Smith took the podium Monday night to celebrate her victory in the Alberta election, she had a message for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.“Hopefully the prime minister and his caucus are watching tonight,” the newly re-elected premier told a raucous crowd of supporters in Calgary.Indeed, all eyes will be on Alberta as Smith begins her second term, which political watchers say will have implications not just for the province but for the rest of Canada as well.Alberta has always had a testy relationship with the federal government and even other provinces as it defends its profitable energy industry and other interests.But the past four years under the United Conservative Party and during the COVID-19 pandemic have seen Edmonton’s relations with Ottawa grow particularly tempestuous.The question now is whether a fresh start is on the horizon — though experts have doubts.“It’s gospel that the federal government ignores Alberta, and to a degree that is correct,” said Allan Tupper, a political science professor at the University of British Columbia who spent decades teaching in Alberta. “There’s a great deal of resentment.”“At the end of the day, (Smith) has to recognize that she has to deal with the federal government.
Jason Kenney - Danielle Smith - Alberta election: Danielle Smith’s UCP to form next government after tight race - globalnews.ca - county Brooks
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Alberta election: Danielle Smith’s UCP to form next government after tight race
United Conservative Party win in the provincial election.Global News is projecting a UCP majority government.Smith was also re-elected in Brooks-Medicine Hat, where she’s been MLA since the November 2022 byelection.Smith has been leader of the UCP since succeeding Jason Kenney in October 2022.The United Conservatives ran on a campaign of public safety and affordability measures like a new tax bracket and extending the existing fuel tax savings.Both the UCP and its opponent Alberta NDP tried to position themselves as the more trustworthy party.Bill 1 for a second UCP term, dubbed the “Taxpayer Protection Act,” would ensure no provincial government can increase personal or business taxes without a referendum.This becomes the second term of a UCP government in Alberta.Her seven months as UCP leader aren’t the only experience Smith has had at the head of an Alberta political party. She was elected leader of the Wildrose Party in October 2009 and became leader of the Official Opposition in the 2012 provincial election.Two years later, Smith, then-deputy leader Rob Anderson, and seven other Wildrose MLAs, crossed the floor to join the Progressive Conservatives.After not getting the 2015 PC nomination in Highwood, Smith went on to host a talk show on Corus Radio, from which she resigned in February 2021.Smith would briefly be president of the Alberta Enterprise Group before announcing her bid to be UCP leader in May 2022.Smith came under fire during the election for her past comments about health care, pandemic policy, and substance abuse treatment.
Justin Trudeau - Nova Scotia - Bill Blair - Nova Scotia wildfires: Ottawa ready to assist as blaze burns near Halifax - globalnews.ca - city Ottawa - county Halifax
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Nova Scotia wildfires: Ottawa ready to assist as blaze burns near Halifax
Justin Trudeau said in a tweet Monday.“We’re keeping everyone affected in our thoughts, and we’re thanking those who are working hard to keep people safe.”The wildfire situation in Nova Scotia is incredibly serious – and we stand ready to provide any federal support and assistance needed. We’re keeping everyone affected in our thoughts, and we’re thanking those who are working hard to keep people safe.— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) May 29, 2023A total of 13 active wildfires were burning in the province as of Monday morning.In the Halifax region, a local state of emergency has been declared because of the blaze that started Sunday afternoon in Tantallon.The exurban community is roughly a 30-minute drive northwest of downtown Halifax.Federal Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair said in a tweet Sunday that the federal government was following the wildfires in Nova Scotia “closely” and stands “ready to help if federal assistance is required.”“We have been in touch with Nova Scotia and our officials at the Government Operations Centre are engaging with provincial officials,” a spokesperson for Blair told Global News Monday.“Should the province request federal assistance, we will work with them to identify and mobilize the federal resources that meet the needs they outline.”In an update Monday morning, Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency Deputy Chief Dave Meldrum told reporters that the fire burning in the Tantallon and Hammonds Plains area is “ongoing and still not under control.”He said firefighters were called to the Westwood subdivision of Tantallon, around 3:30 p.m.
More Canadian companies adopt ‘stay interviews’ amid push to retain staff - globalnews.ca - Canada
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More Canadian companies adopt ‘stay interviews’ amid push to retain staff
When Tara Vanderloo’s employees are mulling leaving her enterprise software company, she wants to be one of the first people they tell – and to hear their unvarnished reasons why.“I know people get called by recruiters, so I’ve asked the question: ‘who are you talking to or what type of organizations?”’ said the chief experience officer at Sensei Labs in Toronto.“Have you had any thoughts or are you questioning why you want to be here?”Vanderloo poses the questions in one-on-one meetings she and other staff periodically have with the company’s workforce of roughly 70.The discussions, which some companies call “stay interviews,” are designed to collect feedback from employees and are aimed at learning what the company can do to retain valued team members and keep them happy.Some companies have been hosting such meetings for years, but many more adopted the practice over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic as the health crisis caused workers to rethink their careers or seek more flexibility, advancement or support from their employers.Sensei Labs adopted engagement interviews in late 2021, when companies saw millions of people worldwide leave their jobs in what economists and businesses branded “The Great Resignation.”“It was substantial, and it was concerning for us because it’s hard to hire great people and we don’t want to lose them, so the first thing we did is we addressed it head on,” recalled Vanderloo.A companywide meeting was called to discuss the labour market changes afoot, and team leads _ Sensei Labs doesn’t use the term managers _ followed up one-on-one to learn about employee happiness in more detail.Despite a softening job market and suggestions that negotiating power has tipped back in favour of employers,
John Kelly - The U.S. is giving away a bunch of free lighthouses – with a catch - globalnews.ca - Usa
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The U.S. is giving away a bunch of free lighthouses – with a catch
decommissioned lighthouse, consider this a sign.Ten of the most picturesque lighthouses that dot the U.S.’s eastern coastline are being given away at no cost or sold at auction by the federal government.However, like most things, there’s a catch – and it’s a pretty big (and costly) one.The General Services Administration (GSA) is inviting federal, state, and local agencies, nonprofit organizations, educational and community development agencies, or groups devoted to parks, recreation, culture, or historic preservation to apply to take over any of six historic lighthouses and their outbuildings available free of charge.However, anyone who assumes the role of lighthouse keeper for these storied buildings will be on the hook to pay for the upkeep and maintain them in keeping with federal and local requirements.They’ll also have to be made publicly available for educational, recreational or cultural purposes. It’s not the first time the GSA has dabbled in offloading its crop of historic beacons. The United States Coast Guard has slowly been eliminating lighthouses from government inventory for years, even since the development of GPS technology has rendered them largely obsolete.However, despite no longer being essential in protecting mariners from peril, lighthouses remain fascinating and romantic buildings that capture the interest of people all over the world.“People really appreciate the heroic role of the solitary lighthouse keeper,” John Kelly of the GSA’s office of real property disposition told The Associated Press, explaining their allure.
Joe Biden - Kevin Maccarthy - Janet Yellen - Debt ceiling deal needs to happen by June 5 to avoid default: Yellen - globalnews.ca - Usa
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Debt ceiling deal needs to happen by June 5 to avoid default: Yellen
Memorial Day long weekend, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen extended the deadline for a deal to raise the government’s $31.4 trillion debt ceiling, but only by four days.Originally, Yellen said the deadline was as early as June 1 to avoid a potential default but in a letter to Congress on Friday, the date was extended to June 5.Yellen said her department would make more than $130 billion in scheduled payments in the first two days of the month, including to veterans and Social Security and Medicare recipients, but encouraged the White House and Republicans to come to an agreement “as soon as possible.”“If Congress fails to increase the debt limit, it would cause severe hardship to American families, harm our global leadership position, and raise questions about our ability to defend our national security interests,” she wrote.The extension comes as President Joe Biden and Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy appeared to narrow in on a two-year budget deal that was aimed at curbing federal deficits.The pair are hoping to strike a compromise over the weekend, but any deal would need to be a compromise as support would be needed from Republicans and Democrats to pass a divided and narrowly-controlled Congress.On Friday evening before departing for Camp David, Biden said “things are looking good.”“I’m hoping we’ll have some clear evidence tonight before the clock strikes 12 that we have a deal,” he said. “But it’s very close.”Despite potential hang-ups, including over stiffer work requirements on people receiving government food stamps, both sides appeared to be optimistic that they could find a deal.“I’m a total optimist,” McCarthy said Friday.
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