A look at news events in October 2023
1 – Two people died after a bear attack in Alberta's Banff National Park. Parks Canada staff euthanized the grizzly bear for public safety.
1 – It went down to the wire, but the U.S. government avoided a shutdown after Congress rushed to approve a bipartisan deal, keeping federal agencies open until Nov. 17. The deal was reached after Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy abruptly abandoned demands for steep spending cuts, and relied on Democrats to pass the bill.
1 – George Reed, one of the greatest running backs in CFL history, died. The Saskatchewan Roughriders, the team Reed spent his 13-year pro career with, confirmed his passing. Reed died the day before his 84th birthday.
1 – Members of several Quebec public-sector unions are continuing to vote in favour of strike mandates by large margins. The four unions, which represent around 420,000 education, health care and social service workers, say more than 90 per cent of members who have participated in votes have supported a strike mandate.
1 – Ontario's public broadcast workers rejected what the company's management says is its "final'' offer after dozens of TVO employees walked off the job in August.
2 – Two professors from the University of Pennsylvania woke up to news that they won the Nobel Prize in medicine. Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman are being honoured for their discoveries that enabled the development of mRNA vaccines against COVID-19.
3 – In a historic and rare mid-session vote, the House of Commons elected its first Black Speaker. He's 54-year-old Liberal MP Greg Fergus, who was first elected in Quebec's Hull-Aylmer riding in 2015.
3 – The political landscape in Manitoba has shifted to the left. The province's NDP will form the next government, but the results are too early to determine if it will be a majority. New Democratic Leader Wab Kinew won his seat and will assume the role of premier. Former premier Heather Stefanson says she is stepping down as leader of the province's Progressive Conservative Party following the loss.
4 – The federal government is putting $740,000 toward further assessing the feasibility of searching a Winnipeg-area landfill for the remains of two First Nations women. Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree says more work needs to be done to figure out how a search can be undertaken.
4 – A new Statistics Canada report, released on the National Day of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit and gender-diverse people, says that between 2009 and 2021 Indigenous women and girls were killed at a rate six times higher than that of women and girls who were not Indigenous. It also says homicides of Indigenous women and girls are less likely to result in the most serious murder charges.
5 – Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says the country's top five grocery chains have agreed to take concrete action to stabilize food prices. He says shoppers will soon start to see discounts, price freezes and price-matching campaigns. Champagne says these measures will create a more competitive marketplace, which will bring benefits to Canadians.
5 – Global Affairs Canada is gearing up to send RCMP officers to Haiti for technical training as part of a multinational military intervention. Lisa Vandehei, who heads up an interdepartmental task force on Haiti, says Canada is still assessing its contribution to the mission. She says the Mounties are the best in the world in several areas of policing that the Haitian National Police need.
7 – Hamas militants from Gaza attacked Israel, rampaging through nearby communities, killing at least 300 people and abducting others in an unprecedented surprise attack. Israel retaliated with missile attacks in Gaza, as its prime minister vowed retribution at an "unprecedented price.'' Gun battles continued well after nightfall, and militants held hostages in standoffs in two towns.
8 – The Israeli government formally declared war against Hamas for its surprise attack, giving the green light for "significant military steps'' against Hamas fighters. The declaration of war portended greater fighting ahead and a major question was whether Israel would launch a ground assault into Gaza.
9 – Israel's defence minister ordered a "complete siege" on Gaza, saying authorities will cut electricity and block the entry of food and fuel.
9 – Hollywood writers voted to approve a contract agreement reached by their union leaders, bringing a close to the strike that halted movie and TV production for nearly five months. The Writers Guild of America announced that 99 per cent of the 8,525 members who cast ballots voted to ratify the deal.
10 – General Motors agreed to a tentative deal with Unifor after a 12-hour strike. It mirrors the one the union reached with Ford Motor Company last month. If GM members vote in favour of the contract, Unifor would then turn its attention to reaching the same terms with Stellantis.
12 – Hollywood actors and studios broke off contract talks saying they're so far apart, there's no point in continuing negotiations.
12 – Unifor members in Ontario and Quebec voted 99 per cent in favour of strike action against the St. Lawrence Seaway Corporation. The union set a deadline of next Saturday to reach an agreement, with bargaining due to resume on Tuesday. Unifor national president Lana Payne says the workers handle more than 200 million tons of cargo per year and deserve fair wages.
13 – Canada's Supreme Court ruled against the federal government's impact assessment law. The judgment sets the tone regarding how different levels of governments work together to balance the economic benefits of resource development, against the environmental risks.
15 – Canadian autoworkers voted to ratify a three-year contract agreement with General Motors. Unifor is the union representing about 4,300 Canadian workers at three GM facilities. In a statement, Unifor said the vote was 80.5 per cent in favour of the deal, leaving only Jeep maker Stellantis without a contract.
16 – Ontario tabled a bill to return parcels of land to the province's protected Greenbelt. This comes after months of public outcry in response to the Conservative government's move to use the land to build 50,000 homes. Housing Minister Paul Calandra said the new bill will also codify the boundaries of the Greenbelt in law. This means that any future changes would have to go through the legislature, and could not just be done by regulation, as the Tories did last year.
16 – Close to $1 billion in federal and provincial funding is going toward an electric vehicle battery component plant in eastern Ontario. Government ministers announced today that Ottawa is set to put $551.3 million toward the project while Ontario will spend up to $424.6 million in capital costs. Premier Doug Ford says the plant, located east of Kingston, will create 600 direct jobs with production set to start in 2026.
18 – Wab Kinew is now the premier of Manitoba after being officially sworn in as the first First Nations premier of a Canadian province. He has already said his cabinet will include First Nations women for the first time in Manitoba. Kinew led the New Democrats to victory in the Oct. 3 election.
19 – Federal Auditor General Karen Hogan said there is a common thread that runs through the five audits she released. And that is that the government is not doing a good job when it comes to collecting or tracking data. Hogan is urging the government to deal with a massive immigration backlog by immediately creating a way for refugees to apply online.
19 – Canada Post is honouring 88-year-old Oscar and Golden Globe award-winner Donald Sutherland with a stamp bearing his profile.
19 – Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly says Canada has pulled most of its envoys out of India because of diplomatic immunity threats. She says New Delhi threatened to strip diplomatic immunities from the envoys, leaving Canada to call back 41 diplomats and their 41 dependants.
20 – Saskatchewan's legislature passed a controversial bill preventing children under 16 from changing their names or pronouns at school without receiving parental consent. It uses the notwithstanding clause to override sections of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and Saskatchewan's Human Rights Code. The pronoun bill sparked protests and the opposition New Democrats says it strips rights from vulnerable people. After receiving final approval today, the province's education minister says he expects all school divisions to abide by the legislation.
20 – After helping Canada qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics, soccer legend Christine Sinclair announced she will be retiring from international soccer by the end of the year. The 40-year-old is the world's all-time leading scorer with 190 goals from 327 senior appearances. Sinclair led the team to a gold medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
22 – Hundreds of St. Lawrence Seaway workers walked off the job, launching a strike that was expected to affect cargo shipments along the artery that runs between Montreal and Lake Erie.
23 – Ontario NDP leader Marit Stiles removed a rookie politician from caucus for comments she made about the Israel-Hamas war. Stiles said Sarah Jama made a number of unilateral actions that undermined the party's collective work and broke the trust of her colleagues.
24 – A Federal Court judge verbally approved a $23-billion settlement in a First Nations human rights complaint filed in 2007. It will see Ottawa compensate more than 300,000 Indigenous children and their families over chronic underfunding of on-reserve child-welfare services.
24 – The National Hockey League rescinded its ban on rainbow-coloured Pride tape. Players will now be allowed to use Pride tape this season after a ban sparked a backlash around hockey and among LGBTQ+ advocates in sports.
25 – The Bank of Canada is keeping its key interest rate at five per cent, saying there are clearer signs that monetary policy is moderating spending and relieving price pressures. But it hasn't ruled out future rate hikes as those pressures remain high.
25 – Health Canada says more than 13,200 people chose medical assistance in dying in the country in 2022. In a new report, the agency says the average annual growth rate in medically assisted deaths has been 31 per cent from 2019 to 2022.
26 – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that the federal government will be doubling the top-up to the carbon price rebate for rural Canadians, beginning next April. Alongside the increase, Trudeau also announced a temporary three-year pause to carbon pricing measures on heating oil, beginning in two weeks. The government says the change will mean households that use heating oil would save about $250, on average.
27 – The CBC reported legendary musician Buffy Sainte-Marie's birth certificate, marriage certificate and a U.S. census all contradict her claim that she is Indigenous. The network says the birth certificate lists Sainte-Marie as being born in 1941 in Stoneham, Mass., and states the baby and parents were all white. Family members in the U.S., including Sainte-Marie's younger sister, told the public broadcaster that Sainte-Marie was not adopted and does not have Indigenous ancestry. The singer has called herself a proud member of the Native community with deep roots in Canada.
28 – Emmy-nominated actor Matthew Perry was found dead at his Los Angeles home. Perry was best known for his role as Chandler Bing over 10 seasons on the TV show "Friends.'' Authorities say there is no foul play suspected in the death, but haven't released any details. Perry was 54.
29 – Thousands of Sikhs voted in Surrey, B.C., in an unofficial referendum on Khalistan – an independent state in India proposed by some Sikhs. It took place at the same gurdwara where activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot dead in June.
30 – New Brunswick hockey legend Will O'Ree, the NHL's first Black hockey player, is being honoured by Canada Post with his own stamp.
30 – Ships are moving again after the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation reached a tentative deal to end a week-long strike by 360 Unifor members. No details were announced. Unifor members went on strike to back their demands for higher wages to keep up with the rising cost of living.
31 – Ottawa is getting blowback from Western Canada over its carbon pricing change. Backlash is coming from several premiers of provinces where residents rely more on natural gas – and not oil – for home heating and therefore would still have to pay the carbon price. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe threatened to stop collecting the carbon price on natural gas if the federal government does not extend the three-year heating-oil exemption to all forms of home heating. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says there are no additional carbon price exemptions on the way.
BW
The Canadian Press
