The Wednesday news briefing: An at-a-glance survey of some top stories

Highlights from the news file for Wednesday, Sept. 7

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BANK OF CANADA RAISES ECONOMY CONCERNS: The Bank of Canada struck a note of caution Wednesday as it held its key interest rate target steady at 0.5 per cent. And the central bank raised concerns about the state of the economy after the export sector disappointed earlier this year. The bank says inflation is roughly in line with its expectations, with total inflation below the two per cent target and measures of core inflation around two per cent. Bank of Montreal chief economist Doug Porter says the Bank of Canada has “zero appetite for rate hikes.”

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SUBMARINE FLEET ON THE BRINK: The navy’s four submarines will start sinking below the waves for good in 2022, Defence Department documents show, unless the federal government opts to spend billions to upgrade the ships. Navy officials have previously described the submarines as essential and said a decision needs to be made soon to start work on the life extension. A decision will likely need to be made soon to start the upgrades, which are forecast to cost between $1.5 billion and $3 billion.

Nighttime construction on Hwy 3 in Lethbridge starts April 17

Apr 17, 2025

SASHA launches #BuyABed fundraiser to support vulnerable Lethbridge residents

Apr 04, 2025

$20K grants available: TELUS STORYHIVE Pan-Asian Edition opens applications April 1

Mar 18, 2025

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LEITCH CALLS FOR SCREENING OF VISITORS: Conservative leadership candidate Kellie Leitch is expanding her proposal to have the federal government screen potential immigrants and refugees for anti-Canadian values to include visitors. The sheer volume applications for visas and electronic travel authorizations, which are required by those who want to travel to Canada from dozens of countries, in addition to the amorphous qualities of Canadian values themselves, raises questions about the workability of such an idea. But it’s bound to be a hot topic at the Conservative caucus retreat in Halifax next week.

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TWO DEAD IN FISHING BOAT SINKING: The bodies of two fishermen were recovered from waters off eastern Newfoundland Wednesday as crews continued a grim search from the air and sea for two more men who were on board the boat. Their fishing boat was reported overturned Tuesday night as it returned to St. John’s Harbour. Maj. Rhonda Stevens, the officer in charge at the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Halifax, says the missing fishermen could have survived because conditions are good, and that the search area has been expanded.

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TV PROVIDERS DEFEND BASIC PACKAGES: The big four TV service providers are defending how they rolled out new, trimmed down TV packages earlier this year, denying in hearings Wednesday that they were being “paternalist” with customers by placing restrictions on the cheapest of their offerings. CRTC chairman Jean Pierre Blais opened the hearing by saying many Canadians are clearly dissatisfied with how the new package choices were implemented. Officials with Videotron say their new basic service packages conform with both the spirit and letter of the C-R-T-C’s requirements that came into effect in March.

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SASKATCHEWAN POLITICIAN IMPAIRED: The former deputy premier of Saskatchewan has been fined and lost his licence for a year for driving with 2 1/2 times the legal amount of alcohol in his system. Don McMorris pleaded guilty Wednesday to having a blood-alcohol level over .08. Court heard RCMP received two calls about an erratic driver at 11:30 a.m. on Aug. 5. McMorris, who was driving a government car, was pulled over by officers in a construction zone on the Trans-Canada Highway east of Regina.

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FIRE CUTS OILSANDS SPENDING BY $1B: Alberta’s chief energy economist says the wildfires that swept through Fort McMurray, Alta., in May resulted in the loss of $1 billion in planned capital spending in the oilsands this year. Matt Foss said he believes those plans — mainly for expansions or enhancements of existing projects — are deferred, not cancelled. But he doesn’t know when or if companies will resume their spending given benchmark oil prices that remain below break-even levels.

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GANDER GETTING 9-11 RELIC: Fifteen years after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, New York City continues to thank the people of Gander, N.L., for opening their arms to thousands of stranded travellers. A piece of steel beam from the south tower is en route to the airport in Gander, a gift of the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, named for a New York firefighter killed while helping to rescue people from the towers. Nearly 7,000 passengers were stranded for three days in Gander when all flights were grounded, and the people of Gander provided food, lodging and other assistance.

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U.S. AND RUSSIA PLAN SYRIA TALKS: An airstrike near the site of a suspected gas attack in Syria killed at least 10 civilians Wednesday. The attack came as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov agreed to meet this week for extended discussions on ending the five-year-old civil war. Russia, a key ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad, has been conducting airstrikes to bolster his forces for nearly a year. The United States supports rebels fighting to overthrow Assad and has called on him to step down.

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HEADPHONE JACK ABSENT IN NEW IPHONE: Apple’s latest iPhone may be more notable for what’s missing from previous models than what’s being added. The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus unveiled Wednesday won’t have an analog headphone jack — a longtime staple in just about every consumer electronics device that can play audio. Apple is betting that its legions of loyal fans will embrace the shift to wireless headphones — or won’t mind using earbuds that plug into the iPhone’s power port.

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The Canadian Press