In the news today: Ottawa’s electricity plan, Chinese e-commerce, Probing the cosmos

Demand for electricity in Canada is soaring with multiple new requirements that include electric vehicles, data centres and defence industrial production.

The federal government has also promised to work to expand nuclear power, including a deal with Alberta to develop the province’s own nuclear generation strategy with the goal of bringing nuclear power to the grid by 2050.

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Ottawa pushing to get Canadian companies selling goods on Chinese platforms

Ottawa is pushing to get Canadian companies on major Chinese e-commerce platforms as the two countries deepen their ties.

International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu tells The Canadian Press that e-commerce titans such as Alibaba want more Canadian businesses on their platforms.

During a visit to Beijing this year, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada was entering a new era of relations with China, in hopes that the two countries become “strategic partners.”

Retail analyst Bruce Winder says getting Canadian companies on Chinese platforms is a good thing for the right company with the right product, given trade uncertainty with the United States.

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Poll suggests politics, geography and trust play roles in vaccine hesitancy

New online polling released on World Vaccine Day suggests one in four Canadians have declined a vaccine recommended by their doctor, but the reasons people are hesitant about vaccines vary.

Bruce MacLellan, chair of Proof Strategies, says most often, people who took the survey reported saying no to a vaccine because they were worried about negative side effects.

Albertans were most likely to refuse a recommended vaccine, at 35 per cent.

MacLellan says it’s important for public health officials to learn the reasons people are vaccine-hesitant and tailor education to them.

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Ontario spent nearly $200k in aviation-related costs for returned private jet: docs

Ontario spent nearly $200,000 on aviation-related costs for Premier Doug Ford’s now-returned private plane.

New documents related to the purchase and subsequent sale of the $28.9-million jet show expenses include charges for aircraft management services and outside legal counsel.

Ford last month announced the purchase of the used 2016 Bombardier Challenger 650, but agreed to sell it back to the company after public outrage.

At the time, the premier said the plane was sold back for the exact same price, promising to publicly release financial documentation on the transactions.

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Canadian-developed technology helps new telescope probe mysteries of the cosmos

The work of researchers from across Canada is at the heart of a massive new telescope that could help unlock some of the biggest mysteries of the cosmos.

Dalhousie University astrophysics professor Scott Chapman says the new Fred Young Submillimeter Telescope, perched high on a Chilean mountain on a site higher than Mount Everest’s base camp, opens a new window on the universe.

Chapman leads a team of Canadian researchers who’ve developed new quantum camera technology able to see stars and galaxies forming.

The first data from the telescope is expected to be released to the public next year.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 14, 2026.

The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

In the news today: Ottawa’s electricity plan, Chinese e-commerce, Probing the cosmos

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