In the news today: Carney in Brussels for EU-Canada summit
Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed...
Carney in Brussels for EU-Canada summit
Prime Minister Mark Carney is in Belgium today, where he will visit a military cemetery before meeting with European Union leaders at an EU-Canada summit.
Carney said on social media Sunday that he was in Brussels to launch "a new era of partnership" between Canada and the European Union for the benefit of workers, businesses and security "on both sides of the Atlantic."
He begins the day with a visit to the Antwerp Schoonselhof Military Cemetery where 348 Canadian soldiers are buried.
At the EU-Canada summit, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand and Defence Minister David McGuinty are expected to sign a security and defence agreement with the European bloc in what one European official described last week as one of the most ambitious deals the continent's powers have ever signed with a third country.
The security and defence agreement aims to open the door to Canada's participation in the joint purchase of weapons with European countries.
Here's what else we're watching...
Ontario and Quebec continue to fight high heat
Much of Ontario and southwestern Quebec will continue to bake in high temperatures Monday and Tuesday as a heat dome lingers over the region.
Environment Canada issued a heat warning for the area on Saturday, saying hot and humid conditions will likely continue until Wednesday.
In Toronto, the agency says the city saw a daytime high of 35 C on Sunday, with the humidex making it feel like 46 degrees at times.
The dangerously high temperatures are expected to affect communities from southwestern Ontario and north to Sudbury and Timmins.
People are encouraged to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated and be on alert for early signs of heat exhaustion.
Alberta votes to decide Nenshi seat in legislature
Alberta NDP leader Naheed Nenshi is looking to finally win a seat in the legislature after a year of sitting on the sidelines.
He's running in one of three provincial byelections today as a candidate in Edmonton-Strathcona, where his predecessor Rachel Notley last won 80 per cent of the vote.
In Edmonton-Ellerslie, NDP candidate Gurtej Singh Brar could solidify the opposition party's hold on the city, but United Conservative Party candidate Naresh Bhardwaj is hoping to make an inroad.
In rural central Alberta, the separatist Republican Party of Alberta is aiming to capitalize on discontent with Ottawa.
Republican leader Cameron Davies has been campaigning in Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills against the UCP's Tara Sawyer, the NDP's Bev Toews and Bill Tufts of the Wildrose Loyalty Coalition.
The seat became vacant after former legislature speaker and long-time UCP member of the legislature Nathan Cooper resigned to take a post as Alberta's representative in Washington, D.C.
Hudson's Bay to seek approval to sell three leases
Hudson's Bay is expected back in court this morning where it will ask a judge to let it sell three of its leases to a B.C. mall owner.
The defunct department store wants to transfer its leases for Tsawwassen Mills, Mayfair Shopping Centre and Woodgrove Centre to Ruby Liu.
The real estate maven, who leads a company that owns all three malls, has offered $6 million for the trio of leases.
She also wants up to 25 more leases at malls she does not own but Hudson's Bay is still working on getting approval from landlords, who are overwhelmingly objecting.
Aside from the request to sell three leases to Liu, the Ontario Superior Court will also be asked to change the name of the department store company in creditor protection to avoid confusion that could arise now that Canadian Tire owns the rights to the Bay name.
Ontario proposes to weaken pending recycling rules
Ontario Premier Doug Ford's government is proposing to weaken an impending slate of new recycling rules because producers of the materials said the system is getting too expensive.
The province began transitioning in 2023 toward making producers pay for the recycling of their packaging, paper and single-use items. The companies' obligations were set to increase next year, but the government is now looking to delay some measures and outright cancel others, such as requirements to extend collection beyond the residential system.
Environmental advocates say the proposed changes let producers off the hook and will mean more materials will end up in landfills or be incinerated. Producers say despite the rising costs, recycling rates don't actually appear to be improving, so it's time for a broader rethink.
Environment Minister Todd McCarthy said the proposed changes are about ensuring the sustainability of the blue box system and protecting against unintended consequences such as job losses.
The Canadian Retail Council estimates that producer costs have already increased by about 350 per cent in three years and would nearly double again just from this year to next if no changes were made to the impending new rules for 2026.
The government says blue box collection costs could more than double between 2020 and 2030.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 23, 2025.
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BRUSSELS - Prime Minister Mark Carney began official events for his four-day trip to Europe Monday by visiting a military cemetery in Belgium before meeting with European counterparts at the EU-Canada summit. Carney said on social media Sunday he was in Brussels to launch 'a new era of partnership' between Canada and the European Union to benefit workers, businesses and security 'on both sides of the Atlantic.' Carney started the day with a visit to the Antwerp Schoonselhof Military Cemetery, where 348 Canadian soldiers are buried. Carney toured the cemetery alongside his wife, Diana Fox Carney, and Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever. Carney also took part in a wreath-laying ceremony with Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand and National Defence Minister David McGuinty. Stéphane Dion, special envoy to the European Union and Europe, also attended. Carney is expected to meet later Monday with De Wever, European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. At the EU-Canada summit, Anand and McGuinty are expected to sign a security and defence agreement with the European bloc — an agreement one European official described last week as one of the most ambitious deals the continent's powers have ever signed with a third country. The security and defence agreement opens the door to joint purchases of weapons with European countries and participation in the ReArm Europe initiative — which will allow Canada to access a 150-billion-euro program for defence procurement called Security Action for Europe. Canada will need to sign a second agreement with the European Commission before it can take part in the program. A government official briefing reporters on the trip said the partnership is expected to make procurement easier and more affordable, while also allowing Canada to diversify its sources of equipment. At the EU-Canada summit, leaders are also expected to issue a joint statement pressing Russia to end its war on Ukraine through measures like further sanctions, and calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza. The joint statement is also expected to touch on climate change, trade and digital and tech policy. De Wever said Canada's partnership with the EU is critical now because 'we've woken up in a world that doesn't look that friendly anymore.' 'We're living in a world where we have an imperialist power in the east who uses military force, we have a peculiar figure in the White House who is choosing the road of protectionism and even isolationism. So those who like a rules-based world, a multilateral world, should find each other's company now,' the Belgian prime minister said. De Wever said allies will need to spend more on defence and should do so wisely by developing their industrial defence bases together. 'Those countries who still like multilateralism are the countries that have to look up each other's company and make good agreements,' he said. Carney posted on social media early Monday that he spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump overnight. He said the conversation addressed the need to de-escalate the conflict in the Middle East. Carney said he and Trump also spoke about trade and their shared commitment to a stronger NATO. Carney has called for a 'diplomatic solution' in the wake of U.S. strikes on three key nuclear facilities in Iran. In a statement Sunday, Carney called Iran's nuclear program a 'grave threat' to international security and said Canada has been 'consistently clear' that Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon. Speaking to reporters Monday, De Wever said he had no sympathy for the 'evil' Iranian regime and called the country a 'big sponsor of terrorism.' De Wever said that while there should be regime change in Iran, it would be preferable if it came through a democratic process and not one that 'starts with bombing.' Leaders at the EU-Canada summit are also expected to discuss global trade and commit to working toward ratifying and implementing the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, the Canada-Europe free trade deal known as CETA. The pact took effect provisionally in 2017 and most of its contents now apply. But all EU countries need to approve CETA before it can take full effect; 10 members still haven't ratified the deal. Carney, Costa and von der Leyen are scheduled to hold a joint press conference Monday evening. On Tuesday, Carney travels to The Hague for the NATO summit. The international meetings come as Canada looks to reduce its defence procurement reliance on the United States due to strained relations over tariffs and Trump's repeated talk about Canada becoming a U.S. state. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 23, 2025.
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