Burlington Vermont is renaming a street in Canada's honour (for a while)
Article content
The City of Burlington, Vt., has announced it will rename one of its central avenues from Church Street to Canada Street, from now until Labour Day (or Labor Day as it's known there).
Article content
The name change was presented by a group of city councillors at their June 16 meeting, led by Councillor Becca Brown McKnight, who wore a maple leaf shirt and handed out Canadian flags to the other councillors.
Article content
Article content
Article content
'We have been fed up with Donald Trump's damaging and insulting rhetoric towards Canada,' Brown McKnight told CTV News this week. 'Renaming a street is something quick and easy for us to do, but also sends a message that we are in this fight with you.'
Article content
Article content
Vermont's most populous city at 45,000, Burlington is less than 100 kms from the Quebec border by car, and is in one of two states where French is the second most common language spoken after English, the other being Louisiana. So it has also offered Rue de Canada as the French-language name for the street. Back in 2011, Burlington's city council also voted to add French to its local signage, though the move was a recommendation rather than a law.
Article content
Article content
The new resolution passed unanimously, although one councillor expressed frustration with 'performative' actions and said she hopes there will be further actions taken to support tourism and local businesses. Burlington city council says that more than 15 per cent of its summer tourism dollars typically come from Canadian visitors. However, visits by Canadians to the U.S. have fallen off since Donald Trump's tariff threats and talk of annexation.
Article content
Article content
In the 1960s, the city joined with Burlington, Ont., to found the Burlington International Games, which eventually expanded to include Burlington, Iowa, and some non-Burlington cities, before ceasing in 2010 due to limited participation.
Article content
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Toronto Star
15 minutes ago
- Toronto Star
Trump calls for special prosecutor to investigate 2020 election, reviving longstanding grievance
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Friday called for the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate the 2020 election won by Democrat Joe Biden, repeating his baseless claim that the contest was marred by widespread fraud. 'Biden was grossly incompetent, and the 2020 election was a total FRAUD!' Trump said in a social media post in which he also sought to favorably contrast his immigration enforcement approach with that of the former president. 'The evidence is MASSIVE and OVERWHELMING. A Special Prosecutor must be appointed. This cannot be allowed to happen again in the United States of America! Let the work begin!'
Globe and Mail
26 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Israel and Iran exchange strikes a week into conflict as European nations hope to re-establish diplomacy
Iran said on Friday it would not discuss the future of its nuclear program while under attack by Israel, as Europe tried to coax Tehran back into negotiations and the United States considers whether to get involved in the conflict. A week into its campaign, Israel said it had struck dozens of military targets overnight, including missile production sites, a research body involved in nuclear weapons development in Tehran and military facilities in western and central Iran. Iran launched a new barrage of missiles early on Friday, striking near residential apartments, office buildings and industrial facilities in the southern city of Beersheba. The White House said on Thursday that President Donald Trump would decide on U.S. involvement in the conflict in the next two weeks, citing the possibility of negotiations involving Iran in the near future. Opinion: Trump's Iran strategy: Is it TACO or FOMO? Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said there was no room for negotiations with the U.S. 'until Israeli aggression stops'. But he was due to meet European foreign ministers in Geneva for talks at which Europe hopes to establish a path back to diplomacy over Iran's nuclear program. Two diplomats said before the meeting with France, Britain, Germany and the European Union's foreign policy chief that Araqchi would be told the U.S. is still open to direct talks. Expectations for a breakthrough are low, diplomats say. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran was ready to discuss limitations on its uranium enrichment and that the European's role was now more prominent because Iran is unwilling to engage with the U.S. while under fire from Israel. But any proposal for zero enrichment – not being able to enrich uranium at all – will be rejected 'especially now under Israel's strikes', the official said. Israel began attacking Iran last Friday, saying its long-time enemy was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Iran, which says its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes, retaliated with missile and drone strikes on Israel. Israel is widely assumed to possess nuclear weapons. It neither confirms nor denies this. Israeli air attacks have killed 639 people in Iran, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, a U.S.-based human rights organization that tracks Iran. The dead include the military's top echelon and nuclear scientists. In Israel, 24 civilians have been killed in Iranian missile attacks, according to authorities. Both sides say they are attacking military and defence-related targets. An Iranian news website said a drone had struck an apartment in a residential building in central Tehran on Friday, but did not give details. Israel's strikes on Iran's nuclear installations so far pose only limited risks of contamination, experts say. But they warn that any attack on the nuclear power station at Bushehr could cause a nuclear disaster. Israel says it is determined to destroy Iran's nuclear capabilities but that it wants to avoid any nuclear disaster in a region that is inhabited by tens of millions of people and produces much of the world's oil. The meeting in Geneva was due to start on Friday afternoon. The Swiss city is where an initial accord was struck in 2013 to curb Iran's nuclear program in return for sanctions being lifted. A comprehensive deal followed in 2015. Trump pulled the U.S. out of the agreement in 2018. A new series of talks between Iran and the U.S. collapsed when Israel started attacking Iran's nuclear facilities and ballistic capabilities on June 12. Trump has alternated between threatening Tehran and urging it to resume nuclear talks. His special envoy to the region, Steve Witkoff, has spoken to Araqchi several times since last week, sources say. The Middle East has been on edge since the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel in October, 2023, triggering the Gaza war, and Israel has been fighting on several fronts against Iran's regional allies. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned on Friday of further action against Iranian ally Hezbollah, a day after the Lebanese militant group suggested it would come to Iran's aid. Western and regional officials say Israel is trying to shatter the government of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Katz said he had instructed the military to intensify attacks on 'symbols of the regime' in the Iranian capital Tehran, aiming to destabilize it. Iran has arrested an 'agent' of Israel's foreign spy agency Mossad who was sending information on Iranian air defence installations to Israel using WhatsApp messaging, Iran's state broadcaster said. Iranian opposition groups think their time may be near, but activists involved in previous protests say they are unwilling to unleash mass unrest with their nation under attack, and Iranian authorities have cracked down hard on dissent. Iranian state media reported rallies in several cities, describing them as rallies of 'rage and victory,' and 'solidarity and resistance.'
Global News
44 minutes ago
- Global News
Carney calls House Speaker ‘Mr. Prime Minister,' prompting laughs from MPs
In a moment that caused both sides of the House of Commons to erupt into laughter, Prime Minister Mark Carney mistakenly gave his own title to Speaker of the House of Commons Francis Scarpaleggia. Carney, who was answering a question from the opposition during question period in the House of Commons on Tuesday, started his answer by addressing the Speaker, as required by House of Commons rules, which state all questions and responses must be directed through the Speaker. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy In English, MPs typically refer to a man serving in the role of Speaker as 'Mr. Speaker,' while in French, they direct questions and answers through 'Monsieur le président.' 'Mr. Prime Minister,' Carney began instead. Immediately realizing his gaffe, Carney put his finger up and said, 'Sorry!' Story continues below advertisement A smiling Carney pointed at himself while MPs from both sides of the House erupted in laughter. 'Battlefield promotion there,' Carney said, also laughing. Correcting himself, Carney continued, calling Scarpaleggia 'Mr. Speaker.'
