Long-awaited Commercial Drive tower development faces city hearing
A decision on one of Vancouver's most valuable pieces of real estate is finally happening. The Safeway next to the Commercial-Broadway SkyTrain station has been the site of speculation for years. CBC's Justin McElroy breaks down why a conceptual debate about the land is about to get a lot more real.
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CBC
24 minutes ago
- CBC
Nopiming business owners hope province will help shoulder losses from summer season cut short by wildfires
Business owners in an eastern Manitoba provincial park are glad to be reopening following more than a month of wildfire-induced closures, though they're shouldering thousands of dollars in lost revenue and wary their outdoorsy clientele might not rush back this summer. Earlier this month, the province announced tax deferrals for commercial operators that were impacted by wildfires, but one of the owners of Nopiming Lodge says there's concern that won't be enough to help them rebound right now. "We've taken quite a hit already," said Jesse Guenther, who owns and operates the lodge with his mother and brother. "It's going to be a lot less busy." A giant out-of-control wildfire ripped through the park, forcing evacuations in May. As of Friday, that fire remained 218,700 hectares in size — over four times the area of Winnipeg. "May is normally our busiest time, between the hunters and fishermen and everything, and people coming out camping," said Guenther. "So it's going to be a little tough to come back from that." Though the fire is still considered out of control, the southern portion of Nopiming Provincial Park was able to be reopened Wednesday for residents, cottagers and businesses. That includes areas along Provincial Road 315, as well as Bird, Booster, Flanders and Davidson lakes. Closures and mandatory evacuation orders remain in place for the rest of Nopiming, according to the Manitoba government's Friday wildfire update. Tulabi Falls and Bird Lake campgrounds will stay closed until at least June 26. Tulabi has 41 campsites and six yurts, with on average 3,862 nights stayed each year from May through October, while Bird Lake has 27 campsites and on average over 900 nights reserved, according to a provincial spokesperson. Beresford and Black Lake campgrounds will stay closed for the rest of the season, as will Shoe Lake, water routes in Nopiming and all backcountry locations hit by wildfires. 'Prime time is short': lodge owner But as the southern part of the park reopened this week, the Guenthers hurried back to their lodge, to do whatever they could to get back up and running. "Our amount of prime time is short — it's May to August, or May to September, and we need to get as much business as we can in them," Brenda Guenther, Jesse's mother, told CBC News in Nopiming on Thursday. The business relies not only on bookings, but also a raft of associated revenue streams, like boat and canoe rentals, which the family fears will suffer a slump due to backcountry closures. They also anticipate a drop in sales of firewood, bagged ice and other ancillary sources of cash flow due to the overall drop in traffic through the area. All told, the Guenthers expect to lose at least $60,000 this season. "It's the living for my boys and me," said Brenda. "This is their home. This is everything they've been doing forever." The head of the Manitoba Lodges and Outfitters Association thinks the provincial tax deferrals will be helpful down the line, but says the government may need to do more in the short term to keep small businesses afloat. "Any help is much appreciated, but they're still going to have to pay taxes eventually," said executive director Don Lamont. "We've got to try and find some financial support in other places for them. Otherwise, there's going to be quite a few people that close their doors." Jesse Guenther, meanwhile, is hopeful that as the forest regrows, and provincial crews clear out burned brush and deadfall hazards from public-access areas, that the local cottage industry will bounce back. But he worries it could take a couple of years for visitor levels to return to normal. He welcomes more help from the province for businesses. "If they're able to in some way, shape or form, that would be something I would be open [to]" he said. "At the end of the day, we're just thankful to be back." Manitoba 211 by calling 211 from anywhere in Manitoba or email 211mb@
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Liberals, Conservatives pass major projects legislation in House of Commons
Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks at a press conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Thursday, June 19, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Patrick Doyle Conservative members of Parliament voted with the minority Liberal government to pass its marquee major projects legislation Friday evening, setting it up to become law before Canada Day. The legislation, also known as the one Canadian economy act, would allow the government to green-light a list of projects that have been deemed to be in the national interest, fast-tracking their approvals. The Liberals have called it the core of the government's domestic economic response to U.S. tariffs. 'This is what makes us different from the United States, this is what makes us more independent from the United States, this is what's going to move us forward,' Prime Minister Mark Carney said at a press conference after the vote, adding the legislation needed to pass quickly 'because we are in a crisis.' 'And if you don't think we're in a crisis, go to Sault Ste. Marie, go to Hamilton, go to Windsor.' After the second of two votes in the House of Commons on Friday, Carney crossed the floor to shake hands with Opposition House leader Andrew Scheer and Conservative deputy leader Melissa Lantsman. Two votes were held instead of one after the House Speaker ruled that the legislation had two distinct parts without a clear common element. That allowed the Bloc Quebecois and NDP members to vote in favour of the first part of the bill -- which looks to tackle internal trade barriers -- and against the more controversial second part dealing with major projects. The major projects bill grants the government sweeping powers to quickly approve projects that are deemed to be in the national interest. Provincial and territorial premiers have given Carney lists of projects they want to see approved, but no national list of projects has been made public so far. 'We all agree that more fulsome conversations are needed to select the nation-building projects and to determine the conditions that they must fulfil. In other words, the real work begins now,' Carney said. The legislation has drawn criticism from Indigenous leaders and environmental groups who say it gives too much power to the federal cabinet to bypass existing laws. The legislation was introduced on June 6 and was pushed through the House after about eight hours of committee study on Tuesday and Wednesday. The House transport committee did amend the bill to, among other things, remove the Indian Act from a list of laws the government can sidestep when determining whether a project should move forward. First Nations leaders have warned the bill could violate their constitutionally protected rights and may lead to legal challenges. Carney emphasized the need to respect the constitutional rights of Indigenous Peoples in his press conference on Friday. 'The major projects office will have an Indigenous advisory council whose core function will be to honour Section 35 rights in the implementation of this bill,' he said. He promised to hold full-day summits with First Nations, Inuit and Metis rights-holders and leaders in the coming weeks, alongside Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Rebecca Alty and Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty. 'Consultation, co-operation, engagement and participation are at the heart of this bill,' he said. The bill is now headed to the Senate, which is scheduled to sit until June 27. By Sarah Ritchie. With files from Kyle Duggan and Alessia Passafiume.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Some Maritimers struggling to find rental cars this summer
Finding rental cars in the Maritimes might be difficult this summer. You may see cars on rental lots in Halifax but that doesn't necessarily mean they're all available, at least according to some Maritimers. Tidal Car Rentals has locations in Burnside and Bayers Lake. They have roughly 15 cars and say they have already noticed things are picking up this summer. 'We are around 60 per cent sold out or 65 per cent and we are already seeing a lot of future bookings,' says Karanjeet Singh, Tidal Car Rentals director. The company says last June was comparable, but July looks to be busier, especially with Canada Day weekend expected to be sold out. Singh says it's difficult to have the right number of cars because some companies can exchange the fleets each year while others cannot. 'Every company tries to find the sweet spot with how many vehicles they want to have in their fleet so during the summer months, if you want to book a car, it's better to book in advance,' says Singh. Singh says when demand is high, it's beneficial for this small company because people come to them when the bigger companies lack availability. 'Sometimes they reach out to us after they reach out to all other companies like multinational companies when they cannot find the right vehicles. We have some very unique vehicles,' says Singh. Tidal Car rentals has been around since 2022 and they plan to continue to grow. 'They have more vehicles and a bigger team as well. Having a bigger team, they can do bigger sales. The audience is bigger than us, the market is bigger than us and it's all about having a bigger fleet. They buy more vehicles during the summer months and they get rid of them in the winter and buy them again. We are not there yet, we keep our fleet around a year,' says Singh. To stay competitive the company offers lower prices and they find this helps bring in customers. Many customers find they have to book their vehicles early this summer. For travellers Anne Coogan and Christina Fuller from British Columbia and Alberta, booking early was crucial. The two planned a month-long road trip around the East Coast and wanted to ensure they had everything in order. " We started planning this trip last September,' says Coogan. The two had no problems booking a vehicle. 'I just went on the website, used my little perk and said when I would be picking it up and bringing it back and no problems at all,' says Fuller. Fuller also had a discount from when she worked at Telus. 'It wasn't that expensive because I get a 35 per cent off discount with my perks from being an ex-Telus employee so that made the world a difference,' says Fuller. She admits without the discount, renting a vehicle is expensive. Many others feel the same way and went a different route this summer. Donna Voldock had difficulty finding a rental last summer when travelling to Newfoundland. The rental fell through at the last minute so they tried a carsharing company called Turo. 'I hear that it's very hard to rent cars on the East Coast actually, so that's kind of how we found Turo last time when we went to Newfoundland,' says Voldock, who was visiting from Toronto. Rick Terry from Wasaga Beach, Ontario, tried to book a vehicle for his group of six this week. They started looking a week ago and had no luck. 'Nothing that would hold six people, it was very limited, and the market is very tough down here,' says Terry. They also went the route of carsharing and it saved them a lot of money. 'We are here for five days, and it was $340 for the five days so it worked out good, versus a regular car rental place was $1,200,' Terry says. The later you book, the more expensive the booking. The prices are not fixed so they vary based on the demand for the season. Vehicles are much cheaper in the winter months than the summer. 'Prices do fluctuate with the demand and supply. During months like July and August they are going to be very expensive,' says Singh. Tidal Car Rentals Tidal Car Rentals opened in Halifax in 2022. (Source: Emma Convey/CTV News Atlantic) For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
