Latest news with #Leger
Global News
12 hours ago
- Business
- Global News
United Conservative Party releases CPP survey results 21 months late
It's taken nearly two years for the province to release results from a survey that asked Albertans if they wanted an Alberta Pension Plan (APP). The survey showed 63 per cent of respondents were opposed to an APP, while only 10 per cent were in support. More recent polling from Leger in February found 55 per cent of Albertan's opposed an Alberta Pension Plan. A May 2025 poll from Janet Brown found 55 per cent of Albertans were in support of the APP if there were more details. In May, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said, 'I am seeing the results you are, I am not seeing that there is an appetite to put it to the people at the moment.' Duane Bratt, a political science professor at Mount Royal University, says the Janet Brown poll, commissioned by the government of Alberta, has interesting results with the number of people waiting for more information. Story continues below advertisement He adds people wanted answers to questions. 'Like, what is the amount that Alberta Pension Plan would start with? What would be the contribution rates? What would be the benefit rates? What would be the mobility between provinces? All of those sorts of questions haven't been answered,' said Bratt. 1:56 Alberta finance minister says he has not 'flip-flopped' on proposed pension change Bratt says the survey was not fair because it asked questions that assumed the respondent wanted an Alberta Pension Plan. 'The question itself was, would you want to leave the CPP if you had the exact same program. In the absence of any details, how do you know that that's the exact same program,' said Bratt. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy He adds the survey results are no longer accurate but the delay of the release of the results shows a lack of transparency from the provincial government. 'The bigger story is how and why the government of Alberta refused to hand over public survey data that they encouraged Albertans to fill out. They went to extreme measures to block it, because they realized it was going to embarrass them. They believed that this was a neutral process to just explore the idea of leaving the Canadian pension plan, but it wasn't,' said Bratt. Story continues below advertisement The province says they will continue to talk with Albertans on this topic and says nothing will change unless Albertans approve a new pension plan in a referendum. Bratt says by itself, majority of Albertans are against the province pulling out of CPP and creating the APP. He adds that he expects to see several referendum questions about Alberta's independence. Those might include questions on the APP, an Alberta police force, and Alberta independence. 'I think what the government is hoping for is maybe people might not want to separate, but they still want to send a message to Ottawa,' said Bratt.
CTV News
21 hours ago
- Climate
- CTV News
One in four Canadians report being affected by extreme weather in last year: poll
Smoke from wildfires blankets the city as a couple has a picnic in Edmonton, Saturday, May 11, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson OTTAWA — Almost one in four Canadians were directly affected by extreme weather events over the past year, a new poll suggests. The Leger poll — released as Canada copes with its second-worst wildfire season on record — says 23 per cent of Canadians who responded said they were personally affected by extreme weather events like heat waves, floods, fires and tornadoes over the last 12 months. Among those who said they had felt the impacts of extreme weather, almost two-thirds reported being forced to stay indoors because of air quality concerns, while 39 per cent reported suffering emotional stress. Twenty-seven per cent of those who reported experiencing extreme weather said they had to postpone travel plans, while one-fifth said they suffered property damage. Leger's latest poll — which was conducted online and can't be assigned a margin of error — surveyed 1,529 Canadians between June 13 and June 15. More than 2,000 fires have already been documented in Canada this year, burning almost 40,000 square kilometres of land. About three-quarters of the total area burned is in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The percentage of Canadians saying they were affected by extreme weather has dropped from the 35 per cent Leger reported when it asked the same question in August 2024 — a year after Canada's worst wildfire season. That poll would have captured the months that saw wildfires burning in almost every province, and thick smoke blanketing cities and towns all across Canada for days and, even weeks, at a time. The difference in timing between the two polls may have influenced some of the results, which also suggested Canadians perceived fewer episodes of extreme heat, flooding and heavy rainfall. 'What it tells me is that what's currently being experienced by Canadians really drives how they feel about what's happening more frequently and less frequently in terms of extreme weather,' said Andrew Enns, executive vice president at Leger. 'So it just kind of reminds us that the here and now really has an impact on how people perceive the frequency of extreme weather, and maybe associating that to climate change.' Modelling by Environment and Climate Change Canada suggests temperatures will be about a degree or two above normal across the country through August. Leger's poll suggests nearly two-thirds of Canadians — and 74 per cent of respondents in B.C. — are concerned about hot summers and heat waves. Natural Resources Canada is forecasting an extreme fire risk in the southern part of British Columbia in July. The number of Canadians concerned about a hot summer has dropped since the August 2024 survey, which reported 70 per cent of respondents were worried about summer heat. Enns said his firm conducted its latest poll before the start of summer to get a baseline to study how recent events affect Canadians' perception of climate. 'And then we can have this conversation and really say, 'OK, yeah, there is a timing impact' and take that into account when we look at these things,' Enns said, adding the firm is planning another survey at the end of the summer. The percentage of Canadians who said climate change worries them dropped to 59 per cent from the 63 per cent reported in the August 2024 survey, while exactly half of Canadians polled said there is still time to reverse the consequences of climate change — an increase of two percentage points since August 2024. The polling industry's professional body, the Canadian Research Insights Council, says online surveys cannot be assigned a margin of error because they do not randomly sample the population. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 19, 2025. Nick Murray, The Canadian Press
National Observer
a day ago
- Climate
- National Observer
One in four Canadians say they were affected by extreme weather in last year: poll
Almost one in four Canadians were directly affected by extreme weather events over the past year, a new poll suggests. The Leger poll — released as Canada copes with its second-worst wildfire season on record — says 23 per cent of Canadians who responded said they were personally affected by extreme weather events like heat waves, floods, fires and tornadoes over the last 12 months. Among those who said they had felt the impacts of extreme weather, almost two-thirds reported being forced to stay indoors because of air quality concerns, while 39 per cent reported suffering emotional stress. Twenty-seven per cent of those who reported experiencing extreme weather said they had to postpone travel plans, while one-fifth said they suffered property damage. Leger's latest poll — which was conducted online and can't be assigned a margin of error — surveyed 1,529 Canadians between June 13 and June 15. More than 2,000 fires have already been documented in Canada this year, burning almost 40,000 square kilometres of land. About three-quarters of the total area burned is in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The percentage of Canadians saying they were affected by extreme weather has dropped from the 35 per cent Leger reported when it asked the same question in August 2024 — a year after Canada's worst wildfire season. That poll would have captured the months that saw wildfires burning in almost every province, and thick smoke blanketing cities and towns all across Canada for days and, even weeks, at a time. The difference in timing between the two polls may have influenced some of the results, which also suggested Canadians perceived fewer episodes of extreme heat, flooding and heavy rainfall. "What it tells me is that what's currently being experienced by Canadians really drives how they feel about what's happening more frequently and less frequently in terms of extreme weather," said Andrew Enns, executive vice president at Leger. "So it just kind of reminds us that the here and now really has an impact on how people perceive the frequency of extreme weather, and maybe associating that to climate change." Modelling by Environment and Climate Change Canada suggests temperatures will be about a degree or two above normal across the country through August. Leger's poll suggests nearly two-thirds of Canadians — and 74 per cent of respondents in BC — are concerned about hot summers and heat waves. Natural Resources Canada is forecasting an extreme fire risk in the southern part of British Columbia in July. The number of Canadians concerned about a hot summer has dropped since the August 2024 survey, which reported 70 per cent of respondents were worried about summer heat. Enns said his firm conducted its latest poll before the start of summer to get a baseline to study how recent events affect Canadians' perception of climate. "And then we can have this conversation and really say, 'OK, yeah, there is a timing impact' and take that into account when we look at these things," Enns said, adding the firm is planning another survey at the end of the summer. The percentage of Canadians who said climate change worries them dropped to 59 per cent from the 63 per cent reported in the August 2024 survey, while exactly half of Canadians polled said there is still time to reverse the consequences of climate change — an increase of two percentage points since August 2024. The polling industry's professional body, the Canadian Research Insights Council, says online surveys cannot be assigned a margin of error because they do not randomly sample the population.
Toronto Star
a day ago
- Climate
- Toronto Star
One in four Canadians report being affected by extreme weather in last year: poll
OTTAWA - Almost one in four Canadians were directly affected by extreme weather events over the past year, a new poll suggests. The Leger poll — released as Canada copes with its second-worst wildfire season on record — says 23 per cent of Canadians who responded said they were personally affected by extreme weather events like heat waves, floods, fires and tornadoes over the last 12 months.
Winnipeg Free Press
a day ago
- Climate
- Winnipeg Free Press
In the news today: Canadians facing extreme weather, major projects bill on track
Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed… Extreme weather affected 1 in 4 people: poll Almost one in four Canadians were directly affected by extreme weather events over the past year, a new poll suggests. The Leger poll — released as Canada copes with its second-worst wildfire season on record — says 23 per cent of Canadians who responded said they were personally affected by extreme weather events like heat waves, floods, fires and tornadoes over the last 12 months. Among those who said they had felt the impacts of extreme weather, almost two-thirds reported being forced to stay indoors because of air quality concerns, while 39 per cent reported suffering emotional stress. Twenty-seven per cent of those who reported experiencing extreme weather said they had to postpone travel plans, while one-fifth said they suffered property damage. CO2 budget for 1.5 C could be exhausted in 3 years The world is on pace to emit enough greenhouse gas emissions over the next three years to blow by an international target to limit global warming to 1.5 C, according to a new study co-authored by a Canadian researcher who says the finding underlines the need for urgent transformational change. The study by more than 60 scientists says the 1.5-degree carbon budget – how much CO2 can be released while staying below that limit – sits at about 130 billion tonnes as of the start of 2025. At current levels, that budget would be exhausted in a little more than three years, the report said. Within the next decade, the budgets for 1.6 and 1.7 degree warming thresholds are at risk too, the report found. Concordia University professor Damon Matthews said 'every increment matters' in the effort to avoid increasingly severe climate impacts, from thawing permafrost to raging wildfires. Major projects bill on track to soon clear House Running roughshod over the environment. Spawning the next Idle No More movement. Picking economic winners and losers. Prime Minister Mark Carney's Building Canada Act is anything if not a magnet for criticism. The Liberal government's controversial legislation that would let cabinet quickly grant federal approvals for big industrial projects like mines, ports and pipelines sailed through committee in the early hours of Thursday. A House of Commons panel sat from Wednesday afternoon to after midnight reviewing Bill C-5 in a hurried study, as the Liberal government seeks to pass it through the chamber by week's end. Disabilities groups ask Liberals to amend tax bill Advocacy groups are asking the federal Liberal government to adjust its proposed tax bill to ensure people with disabilities don't end up paying more to the Canada Revenue Agency. Inclusion Canada says it favours Ottawa lowering the lowest marginal tax rate from 15 to 14 per cent, as proposed in the bill that passed first reading earlier this month. However, the group says the unintended result of the change is that tax credits for people with disabilities will decrease in many cases. That's because the credit — used to reduce taxes payable — is generated by a formula that is tied to the marginal tax rate, and by dropping that rate to 14 per cent, the credit shrinks. Affordability challenges plaguing renters: report A new report suggests Canadian renters continue to face affordability challenges even as asking rent prices have fallen this year, while those considering the leap to home ownership are taking a wait-and-see approach. Royal LePage's 2025 Canadian renters report, which includes results from a survey conducted by Burson, found 37 per cent of renters in Canada spend between 31 and 50 per cent of their net income on monthly rent costs. The survey of more than 1,800 renters in early June indicated that 15 per cent of respondents were spending more than half of their income on rent, while 37 per cent were spending 30 per cent or less. Rents have eased for eight consecutive months, but remain well above historical norms, according to the report. Families fear memories of Air India bombing fading Rob Alexander's father wasn't supposed to be on Air India Flight 182 on June 23, 1985. 'My mother had actually booked him on an Air France flight to go see his mother in India,' recalled Alexander, who was in his teens at the time. 'One of the guys that we knew, he worked for Air India and he wanted to sell my father a ticket very badly to get the commission or something. 'Eventually, he agreed.' Alexander recalled the small argument that ensued between his father and mother, and how she had to cancel his Air France ticket. An Ontario surgeon, Dr. Anchanatt Mathew Alexander boarded the flight in Toronto on the evening of June 22. Early the next morning, about 200 kilometres off the Irish coast, a bomb exploded, sending the Boeing 747 plunging 31,000 feet into the ocean and killing all 329 passengers and crew. The majority were Canadians. — This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 19, 2025
