A house sits on high ground among flooded farmland in Abbotsford, B.C., on Wednesday, December 1, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today.
Canada’s climate adaptation strategy
Canada’s plan to make communities more resilient to climate change is coming today.
The final version of the national adaptation strategy is expected to be similar to the draft published last fall, which included targets to shore up resistance to wildfires, extreme heat and major storms, such as hurricanes.
That includes measures to protect people from extreme heat, updated flood maps for high-risk areas and public education about the specific risks people might face in their own communities.
The federal government consulted with provinces and territories over the past seven months to get their buy-in to the plan, which will need all levels of government to work together.
Dental dollars divvied up
Provinces that already cover dental-care services for children have been given a smaller share of federal dollars from the Canada Dental Benefit, further driving concerns that governments will end that coverage as the federal program expands.
Data provided to Parliament shows that provinces and territories with dental benefits for all children were given less federal money per population than those that offer only targeted coverage.
The federal dental benefit was launched last fall and is designed to provide cash payments to low- and middle-income families without private insurance. Children qualify for $260, $390 or $650, depending on their family income.
The data may confirm the program is working as intended to fill gaps in coverage, but the Bloc Québécois says the results reveal an “injustice.”
Chow wins Toronto
As Olivia Chow celebrated her election as Toronto’s next mayor on Monday, she reflected on how her life in the city began as a young immigrant in a family supported by one modest income ““ her mother’s job as a hotel maid.
The 66-year-old has been a fixture in Toronto politics, having served for years as a city councillor and as a federal parliamentarian.
But after becoming the first person of colour to be elected mayor of Toronto, she reminded supporters of the challenges she has faced, while praising Canada’s most populous city as a place where adversity can be overcome.
And of course, there are plenty of challenges ahead as well.
First, she faces a daunting task beginning Tuesday as she readies to take charge of a city facing a nearly $1 billion budget hole and work with Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who had said her mayoralty would be “an unmitigated disaster.”
Trudeau back home after Iceland trip
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is back in Canada, after attending a meeting of Nordic leaders in Iceland.
The gathering came just weeks before NATO allies are set to travel to Lithuania for a leaders’ summit, which Norway’s prime minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, said would be “historic.”
A revolt in Russia staged Saturday by Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the mercenary paramilitary organization known as the Wagner Group, loomed large over a two-day get-together, which Trudeau attended as a guest.
He told reporters Monday that Canada continues to monitor the situation in Russia, adding that a cautious approach is needed to avoid fuelling Kremlin propaganda.
As for the upcoming NATO meeting, Trudeau said Canada wants Sweden to be formally accepted into the alliance before it begins on July 10.
Here’s what else we’re watching”¦
New Brunswick cabinet shuffle
New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs is set to shuffle his cabinet today.
The move follows the recent resignations of two ministers who objected to the premier’s leadership style and to changes made to the province’s policy on sexual orientation in schools.
The ministers who stepped down were Dorothy Shephard, who served as social development minister, and Trevor Holder, who had been labour minister.
It’s unclear whether the Progressive Conservative premier will go beyond replacing Shephard and Holder when the new cabinet is announced.
Canada’s western premiers set to meet
The high cost of replacing infrastructure and upgrading it to withstand damage from climate-related disasters will be a key topic of discussion as western premiers meet today in Whistler, B.C.
Host Premier David Eby says he and his counterparts from western provinces and territories agree on calling on the federal government to boost infrastructure funding, given the increased stresses on transportation grids across Western Canada.
Eby says recent disasters in B.C., such as the heat dome in June 2021 and the series of atmospheric rivers that November, show the need for new infrastructure to be more resistant to the effects of climate change.
