The West Block of Parliament Hill is pictured at sunset in Ottawa on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023. A federal inquiry into foreign interference says its
initial hearings will help identify ways to make information public,
even though much of it will originate from classified documents and
sources. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today…
Initial foreign interference inquiry hearings to weigh confidentiality of information
A federal inquiry into foreign interference says its initial hearings will help identify ways to make information public, even though much of it will originate from classified documents and sources.
In a public notice, the inquiry says the five days of hearings on national security and confidentiality of information, to begin Jan. 29, will help set the stage for the next public hearings, likely to take place at the end of March.
The March hearings are expected to delve into allegations of foreign interference in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections, with a report on these matters due May 3.
Sentencing hearing continues for man found guilty in London attack on Muslim family
A sentencing hearing is set to continue today for a man who killed four members of a Muslim family in London, Ont.
Nathaniel Veltman, 23, was found guilty in November of four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder for hitting the Afzaal family with his truck while they were out for a walk on June 6, 2021.
His trial was heard in Windsor, Ont., but the sentencing proceedings, including victim impact statements, are taking place in London, where the attack took place.
Here’s what else we’re watching …
Statistics Canada to release December jobs report
Statistics Canada is set to release its latest reading on the country’s job market this morning.
The agency will publish its labour force survey for December.
The report will include the unemployment rate for the final month of the year and whether the economy added or lost jobs.
Canada’s unemployment rate edged up to 5.8 per cent in November even as the economy added 25,000 jobs.
Alberta sets record in 2023 wildfire season
Alberta Wildfire says it responded to an average number of wildfires last year, but the area burned across the province set a record.
The province saw a total of 1,088 fires from March 1st to October 31st, 2023.
More than 60% of those fires were caused by people, while 4% are still under investigation.
35% of the wildfires were caused by lightning.
Quebec winter ‘false start’ disappoints tourists
An unusually mild start to winter in Quebec has discouraged tourists hoping for a winter wonderland, left litter visible on the streets of Montreal and at times diminished traffic to some of the province’s popular ski slopes.
Environment and Climate Change Canada meteorologist Jean-Philippe Bégin said that last month was southern Quebec’s second-warmest December on record after December 2015, with average temperatures several degrees above normal and relatively meagre snowfall in multiple cities. The mild conditions led the agency to label December 2023 a “false start for winter” in Quebec.
Mild conditions continued into the first week of January in Montreal, where some tourists hoping to enjoy winter weather in picturesque Old Montreal said Wednesday they were disappointed to instead find a damp, grey cityscape.
Yukon plant can help clean mine water: researcher
Research out of Yukon suggests a pesky invasive plant found in many areas of the territory could be put to use helping clean contaminated water from mines.
Student Taylor Belansky’s work at Yukon University focused on bacteria that can remove nitrates from mine water by converting the contaminant into gas.
But doing that most effectively depends on finding the right food source for the bacteria.
Options she tested in a lab ranged from wood chips to waste from the local brewery.
She says the invasive white sweet clover came away the winner, removing 99 per cent of nitrates from the water.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 5, 2024.
