In today’s news: Shooting puts spotlight on convention security

Here’s a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press to bring you up to date…

The footage focuses on convention security

Thousands of Republicans have descended on Milwaukee as an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump brings a heightened sense of security to the Republican National Convention this week.

Trump arrived in the city on Sunday ahead of the four-day event expected to reinvigorate Republicans as they formally choose him as their 2024 presidential candidate.

Many people arriving at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport wore bright red hats and shirts with bold text proclaiming well-known Trump slogans, but much of the conversation was about the bloodshed at the Pennsylvania rally on Saturday.

The shot, which the former president says pierced his ear, killed one supporter and wounded two others.

It also brought the growing polarization of the political atmosphere to the forefront of Americans’ attention and put an emphasis on security at the major Republican event.

Here’s what we’re watching…

National carbon cuts for July are expected today

The second tranche of this year’s national carbon price cut will be deposited or mailed to millions of households today.

Canada’s carbon rebate returns 90 per cent of revenue collected by Ottawa from the consumer carbon tax to households in the eight provinces where it is paid.

British Columbia and Quebec have their own separate but equivalent carbon pricing systems and therefore do not receive federal rebates.

The rebate is sent in four installments over the year and is based on household size and the province you live in, with a family of four receiving between $190 and $450 today.

Provinces where fossil fuels account for a larger share of electricity have larger carbon reductions because those consumers pay more for the price of carbon.

Today is also the last day for small businesses to file their tax returns to qualify for a new automatic refundable tax credit to offset some of their carbon pricing costs.

LCBO no longer plans to open 32 stores amid strike

Ontario’s top liquor retailer said Sunday it has scrapped plans to open some in-store locations amid an ongoing strike by thousands of its employees.

The Liquor Control Board of Ontario previously said it plans to open 32 stores three days a week with limited hours if the Ontario Public Service Employees union strike lasts more than two weeks.

LCBO workers represented by OPSEU walked off the job on July 5 after negotiations broke down.

The LCBO says it has been able to serve retail customers since the strike began by shopping online, fulfilling orders within a week.

“Due to this success and our confidence in our ability to continue to serve online retail customers, we will be reassigning staff who were planned to open LCBO retail stores for in-store shopping to other parts of the operation to further improve a lot. support for bars, restaurants and other businesses,” the organization said in a press release on Sunday.

Hours after the announcement, Restaurants Canada issued a statement saying its members are reassured by word that “limited resources will now be directed toward protecting vulnerable businesses.”

Alberta to relax rule on unpaid taxes on oil fields

The Alberta government plans to relax a rule that requires energy companies looking to buy viable wells out of bankruptcy proceedings to first pay all the failed producer’s back taxes.

“I have informed the Alberta Energy Regulatory Authority and the Orphan Well Association that my office will modify the order in a way that will protect the value of the productive assets and ensure they can be purchased by responsible operators,” said Energy Minister Brian Jean in an email.

“We believe that a significant minority of the assets sent (to the association) in the recent past will be considered attractive by the industry.”

In March 2023, Jean’s office issued an order to the energy regulator asking it to consider whether a power company’s tax payments were up to date before the company’s licenses could be transferred to another owner.

The move was in response to concerns from rural municipalities about rising tax arrears from companies that were struggling or had gone into receivership. That unpaid bill totaled $251 million at the end of 2023, which does not include the write-off amount.

Canada will apologize to nine First Nations

Canada’s Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations is scheduled to issue an apology to Manitoba and Saskatchewan today after decades of Canada labeling the Dakota and Lakota refugees.

Gary Anandasangaree’s apology, which will be presented at a ceremony on the Whitecap Dakota Nation south of Saskatoon, is being called “historic” by officials.

Being designated as refugees, the Dakota and Lakota were not included in the treaty negotiations because Canada saw them as American, despite their strong presence north of the Canada-US border.

Historically, they have had a more strained relationship with Canada, including having smaller reserves and less economic support than other indigenous groups.

The Whitecap Dakota Nation signed a self-government agreement with Canada in 2023 that officially recognized them as Aboriginal peoples under the Constitution.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on July 15, 2024.

The Canadian Press