The Supreme Court of Canada has dismissed BC’s attempt to block the construction of the Trans Mountain pipeline extension, upholding the decision of a lower court.

In an unanimous decision on Thursday, Chief Justice Claude Wagner said that the Supreme Court was dismissing BC’s appeal, citing the same reasons as the BC Court of Appeal.

The government of BC had proposed amendments to its environmental law which would have effectively blocked shipments of “hazardous substances” like bitumen through pipelines —making construction of the Trans Mountain project impossible. 

In May the BC Court of Appeals ruled that the proposed amendments were not within the province’s jurisdiction, adding that the NDP-Green government appeared to be purposefully targeting the Trans Mountain project.

BC Premier John Horgan said his government would “use every tool in our toolbox to stop” the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.

The Constitution says that all infrastructure that connects provinces is under federal jurisdiction. The BC Court of Appeal told the province in May that the province did not have authority to regulate pipelines that cross through multiple provinces.

The federal government of Canada bought the pipeline for $4.5 billion after it was feared Kinder Morgan would walk away from the project. Since purchasing Trans Mountain the federal government has repeatedly postponed construction.

It was revealed after the purchase of Trans Mountain that the federal government overspent by $1 billion to acquire the project.

While this ruling removes a major barrier, the pipeline extension’s future is still not certain.

Trans Mountain must still pass another legal challenge alleging that the government failed to properly consult First Nations.

Canadian Tire has received $2.7 million to install charging stations for electric vehicles outside their retail stores.

Canadian Tire will use the taxpayer-funded subsidy to buy 54 “fast” charging stations across Ontario and Western Canada. “Fast” charging stations take 20-38 minutes to charge a vehicle. 

Canadian Tire is one of Canada’s largest retailers. Canadian Tire’s net income in 2018 was $783 million.

The government of British Columbia will also be contributing $275,000 as a grant to Canadian Tire.

“Canadian Tire is a proud Canadian company committed to addressing the challenges of climate change throughout our operations,” said Canadian Tire Corp. VP Andrew Davies.

“The network of EV fast chargers that we are creating with the support of partners like Natural Resources Canada is an example of how we are evolving to meet the needs of all drivers while helping our customers reduce their emissions.”

Despite the government subsidizing many charging stations in recent years, Blacklock’s Reporter found that the charging stations receive little use.

A federal audit done in 2019 found that stations in Ontario and Quebec only receive one to three uses a day on average.

Canadian Tire’s subsidy comes from a $226 million government program to increase Canada’s charging station network.

Other government programs created to increase sales of electric cars have had the same disappointing result since being created.

After spending $165 million on electric car rebates, Transport Canada says that electric vehicle sales have only increased from 2% of all vehicle sales to 3%.

Transport Canada officials were not able to tell a Senate committee what impact the electric car rebate would have on the environment. The government has budgeted $300 million for electric vehicle rebates throughout the life of the program.

The grant to Canadian Tire is similar to another $12 million grant received by Loblaws to pay for “low emission” refrigerators. Loblaws has since laid off 800 people.

Shares in Bombardier Inc. plummeted to a record low Thursday after the Montreal-based company acknowledged its 2019 revenues failed to meet earlier expectations.

The stock closed at $1.22 on Thursday, marking a drop of nearly one-third of its value in a single day.

The company said in October it expected the year’s revenue to be between $16.5 billion and $17 billion but fell short in the fourth quarter, bringing in total revenue of $15.8 billion.

Investor confidence was also hit by the company’s announcement that it may withdraw from a joint venture with Airbus manufacturing A220 commercial airliners.

This is the latest example of Bombardier underwhelming shareholders and customers.

New York City’s transit authority recently pulled 300 Bombardier subway cars due to malfunctions, putting a future US$600 million equipment purchase by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority up in the air.

“Out of an abundance of caution, (New York City Transit) removed all R179 train cars from service overnight for thorough inspection and re-deployed other spare cars to continue service for this morning’s rush and ensure minimal impacts to customers,” said New York City Transit President Andy Byford.

“We intend to hold the company fully accountable.”

In 2017, the Liberal government bailed out Bombardier with a $372.5 million federal loan while also receiving another $1 billion in taxpayer funds from Quebec.

In the same year the company approved a 50% compensation increase for six executives which went into effect last year.  

Despite receiving the funds the company announced it would cut 5,000 jobs globally in 2018.

Canadians from Alberta and Saskatchewan are the least satisfied with Canada’s current course according to the Angus Reid Institute. 

According to the poll, 71% of Albertans reported being dissatisfied with the direction the country is currently heading, while 61% of Saskatchewan residents felt the same way. 

At a national level, 39% of Canadians reported being unhappy with the current course, while 61% expressed satisfaction.

The province which reported the highest level of satisfaction was Quebec which polled at 76%, followed by the Atlantic provinces with 67%. 

“A new study from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute finds a national average of six-in-ten Canadians satisfied with the way things are going in Canada today. But most of these people are concentrated in Quebec, Ontario, Atlantic Canada and, to a lesser extent, British Columbia,” wrote a statement by the Angus Reid Institute. 

Hit by an economic downturn, mainly driven by a decline in oil prices and a lack of ability to get their energy resources to international markets, Albertans have been expressing feelings of alienation from the rest of Canada and discontent with the Liberal government of Justin Trudeau.

Another poll found that 31% of Albertans share the belief that their province would be better off independent from the rest of Canada, surpassing the 26% of people in Quebec who believed the same about their own province. 

Albertans are also the most financially insecure people in all of Canada, with 38% of people reporting that they are cutting down on essential spending.

Premier Jason Kenney has called on the federal government to revisit and discuss equalization payments which he claims are biased against Alberta and its economic prosperity.

Kenney met with Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland early in January where he discussed the issue and called for the repeal of bills C-69 and C-48. 

A majority of Canadians don’t want to pay for the security fees of Prince Harry and Meghan while they live in Canada.

According to a poll by the Angus Reid Institute 73% of respondents claimed that taxpayers should not pay for any of the costs and that the royals should cover it themselves.

“The latest public opinion survey from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute finds that the prince’s personal popularity does not extend to great enthusiasm over the royal couple’s expected relocation,” wrote the Angus Reid Institute.

Among those polled, 19% said that they would be willing to pay for “some of the costs” while only 3% believed Canada was obliged to play all necessary costs.

After a report surfaced claiming that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered to foot the bill for the royals, Trudeau has been pressed to clarify what kind of arrangement would be made and how much it would cost. 

According to security experts, security services for Prince Harry and his family’s could cost taxpayers over $10 million annually. 

“They need personal body guards all the time. You have to pay those peoples’ salaries. You’ve got to pay for the vehicles they travel in and the aircraft they travel in. You have to pay for the communications equipment they require because it has to be sophisticated so that you can’t listen to it,”  said former RCMP intelligence operative Chris Mathers. 

Trudeau told reporters recently that there were still “lots of discussions” to be had with the royals regarding their permanent residence in Canada. 

“I think most Canadians are very supportive of having royals be here, but how that looks and what kind of costs are involved, there are still lots of discussions to have,” said Trudeau. 

Harry and Meghan officially announced that they would be stepping back from their senior duties to live more “financially independent” and “progressive” lives on their official Instagram account. 

“After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution. We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen,” wrote a statement.

Former prime minister Stephen Harper has resigned from the Conservative Fund to stop Jean Charest from becoming leader, according to a story in Maclean’s.

Harper resigned from the board of the Conservative Fund, the Conservative Party’s financial branch, on Wednesday. Board members are supposed to remain neutral during leadership races.

“Yes, Mr. Harper has left his position on the Conservative Fund. The Fund thanks former prime minister Harper for his tireless work on the board, and wishes him well. His contributions, support and wise counsel to the Board over the past many years has been appreciated,” said Conservative party spokesman Cory Hann.

Two unnamed sources within the Conservative Party of Canada told Maclean’s that Harper’s motivation for leaving the fund was so he could campaign against potential leadership candidate Jean Charest.

Harper, who is in India this week for a global affairs conference, lauded the Conservative Fund for its “unparalleled” fundraising and fiscal management, in a tweet posted Wednesday night.

Charest served as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1993 to 1998, before leaving federal politics to run for leader of the Quebec Liberal Party. Charest served as premier of Quebec from 2003 to 2013.

Charest is publicly considering a leadership bid, though has recently garnered controversy when it was alleged that he has been advising Chinese telecommunications firm Huawei on ways to enter the Canadian market.

The source cited in the Maclean’s story said Charest asked for Harper’s blessing to seek the leadership in December, but Harper said he would not support him entering the race.

Harper allegedly told Charest, who is considered more left-leaning than most conservatives, that the modern-day Conservative party is nothing like the one he left behind in 1998.

While Charest has not officially entered the race to replace Andrew Scheer, all indications suggest that he is preparing to launch a leadership bid shortly.

On October 7, 2019, the True North Centre for Public Policy and journalist Andrew Lawton took the federal government to court over the Leaders’ Debates Commission’s decision to bar Lawton from covering the government-run debates in the 2019 federal election.

At the end of the hearing, Justice Russel Zinn granted an injunction ordering the commission to accredit Lawton and two reporters from Rebel News to the debate. Justice Zinn authorized the publication of this audio in full, without interruption or comment during the broadcast.

The president of Paramount Fine Foods Mohamed Fakih has started a fundraising campaign to support the families of the 57 Canadian victims killed when Ukrainian Flight 752 was shot down by Iran.

Funds can be donated online to the “Canada Strong Campaign” which is being run in partnership with the Toronto Foundation.

“In the coming days and weeks, the families of the 57 victims from across Canada will face a number of expenses. We are now encouraging Canadians to support the families of the victims by making a donation,” reads the campaign statement.

Fakih’s fundraiser comes after fellow businessman and Maple Leaf Foods CEO Michael McCain used his brand to publicly rant and blame the plane’s downing on U.S. President Donald Trump.

“A narcissist in Washington tears world accomplishments apart; destabilizes region. US now unwelcomed everywhere in the area including Iraq; tensions escalated to feverish pitch,” tweeted McCain. 

Fakih has pursued several philanthropic endeavors in the past, including financially supporting the Toronto family restaurant Soufi’s. The business shut its doors after the owner’s son Alaa Al Soufi was identified as an Antifa member who harrassed an old woman outside of a Maxime Bernier event in September 2019, but was able to later re-open.

Paramount Foods also donated $25,000 to the Canadian Anti-Hate Network.

Canadian investigators are currently probing the remains of the plane and victims to determine a sequence of events and provide clarity. 

Since the Iranian government admitted to shooting down the airliner with anti-aircraft missiles, families of the victims have been harassed by government officials and told to not speak to journalists.

Foreign Affairs Minister François-Philippe Champagne has said that the Canadian government will investigate the harassment claims after videos were posted online of a mourning mother calling on the Canadian government for help.