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☆ Canadian wildfires prompt new evacuations, alarm over air quality
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Maye-E WongOTTAWA, June 7 (Reuters) - Firefighters battled hundreds of forest blazes on Wednesday as Canada's worst-ever early season wildfires prompted the evacuation of thousands and a blanket of smoky air wafting over U.S. cities. There are fires in nearly all of Canada's provinces and territories, with the eastern province of Quebec among the worst affected. The province, Canada's second-most populous, has suffered four times its 10-year average of wildfires so far this year. In neighboring Ontario province, Canada's most populous, deteriorating air quality has been forecast this week in cities including Ottawa and Toronto due to smoke plumes. Wildfires are common in Canada's western provinces, but this year flames have mushroomed rapidly in the country's east.

Persons: Wong OTTAWA, Francois Legault, Legault, Ismail Shakil, David Ljunggren, Deepa Babington Organizations: REUTERS, Firefighters, Residents, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, Canada, New York City , New York, U.S, Quebec, Canada's, New York, New Brunswick, France, United States, Portugal, Spain, Mexico, Chibougamau, Ontario, Ottawa, Toronto

REUTERS/Blair GableOTTAWA, June 7 (Reuters) - Hundreds of uncontrolled forest fires blazed across Canada on Wednesday, threatening critical infrastructure, forcing evacuations and sending a blanket of smoky air wafting over U.S. cities. Quebec Premier Francois Legault earlier said the province was able to fight 40 fires at the same time. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he spoke with U.S. President Joe Biden by phone on Wednesday to thank him for "critical support" in tackling the blazes. These fires are affecting everyday routines, lives and livelihoods, and our air quality," Trudeau said in a statement on Twitter. We will be facing more and more extreme weather events that will cost us a lot more," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told the briefing.

Persons: Blair Gable OTTAWA, Bill Blair, Blair, Quebec Premier Francois Legault, Justin Trudeau, Joe Biden, Trudeau, Legault, Ismail Shakil, David Ljunggren, Nia Williams, Deepa Babington, Diane Craft Organizations: REUTERS, Quebec Premier, Canadian, U.S, Twitter, Residents, Thomson Locations: Centennial, Township, Greater Madawaska , Ontario, Canada, Quebec, U.S, New Brunswick, France, United States, Portugal, Spain, Mexico, Chibougamau, Ontario, Canada's, Ottawa, Toronto, British Columbia

☆ Man charged with dangerous driving after 'premeditated' killing of two in Canada
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Firefighters stand near the site where a man ran down a group of pedestrians with a van in the in the Lower St. Lawrence region of Amqui, Quebec, Canada on March 13, 2023. Prosecutors told reporters that more charges would be filed as police completed their investigations but said it was too early to talk about possible murder charges. Police spokesperson Claude Doiron told reporters Gagnon was cooperating in the investigation. Quebec prosecutor Simon Blanchette told reporters it was too early to speak about a motive. "We see these types of events are happening more and more around the world, it's not unique to us," Quebec Premier Francois Legault told reporters.

☆ Canada's Trudeau to bring up asylum-seeker pact during Biden visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Ismail Shakil | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

OTTAWA, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Thursday he will discuss re-negotiating a border pact that makes it difficult to turn back asylum seekers entering through unofficial crossings when U.S. President Joe Biden visits Ottawa in March. Asked about the STCA on Thursday, Trudeau said he has told Biden in past conversations that reworking the agreement was a "shared priority to ensure the safety of our shared border." Biden will make his first visit to Canada in March since taking office two years ago. The movement of asylum-seekers into Canada from the United States has picked up since Canada lifted COVID-19 pandemic restrictions in late 2021. More than 39,000 refugees entered Canada last year via unofficial crossings, the vast majority via Roxham Road.

The movement of asylum-seekers into Canada from the United States has picked up since Canada lifted COVID-19 pandemic restrictions in late 2021, a trend mirroring global displacement. More than 39,000 refugees entered Canada last year via unofficial crossings, the vast majority via Roxham Road linking Quebec and New York State. Canada is a signatory to the international Refugee Convention under which Canada must adjudicate most refugee claims with limited exceptions. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Trudeau said his government had been trying to "close" Roxham Road for years by rewriting the STCA. Poilievre referenced a COVID-19 policy under which Canada turned back asylum-seekers crossing between ports of entry, a policy that was being challenged in court when it was rescinded.

☆ Trudeau joins vigil for Montreal daycare crash victims
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Nelson Wyatt | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] A Laval city bus is towed away after being pulled out of the daycare it crashed into, in Laval, Quebec, Canada February 8, 2023. Authorities have not yet given any indication of a motive behind the incident in Laval, Quebec, as they wait for a psychological evaluation of the suspect. "This is a moment to reflect on the incredible loss that families are feeling right now," CTV News quoted Trudeau as saying. He stopped to talk with parents who had dropped off their 2-1/2-year old daughter 10 minutes before the crash. Authorities said St-Amand has worked for the Laval municipality's public transit system for 10 years and does not have a criminal record.

[1/4] A Laval city bus is seen crashed into a daycare in Laval, Quebec, Canada February 8, 2023. The bus driver, a 51-year-old employee of the Laval municipality's public transit system, was arrested for homicide and reckless driving, a police spokesperson said. Police declined to provide more details while they investigate and question the driver, who they said has worked for the transit system for 10 years and does not have a criminal record. The incident happened at about 8:30 a.m. (1330 GMT), when kids are usually dropped off by their parents at daycare centers. "No words can take away the pain and fear that parents, children, and workers are feeling – but we are here for you," Trudeau said.

[1/3] Manuela Teixeira, who runs six businesses in Old Chelsea village, stands at the counter of her cafe Biscotti & Cie, which she says faces a dire labor shortage, in Old Chelsea, Quebec, Canada, October 3, 2022. Canada has the worst labor shortages in the Western world, according to the latest OECD data from late 2021. Quebec's immigration ministry didn't respond to a query on the arrival caps and labor challenges for this article. The new census data showed 28.7% of recent immigrants to the province spoke French as their first language, up from 25.7% in 2016. When company workers had to isolate after arriving from Tunisia during COVID-19, people in the town rallied to help with supplies, she said.

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