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☆ Canadian minister 'confident' of Stellantis battery plant deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

OTTAWA, May 16 (Reuters) - Canada's industry minister is optimistic about reaching a deal with carmaker Stellantis (STLAM.MI) over subsidies to build a battery plant in Windsor, Ontario, provided that the provincial government also offers some support, he said on Tuesday. Stellantis stopped construction at a C$5 billion ($3.7 billion) electric-vehicle battery plant in Canada, which is being built in partnership with South Korea's LG Energy Solution (LGES) (373220.KS), while in talks with the federal government. "I'm very confident that we will come to an agreement," Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne told reporters at a press conference in Seoul. Talks with the company are ongoing, he said, adding that it was important that the Ontario provincial government "pay its fair share". Stellantis and LGES announced their battery plant investment last year, but tensions developed between the company and Canada after the country agreed in April to provide up to C$13 billion in subsidies and a C$700 million grant to lure German automaker Volkswagen AG (VOWG_p.DE) to build its North American battery plant in the country.

The Canadian pension funds have benchmarked their investments to that level, according to the presentation. Australian pension funds have invested about 50% of their total assets in domestic equities, according to the presentation. China Investment Corp is Teck's single-biggest institutional investor with a 10.3% stake, and Norway's wealth fund, Norges Bank, owns 1.52%, while Canadian pensions together hold 0.78% stake, according to Refinitiv data. All other pension funds did not respond to Reuters request for comments. Canadian pension funds represent 30% of the total financial savings of Canadians.

OTTAWA, May 16 (Reuters) - Canada's annual inflation rate rose in April for the first time in 10 months, data showed on Tuesday, adding pressure on the central bank to raise interest rates again after having paused its tightening campaign since January. Annual inflation unexpectedly rose to 4.4% in April, Statistics Canada said. Higher rent and mortgage interest costs contributed the most to the annual inflation rate in April, Statscan said. The higher interest rate environment may have contributed to rising rents by stimulating higher rental demand, the agency said. Excluding food and energy, prices rose 4.4% compared with a rise of 4.5% in March.

☆ Canada's Trudeau to visit South Korea; focus on minerals, security
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, May 16 (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will arrive in South Korea on Tuesday for a summit with President Yoon Suk Yeol as the two countries seek to boost cooperation on security and critical minerals used in batteries. Yoon and Trudeau are scheduled to hold a summit and joint press conference on Wednesday, followed by an official dinner, said Yoon's deputy national security advisor, Kim Tae-hyo. The two U.S. allies have been exploring ways to deepen cooperation on critical minerals used in electric vehicle (EV) batteries and step up intelligence sharing. Yoon and Trudeau will sign an agreement on key mineral supply chains, clean energy conversion and energy security cooperation, a South Korean government official told Reuters, requesting anonymity as the deal was not finalised. The two countries have also sought to step up security cooperation including intelligence sharing, while navigating an intensifying rivalry between the United States and China.

[1/2] Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addresses the media during a tour of the Stellantis Windsor Assembly Plant in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. REUTERS/Rebecca CookOTTAWA, May 15 (Reuters) - Automaker Stellantis (STLAM.MI) has stopped construction at a more-than C$5 billion ($3.7 billion) electric-vehicle battery plant in Canada amid talks with the federal and provincial governments about their support for the factory. "Effective immediately, all construction related to the battery module production on the Windsor site has stopped," the spokesperson said. However, some construction related to battery cell production continues, the spokesperson said. The Volkswagen battery gigafactory is the biggest single investment ever in the country's electric-vehicle supply chain.

☆ Stellantis halts battery plant construction over dispute with Canadian govt
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A Stellantis assembly worker works on the interior of a Chrysler Pacifica at the Windsor Assembly Plant in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. "Effective immediately, all construction related to the battery module production on the Windsor site has stopped," the spokesperson said. A spokesperson for Canada's Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The move comes days after the carmaker and South Korea's LG Energy Solution Ltd (373220.KS) (LGES) said they were implementing "contingency plans" related to a more-than C$5 billion ($3.74 billion) battery plant investment in Canada. ($1 = 1.3372 Canadian dollars)Reporting by Ismail Shakil in OttawaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Canada PM Trudeau visits Alberta as wildfires rage
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] Smoke rises from the Paskwa Wildfire (HLW030) as it burns near the Wood Buffalo National Park boundary outside Fox Lake, Alberta, Canada May 14, 2023. The first 11 days of May have set seasonal heat records in several parts of Alberta, including Edmonton, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada. By Sunday afternoon, 89 fires were burning across Alberta, with 25 considered out of control and more than 19,000 evacuees. "Our peak burning period, which is when the temperatures are at their highest and the fuels are at their driest, is still in front of us," Alberta Wildfires official Josee St-Onge said at a briefing Sunday afternoon. "It's too soon to say when we're going to see the peak of this wildfire season.

☆ There may be more 'Chinese police stations" in Canada, minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TORONTO, May 14 (Reuters) - There may be more "Chinese police stations" operating in Canada, the Public Safety Minister told a Canadian TV station on Sunday, months after police said they were investigating whether two community centers in Montreal were being used to intimidate or harass Canadians of Chinese origin. Earlier this month the Canadian Press reported the centers were operating normally, despite the minister's statements that all secret stations in Canada have been shut. Last week Canada expelled Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei after an intelligence report accused him of trying to target a Canadian lawmaker critical of China's treatment of its Uyghur Muslim minority. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government has been under pressure to clamp down on suspected Chinese interference and call a public inquiry into the matter. Trudeau said last week Canada "will not be intimidated" by Chinese retaliation.

☆ Stellantis, LGES implementing 'contingency plans' for battery plant in Canada
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Ismail Shakil | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A Stellantis sign is seen outside the company's headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan, U.S., June 10, 2021. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook/File PhotoOTTAWA, May 12 (Reuters) - Automaker Stellantis (STLAM.MI) and South Korea's LG Energy Solution (373220.KS) (LGES) are implementing "contingency plans" related to a more-than C$5 billion ($3.7 billion) battery plant investment in Canada because the federal government has not delivered on its promises, a Stellantis spokesperson said on Friday. "As of today, the Canadian Government has not delivered on what was agreed to, therefore Stellantis and LG Energy Solution will immediately begin implementing their contingency plans," Stellantis said in a brief emailed statement, without elaborating. LGES and Stellantis announced the investment last year to establish a large-scale, domestic, electric vehicle battery manufacturing facility in Canada. Canada's deal with Volkswagen for a battery gigafactory, announced this year, is the biggest single investment ever in the country's electric-vehicle supply chain.

OTTAWA, May 13 (Reuters) - Canada's main oil-producing province of Alberta faces another hot and dry weekend, with warnings of more intense wildfires after blazes forced thousands to evacuate homes and temporarily shuttered energy production. Residents forced to evacuate early this month say they are frustrated with the indefinite displacement. "We are expecting hot and dry conditions in most of the province, which will make the wildfire danger climb," Alberta Wildfire official Josee St-Onge told a briefing on Friday. Recent cooling and rain helped firefighters tackle some blazes and restored most of the energy production, but expectations of rising weekend temperatures have fanned worries. On Friday, the town of Drayton Valley told residents in a Facebook post that they should expect to be out of their homes "at least another week."

WASHINGTON, May 10 (Reuters) - China is facing a growing backlash from the United States and other Western governments over its controversial efforts to pressure dissidents and their advocates abroad, but Beijing has appeared undeterred. Authorities in the U.S., Canada, Britain and elsewhere recently have taken a hard line, including with expulsions, indictments, arrests and probes, against Chinese operations they say are aimed at intimidating critics and pursuing officials accused of corruption living abroad. Among Beijing's alleged tactics are threats of harm, online harassment and clandestine operations on foreign soil to hunt pro-democracy activists. Beijing responded within hours by ordering a Canadian diplomat in Shanghai to leave over what it called Ottawa's "unreasonable actions". Despite the latest diplomatic spat between China and Canada, “I don't think that you can say that these particular actions are harming the business relationship," said Sarah Kutulakos, the executive director of the Canada China Business Council.

OTTAWA, May 9 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday Canada will not be intimidated by retaliation from China after Beijing expelled a Canadian diplomat in a tit-for-tat response to Ottawa's decision to eject a Chinese diplomat on Monday. Canada expelled Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei over allegations related to foreign interference, and hours later, China asked a Canadian diplomat in Shanghai to leave by May 13 in response to what it called Ottawa's "unreasonable actions". "We understand there is retaliation, but we will not be intimidated, we will continue to do everything necessary to keep Canadians protected from foreign interference," Trudeau told reporters in Ottawa. China "took a very measured response," Guy Saint-Jacques, a former Canadian ambassador to China, said in an interview broadcast on the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. "So putting sanctions on Canada at this stage would have sent a very bad message to foreign companies."

☆ Facebook is wrong to say news lacks economic value, says Canada PM Trudeau
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Ismail Shakil | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Speaking to a parliamentary committee about the Trudeau government's legislation on Monday, a Meta official said news has a social value, but not an economic value to the company. "If we are being asked to compensate these publishers for material that has no economic value to us, that's where the problem is," Meta's head of public policy in Canada, Rachel Curran, told the committee. Facebook's stance against paying news content "shows how deeply irresponsible and out of touch they are," Trudeau told reporters in Ottawa. Their main objection is paying for links to news articles posted on their websites that they say would be unsustainable for their businesses. "Someone reporting on the horrors in Bucha (in Ukraine) is not trying to get likes on their Facebook page," Trudeau said.

OTTAWA, May 9 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday said Canada will not be intimidated by China following tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions by Ottawa and Beijing. "We understand there is retaliation, but we will not be intimidated, we will continue to do everything necessary to keep Canadians protected from foreign interference," Trudeau told reporters in Ottawa. China "took a very measured response," Guy Saint-Jacques, a former Canadian ambassador to China, said in an interview aired on the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. Beijing is conducting a "charm offensive (to) convince foreign enterprises to come back to China to invest," Saint-Jacques added. "So putting sanctions on Canada at this stage would have sent a very bad message to foreign companies."

☆ Canada Expels Chinese Diplomat Following Alleged Threat to Conservative Lawmaker
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Paul Vieira | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

China’s embassy in Ottawa says the expulsion was ’ based on rumors of the so-called China interference hyped up by some politicians and media.’ Photo: Justin Tang/The Canadian Press/Associated PressCanada on Monday expelled a Chinese diplomat after cabinet members learned that he allegedly ordered authorities in Hong Kong to monitor and possibly intimidate the relatives of a Conservative lawmaker critical of Beijing’s treatment of the Uyghur Muslim minority. Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said that Zhao Wei of China’s consulate-general’s office in Toronto was declared “persona non grata.” A Canadian official said Mr. Zhao now has five days to leave the country.

OTTAWA, May 8 (Reuters) - Canada on Monday expelled Toronto-based Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei after an intelligence report accused him of trying to target a Canadian lawmaker critical of China's treatment of its Uyghur Muslim minority. The expulsion escalates already tense Sino-Canadian relations and is likely to prompt China, Canada's second-largest trading partner, to respond. China's embassy in Ottawa said it condemns the expulsion, and that it has formally protested the move to the government. China's Toronto consulate-general said the report on Chong has "no factual basis and is purely baseless." Trudeau said he found out about the intelligence report from the newspaper, and on Wednesday blamed the spy agency for not passing it onto him at the time.

☆ Canada Says It Will Expel Chinese Diplomat Amid Influence Concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Yonette Joseph | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Canada said on Monday it was expelling a Chinese diplomat amid reports he had been intimidating and gathering information on a Canadian lawmaker who had been critical of Beijing’s treatment of its Uyghur Muslim minority, a decision likely to increase tensions between Beijing and Ottawa. Mélanie Joly, Canada’s foreign minister, said in a statement that the diplomat, Zhao Wei, had been declared “persona non grata.” Ms. Joly said the decision has been taken “after careful consideration of all factors at play.”“Diplomats in Canada have been warned that if they engage in this type of behavior, they will be sent home,” she added. “We will not tolerate any form of foreign interference.”Allegations of election interference have rocked Canada in recent months. The Globe and Mail newspaper and other prominent Canadian news organizations have published a series of leaked intelligence reports accusing the Chinese government and its diplomats in Canada of trying manipulate the last two elections to ensure that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party won.

☆ Man who threw gravel at Canada PM Trudeau sentenced to house arrest
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

OTTAWA, May 8 (Reuters) - A man who threw gravel at Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during the 2021 election campaign was sentenced to 90 days of house arrest and one year of probation by a court in Ontario on Monday, according to his lawyer. Trudeau was hit by a handful of gravel in 2021 while on the campaign trail as he made his way past a crowd shouting their opposition to COVID-19-related mandates and restrictions. The prime minister was not injured and his Liberal Party went on to win the election. Shane Marshall later pleaded guilty in March to a charge of common assault related to that incident. Marshall's lawyers had requested that he be sentenced to 60 days of community sentence, while prosecutors had asked for a 30-day jail term.

Prior to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February last year, Ukraine ran its nuclear reactors on Russian fuel, producing 55% of the country's electricity. Cameco, like Energoatom, can adjust how much uranium it delivers on two years' notice, Kotin said. Contracted uranium prices are typically higher than spot prices, meaning that Cameco may take a discount if Ukraine purchases less uranium due to the war's impact, Carter said. Kotin said Energoatom will buy Cameco's uranium at a price based equally on a fixed price and a market price. BIG POTENTIAL REWARDSWhile Ukraine will rely on Cameco for uranium, it has struck separate deals for further processing.

"The end of the COVID-19 public health emergency marks a tremendous transition for our country, for public health, and in my tenure as CDC Director," Walensky wrote to President Joe Biden in her resignation letter. "We have all benefited from her service and dedication to public health, and I wish her the best in her next chapter," Biden said in a statement. "For 75 years, CDC and public health have been preparing for COVID-19, and in our big moment, our performance did not reliably meet expectations," she told CDC staff last summer. Public health experts said Walensky wrestled with political and technical challenges during her tenure. "Dr. Walensky was put into place at the CDC at a time when the agency was basically captive to politicians which clearly hampered her ability to lead," he said.

☆ Google, Meta executives push back against Canada online news bill
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Sam Jabri-Pickett | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A Google logo is displayed at the entrance to the internet based company's offices in Toronto, Ontario, Canada September 9, 2018. REUTERS/Chris HelgrenTORONTO, May 3 (Reuters) - Google and Meta would withdraw access to news articles in Canada if legislation compelling internet companies to pay news publishers is passed, company executives told Canadian lawmakers on Wednesday. Meta would also end the availability of news content in Canada if the bill is passed as currently drafted, said Rachel Curran, head of public policy for Meta in Canada. Curran said Facebook feeds sent Canadian publishers more than 1.9 billion clicks in the 12 months ending April 2022, worth an estimated $230 million in free marketing. The bill introduced in April 2022 by Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez is the latest legislation aiming to make digital media platforms pay for linking news content.

☆ Canada's Justin Trudeau may be struggling but he still commands his party
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Steve Scherer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

OTTAWA, May 4 (Reuters) - Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will kick off what is likely to be the last Liberal Party convention before the next election on Thursday, and though fatigue with his government has deepened there is little question that he is fully in command of his party. Though some cabinet members and former central banker Mark Carney appear to have ambitions to lead the party after Trudeau, no one has come out publicly against him. "Trudeau is the party brand, for better or worse," said Shachi Kurl, president of Angus Reid research group. Conservatives would win 35% of the vote compared to 29% for the Liberals, according to the Angus Reid poll. But in Montreal, the Liberals lead 38% to 15%, and in the suburbs of Toronto the Liberals are ahead 40% to 34%, Angus Reid said.

☆ Shopify offloads logistics business to Flexport
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Annie Palmer | In Annierpalmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Shopify is selling its logistics unit to supply chain technology company Flexport, the companies announced Thursday. The sale marks a reversal for Shopify, which had spent years building out its own logistics and order-fulfillment operations. Shopify and Flexport are deepening their alliance as Shopify seeks to compete with e-commerce rivals such as Amazon and Walmart . Clark said in an interview that the acquisition will allow Flexport to scale the shipping capabilities it can offer for Shopify merchants, and other online businesses. Shopify will also retain its Shopify Fulfillment Network app where merchants manage their logistics process.

☆ Canada opens formal investigation into Imperial's oil sands tailings leak
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Nia Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

CALGARY, Alberta, May 4 (Reuters) - Canada's federal environment ministry on Thursday opened a formal investigation into a months-long tailings leak at Imperial Oil's (IMO.TO) Kearl oil sands mine in northern Alberta, signalling a potential prosecution. Tailings, a toxic mining by-product containing water, silt, residual bitumen and metals, have been seeping from Imperial's site since last May, angering local Indigenous communities who hunt and fish on the lands downstream from Canada's oil sands mines. The company first discovered discolored water on its Kearl site in May 2022 and informed the AER and some local Indigenous communities, but failed to update those communities when testing showed the water contained tailings. Canada's Tourism Minister Randy Boissonnault, one of only two Liberals lawmakers in Alberta, said the Kearl leak and poor communication was "simply unacceptable". "It's unjust for Indigenous communities that are living downstream to have questions about their drinking water table and the health of the natural environment."

WASHINGTON/OTTAWA, May 4 (Reuters) - China sharply criticized Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's comment that linked Chinese-produced lithium to slave labor, and warned Canada could face consequences if it continues "denigrating maliciously" the human rights situation in China. The Chinese side expresses its strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition to this," the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa said in a statement late on Wednesday. The embassy accused Trudeau of "political manipulation under the pretext of human rights" and seeking to undermine China. "The Canadian side should respect facts, set aside prejudice, and stop denigrating maliciously the human rights situation in China, otherwise Canada will certainly take the consequences." Reporting by Doina Chiacu in Washington and Ismail Shakil in Ottawa; Editing by Josie KaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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