In the news today: Canada Post presents ‘framework’ to reach deal

By The Canadian Press on December 2, 2024.

Snow covers landscape as the effects of a snow storm are shown on a property near Meaford, Ont., Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. Intense snow squalls battering Ontario moved south after burying some parts of the province under more than a metre of snow, stranding vehicles and prompting one town to declare a state of emergency. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Andrew Leach

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed…

Ontario snow strands vehicles, knocks out power

Intense snow squalls battering Ontario moved south Sunday after burying some parts of the province under more than a metre of snow, stranding people on roadways and prompting one town to declare a state of emergency.

Gravenhurst, a town in Ontario’s Muskoka region hit with around 140 centimetres of snowfall, declared a state of emergency early Sunday.

An impassable, snow-covered stretch of Highway 11 inundated by collisions had separated parts of the town from plows and emergency services on Saturday, prompting the state of emergency declaration, she said.

The shifting winds offered relief to hard-hit communities but threatened to deliver snow squalls to areas further south, toward the Bruce Peninsula and London areas.

Premier Doug Ford said the province was working closely with local authorities to help them respond to the storm. Ford said he was relieved no injuries or deaths had been reported.

Here’s what else we’re watching…

Canada Post presents ‘framework’ to reach deal

Canada Post has presented the union representing some 55,000 striking postal workers with a framework to reach negotiated agreements, the corporation said.

A statement issued Sunday said the framework includes proposals to bring greater flexibility to Canada Post’s delivery model and shows “movement on other key issues” in the labour dispute that’s stretching into the holiday season.

It said the framework was presented to the union earlier on Sunday.

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers said on its website that its negotiators are reviewing the framework documents, and noted the union and Canada Post have both adjusted their demands in the hope of restarting talks.

However, the statement said there has been no word from the mediator that talks will resume. And while it said the union is ready for a re-start, it said the framework did not appear to take into account the labour minister’s comments about the agreement needing to be “ratifiable.”

Federal electricity rules would add $35B: Ontario

Ontario is urging the federal government to amend proposed electricity regulations after an analysis by the province’s system operator concluded the rules would mean $35 billion in additional costs by 2050.

A new analysis by the Independent Electricity System Operator looking at upcoming regulations around restrictions on emissions from electricity generation found that Ontario would have to add twice as much new generation as it is already planning, which is “not feasible” in that time frame.

But if the province were to somehow do so, building enough new electricity generation to make up for restrictions on natural gas would add $35 billion in costs by 2050, increasing residential bills by $132 to $168 per year starting in 2033, the IESO said.

Ontario Energy Minister Stephen Lecce has written to the federal ministers of the environment and energy, urging them to make changes to the rules.

Guilbeault and Wilkinson say they are also keeping affordability top of mind while designing the new rules, set to soon be finalized.

Anti-gay bill in Ghana threatens tribal identities

Traditional healer Naa Busuafi used to feel empowered when leaving tribal ceremonies held on the outskirts of Accra, proud to be living out practices that colonists sought to eradicate.

But that pride has been replaced by fear and dread as a government bill intended to stamp out homosexuality has contributed to a violent backlash against LGBTQ+ people.

Busuafi’s peers connect people with spirits or with long-lost relatives. In TikTok videos of ceremonies, bare-chested women channelling male spirits chant and dance. Men wear a long dress with jewelry when the spirit dominating them is female.

These ceremonies would likely be banned under the proposed bill, which would criminalize cross-dressing. MPs tabled the legislation in June 2021 as a “family-values” bill. It was approved by Ghana’s parliament this past February, but has been tied up in court challenges ahead of the December 7 national election.

The Canadian Press travelled to Ghana as part of an investigative series looking into a global backslide in LGBTQ+ rights and the consequences for Canada, including the role of pre-colonial gender identities.

Ghana’s proposed law would jail those promoting same-sex relations for up to a decade, coerce jail time or force what is referred to as conversion therapyfor those caught having gay sex. It also would ban certain medical treatments such as hormone therapy.

Online shopping mania: Cyber Monday

Today is Cyber Monday, expected to be among the biggest online shopping days of the year.

Shoppers are scouring the internet for deals as Cyber Monday marks the end of the retail mania that began on Black Friday.

Shopify Inc., an Ottawa-based company whose e-commerce software powers thousands of retail businesses, says as of Saturday, the average cart in Canada totalled $210.91 over the Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend.

The firm’s figures show Canada ranked fifth among top-selling countries, behind the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Germany.

Cyber Monday is a term coined by the National Retail Federation in 2005, and it routinely rings in the biggest online shopping day of the year, thanks to the deals and the hype retailers have created to fuel it.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 2, 2024.