ETA Canada Travel Pass News

Cailian Press reported on August 5 that Canada’s merchandise trade deficit hit a record high in the second quarter, and the deficit widened further in June.

Canada’s trade deficit with the world widened to C$5.9 billion ($4.3 billion) in June from C$5.5 billion in May, according to data released by Statistics Canada on Tuesday. That was slightly lower than the median forecast of a C$6.3 billion shortfall by economists surveyed. Canada’s total merchandise imports rose 1.4% in June, the first increase in four months.

The main driver was a shipment of high-value equipment from the United States for an oil and gas project off the coast of Newfoundland. However, excluding industrial machinery, overall imports fell 1.9%.

Total merchandise exports rose 0.9% in June, the second consecutive month of growth, but this was mainly driven by rising crude oil and refined petroleum product prices. In terms of volume, total exports decreased by 0.4%, while total imports increased by 1.5%.

On July 31, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order raising tariffs on Canadian products to 35%.

According to a White House statement, the tariffs, which had been in place since March of this year, will be raised to 35% as of August 1, as warned. The reason given is that Canada has taken retaliatory measures against the United States for not cooperating in curbing the inflow of illegal drugs such as fentanyl. However, since these do not include products that meet the conditions of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), most Canadian exports will continue to be exempt from the tariffs.

On the 30th, Prime Minister Carney announced his “intention to recognize the state of Palestine,” and when asked if this had affected the trade talks, President Trump said, “I didn’t like what was announced,” but added, “It wasn’t a deal-breaker. I haven’t spoken to Canada today. He (Prime Minister Carney) has contacted me, so we’ll see what happens.” The Prime Minister’s office has not disclosed whether the White House has been contacted or the details of the negotiations.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford expressed concern about the tariff hikes and called on the federal government to impose a 50% retaliatory tariff on American steel and aluminium.

The United States imposes a 50% tariff on steel and aluminium imported from around the world. Canada is the United States’ largest source of both products.

U.S. President Donald Trump, who is currently in trade negotiations with various countries including Canada, told reporters on July 25 that “we have no agreement with Canada.”

On July 10, the U.S. sent a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney announcing that it would impose a 35% tariff on Canadian imports starting August 1. It also indicated that it could raise the tariffs further if Canada retaliates. However, the tariffs would only apply to products not included in the free trade agreement between the two countries.

President Trump said he expects agreements to be reached with most countries by the August 1 deadline and noted that negotiations are progressing with the European Union, China, and Australia, but added, “With Canada, things aren’t going so well. Canada may just end up paying tariffs.” He did not mention any specific factors that are impeding the negotiations.

Canada is already being hit by US tariffs on steel, aluminium and autos, with copper tariffs expected to take effect on August 1.

On the previous day, the 24th, US Trade Minister Dominic Le Blanc said he felt “good” after meeting with US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and bipartisan senators. Minister Le Blanc said the closed-door negotiations with the US were “complex” and suggested that an agreement may not be reached by August 1. Prime Minister Carney also said on the 22nd, “We will not accept anything unless it’s an agreement worth signing.”

On July 25th, Newmont announced that the three workers who were trapped in a mine in northern British Columbia (BC) after a landslide occurred on July 22nd had been safely rescued. The rescue came about 60 hours after the incident.

The accident was announced by British Columbia Premier David Eby, who was attending the National Premiers’ Conference on the 23rd. “As far as we know, the three are uninjured and in the evacuation zone,” Eby said. The accident occurred at the Red Chris mine, about 420 kilometres west of Fort Nelson. The identities of the three trapped workers have not been released. Two were said to be from British Columbia and one was from Ontario, but one of the workers said to be from British Columbia was from Alberta.

According to a statement from Newmont, the mine’s operator, the collapse occurred twice, and the three people trapped during the first accident were working more than 500 meters away from the area where the collapse occurred.

It was confirmed that the three were safely moved to a shelter, but the second collapse restricted communication. However, the company explained that the shelter was equipped with sufficient food, water, and ventilation equipment to accommodate long-term stays.

A Cessna plane has taken over the airport at Vancouver International Airport. According to the Richmond RCMP (Federal Police), at around 1:10 pm on July 15th, they received a report that a Cessna 172 type light aircraft had been hijacked near Vancouver Island and was entering the airspace near Vancouver International Airport.

Police, the Lower Mainland Joint Emergency Response Team, and the RCMP Aviation Division were immediately deployed to the airport. At 1:45 p.m., the Cessna landed at the airport, and police arrested the only passenger on board. There were no incidents or injuries. An airport spokesperson told reporters that all flights were grounded for about 40 minutes, and nine flights were diverted to other airports.

The man, identified as Shaheer Qasim, 39, has been charged with hijacking, the RCMP said in a statement on the 16th. His next court appearance is scheduled for July 22nd.

Qasim is accused of threatening a flight instructor and hijacking a plane at Victoria International Airport. Police have said the motive for the attack was “ideologically motivated” but have not released further details.　After the incident, multiple media outlets reported that the plane belonged to the Victoria Flying Club, but club president Colin Williamson told media outlets that Qasim was not a member of the club.

British Columbia Premier David Eby announced the cabinet reshuffle on July 17. At a press conference, he said, “The world has changed significantly since the election and since the last cabinet was formed,” and “I am confident that my newly assembled team will be able to meet the demands of today’s times.”

According to a statement from the provincial government, this cabinet reshuffle is positioned as a “strategic reorganization to focus on the needs of the people in jobs, the economy, and the local community.”

By placing emphasis on the expertise and experience of each minister, the government will tackle the major issues of economic growth, investment opportunities, and strengthening public services, aiming for a stronger British Columbia and a sustainable economy with less reliance on the United States.

The main posts in the new cabinet are as follows: Ravi Kahlon: Minister for Jobs and Economic Growth

Nina Krieger: Minister for Public Safety and Attorney General

Jesse Sanner: Minister for Higher Education and Future Skills

Christine Boyle: Minister for Housing and Local Government

Diana Gibson: Minister for Civil Services

Anne Kang: Minister for Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport

Spencer Chandra-Herbert: Minister for Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation

Rick Glumac: Minister of State for AI and Emerging Technologies

In addition, the following members were appointed as new Parliamentary Vice-Ministers:

Amna Shah: Anti-Racism, Mental Health and Addictions; Gary Begg: Surrey Regional Infrastructure; George Chou: Downtown East side and Chinatown; Paul Choi: Trade

This cabinet reshuffle is the third since the Eby administration took office and comes about nine months after the last election. According to the statement, 19 female ministers make up the majority, and they play important and complex roles. They also emphasized that this government has a balanced mix of experienced leaders, young people, new faces, and diverse backgrounds, and that it reflects the diversity and values of the state’s people.

On July 9, Vancouver City Council in British Columbia unanimously approved lowering the speed limit on the city’s local streets to 30 km/h. Local streets are roads that do not have a centre line and are usually found in residential areas.

According to a statement from the City of Vancouver, lowering the speed limit will greatly contribute to the safety of pedestrians and cyclists. Specifically, lowering the speed limit from 50 km/h to 30 km/h will reduce the fatality rate of pedestrians in accidents from 80% to 15%. In addition, slower speeds will reduce stopping distances by about 50%, making it easier to prevent accidents. In addition, noise levels will be significantly reduced, leading to improved air quality.

Currently, the speed limit on roads in Vancouver is set at 50km/h unless otherwise indicated, in accordance with BC regulations, but city officials have the power to lower the speed on individual roads, and the speed limit on greenways and roads around schools and parks is already set at 30km/h.

The initiative will expand the 30km/h speed limit to all local streets in the city and will be gradually implemented once the new bylaw is formally enacted.

Initially, the new speed limit signs will be installed at the entrances to 25 “slow zone” districts over the next three years. City Council has approved $230,000 for the signs and $20,000 for education and monitoring, with the possibility of expanding to more districts depending on future budget plans.

Mayor Ken Sim said of the move, “There are many examples around the world of lowering the speed limit in residential areas, and it has made them safer. The statistics show the benefits.” City Councillor Pete Fry, who has long advocated for lowering the speed limit, told CBC Radio, “We want our residents to be able to walk around without worrying about getting into an accident.” He added, “As drivers, we have a responsibility to drive carefully and safely. But that’s not possible if you’re driving 50 kilometres per hour on roads where cats, dogs, children and balls are around.”

The new cars for SkyTrain, British Columbia’s main public transportation system in Metro Vancouver, were unveiled at Vancouver’s Chinatown-Stadium Station on July 10th.

The newly introduced next-generation vehicle, the Mark V, is said to be able to carry 25 percent more passengers than previous vehicles.

The five-car trains will operate on the Expo and Millennium Lines, as well as on the upcoming Broadway Subway and Surrey-Langley SkyTrain projects.

TransLink, which manages and operates the SkyTrain, announced that it has purchased 235 cars (47 units), the largest order to date, which will be introduced gradually by 2029.

The Mark 5 was developed by Alstom, a major French rail vehicle manufacturer. In 2021, Alstom acquired the former Bombardier Transportation, the rail vehicle division of Canadian transportation equipment manufacturer Bombardier (Quebec).

According to TransLink, the Mark 5 was manufactured at Alstom’s factory in La Pocatière, Quebec, and the test run was carried out in Kingston, Ontario, and then transported overland to Vancouver, emphasizing that it is “Made in Canada.

A publicly funded in vitro fertilization (IVF) support program has been launched in British Columbia (BC), with applications beginning on July 2nd.

The program provides up to $19,000 in subsidies for one IVF treatment to BC Medical Service Plan (MSP) subscribers. The age limit is 18 to 41 years old (at the time of application), and applications must be made through a fertility specialist. Applications are reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis.

The amount of the grant is determined by household income: those with a pre-tax household income of up to $100,000 can receive the full amount up to $19,000, after which the grant amount is gradually reduced and ineligible for households with an income above $250,000.

The program will be implemented by three institutions: Olive Fertility Centre, Pacific Centre for Reproductive Medicine, and Grace Fertility and Reproductive Medicine. If patients need to travel long distances to the hospital, the Travel Assistance Program will be applied, and eligible patients will receive partial subsidies for travel expenses.

Niamh Tallon, clinical medical director at Olive Fertility Centre, one of the implementing organisations, said in a statement that the programme is groundbreaking for fertility patients who rely on advanced reproductive medicine and joins other states that have introduced similar schemes as an important step towards achieving more equitable access to fertility care.

Four years after the devastating wildfires of 2021, another out-of-control wildfire is burning in Lytton, British Columbia (BC), a city still recovering from the devastating wildfires of 2021. The cause was determined to be an accidental ignition by a police vehicle.

Lytton is a small village in the Thompson-Nicola region in the south-central part of the province, located about 250 km northwest of Vancouver. According to a statement from the RCMP (Federal Police) on July 3, the “Iseman Creek Fire” near Lytton broke out at around 2:20 pm on July 1. It is believed that a malfunction in the equipment of an RCMP trailer caused the right wheel to come off, resulting in a fire in a grass-covered ditch.

Police officers tried to put out the fire with their own extinguishers but were unsuccessful. The trailer truck that caused the fire belonged to the RCMP’s underwater search team, which was returning to Vancouver after a search for a missing person in a nearby lake.

Police described the fire as “extremely unfortunate” and urged caution during the dry bushfire season, when even small things can ignite a major fire.

According to the BC Wildfire Service website, the Isman Creek Fire had grown to 130 hectares and was out of control as of 2:00 pm on July 3. Evacuation orders and warnings were issued for areas along Highway 12 in the Thompson-Nicola region on July 1 because of the fire. Lytton First Nation also issued a widespread evacuation warning, including several reserves east of the Fraser River.

A wildfire that broke out on June 30, 2021, destroyed much of Lytton, killing two people. At the time, a heat dome covered southern BC, including Vancouver, and a maximum temperature of 49.6°C was recorded in Lytton.