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The Ontario Hockey League announced hefty sanctions on the Niagara IceDogs. These sanctions were citing failure to meet the league’s maltreatment, bullying, and harassment protection and prevention policy, and the league’s code of conduct. The investigation was performed by a third party and lasted several months. Approximately 15 team members, including former players, coaches, staff, and team officials, were investigated. To maintain the integrity of the investigation, the team owner, governor, and general manager Darren DeDobbelaer was asked to keep the investigation private and avoid discussing any information related to the investigation. For context, although it was agreed to keep the investigation confidential, DeDobbelaer breached that agreement. He will now be suspended for two OHL seasons. The players listed, Joshua Rosenzweig and Landon Cato, were found to be in serious violation of the league’s player maltreatment policy. They will therefore be banned from the OHL for the rest of their playing careers. This will not be the first sanctions against the IceDogs, as former general manager Joey Burke and head coach Billy Burke were suspended in 2022. This was after an investigation concluded they had used inappropriate and profane language to describe a female colleague. The team was sold shortly thereafter to DeDeobbelaer, as the former owners, Bill Burke and Denise Burke, were the parents of the suspended individuals.

After a brief respite, Brampton has regained its dubious place as Ontario’s most expensive car insurance. The city west of Toronto has long reigned as the priciest to insure a vehicle. However, Vaughan in the north took the crown for the fourth quarter of 2021. Brampton stood forth in that report. But according to a recent report from RATESDOTCA, based on data from RATESDOTCA’s Auto Insurance, an online tool that measures average car insurance premiums in postal codes across the province, Brampton is back. Average Brampton premiums were up 37% from last year’s report. This was with an average premium in 2023 of $2,707, up $731 from Q4 2021. This was $963 more than the provincial average of $1,744. The provincial average has risen 12% since Q4 2021. A rise in claims as people return to pre-pandemic driving habits combined with inflation and ongoing supply chain issues has caused numerous Ontario insurers to apply for rate increases from the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA). Rate change requests began last year, and some were hefty, with the provincial regulator approving some as high as 15%, the report said. A past SUN story linked high insurance fraud. Large numbers of new drivers in all cities with high rates also play a role, that article said. The estimated price for insurance was found by estimating premiums on a 35-year-old male who drives a 2019 Honda Civic four-door with a clean driving record. They remind us that insurance premiums are custom products based on a driver’s unique driving and insurance history and coverage needs. Your rate could be more — or less — than the one displayed for your postal code. Vaughan fell to the middle of the list this time around, but 11 York Region cities were included in the rankings. Toronto ($2,325 per year) and Mississauga ($2,311 per year) displaced Ajax and Richmond Hill for the second and third spots. Mississauga is often in the top five, but this is a first for Toronto. The average rate is 19%. Hamilton dropped out of the top 10 in 2021 after placing 10th in 2020. However, it has reemerged as the ninth most expensive insurance city at $1,810 per year. Premiums are up 14% in the city.

Florida mayors across the state support LGBTQ rights. This is in light of several bills targeting the community that have been passed by the state legislature and are heading to the desk of Gov. Ron DeSantis. At least eight mayors from Orlando, Miami Beach, Tampa, Tallahassee, and more have signed the pledge in support of the LGBTQ advocacy organization GLSEN and its Rise Up campaign. This is according to the group. Several local leaders issued city proclamations, promising "safe learning environments that include and affirm all children, including LGBT students," according to one of the proclamations. "I was elected to be mayor for every resident of Gainesville, and it is critical to me that all our neighbors, particularly the youngest and most vulnerable, feel welcome and safe in our community," Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward told ABC News in a statement. He continued, "I support the well-being and healthy development of everyone in our community through the guarantee of basic human rights." The Rise Up campaign also advocates for LGBTQ-affirming books, resources, and curriculum, as well as advocacy against anti-LGBTQ bills and rhetoric. Trantalis continued, "Discrimination of any kind, particularly towards LGBTQ+ children, has no place in our society. Greater Fort Lauderdale boasts one of the highest concentrations of same-sex households in the nation, and we welcome over 1.3 million LGBTQ+ visitors each year." Florida has led the recent wave of legislation and policies targeting the LGBTQ community. The bills passed by the Florida legislature Wednesday include a bathroom bill that bars transgender people from using restrooms or changing facilities that do not align with their gender assigned at birth. Another bill expands the Parental Rights in Education law, dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" law by critics. This bill would restrict classroom instruction on gender identity or sexual orientation from prekindergarten through grade 8; from grades 9 through 12, such content must be "age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students under state standards." However, the Florida Board of Education had already voted to expand the restriction from kindergarten through 12th grade. The bill says school employees and students "may not be required" to refer to "another person using that person's preferred personal title or pronouns" if they "do not correspond to that person's sex" as assigned at birth. It would bar school employees from using pronouns or names that "do not correspond to his or her sex," according to the bill. Teachers would also not be allowed to ask students for their preferred pronouns or names. The bill encourages education on "abstinence from sexual activity" and "the benefits of monogamous heterosexual marriage." The legislation also states that parents may object to school or library books. These books must then "be removed within 5 school days of receipt of the objection and remain unavailable to students at that school until the objection is resolved." Critics slammed the legislation, saying it removes and silences LGBTQ identities from classrooms and school programs. In addition, the restrictions are a form of censorship against certain perspectives. Those in support of the legislation say it gives parents more control over what children learn at school. They claim children will have more space to figure out "who they are," Republican state Sen. Erin Grall says. Florida's largest LGBTQ civil rights group Equality Florida has issued a travel advisory for the state. This advisory is backed by the Florida chapters of the NAACP and the Florida Immigrant Coalition. A spokesperson for DeSantis' office called the move a "stunt" at the time. Florida's largest LGBTQ civil rights group Equality Florida has issued a travel advisory for the state. This advisory is backed by the Florida NAACP and the Florida Immigrant Coalition. DeSantis' office spokesperson called the move a "stunt" at the time.

A row has broken out in Florida over proposed legislation that would ban Chinese citizens from owning land or property in the state. This is unless they are also U.S. citizens or permanent residents. The priority bill has the backing of Republican and some Democratic legislators. These legislators argue it is needed to ensure national security. However, critics argue it is discriminatory, and violates the Fair Housing Act of 1968. Polling indicates DeSantis is Republican voters' second most popular choice to be the party's 2024 presidential nominee, following former President Donald Trump. However, he has yet to officially enter the race. Thus any dispute involving DeSantis could have national political implications, either undermining the Florida Republican or strengthening his "anti-woke" credentials. The legislation, titled "SB 264: Interests of Foreign Countries," was approved by the Florida House this week 95-17 and will now head back to the Senate, which voted for a previous version unanimously. It also prohibits citizens of Russia, North Korea, Iran, Cuba, Venezuela, and Syria from buying land within a mile of a military base or piece of critical infrastructure. However, only Chinese nationals face a statewide ban. Congress is concerned about the increase in Chinese ownership of U.S. agricultural land. This includes farmland by an air base in North Dakota purchased in 2022. In response, legislation has been introduced at both the national and state level. This legislation would restrict farmland purchases by countries deemed hostile to the United States. However, the proposed bill in Florida has sparked a backlash, with opponents arguing it could violate the 1968 Fair Housing Act. This key piece of civil rights-era legislation banned discrimination based on race, national origin, religion, or sex in housing sales. On Saturday, dozens of Chinese Americans protested against the bill outside the Florida Capitol. They held signs reading "Equality For All" and "No anti-Asian Bill." Speaking on Wednesday, Democratic state Representative Fentrice Driskell argued the bill appears unconstitutional. She added: "Who will enforce this?" Realtors? Come on. We are better than this." However, some Democrats support the legislation including state Representative Katherine Waldron, one of its co-sponsors. Newsweek contacted DeSantis asking what legal advice his office received about SB 264. It also asked whether they thought it could be ruled unconstitutional if passed into law. DeSantis is also locked in a legal battle with Disney, Florida's largest employer, which alleges the governor violated its First Amendment rights after the company spoke out in opposition to the Parental Rights in Education bill, branded the 'Don't Say Gay' law by critics. On Wednesday, DeSantis' Tallahassee office was occupied by protesters from the Dream Defenders campaign group. They demanded a meeting with the governor.

Standing in front of the bodies of dozens of his fighters killed in Russia’s war with Ukraine, the head of the private military company Wagner on Thursday unleashed an expletive-laden challenge to Russia’s military leadership. He blamed their deaths on lack of support. Shining a small flashlight on the corpses lying outdoors near what appears to be the front lines of the war, Prigozhin claims they are the casualties of just one day of fighting. “Shoigu, Gerasimov, where … is the ammunition?” says Prigozhin, calling out Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the Russian armed forces Gen. Valery Gerasimov. Prigozhin, whose Wagner mercenary group has taken on a growing role in the Ukraine conflict as Russian forces falter, has been highly visible on the front lines in recent months – where he has claimed credit for territorial gains, particularly in the battles raging around the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. Prigozhin’s call for more ammunition is not a surprise, nor are his methods. He has repeatedly complained of receiving insufficient support from the Kremlin in the grueling fight for the eastern city. In February, he appealed for ammunition, posting a picture on Telegram of a pile of corpses. Shortly after that posting, he posted another saying a shipment of ammunition was on its way to the Wagner troops. But the support has not lasted, at least to Prigozhin’s liking. Last weekend, he threatened to withdraw his troops from the city if Moscow didn’t provide more ammunition. In a separate statement posted to Telegram on Friday, Prigozhin repeated the threat. He said his private military company would leave Bakhmut on May 10 due to ammunition shortages. Known for its disregard for lives, the Wagner group’s brutal and often lawless tactics are believed to have resulted in high numbers of casualties, as recruits are sent into battle with little formal training – a process described by retired United States Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling as “like feeding meat to a meat grinder.” But as his stature has increased, so too have his clashes with Shoigu and Gerasimov. This prompts speculation about possible elite infighting in Moscow as the military campaign fails. In February, he accused the two men of “treason” for their alleged failures to support and supply the Wagner group in Ukraine.

Standing in a field of corpses, Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin on Friday published an expletive-ridden video personally blaming top defense chiefs for losses suffered by his Wagner Group fighters in Ukraine. Prigozhin appeared next to dozens of bloodied corpses he said were Wagner fighters. His expletives were bleeped out in the video published by his press service. Those responsible would be sent to hell, Prigozhin shouted. He also said Wagner's losses would be five times smaller if it was adequately supplied. Prigozhin, whose Wagner Group spearheaded Russia's months-long assault on Bakhmut, began publicly feuding with defense chiefs last year, accusing them of incompetence, and of deliberately depriving Wagner of ammunition out of personal animosity towards him. In recent weeks, Prigozhin refrained from public attacks on Shoigu. However, he continued to suggest that deliberate ammunition shortages had exacerbated casualty figures.

Russian forces are unlikely to mount a significant offensive operation this year — even if the anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive is not fully successful, the country's top intelligence official told lawmakers Thursday. In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said the Russian military had gained less territory in April than in any of the prior three months and was facing "significant shortfalls" in munitions and personnel constraints. She added that the conflict remains a "brutally grinding war of attrition," with day-to-day fighting taking place in eastern Ukraine over "hundreds of meters," and neither side demonstrating a definitive advantage. According to U.S. assessments, Haines said, Russian President Vladimir Putin "probably has scaled back his immediate ambitions" to consolidate control of already-occupied territory in the east and south of the country, and to ensure Ukraine does not join the NATO alliance. To the extent the Russian leader would consider a negotiated pause in fighting, it would likely be based on his assessment that a pause would provide a "respite" for Russian forces, which would rebuild and resume offensive operations "at some point in the future," Haines said, potentially amid waning Western interest in the conflict. But, the intelligence chief said, the prospect for Russian concessions in any negotiations this year "will be low, unless domestic political vulnerabilities alter [Putin's] thinking." Both Haines and Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) Director Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, who also testified at the hearing, said Russian ground forces had been significantly degraded and, according to some estimates, could take between five and ten years to rebuild. Russia's loss of conventional military strength may make it more reliant on cyber, space, and nuclear capabilities. In addition, it may depend on support, Haines said. Both witnesses acknowledged a steadily deepening relationship between Moscow and Beijing. Despite recent accusations by Moscow that Ukraine, with support from the United States, attempted to assassinate Putin in a drone attack on the Kremlin – a claim U.S. and Ukrainian officials immediately and strongly denied – Haines said it was the intelligence community's current assessment that it was "very unlikely" Putin would resort to the use of nuclear weapons. She said the U.S. was still investigating the drone incident. "At this stage, we don't have information that would allow us to provide an independent assessment" of the Kremlin's claims, she told the committee.

A 4,300-hectare wildfire has destroyed 20 homes in a northern Alberta Indigenous community and forced the entire community to leave. Thursday afternoon, the wildfire encroached on the barge landing that serves as the main access point for a northern Alberta Indigenous community. According to the government, the fire is one of three threatening the community. Just before 1 p.m., the chief of the Little Red River Cree Nation directed all residents and essential workers in Fox Lake – one of three communities that make up the nation located south of the Peace River – to leave immediately. In a video taken near Fox Lake's barge landing, the sky was hazy orange and flames were visible high above the tree line. The chief and his crew set up a secondary incident command center in Little Red River. This is a community along the south side of the Peace River to the west. In a 2 p.m. update, Sewepagaham said the plan was to help the remaining people cross the river from there. "The winds are coming this way, so we probably have only less than a couple hours before we have to evacuate from this area. This is our last-ditch effort to get as many people across," he said in a video posted to the nation's Facebook page, ash falling on his face. Sewepagaham posted again after 4:30 p.m. asking for help from John D'or Prairie. Help is needed to get people to the old barge crossing in Little Red. Please call the Band Office if you need assistance. ASAP!!!" Soon after, in a video update, Sewepagaham said the fire had grown significantly and was moving west, crossing Fox Lake Airport. "We lost another home on the southeast portion," he said. "We had to pull helicopters waiting to ferry people across." To help evacuees cross, seven boats and a barge were waiting at Little Red River. A reception center has opened at the Fox Lake Band Office. "Firefighters and heavy equipment will work throughout the evening," the post said. Fire conditions are expected to continue tomorrow. The post said around 34 Alberta Wildfire firefighters, four helicopters, two heavy helicopters, heavy equipment, and air tankers will be in the area as needed. At 8:11 p.m. Sewepagaham posted another video update, where he said ground and air crews were expected to continue fighting structural fires in Fox Lake for a few more hours. "The helicopters will continue to throw buckets of water at as many houses as they can. Unfortunately, we are losing homes left and right and center," he said in the video. Sewepagaham said Fox Lake has been evacuated, but firefighters will look for any families or individuals still in the area. Before the video ended, Sewepagaham thanked everyone who helped the community. Alberta labeled the wildfire as out of control but reported it had not crossed the Peace River. "This fire's activity is extremely active on the west side. Due to weather conditions, fire activity will challenge firefighters and aircraft today," the agency said in a statement at 12:30 p.m. As the fire grew in size and the wind pushed it toward the community, officials ramped up evacuation efforts. They flew high-risk patients out of Fox Lake and ran barge service throughout the night.

The head of the Native Women’s Association of Canada says it’s clear there's an ongoing emergency. This is nearly four years after the final report into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls was released. Red dresses are set to be on display across the country Friday to recognize the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People. It has become known as Red Dress Day and the empty garments serve as a symbol of the lives that have been lost. Each year there are more events, rallies, and art displays. Despite increased awareness and an extensive national inquiry, McBride said Indigenous girls' and women's faces have not substantially changed. The inquiry’s final report was released in 2019 and included sweeping calls for change. It found Indigenous women and girls are 12 times more likely to be murdered or go missing than any other group in Canada. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accepted the findings, which said the crisis amounted to genocide. Sixty-three percent of Indigenous women have experienced violence and nearly half have experienced sexual assault, Statistics Canada said in a report last year. At least 28 Indigenous women in Manitoba have died due to violence since May 2020, said Sandra DeLaronde, team lead for the Manitoba MMIWG2S+ implementation team. The majority were in Winnipeg. A group hung 101 red dresses along a chain-link fence outside a landfill in the Manitoba capital over the winter. Winnipeg police have said the bodies of four Indigenous women were disposed of in landfills last year. The remains have not been found. A man has been charged with first-degree murder in the killings of four women. Other Indigenous remains were also found in a landfill earlier this year. Police said her death was not a homicide. DeLaronde said it's time to recognize that Indigenous people are sacred, and they should not only be honored when they are buried. The House of Commons unanimously backed a motion Tuesday declaring deaths and disappearances a Canada-wide emergency. It also called for funding of a new system to alert the public when someone gets missing. The Association of Canadians criticized the federal government for not doing more or acting fast enough. McBride said Tuesday’s motion was a valuable step, but there is more to do. Most of the money announced to fulfill the 231 calls to justice became stuck in government bureaucracy, DeLaronde said. Women and families who need it are not receiving it. DeLaronde added that all Canadians should use Red Dress Day to reflect on what they can do to create change. "Red Dress is a movement that people can get behind because it's an opportunity to transform the very fabric of this country."

Statistics Canada released it on Friday. The country’s unemployment rate held steady at 5.0 percent. The data exceeded the 20,000 jobs forecast.

Ottawa residents will likely have to tag every garbage bag or bin they set out at the curb starting next spring. This is the city's latest move aimed at reducing garbage headed to the landfill. The City of Ottawa has been concerned that its landfill on Trail Road could be full within 13 to 15 years. It hopes the plan — put forward Thursday at a technical briefing — can buy them two more years. Residents are encouraged to sort more waste into blue and black recycling bins. As proposed, households would get 55 garbage tags each year and could buy extras for $3 each. Right now, households can set out up to six garbage containers, even if most never do. For trash containers, the limit is 15 kilograms. No loose garbage will be permitted inside. "It's not meant to be punitive, but rather to encourage residents to rethink their disposal habits," said Nichole Hoover-Bienasz, program manager for long-term planning with the solid waste services department. The curbside waste policy will come before the environment and climate change committee on June 5 and the full city council on June 14. It's part of the much larger master plan for dealing with solid waste that staff are preparing to bring to council this fall. That plan will tackle larger questions such as whether the city needs a new landfill. This could cost up to $450 million and take 15 years to operate. Given that "pay as you throw" programs are common in other communities, including nearby Carleton Place and Almonte, city staff had many municipalities consult in shaping Ottawa's plan. The city does not plan to penalize residents unless there are repeat issues and will focus instead on educating residents to change their behavior. Staff also acknowledged there could be an increase in illegal dumping during the first few months of the proposed policy. Coun. George Darouze, who represents the rural Osgoode ward, worries about preventing that. "From what I'm seeing right now, I'm not confident that we'll have enough enforcement," Darouze said, adding that he's seen issues in Ottawa's surrounding smaller communities. The plan includes hiring two full-time inspectors, followed by another two during the first year when they expect illegal dumping. The Ontario government aims to ban all food and organic waste from landfills by the end of the decade. It wants municipalities to collect 70 percent of food and organic waste in curbside green bins by the end of the year. Changing that behavior could be a big task, with Lindsay Webley, project manager of environmental programs, noting that 82 percent of all waste comes from the curb. "This is equivalent to each household throwing out a grand piano's worth of garbage for the year," Webley said. The city has found that about 58 percent of trash cans could be diverted to blue, green, or black bins. Thursday was garbage day in Hintonburg, and several residents shared their thoughts with CBC about the proposed changes. Kyle Gervais said he hopes city staff will consider what worked and what didn't in other jurisdictions. "I'm glad they're creating a model for people to pay for extra services if they need them," he said. According to a staff presentation, nearly three-quarters of residents already set out two items or less every two weeks. Duncan Bury of Waste Watch Ottawa said the proposed changes have been a long time coming and Ottawa is playing catch-up. While Ottawa may be one of the last major Canadian municipalities to introduce such a program, Hoover-Bienasz said the city has brought in several other major changes, including the green bin in 2011 and bi-weekly garbage collection in 2012. Some changes were met with resistance, she said, including because of the "yuck factor" associated with using a green bin. "We've been gentle, I'd say, nudging residents in the last few years to make it easier to participate," Hoover-Bienasz emphasized.

A Vancouver man has opened a mobile drug store to provide a safe supply of illicit substances to users in the downtown core. Drug user advocates have been calling for an accessible and safe supply for years to combat the toxic and drug overdose crisis. Now, Jerry Martin has taken matters into his own hands. Wednesday was the opening day for The Drug Store, a small mobile store selling heroin, meth, cocaine, and MDMA. All have been tested at a drug testing site for harmful additives, Martin said. In a statement, Vancouver police said they know the store and will consider enforcement against anyone violating the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. Martin said he wanted to be arrested to raise funds to launch a constitutional challenge to make all drugs legal, which he claims costs around $250,000. Martin said he would put the money earned from the store back into the community but did not offer a specific plan.

Residents of an apartment building in northern New Brunswick say they're scrambling to find another home. This is after their building was sold to a company. Raymond Pitre, one of the residents, told Radio-Canada that no local apartments of the same quality were available. He sold his property to move into the apartment he now calls home. Francine O'Brien, another resident of the complex, agreed that their other choices were slim. "No one wants those," she said, also in French. "We have a nice apartment here and we hope to have the same thing, but it's not easy to find." Jean-Guy Levesque, the mayor of Campbellton, was not optimistic and confirmed that finding rental housing in the city is a problem. He said he met with one of the tenants being evicted. He is looking into what the municipality can do to help but sees no immediate solutions. This apartment building is a relatively recently constructed development, according to the mayor. It's a former church that was converted into residential units two years ago. Levesque said it's the second building the private corporate landlord has bought in the city center. Tenants were told the units would be rented out to medical staff working in the region temporarily. The new owner of the building is listed as CSL RE Inc., a corporation with a registered office in Stanhope, P.E.I. When CBC News requested an interview, it was directed to Canadian Sustainability Labs. According to its website, Canadian Sustainability Labs specializes in accommodation and transportation. Levesque said he understands the property was purchased privately, and the new owners can do what they want. However, he wishes they gave tenants more time. "Of course, we want doctors here, we need nurses also because this is … another big issue," said Levesque. "But I would like to see [them] wait until those people find another apartment.

United Conservative Leader Danielle Smith accuses her chief political rival of not standing up for Albertans about living. At a campaign stop in Calgary, Smith outlined plans to address a shortfall in qualified workers in areas such as nursing, child care, and skilled trades. He used bonuses and tax credits. She says while the UCP has been trying to make things more affordable for Albertans, NDP Leader Rachel Notley supports the federal government's plan of getting to a net zero power grid by 2035. She says voters need to know that support would make it the most expensive campaign promise during the election. "I think we should be very, very concerned about the influence on the NDP, not only the unions who are embedded in their decision-making process and delegate status and choose their leader, as well as the influence of (federal NDP leader) Jagmeet Singh," she said Thursday.

Danielle Smith's United Conservatives are at odds with their third-party consultant over their claim that the NDP plan to move Alberta's electricity grid to net zero would result in an economy-busting $87-billion hit for taxpayers. Vancouver-based Navius Research, in a statement Thursday, disputed how the UCP uses its figures, saying it "is not a fair representation of the costs." Smith, however, told reporters in Calgary that the UCP stands by the number, saying: "No, we don't need a correction." The dispute stems from the UCP's first policy attack on the NDP in the May 29 election. On Wednesday, the party said the promise to convert the electricity grid to net zero by 2035 would cost taxpayers $87 billion. This would lead to a 40 percent spike in consumer electricity bills and a grave threat. Smith referred to a report from the Alberta Electric System Operator and Navius. AESO estimated it would cost between $44 billion and $52 billion to decarbonize the electricity grid by 2040. Navius was then recently asked by the United Conservative Caucus to calculate the possible knock-on effects on the economy from a net-zero grid. Navius reported back just over a month ago, estimating a $35 billion impact on GDP over two decades. This would amount to about three-one-hundredths of a one percent decline annually. The UCP acknowledged it and added the two numbers to the $87-billion figure. Within hours of the UCP announcement Wednesday, Navius tweeted that its $35-billion figure was not in addition to the $52 billion that is already in place. "The $35 billion already accounts for, and is not additive to, the ($52 billion) investment estimated in the AESO report," Navius said in the tweet. The Navius statement Thursday added: "The $35-billion GDP impact accounts for both the costs and benefits of this investment and provides an estimate of the net economic impact of decarbonizing the electricity sector in Alberta. NDP Leader Rachel Notley said Smith deliberately distorts the figures. She said even the AESO report overestimates the costs and underplays the benefits of moving to a net zero grid. "We've got Danielle Smith out there refusing to disavow what is at the very least a $40-billion piece of misinformation that she and her team took active steps to share with Albertans," Notley told reporters in Calgary. Notley said if parties aim to deliver primary source material to voters, they need to be open about what they include and exclude. "If the UCP can't even be counted on to share transparently with voters their work, how in heaven's name can we count on them to be transparent about everything in government? Should we give them four more years at the helm?"

Ontario is planning audits of some GTA municipalities. This is after officials in those communities raised concerns about losing hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue due to the decision to slash development charges. In a press release on Thursday afternoon, the Ford government said it was initiating a procurement process to identify third parties. This was to review the finances of Toronto, Mississauga, Caledon, Brampton, Newmarket, and the Region of Peel. It said it intended to use the audits, which will be conducted later this year, “to reach a shared understanding” about the potential impacts of changes to development-related fees resulting from Bill 23. Municipalities have warned that some development fees will cost hundreds of millions. This will ultimately limit their ability to meet ambitious housing goals. He told reporters in December that he knew waste existed at Toronto City Hall. He said our job as prudent fiscal managers is to drive out annihilation. He has also accused Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie of refusing to “play in the sandbox” over her criticism of Bill 23. Toronto officials have said that the city stands to lose out on $200 million in annual revenue due to the changes to Bill 23. They have also said that without a funding commitment from the province, the city may have to halt work on several affordable housing projects. This may be this summer. Mississauga, meanwhile, says it could lose $1 billion over the next decade.

The federal environment ministry has reported a tailings leak at the Kearl oilsands mine in northern Alberta. Environment Canada is investigating a suspected infringement of the Fisheries Act. This prohibits the "deposit of a deleterious substance into water frequented by fish" or any place where such substances could enter fish-bearing water.

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