In the news today: Canada Post to start taking commercial mail again

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

Canada Post to start accepting commercial mail as it ramps up post-strike operations

Canada Post is set to start accepting commercial letters and parcels as it works to get back to normal operations following a month-long strike. The postal service has warned Canadians should expect delays into the new year as it works through a backlog of mail, after workers went back on the job Tuesday. Canada Post said mail is being processed on a first-in, first-out basis, and it will start accepting new international mail on Dec. 23. More than 55,000 employees were ordered back to work by the Canada Industrial Relations Board after it determined a deal could not be reached before the end of the year.

Singh sees fight ahead is with the Tories

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh began the year propping up the minority Liberal government, but he is ending it by calling for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s resignation. In a year-end interview with The Canadian Press Singh laid out his vision for the 2025 election as being a battle between his party and the Conservatives under Pierre Poilievre. When that election happens could depend on whether Singh joins Poilievre to defeat the Liberals and Singh would only say that all options remain on the table for handling confidence votes. He ended the supply and confidence agreement with the Liberals in September but has continued to back the government in confidence votes in the months since.

Here’s what else we’re watching…

NDP wins Alberta provincial byelection

Alberta’s opposition New Democratic Party has won the provincial byelection in Lethbridge-West, holding onto a riding it has held since 2015. According to the unofficial vote count late Wednesday night, the Elections Alberta website reports that NDP candidate Rob Miyashiro secured 7,239 votes with all 57 polls reporting. The United Conservative Party’s John Middleton-Hope trailed him by 1,150 ballots. The Alberta Party’s Layton Veverka finished the race a distant third with only 233 votes. The byelection was the first test of the party’s appeal under new leader Naheed Nenshi. The official results will be announced Dec. 28.

Documents depict chaos at Reclaiming Canada event

Documents about a political conference in Victoria over the summer show how it was plagued by protests and public complaints, before the city-owned venue banned the organizers from future events. Emails and notes obtained under the Freedom of Information Act reveal that officials felt misled about the We Unify Reclaiming Canada Conference’s true nature. Organizer Jonathan Bower originally touted the event as a political debate, with invitees including human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and actor Ben Affleck. But instead it ended up featuring right-leaning guests such as commentator Lauren Southern and Freedom Convoy organizer Tamara Lich. The June conference attracted dozens of protesters, and emails describe attendees running in fear from demonstrators who entered the building.

New Ontario Science Centre to open in 2029: AG

The timeline for opening a permanent new Ontario Science Centre appears to have been delayed, with infrastructure officials telling the auditor general’s office the centre is expected to be up and running in 2029. When Premier Doug Ford announced the planned move to Ontario Place last year, the science centre said the new facility would open in 2028. In June, when the government announced the abrupt closure of the science centre over structural concerns with the roof, its press release said the Ontario Place facility would open “as early as” 2028. Now, according to a report earlier this month from Ontario’s auditor general on the Ontario Place redevelopment, the new building is expected to open in 2029.

One Montrealer on a mission to save DVDs

One Montrealer is on a mission to save a dying technology — the DVD. Jean-François Hall says he has sold more than 50,000 DVDs on eBay and Facebook Marketplace in the last three years. Hall buys DVDs in bulk from pawn shops and thrift stores and sells them to customers across the country, some of whom are collectors and others who are just looking for movies they can’t find online. He advertises his online business using distinctive handwritten signs that he attaches to street lights and signposts around Montreal, telling people to visit his eBay site. DVD sales have plummeted in recent years, but Hall says his business is lucrative, and he predicts nostalgia will keep customers coming back for years to come.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 19, 2024.

The Canadian Press