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‘It’s meaningless basically’: One-time grocery rebate gets underwhelming reception

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:48 GMT

The federal government’s grocery rebate kicks in this week, but the one-time payment is being criticized by some who feels it’s too little too late for those who qualify.“It’s just a one-time payment?” one person CityNews spoke to on Tuesday in Ottawa asked. “It’ll help me with groceries for one month. And then it’s back to I guess as if we didn’t have it.”Canadians who earned less than $32,000 a year, and households that earned less than $38,000 on their 2021 tax return would qualify for the one-time payment.A single person living alone would get up to $234, while a couple with four kids could get up to $628.Devon Ford doesn’t qualify, but he says his family of four would devour that money pretty quickly.“It would be used immediately and it would feel pretty good and then it’d kind of be like inheritance, just essentially would never be available again.”Another person said in the long-term “it...

4 people, including a baby, died crossing the Rio Grande into Texas over the holiday weekend

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:48 GMT

EAGLE PASS, Texas (AP) — An infant was among four people who died while crossing the Rio Grande in the Texas border city of Eagle Pass in a 48-hour period over the holiday weekend, authorities said.The Texas Department of Public Safety’s Tactical Marine Unit on Saturday recovered four people from the river, including a woman and baby girl who were unresponsive, Texas Department of Public Safety Lt. Chris Olivarez said on Twitter on Monday.Officials immediately began chest compressions on the woman and baby, and both were taken to the hospital, Olivarez said. Both were pronounced dead at the hospital, he said. The two survivors were turned over to U.S. Border Patrol, Olivarez said.On Sunday, the body of a man was recovered from the river, and on Monday, the body of a woman was found, Olivarez said.The identities of the dead weren’t known because none had identifying documents on them, he said.The bodies were round in the same region where nine migrants died while attempti...

UNESCO reaffirms threats to Wood Buffalo National Park; calls for action on oilsands

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:48 GMT

A United Nations body is affirming earlier findings that Canada’s largest national park remains under environmental threats from dams, oilsands development and climate change.The UNESCO report, issued Friday, is the latest step in reviewing whether the vast Wood Buffalo National Park on the Alberta-Northwest Territories boundary should lose its World Heritage Site status.It says the park shouldn’t be removed from the prestigious list at this time and that some things, such as whooping crane numbers, are improving.But it adds that about half of what makes the park a special place is deteriorating, mostly because of water quality and quantity.The report says upstream oilsands development continues to pose a major threat. It calls for reform of oilsands monitoring, more thorough review for new projects and an independent risk assessment of the tailings ponds as well as clear plans for how they will be cleaned up.This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 4, ...

Former Saskatchewan NDP leader to release book on COVID-19 response

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:48 GMT

REGINA — Saskatchewan’s former NDP leader has written a book on how the province responded to the COVID-19 pandemic.A press release for Ryan Meili’s book, called “A Healthy Future: Lessons from the Frontlines of a Crisis,” says it details how the pandemic worsened problems in health care, elder care, education and social supports.The publisher,UBC Press, says the book also highlights the failings of Saskatchewan and Canada in responding to COVID-19.And it provides details on how governments and people can do better in responding to other health and social crises. The publisher says the book offers a unique perspective, as Meili continued to work as a family doctor during his time as Opposition leader. The book is to launch in late September.This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 4, 2023.The Canadian Press<!– Photo: 2023070417078-64a48aee1d8c9213abbcf839jpeg.jpg, Caption: Saskatchewan's former NDP leader is to release a book o...

Fires connected to e-bike batteries spike in Toronto amid increased use

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:48 GMT

As more people embrace e-bikes and other electric modes of transportation as a new way to get around Toronto’s streets, Sweet Pete’s Bike Shop on Bloor Street has seen demand accelerate.“These days it’s probably about 20-40 per cent of our business,” sales manager Brent Robinson told CityNews of the e-biking boom. “One of the biggest things is just they’re more fun. Having that little extra boost allows you to go further and faster with less effort.”But the same batteries giving riders more oomph when they pedal are an emerging fire risk in the city.“We’ve had quite a big increase in lithium-ion battery fires in Toronto,” said Larry Cocco, deputy chief with Toronto Fire Services. “We are seeing a lot of failures.”Fires are uniquely ‘volatile’Lithium-ion batteries give us a lot of a charge in a very small package. The biggest risk is thermal runaway, the rapid self-heating of a cell causing batteries to explode into fl...

Gary Sinise surprises veterans in Chicagoland on 4th of July

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:48 GMT

CHICAGO, Ill. -- Actor Gary Sinise made his way to the Windy City this Fourth of July to serve up a sweet treat on this warm holiday.Sinise served up Rainbow Cones to veterans at the July 4 celebration at the Edward Hines Jr. Veteran Administration Hospital on Tuesday. 4th of July celebrations across Chicago area for 2023 The event was put on by the Academy Award nominated actor's foundation, The Gary Sinise Foundation, that offers a variety of programs, services and events for wounded veterans of the military.Sinise and his Lieutenant Dan Band also performed a free concert for attendees.

Alderman: Migrant shot near Back of the Yards high school

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:48 GMT

CHICAGO -- A newly arrived migrant was reportedly shot in the leg Sunday near the Back of the Yards College Preparatory High School, according to Chicago Alderman Raymond Lopez.According to the Chicago Police Department, a 26-year-old man was shot on the 4800 block of South Hoyne Ave near the Back of the Yards College Preparatory High School just after 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, July 2.Authorities report that a white-in-color vehicle stopped near the man and an unknown offender began to fire shots towards the 26-year-old. Man shot, killed following altercation in River North The victim sustained a gunshot wound to the leg and was transported to a local hospital in good condition.Chicago Alderman Raymond Lopez (15th Ward) released a statement on Twitter alleging the 26-year-old man was a newly arrived migrant staying with relatives. Lopez stated that the man was asked in English about his gang affiliation, but was unable to answer because he only spoke Spanish. Immediately after, at leas...

Bulls add a forward to their 2023 draft class

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:48 GMT

CHICAGO — The Bulls' 2023 free agent class now includes a forward after a reported signing in the first week of July.Per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the team has an agreement with Torrey Craig on a two-year deal with a player option. The veteran forward joins returning center Nikola Vucevic (3 years, $60 million) and guard Coby White (3 year, $33 million) along with newcomer Jevon Carter (3 year, $20 million) as the team's free agent class so far in 2023. Craig is a six-year veteran of the NBA who has played for the Nuggets, Bucks, Suns, and Pacers. After three years playing professionally in Australia and New Zealand after a standout career at USC Upstate, he signed a two-way contract with Denver in 2017.After three seasons with the Nuggets, he signed with the Bucks, where he played 18 games before being traded to the Suns. In 2021-2022, he signed with the Pacers only to be traded back to Phoenix again midseason. His second time with the Suns would prove to be his best as he played...

Search continues for three people missing after swimming in a Minnesota river

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:48 GMT

RED WING, Minn. — Officials in Minnesota were searching Tuesday for two men and a girl who went missing while swimming in a river.The Goodhue County Sheriff’s Office said the swimmers were part of a family gathering Monday night at Diamond Island on the Vermillion River, near the confluence with the Mississippi River. A man was fishing along the shore while two adults and the girl were swimming, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office.All three swimmers began to struggle in the water and the man on the shore went in to help. He rescued an adult female and went back into the water to try and save the others.The sheriff’s office said both men and the girl went under the water and never came back up. Their names were not released but the sheriff’s office said all three were from the same household in Oakdale, Minnesota.All three people were inexperienced swimmers and not wearing life vests, the sheriff’s office said. They were swimming in an area that was 3 feet deep (0.9...

Another victory for Twins, and a milestone for Carlos Correa

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:48 GMT

Choosing the Twins’ player of the game after Tuesday afternoon’s 9-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals would have been a daunting task. So many of them played large roles in the team’s fourth victory in five games.Right fielder Max Kepler, for instance, drove in four runs and broke the game open with a two-out, three-run homer off Zack Greinke in the third inning. Starter Kenta Maeda gave up one earned run and struck out nine in a season-high seven innings.Byron Buxton and Donovan Solano each went 3 for 4 with a solo homer and three runs scored. Alex Kirilloff hit a two-run single to cap the Twins’ scoring in the seventh.And then there was Carlos Correa, who finished with just a single in five at-bats. That single to right, however, was the 1,000th base hit of his career and earned him a ceremonial trophy in a postgame ceremony.“We gave him a ball that I know he’ll keep,” manager Rocco Baldelli said.Since a closed-door, players-only meeting after the team was swept in a three-game...