What’s happening on the campaign trail …
Montreal is the centre of attention today.
Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau is campaigning hard in Quebec, making numerous stops to try to personally shore up his party’s standing in his home province.
He begins with a morning appearance with numerous Liberals at Montreal’s botanical garden and then makes his way east to Sherbrooke, pausing in a Legion hall, cafes and pubs with local candidates along the way.
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer is just wrapping up a spring through Quebec of his own, starting out in one of Montreal’s northern suburbs with Tory candidate and former Olympian Sylvie Frechette before taking off for southwestern Ontario.
And the NDP’s Jagmeet Singh is making a pilgrimage to Hudson, Que., where his venerated predecessor Jack Layton was raised, before heading for a walkabout in Montreal’s working-class Hochelaga neighbourhood and a rally just blocks from the botanical garden.
Green Leader Elizabeth May is promising an announcement in Victoria, near her home riding of Saanich-Gulf Islands in B.C., and People’s Party Leader Maxime Bernier is focused on preserving his own seat in Beauce.
With polls suggesting the vote on Oct. 21 could be extremely tight and some seats likely to be decided in three-, four- or even five-way vote splits, all the parties are trying to figure out how to deploy their leaders for maximum benefit.
ELECTION 2019: Climate strikes push environment to top of mind for federal leaders
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Pot use still tricky at the U.S. border …
Canadians wanting to cross the U.S. border are being asked different marijuana questions than they were before cannabis was legal, says an American immigration lawyer who represents numerous aging baby boomers denied entry to America for past pot use.
Recreational marijuana will have been legal for a year on Thursday, but any celebrating still stops at the U.S. border, said Len Saunders, a Canadian-born lawyer based in Blaine, Wash.
“They are not asking questions of recent use because they know they can’t deny the person because it’s legal in Canada,” he said. Instead, he said they’re asking Canadians if they have ever smoked marijuana and that’s what’s been keeping him busy.
READ MORE: Pot use admission at U.S. border snagging Canadian boomers, says lawyer
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Alberta says Greta Thunberg ‘doesn’t understand’ the province’s oil and gas sector …
The Alberta government won’t seek out a meeting with teen climate activist Greta Thunberg.
But Environment Minister Jason Nixon says he hopes the Swedish girl takes time to learn about the province’s oil and gas industry.
“I think when you look at some of Miss. Thunberg’s comments, she doesn’t understand our province, that she doesn’t understand the reality that to accomplish climate change goals worldwide, we need Alberta as part of that solution,” Nixon says.
“We have the most environmentally friendly place in the world to produce oil and gas products.”
The 16-year-old Stockholm student is currently touring North America and took to social media on the weekend to say she will be visiting Alberta in the coming days. She didn’t say when or what she will be doing.
Her media co-ordinator, Connor Turner, said in an email that he could not provide details of her itinerary.
VIDEO: ‘How dare you?’ Greta Thunberg addresses UN climate summit
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On this day in 1944 …
The RCMP patrol vessel “St. Roch” reached Vancouver after an 86-day voyage from Halifax through the Northwest Passage becoming the only ship to have made the northern crossing of the continent in both directions.
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Weird and wild …
The national animal is causing problems in one western Newfoundland town.
Deer Lake has called in a trapper to deal with a group of pesky beavers that has been taking down trees on private property — in some cases onto power lines.
Beavers are common in the Humber River, which runs through the town. But in recent years, the rodents have developed an affinity for trees in residential areas, clearcutting as many as 14 on one property in a single night.
“You’ll see them sometimes, swimming along the river bank — I guess they’re kind of scoping out where their next venture is,” says Keith Park, a municipal enforcement officer with the town.
Last year, Newfoundland Power had to be called in to repair power lines damaged by beaver-toppled trees.
Park said the town will avoid disturbing beavers that haven’t been approaching private properties.
As of Tuesday, the trapper reported six beavers have been caught.
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Celebrity news …
Tiger Woods is writing what he describes as his definitive story.
HarperCollins Publishers announced Tuesday it has acquired rights to the first memoir written by Woods, titled “Back.”
The memoir will cover Woods from his youth as a golf prodigy to his rise as the youngest Masters champion and the only player to hold all four major championships at the same time.
It will also delve into his slide from injuries and his high-profile personal issues that led to divorce, along with his comeback from four back surgeries to win the Masters at age 43 for his 15th career major.
The release date is still to be determined.
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The Canadian Press
