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    • Singh mum on preferred target for net-zero grid as Alberta, Sask. NDP split on date

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    OTTAWA -

    New Democrats in two Western provinces are split over the Liberal government's goal of a net-zero electricity grid by 2035, with the leader of the federal party keeping quiet on his own preferred timeline.

    Federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault released draft regulations last week aimed at making good on the Liberals' pledge to rid the grid of emissions, sparking sharp reactions from provincial governments in Alberta and Saskatchewan about the 12-year deadline.

    Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck has also come out swinging against the Liberal policy, saying it's unrealistic to replace the province's generation capacity with renewables in that timeline. She believes 2050 is a more attainable goal.

    "With more than two-thirds of SaskPower's generation coming from fossil fuels today, it isn't realistic to replace all that generation capacity with renewables in the timelines proposed by the federal government," Beck said in a statement.

    In neighbouring Alberta, NDP Leader Rachel Notley has supported the 2035 net-zero goal. Notley didn't respond to a request for comment on Monday, but during Alberta's provincial election she announced a plan to meet the Liberal target, saying it would create jobs and grow the economy.

    Federal New Democrat Leader Jagmeet Singh would not commit to a preferred target date, saying Ottawa needs to be more accommodating to provincial challenges.

    "Setting a target is fine, but if there's no plan to achieve it, what's the point?" Singh said at a press conference on Monday in Edmonton.

    He said if the Liberals were serious about reducing emissions, they would create a national power grid so that renewable energy surpluses in one province could be sent to others.

    "What we're talking about is making sure we provide real investments in infrastructure so provinces have an alternative," Singh said.

    "If we say we want to achieve results where we reduce our emissions, but provinces have no other way to produce electricity, how is that helping us bring down emissions and helping solve the problem? It's not."

    While the provincial and NDP are organizationally tied together, they are competing to win votes in different electorates, said Daniel Westlake, an assistant professor of political studies at the University of Saskatchewan.

    When it comes to climate change, provincial New Democrat parties sometimes take different positions than their federal counterpart, especially in Western provinces where people are more likely to work in a field related to fossil-fuel development, he said.

    "It's a tricky spot for Singh to be in. On the one hand he has to differentiate himself from the Liberals … and they want to be a pro-environmentalist party and have pro-environmentalist voters," Westlake said.

    "At the same time, there are still some voters in the NDP that may be working in industries that are sensitive to this."

    Westlake said it's a challenge a lot of left-leaning parties are dealing with around the world as countries transition to cleaner energy.

    Canada's grid is nearly 85 per cent clean, but demand is expected to double by 2050 as things like cars, buses and trains become electric, and homes and buildings switch away from fossil-fuel heating sources.

    Six provinces are on track to meet the 2035 goal because more than 90 per cent of their power generation is already emissions-free.

    For the other four -- Alberta, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick -- coal and natural gas still supply between 30 per cent and 85 per cent of their power.

    This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 14, 2023.

    IN DEPTH

    Opinion

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    opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster

    A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?

    opinion

    opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike

    When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.

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    BREAKING

    BREAKING

    Three men were injured after trying to subdue a man armed with a knife during afternoon prayers at a Montreal-area mosque Friday afternoon.

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    Canada

    • BREAKING

      BREAKING

      Three men were injured after trying to subdue a man armed with a knife during afternoon prayers at a Montreal-area mosque Friday afternoon.

    • Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.

    • The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.

    • The debate over sexual orientation and gender identity education in schools is heating up. Protests both for and against SOGI in the curriculum took place across the country Friday.

    • The parents of a teenager who died after allegedly consuming the poisonous products of a Mississauga man are now suing him, as well as several doctors involved in her care.

    • Relatives of a 60-year-old man who took his own life in a Nova Scotia jail after long periods of confinement in his cell have launched a lawsuit against the province.

    World

    Politics

    Health

    • A Nova Scotia woman has applied for a medically assisted death, saying after years of battling to receive out-of-country surgery for an illness that causes 'indescribable' pain, she struggles to maintain the will to live.

    Sci-Tech

    Entertainment

    • Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

    • It will be the last show for longtime children's TV star Ron (Buck Shot) Barge as a memorial is held Friday in Calgary.

    Business

    Lifestyle

    Sports

    • The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have won five in a row. The Edmonton Elks have won five of their last six games. They are the two hottest teams in the West. When they meet Saturday at Commonwealth Stadium, something has to give.

    • Agreement in principle has been reached to build a new NHL arena at LeBreton Flats has been reached between the Ottawa Senators and the National Capital Commission (NCC), the two sides announced Friday.

    • F1 star Max Verstappen punished over bad word

      Formula One points leader Max Verstappen was ordered to 'accomplish some work of public interest' after uttering an inappropriate word Thursday at the news conference ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix.

    Autos

    Local Spotlight

    Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

    An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

    They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

    A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

    Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

    The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

    The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

    It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

    A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.

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    • A fire that destroyed a historic bridge in Kamloops, B.C., is now being investigated as arson, local Mounties say.

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    • The parents of a teenager who died after allegedly consuming the poisonous products of a Mississauga man are now suing him, as well as several doctors involved in her care.

    • Michael Ford, Ontario's minister of citizenship and multiculturalism, says he is taking a leave of absence from cabinet to prioritize his health.

    • Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek is urging the Alberta government to preserve pieces of the massive Green Line transit project now being dissolved.

    • A Lethbridge resident is facing charges after police seized drugs and weapons at a traffic stop for bicycle equipment violations.

    • It was the last show for longtime children's TV star Ron (Buck Shot) Barge Friday as hundreds of family, friends and fans attended a public memorial in Calgary.

    • Agreement in principle has been reached to build a new NHL arena at LeBreton Flats has been reached between the Ottawa Senators and the National Capital Commission (NCC), the two sides announced Friday.

    • Police say a man, 34, who was taken to hospital in critical condition after being shot Thursday night has died.

    • Ottawa police are investigating a shooting downtown Friday afternoon.

    • BREAKING

      BREAKING

      Three men were injured after trying to subdue a man armed with a knife during afternoon prayers at a Montreal-area mosque Friday afternoon.

    • When Bernard Morissette got a call from Loto-Quebec on Sept. 18 and was asked if he was sitting down, he had no idea what was coming his way.

    • "We love you, Eddy!" screamed the 350 students at Terry Fox Elementary School in Pierrefonds. They didn't know the man their school is named after, but they knew Eddy Nolan who would visit regularly and encourage the students to participate in "the Terry Fox Run".

    • Mounties say there was an increased police presence in the Emerald Hills area of Sherwood Park on Friday morning as officers searched for a man who is wanted by police.

    • There are plenty of fun happenings in Edmonton this weekend. It's time to savour that last little bit of the summer season before the leaves really start coming down.

    • Alberta Health Services says an E. coli outbreak at a daycare in Blackfalds has ended.

    • A 15-year-old boy who was the subject of an emergency alert in New Brunswick has been arrested.

    • Relatives of a 60-year-old man who took his own life in a Nova Scotia jail after long periods of confinement in his cell have launched a lawsuit against the province.

    • Family, friends and fans of late hip hop artist and battle rapper, Pat Stay will gather at events held in his honour on Saturday and Sunday.

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    • Pedestrians are getting a step closer to being able to cross Portage and Main.

    • A Manitoba veterinary clinic has two new ways of figuring out what’s causing a horse to be lame.

    • Five Regina schools have been placed in lockdown or secure the building mode following a report of a weapons investigation at Miller High School on Friday.

    • A 21-year-old man from Codette, Sask. is facing numerous charges in connection to a fatal crash near Wapella, Sask. Wednesday night that claimed the life of a 22-year-old Alberta woman.

    • The Métis Nation of Saskatchewan has pulled out of a national body representing Métis, citing problems with an Ontario group and throwing the future of the Métis National Council into question.

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    • Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.

    • The Métis Nation of Saskatchewan has pulled out of a national body representing Métis, citing problems with an Ontario group and throwing the future of the Métis National Council into question.

    • The second-degree murder trial of Thomas Hamp is being adjourned until December so an expert witness central to the trial can testify.

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    • Emergency crews in northern Ontario found the bodies of four people inside a home where a fire broke out Thursday night.

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    • The University of Windsor has been given the privilege of hosting the 2026 U Sports men’s volleyball championship at the Toldo Centre.

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    • The Red Bridge, a historic landmark in Kamloops, B.C., was completely destroyed by fire early Thursday morning.

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    • A Vulcan, Alta., man has been charged with a Lethbridge woman's murder after her body was found in the Oyen area.

    • A Lethbridge couple got a good reminder as to why you should keep your vehicle doors locked at all times.

    • A 26-year-old driver from Surrey, B.C., has been charged with three counts of criminal negligence causing death and bodily harm in a crash that killed two youths in northern Ontario last year.

    • Ontario Provincial Police say three suspects from southern Ontario have been charged and drugs worth $300,000 have been seized following a traffic stop Sept. 16.

    • A Brampton driver, 27, was charged this week when northern Ontario police stopped the SUV he was driving on Highway 17 after a reported shooting and found more than $100,000 in cash.

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