Year in review: A look at news events in November 2023

2 – The Texas Rangers win their first World Series in the franchise’s 63-season history. Texas beats fellow wild-card entry the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-0 to take the championship in five games.

3 – Canada’s top court rules that mandatory minimum sentences are unconstitutional for the crime of child luring. The Supreme Court of Canada finds in a 6-1 decision that such sentences violate the Charter-protected right that guards against “cruel and unusual treatment or punishment.”

3 – McGill University’s principal says Quebec’s $8,000 tuition increase for out-of-province students will be devastating for the renowned Schulich School of Music. Deep Saini is predicting as much as an 80-per-cent drop in the enrolment of Canadian students from outside Quebec next fall and estimating McGill will take a hit of between $42 million and $94 million every year. The Quebec government says it needs to double tuition for out-of-province students to protect the French language.

3 – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau represents Canada in Washington for the first ever summit of the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity.

3 – Finance ministers from across the country hold a virtual meeting with their federal counterpart Chrystia Freeland to discuss Alberta’s proposal to quit the Canada Pension Plan.

4 – Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond loses her status as a member of the Order of Canada after the once high-profile judge’s claims to Indigenous identity were questioned.

05 – Canada’s 13 provincial and territorial leaders gather in Halifax for the Council of the Federation meeting.

6 – Public sector union members in Quebec walk off the job while announcing another series of strikes will happen later in the month. Schools, health-care facilities and social services are all disrupted at some point as the four unions representing some 420,000 workers protest Quebec’s latest contract offer.

6 – For the first time in the Supreme Court of Canada’s 148-year history, a majority of the justices are women as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirms the appointment of Mary Moreau. The former chief justice of the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta is filling a vacancy on the high court created by the retirement of Russell Brown.

7 – King Charles delivers a speech to mark the grand state opening of British Parliament. Charles pays tribute to his mother at the start of the first King’s Speech since 1951.

7 – Prince William says seven countries — Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Singapore, Britain and the U.S. — have committed to deepen their intelligence-sharing and other co-operation to combat money laundering by international gangs engaged in the illegal wildlife trade.

8 – The Hollywood actors strike comes to an end after the union reaches a tentative deal with studios.

8 – Newfoundland and Labrador is launching a basic income program for residents aged 60 to 64. Premier Andrew Furey says it’s part of a three-year phased plan to streamline the province’s income support programs while expanding support for low-income families with children.

8 – Quebec’s largest English-language school board says it is taking the provincial government to court over strict language rules requiring almost all the board’s written communications to be in French. The new rules are a result of a language law reform — commonly known as Bill 96 — adopted in May of 2022.

8 – People magazine names Patrick Dempsey its Sexiest Man Alive for 2023.

9 – The federal and Quebec governments will each invest $900 million over the next four years to accelerate housing construction. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Quebec Premier Francois Legault announce the deal, calling it a unique move because a province is matching the federal funding on offer.

9 – Canadian Tire plans to cut about three per cent of its workforce in its fourth quarter as it faces softening consumer demand. The retailer also says it won’t fill the majority of its current job vacancies, which will result in another three per cent reduction.

11 – Tens of thousands of British Columbia residents are left without power after high winds and heavy rains sweep across parts of the province. BC Hydro says that at one point 170,000 customers were in the dark across the Sunshine Coast, Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island.

12 – The Edmonton Oilers fire head coach Jay Woodcroft after a sluggish start to their NHL season. The club also announces assistant coach Dave Manson has also been let go. Hartford Wolf Pack head coach Kris Knoblauch assumes head coaching duties, joined by assistant coach Paul Coffey.

12 – Canada beats Italy to win its first ever Billie Jean King Cup Finals in tennis. The victory is sealed by Laval, Quebec’s Leylah Fenandez, who beats Jasmine Paolini of Italy in a best-of-three tie. It is Canada’s first appearance in the final of the women’s team tennis competition.

13 – Former fashion executive Peter Nygard is found guilty of four counts of sexual assault, but is acquitted of a fifth count, plus a charge of forcible confinement.

13 – Maple Ridge, B.C. will be the site of a billion-dollar lithium-ion battery plant. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau makes the announcement alongside B.C. Premier David Eby. The pair say the new E-One Moli facility will bolster Canada’s role as a global leader in clean technology.

14 – The Royal Canadian Mint releases its image of King Charles that will soon be the face of all new coins in the country. The design announcement comes on the monarch’s 75th birthday. The mint says a small amount of 2023-dated coins with the King are to begin circulation in early December.

14 – Antiwar protesters disrupte festivities in Toronto where the Scotiabank Giller Prize gala is honouring the year’s best in Canadian fiction. The winner of the prize is Montreal-born Sarah Bernstein for her novel “Study for Obedience.”

16 – The man accused of killing four members of a Muslim family in London, Ont., is found guilty of four counts of first-degree murder. Jurors in the trial of Nathaniel Veltman reach a verdict in less than 24 hours. The trial heard the Veltman hit the Afzaal family with his truck while they were out for a walk on June 6, 2021.

17 – The Canadian government announces the launch of a new $10-million program aimed at providing grants to small businesses involved in Indigenous tourism across Canada. The fund, to be administered by the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada, will supply qualifying small businesses with up to $25,000 each in non-repayable funding.

19 – The Montreal Alouettes beat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to win the 110th Grey Cup, which is held in Hamilton, Ont. The band Green Day performs at half time.

21 – Prince Harry takes part in a ceremonial puck drop at the Vancouver Canucks game. Harry is there as part of the lead-up to the 2025 Invictus Games.

22 – A car hits a median at breakneck speed, soars through the air, and crashs at a border checkpoint in Niagara Falls, N.Y. The occupants of the car, both killed in the explosion, are later identified as a married couple from New York.

22 – Israel and Hamas agree to a truce-for-hostages deal that brings a four-day halt in fighting in the six-week war. Qatar’s Foreign Ministry says 50 hostages will be released in stages in exchange for what Hamas says will be 150 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

22 – A former RCMP intelligence official is found guilty of breaching Canada’s secrets law. A jury in Ottawa convicts 51-year-old Cameron Jay Ortis on six charges, including three counts of violating the Security of Information Act and one count of attempting to do so.

24 – With a four-day ceasefire underway, Hamas releases 24 hostages held captive in Gaza while Israel frees 39 Palestinians from prison. Increased supplies of food, water, medicine and fuel promised under the deal also began to roll into Gaza. In subsequent exchanges, Hamas releases about 81 hostages, mostly Israeli nationals, while Israel frees about 180 Palestinian prisoners.

28 – Celebrated Canadian musician Chad Allan dies at the age of 80.

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

Year in review: A look at news events in November 2023

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