Year in review: A look at events in June 2024

2 – The Edmonton Oilers are going to the Stanley Cup final for the first time in nearly two decades. The Oilers cap an improbable run to the Stanley Cup Final Sunday night by beating the Dallas Stars 2-1. Edmonton wins the Western Conference in six games and will now play for the Cup for the first time since 2006. They’ll head to Florida for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final in a series set to open on Saturday night.

3 – Mexico’s Claudia Sheinbaum will become the first woman president in the country’s 200-year history. The climate scientist and former Mexico City mayor has won Mexico’s presidential election, a turning point in a mostly conservative country that for more than two centuries has been exclusively ruled by men. Mexican women won the right to vote in 1953.

3 – The University of Manitoba publicly apologizes for harm it caused to First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities more than a century after it began accepting and storing Indigenous remains. The school says it inappropriately accepted and stored ancestral remains as well as burial belongings and cultural artifacts without consent from Indigenous communities. University president Michael Benarroch says the school’s founding members desecrated graves and mishandled remains starting in the 1890s. The university started working to repatriate remains four years ago.

3 – The pharmacare bill is headed to the Senate after passing in the House of Commons. The Liberals’ bill sets the stage for a future full-fledged universal pharmacare program and would see the federal government offer first-payer coverage of some contraceptive and diabetes medications.

4 – Prime Minister Narendra Modi claims victory for his coalition alliance and promises India will see a new chapter of big decisions in his third term in office. Despite a lacklustre performance from his party, instead of the landslide he expected, Modi tells a crowd at party headquarters he will push forward with his agenda.

5 – A British museum is returning a ceremonial headdress to a First Nation in Alberta. The Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter, England, is to return the Buffalo Woman’s headdress to representatives of the Siksika Blackfoot First Nation. The handover will take place in a ceremony at the museum today. It received the headdress in 1920 from Edgar Dewdney, a former governor of the Northwest Territories from which Alberta and Saskatchewan were carved.

5 – The Bank of Canada cut its key interest rate a quarter point to 4.75 per cent. The first rate cut in more than four years comes as good news for would-be first time homebuyers and people with variable rate mortgages. Governor Tiff Macklem says the central bank has more confidence inflation is moving closer to its two per cent target and that if inflation continues to slow, it is reasonable to expect further rate cuts. But he says those decisions will be taken one meeting at a time.

5 – “Self-Portrait in the Zone of Silence,” written in Spanish by Homero Aridjis and translated into English by Canadian writer George McWhirter, wins the Griffin Poetry Prize. The $130,000 award was announced at a ceremony in Toronto, though Aridjis was not able to attend after undergoing medical treatments. Jurors praised the use of mythical imagery to examine emotional realities and the presentation of “a rounded human being engaged with total experience.”

6 – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau uses his speech to veterans at Juno Beach on the 80th anniversary of D-Day to talk about democracy still being still under threat. Thirteen Canadian veterans, including one who is 104 years old, took part in the ceremony in Courseulles-sur-Mer, France. Trudeau said the world owes it to the veterans who sacrificed so much for our collective freedom to continue standing up for democracy every day. After observing a moment of silence, Trudeau, the French prime minister and Prince William walked to a sand dune and laid commemorative wreaths.

6 – The world’s largest and most powerful rocket blasts off from Texas, soaring above the Gulf of Mexico and heading east. The fourth flight of SpaceX’s mega Starship rocket was successful and returned to Earth in one piece. NASA and Elon Musk are counting on Starship to get humans to the moon and Mars. Last year’s two test flights ended in explosions shortly after takeoff.

6 – Nova Scotia announces it is joining Ontario, Quebec and B.C. in restricting cellphone use in schools, starting this fall. Public school students will have to turn off their phones and other personal electronic devices during classroom hours and store them out of sight. New Brunswick is also imposing restrictions in September.

6 – Ontario Premier Doug Ford is shakes things up with a cabinet shuffle as the provincial legislature heads into its summer break. Education Minister Stephen Lecce and Energy Minister Todd Smith are swapping portfolios. Lecce had been education minister since 2019 while Smith had the energy portfolio for the past three years. Several new people have been promoted into cabinet, with new associate minister positions being created and some other ministries, such as Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, being split into two.

6 – Residents in Calgary are directed to avoid taking showers or baths, while some are told to boil their water as the city grapples with a major water main break. The 1.6 million people living in the city had an emergency notice issued due to a water main break in the city’s northwest, where water flooded streets and snarled traffic. Director of water services Nancy MacKay says while water main breaks are common in the city, the size of this one is unprecedented. City officials said they couldn’t predict how long the water main repair would take or how long water restrictions might last.

7 – Canadian businessman and billionaire Frank Stronach is arrested and charged in connection with a sexual-assault investigation. Police west of Toronto say the 91-year-old founder and former chief executive of auto parts manufacturing giant Magna International faces five charges, including rape, indecent assault on a female, forcible confinement and sexual assault. The alleged incidents took place between the 1980s and 2023. Stronach is released on conditions and is set to appear in court July 8. He denies the charges.

7 – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is formally elected leader of the National Democratic Alliance coalition, which won the most seats in the national election. The 73-year-old will now form a coalition government and be sworn in as prime minister for a rare third term. This is the first time under Modi’s leadership that the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party has needed support from its regional allies to form a government.

8 – Israel rescues four hostages who were kidnapped in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. It marks the largest hostage recovery operation since the latest war with Hamas began in Gaza. The Israeli army says it rescued three people in their 20s and a 40-year-old in a complex special daytime operation in Nuseirat. Israel says more than 130 hostages remain — with about a quarter of those believed to be dead. Gaza’s Health Ministry says 274 people were killed in the operation.

8 – Montreal residents enjoy the newly restored city hall for the first time in five years as the historic building reopens to the public. Visitors are seen waiting in long lines around the revamped heritage building, waiting for their chance to see what $211 million in upgrades look like. The project to restore the building began in 2019 – with the cost sitting at almost double the original projections.

9 – A four-alarm fire rips through St. Anne’s Anglican Church in Toronto, severely damaging a national historic site and several murals by the Group of Seven. The rector of the church confirms the early paintings by three Group of Seven members were in the part of the church destroyed by the blaze. The paintings had been installed in the 1920s.

9 – French President Emanuel Macron dissolves his country’s National Assembly and calls a snap legislative election after his party suffers a heavy defeat in European Parliament elections. The first projected results from France put the far-right National Rally party well ahead in the European Union’s parliamentary election, defeating Macron’s pro-European centrists. The vote for France’s National Assembly will take place in two rounds on June 30 and July 7.

9 – The federal government says a new change to the capital-gains tax will take effect on June 25, regardless of whether legislation has passed. The change would apply to all capital gains by businesses but individuals would only face the higher inclusion rate on capital gains of more than $250,000. The Liberal government plans to take legislative steps on increasing the inclusion rate on capital gains, with Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland saying it will improve tax fairness for Canadians. The government has proposed to make two-thirds of capital gains taxable.

9 – Reverend James Lawson Junior, an apostle of nonviolent protest who schooled activists to withstand brutality from white authorities during the Civil Rights Movement, dies at the age of 95 after a short illness in Los Angeles. Lawson was a close adviser to the Reverend Martin Luther King Junior.

10 – A Bloc Québécois motion is introduced in Parliament calling on the government to broaden a public inquiry into foreign interference so it addresses allegations some MPs “wittingly” participated in meddling. That bombshell claim was included in a report released the previous week by Parliament’s national security committee. The Conservatives and NDP have both penned letters to Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc, saying the inquiry must be asked to report on the allegations.

10 – The UN Security Council approves its first resolution endorsing a ceasefire plan to try to end the eight-month war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. The U.S.-sponsored resolution welcomes a ceasefire proposal announced by President Joe Biden. The U.S. says Israel has accepted it and Hamas says it welcomes the resolution and is ready to work with mediators. The resolution was approved by 14 of the 15 Security Council members, calling on Israel and Hamas to fully implement its terms without delay and without conditions.

11 – The UN human rights office is citing possible war crimes by Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups in connection with a deadly raid Saturday by Israeli forces that freed four hostages in Gaza. Office spokesman Jeremy Laurence expressed concerns about possible violations of rules of proportionality, distinction and precaution by Israel in the raid at a refugee camp. Gaza health officials say at least 274 Palestinians, including dozens of women and children, were killed in the operation. Laurence said Palestinian armed groups holding hostages in densely populated areas are putting the lives of civilians and the hostages at “added risks.”

11 – A Delaware jury finds Hunter Biden guilty on all three felony charges related to the purchase of a revolver in 2018. The U.S. president’s son faces up to 25 years in prison for being found guilty of lying to a federally licensed gun dealer, making a false claim on the application by saying he was not a drug user and illegally having the gun for 11 days.

11 – A controversial motion increasing the proportion of capital gains that are taxed passes in the House of Commons by a vote of 208-118. The Conservatives vote against the motion, issuing a statement saying the party opposed what it called a “job-killing tax on health care, homes, farms and small business.” The Liberals say they are increasing capital-gains taxes to help pay for investments in health care, housing and clean technology. The change will take effect June 25.

12 – Manitoba’s NDP approves a plan to search a Winnipeg landfill for the bodies of two murdered women. Premier Wab Kinew says the province wasn’t able to provide details before now because of the ongoing court case against the women’s admitted killer. Kinew says he met with the families of the murdered women to explain the province’s plans. Manitoba’s former Progressive Conservative government refused to search the landfill, saying the toxic materials buried there would be dangerous for searchers.

12 – The children who survived the 2012 shooting massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut graduate from Newtown High School. Many of them will walk across the stage with a heavy heart, remembering the 20 first-grade classmates they lost in one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history.

12 – A Royal Canadian Geographical Society team has found the wreck of Irish explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ship Quest about 80 kilometres off Labrador. The 47-year-old was on his way to explore parts of Antarctica when he died aboard the ship in 1922. Sonar scans located the wreck and the expedition leader says it is in incredible condition, other than having a broken mast. A crew is going to head out to capture images of the wreck using remotely operated vehicles.

13 – New regulations are announced that will take effect in B.C. starting right after Labour Day to set minimum-wage and basic protections for ride-hailing and delivery workers using platforms like Uber, DoorDash and SkipTheDishes. The province’s labour ministry says the rules will address the top concerns of workers at app-based platforms, including low and unpredictable pay, tip protection and lack of workers’ compensation.

13 – Fox Sports acquires the rights to broadcast IndyCar starting next year. The network already broadcasts the first half of the NASCAR schedule but the move will give it two of the biggest races in the world with the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR’s Daytona 500. Fox Sports said all races will be on Fox and the Fox Sports app.

13 – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other G7 leaders take action on Day One of their summit in Italy to reinforce their solidarity with Ukraine. The leaders cleared the way for a US$50-billion loan package for Kyiv that Canada will pump $5 billion into. U.S. President Joe Biden is also preparing to sign a security agreement with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Both moves are intended to show Russian President Vladimir Putin that the world’s leading industrialized democracies are standing behind Ukraine.

13 – Thirty-five Global News jobs are cut across Canada. Unifor says some of its members were laid off in major cities in Alberta, Ontario and B.C. as part of changes recently announced by Corus Entertainment. Those positions cut are on top of 11 Unifor members at Global who were already laid off this year. The union calls it a devastating blow to the industry, adding the jobs are desperately needed in the country.

13 – Tesla shareholders vote to restore CEO Elon Musk’s record $44.9 billion pay package that was thrown out by a Delaware judge earlier this year. The vote sends out a strong show of confidence in Musk’s leadership of the electric vehicle maker. The package will likely remain stuck in Delaware Chancery Court and Supreme Court for months, meaning the money won’t move despite the win.

14 – Muslim pilgrims converge on a vast tent camp set up in the desert near Mecca, Saudi Arabia, to officially begin the annual Hajj. Saudi officials say more than 1.5 million foreign pilgrims have arrived in Mecca so far and they expect the total this year to surpass the more than 1.8 million people who took part in the annual holy pilgrimage last year. It is mandatory for the Muslim faithful to take the trip to Mecca and take part in the Hajj at least once in a lifetime.

14 – Before flying to speak at the G7 summit in southern Italy about artificial intelligence, Pope Francis welcomes more than 100 of the world’s top comedians to the Vatican to celebrate the importance of humour. He told Whoopi Goldberg, Jimmy Fallon, Chris Rock, Stephen Colbert, Conan O’Brien and others that in the midst of so much gloomy news, they have the power to spread peace and smiles. He asked the entertainers to remember that when they manage to bring intelligent smiles to the lips of even a single spectator, they also make God smile.

14 – Cicada chaos flourishes as trillions of crawling cicada nymphs that have spent 17 years underground shed their skin and emerge as adults. They’re red-eyed, loud and frisky. Biologist Gene Kritsky estimates as many as five million cicadas crowded into a small patch of Ryerson Conservation Area north of Chicago, where the males are singing for sex. They won’t stop until they get a female cicada’s flapping wing consent, which is pushing decibel readings to 101 — louder than a lawnmower.

14 – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi releases a photo of himself shaking hands with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the G7 summit. It’s the first time the two have met in person since Trudeau accused Modi’s government of being involved in the killing of a Sikh activist in British Columbia.

14 – Scientists in British Columbia call it a “landmark day” for Caribou conservation efforts, as the province moves forward with a massive park expansion. A major provincial park expansion will create a nearly 2,000-square-kilometre protection zone for caribou and other species in northeastern British Columbia. The addition to the Klinse-za Park will make it the largest provincial park established in the province in a decade. The park addition is the result of a 2020 partnership between the province and the Saulteau and West Moberly First Nations to help stabilize and protect the threatened southern mountain caribou.

15 – An RCMP officer working undercover at a protest in Alberta faces accusations of using flirtatious tactics to get information from a suspect. The lawyer for Anthony Olienick pointed to text messages containing heart emojis exchanged between the officer and his client. The officer, however, maintains she wasn’t flirting as undercover investigators are prohibited from using seduction to gather information. Olienick, along with Chris Carbert, is on trial for allegedly conspiring to kill police officers during the 2022 Coutts border blockade.

15 – The Princess of Wales makes her first public appearance since her cancer diagnosis earlier this year, joining other royals on the Buckingham Palace balcony at the end of the King’s Birthday Parade. The family and crowds outside the palace are observing a flyby of military aircraft to cap off ceremonies marking the monarch’s official birthday.

15 – The City of Calgary declares a state of emergency. Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek signs the paperwork to declare the local emergency, following an investigation into a burst water main. Yesterday officials revealed work to repair the broken pipe is expected to take three to five more weeks. Gondek is reiterating a plea for residents and businesses to reduce water usage during the crisis, saying the city reached its maximum threshold of 480 million litres used yesterday.

15 – Israel says eight of its soldiers have been killed in the deadliest attack on Israeli forces in months. The eight were killed in an explosion in southern Gaza, but the military did not elaborate. The deaths will likely fuel calls for a ceasefire and heighten Israeli public anger over ultra-Orthodox exemptions from the military.

15 – Manitoba residents fill a park in Dauphin for the unveiling of a new monument, honouring the 17 victims of a deadly bus crash that took place one year ago. Family members of the 17 victims who died in the crash spearheaded efforts to create a dedicated space where the public can pay their respects. The large, black monument bears a written description of the events of June 15, 2023, along with a list of the people killed and those who survived.

16 – The second bridge connecting Windsor, Ont., and Detroit, Mich., officially becomes an international crossing. Construction crews complete the installation of the final two edge girders that link the Gordie Howe Bridge on both sides of the border. In 2012, former prime minister Stephen Harper announced the construction of the bridge, the cost of which has since risen to $6.4 billion. Construction was pushed back several times due to disruptions related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the crossing’s official opening is slated for next year.

16 – Officials in the Northwest Territories community of Fort Good Hope order an evacuation due to an encroaching wildfire. A late-night update from the territorial government says some five evacuation flights have already completed 16 trips, shepherding 240 people to Norman Wells, about 140 kilometres away. Another evacuation centre is set up in Inuvik, and a flight is scheduled to go there from Norman Wells this morning for evacuees who require hosting supports.

16 – Speaking in Switzerland, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Russia needs to be accountable for “an element of genocide” the country is committing by taking Ukrainian kids. Trudeau makes the comments at a peace summit, largely seen as a symbolic effort by Kyiv to rally the international community to Ukraine’s cause. More than 90 countries are attending the weekend summit. A joint statement is signed by most of the nations participating calling for the “territorial integrity” of Ukraine to be the basis for any peace agreement.

17 – Israeli officials say Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dissolved Israel’s influential War Cabinet that was tasked with steering the war in Gaza. The move comes just days after the departure from the government of Benny Gantz, an opposition lawmaker who had joined the coalition in the early days of the war. The officials say that going forward, Netanyahu will hold smaller forums with some of his government members for sensitive issues.

17 – Weekly insulin injections could soon be a way of life for many Canadians with diabetes, replacing daily shots. Drug manufacturer Novo Nordisk says Insulin icodec is the first once-a-week-basal insulin injection in the world – and Canada is the first country to get the product under the brand name Awiqli. It will be available later this month. Health Canada approved the treatment in March for adults with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.

17 – Alberta moves to ban cellphones in kindergarten to Grade 12 classrooms starting this fall. Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides says phones can be a distraction and lead to cyberbullying. He says there will be exceptions for students who use phones for health needs, such as monitoring blood sugar levels. Alberta follows the lead of Quebec, Ontario and B.C., where governments have announced or implemented cellphone restrictions in schools.

17 – The head of NATO says more than 20 NATO member nations are hitting the Western military alliance’s defence spending target this year, marking a new record. Jens Stoltenberg makes the announcement during a talk in Washington. The estimated figure is a nearly fourfold increase from 2021. NATO allies agreed last year to spend at least two per cent of their gross domestic product on defence.

17 – The Quebec director best known for the bilingual comedy “Bon Cop Bad Cop,” Erik Canuel, dies at the age of 63. A public relations agency says Canuel died of secondary plasma cell leukemia. The 2006 action-comedy “Bon Cop Bad Cop” was a rare bilingual phenomenon and is credited as being one of the highest-grossing Quebec-made films in history.

18 – Russian President Vladimir Putin thanks North Korea for supporting his actions in Ukraine and says the two countries would work together to overcome U.S.-led sanctions. The comments are published as the Russian leader heads to Pyongyang to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

18 – B.C.’s Ministry of Forests decides to get much more aggressive in dealing with people who commit offences against wildlife. The government says fines under the Wildlife Act are more than doubling to a range between $345 and nearly $1,500. The biggest fines apply to people who hunt or possess big game out of season.

18 – McGill University says it will still consider divesting from weapons manufacturers and disclosing additional investments, but its negotiations with those at a pro-Palestinian encampment on its downtown Montreal campus are over. The school says it will pursue disciplinary action against people taking part in the encampment, which was set up in late April.

18 – Canada’s Natalie Spooner is voted the International Ice Hockey Federation’s Female Player of the Year for 2024. The Toronto forward had a league-leading 20 goals and 27 points for the team in the inaugural season of the Professional Women’s Hockey League. The 33-year-old who is also from Toronto had already been named the league’s Most Valuable Player and top forward.

18 – Sikh activists hold a mock murder trial for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in front of the Indian consulate in Vancouver to mark the anniversary of the killing of a B.C. temple leader. Hardeep Singh Nijjar was a key organizer for an overseas referendum on an independent Sikh state in India, before he was shot and killed outside a Surrey temple. Members of Parliament observe a moment of silence in memory of Nijjar today, to mark what Speaker Greg Fergus says was the “assassination” of the temple leader.

19 – Once the centre of environmental and Indigenous rights battlegrounds, British Columbia’s old-growth forests are now receiving permanent protection. The province’s government reaches a deal with two Vancouver Island First Nations to protect about 760 square kilometres of Crown land in Clayoquot Sound. The deal will create 10 new conservancies to protect old-growth forests on Meares Island and in the Kennedy Lake area. Those areas were sites of protests that led to hundreds of arrests in the 1980s and 1990s.

19 – The ratings are in for Pat Sajak’s final goodbye as host of Wheel of Fortune. An audience of 11 million viewers watched Sajak sign off for the last time. That’s the highest ratings for the show since April 2020. Ryan Seacrest will begin hosting the show next season.

19 – Russian President Vladimir Putin says a new partnership he has signed with North Korea includes a vow of mutual assistance if either nation is attacked. Putin is in Pyongyang today and met for two hours with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as they seek to expand their economic and military co-operation. The two dictators signed a strategic partnership as both face escalating standoffs with the west. Kim also pledged his “full support and solidarity” for Russia in its so-called military operation in Ukraine.

19 – The Business Development Bank of Canada says it will commit $250 million to help Indigenous and Black-led businesses. The Crown corporation also says it’s launching a $50-million program to provide loans and training for businesses majority-owned by women, Indigenous and Black entrepreneurs that have under three-million dollars in revenue. BDC’s chief executive says too many under-represented entrepreneurs continue to face the same barriers that existed a decade, or even a generation ago.

19 – Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc says Canada has listed Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist entity. The move will make it a Criminal Code offence to support the IRGC. Members of Parliament voted unanimously in May to list the IRGC — a branch of Iran’s Armed Forces — as a terrorist entity. The Liberals have said in the past that doing so could affect a number of people who had no choice but to be drafted into the organization.

20 – NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says Canada needs to meet NATO’s minimum defence spending target as a way to show authoritarian regimes that Western allies are aligned. Canada is expected to still spend less than the two per cent mark, with 1.37 per cent of its GDP spent on defence this year. Last year, members agreed that two per cent should be a minimum amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but Canada has failed to reach the agreed goal. Stoltenberg acknowledged it’s tough for politicians to prioritize defence over social services, but says preserving peace requires investments in security.

20 – An out-of-control wildfire triggers the evacuation of the central Labrador community of Churchill Falls. Local officials issued an alert asking the town’s 700 residents to be out by 8:15 the previous evening, “due to changing conditions of the fire around the community.” The notice asked everyone to head east on a three-hour drive to Happy Valley-Goose Bay. Two fires are burning near Churchill Falls — the closest is 15-kilometres southwest of town and seven-square-kilometres in size.

20 – Concerns about proposed truth in advertising legislation prompt an oilsands group to remove all content from its website and social media feeds. A federal omnibus bill’s truth-in-advertising amendment would require corporations to provide evidence to support their environmental claims. The Pathways Alliance group of oilsands companies has previously run ads promoting its ambition to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Some environmental groups argued the ads were misleading because the oilsands group had yet to make a final decision on its proposed carbon capture and storage network.

20 – New Brunswick-born acting legend Donald Sutherland dies at age 88. His son Kiefer Sutherland announced the news in a social media post. The elder Sutherland’s career included iconic roles like Hawkeye Pierce in the film version of “MASH” and recent appearances like the dictator President Snow in “The Hunger Games” franchise. Sutherland was never nominated for an Academy Award but received an honorary Oscar, two BAFTA nominations, an Emmy Award and two Golden Globes.

21 – Alberta’s New Democratic Party bids farewell to outgoing Leader Rachel Notley. Notley is set to give her final speech as leader of the party, after shepherding its growth into the largest Opposition in Alberta’s history. A record 85,000 members are set to pick a new leader on Saturday from four candidates, including former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi.

21 – Former Liberal MP Han Dong notches a victory against Corus Entertainment and its attempt to have his defamation suit thrown out. A series of Global News stories last year linked him to backroom dealings with a senior Chinese diplomat on Canadian captives Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig. An Ontario Superior Court judge ruled that he found no documented evidence to support allegations that Dong privately advised the official to hold off on freeing the two Michaels. The judge also noted that as a consequence of the story, Dong’s reputation and life in politics were destroyed.

21 – The Ontario Science Centre announces it is abruptly closing for good at the end of the day after engineers found structural issues with the roof. An engineering firm says fixing the roof problems would cost at least $22 million and would take two or more years to complete with the facility closed. The provincial government’s plans to move the science centre to a new location on Toronto’s waterfront wouldn’t happen until 2028. Infrastructure Ontario will issue a request for proposals on Monday to try to find a temporary science centre location until the new one opens.

21 – A major traffic corridor in Winnipeg officially sheds its previous namesake, one of the leading campaigners for residential schools. City council voted to rename Bishop Grandin Boulevard in the city’s south end to Abinojii Mikanah last year. The official renaming ceremony was held on National Indigenous Peoples Day.

21 – British Columbia launches a class-action lawsuit against manufacturers of so-called “forever chemicals” involved in what the province is calling widespread contamination of drinking-water systems. B.C. Attorney General Niki Sharma says the province is the first Canadian jurisdiction to sue makers of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. The U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences says research shows exposure to the chemicals may lead to childhood obesity, weakened immune systems and certain types of cancer.

21 – Canadian billionaire businessman James K. Irving dies at the age of 96, just over a month after the death of his younger brother, Arthur. Along Irving’s with late brother John, they were sons of New Brunswick industrialist KC Irving and were among Canada’s richest people. James Irving was the chairman of JD Irving, a Saint John-based conglomerate with interests across the manufacturing, infrastructure, shipbuilding and agriculture industries.

22 – Alberta’s NDP chooses former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi to lead the party. Nenshi also becomes leader of the Opposition but doesn’t currently hold a seat in the legislature. The NDP announced the leadership voting results in Calgary this afternoon. Nenshi replaces Rachel Notley, who stepped down as leader after 10 years and one term as premier.

22 – North America’s largest dragon boat festival kicks off in Vancouver with racers taking to the water. More than 6,000 racers and 250 entries from across North America and Australia are expected to compete in the two-day boating event. The competition pushed ahead despite a sewage leak into False Creek from earlier in the week. Organizers say after consulting with city and health officials, the leak would not have a significant affect the race. Some 125,000 people are expected to attend the weekend festival, which also features the first-ever public drone show in Vancouver.

23 – A maximum-security prison on Quebec’s north shore is evacuated due to the threat of wildfires. Fires continue to burn around Port-Cartier, Que., where about a thousand residents were ordered to leave their homes on Friday. Now Correctional Service Canada says it has relocated inmates from the maximum-security prison in Port-Cartier. The province’s forest fire prevention agency says several fires remain out of control near Port-Cartier and Sept-Iles but favourable winds had slowed their progress.

24 – Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland says there is a clear effort by Chinese companies to generate a global oversupply of electric vehicles. She announces Canada is looking into whether to impose a surtax on imports of Chinese-made EVs. Freeland says a 30-day consultation on the issue will begin July 2. The consultation will also consider whether Canada should change which cars are eligible for the federal EV purchase rebate worth up to $5,000 per vehicle.

24 – Enbridge and Six Nations Energy Development announce plans to develop a wind energy project in Saskatchewan. The Seven Stars Energy Project will be located southeast of Weyburn and is expected to produce 200 megawatts of power. Six Nations is a consortium of First Nations and Métis partners that will have an opportunity to acquire at least a 30 per cent stake in the project. The project will be developed, built and operated by a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of Enbridge.

24 – B.C.’s Ombudsperson says his office has found systemic mismanagement in hiring at the B.C. Public Service Agency over the past 10 years. Jay Chalke says dozens of jobs meant to help develop the careers of public servants wrongfully went to government appointees between 2013 and 2023. Chalke says awarding jobs to ineligible people constitutes wrongdoing by the agency under B.C.’s Public Interest Disclosure Act.

24 – Vancouver Island-born Patrick deWitt’s novel “The Librarianist” wins the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour. The $25,000 award goes to the best Canadian book of literary humour published in the previous year. DeWitt’s novel follows an introverted retired librarian who volunteers at a seniors’ centre. It’s the second Leacock medal for the internationally bestselling author, after winning for his 2011 novel “The Sisters Brothers.”

24 – WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange reaches a deal with the U.S. Justice Department to plead guilty to a felony charge and be freed from prison. Assange is set to plead guilty to an Espionage Act charge of conspiring to unlawfully obtain and disseminate classified national defence information. The guilty plea brings an abrupt conclusion to a criminal case of international intrigue and to the U.S. government’s years-long pursuit. Assange is expected to return to Australia after his plea and sentencing on Wednesday morning.

25 – The Florida Panthers win their first Stanley Cup with a 2-1 Game 7 victory over the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers won’t be taking the Cup back to Edmonton, but it won’t be for a lack of support from their fans. Dozens of Oilers fans made the 5,000-kilometre trek to South Florida while thousands overwhelmed the streets of downtown Edmonton to cheer both inside and outside of the Oilers’ home arena.

25 – In a global first, China’s Chang’e 6 probe returns to Earth with rock and soil samples from the little-explored far side of the moon. Chinese scientists anticipate the returned samples will include 2.5-million-year-old volcanic rock and other material that scientists hope will answer questions about geographic differences on the moon’s two sides.

25 – The Conservative candidate overtakes his Liberal rival and clinches a federal byelection in a longheld Liberal riding in Toronto. Don Stewart moved ahead of Liberal Leslie Church in Toronto-St. Paul’s riding as ballots from the final four polls were counted. With all polls reporting before 5 a.m. local time, Stewart won the riding by 590 votes. The midtown riding had been considered a safe seat for the Liberals for more than three decades.

25 – Israel’s Supreme Court rules that the country’s military must start drafting ultra-Orthodox men for service. Until now, ultra-Orthodox men traditionally received exemptions if taking part in full-time religious studies.

25 – The former deputy chief of police in Ottawa is charged with sexual assault. Ontario’s police watchdog says Uday Jaswal was a police inspector when the alleged assault happened in 2011. The Special Investigations Unit says it was notified about the allegation by police in March of last year. Local media says Jaswal resigned from the force in 2022.

25 – The Atlantic Ballet of Canada says a new Indigenous dance program will allow eight dancers to train close to their communities and culture. The new two-year program that will launch in Moncton, N.B., this fall will accept eight Indigenous dancers in Grade 11. The ballet says the program will teach contemporary style and is rooted in the “world views, cultures, and practice” of the Mi’kmaq and Wolastoq nations of the Wabanaki Confederacy.

26 – NATO appoints Mark Rutte as its next secretary-general. The move puts the outgoing Dutch prime minister in charge of the world’s biggest security organization at a critical time for European security as war rages in Ukraine. Rutte will take over from the current secretary-general, Norway’s Jens Stoltenberg, on Oct. 1. Stoltenberg spent more than a decade at the helm.

26 – Puppy mills are made illegal in Ontario after the province passes legislation banning them. Under the new PUPS Act, those found guilty of operating puppy mills will now be subject to a minimum $10,000 penalty and a $25,000 dollar fine for the death of a dog. The province also made it illegal to inbreed, breed a female dog more than three times in a two-year period and breed a female dog younger than a year old. Animal advocates argued that a licensing regime would make it much easier to find puppy mills.

26 – The federal government ends a northern cod moratorium in Newfoundland and Labrador after more than 30 years. It was put in place after the province’s northern cod population collapsed in the early 1990s. The government says it will re-establish a commercial northern cod fishery with a total allowable catch of 18-thousand-tonnes for the 2024 season. Fisheries Minister Diane Lebouthillier is calling it a historic milestone for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

26 – New Quebec language rules are published requiring store signs in the province to be two-thirds in French. The province wants French to be the dominant language on commercial signs, even when the business name is in English. Stores like Canadian Tire will have to include generic terms or descriptions in French on their storefronts that take up twice as much space as the English brand name. The regulations come into force in June of next year.

27 – Ottawa plans to expand eligibility for the federal dental program today to include children under 18 and people who receive a disability tax credit. The government estimates another 1.2 million people will now be able to apply for the program. Federal ministers have said eligibility will be fully expanded to include everyone who meets the criteria in January. To qualify, applicants must be uninsured and have a household income under $90,000 a year.

27 – The Governor General’s office announces 83 appointments to the Order of Canada. Among them are pop-punk singer Avril Lavigne, former Bank of Canada governor Stephen Poloz and Cree actress Tina Keeper. The Order of Canada recognizes people from all walks of life who have made significant and sustained contributions to the country.

27 – Edmonton Oilers general manager Ken Holland will not have his contract renewed. The team announces the move, calling it a mutual decision between Holland and the NHL franchise. Holland spent the last five seasons as the Oilers’ GM, building a team that advanced to the Stanley Cup finals before losing to the Florida Panthers in Game Seven.

27 – Sports broadcaster Scott Russell says he will wrap up his nearly 40-year-career with CBC after this summer’s Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris. Russell has covered 16 Olympic Games. He’ll make his final on-air appearance before retiring on Sept. 8, with the closing ceremonies of the Paralympics. Russell has been a fixture at CBC since 1985, and has also served as host and rink-side reporter for Hockey Night in Canada for 14 years.

27 – Bell Media is cutting 43 technician jobs as part of efforts to slash 9 per cent of the parent company’s workforce. Parent company BCE says the cuts will not happen until August 30. The company says it will be providing training, offering voluntary severance packages and eliminating vacant positions wherever possible. BCE said in February it was eliminating more than 4,800 jobs in a restructuring move affecting all levels of the communications company in all business lines, including its media division.

28 – Former U.S. president Donald Trump’s campaign team claims victory over President Joe Biden in the first election debate of 2024, which took place the previous night. Trump’s energy throughout the CNN Presidential Debate was much higher than Biden’s, with Joe’s team saying he has a cold but tested negative for COVID. The debate offered little actual insight into what either candidate thinks about major issues in America.Topics covered abortion, treatment of veterans, the economy, housing, the ongoing border crisis and whether Trump will accept the results of the election.

28 – A judge approves a $9.5-million settlement for complainants in a class-action lawsuit against a Calgary Stampede performance school staffer accused of sexually abusing young boys. The settlement relates to the case of Philip Heerema, who received a 10-year prison sentence in 2018 after pleading guilty to charges including sexual assault, sexual exploitation, child pornography and luring. Heerema admitted he used his position with the Young Canadians School of Performing Arts to lure and groom six boys into sexual relationships between 2005 and 2014, as well as in 1992.

29 – Martin Mull is remembered by his fellow comedians and actors after he died at home this week. His daughter says the 80-year-old died after a long illness. “Bridesmaids” director Paul Feig paid tribute to Mull on X, calling him funny, talented and a legend. Mull first came to national fame on the satirical soap opera “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman,” before going on to shows such as “Roseanne,” “Arrested Development” and “Veep.”

29 – Canada’s two main railways face mounting pressure to reach a deal with their workers after a second strike vote. Teamsters Canada says its members at both railways voted almost 99 per cent in favour of strike action after their previous strike vote expired. The union says it hopes to take this renewed strike mandate back to the bargaining table. CPKC says it is unlikely the company or union would be in a legal position to initiate a strike or lockout before mid-July or later and 72-hours’ notice must be provided.

30 – Wildfire puts a small village in Yukon on notice to be ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice. The village of Mayo is home to about 200 people who’ve been told to prepare in case they need to flee. Mayo is about 400 kilometres north of Whitehorse. The Roaring Creek wildfire is about 15 kilometres north of Mayo and is currently listed as out of control.

30 – A rapidly intensifying Hurricane Beryl grows to Category 4 strength. Forecasters call Beryl an “extremely dangerous” storm as it churns toward Barbados and the Winward Islands. Government officials in the southeast Caribbean are pleading with residents to take shelter. Beryl is expected to weaken by the middle of the week but remain a hurricane as it moves past Barbados and on toward Mexico.

30 – A longtime broadcaster and much-loved newsroom leader at The Canadian Press dies suddenly. Lori Paris developed necrotizing fasciitis after a fall while walking her dog the previous week. Paris was universally liked and had earned respect from fellow journalists drawn to her cheerful presence, sarcastic humour and rigorous work ethic. Friends devastated by the loss will cherish their memories of Paris’s passions for travel and cooking as well as her deep love for animals.

30 – WestJet calls on the federal government to urgently provide clarity about the plane mechanic’s strike that has forced the airline to cancel hundreds of flights. Some 110,000 Canadians have had their travel plans disrupted over the Canada Day long weekend, while the airline is demanding action from the federal government. Some 680 workers walked off the job despite a directive for binding arbitration from the labour minister. WestJet has cancelled 829 flights scheduled for the busiest travel weekend of the season.

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

Year in review: A look at events in June 2024

Our Community