In the news today: Halifax forum starts amid wars, uncertainty

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed…

Halifax forum starts amid wars, uncertainty

The Halifax International Security Forum begins today amid a tense atmosphere of wars and uncertainty over the direction of the incoming administration of United States president-elect Donald Trump.

About 300 policy analysts, politicians and defence officials from 60 countries are participating in the 16th annual gathering in the Nova Scotia capital.

Peter Van Praagh, president of the forum, says that after Trump’s first ascent to the White House in 2016, there was “shock.” But he says this year the mood is more of uncertainty over what Trump’s priorities will be.

Trump has been unclear if his administration would defend Taiwan if China invades, and he has made vague pronouncements on the campaign trail about rapidly ending the war in Ukraine without explaining how this would occur.

Praagh says he hopes to gain insight into Trump’s plans from a congressional delegation attending the forum.

Day 1 of the gathering will include Idaho Republican Sen. James Risch in a chat session with Democratic Party Sen. Jeanne Shaheen from New Hampshire, and Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly in a panel discussion on the Ukraine war.

Here’s what else we’re watching…

Municipalities ‘blindsided’ by spike in OPP costs

Several Ontario municipalities that rely on provincial police services are scrambling to revise their budget plans for next year after being suddenly saddled with skyrocketing law enforcement bills, a spike they say came with no warning or explanation.

The bills handed down by Ontario Provincial Police for 2025 represent a jump of more than 30 per cent in some cases, and at least one municipality is facing more than double the previous price tag, leaving local leaders to consider tax hikes or spending cuts to offset the costs.

An unexpected, nearly 20 per cent surge in policing costs for 2025 has put the southwestern Ontario community of Essex “kind of in a corner,” said the town’s mayor, Sherry Bondy.

Some municipalities said they still haven’t received clear answers regarding their bills. They were told to tune into a provincewide webinar that would break down the policing costs and how they were allocated, but the presentation was then cancelled, they said.

OPP did not respond to a request for comment but instead referred questions to the Ministry of the Solicitor General, which is responsible for the force.

Avian flu hits B.C. producers ‘like wildfire’

Mark Siemens is a third-generation egg farmer in B.C.’s Fraser Valley and he recalls his grandfather sharing a story about fighting an unknown disease that raced through the farm decades ago, forcing him to cull the entire flock.

Siemens didn’t expect to be facing a similar fight so many years later.

He noticed some birds seemed agitated a few weeks ago, showing symptoms of itchy eyes, and said he immediately called the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

The verdict was in by the end of the day: his chickens were infected with the highly pathogenic H5N1 variant of avian influenza.

His business is one of about four dozen flocks, most of them commercial, that have been infected with avian flu in British Columbia this fall. Infections flair during migratory seasons, as wild birds are considered the chief cause of infections.

Almost seven million birds have been culled at B.C. farms since the spring of 2022.

N.S. Tory leader looks for balanced image

Tim Houston was on his way to his big, blue campaign bus outside a Halifax hotel earlier this week when he spotted a small group of construction workers passing by on the sidewalk.

“How are things going,” Nova Scotia’s Progressive Conservative leader said with an easy smile as he walked over to shake hands with the hard-hatted workers.

Since first being elected to the provincial legislature in 2013 representing the riding of Pictou East, the 54-year-old Houston has largely come across as a combative politician. He first rose to prominence as a fierce critic of former Liberal premier Stephen McNeil, and he seemed to relish the role of being a thorn in McNeil’s side during debates in the legislature.

Elected party leader in 2018, Houston became premier three years later when the Tories won a majority. He has since cemented his public image as a partisan defender of his government’s record.

Houston called a provincial election for Nov. 26 late last month, saying he needed a fresh mandate to deal with a federal government he maintains has sold Nova Scotia short.

“Whoever is in Ottawa, they are going to see the same Tim Houston as Prime Minister Trudeau (sees),” he said. “On issues where we can work together … then we’re going to get along great, but on issues where they try to short-change Nova Scotians, they will hear from me on that.”

Fashion designer describes invitation to work on Notre Dame cathedral’s reopening as ‘a calling’

When Jean-Charles de Castelbajac watched as Notre Dame cathedral burned in April 2019, he felt compelled to act somehow.

Returning home, the French fashion designer began sketching ideas, imagining the monument’s reconstruction.

So, when the Paris Archbishop’s emissary approached him to design the liturgical garments for the cathedral’s reopening next month, Castelbajac — a believer with personal roots with the church — felt the moment transcended mere coincidence.

This duty, as he calls it, led to a collection of work crafted in collaboration with the esteemed artisans of 19M studio. The garments, often in thick off-white Scottish wool gabardine, blend his signature eye-popping pop-art aesthetic with a reverence for the cathedral’s centuries-old legacy with medieval touches.

The unorthodox designs are fun, modern — and perhaps shockingly minimalist.

They undoubtedly break with the richly embellished styles associated with the cathedral’s near-900-year-old liturgical garb. At their center is a large gold cross, accented by debris fragments of vivid color-blocked red, blue, yellow, and green velvet.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 22, 2024

The Canadian Press