In the news today: Quebec Laurentians residents await answers after dike evacuation

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today…

Quebec residents waiting for answers after evacuation

Hundreds of residents of two municipalities in Quebec’s Laurentians region are awaiting further news after being ordered to leave their homes due to structural problems in a nearby dike.

Government inspectors found structural weaknesses in the Morier dike during a recent visit that could lead it to burst.

The evacuation order was issued Sunday night for about 1,000 properties near the Kiamika River in the municipalities of Chute-St-Philippe and Lac-des-Ecorces.

The inspectors suspect internal erosion to be the cause of the structural damage.

CBC cuts could change TV programming: Tait

The CBC’s president says a round of layoffs and programming cuts the broadcaster announced this week could mean changes in what viewers see on television.

Catherine Tait says slashing millions from the Crown corporation’s overall budget may mean fewer unscripted, factual or game shows.

She says those kinds of content don’t fall under the broadcast regulator’s programs of national interest policy that CBC has to remain committed to.

Here’s what else we’re watching …

Chiefs to elect new leader at AFN meeting in Ottawa
 

A special meeting of the Assembly of First Nations is kicking off in Ottawa today, as chiefs get ready to elect a new leader. 

The election of the organization’s next national chief comes as members look for a reset.

The vote is scheduled to take place on Wednesday.

It follows a turbulent time when the AFN’s internal politics were as high-profile as its advocacy for some 600 member First Nations.  

Murder trial of Saskatchewan Mountie continues

Crown prosecutors say they expect to call five witnesses today during the first-degree murder trial of a former Saskatchewan Mountie.

Bernie Herman is on trial for the 2021 death of 26-year-old Braden Herman. 

The two are not related. 

Braden Herman’s body was found in an isolated area of Little Red River Park, on the outskirts of Prince Albert, Sask., that May. 

Mountain assessment considers Indigenous stories

A first-of-its-kind report on Canadian mountains considers Indigenous stories along with scientific research.

It’s titled Canadian Mountain Assessment: Walking Together to Enhance Understanding of Mountains in Canada.

It was released during last month’s Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival.

The assessment says mountains provide water for many downstream communities and homes to plants, animals and people.

GTA home sales fall amid affordability challenges

Greater Toronto home sales fell six per cent last month compared with November 2022 despite an influx in new listings, as high borrowing costs and uncertain economic conditions persisted.

The Toronto Regional Real Estate Board says last month’s 4,236 home sales were also down 8.7 per cent from the 4,640 sales in October.

The board says a lack of affordability has taken its toll on the market, which remains sensitive to the current environment of high interest rates, but that relief seems to be on the horizon.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 5, 2023.

The Canadian Press