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Jeremy Simes, The Canadian Press – Jun 1, 2025 / 6:35 pm | Story: 553777

Alberta and Saskatchewan signed agreements with Ontario on Sunday to remove trade barriers ahead of a meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney to hash out a plan they hope will supercharge the economy.

The memorandum of understanding between Saskatchewan and Ontario sees both provinces mutually recognize each other’s goods, workers and investment, while a statement from the Alberta government says its MOU with Ontario aims to improve the free flow of goods and services between the two provinces.

The Alberta statement also says the agreement will simplify requirements for regulated professions such as skilled trades, making it easier for professionals to work across provincial boundaries.

Both deals, which were signed in Saskatoon ahead of a first ministers meeting in the city Monday, pledge to advance measures that would see willing provinces allow the sale of alcohol directly to consumers.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said the deals help grow provincial economies as U.S. President Donald Trump threatens more tariffs on Canadian steel.

“We’re going to band together,” Ford said when talking about the agreement with Saskatchewan. “We’ve never been attacked by any leader in the world like we have by President Trump. He doesn’t give two hoots about Canada.”

“(But) he’s going to have a rude awakening. We’re going to fight like we’ve never fought before.”

It’s Ford’s latest deals with provinces to open trade, measures he says could unlock $200 billion in economic gains.

Alberta said its agreement with Ontario also welcomes the possibility of Ontario joining the New West Partnership Trade Agreement, which has worked to streamline regulations and standards across British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

“It’s time to stop letting outdated rules hold us back and show Canadians what real economic leadership looks like,” Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said in a news release Sunday.

The premiers are meeting Monday with Carney to discuss major nation-building projects that could boost the economy.

Ford said the prime minister needs to remove regulations to make it easier to build projects. That includes scrapping the Impact Assessment Act, he said.

“It all depends on the speed right now (in getting projects built),” Ford said.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said he’s hoping for a port-to-port corridor in Western Canada to ship more goods out of northern B.C. and Hudson Bay in northern Manitoba.

“It’s the largest single opportunity that I’ve seen in my lifetime,” Moe said.

“All we need to do is come together, and then stand by side by side and defend the opportunities we have from a trade perspective. Defend them like hell.”

Building more oil and gas pipelines must be part of Canada’s future, Moe added.

“If we truly are going to become the strongest economy in the G7 nations, if we truly are going to become a global energy superpower, it means we need to open up the opportunity for all of our industries,” Moe said.

“I think (Carney) is aware that there’s a feeling of alienation in certain areas of the nation.”

Both Alberta and Saskatchewan have long had grievances with former prime minister Justin Trudeau, who they say made it difficult for the industry to build energy projects.

Smith has said more pipelines are the only way to get more products to market efficiently and without one, there could be a national unity crisis.

She has called on Carney to scrap the oil and gas emissions cap and clean electricity regulations, repeal industrial carbon pricing and overhaul regulations.

But getting a pipeline through Quebec might be difficult.

The province had opposed the former Energy East oil pipeline from Alberta and rejected the GNL Quebec project in Saguenay in 2021. However, Quebec Premier François Legault said last month he’s open to some projects.

Ford said all provinces must be on the same page for any pipeline to move forward.

“I hope (Legault) is going to bring a pipeline through,” he said. “Last time I checked, Quebecers drive cars, they need gas.”

 

The Canadian Press – Jun 1, 2025 / 3:08 pm | Story: 553752

Canada Post has rejected a request from the union representing about 55,000 of its workers to send their ongoing labour dispute to binding arbitration.

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers made the request in a statement issued Saturday, saying it was inviting Canada Post to a fair, final and binding arbitration process to resolve negotiations that have dragged on for months without producing a new collective agreement.

But the crown corporation dismissed the proposal in a response released on Sunday, saying it wants to “restore stability” to the postal service and arguing the union’s request for binding arbitration would do the opposite.

Canada Post says arbitration would be long and complicated and would likely last more than a year, adding to what it described as it’s significant financial challenges.

Canada Post presented what it called its “final offers” to the union on Wednesday, with concessions including an end to compulsory overtime and a signing bonus of up to $1,000.

But it stuck to a proposal for a 14 per cent cumulative wage hike over four years and part-time staff on weekend shifts, a major sticking point in the talks.

Canada Post said the two sides are at loggerheads after months of conciliation and mediation and has asked Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu to force a union membership vote on its latest proposals.

The union has been in a legal strike position as of May 23, but so far has opted to ban members from working overtime instead.

— With files from Christopher Reynolds in Montreal

 

Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press – Jun 1, 2025 / 1:55 pm | Story: 553737

Prime Minister Mark Carney sat down with oil and gas executives in Calgary Sunday to discuss partnerships and to get their input for his plans to make Canada an energy superpower.

Carney, in his first visit to Calgary since being sworn in as prime minister, held a closed door roundtable with more than two dozen members of the energy sector.

Attendees included Tourmaline Oil CEO Michael Rose, Pathways Alliance President Kendall Dilling, ATCO CEO Nancy Southern, Imperial Oil President John Whelan and Jon McKenzie, president of Cenovus Energy.

Reporters were only allowed to hear a few comments from the prime minister before being asked to leave the room at the Harry Hays building.

“Thank you for convening on a Sunday morning and also for what you’ve all been doing to help build our country…build our economy, build a future,” Carney said.

“I’d like to thank a number of you who wrote directly to me a month or so ago and I felt it would be best to get together and discuss it in much more detail than through an exchange of letters given the importance of the issues.”

Thirty-eight CEOs of Canadian energy companies signed a letter congratulating Carney on his April 28 election win and pitching policy measures they say would help the prime minister make good on his promise to build the fastest-growing economy in the G7.

That would include scrapping the federal emissions gap on oil and gas producers and repealing industrial carbon pricing to help bolster the industry.

The CEOs want an overhaul of the Impact Assessment Act, which sets out the process for assessing major projects, and of the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act, which bans oil tankers carrying more than 12,500 metric tons of crude from stopping along parts of British Columbia’s coastline.

Carney campaigned on expediting reviews of major energy infrastructure projects. He promised before the election to move forward with a “one project, one review” approach by recognizing assessments conducted by the provinces and territories.

The federal government unveiled its proposed emissions cap regulations late last year. They would compel upstream oil and gas operations to reduce emissions to 35 per cent below where they were in 2019 by sometime between 2030 and 2032.

“Partnership is a theme for our discussion this morning,” Carney said, accompanied by Energy Minister Tim Hodgson, Dominic LeBlanc, the minister responsible for Canada and U.S. trade and Emergency Management Minister Eleanor Olszewski.

“It’s a critical time for our country. The world’s certainly more divided and dangerous and the imperative of making Canada an energy superpower in all respects has never been greater. We will do everything we can at the federal government level to support those partnerships.”

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith was asked on her weekend radio show if she was concerned that the federal throne speech didn’t include a mention of pipelines.

“He may not have said the words ‘oil and gas’ and he may not have said the word ‘pipeline,’ but conventional energy means oil and gas, and the only way to get it to market efficiently is through pipelines,” said Smith, who says she’s hoping for a one-on-one with Carney at Monday’s First Ministers conference in Saskatoon.

Smith also praised Carney for being more willing to engage with the premiers on issues of national importance than his predecessor Justin Trudeau. She was coy when asked about consequences if Carney doesn’t deliver, saying she prefers to be optimistic.

Carney also took a moment on Sunday to thank the Department of National Defence, the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, and volunteers involved in fighting extensive wildfires and co-ordinating large-scale evacuations.

“The good news is those are proceeding well at this stage but of course it’s not over until it’s over and we’re at the start of the forest fire season across the country,” he said. “So we’ll stay committed to doing everything that we can with partners.”

David Baxter, The Canadian Press – Jun 1, 2025 / 10:26 am | Story: 553713

Prime Minister Mark Carney says he’s named Marc-André Blanchard, Canada’s former ambassador to the United Nations, as his permanent chief of staff.

Blanchard served as Canada’s permanent representative at the UN between 2016 and 2020.

He most recently served as the executive vice-president for CDPQ Global, a Quebec-based investment firm.

Carney made the announcement on social media and says Blanchard will start in July once former cabinet minister Marco Mendicino’s time as interim chief of staff comes to an end.

Carney said last month that Mendicino originally agreed to stay on through the new government’s transition period, but that term extended into the summer.

Chief of staff is the top official working in the Prime Minister’s Office.

The Canadian Press – Jun 1, 2025 / 9:58 am | Story: 553705

Fire crews in northern Manitoba have so far been able to contain an encroaching wildfire that forced thousands of residents from their homes.

Officials in Flin Flon, Man., say the fire burning near the mining city has been contained to outside its perimeter highway, and that as of Saturday evening there have been no structure losses.

The province has issued an evacuation order for Bakers Narrows Provincial Park, just south of Flin Flon, due to the blaze in the area.

City officials say there were some property and structure losses in the Bakers Narrows area, but did not have total numbers on how many properties were affected.

Wildfires in Manitoba have displaced more than 17,000 people, and evacuees are being offered food and shelter in several communities.

Thousands have also been affected by wildfires in Saskatchewan and Alberta, with several communities already forced to evacuate.

The weather has not been co-operating in parts of the Prairie provinces where wildfires are burning out-of-control.

Flin Flon Mayor George Fontaine has said a change in wind directions could push the fire into the city.

Officials said in a Facebook post Sunday morning that hydro has been restored in parts of the city and that work continues to get all areas back online.

“We’re incredibly grateful for all of the support that departments from across Manitoba have provided us. They’ve done an outstanding job protecting our homes and the town we love,” the post said.

“Our utmost gratitude goes out to all of those who have taken time away from their homes and families to put themselves in harm’s way.”

David Baxter, The Canadian Press – Jun 1, 2025 / 8:49 am | Story: 553702

The NDP’s interim NDP leader is calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney to honour the government’s commitment to table information about any U.S. trade talks in the House of Commons.

The request from Don Davies comes ahead of this month’s meeting of G7 leaders, where Carney will once again meet with U.S. President Donald Trump and the two will continue to work out a new new economic and security relationship between the two countries.

A letter from Davies to Carney, dated May 29, says the NDP is concerned the government has entered “preliminary” discussions with the Trump administration about renegotiating the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, which is up for review next year.

Davies writes that in Feb. 2020, then deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland committed to tabling notice of intent for trade talks in the House at least 90 days before they begin, sharing talk objectives at least 30 days before negotiations start, and providing an economic impact assessment alongside implementation legislation.

Davies says there’s no indication these steps are currently being followed.

In a May 27 interview with CBC’s “Power & Politics,” Carney said there needs to be more progress on the U.S. tariff issue before trade talks can begin.

The Canadian Press – Jun 1, 2025 / 8:24 am | Story: 553698

Toronto police say a 65-year-old man is dead after being hit by a vehicle Saturday night in the city’s east end.

Police were called to the scene just before 10 p.m., when the man was struck in the centre lane of the eastbound lanes of Eglinton Avenue near Torrence Road.

They say the pedestrian was crossing mid-block from the south side to the north side when he was struck by a vehicle being driven by a 41-year-old man.

The pedestrian, who has not been identified, was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead.

Police are continuing to investigate the incident.

They are requesting local residents, businesses, and drivers who may have security or dash camera footage of the area or incident to contact investigators.

Cassidy McMackon, The Canadian Press – Jun 1, 2025 / 6:46 am | Story: 553691

A month after Ontario’s government extended strong mayor powers to a swath of new municipalities, some leaders are promising never to use the measures — but a chorus of small-town councillors warn that local democracy is under threat.

As of May 1, another 169 mayors in the province can now veto bylaws, pass new ones with just one-third of council in favour and hire or fire municipal department heads unilaterally.

Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Rob Flack said last month that the province decided to more than triple the number of mayors who can access the powers in an effort to build housing faster and streamline local governance.

The measures were first introduced in 2022 and initially only applied to the mayors of Toronto and Ottawa, Ontario’s two most populous cities.

Several municipalities are taking active steps to reject the powers now that they have been granted more widely.

Mark Hunter, one of 10 city councillors in Stratford, recently got unanimous support for his motion to reject the new powers. Hunter said it was symbolic and designed to show that municipal democracy shouldn’t be “subject to provincial whim.”

“What it effectively does is get rid of majority rule in our council,” he said.

“It’s the expectation of the residents in our community that their representatives are able to fully represent them and this change puts some level of diminishment on that.”

Hunter said his fellow councillors can have strong disagreements at council, but lively discussions result in better decisions for the community. Anything that diminishes that discussion is worse for residents, he said.

Councillors aren’t concerned about Stratford’s current mayor abusing his power, said Hunter, but they are worried about what could happen in the future.

“It’s another example of concentrating power in fewer hands. Unfortunately in human history, that doesn’t always work out so well,” he said.

David O’Neil, a councillor in Quinte West, said he is also concerned about strong mayor powers, adding they represent “a real misdirection” by the province.

“I think this decision is on par with the crazy idea of building a tunnel under the 401,” O’Neil said, referring to Premier Doug Ford’s promise to add a tunnel under the major Ontario highway.

He added he is skeptical that strong mayor powers would lead to new housing being built in his community, and thinks the province should waive development fees if it wants to see more housing built.

Zack Card, another councillor for Quinte West, said he believes the expansion of the strong mayor powers will “erode the democratic traditions of municipal councils in Ontario.”

“I believe effective councils work collaboratively and with an understanding that all voices carry equal weight. Tipping that balance could potentially hinder governance and make solving issues within our communities more difficult,” Card wrote in an email.

Neither O’Neil nor Card would speak to the recent dismissal of the municipality’s chief administration officer, which was described on the municipality’s website as a “mayoral decision” pursuant to the legislation, made on the first day the powers were available.

Quinte West Mayor Jim Harrison said in an email to The Canadian Press that “the decision was made in close collaboration and consensus with council, utilizing strong mayor powers to move forward.”

Less than a week after the decision, he told a council meeting that he wasn’t planning to make use of the strong mayor powers.

O’Neil suggested his concern is more future-oriented: it’s unclear what could a different sort of mayor do with these powers five, 10 or 20 years down the road.

David Arbuckle, executive director of the Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario, said unilateral power threatens a local government’s administrative authority and staffers’ ability to give non-partisan, evidence-based advice.

“It’s changed the dynamic where (a city staffer) now has to be mindful of the fact that they could be hired or fired by the mayor at any point in time,” Arbuckle said in a recent interview.

“The advice they’re bringing forward may not be as neutral as possible because ultimately they are now responding to one individual.”

Corey Engelsdorfer, a councillor from Prince Edward County, said he’s worried the powers will exacerbate existing divisions on his council and, should they be used, could “sideline” constituents even as the community experiences a boom in development.

The traditional model of majority rule is already divisive, Engelsdorfer said — especially when it comes to housing decisions — so decisions being made with even less support could lead to even more public cynicism.

“The way we build homes is by working together as a council and not by one person or a third of council pushing through what they want to push through,” he said.

“I always hear Premier Ford say that these changes cut red tape, but democracy to me is not red tape. I don’t think it’s something that needs to be in place at all.”

Mayor Steve Ferguson said in an interview that he was working to defer several of the strong mayor powers, including personnel decisions, back to council.

The council also unanimously passed a resolution asking the province to rescind strong mayor legislation, Engelsdorfer said.

Despite the concerns, Matti Siemiatycki, director of the University of Toronto’s Infrastructure Institute and a professor of geography and planning, said the uptake of the powers has been “fairly underwhelming.”

Before last month, there were only 46 so-called strong mayors in Ontario. Only a few made use of their powers.

High-profile examples include Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath advancing affordable housing development on two municipal parking lots in April 2024, and Mississauga’s former mayor Bonnie Crombie passing bylaws to build fourplexes in October 2023.

But Siemiatycki said he fears there’s greater risk for strong mayor powers to go unchecked in smaller municipalities, where there is less oversight and, often, less journalistic scrutiny.

“We’ve seen an erosion and a decline of the local presses across Canada, and it’s no more visible than in small communities,” he said.

“If you’re concentrating powers, what’s really needed is external oversight bodies. And the media is one of those, so smaller communities might struggle to have that accountability and people being aware of what’s happening.”

Siemiatycki said while he sympathizes with the province’s desire to tackle a housing and infrastructure crisis, he agrees with the councillors who have raised concerns.

“It doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll go further just because you’re aiming to go faster,” he said.

“The thing that’s more sustainable over the long term is acceleration through processes that have very clear accountabilities and timelines to them.”

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press – Jun 1, 2025 / 6:40 am | Story: 553687

Canada’s premiers are heading into to a meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney in Saskatoon Monday armed with their wish lists for major “nation-building” projects that could buttress the economy in the face of a U.S. trade war.

Carney asked the premiers to each pass on five suggestions for national infrastructure projects, and Monday’s meeting will aim to identify the ones that will make the final cut to be fast tracked using legislation Ottawa may introduce as early as this week.

The conversation is taking place against the backdrop of an ongoing trade war with the United States, renewed debate about separatism in Alberta and a push to break down interprovincial trade barriers to encourage more trade between provinces and less reliance on trade with the U.S.

That push already had a sense of urgency, following several months of unpredictable tariff moves by President Donald Trump, but got another injection of reality on Friday, as Trump indicated plans to double already damaging tariffs on steel and aluminum from 25 per cent to 50 per cent on June 4.

Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc said in a statement Saturday that Ottawa has “taken note” of that new plan and remains “resolute” to defend Canadian workers and communities.

“We can give ourselves far more than the United States can take from us,” he said on X. “That’s why this Monday, the prime minister will meet with premiers in Saskatoon with one goal — build one Canadian economy out of thirteen, and get big, nation-building projects built faster.”

The federal government is developing what it calls a “national interest” bill to fast-track a small number of nation-building projects with a streamlined regulatory approval process as a substitute for reviews under the Impact Assessment Act.

Which projects are the main topic of debate on Monday, with a heavy emphasis on critical minerals mining, energy and ports.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Friday his priority is mining in the “Ring of Fire,” a region about 500 kilometres north of Thunder Bay, Ont., that contains massive deposits of critical minerals. Another priority is building a new nuclear plant in the province.

Ford said he believes Carney will pick a few priorities across the country that would have a major impact.

“One has to be the pipelines,” Ford said, adding Canada can’t “be relying on the U.S. any longer” as its primary energy customer.

Ford said he believes Carney wants to work collaboratively with the provinces and that Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe told him Friday morning he’s excited to host the event.

“I think a priority is to bring the whole country together,” Ford said. “The previous government and previous prime minister didn’t show enough love, in my opinion, to Alberta and Saskatchewan. We have to be a united country.”

Moe offered to host the meeting when he spoke with Carney soon after the federal election. Moe said in a social media in May that this will be the first meeting between the prime minister and the premiers held in his province in 40 years.

The gathering comes as both Saskatchewan and Manitoba have declared provincewide states of emergency as wildfires threaten communities in remote northern regions. In Manitoba, 17,000 residents have been forced from their homes in recent days, while more than 4,000 people in Saskatchewan have had to evacuate.

In a mid-May letter to Carney, Moe pitched 10 policy changes he said the federal government should make to reset Ottawa’s relationship with Saskatchewan.

His requests include starting negotiations with China to remove its tariffs on Canadian agri-food products, repealing the oil and gas emissions cap, expanding pipeline capacity and building trade and economic corridors across the country.

“Your government has the ability to move forward on all 10 of these items quickly, which would clearly signal a new, more positive relationship between Saskatchewan and the federal government than we have had for the past 10 years,” the letter said.

In May, New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt shared on social media her province’s priorities for nation-building projects, including critical mineral projects that are ready to move now.

She said New Brunswick ports are “ready to increase national and international trade with additional investments” and that the province is a leader in modular home building, ready to “tap into investments to tackle the national housing crisis.”

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew also sent Carney a letter in May pitching federal-provincial partnership on several projects, including a trade corridor through the Port of Churchill, establishing Indigenous “fair trade zones” and developing critical minerals infrastructure. In his letter, Kinew called his province “the Costco of critical minerals.”

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s office declined to provide a statement ahead of the meeting, saying the premier has made her priorities for the federal government clear in recent weeks.

British Columbia will be represented at the meeting by deputy premier Niki Sharma, as Premier David Eby left Saturday for a 10-day trade trip to Asia. Eby’s office said he booked his trade diversification mission trip to Japan, South Korea and Malaysia before the first ministers meeting was scheduled, and virtual attendance isn’t possible because of the time difference.

A May 1 letter from Eby to Carney cited four “priority areas” he said require closer partnership between B.C. and Ottawa: the ongoing softwood lumber dispute, efforts to streamline rail and trade corridors, clean energy and critical mineral projects, and housing affordability and homelessness.

Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press – Jun 1, 2025 / 6:36 am | Story: 553688

When Hudson’s Bay began liquidating all of its stores and hunting for a potential new owner, Ruby Liu was determined not to let Canada’s oldest company disappear.

The B.C. mall owner made an offer for the company in hopes of restoring it to its former glory, but when Canadian Tire was chosen (court approval pending) to buy its name and trademark stripes, Liu’s plan was foiled.

Yet she didn’t give up. Instead, she brokered a deal to take over up to 28 of the leases held by Hudson’s Bay and its sister Saks businesses in Alberta, B.C. and Ontario and transform them into “a new modern department store.”

But making the jump from vision to reality won’t be easy, even with her persistence and the billions of dollars reportedly at her fingertips.

“There is a lot of research, a lot of planning, a lot of capital, a lot of logistical challenges, inventory, branding and people that need to be figured out,” said Jenna Jacobson, the Eaton Chair in Retailing at Toronto Metropolitan University.

Because Hudson’s Bay sold off its real estate years ago, Liu’s first task once the liquidation sales end Sunday will be convincing the landlords who own the massive spaces to get on board with her plan or it’s unlikely a court will rubber stamp it.

Several landlords have told The Canadian Press they are awaiting more details before they decide what to do about Liu, who declined to comment for this story.

Don Gregor, an executive vice-president at Aurora Realty Consultants not involved with the deal, suspects their approval will be hard to win.

He reasons that landlords like to be in control and usually don’t want to have tenants selected for them, especially tenants who will pick up “trophy leases” with the kind of deep concessions only a business as storied as the Bay could extract.

Many of those leases date back to the very inception of the malls or properties they cover and would have rent charges Gregor believes were “well-below market.”

He also figures they had clauses restricting what other tenants could move in and what else could be built on the site.

“(Landlords) would have loved if HBC had gone bankrupt and hadn’t just fallen apart totally and they just get the space back because all the restrictions that anchor tenant held in that old lease would have gone away,” he said.

“Now, there’s going to be a negotiation, like a dance between the two parties, where they have a little bit of give and take.”

Liu will come to the table with plenty of business experience. She is said to have made billions through real estate developments in China before she headed to Canada.

Once here, her Central Walk business bought British Columbia malls Tsawwassen Mills, Mayfair Shopping Centre and Woodgrove Centre, as well as Arbutus Ridge Golf Course.

The shopping centres feature plenty of Canadian mall staples along with rarities like Bass Pro Shops, L.L. Bean and even café kiosks powered by robot baristas.

Gregor thinks Liu operates “very good malls” but will need a “wonder team of lawyers” to advance a deal as significant and complex as the Bay one.

One thing she’ll have going for her is that landlords don’t like to leave big pieces of their properties in limbo, said J.C. Williams Group retail strategist Lisa Hutcheson.

“In some ways, she makes it easier for them to not have to be worrying about how they’re going to fill that large square footage,” she said.

If they approve of Liu, they will also have someone to shoulder repairs the Bay neglected to do, Hutcheson said. A handful of its stores temporarily closed last summer because of air conditioning troubles and even more have been plagued with broken escalators for years.

Gregor estimates it would cost half a million dollars to repair the HVAC system at just one of the Bay’s biggest locations. Elevator fixes or replacements could take a year, he said.

And that’s on top of the $100 to $150 per square foot he thinks will have to be spent — at minimum — to shape the spaces.

“These stores are several hundred thousand square feet, and that takes a lot to reposition,” Hutcheson agreed.

She pointed out La Maison Simons is spending about 18 months transforming some former Nordstrom locations in Toronto.

“And that’s with a fully baked concept that they’re going off of,” she said.

Liu will have to generate a new concept that can go head-to-head with long-established department stores like Simons and Holt Renfrew and the plethora of options online.

That will likely mean brokering relationships with suppliers Hutcheson believes will be “a little bit nervous” because they are still reeling from millions in losses that came from the fall of the Bay.

It will also mean hiring a large workforce that will devote themselves to an untested brand and then sell it to customers.

Liu has promised to give suppliers and vendors who worked with Hudson’s Bay priority when selecting partners for her new venture. She has also said she will prioritize hiring from the Bay’s workforce, which stood at 9,364 staff before its demise.

“But between now and when I expect (Liu’s) doors will open, will be a gap, and many of them will find jobs,” Hutcheson said.

Despite the battery of challenges Liu will have to overcome, Jacobson said the efforts could be worth it for both her and her customers.

If Liu uses the opportunity to mirror the overseas department store model with new brands, supermarkets, restaurants, salons, entertainment and other digital experiences, Jacobson thinks Liu will “usher in a new form of retail” the Canadian market sorely needs.

“If you look at the Chinese department stores, they often act like more of a destination in and of themselves than what we typically see in a Canadian or North American market,” Jacobson said.

“It’s a destination where people could spend a significant amount of time … which is going to be needed in order to have a successful model moving forward.”

The Canadian Press – May 31, 2025 / 9:45 am | Story: 553574

UPDATE: 9:45 a.m.

More people in northern Manitoba are leaving their homes as wildfires continue to threaten communities.

The roughly 600 residents of Cranberry Portage have been placed under a mandatory evacuation order because fires have knocked out power to the community — a situation expected to last for days.

An evacuation of Pimicikamak Cree Nation, which started earlier this week, is ongoing and officials are expecting five flights to leave for Winnipeg by the end of today.

One of the major areas of concern is in Flin Flon, a city of some 5,000 residents that has already been evacuated.

A fire is burning very close to town and officials are worried a shift in the wind could bring flames right into the community.

Some 17,000 Manitobans have had to leave their homes due to fires, and the forecast in the Flin Flon region does not call for rain in the coming days.

Thousands have also been affected by wildfires in Saskatchewan and Alberta, with 1,300 people in the community of Swan Hills northwest of Edmonton already forced from their homes.

---

ORIGINAL: 7:10 a.m.

There’s no rain in the forecast for Flin Flon, Manitoba over the next week as crews there fight a wildfire that’s raging nearby.

Temperatures throughout the weekend are expecting to range from the low to high 20s, before cooling off.

Thousands have evacuated the northwestern Manitoba city, including municipal government officials and health-care professionals.

Flin Flon mayor George Fontaine said on Friday that unless things changed, the fire was projected to take chunks out of the town.

As of now, wildfires in Manitoba have displaced more than 17,000 people.

Thousands have also been affected by wildfires in Saskatchewan and Alberta, with 1,300 people in the community of Swan Hills northwest of Edmonton already forced from their homes.