Occupy Wall St. protest to march into Canada

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Activists are planning an occupation of Toronto's financial district as well as other Canadian cities following in the footsteps of protesters currently camped out on Wall Street in New York City.

A group calling itself Occupy Toronto Market Exchange has launched a website to organize a march on Bay Street beginning Oct. 15.

That's a Saturday, when the stock exchange is closed and few people are working in Canada's financial capital.

About 830 people on Facebook have replied they would attend the event in Toronto.

Occupations are also planned in the streets in other Canadian cities, including Vancouver, Montreal and Calgary.

South of the border, protesters speaking out against corporate greed and other grievances remain in Manhattan's financial district.

They are holding their ground even after more than 700 of them were arrested Saturday during a march on the Brooklyn Bridge in a tense confrontation with police.

The group Occupy Wall Street has been camped out in a plaza for nearly two weeks staging various marches, and had orchestrated an impromptu trek to Brooklyn.

Protesters are speaking out against corporate greed, government bailouts, and income inequality amid high unemployment and the prospect of another recession.

Canada's economic growth has been slowing, leading some to believe this country could also be headed for recession.

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Storm surges expected in Atlantic Canada

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A storm bringing heavy rain and gusting winds into Atlantic Canada that has knocked out power in some areas, downed trees and created travel disruptions, is expected to cause damaging storm surges Wednesday night.

Storm surges — where strong winds push tides farther up the shore combined with wave action — could cause shore erosion flooding and destruction of property along coastal areas. High tides will occur around sunset and again at daybreak.

Maritime Electric crews in P.E.I. were busy clearing downed branches on power lines. CBC

Areas along the Northumberland Strait are most vulnerable, including the Nova Scotia coastline from eastern Pictou through Antigonish into the north-facing coastlines of Cape Breton and P.E.I.'s south coast.

However, even Shelburne in southwestern Nova Scotia has broken one-day rainfall records.

Charlottetown public works has been monitoring the situation all day and are preparing for storm surges.

"We will have staff on throughout the evening monitoring things and addressing issues as they may occur," said Paul Johnston, department manager.

Parks Canada is advising the public to stay off beaches and trails and away from the cliffs in Prince Edward Island National Park during the storm, saying it's a safety risk. Campgrounds in the park are closed until normal weather resumes.

Although Yarmouth and Halifax saw some sun mixing with showers at the end of the afternoon, residual showers and wind are expected to continue overnight. Other areas in the region can expect to face more heavy wind and rain, with Cape Breton and western Newfoundland bearing the brunt. The storm is expected to ease by Thursday afternoon.

Utility crews continue to be busy in the region. At 7 p.m. AT, New Brunswick Power reported just over 2,000 customers without power, mainly in the Saint John and Sackville areas and on the Acadian Peninsula. In Nova Scotia, 4,000 homes and businesses remain affected and in P.E.I., Maritime Electric reported 2,100 customers without power, mostly at the eastern end of the province.

Storm surges are expected in coastal areas. CBC

Several road washouts were reported in Pictou and Colcheter counties in Nova Scotia, while P.E.I. transportation officials said there were no reports of major flooding.

There are also travel restrictions for high-sided vehicles, motorcycles and trailers on the Confederation Bridge that links P.E.I. and New Brunswick. Peak gusts have reached 126 km/h, bridge officials said.

"I guess it's our first major wind storm of the year and it's going to be a long one because it looks as if it's going to last until tomorrow afternoon," said Michel LeChasseur, spokesman for the Confederation Bridge.

Air Canada has cancelled or delayed several of its flights at the Moncton airport. The Halifax airport reported many delays throughout the day, while the Charlottetown airport has had just a few.

Rough sailing conditions are keeping Marine Atlantic's ferries between Nova Scotia and Newfoundland tied up until late Thursday. The forecast calls for winds exceeding 100 km/h and wave heights from eight to 11 metres. Northumberland Ferries, connecting Nova Scotia and P.E.I., cancelled Wednesday crossings.

And it would have been one of the busiest days of Saint John's cruise season, but three vessels carrying a total of 6,000 passengers cancelled stops in the city. The Caribbean Princess and the Regatta cancelled early Wednesday, with the captain of the Norwegian Jewel making the decision after discussions with harbour pilots. In Charlottetown, another cruise ship, Celebrity Cruises Summitt, also decided not to dock because of the weather.

Just five days into October and much of the region has already seen more than the monthly average rainfall amounts. According to numbers recorded at airport reporting stations, this storm's accumulation combined with last weekend's soaking, means that Halifax's unofficial rainfall total is 126.6 mm — slightly more than the October average of 126.4 mm. Meanwhile, Charlottetown has seen 123.2 mm of rain, a full 18 mm more than the monthly average.

The rain storms are expected to pass by Friday except for a few residual showers. Marine Atlantic expects to resume service at that time.

As the storm ends, temperatures will plunge. Some parts of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick could see snow fall.

The wild weather ride will not end there. After the snow, temperatures will start to climb, and are expected to reach the 20s across the region by Sunday.

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Canada seeks Buy American exemption

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Canada is seeking an exemption from the new Buy American provisions in U.S. President Barack Obama's proposed jobs act, weeks before the exemption for the previous stimulus is set to expire.

Minister of International Trade Ed Fast, citing concerns over a potential "trade barrier initiative," has launched a round of consultations with Washington to negotiate an extension for a Canadian exemption before a Sept. 30 deadline.

Obama's proposed $447-billion US American Jobs Act is intended to give a much-needed jolt to a stalled U.S. economy, but in an interview with Evan Solomon on CBC's Power & Politics Wednesday, Fast characterized the bill as misguided.

"We believe that protectionism is counterproductive, especially during these difficult economic times around the world," the minister said, adding that 75 per cent of Canada's trade is with the U.S.

The measures contained in the bill echo Washington's original stimulus package in 2009 — a fight that Canada thought it had already won.

"I do know the last time this happened, which was back in 2009, we engaged with our American counterparts, and we were able to resolve the issue, at least on a temporary basis. Now we're back at the same place where we're now it's a new stimulus package that the U.S. has introduced," Fast said.

The minister said he was "very surprised and certainly disappointed" to learn of the provisions, adding that Canada is working "very aggressively" to raise the same arguments made two years ago with the Obama administration and to Congress.

The offending passage in the act is contained in Section 4, headed "Buy American — Use of American Iron, Steel and Manufactured Goods."

The section contains a directive that none of the funds made available under the American Jobs Act may be used for "the construction, alteration, maintenance, or repair of a public building or public work unless all of the iron, steel and manufactured goods used in the project are produced in the United States."

The "Buy American" section also notes that it "shall be applied in a manner consistent with United States obligations under international agreements," which offers Canadian businesses some protection under the North American Free Trade Agreement. But NAFTA doesn't apply to municipal contracts, and the bulk of spending in both the previous U.S. stimulus plan and Obama's proposed jobs plan is at the municipal level.

The bill calls for more than US$100 billion towards the renovation of schools, the construction of roads and bridges and improving transit.

Fast said history shows protectionist measures stall growth and kill jobs.

Canada is now asking for an extension for the previous NAFTA deal extending to sub-national governments, which is set to expire at the end of this month.

Ottawa is concerned about a "chill effect" that could take place as a result of the Buy American provision, as it has been noted that just because states and municipalities might be allowed to buy Canadian doesn't necessarily mean they will.

Even if the NAFTA agreement is renewed beyond Sept. 30, Canadian suppliers might worry they will still be frozen out by U.S. contractors, the CBC's Hannah Thibodeau reported from Ottawa.

"They have this box they tick that says, 'Buy American,' they tick that off and if they don't know and look at the fine print of any of these deals, then they won't know that Canada is exempt," she said.

Jayson Myers, the president of Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters, the country's largest industry and trade association, said the concern is that business owners in the U.S. may find the deal "tremendously confusing" if they don't understand Canadian companies can be included in bidding processes.

"But the bigger impact here is not just the direct opportunity that's lost for Canadian exporters; this has a chill right through the supply chain," Meyers told CBC News on Wednesday, noting that distributors may not be able to distinguish between what would be considered foreign, Canadian or U.S. goods.

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Canada unfreezing $2.2B in Libyan assets

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Canada is moving to unfreeze $2.2 billion worth of Libyan assets, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said Tuesday.

The government wanted to unfreeze the assets earlier but its hands were tied by United Nations sanctions imposed on Libya and its deposed leader Moammar Gadhafi. Baird said an exemption has now been granted by the Security Council and Canada can unlock the funds. The money will be used for humanitarian needs, he told reporters during a brief update on Parliament Hill.

"These funds will help the Libyan people in the short and the medium-term," said Baird. "Whether it's helping to pay for police officers, or teachers, restoring electricity or water or helping to ensure hospitals have what they need to operate, this money will help the new government of Libya get back on its feet."

Canada recognizes the National Transitional Council, the rebel group that led the uprising against Gadhafi, as the legitimate representative of the Libyan people, but under the UN sanctions it couldn't access any of the estimated $168 billion in Libyan assets around the world.

Canada is among several countries that had asked the UN to lift the sanctions they had imposed earlier. The federal government imposed the asset freeze and a ban on financial transactions with the government of Libya, its institutions and agencies, including the Libyan central bank in March, soon after the uprising against Gadhafi began.

Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird announced Tuesday that Canada will unfreeze $2.2 billion in Libyan assets that the National Transitional Council can use for humanitarian needs. Baird received a gift from the NTC when he visited Libya in June. Hassan Ammar

Canada had also imposed other sanctions, separate from the UN, and they were lifted earlier this month. Those sanctions had prevented Canadian companies from doing business with Libyan companies that are not owned by the state. Lifting the sanctions also meant the new embassy staff in Ottawa could access their Canadian bank accounts. The move unfroze about $100 million worth of assets.

The NTC's representative in Ottawa, Abubaker Karmos, welcomed the news Tuesday and said it's an extension of the leading role Canada took early on in the conflict. "It’s nice to see Canada taking a leading role again and going back to Libya by reopening the Canadian Embassy in Tripoli," he said on CBC News Network. "This will show that Tripoli is a much safer city now and the NTC are in control, and it's nice to see Canada going back there to be on the ground."

Karmos said money for humanitarian purposes is in great need and the funds will be used for food, medical supplies and to pay people's wages.

"The country has gone through a terrible time for the last six months," he said.

Baird said Tuesday that Canada expects the NTC to fulfil its commitments to human rights, the rule of law, freedom and democracy and that Canada can support those efforts. He acknowledged that security is still a challenge but said that life is slowly returning to normal in the country's capital.

CBC News reported Monday in advance of Baird's briefing that Canadian diplomats have been back on the ground in Tripoli, working to set up Canada's embassy there again. The mission was closed and staff were evacuated seven months ago.

Baird announced Tuesday that Canada's ambassador to Libya, Sandra McCardell, went back to the country and assessed conditions in Tripoli along with a team of staff.

"Having fully assessed the situation on the ground, Canada is prepared to re-establish its diplomatic presence and its ongoing embassy in a temporary location in Tripoli," he said. The permanent embassy building needs refurbishing following the fighting in Tripoli, Baird said.

The team is also preparing for a larger staff of diplomats to arrive in Libya who will liaise with the NTC officials and help resume trade relations between Libya and Canada.

In March, Canada joined a UN-sanctioned NATO air mission to protect civilians in Libya. That mission, based in Trapani, Italy, has been extended once and was due to end Sept. 27, but Prime Minister Stephen Harper says Canada will continue its commitment until "the job is finished."

The government has repeatedly said Canada wouldn't send ground troops into the country, but CBC News has learned there are members of the Canadian Forces on the ground in Libya.

The U.S. has four soldiers on the ground in Libya right now, according to American media reports, including two explosives experts there to disable any traps left at the U.S. Embassy.

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Air Canada flight attendants vote to strike

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Air Canada flight attendants voted Tuesday in favour of going on strike as early as Sept. 21.

Almost 5,200 ballots, representing 98 per cent of the votes cast, supported a walkout. The turnout was 78 per cent. Voting was conducted over 10 days and ended Tuesday.

"A strike vote does not mean we will necessarily go on strike, but it means we will strike if we need to. What we want and still hope for is a negotiated deal with the company," the president of the flight attendants' union, Jeff Taylor, said in a statement.

"No one wants a strike, but if we can't reach a tentative agreement which addresses our members concerns, and soon, it could be our only choice," he said.

If a deal isn't reached, 6,800 flight attendants could walk off the job in the airline's second strike in three months.

About 3,800 customer sales and service representatives represented by the Canadian Auto Workers union held a three-day strike in June.

Taylor has said members are unhappy after more than a decade of concessions and sacrifices to make Air Canada financially viable.

The flight attendants, represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees, massively rejected an earlier tentative deal late last month.

Air Canada declined to comment about its contingency plans, but reports have suggested it has trained managers as replacements.

Analysts believe a strike would affect operations immediately and likely prompt the federal government to either block a strike or end one quickly.

"I think it would be a much more challenging situation than it was with the customer service agents because part of the flight attendant's role is the safe operation of the aircraft," Chris Murray of PI Financial, said in an interview.

"You may be able to operate some of the fleet, but not all of it."

The union has urged the government not to intervene in a strike.

But federal Labour Minister Lisa Raitt tabled back-to-work legislation two days into the CAW strike saying the government wouldn't tolerate any disruption to the public or impact on the economy.

The two sides hammered out a deal before the legislation was passed, but sent the contentious issue of requiring new hires to join a defined contribution pension plan — instead of the more expensive defined benefit system — to an arbitrator.

Murray suspects any strike now would be short-lived, if it gets that far.

"I think they still have some time to go back to the table and come to a tentative agreement."

Air Canada has had trouble concluding collective agreements that are ratified by workers. Pilots, flight attendants and flight dispatchers all rejected tentative agreements recommended by union bargaining committees.

That highlights the challenges Air Canada faced in negotiating a deal that can win employee support.

Under the worst-case scenario, the government could send the dispute to binding arbitration.

Canada's largest airline and its regional partners carry about 31 million passengers annually to more than 170 destinations on five continents.

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