Canada Letter

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Yukon bhangra dancer and internet sensation Gurdeep Pandher has a message of positivity for the world

May 11, 2022 /

Gurdeep Pandher has been spreading messages of joy, hope, and inclusivity around the world through his viral YouTube videos and speaking engagements. Most of those videos, which have been hugely popular around the world, feature

Gurdeep Pandher, a Sikh-Canadian, is best known for his videos of him dancing Bhangra– the traditional folk dance of Punjab – outdoors in the breathtaking Yukon wilderness. Over time, his posts went viral and his work has been featured on CBC Yukon, CBC National, CTV National News, Buzzfeed, The Huffington Post, SBS Australia, and many other platforms. Even Canadian embassies abroad shared his works to showcase the wonderful side of multiculturalism that is currently present in Canada.

On his YouTube channel he also talks about his philosophy of joy, hope, positivity, and inclusivity for healing and optimism.

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Top 10 Freest Countries on Earth

May 9, 2022 /

Freedom House rates people’s access to political rights and civil liberties in 210 countries and territories through its annual Freedom in the World report. Individual freedoms—ranging from the right to vote to freedom of expression and equality before the law—can be affected by state or nonstate actors.

    • 🇳🇴 Norway » Global Freedom Score 100
    • 🇫🇮 Finland » 100
    • 🇸🇪 Sweden » 100
    • 🇳🇿 New Zealand » 99
    • 🇨🇦 Canada » 98
    • 🇩🇰 Denmark » 97
    • 🇳🇱 Netherlands » 97
    • 🇺🇾 Uruguay » 97
    • 🇮🇪 Ireland » 97
    • 🇱🇺 Luxembourg » 97

 

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Parks Canada recognizes the national historic significance of Olivier Le Jeune

May 9, 2022 /

In the early 17th century, Olivier Le Jeune was the first documented person of African descent to live in Canada (New France) on a permanent basis and was the first person of African descent known to have been enslaved in the colony.

Today, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, announced the designation of Olivier Le Jeune as a person of national historic significance under the National Program of Historical Commemoration, on the recommendation of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.

“I am honoured to commemorate the national historic significance Olivier Le Jeune, whose experiences as the first enslaved person of African descent in early Canada exemplify the struggles of Black Canadians. By sharing these stories, we hope to foster understanding and reflection on the diverse histories, cultures, legacies, and realities of Canada’s past and present and commit to do better in the future.

Honourable Steven Guilbeault,
Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada

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Watch Prime Minister Justin Trudeau make unannounced visit to Ukraine

May 9, 2022 /

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly, visited Kyiv amid the Russian invasion to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and to reopen the Canadian embassy in Ukraine.

PM Trudeau announced new weapons for Ukraine and imposes new sanctions against Russia during his visit to Kyiv.

More » National Observer / The Hill

Canadian home construction costs shot up 22.6 percent in Q1 2022

May 5, 2022 /

The Georgia Straight »

In a report Thursday (May 5), Statistics Canada indicated that the year-over-year growth “surpasses previous highs”.

The increase exceeded the “high (+21.9% registered in the previous quarter”.

The report covered 11 census metropolitan areas or CMAs, which correspond to major urban centres.

The biggest increases were in Calgary (31.4 percent), Edmonton (26.6 percent), and Toronto (26.5 percent).

In Metro Vancouver, the cost of home construction in the first quarter of 2022 increased 15.4 percent compared to the same period in 2021.

The Moncton CMA posted the lowest growth in costs at 8.5 percent.

All other urban centres witnessed double-digit increases.

Stellantis plans $US2.8 billion overhaul of two Canadian factories to build EVs

May 4, 2022 /

MSNBC »

Auto giant Stellantis will invest about $2.8 billion to overhaul two Canadian factories to build fully electric and hybrid vehicles, the company said on Monday, as part of its $35 billion global commitment to electrification and related initiatives.

The revamp will allow the automaker to build such versions of several of its upcoming models using new “multi-energy” architectures. The company also will add a battery lab to its existing research and development facility in Windsor, Ontario, creating 650 new jobs.

Retooling of the company’s Windsor assembly plant is expected to begin in 2023, with a revamp and modernization of a second plant in Brampton, Ontario, to follow the next year. Both revamped factories are to be up and running by 2025, Stellantis said.

More at Green Car Reports / Motor Trend / BNN Bloomberg / Electric Autonomy

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