From dwindling support for the Liberals and Justin Trudeau to Canadians grappling with a heat wave, there were plenty of big stories making headlines over the last seven days.
Here are some of the top stories from this past week if you’re catching up on the news.
Support for Trudeau nears ‘rock bottom’, poll finds
Support for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is nearing “rock bottom” with a new Ipsos poll done exclusively for Global News showing 68 per cent of Canadians want him to step down. Trudeau’s plummeting popularity comes as the House of Commons breaks for the summer and MPs return to their ridings to try to win over voters.
Ipsos polling done exclusively for Global News showed 68 per cent of Canadians want Trudeau to step down. The desire for him to call it quits is highest in Alberta (79 per cent) and Atlantic Canada (76 per cent.)
“This is as bad as we’ve seen it for Trudeau. It’s close to rock bottom,” said Ipsos CEO Darrell Bricker.
Policing the police: What powers do civilian bodies have in Canada?
Footage last month showing Ontario police pursuing a suspect through oncoming traffic on a highway left many startled, and the chase ended in a crash that killed an infant and their grandparents.
Two of the officers involved are refusing to speak to the province’s police watchdog, which they have the right to do.
An advocate says it raises an important question: who polices the police?
REAL ESTATE, HEALTH AND BUSINESS
‘It’s crickets’: How sellers are getting creative in a slow housing market
Spring is usually the time of the year when Canadian homebuyers emerge from hibernation and hunt for homes, getting all the hectic real estate decisions out of the way before a relaxing summer. Not so much this year.
Data from the Canadian Real Estate Association this week shows that national home sales slowed again in May on a month-to-month basis.
An oversupply of homes, particularly in segments like the Toronto condo market, is leaving sellers to get creative to land a sale from some of the few potential buyers out there. (“Reverse offer” scenarios are even coming into play.)
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The latest data does not yet reflect the Bank of Canada’s interest rate cut on June 5. The big question going forward is whether that move was enough to get buyers off the sidelines this summer.
May was ‘another sleepy month’ for homebuyers. Will a rate cut wake them up?
The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) says that homebuyers were sleepwalking through the spring, but the first interest rate cut in more than four years could serve as a wake-up call.
CREA’s home sales figures show transactions dipped 0.6 per cent between April and May. Home prices are also “largely sliding sideways,” with the average resale price floating just below $700,000 in the month, down four per cent annually.
Calgary, Edmonton and Saskatoon stand out as markets where prices have continued to trend higher so far in 2024, CREA said.
WestJet strike notice withdrawn as union, airline resume talks
A strike notice from WestJet’s unionized mechanics was rescinded on Wednesday after flight cancellations impacted thousands of customers this week.
The Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, which represents some 670 aircraft maintenance engineers and other skilled-trade positions at the carrier, withdrew its 72-hour strike notice and jointly agreed to return to the bargaining table with the Calgary-based airline.
In anticipation of the potential strike action, WestJet cancelled 31 flights scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, impacting roughly 6,500 customers.
1st weekly insulin injection coming to Canada. How does it work?
A weekly insulin injection will soon become available in Canada, which doctors say will “make life easier” for people living with diabetes.
Starting June 30, Canada will become the first country to make the medication, called insulin icodec, available, drug manufacturer Novo Nordisk announced on Monday.
The drug, which will be sold under the brand name Awiqli, helps control high blood sugar levels in adults with diabetes over a seven-day period as opposed to the daily basal insulin option.
Cities warm up ‘like stones in a sauna’ during a heat wave. Can that change?
Many parts of Canada faced a protracted heat wave this week, with “dangerously hot and humid” conditions persisting through much of southern Ontario and parts of Quebec.
Experts say city and suburb dwellers have it much worse than their counterparts living in the countryside due to a phenomenon sometimes referred to as “urban heat island effect.”
Many are cautioning that cities need to urgently adapt to warming summers as extreme heat becomes more common.
Don’t have AC? How to stay cool in the looming heat wave
That heat wave left many asking whether it’s time to invest in an air conditioning unit.
But experts say even for those without AC, there are steps that can help them stay cool.
Can some medications impact your ability to handle extreme heat? What to know
Canadians are sweltering under the heat wave in Ontario and parts of Quebec, and for those taking certain medications, precaution is needed as the mercury soars.
The two provinces saw the humidex reach the low to mid-40s on Wednesday with the heat expected to stay to the end of the week, and medical experts like Dr. Samantha Green say those on some medications should be aware that what they’re taking could impact their ability to handle that extreme heat.
Canada lists Iran’s IRGC as a terrorist organization
Canada has listed Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization under the Criminal Code.
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc made the announcement Wednesday after years of mounting pressure from Iranian Canadians and opposition parties.
“Our government will ensure that there is no immunity for Iran’s unlawful actions and its support of terrorism,” LeBlanc said at a press conference in Ottawa flanked by other cabinet members.
NATO chief commends Canada upping defence spending but stresses 2% target
The head of NATO urged Canada to meet the alliance’s defence spending target while visiting the nation’s capital Wednesday, suggesting the billions of dollars in new investments — while notable — are not enough.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Canada’s updated defence policy, which commits $8 billion over five years and projects the defence budget’s share of GDP to rise to 1.76 per cent by then, is “important” for strengthening NATO and ensuring its collective security.
What we know so far about U.K. Tories and election gambling allegations
The United Kingdom’s gambling watchdog is investigating candidates from that country’s Conservative Party as well as the party’s campaign chief and a bodyguard for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak over allegations they bet on the upcoming British election.
The news comes just weeks before voters head to the polls.
