International
The Syrian government accidentally shot down a Russian surveillance plane it thought was part of an Israeli airstrike on Hezbollah linked targets in Syria, killing 15 Russian airmen.
North Korea’s Kim Jong-un and South Korean president Moon Jae-In announced a dismantling of North Korea’s nuclear missile facilities, in the presence of international inspectors. Supreme Leader Kim has also requested another summit with President Trump to be held in Vienna. United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is meeting with North Korean foreign minister Ri Yong Ho in New York next week.
Over 50 people were buried alive and 22 died after a landslide in the Philippines. The landslide followed Typhoon Mangkhut, in which over 100 people died. 37 people died in North and South Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, with 1.7 million people returning home after evacuations.
At least 131 people died after a Tanzanian ferry capsized on Lake Victoria, with hundreds currently missing. Officials blame the capsize on the ferry being overcrowded.
Amnesty International released a report on the Anglophone crisis in the Cameroon, stating that 400 rebels and civilians as well as 160 members of the security forces have been killed in the ongoing conflict.
President Trump imposed a 10 per cent tariff on US$200 billion worth of Chinese imports, with the possibility of raising that tariff to 25 per cent next year. He also threatened tariffs on another US$267 billion worth of Chinese imports. In retaliation, China has imposed a five to 10 per cent tariff on US$60 billion worth of American imports. United States Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin invited his Chinese counterpart Liu Kun to trade talks, predicted to begin in the coming weeks.
National
The Court of Appeal ruled that it’s in the public’s interest for Toronto to move forward with a 25-ward election, following a previous court decision putting the election on hold. This comes after Ontario premier Doug Ford’s bill to reduce the number of seats on Toronto’s city council to 25 from 47 in the next municipal election.
Ontario Liberal MP Leona Alleslev crossed the floor of the House of Commons to join the Conservative Party. Alleslev said she joined the Conservatives because her concerns about the government’s handling of the economy and trade were unheard by senior government and party members.
The Liberal government will follow a federal court ruling to undergo a review of how increased tanker traffic, due to the proposed Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, could negatively impact marine ecosystems off the B.C. coast. The Liberals predict the review will take five months.
An arbitrator in a pay equity dispute between Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers issued a ruling that gives rural mail carriers a large pay increase. They’ll receive a 25 per cent wage hike after complaints that the rural carriers, mostly women, were not receiving wages equal to their urban and male counterparts.
Statistics Canada projected that Canadians may spend more than $1 billion on legal marijuana between October and December after legalization on Oct. 17, and that 5.4 million Canadians will want to purchase legal cannabis in the fourth quarter.
Local
The federal government announced a $30 million grant for a renewable tidal energy project to harness the Bay of Fundy’s immense tides. The grant is to support a tidal project that’s projected to produce enough energy to power 2, 500 homes.
The G7 meeting in Halifax is promoting the Canadian-led oceans plastic charter, with five of the G7 leaders pushing its passage at the General Assembly later this year. The G7 environment ministers will also discuss illegal fishing, coastal adaptation to extreme weather and clean energy.
The federal government committed to banning single-use-plastic in government operations, as announced by Environment Minister Catherine McKenna. The announcement comes as part of a push for Canada to recycle 75 per cent of all our plastic waste by 2030.
A Nova Scotian woman is choosing to die a medically assisted death earlier than she wants, due to worries about doctors denying her the procedure as she loses her mental capacity to consent due to her illness. The law requires consent before the assisted dying procedure, and there are calls to edit legislation to include a permit for advance requests.
The Nova Scotian government announced its implementation strategy for the Accessibility Act, saying that priorities for accessibility standards in public spaces and education are to be rolled out in 2022. The strategy covers public awareness, building collaboration and compliance with regulations.