News

Please note that ALL PEC SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED TODAY.

Weather is the big story locally. Environment Canada has issued a Snow Squall warning and we can expect a local accumulation of 10-20 centimetres with near zero visibility. The worst conditions are expected this afternoon. I’ll have more in the weather, following sports.

Canada has drawn up plans to send a small contingent of soldiers to Greenland for military exercises with other NATO allies in the face of threats from U.S. President Donald Trump to acquire the semi-autonomous island controlled by Denmark – this according to two senior government officials speaking to The Globe and Mail. The officials told The Globe and Mail that the Canadian Armed Forces is awaiting final approval from Prime Minister Mark Carney before the soldiers are flown to Greenland. The Canadians would join NATO soldiers from Germany, Britain, France, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Finland, all of which Mr. Trump is now threatening with tariffs because of their troops’ presence. Speaking in Qatar, yesterday, Carney called Trump’s talk of using economic coercion to acquire Greenland a worrisome intensification of the situation. He said he plans to tell the President the future security of the Arctic island can be safeguarded by NATO. President Trump has justified his demand to make Greenland a U.S. territory by saying the strategically located Arctic island and its valuable resources should not be allowed to fall under the control of Russia or China.

Carney also spoke to reporters in Qatar about Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s concerns about lowering the tariffs on up to 49,000 Chinese Electric Vehicles, saying that he’s out to build the auto industry of the future, not the past. Carney said, that baked into the agreement is an expectation that “there will be Chinese investment, partnering with Canadian companies in Canada. And of course, an expectation that our labor standards work with that. There is interest of Chinese firms in doing so,”. Carney went on to call the deal an opportunity for Ontario and an opportunity for Canada.

A high-speed train derailed in southern Spain on Sunday, jumping onto the track in the opposite direction and hitting an oncoming train in an accident that authorities estimate left more than 20 people dead and dozens injured. The evening train between Malaga and Madrid went off the rails and slammed into a train coming from Madrid to Huelva, another southern Spanish city, according to the Spanish rail operator Adif. The two trains were carrying around 500 passengers. Antonio Sanz, health minister for the Andalusia region where the crash happened, said officials told him they fear the death toll may rise above 20.

Finally, wildfires raging across central and southern Chile on Sunday left at least 18 people dead, scorched thousands of acres of forest and destroyed hundreds of homes, authorities said, as the South American country swelters under a heat wave. Chilean President Gabriel Boric declared a state of catastrophe in the country’s central Biobio region and the neighbouring Ñuble region, around 500 kilometres south of the capital, Santiago. The emergency designation allows the suspension of constitutional rights and greater coordination with the military to rein in over two dozen active wildfires that have so far blazed through 8,500 hectares, according to the national forestry agency.

Sports

The Picton Pirates were in action yesterday afternoon, travelling to Trent Hills to face the Thunder. The two teams were tied at 4 after the third, and at 1.24 of overtime, the Thunder’s Brody Brooks potted his 5th of the season for the 5-4 win.

NFL divisional playoffs this weekend, and while Bills fans were once again left disappointed, fans of the Seahawks and the Broncos had a great Saturday night celebrating their team’s victories. In Sunday’s matchups, the New England Patriots beat the Houston Texans 28-16 at snowy Gilette Stadium outside of Boston, and the Los Angeles Rams needed overtime to beat the Chicago Bears 20-17 at snowy Soldier Field in Chicago. That means the Denver Broncos will meet the Patriots next week for the AFC Conference Championship, and the Rams will travel to Seattle to face the Seahawks for the NFC crown.

Back to hockey, two Canadian teams in action yesterday. James Reimer gave up 4 goals for the Ottawa Senators as they were downed 4-3 in overtime by the Detroit Red Wings. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins celebrated his 1000th game with the Edmonton Oilers with a goal in a game where the Oil drilled the visiting St. Louis Blues 5-0.

And, in the PWHL, New York downed Montreal 2-1.