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As Haligonians enjoy unusually warm weather Thursday, Halifax Regional Police (HRP) is reminding people the hot weather can mean added dangers for people’s furry friends — and to not leave them unattended in parked vehicles.

Police say that a car left unattended, even with the windows open, can quickly become like a furnace and can create possible “fatal consequences” for pets inside.

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Halifax police have already had to rescue two dogs from a vehicle during Thursday’s warm temperatures. According to Cindy Bayers, a police spokesperson, the driver of the vehicle was given three tickets; two $697.50 tickets for leaving animals in an unattended vehicle in conditions that could cause distress and one $250 ticket for owning an unlicensed dog.

Bayers says that if anyone sees a pet in immediate distress, they should call 911 immediately and take directions from the operator.

“We appreciate that people want to help but they’re opening themselves up to issues if they damage other peoples properties,” said Bayers.

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HRP have provided a list of alternatives should a person not be able to leave their pet at home:

If you’re visiting a restaurant, HRP suggests people use the drive-thru, allowing your pet to sit with you comfortably while you wait for your food. In addition, they remind people that many businesses have a drive-thru, not just fast-food establishments.Police say if you’re heading somewhere with your pet, bring a friend who can stay in the car and keep the pet company. The friend can also take the pet for a walk, stay in the shade or give the pet some water while they wait for you to return.More stores are allowing pets inside, police say. As a result, they suggest people shop “pet-friendly” by asking stores if they allow pets, and when you return, bring the pet indoors with you for a shopping excursion — though they remind people to make sure the pet is well-behaved before you bring them along.

The provincial government will not pass two important bills which impact Montreal: the pit bull ban and the bill mandating proper uniforms for police officers will not come to a vote this June.

Debate around other bills introduced by the justice minister was heated this week, but on Thursday, the government offered an olive branch to the opposition. It says it will make three of minister Stephanie Vallee’s bills its top priorities for the end of this session.

That means the pit bull law and the ban on colourful pants worn by police officers will not be passed before the National Assembly goes on summer break.

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“Certainly not,” government house leader Jean-Marc Fournier confirmed.

“This has been an almost do-nothing National Assembly led by the Liberals in the last year,” said Parti Quebecois leader Jean-François Lisée.

The government has its work cut out for it — and only a three-week deadline. The first priority is to make some adoption information, such as like family health history, available to adopted children. A version of this bill has been on the table for nine years.

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“It is a real priority… because it really concerns human lives,” said PQ justice critic Veronique Hivon.

The second priority is to fix delays in the justice system. Opposition parties are pressuring the government to use the notwithstanding clause to ignore the Supreme Court’s Jordan ruling.

People accused of murder and sexual assault have walked free because their cases have taken too long to go to trial.

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Justice denied: More money the best fix for court delays, say Crown lawyers

“The measure that [the government] is taking is not enough,” said CAQ  justice critic Simon Jolin-Barrette.

The third priority is a bill which recognizes foreign credentials. After the Quebec City mosque shooting, the Muslim community spoke out against discrimination in the workforce.

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At the time, the premier said it was more important to address racism in Quebec then pass its religious neutrality bill. Many thought Bill 62 was dead, but this summer the justice minister will call committee members back to the National Assembly to continue work on the religious neutrality bill.

A group of citizens is taking the fight against the merger of the ridings of Mont-Royal and Outremont to the next level.

The group is now suing the Director General of the Quebec Elections Commission and the commission itself over the merger.

The group includes former Liberal MP Marlene Jennings, Côte-des-Neiges Notre-Dame-de-Grâce councillor Marvin Rotrand and The Suburban editor Beryl Wajsman.

The first thing some will say about the announcement of an agreement in-principle to create the United Conservative Party is, “Boy conservatives do a crappy job of choosing acronyms.”

The UCP (You-See-Pee) party has already prompted columns, tweets and ridiculing memes: My favourite – “The Future is Yellow!” Why, oh why, does no one think of these things? It hearkens back to the days of  the Canadian Conservative Reform Alliance Party, or CCRAP, in what turned out to be the initial, and only partially successful, attempt to unite conservatives at the federal level. We can only hope the path forward for the new provincial party will be a smoother one. More on that in a minute.

Watch below: Jason Kenney and Brian Jean explain why they’re currently using the phrase United Conservative Party (UCP) amid mockery online.

The mechanics of bringing the parties together won’t be the stumbling block I had anticipated. It seems very straightforward and fast, which is a good thing. The members of both parties will have a chance to vote on the merger by July 22. If members agree, a new party will form and the legacy parties will wrap up. In keeping with the law that money cannot transfer to the new party, they will spend the money in their existing accounts and wrap up their respective liabilities.

When will the Notley government admit the carbon levy is a big mistake? Right from the get go there has been one misstep after another.

There was criticism about an Ontario company being picked. Then, more criticism about having someone come into your home to screw in light bulbs and over the restrictions on what bulbs will be replaced. All of that criticism warranted.

Federal Environment Minister Catherine McKenna unveiled plans for a federally imposed carbon tax Thursday morning.

The price will be $10 per tonne of CO2 for any jurisdiction that has not developed their own carbon pricing strategy as early as next spring.

McKenna said every penny raised by the federal carbon price will be returned to the province it came from. The plan is to give it directly back to individuals and businesses through tax rebates.

READ MORE: It’s not a carbon tax, it’s a ‘behaviour-changing measure’: government officials

Provinces that enact their own carbon pricing plan can choose how to spend the collected revenue.

Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall remains staunchly opposed to the carbon tax, saying it would remove $1.3 billion from the provincial economy.

“This federal government white paper is more like a ransom note,” he said.

READ MORE: Environment Minister Scott Moe says Saskatchewan will never allow a carbon tax

Wall stood by previous arguments, that a price on carbon will disproportionately affect key Saskatchewan industries like mining and agriculture.

“Even if fuel tax is exempt [for agriculture] it will still impact fertilizer, inputs and transportation,” Wall said.

The premier did credit McKenna for acknowledging Saskatchewan based innovations including the Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) facility at Boundary Dam Three near Estevan, Sask., zero-till farming methods and ongoing research at the province’s universities.

However, Wall still believes investment in innovations like CCS should be seen as an alternative to a carbon tax.

Wall said the provincial government still plans to take legal action against the federal government.

READ MORE: Brad Wall criticizes attempt to link carbon tax with equalization payments

McKenna said Ottawa has the authority to impose a carbon tax on the province because protecting the environment is federal jurisdiction.

Officials from McKenna’s office added that this is not a tax in the traditional sense, because it is not intended to raise revenue for the federal government. Instead its goal is to change behavior when it comes to pollution.

READ MORE: Energy CEOs discuss Alberta’s carbon tax as Sask. continues to voice opposition

Saskatchewan has its own carbon tax framework that would target heavy emitters, and collected revenue would go toward an innovation fund. It was developed in 2009, but has not been implemented.

When asked by a reporter if Wall would sooner implement this plan or a forced federal carbon price, his response was simple.

“We’re going to win in court,” Wall said.

With files from the Canadian Press

More to come…

A Belgian couple are on trial following the death of their seven-month-old son, who died of malnourishment after being fed an alternative diet.

Lucas, whose last name isn’t being revealed, died on June 6, 2014, weighing only nine pounds. According to local reports, he was suffering dehydration, and his stomach and intestines were found to be empty.

Normal weight for male infants of that age ranges from 14.5 to 22 pounds, according to the World Health Organization.

Prosecutors say the boy’s death was a result of the parents feeding their son a restricted diet.

READ MORE: Spanish baby develops scurvy after parents feed him almond milk-only diet

The parents —; identified as Peter, 34, and Sandrina, 30 —; made the diagnosis that their son was gluten intolerant and had a lactose allergy. They began feeding him alternative products such as rice milk and quinoa milk.

Despite the parents’ concerns their child suffered from allergies, they did not seek professional advice. A search for medical documents for the child came up short.

“Not a single doctor had a dossier about Lucas and child protection services did not know about them,” prosecutors said.

In response, the baby’s father said: “We never went with Lucas to a doctor because we never noticed anything unusual.”

When it became apparent to the parents that their son was in need of urgent care, they sought help from a homeopathic doctor an hour’s drive from their home; the practitioner immediately sent them to the hospital, where their son was pronounced dead.

The parents, who own a natural health food store and have three other children, say their son was a happy child.

“We never wanted the death of our son,” his mother said.

New research released earlier this month warned people who don’t suffer from celiac disease to be wary of gluten-free diets, because these diets could put them at a higher risk of heart disease.

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The case isn’t the first of its kind, with similar ones cropping up all over the world, prompting lawmakers to consider the effects of special diets on children.

In Italy, a bill introduced last summer could jail parents who imposed strict diets on their children. The law would see parents face a year in prison for raising kids on a vegan diet, and up to four years in prison if kids develop long-term health implications from their diet.

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“I just find it absurd that some parents are allowed to impose their will on children in an almost fanatical, religious way, often without proper scientific knowledge or medical consultation… do-it-yourself on these matters terrorizes me,” Elvira Savino, the politician who proposed the bill, told Reuters at the time.

Closer to home, an Alberta couple was found guilty last year of failing to provide the necessities of life after their 18-month-old son died of bacterial meningitis. David and Collet Stephan had treated their son Ezekiel with home remedies that included garlic and horseradish.

READ MORE: Alberta meningitis death trial shines light on natural medicine

Fergus Keyes walks through a parking lot near the Victoria Bridge, but unlike any other in the city, he considers this piece of land to be sacred ground.

Underneath the concrete lies the 150-year-old remains of thousands of Irish immigrants.

“Since 1907, Irish Montrealers have been asking for this space to be developed into a proper memorial space, but nothing has ever happened,” said Keyes, who is the director of the Montreal Irish Monument Park Foundation.

He wants the land converted into a park and memorial.

In 1847, during the Irish Famine, 100,000 Irish immigrants came to Canada, but many contracted typhus and died.

“Six-thousand [people] were dying over a period of a couple of months,” Keyes said.

“In the end, they were being trenched, the bodies were being thrown in.”

Crown corporation Canada Lands Company (CLC) owns the land.

Keyes had asked the company to donate it to his group or the city, but told Global News he just found out the corporation sold the land to a developer.

“We have asked on numerous occasions, ‘what kind of development?’ but for some reason, they feel they don’t have to tell us who they sold the land to and what they plan to do with it,” Keyes said.

The CLC said in a statement the property is under contract for sale, but would provide few other details, despite Hydro-Quebec confirming to Global News that it bought the land.

The contract has an obligation to include a future Irish heritage commemoration, but did not say what that is.

“On a personal level, I would find it both disrespectful and insulting, not just to the Irish community, but to all of Montreal,” said Keyes.

There is an existing memorial across the street from the parking lot, known as the Black Rock, erected in 1859.

“We don’t believe it’s a proper memorial. It’s a small space, it sits in the middle of a bloody highway, it’s dangerous to get to,” he said.

Keyes hopes Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre will intervene.

“Clearly what happened in those days is important to commemorate, so we will take a look at it,” Coderre said.

The CLC confirmed its deal will close in July and there will be some sort of park on site, but Keyes argued he won’t be satisfied if any part of the land doesn’t respect what’s buried below.

The Liberal government today released the carbon-pricing scheme it will impose on any province or territory that, by spring 2018, doesn’t have its own comparable scheme in place.

As of today, 97 per cent of Canadians live in provinces that either already have a price on carbon pollution, or are planning and working toward it, Environment Minister Catherine McKenna said Thursday.

The three per cent of Canadians left out of that equation are in Saskatchewan – the one province that continues to hold out on signing on to the Trudeau government’s climate change plan.

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Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall is so opposed to the idea, he has said he’ll fight Ottawa all the way to the Supreme Court.

But McKenna isn’t concerned. Rather she’s certain imposing a country-wide price on carbon pollution is Ottawa’s prerogative.

“We’ve been working hard to work with Saskatchewan,” she told reporters, noting she’s had more than a dozen meetings on this issue with the province’s environment minister.

“But let me be absolutely clear, that it is well within the federal government’s right to take action to protect the environment.”

READ MORE:
Sask. premier describes federal carbon tax plan as a ‘ransom note’

Environment Canada officials earlier in the day said a possible basis for legal action from Saskatchewan would be that the federal government cannot impose a tax on a province or territory. On that front, the feds are safe, the official said.

“This is not a revenue-raising tax,” he said. “This a behaviour-changing measure.”

Any revenue generated from whatever scheme a province develops will go right back to the province, though Ottawa is still determining exactly how that will happen; officials said they are so far looking at ways to return the funds to residents or businesses, which could help offset rising costs of energy.

Most Canadians live in jurisdictions where carbon pollution is already levied in some form.

B.C. and Alberta have carbon taxes, while Ontario and Quebec have cap-and-trade systems. Nova Scotia has said it intends to create a cap-and-trade system in 2018, and the other Atlantic provinces are gauging whether to join Nova Scotia’s plan or go it alone.

While the Liberal government is standing ready to impose the levy scheme it unveiled today, the scheme is also available to any province that doesn’t want to develop and implement its own.

Thursday’s “technical paper” on the federal carbon pricing plan details the levies on liquid, gas and solid fossil fuels Ottawa would impose in order to meet the targets Prime Minister Justin Trudeau laid out late last year.

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Canada has agreed to cut its emissions to 30 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030. That requires a reduction of almost 200 million tonnes of carbon-equivalent emissions in 13 years, or the equivalent of taking every car in Canada off the road, twice.

In October, Trudeau announced his government’s intention to introduce a minimum price – or “floor price” – for carbon pollution of $10 per tonne in 2018, increasing to $50 per tonne by 2022.

With files from

Dating and hanging out with friends is top of mind for millennials, but difficult to do because they struggle with cultivating lasting and healthy romantic relationships, a new Harvard report says.

What they’re not up for, however, is casual sex.

According to researchers, teens and adults tend to “greatly overestimate” the hook-up culture of millennials, which fuels misconceptions that can be harmful to young people.

READ MORE: Should people stay friends with their exes after a breakup?

“We hope that this report is a real wake-up call,” Dr. Richard Weissbourd, lead author of the study, said in a statement. “While adults, and parents in particular, wring their hands about the ‘hook-up culture,’ research indicated that far fewer young people are hooking up than is commonly believed.”

The study surveyed over 3,000 young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 in the U.S., as well as looked at several years of research by Weissbourd and his team. They also talked with adults who are key to the demographic, like parents, teachers, sport coaches and counsellors.

From their research, the team found that when people overestimate the hook-up culture of millennials, it can make them feel embarrassed or ashamed, and puts pressure on them to have sex when they’re not interested or ready.

As well, 70 per cent of respondents said they wished they had been given more information from their parents about the emotional aspects of romantic relationships.

“This focus on the hook-up culture also obscures two much bigger issues that our research suggests many young people are struggling with: forming and maintaining healthy and fulfilling romantic relationships and dealing with widespread misogyny and sexual harassment,” Weissbourd said. “Unfortunately, we also found that most adults appear to be doing very little to address these serious problems.”

In fact, 87 per cent of women who took part in the study said they’d experienced some form of sexual harassment during their lifetime, yet 76 per cent of said they’d never spoken to their parents about how to avoid sexually harassing others.

“[Adults] don’t say anything, even when sexual harassment is right in their midst,” Weissbourd told ABC News. “And many tell us… they don’t say anything because they don’t know what to say. And they fear that they won’t be effective, or they fear they will be written off.”

READ MORE: How to start dating again after ending a long-term relationship

This could be because many millennials don’t feel gender-based degradation is a problem in today’s society.

Digging deeper, researchers found that 48 per cent of young people believe that society has reached a point where double standards against women no longer exist.

Parents are also neglecting to discuss the issue of sexual assault.

Of the respondents, 61 per cent of say they’ve never talked about “being sure your partner wants to have sex and is comfortable doing so before having sex,” the report states. They’ve also never discussed assuring their own comfort before engaging in sex (49 per cent), the importance of not pressuring others into having sex (56 per cent), the importance not continuing that pressure to have sex despite the other person saying ‘no’ (62 per cent), or the importance of not having sex with someone who is too intoxicated or impaired to properly consent (57 per cent).

And those who did have those conversations with their parents say they were “at least somewhat influential.”

To address these issues, researchers offered up several tips for parents.

Talk about love and help teens understand the differences between mature love and other form of attractionShow young people how to identify healthy and unhealthy relationshipsHelp young people identify misogyny and harassmentIf parents and educators see unhealthy relationship behaviours (like hearing degrading words, for example), they should interveneTalk about what it means to be ethical by helping them develop the skills to maintain healthy romantic relationships and treat those who are different from them with dignity and respect

For more tips, click here.

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