Local
Ottawa and Arnprior were hit by a Canadian Union Postal workers strike on Oct. 31, which began at six this morning. A picket line of 70 workers took shape at the Canada Post processing plant on stanford fleming avenue. The demonstration is a apart of a series of walkouts that 50,000 of CUPW’s members have been participating in across Canada. The union is seeking a four-year deal with an annual wage increase of 3.5 per cent and a way to bridge the inequality gap between rural and urban postal workers.
National
Plans to scrap the Calgary’s 2026 Winter Games bid have been tabled with a last minute renegotiation of funding and a Calgary council vote. A november 13 plebiscite will go forward, which will ask Calgarians to vote on whether they would want to host the games or not. The games are estimated to cost $5.075 billion. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau supports Calgary’s bid and so does Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi. The International Olympic Committee accepts bids in January and will choose the winning bid in June of 2019.
International
China Telecom, a Chinese state-owned telecommunications company, has systematically diverted internet traffic from Canada and the United-States with the intention to commit espionage and steal intellectual property. According to a new paper published in the Military Cyber Affairs journal, China has been rerouting U.S. and Canadian internet traffic through legally purchased access points in North America’s internet infrastructure. The new revelation raises serious questions about national security with regards to trade with state-owned Chinese companies. Global Affairs Canada has promised to bring this up when it next meets with China at the Canada-China National Security and Rule and Law Dialogue meeting.