Keystone XL pipeline halted as Biden revokes permit
TORONTO, ONT โ Construction on the long disputed Keystone XL oil pipeline halted Wednesday as incoming U.S. President Joe Biden revoked its permit on his first day in office. โLeaving the Keystone XL pipeline permit in place would not be consistent with my Administrationโs economic and climate imperatives.โKeystone XL President Richard Prior said over 1,000 jobs, the majority unionized, will be eliminated in the coming weeks. โWe are disappointed but acknowledge the Presidentโs decision to fulfil his election campaign promise on Keystone XL,โ Trudeau said in a statement. Trudeau raised Keystone XL as a top priority when he spoke with Biden in a phone call in November. โKilling the Keystone XL pipeline once and for all is a clear indication that climate action is a priority for the White House,โ said Dale Marshall, national climate program manager for Canadaโs Environmental Defence.
Alberta leader reverses course, punishes for pandemic travel
FILE - This June 9, 2015 file photo shows then-Canadian Defence Minister Jason Kenney in Warsaw, Poland. Alberta is investing $1.1 billion in the disputed Keystone XL pipeline, a project that Kenney says is crucial for the province's economy. (AP Photo/Alik Keplicz)TORONTO, ONT โ Albertaโs premier has reversed course and is now punishing members of his government for vacationing outside Canada despite government guidelines urging people to avoid nonessential travel during the pandemic. Several other members of his United Conservative party have also been demoted for travelling outside Canada. Chelsea Tucker also said two Conservative Members of Parliament, Ron Liepert and David Sweet, traveled to the United States.
The Latest: Germany reports record-high 590 new virus deaths
(AP Photo/Jon Gambrell, File)BERLIN โ Germany has reported a new daily record of 590 coronavirus-related deaths. Hong Kong has reported a total of 7,075 confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic, with 112 deaths. During the summer outbreak, the state saw the numbers of new daily cases go just past 10,000 for the first time. Since late November, the new daily cases have soared past 10,000 on several days, with 15,103 new cases reported Tuesday, according to state health officials. ___BOISE, Idaho โ Idaho public health officials abruptly ended a meeting Tuesday evening after the Boise mayor and chief of police said intense anti-mask protests outside the health department building โ as well as outside some health officialsโ homes โ were threatening public safety.