Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
The head of the European Union's executive arm vowed Wednesday to introduce checks on key EU infrastructure, including energy, after the suspected sabotage of natural gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the damage last week to the Nord Stream pipelines that run from Russia to Germany has "shown how vulnerable our energy infrastructure is" and a comprehensive plan is needed to ensure the safety of key EU networks, including for data.
"We need to stress test our infrastructure," von der Leyen told the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. "We need to identify whether we have weak points and where these weak points are." She also said that satellite surveillance will be used to detect potential threats.
Amid Russia's seven-month war against Ukraine and Western military support for the Ukrainian government, undersea explosions last week ruptured the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines, which were built to carry gas from Russia to Germany.
Because member countries are responsible for overseeing energy and other basic infrastructure within the EU, von der Leyen said her safety push would involve national capitals.
"We will work with member states to ensure effective stress tests in the energy sector," she said. "This, then, should be followed by other high-risk sectors, such as the offshore digital and electricity infrastructure."
The Danish and Swedish governments have said that several hundred pounds of explosives were used to damage the twin pipelines at two locations off Sweden and two off Denmark last week. The leaks discharged large amounts of methane into the air.
"The detonations must be seen in the light of the deteriorating security situation in Europe. We have every reason to believe that this is deliberate sabotage," Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde said Wednesday. "At present, we cannot ensure which actor is responsible."
Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the West on Friday of attacking the pipelines, which the United States and its allies vehemently denied.
Danish authorities said the two leaks they were monitoring in international waters stopped over the weekend. One of the leaks off Sweden also appeared to have ended.
The Swedish coast guard said Wednesday the size of the remaining leak from the Nord Stream 2 pipeline was "somewhat smaller" and "gives the impression of decreasing."
Sweden has deployed a vessel capable of advanced diving missions above the leak, although it was unclear when either a diver or a submarine would go down to do an inspection.
Sweden's coast guard has one of its vessels on site around the clock to monitor sea traffic in the area.
Sweden's prosecuting authority and the Swedish Security Services are heading an investigation. Copenhagen police were in charge of an inquiry in in close cooperation with Denmark's energy authorities, the National Police and the Danish Police Intelligence Service.
Also in Strasbourg on Wednesday, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell predicted that the bloc's 27 national governments would agree to hit Russia with new sanctions in response to its illegal annexation of four regions in Ukraine that make up around 15% of Ukrainian territory.
The planned new penalties include a price cap on Russian oil, curbs on EU exports of aircraft components to the country and limits on imports of Russian steel. EU member-state diplomats were aiming to approve the new package as soon as Wednesday in Brussels.
The new penalties build on already unprecedented European sanctions against Russia as a result of its war against Ukraine since February.
EU measures to date include restrictions on energy supplies from Russia, bans on financial transactions with Russian entities including the central bank and asset freezes against more than 1,000 people and over 100 entities.
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
As the United States sets its first national limits on toxic forever chemicals in drinking water, researchers say Canada is lagging when it comes to regulations.
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
It took years for Vinnie Deluca to collect more than 400 cards worth of free McDonald's McCafe coffee, a collection that now has "zero value" after the company discontinued the program.
U.S. President Joe Biden will accept endorsements from at least 15 members of the Kennedy political family during a campaign stop in Philadelphia on Thursday as he aims to undermine Donald Trump and marginalize the candidacy of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
New archeological investigations in Guatemala reveal that the ancient Maya people had a ritual of burning royal human remains as a public display of political regime change.
Mullett Arena buzzed like few times in the two years since the Arizona Coyotes moved in, the fans amped for one last desert hurrah.
When Les Robertson was walking home from the gym in North Vancouver's Lower Lonsdale neighbourhood three weeks ago, he did a double take. Standing near a burrow it had dug in a vacant lot near East 1st Street and St. Georges Avenue was a yellow-bellied marmot.
A moulting seal who was relocated after drawing daily crowds of onlookers in Greater Victoria has made a surprise return, after what officials described as an 'astonishing' six-day journey.
Just steps from Parliament Hill is a barber shop that for the last 100 years has catered to everyone from prime ministers to tourists.
A high score on a Foo Fighters pinball machine has Edmonton player Dave Formenti on a high.
A compound used to treat sour gas that's been linked to fertility issues in cattle has been found throughout groundwater in the Prairies, according to a new study.
While many people choose to keep their medical appointments private, four longtime friends decided to undergo vasectomies as a group in B.C.'s Lower Mainland.
A popular highway in Alberta's Banff National Park now has a 'no stopping zone' to help protect two bears.
B.C. resident Robert Conrad spent thousands of hours on Crown land developing an unusual bond with deer.
A Sudbury woman said her husband was bringing the recycling out to the curb Wednesday night when he had to make a 'mad dash' inside after seeing a bear.