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, FRI., OCT. 9, 2026No. 5 · Morning, 6:00 a.m. ET6 a.m. ET
S&P/TSX35,145.38▲0.30%10/8USD/CAD1.42▼0.10%10/9S&P 5007,765.36▼0.47%10/8WTI$91.50▲3.60%10/8Gold$4,157.00▲0.20%10/8
Energy · Indigenous rightsPress ✓ 2 outlets · bill details from Parliament coverage

Cold Lake First Nations take Ottawa to court over the fast-tracked Pacific Link pipeline

The challenge arrives as MPs hold a first vote on Bill C-39, which would extend the one-project, one-review approach to more major projects.

The Cold Lake First Nations community in Alberta is taking the federal government to court over Ottawa's move to fast-track the Pacific Link pipeline, The Globe and Mail and Radio-Canada reported on Thursday. Radio-Canada says the First Nations are contesting the decision to designate the project as being in the national interest, in what its report frames as a judicial review. The Globe says the community is concerned about a lack of consultation. Neither report we read said when a court might hear the case, and no ruling exists.

Earlier coverage, including CTV News, said the designation shortens the time for the legal duty to consult affected Indigenous communities to about two months. Ottawa has said it consulted more than 140 communities along the potential route; we did not re-check that figure today. The Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs has rejected the designation, and the Coldwater Indian Band said it was weighing court action. On Thursday the Globe also reported that MPs were set to hold a first vote on Bill C-39, which would expand the one-project, one-review, one-year approach and, per CTV, shift many reviews to the Canada Energy Regulator. NDP Leader Avi Lewis said Canadians did not vote for a wholesale rewriting of the review process, and labour and Indigenous leaders pushed back. The result of the vote is not yet confirmed.

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By the numbers
2 monthsApproximate consultation window under the designation, per earlier CTV News coverage
140+Communities Ottawa says it consulted along the route; not re-checked today
C-39The bill MPs were set to vote on Thursday; result not yet confirmed
World · OilPress ✓ 4 outlets · oil moves from market reports

Houthis claim a new missile strike on Riyadh airport and airlines suspend flights. Oil stays above US$90

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said on Thursday that a ballistic missile hit King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and badly damaged an aircraft, The Guardian reported. AP carried the claim with a witness account of an evacuation, and Reuters reported that Lufthansa and Indian airlines suspended flights to the Saudi capital. Saudi Arabia had not commented on the claim; it earlier confirmed three people killed in airport strikes this week, the Guardian said.

Crude held its gains. West Texas Intermediate settled near US$91.5, up about 3.6%, and The Age reported Brent back above US$104. Early Friday, Reuters said oil fell after Mr. Trump spoke about talks with Iran; DailyDrop's quote feed showed WTI near US$90.3.

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Word of the day
BrentMarkets

The international benchmark for crude oil, priced from North Sea cargoes. It usually trades a few dollars above West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. benchmark that Canadian producers also reference.

Business · ImmigrationPress ✓ 5 outlets · statements attributed to Vice-President Vance

Washington suspends Microsoft and other tech firms from the green-card sponsorship program

U.S. Vice-President JD Vance said on Thursday that Microsoft is being suspended from the program employers use to apply for green cards for H-1B workers, Reuters, AP, The New York Times and The Guardian reported. Mr. Vance accused the company of abusing the visa system while cutting American workers, and said the suspension will last as long as needed. Le Devoir carried the news in French on Friday.

Other reports widen the list. Livemint and CNA said Adobe and Indian IT firms including Infosys, TCS, Wipro, HCL and Cognizant were also suspended; we have not seen an official list. The suspension is of the PERM green-card process, not of the H-1B visa itself. Mr. Trump honoured Microsoft chief Satya Nadella at a White House tech event the same day, FAZ and the Economic Times noted. We found no Canadian government reaction.

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Politics · QuebecPress ✓ 2 outlets · Governor General quote from Radio-Canada only

Governor General doubts the PQ can abolish the monarchy in Quebec. Liberal leader Milliard offers no gifts, but is open to electoral reform

Governor General Louise Arbour said on Thursday that people say many things during election campaigns, as she doubted that Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon can abolish the monarchy in Quebec, Radio-Canada reported. The PQ campaigned on breaking with the Crown. This is a single-outlet quote and we have not seen her full remarks.

Quebec Liberal leader Charles Milliard said his party will not give the PQ gifts and that Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon must show he deserves its collaboration, Le Devoir reported. Radio-Canada reported that Mr. Milliard acknowledges distortions in the current voting system and does not rule out electoral reform. The PQ holds 59 of 127 seats, five short of a majority, so a minority government depends on opposition votes.

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Markets · CanadaPress ✓ 4 outlets · DailyDrop quote feed for TSX and USD/CAD

The TSX closed up 0.3% while the Nasdaq fell 1.25% on yields. A 30-year Treasury auction cleared at 5.618%

The S&P/TSX Composite Index closed at 35,145.38 on Thursday, up 0.30%, according to DailyDrop's quote feed. On Wall Street the S&P 500 fell 0.47% to 7,765.36, the Nasdaq 1.25% to 27,193.34, and the Dow rose 0.10% to 51,231.64, The Straits Times reported. Reuters blamed higher yields and oil prices, and tech stocks struggled on worries about AI spending. The 10-year Treasury yield ended at 5.231%, down 4.6 basis points.

A US$22 billion auction of 30-year bonds cleared at a high yield of 5.618%, against 5.308% last time, with a bid-to-cover ratio of 2.54, FinancialJuice reported. Reuters said bonds rallied after the auction found solid demand. Freddie Mac put the average 30-year U.S. mortgage rate at 7.40%, the highest since November 2023. The Financial Times headlined a Pimco warning that the 10-year could reach 6%. The loonie traded near 70.4 US cents (USD/CAD 1.4211, down 0.1%) in DailyDrop's feed; WTI settled near US$91.5 and gold near US$4,157.

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In brief
  • Ontario to begin removing Toronto bike lanes next week, on stretches of Bloor, Yonge and UniversityThe Globe and Mail
  • Aritzia's quarterly profit roughly triples to $201.7-million on a 44% rise in revenue to $1.17-billionThe Globe and Mail
  • U.S. trade representative Greer says Washington is holding fast on Canada and that the Quebec election preoccupied OttawaThe Globe and Mail · Reuters
  • Hegseth says the Dec. 3 firing-squad execution of Fort Hood gunman Nidal Hasan will be public and livestreamedRadio-Canada · AP · Guardian
  • Electricity demand from data centres is to more than double between 2024 and 2030, consultants say; bills could riseRadio-Canada
  • Childhood vaccination coverage remains below the level needed for population immunity, a report findsThe Globe and Mail
  • Corus completes its recapitalization and names a new board after restructuringThe Globe and Mail
Seven minutes every morning, one front page — see About

Unverified — what we could not confirm

"The House has passed Bill C-39." No. The Globe and Mail said MPs were set to hold a first vote on Thursday. We found no report of the result, so it is not yet confirmed.
"A court has halted the Pacific Link pipeline." No. Cold Lake First Nations is taking Ottawa to court; the reports describe a challenge, not a ruling (Globe and Mail, Radio-Canada).
"Microsoft can no longer hire foreign workers." No. The suspension is of the green-card (PERM) sponsorship process, not of H-1B visas (Reuters, AP, Livemint). Only the Vice-President's statements are on record; no official list was seen.
Glossary · dotted words — economics, law, security and science terms explained in the context of the story. The list grows every day.
INSIDECold Lake First Nations take Ottawa to court over the fast-tracked Pacific Link pipelineEnergy · Indigenous rightsHouthis claim a new missile strike on Riyadh airport and airlines suspend flights. Oil stays above US$90World · OilWashington suspends Microsoft and other tech firms from the green-card sponsorship programBusiness · ImmigrationGovernor General doubts the PQ can abolish the monarchy in Quebec. Liberal leader Milliard offers no gifts, but is open to electoral reformPolitics · QuebecThe TSX closed up 0.3% while the Nasdaq fell 1.25% on yields. A 30-year Treasury auction cleared at 5.618%Markets · Canada

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