Canada and the European Union are moving ahead with plans to strengthen economic and security ties, but one idea has been taken off the table.
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idea → move → table
Ahead of a summit in Montreal, the EU has dropped a proposal to designate Canada an “associate member” after objections from several member states.
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Canada → drop → states
More on that below, along with why 175 laid-off Stelco workers could be back on the job by Christmas and a landmark $35-million donation to advance organ transplantation in Toronto.
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workers → lay → Toronto
TOP STORIES
EU drops Canada’s ‘associate member’ label
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EU → drop → label
The European Union has backed away from plans to designate Canada an “associate member” after objections from Germany and France.
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Canada → back → Germany
The change comes ahead of a two-day summit in Montreal, where both sides are looking to deepen trade, defence and technology ties.
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sides → come → ties
What’s changing:
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What → change → ?
A draft joint statement now calls for “ever closer association” between Canada and the EU.
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statement → call → Canada
Officials say the change in wording won’t affect plans for closer co-operation, including digital trade, critical minerals and satellite communications.
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change → say → trade
The goal: Ottawa and Brussels are looking to reduce their economic and strategic dependence on the United States.
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Ottawa → look → States
Prime Minister Mark Carney says the summit will launch further negotiations over the coming year.
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summit → say → year
Stelco CEO raises prospect of recalling workers
Cleveland-Cliffs CEO Lourenco Goncalves says 175 laid off Stelco workers could be back on the job by Christmas if demand for Canadian steel improves.
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demand → raise → steel
The company had previously announced plans to cut up to 500 jobs at its Hamilton and Nanticoke operations, but Goncalves now says layoffs will be limited to 175 workers.
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layoffs → announce → workers
The comments come amid an escalating standoff with Ottawa over the U.S. steelmaker’s commitments to maintain employment levels after acquiring Stelco in 2024.
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comments → come → 2024
Industry Minister Mélanie Joly has threatened to force a sale of the company over alleged violations of those commitments and says potential buyers have expressed interest.
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buyers → threaten → interest
But Goncalves insists Stelco is not for sale and won’t consider any offer for at least a year.
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Stelco → insist → year
UHN receives $35-million transplant gift
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UHN → receive → gift
University Health Network has received a $35-million donation from the Ajmera family to establish a specialized organ transplant institute, bringing the family’s total contribution to $62-million – the largest known donation to transplant care by a single family in Canada.
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Network → receive → Canada
The plan: The new Ajmera Transplant Institute will bring together patient care, research and education with investments in artificial intelligence and technologies aimed at improving organ transplantation.
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Institute → bring → transplantation
Why it matters:
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it → matter → ?
More than 250 Canadians die each year waiting for a life-saving organ.
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Canadians → die → organ
The institute hopes to find ways to increase the supply of usable organs, reduce wait times and improve patient outcomes.
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institute → hop → outcomes
Canadian diver in Thai cave rescue dies at 44
Canadian cave diver Erik Brown, who helped rescue 12 boys and their coach from a flooded cave in Thailand in 2018, has died at 44.
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who → die → 44
Brown spent 63 hours navigating treacherous underwater passages during the nine-day rescue operation, helping bring all 13 to safety.
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Brown → spend → safety
The B.C.-born diver received several honours for his bravery, including Canada’s Medal of Bravery, though he never considered himself a hero.
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himself → receive → Bravery
His legacy: Beyond the rescue that made headlines around the world, Brown was a respected technical diving instructor who helped trained a generation of divers.
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who → make → divers
When everything seems so expensive, and adequate housing is hard to come by, and you don’t know whether you’ll have a job next week based almost entirely on a 2 a.m. Truth Social post by the U.S. President, you don’t want the person lobbing cheap shots and crafting silly nicknames leading the country, but the serious, kind-of-boring guy who doesn’t understand what “very online” means, and doesn’t care to.
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online → seem → what
He has work to do.
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He → have → work
With political instability abroad and economic uncertainty at home, Canadians appear to be embracing a return to boring, conventional leadership, Robyn Urback writes.
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Urback → appear → leadership
The Shot
Louisiana’s once-thriving shrimping industry is struggling under the weight of cheap imports, rising costs and dwindling profits.
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industry → thrive → imports
As fishing families fight to stay afloat, many worry the next generation won’t carry on the trade.
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generation → fight → trade
What else we’re following
At home:
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we → follow → home
Donald Trump congratulated Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon and B.C. Conservative Leader Lorne Doerkson on their provincial election wins, days after his administration accused Canadian politicians of interfering in U.S. elections.
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administration → congratulate → elections
At least 69 people were killed and dozens injured after two high-speed trains collided in Spain, the country’s second deadly rail collision this year.
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trains → kill → Spain
The Bank of Canada raised its benchmark rate to 2.5 per cent, its first hike in three years, warning that persistently high oil prices could fuel inflation and require further increases.
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prices → raise → increases
The Other Side offers breathtaking scenery but falls short in its exploration of grief and the risks of extreme mountaineering, critic Radheyan Simonpillai writes.
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Simonpillai → offer → mountaineering
Sports: Game 6 of the WNBA Finals has been bumped from prime time to 12:30 p.m. ET Thursday to accommodate an NBA regular-season game, sparking criticism as the Golden State Valkyries and Atlanta Dream compete for the championship.
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Valkyries → bump → championship
Astronomers have spotted a possible new dwarf planet beyond Pluto that could be among the largest in our solar system.
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that → spot → system
The Aporia
