In the news today: India envoy to speak, days after RCMP arrests

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today…

India envoy to speak, days after RCMP arrests

India’s envoy to Canada is scheduled to speak publicly today for the first time since the RCMP made arrests related to a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.

High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma is to address the Montreal Council on Foreign Relations on the theme of current and future relations between India and Canada.

His speech was first announced in April, months into a diplomatic spat over the death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Nijjar had long advocated for a Sikh country called Khalistan to be carved out of India, and he was shot dead last June outside his temple in Surrey, B.C.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused New Delhi last September of playing a role in the killing, and the RCMP arrested three Indian nationals last Friday in connection with the case.

Over the weekend, Indian Foreign Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar reacted to the arrest by accusing Canada of welcoming in criminals from his country.

Here’s what else we’re watching…

Three accused of Nijjar murder facing court

Three Indian nationals accused of murdering Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar are due to face court in Surrey, B.C., Tuesday over the killing that triggered a major diplomatic rift with New Delhi.

Karanpreet Singh, Kamalpreet Singh and Karan Brar were arrested in Edmonton last week and are scheduled to appear in Surrey Provincial Court at 9:30 a.m.

All face charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to murder.

Police who announced the arrests last week said investigations about a possible connection to India’s government continue.

Nijjar, an advocate for an independent Sikh homeland and president of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara, was shot dead in his pickup truck while leaving the Surrey temple’s parking lot last June.

Nijjar was a key organizer of unofficial referendums for an independent Sikh state in India and was regarded by India’s government as a terrorist.

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Unionized workers rejecting more deals: experts

Experts say union workers are feeling increasingly emboldened to reject tentative agreements as they fight to join the ranks of those benefiting from the recent wave of wage gains.

McGill University associate professor Barry Eidlin says there’s a clear uptick in workers rejecting deals that have been recommended by their bargaining committees.

He says workers are galvanized by inflation, the pandemic and a decades-long trend of employers having the upper hand.

Over the weekend, workers at a Nestlé chocolate plant in Toronto went on strike after turning down a tentative deal with the chocolate maker.

Eamonn Clarke, president of the Unifor local representing them, says workers’ expectations are much higher now because the cost of living has risen so much.

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Hudson’s Bay to close store in Regina next year

Hudson’s Bay Company is pulling out of Regina, announcing it will close its only department store in Saskatchewan’s capital city next year.

HBC says in an email that it has decided not to renew its lease at Cornwall Centre in downtown Regina.

It says with the lease expiring, the Hudson’s Bay store will close to the public in April 2025.

Tiffany Bourre, vice-president of corporate communications, says the company “continually evaluates its real estate portfolio and looks at opportunities to optimize holdings” and the decision to close the store was made “through normal course of business.”

Bourre says Hudson’s Bay will continue to operate its store in Saskatoon, and will also serve customers through thebay.com.

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Experts weigh in on how to bypass ‘savings guilt’

As the higher cost of living continues to squeeze household budgets, many Canadians find they have even less left over at the end of every month to squirrel away for the future.

Some might be feeling shame that they weren’t able to save enough over the last few months and are internalizing that emotion, said Kalee Boisvert, a financial adviser at Raymond James Ltd. during a recent interview.

While the cost of mortgage payments, rent, consumer debt — essentially everyday life — has jumped exponentially over the past few years, many household incomes did not keep pace — slowly chipping away at monthly savings quotas.

A December Coast Capital study showed more than a third of Canadians felt financial shame and half of survey respondents said their mental and emotional well-being was affected by the finances.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 7, 2024.

The Canadian Press