Start your day off right with five things you need to know this morning.
Five things you need to know
Canada's ambassador to the United States has urged Canadians to chill out about the CUSMA trade deal, telling a crowd in Toronto on Monday: "Everybody take a deep breath, relax, it's all going to be OK." Mark Wiseman said CUSMA, the trade agreement with the US and Mexico upon which Canada's economy depends, said: "The base case is that the agreement remains in place through till 2036." Wiseman also said Canadians are "obsessed" with the US, while Americans don't particularly care about Canada.
Canada’s ambassador to the United States says “it’s all going to be OK” with the renewal date for the North American trade pact just a few weeks away.#cdnpoli https://t.co/GXZIhxHoKw
— 980 CJME (@CJMENews) June 15, 2026
British Columbia's government is considering the construction of two new hydroelectric dams to meet surging demand for power in the province. Energy Minister Adrian Dix said: "We need more energy, and more electricity in BC.” The dams under consideration are the so-called Site E project on the Peace River (750 megawatts) and one near Bute Inlet on Power River (900 megawatts). The Site E dam was first proposed in 1958.
B.C. eyes two new hydropower dams, including Site E near Alberta border, Dix says https://t.co/3G16GRf6XC
— Times Colonist (@timescolonist) June 15, 2026
Danielle Smith has some advice for the Liberal government as it continues its trade negotiations with the US: stop panicking. The Alberta premier said Trump "always had a plan A, a plan B and plan C, all of which benefited him," adding: "He has his moon shot, but he also has a ‘this is pretty good’ and then he has an ‘I’ll settle for this.' I don’t think we’ve understood that he always puts his moon shot out there and then we panic and freak out with ads and overwrought commentary – but that is just a negotiating style that he has."
'We panic': Smith offers insights into deal with Donald Trump and trade threatshttps://t.co/GDPdzyHHbm
— Global Calgary (@GlobalCalgary) June 15, 2026
Bell and Telus are under fire from the CRTC for introducing fees the regulator has said appear to violate federal rules. Under rules implemented on Friday, telecoms firms are banned from charging extra feeds to activate, change or cancel phone plans. Just before the new rules took effect, the CRTC said newly introduced fees from Bell ($40 device handling charge) and Telus ($15 SIM fee) seem to be in contravention of the new rules. Matt Hatfield, from the advocacy group OpenMedia, said: "It's not great corporate-citizen behaviour, is it? It's sort of a shady used-car dealer type thing to do."
CRTC tells Bell, Telus to drop fees by Wednesday or risk compliance action https://t.co/zz22GvldVg
— The Globe and Mail (@globeandmail) June 16, 2026
Pro-energy advocates in Canada are a little happier today after International Petroleum announced an expansion on the Alberta oil sands. The firm said its Blackrod Phase 1 development began production on May 31 and will reach a maximum output of 30,000 barrels a day in 2027. The firm's CEO, Willian Lundin, said: "This is the largest greenfield thermal development project developed in Alberta in a decade."
New oil sands site just dropped! Blackrod is the first new project since Suncor Fort Hills started production in 2018.
— Heather Exner-Pirot (@ExnerPirot) June 15, 2026
It’s not big - ramping up to 30,000 barrels a day of oil by late 2027 - but it’s great to see. https://t.co/g2miLVpnJi
