In the news today, Oct. 2

Five stories in the news for Tuesday, Oct. 2

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COALITION PARTY WINS MAJORITY IN QUEBEC

Quebecers charted a new course for their province Monday by giving the seven-year-old Coalition Avenir Quebec a majority mandate. Quebec, Canada’s second most-populous province, has joined the even bigger province of Ontario in voting for change following about 15 years of Liberal governments. The right-leaning Coalition was elected in 74 of the province’s 125 ridings, compared with 32 for the incumbent Liberals. One of the major surprises of the night was the near-disintegration of the Parti Quebecois, which earned just 17 per cent of the popular vote — its worst ever electoral performance — and won just nine seats.

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COUILLARD REFLECTS ON FUTURE AFTER ELECTION LOSS

Promising to leave the premier’s office with his head held high, Liberal Leader Philippe Couillard said he’s reflecting on his political future after his party was handed a stunning loss by the Coalition Avenir Quebec. A dry-eyed Couillard spoke with conviction Monday night as he addressed the roughly 50 supporters who gathered at a hotel in his riding, telling them he’d left the province in better shape than when he entered office in 2014. The 61-year old former neurosurgeon touted his government’s accomplishments, which included solid public finances, record-low unemployment and paying down the debt. Couillard was re-elected in his riding, but said he plans to reflect on his political future over the next few days.

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LNG CANADA PROJECT GETS GREEN LIGHT

Investors have given final approval for a massive liquefied national gas project for northern British Columbia. The five partners agreed Monday to the $40-billion joint venture that includes gas liquefaction plant in Kitimat on B.C.’s coast and a 670-kilometre pipeline delivering natural gas from the northeast corner of the province. The partners, Royal Dutch Shell, Mitsubishi Corp., the Malaysian owned Petronas, PetorChina Co. and Korean Gas Corp., delayed the final investment decision in 2016 siting a drop in natural gas prices.

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DAIRY UNLIKELY TO BE CHEAPER IN USMCA ERA: EXPERTS

If you’d hoped your weekly grocery staples — like milk — might soon cost less due to a new trade deal that opens up Canada’s dairy industry, you may be out of luck. Experts say the trilateral agreement between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico is unlikely to bring prices down, but could leave shoppers with more choices in the dairy aisle. The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement announced Sunday night will grant an expanded 3.6 per cent market access to the domestic dairy market and eliminate two milk price classes, including the controversial Class 7.

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IRREGULAR MIGRANTS HAVE HOTEL STAYS EXTENDED

People who crossed the border irregularly and are being temporarily housed in Toronto-area hotels will have their stays extended by four weeks as officials continue searching for a longer-term solution. The hotel rooms were reserved in August as a temporary solution that was supposed to last until as late as Sept. 30. They were expected to release a more detailed, long-term approach for temporary housing of irregular migrants in the interim, but it seems those plans are still being worked out.

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ALSO IN THE NEWS:

— Finance Minister Bill Morneau will be a guest speaker at an event hosted by the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, where he will discuss the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

— Danny Williams, former premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, testifies at the Muskrat Falls inquiry.

— The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls will hold hearings into family supports and domestic violence in Winnipeg.