Grocery benefit starts July 3 & storm alerts
Canadians will receive their first grocery benefit payments this week as severe weather disrupts holiday celebrations across Ontario. While some cities are proceeding with events, others have closed major roads and cancelled public gatherings due to flooding and safety risks.
You will receive the first quarterly Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit (CGEB) payment starting July 3. This automatic payment is intended to help residents manage the rising cost of food and basic necessities. It is the first of a new series of regular payments scheduled to reach eligible households every three months.
If you are in Ottawa, all official Canada Day activities and evening fireworks have been cancelled due to "extreme weather" including heavy rain, wind, and lightning. Parts of the Queensway and several local streets are closed due to flooding. In Orillia, organizers say fireworks will proceed despite earlier wind storms, but residents should remain cautious of changing conditions.
Canada is preparing for a possible surge in migrants following a US plan to deport one million people. While this policy change is expected to drive more people toward the Canadian border, those arriving will face strict legal obstacles to staying in the country.
In Hamilton, emergency services are searching for a missing seven-year-old at a conservation area where a kayaker was also found dead. In British Columbia, a man has been convicted of second-degree murder for killing his wife in Abbotsford just days after they moved to Canada.
For more on these stories and the latest local updates, visit the News section in the app. Read about Canada's influence on the World Cup and why Mark Carney's holiday speech was interrupted.