What We’re Watching: Canada-US deal takes shape, G7 kicks off in Kananaskis, Wildfires rage

Canada, US may be closer to a deal

Canadian and US officials may be approaching at least the framework of a deal covering trade and other issues, CBC reported Wednesday. Sources say that in exchange for tariff relief from the United States, Canada would agree to participate in Washington’s Golden Dome missile defense program and build infrastructure in the Arctic. But Canadian officials have cautioned there is as of yet no deal on the table.

The G7 summit: big guest list and big questions

The tarmac at Calgary International Airport will be clogged next week when leaders from around the world arrive for the G7 summit of the world’s advanced economy democracies at nearby Kananaskis. In addition to G7 leaders, the heads of Australia, Brazil, India, Mexico, and Ukraine will attend. The big question: Can seven of the world’s most influential countries agree on a strategy for key issues such as trade, the climate, and Ukraine when the most powerful one of all now has radically different views from the rest?

Wildfires pose health risks near and far

Another terrible wildfire season in the northern forest has forced tens of thousands of Canadians, many of them from isolated Indigenous communities, to be evacuated to cities as distant as Niagara Falls, where they are staying in university dorms and hotels. In addition to the terrible disruption for those residents, the fires are sending smoke and smog as far away as Milwaukee. Worryingly, there is reason to fear the resulting health hazards could be more severe than usual.