In the news today: PM travelling to UAE, alert system test, HBC art auction

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed…

Carney heads to Abu Dhabi for investment talks

Prime Minister Mark Carney is on his way to Abu Dhabi today, making him the first Canadian prime minister to visit the United Arab Emirates since 1983.

His visit comes as Ottawa tries to drum up investment from sovereign wealth funds and the private sector to help diversify Canada’s economy in response to the U.S. trade war.

Carney is expected to meet with senior government and business leaders in the UAE — a country Ottawa has relied on increasingly in its attempts to broker peace between Israelis and Palestinians and for multiple development projects.

But his visit comes amid reports the UAE has been arming a paramilitary force accused of escalating ethnic violence in Sudan — reports the UAE government has strenuously denied.

Alert Ready system to undergo public test

Canada’s national public alerting system is scheduled to be tested across the country today.

A test message and tone from Alert Ready will be broadcast on television, radio and compatible wireless devices.

Test messages will be issued in every province and territory at specific times between late morning and early afternoon.

The system is typically tested in May and November to help ensure it works and so officials can practise issuing alerts for emergencies such as tornadoes, wildfires and Amber Alerts.

Sovereignty on menu as farmers gather in N.B.

Farmers from across Canada are gathering in New Brunswick this week for the annual National Farmers Union convention.

Food sovereignty and justice are themes this year at the gathering of the advocacy group.

Phil Mount, vice-president of policy at the union, says food sovereignty is a timely topic as the trade war with the U.S. has put Canadian food and food producers in the spotlight.

The convention will allow farmers and farm workers from across the county to debate national policies and listen to speakers.

Discussion topics include farmland ownership, international trade, migrant workers’ experiences, and seed sovereignty.

Victims’ ombudsperson to release report

A new report on the experience victims of sexual violence have with Canada’s criminal justice system will be released today.

The Office of the Federal Ombudsperson for Victims of Crime launched an investigation last year.

It looked into the interactions survivors have with law enforcement and the justice system.

Ombudsperson Benjamin Roebuck said at the time there is an urgent need to improve how the system treats victims of crime.

He said victims’ rights are often ignored and survivors are retraumatized.

Ontario expands energy efficiency programs

Ontario homeowners will soon be able to get provincial rebates of up to $200 for energy efficient appliances through an expanded program.

Energy Minister Stephen Lecce announced a Home Renovation Savings Program earlier this year, and it initially gave rebates for energy efficiency renovations and improvements, such as new windows, doors, insulation, air sealing, smart thermostats and heat pumps.

Lecce is announcing today that starting this fall, households can receive rebates for energy-efficient appliances, such as refrigerators, freezers and laundry machines.

As well, the province is expanding an energy efficiency program for industrial, municipal, institutional and health-care organizations, increasing the available funding per project from $5 million to $15 million.

‘Cream’ of HBC art collection to hit auction block

Art lovers, historians and those wistful about the fall of Canada’s oldest company are expected in Toronto today, where the most valuable pieces in Hudson’s Bay’s art collection will hit the auction block.

Heffel Fine Art Auction House will host a live sale in the tony Yorkville neighbourhood this afternoon to find new homes for 27 paintings owned by the shuttered, 355-year-old department store.

The star of the auction is expected to be an oil on canvas painting of Marrakech by former British prime minister Winston Churchill. The 1935 piece depicting women standing in the shade of palm trees in Morocco has an estimated value between $400,000 and $600,000.

Other highlights include a Frederic Marlett Bell-Smith painting from 1894 of pedestrians strolling rainy Yonge and King streets in Toronto and two early 19th-century, wartime pieces from William von Moll Berczy, one of the founders of the city.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 19, 2025