Good morning! This is Hanna Lee.

We'll be keeping an eye on Turkey today, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has arrived for peace talks with Russia.

In today's newsletter, we'll look at what four experts think about key planks of the Liberal housing plan. Then, we'll hear from my colleague Jaela Bernstien on how the team mapped out "forever chemical" hotspots in Canada, and get into how streaming services handled the newest release from Ye — a song praising Hitler.

Will the Liberals' campaign promises help fix the housing crisis?

This new apartment building was under construction in Ottawa in June 2024. The new Liberal government promised to double the pace of home construction in Canada before it was elected. (Patrick Louiseize/CBC)

The Liberals under Prime Minister Mark Carney are pitching what they say is the most ambitious housing plan since the Second World War. Will it work? My colleague James Dunne spoke with four industry experts — a construction leader, an economist, a human rights advocate and an urban planner — on their thoughts. 

The big takeaway: The government will need to balance different groups' priorities that are often at odds with one another. The construction industry tends to prefer the government not get directly involved in building and instead incentivize the private sector by cutting taxes and fees. Meanwhile, affordable housing advocates want to prioritize lower-income renters, and are usually against relying too much on private companies to build homes.

A case study: One key Liberal policy is eliminating the GST on homes up to $1 million for first-time homebuyers, with savings of up to $50,000. Dave Wilkes, CEO of a home-building industry association, liked the idea, and said it should actually be expanded to all homebuyers and matched with provincial tax exemptions. Urban planner Carolyn Whitzman, on the other hand, called the program an insult, saying it wasn't enough of a reduction to allow the average earner to afford a home. "I really hate it when politicians talk to people as though they're stupid," she said.

Meanwhile: In another signal of the new government's approach, Housing Minister Gregor Robertson says increasing supply is the way out of the real estate crisis, not reducing costs. He also defended his record as mayor of Vancouver, a city famous for its sky-high real estate costs.

BEYOND THE HEADLINES

How we built a map of PFAS hotspots in Canada

JAELA BERNSTIEN | CBC NEWS LABS, MONTREAL

Environment and Climate Change Canada scientist Daryl McGoldrick heads up the Water Quality Monitoring and Surveillance for the Great Lakes, a team of scientists who monitor the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth. (Anand Ram/CBC)

Last summer, I found myself fighting off motion sickness on the choppy waters of Lake Erie, joining a group of environmental scientists as they sampled the water for contaminants. At the time, I was filing a report on toxic algae blooms, but the scientists flagged another group of pollutants called PFAS.

The more I read up on the chemicals and the health risks associated with some of these chemicals — cancer, reproductive issues, delays in child development — the more I wanted to know whether I was being exposed to these chemicals in my immediate environment and in my drinking water. 

I figured I wasn’t alone. But in my research, I discovered that there wasn't an easy way for the general public to monitor all PFAS contamination hotspots in Canada. Compared to the U.S., where the issue has received major coverage and was even the subject of a Hollywood film, it's flown relatively under the radar here in Canada.

I wondered: could we make information about PFAS contamination in this country more transparent? Shouldn’t Canadians be able to find out if toxic contaminants are spreading near where they live and work?

My colleagues Sonya Buyting and Brandie Weikle had already led the charge by creating these maps a few years ago. We went further and built an interactive tool that would be updated over time — an evolving public record of sorts.

This is the first in a series of CBC News stories on the subject that we hope to publish in the coming weeks and months. I hope it will be a useful tool for Canadian individuals and decision-makers going forward.

Has your water tested positive for PFAS or would you like to report a case of contamination? We’d like to hear from you. Send an email to ask@cbc.ca.

Ye's song praising Hitler was pulled from most online platforms. Are they doing enough?

Controversial rap artist Ye released a song and video last week titled Heil Hitler, which glorifies the Nazi leader and includes a sample from a Hitler speech. (Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images/The Recording Academy)

Most streaming services and social media platforms removed rapper Ye's new song, Heil Hitler, within days. The reasons are clear — it glorifies the Nazi leader and includes a sample from a Hitler speech. But some say the removals haven't been fast enough; the song has already been viewed and listened to by millions. 

A priorities issue?: Many experts pointed to the existence of advanced technology for why they believe tech companies aren't doing enough to take down hateful content. Some suggested platforms use the same tools that identify copyrighted content to remove songs like Ye's. Others questioned the companies' priorities, saying they believe profits — which rise with increased user attention, good or bad, to their platforms — come first.

And the case of X: A version of the song remains on the Elon Musk-owned platform and had been viewed 9.4 million times at the time of publication. Ye's X account has been deactivated and reinstated multiple times, mainly due to antisemitic messaging. Though platforms like SoundCloud, YouTube and Reddit told CBC News they're taking the song and its reposts down, X didn't respond publicly to complaints about it.

In case you missed it

• Hundreds of people have been forced out of an area in eastern Manitoba due to a raging out-of-control wildfire that began late Tuesday near Lac du Bonnet. Two people trapped in the fire have died, police said. You can find our Canada-wide wildfire tracker here.
   
• Here's an overview of Alberta separatists' key issues with Canada. Chief among them: equalization payments, a longstanding grievance for some. 
   
• The Liberals won't table a budget this year; they say their top priority is implementing their promised income tax cut. Meanwhile, Elections Canada says the result of the Terrebonne riding recount is final, despite a misprint for one mail-in voter.
   
• An investigation is underway after an on-duty lighthouse keeper died alone at a station west of Prince Rupert, B.C.
   
• New Foreign Minister Anita Anand accused Israel yesterday of using a lack of food as a political tool in its Gaza operation and urged further work on a ceasefire with Hamas. Today's Israeli military strikes killed at least 60 people, Palestinian medics said.

And, in today's good news of the day...

Oyez! Oyez! Amherstburg, Ont., looks to revive town crier position

Norm Ross has been appointed town crier of Amherstburg, Ont. (CBC)

Meet Norm Ross, a man with a job title you don't hear much nowadays: town crier. Amherstburg, Ont., a town of nearly 24,000, has revived the position. Its last crier, Frank Gorham, retired in 2019, after nearly 30 years in the position. 

Some advice that Gorham gave Ross? Don't say "Hear ye! Hear ye!" It's "Oyez! Oyez!" And don't yell — just speak "very strongly."