Good morning. Let’s enjoy this long weekend, ahead of what tensions countertariffs will bring on Tuesday. More on that below, along with data-centre guidelines and prepping for TIFF.

While the trade war continues to simmer, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that the federal government will spend $4.7-billion to build and maintain more than 300 Via Rail passenger rail cars in Canada, using facilities in Quebec and Thunder Bay. Carney says the move represents a shift away from importing trains from south of the border.

The context: The trains currently operating outside of the Windsor-Quebec City corridor have an average age of 77 years. The replacements are scheduled to begin entering service in 2031. They will include sleeper cars, dining cars and cars with panoramic views.

Up next: Trade tensions between Canada and the United States could further escalate next week as Ottawa plans to impose new countertariffs on Tuesday. Senior U.S. officials have said that Canada should expect an additional response if the Sept. 8 countertariffs go ahead.

Keep reading

• End of USMCA would be “severe but not cataclysmic” for Canada’s economy, Deloitte says
• Doug Saunders : Canada wants to be ambitious. That means getting immigration going again

More than 20 artificial-intelligence and digital-infrastructure companies, including OpenAI and Anthropic PBC, have signed on to a new federal framework for data-centre development announced by AI Minister Evan Solomon. But local opposition to these facilities grows and could prove to be a political vulnerability (or opportunity) for some elected officials.

The principles: Five broad principles for building data centres were shared. Developers must minimize water use and other environmental effects, be transparent about the impact on the local area, and not shift electricity costs on to Canadians. Developers must also create lasting local benefits and bring “strategic value” to the country. The framework is not legally binding.

A comprehensive federal report was released with little fanfare yesterday. Canada’s latest climate assessment charts a country changing faster than predicted, as Ottawa defends its decision to abandon its emission targets.

The details: The report documents how climate change has already transformed the country and details how those trends are likely to become more evident and challenging for Canadians if greenhouse-gas emissions remain on their current trajectory – from floods and heatwaves to vanishing glaciers and permafrost.

A surprise for many families is that tuition – which last year averaged $7,734 for Canadian undergraduate programs, according to Statistics Canada – isn’t the full cost of enrolment when you attend university. Students are also hit with a long list of fees, and these charges are climbing, even when tuition isn’t.

The numbers: In the 2025-26 school year, the average undergraduate student paid $1,214 in mandatory fees, up $215, or 21.5 per cent, from four years earlier. Those fees cover student services, athletic facilities, transit passes, student associations and more. Plus, many programs come with extra costs that students may not discover until classes begin.

Behind the numbers: Here’s why students are still choosing Quebec schools despite soaring out-of-province tuition fees.