You know protests have gotten out of hand when the government bans both TikTok and alcohol sales — which is exactly what happened this week in New Caledonia. 

Driving the news: France has imposed a state of emergency on the Indo-Pacific island territory of New Caledonia after days of rioting killed five and injured at least 300 people. A thousand police reinforcements were sent in to “regain control” of certain areas. 

The next time your job feels impossible, remember there are people in charge of doubling the capacity of Canada’s energy grid by 2050.

Driving the news: According to a federal government report, Canada has to double its current electricity supply over the next 26 years to meet growing demand. Even Québec, long seen as a source of limitless electricity, is expected to face shortages by 2027.

Unlike the mythological bird of the same name, the federal government’s Phoenix payroll system is not going to rise from the ashes. 

Driving the news: The feds are reportedly going full speed ahead with their plans to ditch Phoenix, the public service payroll system that has done nothing but cause headaches since its launch in 2016. As of last year, 30% of federal employees reported errors in their pay.

Jumping on the train might seem like a nice alternative to a traffic jam… until you realize your train is also sitting in a traffic jam. 

Many Canadians rely on the national passenger rail service: 4.1 million people hopped aboard a Via Rail train last year — a 25% jump from 2022 — and CEO Mario Péloquin says he expects to see a record of over five million passengers take a Via Rail train in 2024. 

Canadian wildfires are primed to make some (really bad) history again this year. 

Driving the news: Thousands of residents in communities across Alberta, B.C., and Manitoba have been ordered to evacuate as another vicious wildfire season kicks into high gear. As of writing, 130 fires — 38 of which are out of control — have burned 362,100 hectares of land.