Good morning; this is Hanna Lee.

The union representing Air Canada's flight attendants has signalled that its members intend to go on strike, paving the way for workers to walk off the job as early as Saturday morning.

The two sides had been negotiating a new collective agreement since March, when the previous 10-year deal expired. We'll have more on that below.

THE LATEST

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• European leaders are meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy virtually today to co-ordinate negotiations to end the war. U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to join the call at 9 a.m. ET.
   
• Families trying to get loved ones out of Gaza are expected to hold a news conference today at Queen's Park in Toronto.
   
• The heat wave is expected to break today for much of Eastern Canada, though it will continue in Atlantic Canada.

Air Canada flight attendants intend to strike this weekend, union says

(Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press)

Air Canada's flight attendants intend to go on strike this weekend, their union has signalled, paving the way for workers to walk off the job as early as Saturday morning. 

What's happening: The Canadian Union of Public Employees gave the carrier a requisite 72-hour notice after the two sides reached an impasse in negotiations. They had been negotiating a new collective agreement since March, with key issues including wages, work rules and unpaid hours. Air Canada had said late Tuesday afternoon that the two parties were far apart in talks. 

Some context: For the union, the most contentious issues are wages — which it says haven't kept up with inflation — and unpaid work that happens before boarding and after deplaning, like safety checks and helping passengers. While Air Canada's latest offer includes paying flight attendants half of their wages for work done on the ground, the union is still pursuing a 100 per cent ground pay rate. The airline has previously said its pay structure is in line with other global carriers.

Chatbots learned to write from us. Can AI now change the way we think?

(Michael Dwyer/The Associated Press)

There is more AI-generated content online than ever before, and some experts worry it's changing how we write and reason.

The issue at hand: Unlike text written by humans with different writing styles and patterns of thought, AI-generated language tends to be homogenous. And people tend to be influenced by what they consume. That means that as this content grows in popularity, users who don't use the technology themselves may find it is still influencing how they write or even think, simply from so much of it existing online.

Why it matters: Human societies need diversity and different perspectives to thrive. That becomes much harder when everyone is being exposed to the same reasoning and language. Meanwhile, despite some common hallmarks of AI text, such as the overuse of symmetrical clauses like "it's not just X — it's Y," it's already difficult to distinguish between text written by a person versus a chatbot.

'Uncertainty is the only thing that is certain': Sask. farmers react to Chinese duty on canola

(Alexander Quon/CBC)

China has announced a 75.8 per cent preliminary duty on Canadian canola seed, effective Thursday, in the latest move of its ongoing trade war with Canada. But Canadian canola producers say they're not surprised.

What's happening: The move comes after Beijing began an anti-dumping investigation last year, in response to Canada's imposing of 100 per cent tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. It has also levied a 100 per cent tariff on Canadian canola oil and meal. China says the so-called dumping of Canadian canola into the Chinese market is hurting its domestic producers. 

What the farmers say: Canadian farmers saw it coming, but it doesn't make it any less frustrating. Many industry associations say the move effectively shuts Canadian canola out of the Chinese market — which is the second largest for our product. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said Tuesday that he has reached out to Prime Minister Mark Carney about getting the issue "dealt with immediately."

In case you missed it

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• After two young siblings drowned in Dryden, Ont., their family is advocating for water safety and swimming lessons for all school-aged children.
   
• Two dozen countries, including Canada, are calling for urgent action to halt starvation in Gaza. Entertainers Madonna and U2 also spoke out on the crisis.

IN LIGHTER NEWS

A 9-year-old speedster takes on the world in go-karting

(Cody Schindel/CanadianKartingNews.com)

Jack Klym, a nine-year-old from Lumsden, Sask., will be representing Team Canada in go-karting in November. He's competing at the Rotax Grand Finals in Bahrain, where he'll face some of the best racers in the world aged seven to 10 years old. The young phenomenon started his career just three years ago, at South Sask. Kart Club northeast of Regina. His advice for wannabe go-karters: "My personal advice to everybody in the very first time they go is just go for the experience; have fun, have no expectations, because that's the way you're going to get the most out of it."