VICTORIA — A record-high $966 million in wildfire spending and lower natural gas prices have added $2.5 billion to British Columbia's projected deficit for this fiscal year. The new projection of $6.7 billion comes as Finance Minister Katrine Conroy releases the province's first-quarterly report for 2023-2024. The report says updated wildfire expenses are $762 million more than planned for in Budget 2023, while revenue from natural gas royalties fell by $1.2 billion as prices declined. Conroy sa
MONTREAL — The three survivors of a fatal fishing boat sinking off the coast of Quebec Monday didn't think they would survive much longer when a search and rescue helicopter appeared, according to one of the rescuers. Sgt. Anthony Bullen, a search and rescue team leader with 103 SAR Squadron based in Gander, N.L., said he didn't have much time to talk with the survivors during the rescue — he and his colleagues were focused on bringing people up and providing medical care for a man they saw lose
OTTAWA — The first mandate letters Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave his cabinet ministers in 2015 said no relationship was more important to him, and to the country, than the one with Indigenous Peoples. He called for a new nation-to-nation relationship — one based on the recognition of rights, respect, co-operation and partnership. He promised to end boil-water advisories in First Nations communities within five years. He said constitutionally guaranteed rights of First Nations are a sacred o
MONTREAL — Some big players in Canada's technology sector have signed on to a voluntary code of conduct for generative AI announced by the federal government Wednesday as anxiety persists over its proliferation and pace of development. The self-imposed safeguards will “build safety and trust as the technology spreads,” Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne told a crowd of techies at the All In artificial intelligence conference in Montreal. So far, executives from a dozen Canadian comp
CALGARY — More than 350 people, mostly children, have been infected in an E. coli outbreak linked to multiple daycares in Calgary. Here's a timeline of key developments in the outbreak: Aug. 31 to Sept. 3: Patients start showing up with gastrointestinal illnesses at various hospitals across Calgary, including Alberta Children's Hospital. Symptoms of E. coli typically appear three to four days after exposure, but can appear as early as one day after exposure to more than a week later. Some parent
EDMONTON — A third-party report into the release of millions of litres of oilsands wastewater at Imperial Oil's Kearl mine has found Alberta's energy regulator followed all its rules and procedures in keeping the public and area First Nations informed. "There were no areas of non-adherence to stated policies and procedures," says the Deloitte report, prepared for the regulator's board. But the report finds those procedures deeply lacking and recommends the regulator firm up and add details to ma
CALGARY — A young man convicted in the hit-and-run death of a Calgary police officer has been sentenced to 12 years in prison. Sgt. Andrew Harnett, 37, died after he was dragged by an SUV and fell into the path of an oncoming car on Dec. 31, 2020. The driver of the SUV, who is now 20, was days away from turning 18 and was charged as a youth with first-degree murder. Court of King's Bench Justice Anna Loparco convicted him of manslaughter and ordered that he receive an adult sentence. In her sent
OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apologized Wednesday on behalf of Canada's Parliament for applauding a man who fought alongside the Nazis in the Second World War after last week's address by Ukraine's president. He made the brief statement before entering the House of Commons, where he extended "unreserved apologies" for what unfolded during President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit. "This was a mistake that has deeply embarrassed Parliament and Canada," Trudeau told reporters, declining to a
CALGARY — The company that runs a commercial kitchen at the centre of an E. coli outbreak that has infected hundreds at numerous Calgary daycares has been charged with operating without a business licence. The City of Calgary announced Wednesday that Fueling Minds Inc. and its two directors face a total of 12 charges under municipal business bylaws and face a total fine of up to $120,000. The company declined to comment on the charges in an emailed statement Wednesday afternoon. Meanwhile, Alber
VANCOUVER — Forest products firm Canfor says hired contractors on their way to conduct field survey work for the company were on board a helicopter that crashed outside Prince George, B.C., killing two and injuring four. Emergency crews were called just before 8 a.m. Tuesday after the helicopter crashed near Purden Lake off Highway 16, with six people on board. Canfor says in a statement issued Wednesday that the survey crew, the helicopter and its pilot were contracted for field work, but the c
OTTAWA — Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu says she hopes to table a piece of legislation this fall that she says is the closest the federal government has come to co-developing law with First Nations. The proposed bill would aim to begin addressing the protection of fresh water within First Nation communities, as well as water that flows into them. She says that while working with the Assembly of First Nations and other stakeholders, she understood that people who live in communities wan
OTTAWA — A provision of federal immigration law can be used to bar people on security grounds for engaging in violence only when there is a clear connection to national security, the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled. The decision came Wednesday in a judgment on two cases that began with administrative rulings under a section of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. The section of the law says permanent residents or foreign nationals are inadmissible on security grounds for engaging in act
WASHINGTON — Canadian cannabis companies and their investors cheered a Senate committee's decision Wednesday to push forward with measures designed to ease federal financing restrictions on their U.S. counterparts. Executive members of the Senate banking committee voted 14-9 to send the SAFER Banking Act for a full vote on the Senate floor, although it was not immediately clear when that vote would take place. The bill is just the latest iteration of multiple bipartisan efforts over the years to
Food Banks Canada released their first national poverty report card this week. Across Canada, food banks are struggling to meet increased demand.
EDMONTON — Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is defending one of her cabinet ministers over possible conflict of interest concerns. Provincial records show that the husband of Environment and Protected Areas Minister Rebecca Schulz may be lobbying the government in areas that could overlap with her ministry's work. Cole Schulz is a partner in the firm Garrison Strategies, which has been hired by the Explorers and Producers Association of Canada. Alberta's lobbyist registry records show the firm is
If you're embarking on a fall adventure with your travel trailer, it's crucial to adequately prepare for unforeseen weather conditions.
WASHINGTON — Canadian Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge is urging the United States to stand strong with Canada over regulating tech giants in order to protect the news industry, which she said is vital to preserving Western democracies. St-Onge delivered a keynote address at the Open Markets Institute's Center for Journalism and Liberty in Washington, D.C. "More than anything, we need to stand strong together. Facebook may be trying to intimidate Canada, but really they're trying to talk to the
CALGARY — Health officials say the source of an E. coli outbreak at several Calgary daycares, declared Sept. 4, was most likely meat loaf and vegan loaf served from a shared kitchen. More than 350 people have been infected and more than three dozen have been treated in hospital. Here's what we know about Fueling Minds Inc., the company that runs the kitchen, which has been closed indefinitely. The company: The Fueling Minds website says it's a catering program for child-care centres and schools,
OTTAWA — Members of Parliament are set to elect a new Speaker next week, following the resignation of Anthony Rota. Rota resigned on Tuesday after facing calls from all major parties to step down for inviting man who fought for the Nazis to attend an address to Parliament by Ukraine's president last week and honouring him during the event. Here's a look at what will happen next. When will there be a new Speaker? The House of Commons adopted a motion last night to hold an election for a new Speak
GATINEAU, Que. — The complainant in the court martial for Lt.-Gen. Steven Whelan has told the court she believes he wrote a poor performance report for her while they were deployed together because she refused his invitation to have a private meeting in his hotel room. Whelan has pleaded not guilty to a charge of conduct to the prejudice of good order and discipline related to improperly changing the woman's performance evaluation report in 2011. Military prosecutors allege that Whelan improved
MONTREAL — The sister of one of the victims of a Montreal-area murder spree in August 2022 told a coroner today she lives with a tremendous amount of grief over the loss of her younger brother. Roxanne Lévis Crevier told coroner Géhane Kamel that her brother, 22-year-old Alex Lévis Crevier, lived just three blocks from her home in Laval, Que., and was a frequent presence at her apartment and a popular uncle to her three children. Lévis Crevier was the last of three men killed by 26-year-old Abdu
QUEBEC — An ethnic nationalist who had been scheduled to testify Thursday before a Quebec legislature committee studying the province's immigration plan was told today he's no longer welcome. Earlier in the day, the presence of Alexandre Cormier-Denis on the list of witnesses to appear before the committee drew concern from all parties in the legislature. In videos and articles posted online, Cormier-Denis has suggested that immigration will lead to the "replacement" of the Québécois people, and
OTTAWA — Turkey's deputy minister of foreign affairs says Ankara still wants Canada to drop its arms embargo, while pushing back on concerns about tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia. "One issue, ... about (which) unfortunately Turkish diplomats are not happy, is the restriction of defence equipment, although we are in the same alliance of defence for collective security," said Ahmet Yildiz, one of the top diplomats in Turkey's foreign service. During a Tuesday forum organized by the Institu
TORONTO — Jurors at the sexual-assault trial of former Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard are hearing more about the layout of his Toronto office building, which housed a private bedroom suite where he allegedly forced himself on women. Nygard, the founder of a now-defunct international women's clothing company, is being accused by the Crown of using his position in the fashion industry to lure women and girls. The 82-year-old has pleaded not guilty to five counts of sexual assault and one coun
OTTAWA — Statistics Canada says immigration is almost solely responsible for the largest annual population boom Canada has seen since 1957. The newly released data shows Canada's population grew by more than a million people between from July 2022 to July 2023, which represents an increase of about three per cent. Canada also saw a massive 46 per cent increase in the number of temporary residents in Canada over the same period. The Liberal government has set record-breaking targets for immigrati