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Judge points to ‘tainted’ process in Toronto’s St. Michael’s Hospital bidding process at Bondfield trial

John Aquino, former president of Bondfield Construction, walks into the Superior Court of Justice Courthouse, in Toronto, Nov. 12, 2024.

The judge presiding over the trial of two men facing criminal fraud charges stemming from the $300-million redevelopment of Toronto’s St. Michael’s Hospital says the bidding process was “tainted.”

Vas Georgiou, former chief administrative officer of St. Michael’s, and John Aquino, the former president of Bondfield Construction Co. Ltd., are each charged with two counts of fraud over $5,000. Both men have pleaded not guilty.

Victoria city council endorses plan to address homelessness, addiction and mental illness

Pandora Avenue in Victoria, B.C., in May 2024. The street is the epicentre of the city’s fentanyl crisis.

The City of Victoria has endorsed a community safety and well-being plan aimed at tackling the complex and “entangled challenges” of homelessness, addiction and mental illness playing out on city streets.

The report contains dozens of recommendations aimed at all levels of government across eight sectors, including housing, health care, service delivery, and policing and justice.

B.C. coroner won’t call inquest into death of Lisa Rauch, who was hit by police anti-riot rounds

Lisa Rauch died in December, 2019, after being hit by two plastic bullets fired by a Victoria police officer.

British Columbia’s chief coroner is taking the unusual step of not calling an inquest into the death of Lisa Rauch, who died after being hit by two plastic bullets fired by a Victoria police officer.

While an inquest is mandatory after deaths in police custody, Coroner Dr. Jatinder Baidwan said in a statement that Rauch wasn’t considered in custody at the time of her death.

B.C. downgrades status of two major wildfires in northeast

The Kiskatinaw River wildfire burns south of Dawson Creek, B.C. on June 5. There are currently about 85 wildfires actively burning in B.C. The Canadian Press/HO-B.C. Wildfire Service

Two of the three most significant wildfires in British Columbia have been downgraded and are no longer considered fires of note.

They include the 263-square-kilometre Kiskatinaw River wildfire in northeastern B.C., which was deemed on Wednesday to be no longer out of control.

© HO

The Kiskatinaw River wildfire burns south of Dawson Creek, B.C. in this Thursday, June 5, 2025, handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, B.C. Wildfire Service *MANDATORY CREDIT*

Outdated forestry rules increase wildfire risk, B.C. Forest Practices Board says

More than a million B.C. residents live in areas with high or extreme wildfire risk, board chair Keith Atkinson says.

British Columbia’s Forest Practices Board says a two-year investigation has found outdated rules and unclear responsibility are stopping forestry from becoming a wildfire prevention tool.

The independent body says it examined forestry operations between 2019 and 2022 in areas where communities and forests meet, including the Sea to Sky, Cariboo-Chilcotin and Peace districts.

Missing Nova Scotia children were assessed by child welfare agency months before disappearance

Four-year-old Jack Sullivan, left, and six-year-old Lilly Sullivan were reported missing seven weeks ago.

Nova Scotia’s child protection agency investigated the living conditions of Jack and Lilly Sullivan months before their mysterious disappearance from a rural part of the province in early May – a case file that has been reviewed by the minister responsible for child welfare.

Scott Armstrong, Nova Scotia’s Minister of Opportunities and Social Development, confirmed in an interview that the agency had a file on the children prior to their disappearance, but said it would be inappropriate for him to discuss the agency’s findings.

© Ingrid Bulmer

A growing memorial for missing siblings Lilly Sullivan, 6, and her brother, Jack, 4, outside the RCMP detachment in Stellarton, NS.

Canada to limit foreign steel imports to help producers hit by U.S. tariffs

Prime Minister Mark Carney in a press conference in Ottawa on Thursday said the government will attempt to limit steel imports from countries that don’t have a free-trade agreement with Canada to 2024 levels.

Canada is cracking down on the dumping of cheap foreign steel into the country by imposing new trade restrictions aimed at helping domestic producers reeling from U.S. President Donald Trump’s punishing tariffs.

Prime Minister Mark Carney, in a news conference in Ottawa on Thursday, said the government will attempt to limit steel imports from countries that don’t have free-trade agreements with Canada to 2024 levels.

© COLE BURSTON

The Canadian Steel Producers Association, which represents 17 companies, including Stelco, pictured, has repeatedly advocated for antidumping duties to ease the impact of U.S. tariffs.

Oil and gas firms spent billions on Indigenous businesses, CAPP survey finds

Workers stop for lunch at the arena, one of many amenities and infrastructure projects the Indigenous community of 700 in the oilsands region in Fort McKay, Alberta has been able to finance through relationship with industry.

A survey commissioned by the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers shows oil and gas companies spent more than $14 billion procuring goods and services from Indigenous-affiliated businesses between 2021 and 2023.

Data science firm iTOTEM Analytics collected numbers from 12 members of the industry advocacy group that together represent half of Alberta’s oil and natural gas production.

Nova Scotia offers $150,000 reward for information on missing children

Six-year-old Lilly Sullivan, left, and four-year-old Jack Sullivan went missing on May 2 in the community of Lansdowne Station, N.S.

The Nova Scotia government is offering a reward of as much as $150,000 for information about the disappearance of siblings Lilly and Jack Sullivan, who have been missing for nearly seven weeks.

The children, aged six and four, were reported missing May 2 from their mobile home in Lansdowne Station, in rural Pictou County. The case prompted one of the largest ground searches in Nova Scotia’s history, with hundreds of volunteers, aided by drones, helicopters and rescue dogs, scouring a densely wooded area marked by old mine shafts and lakes.

Doug Ford apologizes for controversial comments after meeting with First Nations chiefs on Bill 5

Doug Ford apologized Thursday for his comment accusing First Nations of 'coming hat in hand,' which Indigenous leaders have since condemned as 'appalling' and perpetuating 'racist stereotypes.'

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has apologized for warning that First Nations cannot “keep coming hat in hand all the time to the government” if they oppose mining or other resource projects – comments Indigenous leaders condemned as racist.

The Premier met on Thursday with chiefs from the Anishinabek Nation, which represents 39 of Ontario’s 133 First Nations chiefs, to discuss his government’s contentious legislation to speed up resource projects, known as Bill 5.

How are you celebrating Canada Day this year? Share your story with The Globe

Canadians are gearing up to have one of their biggest Canada Day celebrations ever.

Every year, Canadians across the country celebrate Canada Day in a myriad of ways — some blast The Tragically Hip and snack on s’mores at the cottage, others light fireworks and share popsicles at their local park. But this year, it could look a little different.

Angered by U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to turn Canada into the ‘51st State,’ Canadians are raising the Maple Leaf and getting more patriotic than ever, cancelling American vacations and buying local at the grocery store. Canadians are riding the red-and-white wave, and gearing up to have one of their biggest July 1 celebrations ever.

Budget watchdog Yves Giroux says he can’t evaluate Liberal government’s fiscal targets

Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux Giroux says the federal government’s deficit for the past fiscal year likely came in at $46-billion, about $4.3-billion lower than estimates in March.

The Parliamentary Budget Officer said Thursday he can’t properly assess whether the federal government is on track to meet its fiscal targets because the Liberals’ new budget benchmarks haven’t been defined.

Without a spring budget, that means Ottawa’s budgetary watchdog is in the dark on how recently announced plans to boost Canada’s defence spending and cut income taxes will affect the government’s fiscal position.

Morning Update: Let’s talk about measles

Good morning. Our health team has been on the ground as measles cases surge in Ontario and Alberta – more on that below, along with a name change for Hudson’s Bay and the U.S. Supreme Court’s ban on youth gender-affirming care. But first:

Today’s headlines

Ottawa’s omnibus major-projects and internal-trade bill clears committee

Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc defended Bill C-5 at committee Wednesday, rebuffing criticisms that the bill could lead to government corruption.

The Liberal government’s controversial legislation that would let cabinet quickly grant federal approvals for big industrial projects like mines, ports and pipelines sailed through committee in the early hours of Thursday.

A House of Commons panel sat from Wednesday afternoon to after midnight reviewing Bill C-5 in a hurried study, as the Liberal government seeks to pass it through the chamber by week’s end.

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