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Rare post-trial hearing will give family of Winnipeg serial killer’s once-unidentified victim a chance to speak

St. Theresa Point Anisininew Nation Chief Raymond Flett speaks at a press conference confirming the identity of Ashlee Shingoose as Buffalo Woman at the Carol Shields Auditorium in the Millennium Library in Winnipeg in March.

When a serial killer was convicted last year of murdering four First Nations women in Winnipeg, the family of one of his victims, Ashlee Shingoose, never got the chance to speak about the impact of his crimes because her identity wasn’t known then.

A Manitoba judge is giving them that opportunity Friday in a special hearing, where members of Ms. Shingoose’s family and community will provide statements for the first time in court.

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Vancouver Island fishing hot spot Bamfield grapples with prolonged power outage as wildfire burns

The Mount Underwood wildfire southwest of Port Alberni, B.C., on Monday.  A transmission line into the town of Bamfield was blown Monday night by the wildfire.

The 300 or so year-round residents of Bamfield, B.C., are no strangers to power outages, often forced to go a day or so in the winter without electricity in their craggy hamlet on southwestern Vancouver Island.

But, on Thursday, many locals were on edge during their third day without power, as they sought out gas for generators to keep upward of a thousand tourists comfortable and hundreds of kilograms of salmon they had just caught from rotting.

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Canadian-led patrol finds alleged shark finning, killing of dolphins in North Pacific

A Canadian Coast Guard vessel conducted 41 high-seas inspections between May and July, finding 39 potential violations of international fisheries rules, an official says.

A Canadian-led patrol of the North Pacific earlier this year uncovered dozens of alleged fisheries violations, including illegal shark finning and killing of dolphins.

Sean Wheeler, international enforcement chief for the Fisheries Department, said the two-month surveillance mission was the first to include crews from other countries, including the United States, Japan and South Korea, on a single vessel.

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Ottawa has duty to ensure welfare of Canadians in ICE custody, advocates say

Analysis shows that as of the end of July, 56 Canadians arrested this year were still in ICE detention.

The growing number of Canadian citizens detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is disturbing and raises questions about whether Ottawa is doing enough to ensure the well-being of Canadians in custody, experts say, after revelations that Canadian children as young as two years old have been held for weeks in immigration detention this year.

The Globe and Mail on Thursday published extensive analysis of American enforcement data revealing that 149 Canadian citizens have been held at some point in ICE custody since January, when President Donald Trump took office and ordered an expansive immigration crackdown.

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Wildfire in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley forces evacuations

A water bomber makes a pass over the Susies Lake wildfire in Halifax on Tuesday.

An evacuation order in the West Dalhousie area of Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley was expanded late Thursday after a lightning strike ignited nearby woodlands the night before and triggered an intense, out-of-control wildfire.

The County of Annapolis expanded the area covered by an evacuation order that was first issued on Thursday morning and covered about 40 homes.

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Weir relishing the chance to play in Canada again at Rogers Charity Classic in Calgary

Mike Weir takes a swing during the RBC Canadian Open Golf Pro Am in Alton, Ont., Wednesday, June 4, 2025.

Playing golf in Canada never gets old for Mike Weir.

The Canadian Golf Hall of Famer will tee it up once again in Calgary in the Rogers Charity Classic at Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club. It’s the fifth straight year that the 55-year-old golfer from Brights Grove, Ont., will play in front of enthusiastic fans from his home country at the three-day PGA Tour Champions event, which runs from Friday to Sunday.

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U.S. State Department report depicts Online News Act as undermining press freedom in Canada

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is determined to eliminate both the Online News Act and the Online Streaming Act, one expert says.

The U.S. State Department is taking aim at Canada’s Online News Act in a human rights report that criticizes press freedom in Canada – which experts characterized Thursday as Orwellian.

The Online News Act, which requires Meta and Google to compensate news publishers for the use of their content, is cited in a section of the report covering freedom of the press.

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Conservatives plan national campaign to scrap zero-emission vehicle mandate

Conservative voters were the most likely to be opposed to the EV mandate, with only 11 per cent saying they felt the target is necessary, according to a poll.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has set his sights on Canada’s electric vehicle mandate, pledging Thursday that his party will embark on a national campaign to push the Liberal government to scrap the policy he’s dubbed the “Carney tax.”

Poilievre led the charge as the Conservatives relentlessly attacked the consumer carbon price over the last two years, with the Liberals admitting the Tory tactics swayed public opinion and forced them to end the so-called carbon tax earlier this year.

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Vancouver Island wildfire near Port Alberni grows by more than half, moving away from urban areas

Smoke from the Mount Underwood wildfire, southwest of Port Alberni, B.C., prompted Environment Canada to expand an air quality advisory.

The wildfire that has triggered evacuation orders and alerts on south-central Vancouver Island measured more than 34 square kilometres on Thursday, about 58 per cent larger than what it was the day before.

The Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District’s emergency operations centre confirmed the growth of the fire, saying it was “in line with expectations.”

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Saskatchewan lifts fire ban as evacuees from some Manitoba communities return home

The South Saskatchewan River is enveloped in wildfire smoke in Sept., 2023. Several areas in Saskatchewan and Manitoba have spent the summer under wildfire-induced fire bans.

Wildfire officials in Saskatchewan have lifted a provincial fire ban because the weather has improved, while thousands from displaced communities in Manitoba have begun to return home.

The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency says the ban was lifted late Wednesday for all Crown lands north of the provincial forest boundary up to the Churchill River.

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Thomas Muller focused on titles with Vancouver Whitecaps

German soccer star Thomas Muller says he's far from retirement and remains focused on chasing titles as he joins the Vancouver Whitecaps. The 35-year-old attacking midfielder is the biggest signing in the Major League Soccer club's history. (Aug. 14, 2025)

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Nova Scotian lawyer Sir Graham Day became Margaret Thatcher’s favourite fixer

Sir Graham Day left Nova Scotia as a young man and made his mark in Central Canada before crossing the Atlantic to become a power in British public life.

More than two decades ago, when Lydia Bugden was a rising young lawyer in a Halifax legal firm, an older colleague offered a suggestion: It was time for her to meet Sir Graham Day.

Ms. Bugden was initially puzzled by this proposal. Inside her law firm, Stewart McKelvey, Sir Graham was this towering figure with a huge reputation – legendary corporate director, trusted adviser to Atlantic Canada’s business dynasties, and most famously, Margaret Thatcher’s favourite fixer, who in the 1980s engineered the privatization of British industrial megaliths in the shipbuilding and auto industries.

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Three heat-related deaths in Montreal since Sunday, city’s public health agency says

Miguel Roque finds respite from the heat by reading in the shade of Montreal's Lafontaine Park.

Health officials in Montreal are still working to tally the total number of people who died from heat-related causes since Sunday, when sweltering temperatures took over the city.

The city’s public health department has so far confirmed three reports of heat-related deaths since then, up from one earlier this week. The agency says it has also received reports of at least two cases of heat stroke.

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Versatile actor Joseph Ziegler was endlessly watchable in roles at Stratford and elsewhere

Joseph Ziegler's deep reserves of humanity made him captivating in whatever role he played.

Two of the late actor Joseph Ziegler’s biggest fans were the eminent theatre critic Robert Cushman and his wife, Arlene Gould. Mr. Cushman deemed Mr. Ziegler the kind of actor with so much depth and skill that he could elevate even a less-than-fabulous production. In a tribute, published on his website, Cushman Collected, Mr. Cushman writes of the time when he and Ms. Gould were watching just such a show – a “dismal” revival of Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband. When Mr. Ziegler exited the stage after his first brief scene, Mr. Cushman overheard his wife murmuring, “please come back.”

That was a sentiment shared by many theatregoers. Mr. Ziegler, who died on July 28 at the age of 71, was an endlessly watchable actor, whose deep reserves of humanity made him captivating in whatever role he played. They ran the gamut from the monumental part of Willy Loman, the tragically deluded anti-hero of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, to that of the blind, wheelchair-confined Hamm in Samuel Beckett’s bleak masterpiece Endgame. Mr. Ziegler could have you roaring with laughter at his gum-chewing prowess in the William Saroyan comedy The Time of Your Life, or quietly squeeze your heart as an all-too-real and pitiable miser in his inimitable take on Charles Dickens’s Ebenezer Scrooge.

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Montreal police officers, sanctioned for lying to watchdog, have suspension reduced

Quebec’s police ethics board suspended two officers after it was found they had lied about the medical conditions of a man who died in custody.

A Quebec court judge has overturned the majority of the sanctions against two Montreal police officers who were suspended for lying about their interactions with an inmate who died in custody in 2017.

Judge Alexandre Henri ruled that police watchdog investigators had not informed the officers of their right to remain silent when questioning them on the circumstances surrounding the death of David Tshiteya Kalubi.

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As Newfoundland wildfires rage, misinformation is fanning the flames

Newfoundland and Labrador Premier John Hogan speaks at a news conference. Out-of-control wildfires have threatened St. John's this week and forced thousands from their homes.

Frustrated fire officials in Newfoundland and Labrador battling multiple blazes are also having to contend with online misinformation and people angry at government-imposed precautions.

The out-of-control fires, which have threatened the provincial capital this week and forced thousands from their homes, are among 214 wildfires in the province so far this season, a more than 100-per-cent increase over last year.

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Judge will proceed with review of Alberta separation question

The matter was referred to court last month so a judge could decide if it violates the Constitution.

A judicial review of a proposed Alberta separation referendum question will go ahead, after an application to quash the proceeding and have the question approved without scrutiny was denied.

Court of King’s Bench Justice Colin Feasby said in his ruling Thursday that a judicial review and full hearing on the constitutionality of the question would benefit democracy.

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U.S. Republicans demand that Canada deal with wildfires – but won’t acknowledge climate change

The Statue of Liberty is visible through haze due to Canadian wildfire smoke during sunset in August 2025.

The sternly worded statements and letters are filled with indignation and outrage: Republican U.S. lawmakers say Canada has done too little to contain wildfires and smoke that have fouled the air in several states this summer.

“Instead of enjoying family vacations at Michigan’s beautiful lakes and campgrounds, for the third summer in a row, Michiganders are forced to breathe hazardous air as a result of Canada’s failure to prevent and control wildfires,” read a statement last week from the state’s GOP congressional delegation, echoing similar missives from Republicans in Iowa, New York, North Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

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Ontario orders public servants back to office five days a week starting in 2026

Ontario public servants will be required to return to the office full time, with employees going in-person five days a week by January, 2026. Premier Doug Ford says he believes employees are more productive when they work in-person.

The Ontario government is ordering public servants back to the office five days a week starting in 2026, one of the most aggressive moves by a public-sector employer in Canada to curb remote work since it became commonplace during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Oct. 20 of this year, workers who had previously attended the office for a minimum of three days a week will be required to attend four days. And starting Jan. 5, 2026, workers will be expected to be in the office full-time.

© Frank Gunn

Queen’s Park in Toronto, Monday, Feb. 20, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn
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Evacuation alert extended for Newfoundland fire that may have destroyed up to 100 structures

The fire along the northwestern shore of Conception Bay began on Aug. 3.

Officials in Newfoundland and Labrador extended an evacuation alert Thursday evening, asking residents of a small coastal community to be ready to flee a wildfire that may have already destroyed up to 100 homes and structures.

As a precaution, the province asked residents of Job’s Cove, on Newfoundland’s Bay de Verde Peninsula, to be prepared to leave as a wildfire measuring more than 80 square kilometres roared nearby. The fire near Kingston, N.L., is the largest in the province and has forced about 3,000 others in the area out of their homes.

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Nearly 150 Canadians held in ICE custody this year, including two toddlers, data show

At least two Canadian toddlers have been held in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody this year, including one who was detained for 51 days, more than double the legal detention period for migrant children in the United States, a Globe and Mail analysis of American enforcement data show.

The children, who are under the age of four, were both detained at a remote Texas facility that has been the subject of a legal complaint alleging inadequate access to safe drinking water, medical care and legal assistance. At the time of detention, they appear to have been accompanied by adults who were also apprehended.

© Eric Gay

FILE - Immigrants seeking asylum walk through the ICE South Texas Family Residential Center on Aug. 23, 2019, in Dilley, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)
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Toronto man races streetcars on foot – and wins – to highlight transit issues

Mac Bauer calls his races against Toronto streetcars ‘man versus machine.’

A year ago, Mac Bauer and his wife, Jungmin Chang, boarded a streetcar in Toronto’s Leslieville neighbourhood to visit a friend in High Park.

The journey from east to west took more than an hour and felt sluggish to the two runners.

© Cassidy McMackon

This summer, Toronto runner Mac Bauer has been racing Toronto's streetcar routes to see if he can beat transit to the end of its line. Bauer is seen running in Toronto, on Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cassidy McMackon
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Immersive dance show takes audience on an adventure into blindness

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© Melissa Tait

Playwright and performer Devon Healey, left, with choreographer Robert Binet, right, during rehearsal on July 18. Rainbow on Mars is a co-production from The National Ballet of Canada and Toronto-based theatre company Outside the March.
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Ex-councillor says B.C. should negotiate treaties to protect farmland after land claim ruling

British Columbia is appealing the court ruling that confirmed the Cowichan claim over a swath of land on the shores of the Fraser River.

Former Richmond, B.C., city councillor Harold Steves’ family has been farming in the area since 1877, lending their name to the community of Steveston.

The 88-year-old former politician only retired from council three years ago, and few can match his knowledge of the controversies surrounding Richmond’s farmland – the creation of the province’s agricultural land reserve, influxes of foreign-money investors, a spate of mega-mansion construction and now the Cowichan Nation’s Aboriginal title claim.

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Morning Update: Canada’s summer of staying put

Good morning. Flight delays, labour disputes and a Trump slump have made the travel season a game of chance – more on that below, along with Newfoundland’s dangerously dry summer and the chances for a Bank of Canada rate cut. But first:

Today’s headlines

© DARRYL DYCK

Tourists line up for a water taxi in Vancouver this month.
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Driver in fatal crash had no restrictions after earlier collision involving Doug Ford, OPP says

An 18-year-old who faces charges in a crash that killed a father of three had no restrictions on his drivers’ licence after a collision involving Premier Doug Ford earlier this year, the Ontario Provincial Police confirmed.

Now, a member of the victim’s family wants to see legislative change to prevent people accused of dangerous driving from being on the road.

Jaiwin Kirubananthan, of Oshawa, was arrested in connection with a head-on collision on Aug. 3 that killed 35-year-old Andrew Cristillo of Mount Albert, Ont., and injured his wife and three daughters. He was charged with dangerous driving causing death, three counts of dangerous driving causing bodily harm, failing to remain at an accident resulting in death and public mischief. The crash happened in Whitchurch-Stouffville, northeast of Toronto.

© Spencer Colby

An Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) patch is seen in Ottawa, on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby
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Auto parts makers have managed to fend off the worst of tariffs – for now

Auto parts makers say the current CUSMA Agreement has helped mitigate the impact of tariffs.

Canadian auto parts companies say the current North American trade agreement is helping them manage headwinds from south of the border, even as tariff disruptions intensified over the past months.

With recent earnings reports from Martinrea International Inc. MRE-T and Linamar Corp. LNR-T, both firms highlighted compliance with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement as a source of shelter from the harsh tariffs imposed by the United States.

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How Newfoundland and Labrador turned into a hot spot for wildfires

A water bomber drops water onto a wildfire burning in the Paddy's Pond area just outside St. John's on Wednesday.

With its frequent fog, rainstorms and snow squalls barrelling in from the Atlantic Ocean, Newfoundland and Labrador has long been known as a place with unpredictable weather. But until recently, dangerously hot and dry summers weren’t something people had to worry about.

As unprecedented wildfires chase thousands from their homes in the eastern part of the province, Newfoundlanders are concerned that their usually damp island is entering new territory.

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Hungry goats chow down on Calgary park

A motivated herd of lean biting machines is back on duty and cleaning up an overgrown park in northwest Calgary. About 800 goats are grazing the 58 hectares, gnawing on excess vegetation and reducing the risk of fire and promoting biodiversity.

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Conservatives call for investigation of Spanish drugmaker’s use of Canadian-donated blood plasma

The Grifols headquarters in Barcelona in 2023. A Globe and Mail investigation found Canadian Blood Services is selling some blood components to the Spanish drugmaker to manufacture a product called albumin.

Conservative MPs are calling for a parliamentary investigation into Spanish drugmaker Grifols’s GIFOF use of Canadian-donated blood plasma to make medicines for sale abroad.

The call follows a Globe and Mail investigation that found Canadian Blood Services is selling some blood components to Grifols to manufacture a product called albumin, as part of a complex arrangement between the international pharmaceutical company and the Canadian charity to collect and process blood plasma.

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Conservative MP accuses Ottawa of ‘inaction’ on wildfires

Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner has called on Ottawa to dedicate more resources to wildfire control.

Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner says the federal government needs to do more to fight Canada’s devastating forest fires.

Speaking to reporters Wednesday in Ottawa, the Alberta MP accused Ottawa of “inaction” on wildfires. She also blamed that lack of action for new measures restricting activities in the forests of two provinces — even though those bans were imposed by the provinces themselves.

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Wildfire near B.C.’s Port Alberni displaying ‘unusual’ activity

The Mount Underwood fire, which was discovered on Monday, has grown to more than 20 square kilometres.

A raging wildfire that has forced evacuations on south-central Vancouver Island has been burning at some of most severe levels of fire behaviour, a display that is “unusual” for the region, the British Columbia officials said Wednesday.

Karley Desrosiers, an information officer with the service, said there was “aggressive” growth on the fire within a couple hours of its discovery on Monday.

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Polish-born NHL defenceman John Miszuk came to Canada as a refugee after the Second World War

John Miszuk forged an 18-season career in professional hockey after his family came to Canada seeking a new life outside of Europe.

John Miszuk, a refugee from war-torn Europe who only learned to skate at age 12, overcame a late start to forge an 18-season career in professional hockey.

A dependable, stay-at-home defenceman, Mr. Miszuk (pronounced MISH-ook) gained a reputation for delivering punishing bodychecks, including once knocking out an opponent with a clean hit during a playoff game.

© B Bennett

2004 Season: Player John Miszuk of the Philadelphia Flyers And Player John Miszuk. (Photo by Bruce Bennett Studios via Getty Images Studios/Getty Images)
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Chappell Roan promises to perform in Saskatchewan one day

Chappell Roan says she’s never visited the often-overlooked Prairie province, but it’s time Saskatchewan is recognized globally and she can’t wait to go one day.

American pop star Chappell Roan is known to many as the “Midwest Princess” and now is promising to travel a touch north to the land of the living skies.

Roan has created a buzz in Saskatchewan with the release of The Subway, her new song about post-breakup frustration, where she name-drops Saskatchewan.

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Montreal man charged in attack on Jewish dad to undergo psychiatric evaluation

A Montreal man charged with assaulting a Jewish father at a park last week will be sent to a psychiatric hospital for a 30-day evaluation to determine criminal responsibility.

Sergio Yanes Preciado appeared before a Quebec court judge on Wednesday afternoon after meeting with a criminologist for an evaluation earlier in the day.

Yanes Preciado, 23, was charged with one count of assault causing bodily harm in an attack on a 32-year-old Jewish father of three at a Montreal park last Friday afternoon.

© Christinne Muschi

An Montreal police vehicle is seen in Montreal, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi
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Chappell Roan promises to visit Saskatchewan fans

During a podcast on Apple Music, American pop star Chappell Roan spoke about her latest single, "The Subway," and its Saskatchewan name-drop. She also promised to perform in Saskatchewan, saying it's time the province got its recognition globally. (Aug. 13, 2025)

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Thousands in St. John’s under evacuation alert as wildfires threaten urban centres

A water bomber drops water onto a wildfire burning in the Paddy's Pond area just outside St. John's, N.L., on Wednesday. Premier John Hogan says thick smoke and fumes have prevented officials from assessing the full extent of the recent damage.

Thousands of people in St. John’s have been told to be ready to flee at a moment’s notice, as rapidly deteriorating wildfires in Newfoundland and Labrador threaten urban centres.

Crews in the province’s capital are employing water bombers to slow the growth of raging flames near the Trans-Canada Highway, but the fire remained out of control late Wednesday, with at least 20,000 residents facing possible evacuations.

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Survival rate for lung cancer, the deadliest cancer in Canada, has doubled, Statscan finds

A cancer drug is administered via intravenous drip. New treatments, including immunotherapy, have contributed to better lung cancer survival rates in Canada.

Five-year survival rates for people with lung cancer have doubled since the 1990s, but the disease still kills more patients than any other type of cancer, a Statistics Canada report said on Wednesday.

The report said the number of people living five years after they were diagnosed jumped from 13 per cent to 27 per cent between 1992 and 2021.

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Landlord concerns over Hudson’s Bay leases ‘misguided,’ B.C. billionaire Ruby Liu says

Billionaire Ruby Liu, centre, wants to buy 25 former Bay leases to turn them and three others she bought at malls she owns into a new chain of department stores.

A B.C. billionaire who wants to buy some Hudson’s Bay leases says landlord claims that she won’t be able to run a successful business in their spaces are “misguided.”

In new court documents filed overnight Wednesday, Ruby Liu says she is prepared to do what is necessary to make her venture successful and if it makes landlords more confident in her plan, will personally guarantee the first year of rent she’ll have to pay them.

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Metro’s third-quarter results fall short of estimates as Buy Canadian trend begins to lose some steam

Tariffs from the U.S. and Canada’s own counter-tariffs have continued to lead some food producers to request price increases from grocers including Metro. 

Consumers are still seeking local products, but executives at one of Canada’s biggest grocers say the buy Canadian movement is starting to lose some steam.

“It’s decelerating somewhat,” Metro Inc. MRU-T chief executive Eric La Flèche told analysts during a third-quarter earnings conference call on Wednesday.

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Former top general says Carney should review medals for Afghan veterans

Rick Hillier called for an independent review into whether some of the veterans of the Afghanistan conflict should have their awards upgraded to the Victoria Cross.

A former top general who led the military during the Afghanistan conflict is urging Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government to revisit the files of soldiers who served there to see if any of their awards should be upgraded to the Victoria Cross.

Rick Hillier said that despite the failure of recent attempts to trigger such an independent review, he thinks the odds are better now that Ottawa is bent on revitalizing the Canadian Armed Forces.

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Newfoundlanders busk and cook to show support for locals under evacuation orders

Ten-year-old Zander Wright plays the accordion outside a reception centre for people evacuated from a fire near St. John's.

Evacuees who fled a roaring wildfire near Newfoundland and Labrador’s largest city received a special donation Wednesday from a young musician.

Ten-year-old accordion player Zander Wright raised $121 while busking Tuesday outside a local convenience store south of St. John’s, the same day some residents of nearby Paradise, N.L., were told to evacuate their homes and businesses.

© Sarah Smellie

Wildfire smoke is seen blanketing Newfoundland's coast, south of the lighthouse at Fort Amherst, in St. John's, N.L., on Monday, Aug. 11, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sarah Smellie
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Google search AI summaries hurt news sites’ traffic, publishers say

Google rolled out its AI Overview feature last year.

News publishers say the AI-generated summaries that now top many Google search results are cutting into their online traffic – and experts are still flagging concerns about the summaries’ accuracy as they warn the internet itself is being reshaped.

When Google rolled out its AI Overview feature last year, its mistakes – including one suggestion to use glue to make pizza toppings stick better – made headlines. One expert warns concerns about the accuracy of the feature’s output won’t necessarily go away as the technology improves.

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Morning Update: China learns its COVID-19 lessons

Good morning. China is pulling out all the stops to control the spread of the chikungunya virus – more on that below, along with Europe’s record-breaking heat and Taylor Swift’s new album. But first:

Today’s headlines

© Tyrone Siu

A worker sprays insecticide at a public housing estate last week after reports of imported cases of chikungunya in Hong Kong.
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Air Canada to start cancelling flights ahead of potential work stoppage on Saturday

The Air Canada check-in area inside Terminal 1 of Toronto Pearson International Airport on Wednesday. The airline is preparing to halt most of its flights starting Thursday.

Air Canada AC-T says it will begin a gradual suspension of flights to allow an orderly shutdown as it faces a potential work stoppage by its flight attendants on Saturday.

The airline says the first flights will be cancelled Thursday, with more on Friday and a complete cessation of flying by Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge by the weekend.

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Access restrictions on wooded areas in N.S., N.B., during heightened wildfire risk face opposition

A barrier is placed at the Chain of Lakes Trail in Halifax last week after the Nova Scotia government announced it was banning access to wooded areas because of elevated wildfire risk.

Nova Scotia and New Brunswick are facing opposition and threats of legal action after ordering residents to stay out of wooded areas and threatening hefty fines in an effort to prevent wildfires.

Both provinces banned hiking, camping, fishing and vehicle use in wooded areas, with violators in Nova Scotia facing fines of up to $25,000.

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Quebec says Bill 21 opponents are trying to overturn established law

The Supreme Court of Canada in Ottawa. Quebec's government has filed 100 pages of legal arguments to the Supreme Court ahead of a hearing in which it will defend Bill 21 in court for a third time.

The Quebec government says legal opponents challenging its secularism law at the Supreme Court of Canada are merely rehashing old, failed arguments in an effort to overturn established legal precedent.

On Tuesday, Quebec filed 100 pages of legal arguments to the Supreme Court ahead of a hearing in which it will defend Bill 21 in court for a third time. The province won two previous decisions in the lower courts in Quebec, which led to the current appeal at the Supreme Court.

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Hilary Weston won plaudits for her work as Ontario’s lieutenant-governor

Hilary Weston.

When Hilary Weston was appointed lieutenant-governor of Ontario in late 1996, the press reaction was almost uniformly negative and at times vicious. “Prime Minister Jean Chrétien couldn’t have made a more inappropriate choice for the position,” Richard Brennan wrote in The Toronto Star, calling the wealthy former model “our version of a society debutante.”

The late columnist Allan Fotheringham called Mrs. Weston the “wife of a billionaire,” whose “only politics is Chanel,” predicting with biting sarcasm that she would quickly tire of handing out mine safety certificates in Sudbury, one of the duties he imagined she would be burdened with.

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