The Canadian government’s plan to recognize a Palestinian state in September reflects Ottawa’s deep frustration with the Israeli government and sends a strong message that it supports a two-state solution, but analysts say it likely will have little impact without U.S. support.

Prime Minister Mark Carney made the announcement on Wednesday, saying that Canada intends to recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly. He said this is predicated on the Palestinian Authority’s commitment to important reforms, including president Mahmoud Abbas’s promise to hold general elections in 2026, in which Hamas could not take part, and the demilitarization of the Palestinian state.

Reem Sultan’s uncle was killed in Gaza last December, her aunt died of malnutrition in January. Her cousin’s family of six, including children, perished when their home was bombed in May. Another cousin who went to retrieve and bury their bodies died in an air strike, killed while grieving the dead.

In all, the resident of London, Ont., has lost 15 close relatives in the Middle East conflict, but a tally of extended family members reaches closer to 100. So while Ms. Sultan welcomes the news that Canada intends to recognize the state of Palestine, she says more is needed than just words.

Canada has joined 13 other countries, including the United States, Britain and France, to denounce what they describe as threatening Iranian state activity in Europe and North America.

Thursday’s statement does not detail specific incidents but speaks of attempts by Iranian intelligence “to kill, kidnap and harass” people.

At the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in October of 1992, the police created a barrier around Paul (Sparkle) Markle and a group of Toronto Blue Jays front office workers and players’ children and wives. It was Game 4 of the American League Championship Series and after Roberto Alomar slapped a ninth-inning, game-tying homer off A’s closer Dennis Eckersley, the fans, already rowdy, began sniffing for Canadian blood. The Jays eventually won in the 11th inning.

“The police said, ‘Stay in your seat until the crowd leaves,’ because we didn’t want to get rained on with popcorn and warm beer,” says Glen Wilkie, known as Hoop, Mr. Markle’s best friend of 67 years. As Mr. Wilkie relates, the Jays’ contingent did as the police advised, but the evening wasn’t over.

A truck hauling heavy machinery down a highway in British Columbia’s dry Okanagan region caught fire Wednesday, sparking a blaze in the nearby bush that has forced nearly a thousand people from their homes.

Patrick Van Minsel, Mayor of the District of Peachland, is among them.

For several years in the mid-2000s, I worked at the Victoria Conservatory of Music, where I managed a program for keen young musicians. I had met the virtuoso bassist Gary Karr earlier in my career. I doubted he would remember me, but knowing his dedication to music education I contacted him to ask if he and his partner, the pianist and harpsichordist Harmon Lewis, would host a musical evening for some of our students.

Their generosity was beyond what I could have hoped for. The visit to Gary and Harmon’s home in Saanich, B.C., became an annual event, eagerly anticipated by the students, and also their parents who competed for the opportunity to attend along with their kids. We brought the pizza, and we were given the run of the house: We were free to try out the harp that stood in the living room, admire the works of art on the walls, and discover their many academic certificates and awards that were given pride of place – hanging in the bathroom, above the toilet.

© JOHN McNEILL

I had the good fortune to encounter Alia Hogben when I was a public servant in the old multiculturalism program of the Department of Canadian Heritage, following up on a small grant to assist her with her manuscript on the history of Muslim women in Canada. We ended with a good 45-minute conversation on the post-Gulf War and post-9/11 challenges facing young Muslim women, which I had observed while performing other duties for my department.

I was especially impressed by her fervour for Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and how it was a guidepost for women of all communities and origins, but much more so for Muslim women, who had to deal with family pressures and those of a wider society still uncertain about how they should respond. She was practical and direct on this issue when I twice saw her speak frankly to Muslim audiences. She believed strongly that one could best be a good Muslim by being a good Canadian.

© Horst Herget

Ontario’s police watchdog is investigating a report that an officer fatally shot a man inside a courtroom in a remote part of northern Ontario on Thursday.

The Special Investigations Unit said a team of investigators is heading to the scene in Wapekeka First Nation.

“Preliminary information indicates an OPP officer fatally shot a man,” SIU spokesperson Kristy Denette said in an emailed statement, adding that more details won’t be available until Friday.

© Arlyn McAdorey

Canada’s planned recognition of the state of Palestine is a significant step but in many ways the decision is largely symbolic, as experts suggest the move will not have major practical or legal implications in the months ahead.

What did Ottawa say?

Oil sands producer MEG Energy Corp. MEG-T says its profits fell during the second quarter compared with a year earlier. 

Net earnings for the quarter came in at $67-million, or 26 cents per diluted share, compared with $136-million, or 50 cents per diluted share, during the same period last year. 

Revenue came in at $757-million during the quarter, down from $1.37-billion a year earlier. 

© Todd Korol

Quebec vehicle-maker Lion Electric will no longer honour warranties on school buses and trucks sold in the United States, leaving clients south of the border in the lurch. 

After seeking protection from its creditors in December, the struggling manufacturer was acquired by a group of Quebec investors in May with a plan to focus exclusively on electric school buses assembled and sold in the province. The company has retained its manufacturing plant in St-Jérôme, Que. 

Five months after Drake backed out of concerts in Australia and New Zealand, his fans are set to get their money back.

Live Nation Australia has notified ticketholders that four postponed shows for the Toronto rapper’s Anita Max Win tour are now officially cancelled, after assurances earlier this year that they would be rescheduled.

The entertainment company says refunds will be issued, stating on the TicketTek retailer website that “extensive efforts” to reschedule the shows “within the necessary timeframe was not possible.”

© Frank Gunn

The Public Health Agency of Canada says this year’s first human case of West Nile virus acquired within the country has been confirmed in Toronto.

The confirmation comes after Toronto Public Health said its first laboratory-confirmed case of the virus in 2025 is an adult resident of the city with no travel history.

The virus is transmitted to humans through infected mosquitoes.

© Rick Bowmer

There’s been a surge in wildfire activity in British Columbia associated with this week’s high temperatures and thousands of lightning strikes, with dozens of new fires sparked in just one day.

Multiple evacuation orders were in place across the province on Thursday, including for lakefront properties near Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, homes in the Okanagan Valley and two First Nation reserves near Lytton.

By late Thursday, the BC Wildfire Service online dashboard showed more than 40 new fires in the past 24 hours.

© DARRYL DYCK

American pop star Chappell Roan is creating excitement in an often-overlooked Canadian province, with her latest single supercharging fans in Saskatchewan’s LGBTQ community.

In Roan’s new song about post-breakup frustration, set for release late Thursday, the singer-songwriter name-drops Saskatchewan.

An audit of Alberta medical clinics charging membership fees found no significant cases of patients paying out of pocket for covered medical treatment but paying members are likely getting more thorough care.

The province launched the audit in 2023 in response to concerns over a Calgary medical clinic switching to a membership model and planning to charge annual fees of about $5,000 for families and $2,000 for an adult.

Ads promised patients shorter wait-times and extended appointments but experts warned membership fees would create a two-tiered health system benefiting those who can pay.

© Todd Korol

Canadian aid is being airdropped into Gaza a day after Ottawa joined allies in recognizing Palestinian statehood – a step which has prompted both praise and condemnation in the Middle East.

Israel has slightly loosened its tight restrictions on food and medicine reaching the Gaza Strip in response to an international outcry over starvation in the Palestinian territory.

Quebec’s Superior Court has authorized a class-action lawsuit over infamous CIA-linked brainwashing experiments at a Montreal psychiatric hospital.

The Royal Victoria Hospital, McGill University and the Canadian government are being sued for their alleged role in the so-called Montreal Experiments carried out by Dr. Ewen Cameron between 1948 and 1964.

The lawsuit alleges the federal government funded psychiatric treatments that were part of the CIA’s MK-ULTRA program of covert mind control at Montreal’s Allan Memorial Institute.

© Ryan Remiorz

Guillermo del Toro and Jodie Foster are among those set to receive special honours at the 50th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival.

De Toro will be presented with the Ebert Director Award – recognizing filmmakers who have exemplified greatness – at the TIFF Tribute Awards on Sept. 7.

Justin Trudeau was spotted in the crowd at Katy Perry’s concert in Montreal, days after duo dined together in the city.

The appearance continues to fuel speculation about a possible relationship between the former prime minister and U.S. pop star, who had dinner at a Plateau restaurant on Monday.

The rumour mill continues to churn for Justin Trudeau and Katy Perry. The former prime minister was spotted at the U.S. pop star's Montreal concert July 30, days after they dined together at a Plateau eatery.

Canada’s Summer McIntosh has claimed her third gold medal of the world swimming championships. The 18-year-old from Toronto won the women’s 200-metre butterfly in a meet-record 2 minutes 1.99 seconds, just shy of the world record 2:01.81. (July 31, 2025)

A special air quality statement has been issued for parts of southern Ontario, triggered by wildfire smoke from the Prairies.

Environment Canada says smoke from forest fires can cause reduced air quality and visibility that can fluctuate throughout the day.

The affordable housing complex Mike Tiller is hoping for is unlike anything else in his community.

The sleek, modular buildings with sloping roofs and wide windows pose a sharp contrast to the brightly-coloured clapboard houses dotting the shores in New-Wes-Valley, a small fishing community along the northern end of Newfoundland’s Bonavista Bay.

Toronto has moved to ban motorized watercraft from one of its busiest beaches by next year due to concerns over unsafe operators and illegal rentals, but one rental company says the city should instead focus on regulations that weed out “bad actors” in the industry.

City council passed a motion last week requesting that PortsToronto ban boats and personal watercrafts such as Jet Skis within at least 150 metres of the shoreline at Woodbine Beach in the city’s east end by June 2026.

As a travelling physician in northern Ontario, Dannica Switzer is acutely aware of the health-care crisis in underserved communities.

“It’s sad to see how much worse things can get,” said Switzer, who works as a locum, filling roles on a temporary basis in rural or remote areas.

Good morning. Canada is facing (yet another) trade deadline with the United States tomorrow. And while many tariff deadlines have been delayed, this one could stick. More on that below, plus the latest news out of Gaza, and how B.C. prepared for a smaller-than-expected tsunami. But first:

Today’s headlines

• Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada intends to recognize a Palestinian state
• Extremism is a threat to the Canadian army’s trust and credibility, commander says
• The Hockey Canada trial has concluded, but conversations about the sport’s culture aren’t over

© Mark Schiefelbein

Canada has trees – on that everyone can agree.

But when it comes to seeing the forest, Ottawa is at odds with a slew of environmental groups over what that means.

For $35, aspiring young hockey players can purchase a T-shirt from a Canadian brand that has become popular in rinks across the country, with a slogan rooted in language that degrades women and girls as sex objects.

Using veiled locker-room slang, the shirts read: “Barduzz, Gettin Huzz.” Loosely translated, it means “Scoring goals, getting hoes.” A hoodie version is also available in children’s sizes.

© Photo illustration by The Globe and Mail. Source images: Getty Images.

In the end, the tsunami that washed onto Tofino, B.C.’s shores was only about half the height of a school ruler, gently raising the tide and delighting the roughly 300 tourists watching just before midnight Tuesday on Mackenzie Beach.

About seven hours earlier, J. J. Belanger, general manager of the nearby Crystal Cove Beach Resort, went into high alert after news that an underwater earthquake had hit Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula with a preliminary magnitude of 8.8, one of the strongest ever recorded.

A national Muslim advocacy group called Wednesday a “historic day” after Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that Canada would formally recognize Palestinian statehood.

But a national Jewish organization said the decision was “deeply concerning” and would embolden the terrorist group Hamas.

Bev Priestman, the former head coach of Canada’s women’s national soccer team – who was banned by FIFA for her role in a drone spying scandal at the Paris Olympics – has been hired as head coach of New Zealand’s only professional women’s team.

Priestman made her return to soccer this week after her one-year ban. The ban expired the day before New Zealand’s Wellington Phoenix announced Priestman would be the new coach of their women’s squad.

A judge has ruled that the Ontario government’s plan to remove bike lanes along three major streets in Toronto is unconstitutional and violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms by putting people at “increased risk of harm and death.”

The Ontario government passed legislation last fall giving itself the power to remove existing bike lanes along Yonge Street, Bloor Street and University Avenue, while also preventing municipalities from creating new bike lanes that replace traffic lanes. At the time, Premier Doug Ford complained about bike lanes creating gridlock.

Tactical evacuations are underway for about 400 properties due to a fast moving wildfire burning between Peachland and West Kelowna, B.C.

Central Okanagan Emergency Operations says residents of properties east of Trepanier Bench Road, south of Highway 97C and north of Highway 97 should be prepared to be away from their homes for an “extended period of time.”

B.C. Premier David Eby has rebuffed calls by property developers for the federal and provincial governments to loosen restrictions on foreign investment in the housing sector, saying he doesn’t want to return to the old system that allowed rampant and uncontrolled foreign investment in Canadian housing.

The Premier was responding to an open letter from B.C. developers this week that was also sent to Prime Minister Mark Carney and federal Housing Minister Gregor Robertson.

Ontario has officially cancelled its $100-million contract with Starlink, but the province refuses to say how much it cost taxpayers to get out of the deal. The deal, announced last year, was to deliver high-speed internet to 15,000 residents in rural and northern Ontario.

More people forced out by wildfires in Saskatchewan are returning home this week, but officials warn hot temperatures in the coming days could pose threats.

Steve Roberts with the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency says about 700 residents from Beauval and another 200 from Montreal Lake Cree Nation have started going back to their communities.

He says crews are working to contain nearby blazes and douse flare-ups, but hot and windy conditions later this week could cause problems.

© Liam Richards

Prime Minister Mark Carney said Wednesday that Canada intends to recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly in September.

The move would be a significant policy shift for Canada, which like many of its major allies had previously withheld such recognition. It follows similar announcements from France, which said it would recognize Palestinian statehood, and Britain, which said it would recognize Palestine if Israel does not agree to a ceasefire.

© Dawoud Abu Alkas

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday imposed hefty new tariffs on imported copper products, though the duties largely spare Canada’s mining and refining industry.

Mr. Trump set the tariff for a range of copper products at 50 per cent starting Aug. 1, citing national security concerns for his latest attempt to bolster his country’s manufacturing sector by raising trade barriers.

@vancouver.alex

#lifetimestour #katyperry #vancouver #rogersarena #braiden

♬ original sound - a l e x a n d r a 🇨🇦

A Katy Perry superfan is basking in newfound fame after a video of him meeting the pop star garnered nearly a million views online.

Perry, who is in Canada performing several shows on her Lifetimes Tour, invited concertgoer Braiden Palumbo on stage during a stop in Vancouver.

© HO

Nearly 200 former Canadian ambassadors and career diplomats are calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney to recognize a Palestinian state.

In a letter dated July 29 and addressed to Mr. Carney, the career diplomats say that it’s time for Canada to join the 147 countries that have recognized statehood for Palestine.

A look at the results for Canadians at the National Bank Open tennis tournaments in Montreal and Toronto. (July 30, 2025)

Signs of resilience in the Canadian economy were enough for the Bank of Canada to leave its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 2.75 per cent, but the spectre of U.S. trade uncertainty continues to cast a shadow over the central bank’s decisions. (July 30, 2025)

To some, the massive cedar log at Kits Beach is a beloved icon, a playground, a perfect perch to gaze at the timbered slopes of the North Shore and the cobalt ocean beyond.

To city staff, who have slated it for removal, it is a nuisance and a safety risk – it needs to go.

The Ontario government says it has agreed with satellite internet provider Starlink – owned by billionaire Elon Musk – on the terms to end a $92-million contract with the company that Premier Doug Ford had vowed to rip up in retaliation for U.S. tariffs during his winter re-election campaign. But the province would not reveal how much taxpayers will have to pay to get out of the deal.

Ontario Minister of Energy and Mines Stephen Lecce, whose department was overseeing the contract, confirmed on Wednesday that talks to end it had finished and that the province was now aiming to find a Canadian company to replace Starlink. He declined to say how much the cancellation cost.

Thousands of young people are set to line up for job interviews at the Canadian National Exhibition today amid a high level of youth unemployment in Ontario.

The CNE says it has received more than 54,000 online job applications for more than 5,000 seasonal positions at the two-week fair, including cashiers, retail associates, game attendants, food service staff, midway operators and informational guides.

The father of a nine-year-old Montreal girl who was found drowned in a pond in Upstate New York has been indicted by a grand jury and will stand trial for second-degree murder.

Luciano Frattolin appeared Wednesday at a courthouse in Elizabethtown, N.Y., where he pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and the concealment of a human corpse.

Health officials in Nova Scotia say the measles outbreak in the province’s northern zone has risen by five cases to 35.

Officials area also issuing two public exposure warnings.

BC Wildfire Service data show a blaze south of Lytton that has triggered multiple evacuation alerts is three times its original estimated size and continues to burn out of control.

The service’s latest update on the Cantilever Bar wildfire says it is now measured at 4.6 square kilometres, up from the 1.5 square kilometres reported earlier this week.

A Montreal restaurant says pop star Katy Perry and former prime minister Justin Trudeau enjoyed a 'chill' meal together earlier this week. Le Violon says the celebrity guests were warm and friendly with staff.