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London, Ont., hospital accuses former CEO of failing to act on evidence of alleged $50-million contract fraud

London Health Sciences Centre alleges inflated contracts were steered to companies with ties to a former vice-president of the hospital network.

One of Ontario’s largest hospital corporations is taking the unusual step of suing its former chief executive and two senior administrators, alleging they failed to act properly when they were presented with evidence of a procurement fraud.

London Health Sciences Centre, which manages three hospitals and more than 15,000 employees, announced two lawsuits this week stemming from an investigation into an alleged $50-million fraud scheme. The hospital network alleges inflated contracts were steered to companies with ties to a former vice-president of London Health Sciences.

Residents of Quadeville, Ont., shocked to learn a human – and not an animal – may be behind injuries to eight-year-old girl

Police have charged a 17-year-old boy with attempted murder and sexual assault of an eight-year-old girl that police initially believed was an animal attack.

Up until two days ago, the residents of the tiny Ontario community of Quadeville had been on high alert. Some children were kept indoors, and parents were on the lookout for a possibly violent and unpredictable creature.

The fear stemmed from the discovery of a missing eight-year-old girl on June 24 who had been so savagely attacked, investigators warned residents that they believed it must have been an animal.

Trump threatens 35% tariffs on Canadian goods starting Aug. 1

U.S. President Donald Trump says the U.S. will impose 35 per cent tariffs on Canada starting Aug. 1 in a letter posted on his social media site Truth Social.

U.S. President Donald Trump said he would impose 35-per-cent tariffs on imports from Canada starting Aug 1, upping pressure on Ottawa as it seeks to secure a deal with the White House over the next week.

In a letter posted on his website Truth Social on Thursday evening, Mr. Trump said he would increase the tariffs that were imposed on Canada in March and currently stand at 25 per cent. Mr. Trump justified the levies as an effort to force Canada to do more to address U.S complaints about fentanyl trafficking and illegal migration.

Ten people hospitalized with measles in British Columbia as disease spreads

The B.C. Health Ministry says there have been 102 confirmed measles cases this year in province, with most involving people who were not fully immunized. 

Ten people are hospitalized with measles in British Columbia, with one active, contagious case as of July 8, the province’s Health Ministry said.

It said the infections are among 102 confirmed cases this year, with most involving people who were not fully immunized.

© Geoff Robins

A dose of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination awaits the next patient during a vaccine clinic at Southwestern Public Health in St. Thomas, Ont. on Tuesday, March 4, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Geoff Robins

Justin Bieber teases long-awaited seventh album on billboards with word ‘Swag’

Justin Bieber, pictured at the 2021 Met Gala in New York, teased his seventh album in a series of billboards and social media posts.

Justin Bieber is teasing his long-awaited seventh studio album – apparently called Swag – with a series of billboards and social media posts Thursday.

Billboards depicting Bieber were found by fans in Reykjavik, Iceland, and in Los Angeles with the word “Swag.” The singer also shared images of billboards on his official Instagram account that appeared to depict a track list that includes song names like All I Can Take, Walking Away, Dadz Love and Forgiveness.

Polaris Music Prize shortlist includes Mustafa, Nemahsis

Alt-pop singer Nemahsis arrives for the Juno Awards in Vancouver on March 30. She and Mustafa are among 10 acts shortlisted for the Polaris Music Prize.

Contemporary folk-poet Mustafa, alt-pop singer Nemahsis and electronic experimentalist Marie Davidson are among the 10 acts shortlisted for the Polaris Music Prize, which carries a slimmed-down cash reward this year.

Organizers say the best Canadian album winner will receive $30,000, down from $50,000, as various sponsors scale back financial contributions.

© ETHAN CAIRNS

Nemahsis arrives for the Juno Awards, in Vancouver, on Sunday, March 30, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns

Hydro-Québec suspends work at planned Labrador hydroelectric station because of protests

Protest signs in a supplied photo at the site of a tentatively planned hydroelectric development at Gull Island in Labrador on Wednesday.

Protesters have blockaded a Hydro-Québec work site at a proposed hydroelectric project in traditional Innu territory in Labrador, prompting the utility to suspend its operations in the area.

Jerome Jack was among the demonstrators gathered at the site at Gull Island on Thursday afternoon. Innu people in Labrador, he said, were not properly consulted by the Innu Nation nor Hydro-Québec about the proposed power plant.

Arctic shipping noise is silencing narwhals and shifting their movements, study finds

A pod of narwhals in 2005.

On the floe edge near Pond Inlet, in the northern part of Baffin Island, Nunavut, narwhal pods are migrating to open waters.

As landfast sea ice retreats and shifts to create passageways through open water, the ice-loving toothed whales journey into Eclipse Sound – the eastern Arctic entrance to the Northwest Passage – before venturing deeper into coastal inlets to forage for foods.

Cineplex reports $51.8-million in June box office revenue

Cineplex Inc. says its box office revenue for June totalled $51.8 million, marking the first quarter since 2019 that it topped $50 million in each month. The company says a steady stream of blockbuster titles, combined with strong demand for its premium formats drove sustained attendance and revenue growth throughout the quarter.

Alberta to ban books deemed sexually explicit from school libraries

Demetrios Nicolaides, Alberta's Minister of Education and Childcare, will require all school boards to create or update policies to restrict books the province deems sexually explicit.

Alberta has issued a ministerial order to restrict books from school libraries that the province believes are sexually explicit, instructing authorities to remove the material by October and prohibit students from accessing it.

Demetrios Nicolaides, Alberta’s Education and Childcare Minister, said Premier Danielle Smith’s government will require all school boards to create or update policies to meet the province’s new safeguards. Until now, he stressed, schools had “zero standards” to select appropriate content for libraries.

Manitoba wildfires prompt second declaration of provincewide state of emergency

A wildfire burns in northern Manitoba near Flin Flon.

Wildfires have burned through more than a million hectares of forest in Manitoba this year, prompting Premier Wab Kinew to declare a second provincewide state of emergency and call upon the military to help once again with thousands of evacuations from fly-in communities.

The province, which was under a state of emergency until late last month, made the latest declaration Thursday. More than 12,600 people across the province are now being told to leave their homes, many for the second time.

Cineplex reports $51.8-million in June box office revenue

Cineplex box office revenue for the second quarter totalled $158.5-million, up from $114.5-million last year.

Cineplex Inc. CGX-T says its box office revenue for June totalled $51.8-million, marking the first quarter since 2019 that it topped $50-million in each month.

The movie theatre company says a steady stream of blockbuster titles, combined with strong demand for its premium formats drove sustained attendance and revenue growth throughout the quarter.

From sea with love: Newfoundland couple’s message in a bottle found 13 years later on Irish shore

Brad and Anita Squires cast a message in a bottle out to sea on Bell Island in 2012 which was found Monday more than 3,000 kilometres away on a beach along the southwest coast of Ireland.

A romantic message in a bottle thrown from the cliffs of an island off Newfoundland nearly 13 years ago was found on a beach in Ireland this week – and the couple behind it are still in love.

Brad and Anita Squires had been dating for about a year when they decided to end a quiet September picnic on Bell Island in 2012 by casting a message out to sea.

Morning Update: Canada’s back-to-the-office push hits a wall

Good morning. Companies can’t seem to get the face time they want from their workers – more on that below, along with Donald Trump’s latest tariff threat and the generic Ozempic coming to Canada. But first:

Today’s headlines

© Cole Burston

It's quiet downtown.

Soldiers accused in Quebec extremist plot allegedly had night-vision gear prohibited for civilians

This RCMP handout photo shows an example of military equipment seized from four people, including active members of the Canadian Armed Forces, who are facing charges in connection with an alleged terrorist plot.

Some of the kinds of tactical gear that the RCMP alleges was in the hands of the soldiers arrested in Quebec is highly restricted and is generally inaccessible to individuals, experts say.

On Tuesday, the Mounties arrested and charged four men in connection with an alleged terrorist plot. Two are active non-commissioned army officers, one is a former soldier and the fourth a former cadet instructor.

Wheelchair rugby legend Garett Hickling was Canada’s flag bearer at the 2012 Paralympics

Garett Hickling earned comparisons to hockey’s Wayne Gretzky for his uncanny ability to anticipate a play.

Garett Hickling wheeled into the Olympic Stadium in London before hoisting a large Canadian flag with his left hand.

The wheelchair rugby legend was given the honour of leading 145 athletes, 12 support personnel and 134 officials as Canada’s flag bearer at the 2012 Paralympics, a highlight in a career that included four Paralympic medals and a world championship gold medal.

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Wheelchair, Rugby, Garett, Hickling, Athens, 2004. Credit: CPC & Jean-Baptiste Benavent  

Canada will ‘align’ with new rules after TSA drops shoes-off policy for airport screening

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Tuesday that passengers at American airports no longer need to remove their shoes for security screening.

Ottawa says it will work to align its flight security regulations with those in the U.S. after Washington dropped a rule that required passengers to remove their shoes during security screenings.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Tuesday that passengers at American airports no longer need to remove their shoes because officials have found other ways to keep travellers safe.

Vancouver Lapu-Lapu attack inquiry urges B.C. mandate risk assessments for all public events

Members of the Vancouver Police forensics team examine the scene where a vehicle drove into a crowd at a Lapu-Lapu Day street festival Saturday evening in Vancouver on April 27.

An independent commission tasked with improving safety at public events in B.C. after a deadly vehicle attack at a Filipino street festival has recommended that the province mandate risk assessments for all such gatherings, clarify jurisdictional roles and improve training.

The province convened the Commission of Inquiry into Community Events Safety in May after the April 26 vehicle attack. Eleven people died and dozens more were injured when an SUV barrelled through the busy Lapu-Lapu Day block party on the city’s eastside, casting fear and uncertainty on to the summer festival season ahead.

U.S. Congress members press Canada to deal with wildfire smoke ruining their summer

Smoke billows from a small wildfire burning in a neighbourhood near the Kelowna International Airport in B.C.

The United States is complaining about another Canadian export: wildfire smoke ruining the summer in their neck of the woods.

Six Republican members of the U.S. Congress have penned a public letter to Canada’s ambassador in Washington, demanding that their northern neighbour do better at mitigating wildfires, which have led to thousands of evacuations in this country and sent thick smoke billowing across the border over the past couple of months.

Canadian camps see safety planning ‘ripple effect’ after Texas flood, organizers say

Brad Halsey, an Alberta summer camp director and board vice-chair of the Alberta Camping Association, is questioning camp policies after floods in Texas killed more than 100 people.

Canadian summer camp organizers say they expect a ripple effect of bolstered emergency plans and preparations this summer after more than two dozen campers and camp counsellors were killed by severe flash floods in Texas on Friday.

“I would be shocked if there aren’t a lot of people that are looking at this and taking pause, even reflecting on their own policies,” said Brad Halsey, an Alberta summer camp director and board vice-chair of the Alberta Camping Association.

Edmontonians vote to make magpies city’s official bird

Black-billed magpies can be seen walking, soaring and chirping in nearly every neighbourhood in Edmonton.

Nita Jalkanen says she checks on the avian neighbours that fly into her Edmonton backyard to drink from her bird bath nearly every day with her dog Ariel.

“I talk to them. I say, ’Good morning or good afternoon, Mr. Magpie’ and they feel safe so there’s no squawking,” said the 59-year-old in an interview.

Ontario college sector facing one of province’s largest mass layoffs, union says

When the number of international students plummeted after the cap was introduced 18 months ago, colleges – foreseeing deficits ahead – began to cut jobs and programs.

Ontario colleges have been shedding thousands of jobs over the past year in what is being described as one of the largest mass layoffs in the province’s history by the union that represents most college faculty.

More than 8,000 jobs have been or will be lost in the college sector since the federal government imposed a cap on the number of international study permits in January, 2024. That figure was released in a recent report from arbitrator William Kaplan.

Edmonton makes magpie official city bird

Black-billed magpies can be seen walking, soaring and chirping in nearly every neighbourhood in Edmonton. Elly Knight, an avian ecologist with the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute, says Edmonton identifies with the creature and recently voted to make it the city's official bird.

Morning Update: Another Trump cabinet deepfake

Good morning. Scammers keep using AI to pass themselves off as top White House officials – more on that below, along with the latest tariffs on Canadian exports and the rules of a good prenup. But first:

Today’s headlines

© Andrew Harnik

Attorney General Pam Bondi, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and President Donald Trump at a cabinet meeting yesterday.

Ottawa Hospital receives US$2.3-million in funding for bipolar disorder research

Dr. Jess Fiedorowicz, the head of mental health at The Ottawa Hospital, will be leading the BD² site in Ottawa.

In 2013, Ruby Rubaiyat left a series of desperate voicemails with psychiatrists in Ottawa he had Googled, seeking help for his suicidal thoughts. This began an eight-year journey of misdiagnoses and unsuccessful treatments before a manic episode finally catalyzed a correct diagnosis of bipolar disorder.

But since then, Mr. Rubaiyat has continued struggling for relief, cycling through 11 failed treatment regimens while his career, relationships and self-esteem have frayed.

Explosion at B.C. minister’s office shows no evidence of political motivations, police say

B.C. Infrastructure Minister Bowinn Ma's office after an explosion early in the morning in North Vancouver on June 27. RCMP said the explosive was homemade and 'unsophisticated.'

An “unsophisticated, homemade” bomb blew open the door at a British Columbia cabinet minister’s constituency office in North Vancouver last month, RCMP said Tuesday.

Corporal Mansoor Sahak said the Mounties’ explosive disposal unit determined the bomb was likely set off with a burning fuse.

© HO

Two suspects that the North Vancouver RCMP are looking for in relation to an event where an "unsophisticated, homemade" bomb blew open the door at a British Columbia cabinet minister's constituency office in North Vancouver last month are shown in a combination image made from CCTV footage provide by the RCMP in a handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - North Vancouver RCMP (Mandatory Credit)

Yukon gold mine spill one of two ‘most catastrophic failures’ in heap-leach mining history, expert says

Victoria Gold's Eagle gold mine site north of Mayo, Y.T., is shown in this handout aerial photo taken Wednesday, July 3, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Yukon Government (Mandatory Credit)

The spill of about two million tonnes of cyanide-soaked ore at a Yukon gold mine was one of the two “most catastrophic failures” in the 45-year history of the heap-leaching mining process, an engineer tasked with reviewing it said.

Mark Smith said the disasters last year, the other occurring in Turkey, would “define the next 10 or 20 years for heap-leach practices,” in which minerals are extracted from piles of ore by running liquid chemicals through them.

Fish-farming companies stashing plastic garbage along Newfoundland coast, conservation group alleges

Degraded and broken sea cages and old salmon farming equipment tied together and anchored at The Locker near Gaultois, N.L., in a supplied photo.

An eastern Canadian conservation group is calling for a moratorium on aquaculture expansion in Newfoundland and Labrador, alleging fish-farming companies are stashing plastic garbage along the province’s remote southern coastline.

In a report summary released Tuesday, the Atlantic Salmon Federation said satellite images suggest aquaculture companies appear to have left broken cages, rope and other debris in six sites along Newfoundland’s south coast.

Meet the women breaking barriers at the Calgary Stampede’s newest competition

When the Calgary Stampede’s program is tweaked, it’s news. After all, the last time the landmark rodeo introduced a new competition was nearly 50 years ago when ladies’ barrel racing was added.

The Stampede’s decision in March to add breakaway roping – a women’s calf-roping event that has been a mainstay at American rodeos for years – was a big deal.

© LEAH HENNEL

Macy Rae Auclair with her horse Chrome practices roping at her family’s spread near Ponoka, Alta., on July 2, 2025. Auclair will be competing in the historic first ever breakaway roping event held at the Calgary Stampede. LEAH HENNEL /THE GLOBE AND MAIL

NHL, NHLPA ratify four-year collective bargaining agreement

Ron Hainsey (left), NHLPA Assistant Executive Director, Marty Walsh, NHLPA Executive Director, Gary Bettman, NHL Commissioner, and Bill Daly, NHL Deputy Commissioner, pose for photos after a joint press conference before the NHL draft on June 27, 2025, in Los Angeles.

The NHL’s Board of Governors and the NHL Players’ Association membership have ratified a four-year collective bargaining agreement through the 2029-30 season, the two sides announced Tuesday.

In a joint statement, the league and the union said details of the agreement will be available at a later date.

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