Vue lecture
London, Ont., hospital accuses former CEO of failing to act on evidence of alleged $50-million contract fraud
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
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 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.
Lt.-Gen. Jamie Speiser-Blanchet becomes first woman to lead Canada’s air force

Lt.-Gen. Jamie Speiser-Blanchet made history Thursday by becoming the first woman to lead the Royal Canadian Air Force.
She took the reins from Lt.-Gen. Eric Kenny at a change-of-command ceremony at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum presided over by Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jennie Carignan.
Ten people hospitalized with measles in British Columbia as disease spreads

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

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.
Aquaculture debris along Newfoundland coast not harming fish, federal government says

The federal Fisheries Department says it found no evidence that fish-farming waste along Newfoundland’s south coast was harming fish or their habitat.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada says it reviewed reports that companies were allegedly dumping marine debris in the region.
Polaris Music Prize shortlist includes Mustafa, Nemahsis
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
Government extends temporary tariff relief for businesses through employment insurance

The federal government is extending changes it made in March to the employment insurance program in response to the trade war with the U.S.
The changes were meant to help businesses retain workers by reducing their hours and compensating them through employment insurance for lost wages.
Ontario sees gradual decline in new measles cases since May peak
Infectious-disease experts are cautiously optimistic that Ontario’s measles outbreak will continue to taper off after a gradual decline in new cases over the past two months.
Cases peaked in early May, show provincial data, with weekly case counts hovering around 200. They have since been declining with some variation.
Hydro-Québec suspends work at planned Labrador hydroelectric station because of protests

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
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
Alberta to ban books deemed sexually explicit from school libraries
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
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 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.
PEI lobster fishers are passing tradition down the line
© Nathan Rochford
(Nathan Rochford/The Globe and Mail)
Newfoundland couple’s message in a bottle found in Ireland 13 years later
From sea with love: Newfoundland couple’s message in a bottle found 13 years later on Irish shore

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
- Border bill would create “in limbo” foreign residents who can’t be sent home or get an asylum hearing, refugee groups say
- U.S. Congress members press Canada to deal with the wildfire smoke ruining their summer
- Vancouver’s Lapu-Lapu attack inquiry urges B.C. to mandate risk assessments for all public events
- A memorial ceremony is held for those killed in the Texas floods, with more than 160 still missing
© Cole Burston
Soldiers accused in Quebec extremist plot allegedly had night-vision gear prohibited for civilians

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.
Ontario teen charged with attempted murder, sexual assault after child attacked

A teen from eastern Ontario is accused of attempted murder and sex assault after a child was attacked last month.
Ontario Provincial Police say they responded to a report of a missing child on June 24 in Quadeville, about 170 kilometres west of Ottawa.
Wheelchair rugby legend Garett Hickling was Canada’s flag bearer at the 2012 Paralympics
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.
©
Just for Laughs founder Gilbert Rozon says his life has been ruined by sexual assault allegations

Just for Laughs founder Gilbert Rozon says he’s been treated like a pariah in the eight years since he was publicly accused by multiple women of sexual assault.
The disgraced former comedy mogul says the allegations have ruined his life and cost him his company.
Canada will ‘align’ with new rules after TSA drops shoes-off policy for airport 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
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
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.
Impala Canada closing Ontario palladium mine because of low prices

Impala Platinum Holding Ltd. plans to end production at its Lac des Iles mine in northwestern Ontario at the end of May next year due to low palladium prices.
The South African company currently employs about 750 people at the mine north of Thunder Bay, Ont.
Chinese company ordered to shut down calls Ottawa’s national security review process ‘unfair’

A Chinese maker of surveillance camera systems says the national security review process that led the federal government to order it to shut down its Canadian operations was unfair.
Hikvision makes the arguments in a court filing challenging a June 27 directive from the federal government to close down its business in Canada.
Canadian camps see safety planning ‘ripple effect’ after Texas flood, organizers say

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.
Golf course fight involving former NHLer Tarnasky prompts investigation

Red Deer Minor Hockey says it is conducting an internal investigation after a video surfaced showing one of its coaches, former NHL player Nick Tarnasky, involved in a fight at a golf course.
The incident took place recently at Alberta Springs Golf Resort, just outside Red Deer, Alta.
Edmontonians vote to make magpies city’s official bird

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
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
Police looking for suspects after three people stabbed at Calgary Stampede

Police say they are looking for suspects after three people were stabbed at the Calgary Stampede late Tuesday.
Calgary police have said officers were called to an area of the Stampede midway, where they found a severely injured man. He was taken to hospital in serious condition, Acting Inspector Scott Campbell said Wednesday.
Ottawa set to miss 2026 deadline for establishing $10-a-day child care, report says

Ottawa is expected to miss its 2026 deadline to implement $10-a-day child care services across the country, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives said in a new report published on Wednesday.
The analysis concluded that just six provinces and territories are meeting that fee target now.
Purdys to sell outside own stores for the first time as ‘buy Canadian’ demand continues

Purdys Chocolatier says the buy Canadian movement has generated so much demand for its products that it decided to sell them outside its own stores for the first time in its 118-year history.
The Vancouver-based confectionary company’s products can now be found on the shelves of Save-On-Foods, a western Canadian grocer.
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
- Canadian Armed Forces members are among four people charged in a Quebec extremist plot
- Federal spending on contracts needs a major overhaul the ombudsman says
- Russia launches another record drone attack at Ukraine
© Andrew Harnik
Ottawa Hospital receives US$2.3-million in funding for bipolar disorder research
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
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
Yukon gold mine spill one of two ‘most catastrophic failures’ in heap-leach mining history, expert says

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

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.
Two pilots dead after small planes collide mid-air in Manitoba
Two student pilots have died after their small airplanes crashed mid-air in Manitoba’s rural municipality of Hanover.
RCMP confirmed that the pilots – a man and a woman – were pronounced dead on scene Tuesday near wreckage, just above an hour-long drive south of Winnipeg.
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
NHL, NHLPA ratify four-year collective bargaining agreement

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.
Nunavut Premier says he won’t run for re-election, is leaving politics to spend time with family

The premier of Nunavut has announced he will not seek re-election when his term as a member of the territorial assembly expires this fall.
P.J. Akeeagok says he’s leaving politics to spend more time with his family and not for another political position.
Toronto’s homeless population more than doubled between 2021 and 2024, survey says

The number of homeless people in Toronto has more than doubled between the spring of 2021 and last fall, a newly released survey showed.
Toronto’s Street Needs Assessment survey estimated that 15,400 people were homeless in Toronto last October, up from about 7,300 in April of 2021.
Insolvencies in Canada in May down 2.6 per cent from same month last year

Insolvency statistics for May show a rise from April but are down from a year ago, when the Bank of Canada had yet to start lowering interest rates.
The 12,395 insolvencies in May were up 2.3 per cent from April, while down 2.6 per cent from May last year, according to data released Tuesday by the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy.