The voice of Ashlee Shingoose, discussing her determination to start a new life, echoed in a Manitoba Superior Court Friday, as her family addressed a judge for the first time to express the devastation caused by her murder at the hands of a serial killer.

Ms. Shingoose, then 30, had sent the voice clip to her mother, Theresa, shortly before she went missing in March of 2022. She moved to Winnipeg from her Northern Manitoba home in St. Theresa Point First Nation, hoping for better work, but began to struggle with homelessness and was seeking help for addiction issues.

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.

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.

Standing along the rocky shores of Cape Breton Island, Jonathan Kanary is trying not to feel completely defeated. The manager and backcountry guide of a Nova Scotia adventure-tourism company, Live Life InTents, has been turning away customer after customer, many of whom drove across the country or flew overseas to be there.

Nearby, atop the Mabou Highlands walled by the Atlantic Ocean, Capes 100, a world-renowned trail race, has been cancelled this weekend – with organizers issuing deferrals and partial refunds for dozens of participants, while mile-marker signage is being haphazardly taken down by hand.

Rapidly growing wildfires in several provinces forced thousands of people from their homes and prompted air-quality warnings in cities thousands of kilometres away, while hot and dry conditions had other areas on high alert, including Nova Scotia, where the government banned most summertime activities in wooded areas.

The deteriorating conditions have added up to a wildfire season that is on track to be one of Canada’s worst on record in terms of area burned, second only to 2023.

Harsh temperatures and heavy smoke have triggered heat warnings and air-quality alerts for large swaths of the country this weekend, as hundreds of wildfires remain uncontained in Western and Central Canada.

Higher-risk conditions are anticipated in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, prompting special bulletins from Environment and Climate Change Canada for dozens of cities and towns. Meteorologists expect dryness, heat and lower precipitation to create ripe weather conditions for intense fire behaviour.

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.