B.C. NDP Leader David Eby announced during a campaign stop in Burnaby that, if re-elected, his government would introduce a new empty condo tax targeting developers who leave completed condo units unsold and vacant for more than a year. Under the proposed measure, the tax would increase by one percentage point for each additional year a unit remains vacant. Eby said just 10 developers are holding more than $2 billion worth of completed condos that they are unwilling to sell at what he described as reasonable prices. He warned developers that they would have to either sell the units or pay the

Resolving the trade dispute between Canada and the United States could take considerable time, as the Trump administration says it is in no rush to reach a new trade agreement with Canada. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told CNBC in an interview Friday that significant trade is still taking place between the two countries and that the Trump administration is satisfied with the current situation. Greer said the U.S. trade policy is global in scope and applies equally to countries including Canada, China, the U.K. and Brazil. He also confirmed that his team remains in contact with Cana

RCMP have arrested and charged a 45-year-old Quebec City man for allegedly making threats against Prime Minister Mark Carney on social media. Police identified the accused as Ousmane Bah, who allegedly used his Facebook account to make death threats against the prime minister. The investigation began on July 6, and Bah appeared in court on September 24. He faces charges related to threats to cause death or bodily harm and promoting hatred against a public figure. According to the court’s decision, Bah will remain in police custody until his next court appearance on October 1. This is reporte

Two people were hospitalized after a serious two-vehicle crash in Surrey on Thursday night that caused a pickup truck to roll over. According to Surrey Police Service and B.C. Emergency Health Services, the collision occurred at around 10 p.m. at the intersection of 152 Street and 99 Avenue. A Mercedes and a Ram pickup truck collided, sending the pickup rolling into a utility pole before coming to rest on its side. Surrey Fire Service and paramedics responded to the scene and transported two occupants to hospital. Police confirmed that their injuries were not life-threatening. Police have not

The United States has proposed holding trilateral talks in the United Arab Emirates as part of efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday. According to Zelenskyy, the US has suggested the UAE as a potential venue for technical-level trilateral discussions involving the United States, Ukraine and Russia. Kyiv is now awaiting a proposal from Washington on the date for the meeting. The proposal came after Zelenskyy met US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. Zelenskyy said negotiators from the two countr

The trials of two Brampton men accused in Canada’s largest-ever gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport have been separated after they were initially scheduled to face a joint jury trial. Ontario Court Justice Nancy Denison granted a request from 39-year-old Archit Grover’s lawyer to hold separate trials. Both Grover and 56-year-old Brampton resident Parmpal Sidhu have also chosen to have their cases heard by a judge alone rather than by a jury. Sidhu worked at the Air Canada warehouse from where approximately $22 million worth of gold was stolen in 2023. He was arrested in Can

Friday is the final day for Albertans to apply for a mail-in ballot for the upcoming referendum. Elections Alberta will accept applications until midnight tonight. Completed special ballot packages must be received by Elections Alberta by 5 p.m. on October 16. As of Thursday afternoon, approximately 673,000 Albertans had requested mail-in ballots, a sharp increase from the 59,589 special ballot requests recorded during the 2023 provincial election. Elections Alberta has attributed the high demand, in part, to changes that removed the requirement to provide a reason for requesting a special bal

A new report by U.S. magazine Mother Jones has revealed details of the alleged ChatGPT history of Jesse Van Rootselaar, the 18-year-old identified in connection with the mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C. According to the report, Van Rootselaar had previously used ChatGPT to discuss a potential mass shooting at a shopping mall, after which the account was banned. She later created a second account and allegedly told the chatbot that the earlier scenario had been fictional. Mother Jones reports that Van Rootselaar subsequently used hypothetical or fictional framing to get responses to violent

Two former B.C. MLAs facing serious criminal charges could be back on the ballot in the upcoming provincial election. Former B.C. Conservative MLA Jordan Kealy has already confirmed that he will run as an independent in Peace River North. Kealy was charged in June with sexual assault in connection with an alleged incident that occurred before he became an MLA in 2024. He has denied the allegation and says he is innocent. The case has not yet gone to trial. Meanwhile, the office of former Richmond Centre MLA Hon Chan says he is considering running again. Chan is facing charges including assault