The co-founders of a Vancouver-based “compassion club” that distributed small quantities of heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine say their Charter rights - and those of drug users - were violated when their organization was shut down and they were arrested earlier this year. Eris Nyx and Jeremy Kalicum, founders of the Drug User Liberation Front (DULF), have filed a constitutional challenge in B.C. Supreme Court, arguing that closing their compassion club has deprived members of a safe, predictable drug supply and forced them back into the toxic and often lethal street market. Their court

Alberta Health Minister Adriana LaGrange says the province’s new Primary Care Alberta agency - tasked with improving access to family doctors and nurse practitioners - will be operational by next month as part of the government’s major overhaul of the province’s health system. The new organization will focus on strengthening primary care delivery, developing new models of patient-centred care, and expanding after-hours access through virtual services. LaGrange said the move is designed to ensure Albertans can get timely access to medical care, especially in communities struggling with do

In a rare diplomatic development, India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad on Tuesday, marking the first high-level bilateral interaction between the two neighbours in nearly nine years. The two leaders exchanged greetings and shook hands during an informal dinner hosted by Prime Minister Sharif ahead of the 23rd meeting of the Council of Heads of Government (CHG) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), which Pakistan is hosting this year. The visit is being seen as a significant diplomatic step by New Delhi, given th

The operator of a northwestern Alberta pulp mill has been fined $1 million after nearly 31 million litres of toxic wastewater were released into the Peace River, posing a serious threat to aquatic life and the surrounding ecosystem. Environment and Climate Change Canada says the 2021 discharge by Mercer Peace River Pulp Ltd. was found to be “acutely lethal” to fish, in violation of the Fisheries Act. The company pleaded guilty last month, and as a result, its name will now be added to the federal Environmental Offenders Registry. According to investigators, the release occurred in April 20

The Government of Canada has officially listed the pro-Palestinian group Samidoun as a terrorist organization under the Criminal Code, citing its close ties to a group already designated as a terrorist entity - the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc announced the designation on Tuesday, saying it is now a criminal offence to donate or provide property, financial assistance, or other resources to the group. LeBlanc said the listing reflects Canada’s “commitment to protecting public safety and countering violent extremism.” Samidoun

An Air India flight traveling from New Delhi to Chicago made an emergency landing in Nunavut early Tuesday morning after a security threat was posted online, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Authorities say Flight AI127 landed safely at Iqaluit International Airport at 5:21 a.m., and all 211 passengers and crew members were safely relocated to the terminal for further screening. In a statement, Air India said the emergency diversion was a precautionary measure following the online threat. The airline added that it and other international carriers have recently been the ta

With the B.C. election campaign entering its final week, Conservative Leader John Rustad is doubling down on promises aimed at winning over voters in Surrey, including a pledge to build a new Children’s Hospital complete with an emergency ward, ICU, and maternity unit. Rustad made the announcement over the long weekend as part of a series of high-profile commitments, including his proposed “Rustad rebate” that would exempt up to $3,000 a month in rent or mortgage payments from provincial taxes and a plan to scrap the carbon tax entirely. He also vowed to eliminate the province’s nearly

In a major development within the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), senior leader and spokesperson Virsa Singh Valtoha has resigned from the party shortly after the Akal Takht Sahib issued directives for his 10-year expulsion over allegations of misconduct and disrespect toward Sikh leadership. According to the order issued by Sri Akal Takht Sahib Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh, Valtoha was to be removed from the primary membership and all organizational posts of the Shiromani Akali Dal within 24 hours. The directive cited “serious violations of Sikh principles” and remarks that allegedly disrespec

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced the schedule for by-elections to four Vidhan Sabha constituencies in Punjab, setting the polling date for November 13 and counting of votes for November 23. According to details shared during the ECI’s press conference in New Delhi, the Barnala, Dera Baba Nanak, Chabbewal, and Gidderbaha assembly seats will go to the polls next month. Of the four seats, three were previously held by the Congress and one by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The vacancies were created after the sitting MLAs were elected to Parliament during the 2024 Lok Sabha elect