It's the final bell for cellphones in Quebec classrooms as the province's Education Department plans to ban their use in most teaching settings.Education Minister Bernard Drainville is scheduled to make the announcement this morning.The directive would only apply to public elementary and high schools and would still allow teachers to use mobile phones for lessons.A spring survey of 7,000 teachers conducted by a federation of 34 teacher unions found that 92 per cent of respondents were in favour of such a measure.Federation president Josée Scalabrini said at the time that teachers wanted to re

The intensity of the McDougall Creek wildfire has decreased.Dozens of evacuation orders and alerts issued in B.C.'s Okanagan Valley have been reduced.Central Okanagan Emergency Operations announced that residents of several properties within Westbank First Nation, Kelowna, West Kelowna and Lake Country can return home, but should still be prepared to leave at a moment's notice.Five properties in Kelowna were destroyed while several in Lake Country sustained exterior damage, Kelowna Mayor Tom Deas said.

Experts say that the smoke spread in Metro Vancouver due to forest fires is toxic and can cause many health problems.Burnaby's Dr. Susan Kwan says the air is full of toxins that will make it difficult for people to breathe, whether they have health problems or not.She said that air contains nitric oxide and aromatic hydrocarbons, and such elements are toxic to the body.This can cause skin irritation, eye irritation, itching, pain or irritation in the nose.Dr. Kwan says that to avoid these problems, limit your outdoor time and drink plenty of water.The smoke is expected to persist for the next

Social media conglomerate Meta has responded to criticism from both Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and B-C Premier David Eby on its decision to continue its ban on Canadian news content on Facebook and Instagram.Meta says in a statement that the company has been clear since February about the federal Online News Act and its effect on Canadian news content on its platforms.The statement also says Canadians can still access news by going directly to news outlets' websites and mobile apps, while Facebook continues to carry emergency information through crisis-response pages for both Kelowna and Ye

The Canadian government is considering putting a cap on international student visas to deal with the housing crisis.Former Immigration Minister Sean Fraser gave this information while talking to journalists.Speaking to reporters in Charlottetown on Monday, he said capping the number of international students to ease pressure on the housing market is one of the options he should consider.It is worth noting that Canada is a popular choice for international students because it is easier to get a work permit compared to other countries.According to official data, 800,000 foreign students came to C

The Insurance Bureau of Canada says it may not be possible to estimate insured losses from the fires currently burning in British Columbia, however, experts say that one should start processing the insurance claims as soon as possible. .Daniel Ivans of Rates dot ca says that when filing a claim, not every detail of the damage needs to be provided right now, and relevant information can be added later.The Insurance Bureau of Canada says all standard homeowners and tenant insurance policies cover fire damage, and also provide coverage to help with mass evacuation costs.

In the wake of the devastating wildfires in Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has condemned Meta's decision to block news on its platforms in Canada.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is in Prince Edward Island for a cabinet retreat, where he commented on Meta that people in Canada are neither sharing nor receiving news on Facebook and Instagram.In fact, since the federal government passed its Online News Act Bill C-18 in June, Meta has blocked news on its platforms in Canada.It is worth noting that due to the wildfires, the pressure to remove the news ban on Meta is increasing.On the other han

The West Kelowna fire chief says at least 50 structures have been destroyed by the McDougal Creek fire on both sides of Okanagan Lake.Jason Brolund says the damage assessment is not complete and the status of more buildings is likely to be confirmed in the coming days.Officials, however, have said that the crew has made good progress in the last few days and no casualties have been reported in the last 24 hours.The fire is still spreading in about 11,000 hectares.Evacuation orders and alerts continue for various communities in Kelowna and West Kelowna.

A Canadian government minister on Friday demanded that Meta remove a ban on domestic news from its platform so that the country's people can get information about wildfires in the West.Meta began blocking news on its Facebook and Instagram platforms for all users in Canada this month.Transport Minister Pablo Rodríguez said that what Meta is doing now is completely unacceptable, and that it is very wrong not to get such information to the public.They demanded that Meta withdraw the decision.A Meta spokesperson, on the other hand, said the company has activated a "Safety Check" feature on Faceb