The B.C. government, led by Premier David Eby, will present the provincial budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year on March 4. This budget will mark the first presented by the new Finance Minister, Brenda Bailey. Minister Bailey faces the challenge of balancing the budget as tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump continue to threaten the province’s businesses and jobs. The provincial government has already projected a $9 billion deficit for the current fiscal year, the largest budget deficit in Canadian history relative to the size of a provincial economy. In December, Finance Minister B

U.S. President Donald Trump is weighing in on domestic Canadian politics as his deadline to impose steep tariffs on Canada inches closer. In an interview with The Spectator, Trump called Liberal leadership candidate Chrystia Freeland terrible and "a whack" — and claimed credit for her resignation as finance minister. Trump also remarked on Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, saying that "his biggest problem is he's not a MAGA guy." An edited transcript of the Thursday interview with Trump did not provide any new insights into what Canada might do to stop the devastating duties from going f

Critics say the government's new budget misses the mark on education and health-care funding, leaving issues like emergency room wait times and overcrowded classrooms to go from bad to worse. Alberta Teachers' Association president Jason Schilling says the nearly 10-billion dollars set aside for the K-to-12 school system doesn't keep up with population growth and inflation. Schilling says he understands that oil revenues are expected to drop and potential tariffs from the United States are putting the province in limbo, but education should be a priority. Public Interest Alberta e

A new infrastructure minister has been named in Alberta after the resignation of the previous one earlier this week. Martin Long was appointed to the cabinet post on Thursday. The move comes after Peter Guthrie resigned as infrastructure minister over concerns about government purchasing practices. Guthrie remains in the United Conservative caucus but now sits as a backbencher with no cabinet responsibilities.

British Columbia's energy minister says the province will soon require Canadian-made products to fulfil renewable fuel standards for gasoline and diesel. Adrian Dix says B.C.'s requirement of five-per-cent renewable fuel content for gasoline must be met with Canadian-made fuel starting Jan. 1, 2026. He says the province is also boosting the minimum renewable requirement for diesel from four to eight per cent effective immediately, and that percentage must be Canadian-made starting April 1. Dix says the United States provides "dramatic subsidies" for its own biofuel industry to a degree that cu

A powerful bomb exploded at a mosque within a pro-Taliban seminary in northwestern Pakistan on Friday, killing at least five worshippers and wounding dozens of others ahead of the fasting month of Ramadan, according to local police. The blast occurred in Akkora Khattak, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Abdul Rashid, a district police chief said. He said officers are investigating, and the dead and wounded are being transported to hospitals. No group has immediately claimed responsibility for the attack inside Jamia Haqqania, a seminary which is known for links with the Afghan Taliban

Alberta’s finances, tied for generations to the steep peaks and sharp valleys of oil and gas prices, are once again plunging deep into deficit, with no immediate relief in sight. Finance Minister Nate Horner has introduced a budget that projects a $5.2-billion deficit this fiscal year on total spending of $79 billion. That represents an $11-billion swing from the current budget, which is on track to register a surplus close to $6 billion. It’s the first deficit under Premier Danielle Smith and the first since the COVID-19-era budget of 2020, and the province expects the deficits will remai

A 35-year-old Indian student in America is admitted to a California hospital after being seriously injured in a road accident. Neelam Shinde from Maharashtra's Satara was critically injured in the accident on February 14 and has been in a coma at a hospital since then. Ms. Shinde reportedly suffered severe injuries to her head, hand and chest. The United States embassy on Friday finally granted an emergency visa to the father of Neelam Shinde. According to the family, Neelam is in the ICU. The hospital has sought permission from the family for her brain surgery, for which it is very importan

Doug Ford's Progressive Conservatives chugged to a third majority government Thursday, propelled by his visible crusade against economic uncertainty emanating from the U.S., though falling short of the increased majority he urged. Critics said this $189-million snap Ontario election was unnecessary, dangerously timed as President Donald Trump's tariff knife dangles over Canada's head and called only to capitalize on good polling numbers, but voters did not appear too keen to punish Ford for it. However, they also didn't appear too keen to reward him for it. Despite Ford kicking off the campai