One of Premier Danielle Smith’s closest advisers and a key figure in shaping Alberta’s addiction recovery model is leaving the provincial government. The premier confirmed that her chief of staff, Marshall Smith, will retire from public service at the end of October. Marshall Smith has played a central role in developing Alberta’s recovery-oriented approach to the drug crisis, which emphasizes treatment and rehabilitation over harm-reduction measures such as supervised consumption sites. The strategy has been both praised for expanding treatment capacity and criticized by public health e

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is in Laos this week to attend the ASEAN Summit, marking the first official visit by a Canadian prime minister to the Southeast Asian nation. The gathering brings together leaders from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations to discuss regional cooperation and global trade. While Canada is not a member of ASEAN, the two sides have maintained a strategic partnership since 2022. Ottawa is working toward finalizing a free trade agreement with the bloc by the end of next year, as part of its broader Indo-Pacific strategy aimed at strengthening economic an

A former high school football coach in Winnipeg has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for sexually assaulting nine male students over a 13-year period. Kelsey McKay was handed the sentence today after pleading guilty last year to nine counts of sexual assault and two counts of luring. The assaults took place between 2003 and 2016, when the victims were between 12 and 18 years old. Court heard that McKay had been regarded as a mentor and father figure to the students. In some cases, he provided them with alcohol and pornography as part of his grooming behaviour. During an earlier court appea

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will make a historic visit to Laos later this week to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit, marking the first-ever official trip by a Canadian prime minister to the Southeast Asian nation. The summit will take place in Vientiane, the capital of Laos, on Thursday and Friday, where Trudeau will participate in the ASEAN-Canada Special Summit. His office says he will emphasize Canada’s leadership in tackling global security challenges, including cybercrime, and reinforce ongoing efforts toward a Canada-ASEAN free trade agreement targeted

Ceremonies, community gatherings and demonstrations are taking place across Canada today to mark one year since the Hamas attack on Israel, which triggered the ongoing war in Gaza and deeply affected Jewish, Muslim and Arab communities across the country. The October 7, 2023 assault killed more than 1,200 Israelis, with 250 others taken hostage, sparking an Israeli military offensive that Gaza health officials say has now left over 41,000 people dead. The conflict’s humanitarian and emotional toll has been felt globally - including in Canada, where families mourn victims on both sides and co

A Canadian citizen stranded in Lebanon with his family is pleading for evacuation as Israeli airstrikes continue to hit areas near Beirut, deepening fears among thousands of Canadians with roots in the region. Jalal Tabaja, a father of four Canadian children, said he has relocated his family to a hotel in a quieter area north of Beirut, but nowhere feels safe as explosions echo across the capital. Tabaja, who lost both parents last week when their car was struck by an Israeli bomb, said he has been told that his family could get seats on a government-arranged evacuation flight on Sunday but is

NDP House Leader Peter Julian says his party wants to advance key legislation before the next federal election, but warns that the current parliamentary dysfunction is becoming a serious concern - one that could influence how New Democrats vote in future confidence motions. In the past three weeks, two Conservative non-confidence motions have failed to topple the Liberal minority government. The Opposition, however, has vowed to continue pressing for more such votes, arguing that the government no longer has the moral authority to govern. Julian accused the Conservatives of acting as “agents

In a major victory for Canadian travellers, the Supreme Court of Canada has upheld federal regulations that strengthen compensation rights for passengers facing flight delays, cancellations, or damaged luggage on international flights. The country’s top court unanimously dismissed an appeal by Air Canada, Porter Airlines, and 16 other carriers that had challenged the Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR) introduced in 2019. The airlines had argued that the rules violated international aviation standards under the Montreal Convention and exceeded the authority of the Canadian Transporta

Montreal police are investigating a major fire that broke out early Friday morning in a century-old building in the city’s Old Montreal district, leaving one person hospitalized with burns and another treated for shock. Authorities said the fire began around 2:40 a.m. on the ground floor of a building on Notre-Dame Street East, which houses a restaurant, while the upper floors were used for short-term rentals. The cause of the fire remains unknown, but police have taken over the case because it is considered suspicious. About 125 firefighters were called to the scene, working for several hou