Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Ottawa will provide $25,000 to the families of the 57 Canadian citizens and 29 permanent residents who died when Iran shot down a Ukrainian passenger jet last week. Trudeau says the money is intended to cover the cost of funeral arrangements or travel, which comes on top of an earlier commitment to waive fees and speed up processing times for visas for those affected by the tragedy. Trudeau also made it clear that Canada still expects Iran to compensate victims, but that he knows families cannot wait any longer for support.

Opponents of the Coastal GasLink pipeline construction across northwestern BC staged a protest, Thursday afternoon outside the RCMP's E-Division headquarters in Surrey. Organizers say the event is an “anti-RCMP checkpoint”. They say it mirrors the checkpoint set up on a forest service road in Wet'suwet'en territory outside Houston, and the Surrey checkpoint aims to enforce the “Indigenous rule of law.” The B-C Civil Liberties Association and Union of BC Indian Chiefs both argue the police checkpoint and exclusion zone along the pipeline right-of-way in northwestern BC violate Indig

Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne is chairing today a meeting at Canada House in London that the federal government hopes will lead to justice and financial compensation for the families of the victims of a Ukrainian jet shot down by Iran. All 176 people aboard were killed last week, including at least 89 with ties to Canada. Champagne is meeting with representatives of four other countries that lost citizens in the crash — Ukraine, Sweden, Afghanistan and Britain. The meeting will open with a moment of reflection to remember the victims. Transport Minister Marc Garne

Premier John Horgan says a natural gas pipeline across northern British Columbia will be built despite on going protests and an eviction notice from some hereditary Indigenous leaders. The premier says the courts have ruled in favour of the project and the rule of law will apply to ensure work continues on the Coastal GasLink pipeline across northern B.C. to a coastal an export terminal. The 670-kilometre pipeline is part of a $40 billion liquefied natural gas project. Horgan says the project has received approval from 20 Indigenous nations along the pipeline route and its completion is of vi

Iran's Revolutionary Guard says it accidentally shot down the Ukrainian jetliner that crashed earlier this week, killing all 176 aboard. The government had repeatedly denied Western accusations that it was responsible for the crash. The plane was hit hours after Iran launched a ballistic missile attack on two military bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq, in retaliation for the killing of its top general. The acknowledgement is an embarrassment for Iran's armed forces and is likely to anger the Iranian public. It also raises new questions about who ordered the strike and why Iran had not shut dow

Surrey councilors Jack Hundial and Brenda Locke responded to allegations laid on them by Mayor McCallum in Sver Wala Show yesterday. Hundial said Mayor's decision to not add more safety personnel to the local police will be a wrong move. Yesterday in Sver Wala Show, Mayor John McCallum had attacked Hundial and Locke for allegedly retracting from their pre-poll promises.

In an exclusive interview on Connect FM’s Sver Wala Show, Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum criticized former councillors Jack Hundial and Brenda Locke for what he called a “flip-flop” on the city’s controversial policing transition. McCallum told Connect News Team, at our studios, that both councillors previously supported replacing the RCMP with a municipal police force before the last municipal election but changed their position after being elected. It’s very unusual to see elected officials reverse themselves so dramatically,” McCallum said. “It’s only natural that three council

Transport Canada says that Air Canada has complied with U.S.-led restrictions on commercial airlines operating in the Persian Gulf region, though neither the government nor the airline has provided further information.Air Canada is the only Canadian airline affected by the ban on flights by U.S. commercial carriers operating in Iran, Iraq and over the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Iran. The airline hasn't provided details but Associated Press reported Air Canada rerouted its flight from Toronto to Dubai through Egypt and Saudi Arabia to avoid travelling over Iraq.WestJet partner Emirates Airlin

The British Columbia Green party has announced more details about its leadership contest as Andrew Weaver officially leaves the post.The party says voting will take place, primarily online, from June 15 to 26, and it will use ranked ballots for three or more candidates or first-past-the-post for a contest of two.The party announced last month that Green legislature member Adam Olsen would be its interim leader and he stepped into the job on Monday.It also said voters aged 16 and up can vote for a candidate even if they're not a member of the party, although membership is free for those aged 2