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CanadaJan 05, 2024

Three people charged after Edmonton toddler fatally overdoses

Police in Edmonton say they have charged three people after a toddler ingested street drugs and died in September. They say a friend of the boy's mother was taking care of him and took him for a walk near their home when she noticed he was in medical distress. Police say the mother and her friend took the 23-month-old boy to a nearby clinic, where a staff member saw he was not responsive and immediately called 911.They say he was then transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police say the medical examiner's office determined the boy accidentally ingested fentanyl and other syn
CanadaJan 04, 2024

Interest rate cuts could come in spring this year, Deloitte says

Deloitte Canada's latest forecast predicts stagnant growth in the first half of this year will give way to a return to growth in theSummer and fall. Chief economist Dawn Desjardins says the Canadian economy could enter into a technical recession -- that is --two quarters or more of negative G-D-P growth. But she doesn't believe the economy will see the deep decline or labour market rout that typically accompanies a true recession. She adds Deloitte has a pretty substantive recovery in its forecast. Deloitte Canada says momentum in the economy and the job market are poised to improve in the se
CanadaJan 04, 2024

Amendments made in the bail system have been implemented, now bail will not be easy

It will no longer be easy for repeat offenders to get bail in Canada, with changes to the bail system made by the government under pressure from the opposition coming into force on Thursday. Bail system Amendments to the Criminal Code have made it more difficult for repeat offenders involved in serious violent crimes to obtain bail. These amendments focus on reverse onus provisions, which mean that the accused will be held in custody before trial until he proves that his release will not endanger the public and that he will not escape. There is no risk. Courts will also need to consider the cr
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BCJan 04, 2024

B.C. school district fined for failing to address student's anxiety

An unnamed school district in British Columbia has been ordered by the province's human rights tribunal to pay $5,000 to a student for failing to accommodate her anxiety disorder. Tribunal vice-chair Devyn Cousineau says in a decision released last month that the school district "failed to take reasonable steps to investigate and address the female student's anxiety over her transition from elementary school to high school. The ruling says the unidentified student had been diagnosed since kindergarten with anxiety and has been on medication since Grade 7 when she made the move to high school i
WorldJan 04, 2024

Suspect in a shooting at an Iowa high school is dead, authorities say

A law enforcement official says the suspect in a shooting at an Iowa high school shooting has died. Police in Perry, Iowa, say multiple people were shot at the city's high school, on students' first day back in classes after their annual winter break. A spokesperson said two gunshot victims were taken by ambulance to a hospital in the state capital of Des Moines, about 40 miles southeast of Perry. In Perry, Dallas County Sheriff Adam Infante says an active shooter was reported at Perry High School before school started on Thursday and officers responded about seven minutes later. The shooting
WorldJan 03, 2024

Russia and Ukraine exchange hundreds of prisoners of war in biggest release so far

Russia and Ukraine have exchanged hundreds of prisoners of war under a deal sponsored by the United Arab Emirates. Ukrainian authorities say that 230 Ukrainian prisoners of war returned home. Russia's Defense Ministry says that 248 Russian servicemen have been freed from Ukrainian captivity. The ministry says that the deal was made possible thanks to mediatory efforts by the United Arab Emirates. The massive prisoner exchange follows other such deals earlier in the war, which is nearing the two-year mark.
BCJan 03, 2024

R6 RapidBus launches on busiest bus route south of the Fraser

TransLink says its new R-6 Scott Road RapidBus is now cruising the streets on what it calls the busiest bus corridor south of theFraser. TransLink says the R-6 is geared toward Surry and Delta residents and Kwantlen University students, who can expect to shave a few minutes off their trips between Scott Road station and the Newton bus exchange.The transit operator says the R-6 can carry more riders than past services as Surrey and Delta lead the way in growing ridership numbers in the region.TransLink says ridership on Surrey and Delta buses is now 16 per cent higher than in 2019, and the new
AlbertaJan 03, 2024

Edmonton dismantles two homeless encampments it deemed 'high-risk'

The City of Edmonton says it has closed anotherhomeless encampment that it considers high-risk. It says the latest camp closure happened Saturday in the vicinity of the Herb Jamieson Centre, a homeless shelter just north of Edmonton's downtown core. The city says 20 structures and 19 occupants were removed, and there were no arrests. Another encampment six blocks east was closed by the city on Friday. Earlier this month, the city and a human rights group reached an agreement for eight camps that are considered a public safety risk to be taken down. The agreement came when the Coalition for
b-c-union-representing-lower-mainland-transit-workers-issues-72-hour-strike-notice
BCJan 03, 2024

B.C. union representing Lower Mainland transit workers issues 72-hour strike notice

A union representing more than 180 transit workers in B.C. has issued a 72-hour strike notice.CUPE Local 4500 represents workers employed by the Coast Mountain Bus Company, which runs transit operations for all of Metro Vancouver. The notice is effective at 8 a.m. local time on Wednesday. The union says it is still available to negotiate a collective agreement that avoids service disruptions.It says job action could begin at 8 a.m. on Saturday with an overtime ban that would affect all operations in the Coast Mountain system. The union says the last collective agreement expired at the end of 2

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BCJul 15, 2026

Elderly woman distracted and robbed of gold necklace in Vancouver, police seek suspects

A 76-year-old woman was allegedly robbed of her gold necklace after being distracted by an unknown woman in Vancouver's East 11th Avenue and Victoria Drive area on Tuesday, according to the Vancouver Police Department. Police said the incident occurred at about 12:30 p.m. while the senior was waiting for family members. An unidentified woman approached her and claimed she looked like her mother, whose birthday she said it was. The suspect then hugged the victim and, during the interaction, allegedly removed the woman's gold necklace and replaced it with a fake one. The victim reportedly discov
AlbertaJul 15, 2026

Alberta launches online bike lane complaint form ahead of planned legislation

The Alberta government has launched an online public feedback form inviting residents to report concerns about bike lanes as it prepares legislation expected this fall. According to the Alberta government, Albertans can use the online form to share concerns about bike lanes in their communities, including whether they believe a lane is underused, has reduced on-street parking, contributed to traffic congestion, affected local businesses, or delayed emergency response times. The province says the feedback will help inform future transportation policy decisions. Transportation Minister Devin Dre
canada-pauses-new-parent-and-grandparent-sponsorship-applications-for-2026
CanadaJul 15, 2026

Canada pauses new parent and grandparent sponsorship applications for 2026

The federal government says it will not accept any new applications this year under Canada's Parents and Grandparents Program as it works to reduce processing times and manage a large backlog of existing files. According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), approximately 60,500 sponsorship applications are currently being processed. The department said it expects to approve about 15,000 parents and grandparents each year over the next two years from applications already in the system. IRCC said the temporary pause is intended to improve processing efficiency. The department
federal-government-names-new-members-to-independent-senate-appointments-advisory-board
CanadaJul 15, 2026

Federal government names new members to independent Senate appointments advisory board

The federal government has announced new appointments to the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments, one week after Prime Minister Mark Carney named four new senators to the upper chamber. According to a federal government news release, the advisory board will continue to provide non-binding recommendations to the prime minister on Senate appointments. The board was established in 2016 to support a merit-based and independent appointments process. The government said the board will continue to include three federal members, including a chair, along with two additional members from
BCJul 15, 2026

Surrey man sentenced to nearly five years in prison in extortion-related shooting and arson case

A Surrey Provincial Court judge has sentenced Abhijeet Kingra to nearly five years in prison for his role in a 2024 extortion-related shooting and arson targeting a Surrey home. According to court records, Kingra pleaded guilty on July 6 to charges of discharging a firearm at a residence and committing arson. The offences stem from an Aug. 10, 2024 incident in which a home belonging to a person who had reportedly received extortion threats was shot at and set on fire. The court imposed a two-year sentence for arson and a sentence of four years, 10 months and 19 days for the shooting offence. T