BCJun 25, 2025
28 Charges Laid in Northern BC Drug Trafficking Investigation
Four individuals have been charged following a 14-month drug trafficking and firearms investigation led by the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of British Columbia (CFSEU-BC) in Northern BC. The investigation began in April 2023, targeting a drug trafficking network operating in Prince Rupert.
On June 5, 2024, following a 14-month investigation, CFSEU-BC North District, in partnership with the Prince Rupert RCMP and with assistance from the Prince Rupert Coastal Unit, executed five search warrants in Prince Rupert.
Investigators seized the following items:
• Nine (9) firearms, incl
CanadaJun 25, 2025
Carney says Canada to spend 5% of GDP on defence by 2035
NATO allies, including Canada, have agreed to increase defense spending to five percent of GDP over the next 10 years. This means that Western countries, including Ottawa, are going to invest heavily in defense by 2035.
The new target was approved during a NATO summit in the Netherlands today, a significant policy victory for President Donald Trump. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte opened the meeting by praising Trump for increasing defense spending.
The five percent target is divided into two parts, with the first 3.5 percent focusing on core defense needs, including fighter jets and weapo
IndiaJun 25, 2025
Vigilance takes Bikram Singh Majithia into custody
Punjab Vigilance today arrested former Akali Minister Bikram Majithia after raiding his Amritsar residence, in a case of disproportionate assets.
Vigilance has seized 29 mobile phones, 4 laptops, 2 iPads, 8 diaries and other documents from Majithia’s house. This new case comes at a time when a drug-related case registered against Majithia under the NDPS Act in 2021 is already under investigation.
Majithia said that this entire action is being taken with a sense of political vendetta but he is not going to be intimidated by it.
CanadaJun 25, 2025
Calgary Stampede rodeo safety to include shaded pens, heart monitors for horses
Tents are being set up to provide shade for bulls and broncs, and some chuckwagon horses are to be fitted with tiny electrocardiograms at the upcoming Calgary Stampede.
Ed Pajor (PAY'-jor) is a professor of animal behaviour and welfare in the University of Calgary's faculty of veterinary medicine. The university is working with the Stampede to study some of the animals this year.
Pajor says based on the scorching heat during the Stampede last summer, the animals could use a break. Pajor says tents will be provided to some of the bulls and broncos to see if it makes a difference. Researc
BCJun 25, 2025
April sees uptick in B.C. overdose deaths with 165 fatalities: coroners service
British Columbia's coroners service says a rebound in overdoses in April saw a return to more than 160 deaths a month due to toxic drugs.
The April death toll follows last month's update that confirmed March as the sixth consecutive month during which fewer than 160 people died.
The BC Coroners Service says in a statement that 165 people died in April, up from 143 deaths in March and 132 fatalities in February.
The February and March numbers represented year-over-year declines of more than 30 per cent compared with the same months in 2024.
The statement released Tuesday says deaths in the Fras
BCJun 25, 2025
B.C. economy will get a kick out of hosting FIFA World Cup games, government says
There is less than a year to go before Vancouver is on the global stage hosting seven FIFA World Cup soccer games, and leaders are promoting the economic benefits of spending hundreds of millions of dollars on the international showcase.
A joint statement from B.C. Tourism Minister Spencer Chandra Herbert and Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim says one million additional out-of-province visitors are expected between 2026 and 2031, generating more than $1 billion in spending.
The statement says more than 18,000 jobs could be generated in that same period. It says FIFA predicts that preparing
AlbertaJun 25, 2025
Alberta Next panel announced with legislature members, academics and business leaders
Premier Danielle Smith says she'll be spending the summer touring the province with business leaders, backbenchers and an academic to find ways to protect Alberta from what she calls federal mistreatment and overreach.
She says Ottawa is to blame for decades of lost investment and resource revenue and that Alberta can't be held back any longer.
The premier is to lead the Alberta Next panel, which also includes three United Conservative Party legislature members, Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz, a retired judge and a physician.
Smith says following a summer of town halls across
BCJun 24, 2025
BC: 165 people died from unregulated toxic drugs in April 2025
Preliminary reporting released by the BC Coroners Service (BCCS) finds that 165 people died from unregulated toxic drugs in April 2025.
In 2025, deaths among those between the ages of 30 and 59 accounted for 68% of drug-toxicity deaths in the province, and 77% were male.
April marks a return to more than 160 deaths attributed to unregulated drug toxicity reported to the BC Coroners Service after six consecutive months of reporting fewer than 160 deaths a month.
By health authority in 2025, the highest number of unregulated drug deaths were in Fraser and Vancouver Coastal health authorities (18
CanadaJun 24, 2025
Canada may have to spend $150-billion on defense alone under NATO's new target
Canada may have to spend $150-billion annually on defense alone under NATO's new target. Prime Minister Mark Carney said this in an interview during a NATO meeting in the Netherlands.
The prime minister said he hopes that a meeting of NATO leaders on Wednesday, which will also be attended by President Donald Trump, will agree to give 10 years to reach this target.
The prime minister also said that he will not spend indiscriminately and hopes that NATO will review this target. It is noteworthy that in Wednesday's meeting, NATO countries are expected to increase military spending to 5 percen