The British Columbia and federal governments have signed a four-year, $670-million pharmacare agreement, giving universal access to contraceptive and diabetes medications. The plan will support nearly 550,000 B.C. residents with diabetes and provide 1.3 million people with a range of contraceptives. B.C. Health Minister Josie Osborne and federal Health Minister Mark Holland announced the agreement will also mean free public coverage of hormone replacement therapy to treat menopause symptoms.

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has begun charging a 25 percent tariff, or surtax, on goods imported from the United States. This move is in response to tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on Canadian imports, meaning these goods may now be more expensive when brought back to Canada after cross-border shopping. The US goods subject to Canada’s retaliatory surtax include items such as groceries, cosmetics, clothing, and alcohol. Personal exemptions for travellers depend on the duration of their stay in the US. For those staying more than 24 hours, up to $200 worth of goods c

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has suggested there is no immediate resolution to the trade war with the United States. During an announcement on a child care program in Ottawa today, Trudeau responded to reporters’ questions, stating that his government is focused on minimizing the impact of tariffs. He added that Canada will remain steadfast against the trade war initiated by the US as long as it continues. The Prime Minister also spoke about his conversation with President Trump yesterday. He emphasized that tariffs would harm both American workers and businesses, urging the US to collabor

British Columbia Premier David Eby says the government is making contingency plans to reduce the province's reliance on electricity from the United States after the start of the continental trade war. He says similar planning happens in the event of natural disasters and now it's due to a "man-made disaster" created by U.S. President Donald Trump, who imposed sweeping tariffs on Canadian imports on Tuesday. Eby says uncertainty and potential instability coming from south of the border mean the province needs backup plans so B.C. will never again be "so dependent on the United States." The prem

President Donald Trump has granted a one-month waiver on auto tariffs for Canada and Mexico, as confirmed by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. Leavitt stated that the waiver would apply to any car covered under the USMCA, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. She explained that the request for the waiver came from three major automakers. Leavitt added that the companies President Trump spoke to included Stellantis, Ford, and General Motors. The White House press secretary further mentioned that the president granted the one-month waiver at the request of the companies to prev

Tehsildars across Punjab called off their strike today after a warning from Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. On Monday, all tehsildars had taken collective leave in protest against the vigilance raids. Taking serious note of the situation, CM Mann had granted special powers to other employees and officers in the revenue department to handle registrations, and several tehsildars were suspended. Meanwhile, the president of the Punjab Revenue Officers Association sent a message to fellow tehsildars in their WhatsApp group, informing them that Deputy Commissioners across Punjab had issued directives

More families in the province will benefit from B.C.’s Rental Assistance Program following an increase in the annual income limit for low-income working families. In Budget 2025, the David Eby government raised the income limit from $40,000 to $60,000. The provincial government anticipates that this change will increase the number of families receiving the rental supplement from 3,200 to around 6,000. Additionally, the amount of the rental supplement will rise by approximately 75%, from $400 per month to $700 per month. Furthermore, the income limit and average supplement amount for the She

Trump criticized Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a post on Truth Social following a phone call with him. He accused Trudeau of attempting to use the tariff issue to maintain political power. Trump stated that Trudeau had called him to ask what could be done to stop the tariffs, and Trump responded by mentioning the ongoing issue of fentanyl deaths linked to drugs coming through the Canada-Mexico border, noting that he wasn’t sure if the situation had improved. Trump also said that Trudeau claimed there had been significant improvement, but Trump insisted that it wasn’t enough. Additional

Canada’s two largest banks suggest that interest rates could be reduced more quickly amid the trade war with the United States. The Royal Bank of Canada and the Bank of Montreal note that the economic impact of this trade conflict could compel the Bank of Canada to continue cutting rates. Douglas Porter, chief economist at the Bank of Montreal, stated that the central bank is expected to reduce rates by 25 basis points at each of its next four meetings through July, potentially lowering the key interest rate to 2 percent. Prior to the trade war, the banks had anticipated only two rate cuts,