Canada’s financial intelligence agency says financially motivated sexual extortion involving children is becoming more frequent, with many cases showing signs of organized criminal involvement. The Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada has issued a new alert urging banks and other reporting entities to watch for financial patterns that could signal online extortion or broader child exploitation activity. The agency notes that offenders often threaten to release intimate images or videos of young victims unless money or additional content is provided. Officials say the

Alberta RCMP say two people now living in Wetaskiwin County have been charged in connection with a sexual assault investigation launched in northern Ontario, involving incidents reported to have occurred several years ago. According to the Ontario Provincial Police, the alleged offences took place in Gillies Township, a rural community southwest of Thunder Bay, between 2020 and 2022. Investigators have charged a 73-year-old man with two counts of sexual interference and two counts of sexual assault involving a person under the age of 16. A 63-year-old woman is facing three counts of assault. P

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says members of her United Conservative caucus are ready to defend their work as several MLAs face active recall petitions across the province. More than a dozen campaigns have been launched under Alberta’s recall legislation, which allows constituents to attempt to remove an elected official before the next general election. Smith pointed to two senior ministers as examples of what she described as a strong government record. She said Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides has overseen significant increases to school operating and capital budgets, and that Se

Surrey police say a former municipal staff member is facing several criminal charges after an investigation into what officials describe as a multi-year fraud that cost the city an estimated $2.5 million. The case began last year when the City of Surrey reported financial irregularities involving its internal payment systems. According to the Surrey Police Service, the RCMP’s economic crimes unit examined allegations that the employee had gained unauthorized access to municipal financial platforms and created fraudulent documentation connected to her duties. Investigators allege the actions

A man has died following a collision between two transport trucks on Highway 1 in the Fraser Canyon, a stretch of roadway heavily used by commercial drivers moving goods through British Columbia. The crash happened Monday morning on Tank Hill Bridge, north of Lytton, and is now the focus of a police investigation into whether criminal driving behaviour may have contributed. BC Highway Patrol says the collision occurred shortly before 9 a.m. when a northbound Kenworth truck hauling two empty flat-deck trailers struck a southbound Volvo pulling two enclosed trailers. The 49-year-old Volvo driver

New Westminster police are urging drivers and pedestrians to take extra care after officers were called to three separate collisions involving people on foot over a three day period. The incidents, which occurred between November 22 and November 24, came at a time when shorter daylight hours are already increasing safety risks on city streets. The first collision was reported on November 22 in the 500 block of 6th Street, where a man told 9-1-1 he had been struck by a vehicle. Emergency crews from New Westminster Fire and Rescue Services and BC Emergency Health Services assessed the victim, wh

A woman has died after being struck by a pickup truck while crossing Vedder Road in Chilliwack on Tuesday afternoon. RCMP say the collision happened around 4:20 p.m. in a busy stretch of the roadway between the Highway 1 overpass and Luckakuck Way, an area often used by commuters and nearby commercial traffic. Investigators report that the 63-year-old pedestrian had crossed into the centre median before stepping back into the southbound lane, where she was hit by a 2007 GMC Sierra driven by a 63-year-old man. Police say the driver and several witnesses stopped immediately and attempted first a

The Punjab government has increased the state procurement price for sugarcane by 15 rupees per quintal, bringing the new rate to 416 rupees. The announcement was made by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann during the inauguration of a new sugar mill in Dinnanagar. The Chief Minister said Punjab now offers the highest state-advised price for cane farmers in the country. Haryana has set its rate at 415 rupees per quintal for the current season, creating a narrow but notable difference between the two neighbouring states. Farm groups in Punjab have been pressing for higher returns as input costs continu

Canada is expected to see an early and sharp onset of winter this year, with frigid Arctic air pushing temperatures below seasonal averages, according to the Weather Network’s seasonal forecast. The outlook, covering December through February, also predicts near or above normal snowfall and precipitation across much of the country. Meteorologist Doug Gillham said there is still some uncertainty about whether the coldest periods will affect the entire country or remain concentrated in Western Canada. Regardless, he called it a “December to remember,” noting that the forecast does not poin