Liberals revamp rent-relief program for businesses, expand loan program

A United States military refuelling aircraft crashed in Iraq during ongoing U.S. military operations linked to tensions with Iran, leaving four crew members dead and two others missing, according to the U.S. military. The aircraft was identified as a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker used for aerial refuelling. U.S. officials said the aircraft was carrying a crew of six at the time of the crash. The U.S. military confirmed that the bodies of four crew members have been recovered, while search operations are continuing for the remaining two. Officials did not immediately release the names of the crew

A judge in Edmonton is expected to rule Friday on whether to grant an injunction against an Alberta law that forced striking teachers back to work last fall. The request comes from the Alberta Teachers’ Association, which argues the province’s legislation ending the strike should be temporarily halted while the courts review its constitutionality. The issue was argued during a two-day hearing earlier this month. Association president Jason Schilling has said that if the court grants the injunction, the union would be in a legal position to resume strike action. He added that any decision t

Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to meet King Charles III in London next week as part of a European trip that includes a NATO exercise visit and talks with the United Kingdom government. According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Carney will arrive in London on Sunday after travelling to Norway to observe the NATO Cold Response exercises and attend a Nordic–Canada Council summit. The meeting with the King is scheduled for Monday. The visit comes nearly a year after the monarch travelled to Canada to deliver the Speech from the Throne opening the first session of the 45th Parliament of

Canada’s economy lost 84,000 jobs in February, pushing the national unemployment rate up by 0.2 percentage points to 6.7 per cent, according to new data released Friday by Statistics Canada. The agency said the drop represents the largest monthly employment decline outside the COVID-19 lockdown period in about 17 years. Job losses were recorded across both goods-producing and service-producing sectors. Retail and wholesale trade alone saw about 18,000 positions disappear during the month, the report said. Employment losses were particularly concentrated among men aged 25 to 54 and youth betw

Two men have been charged following a bank robbery investigation in Abbotsford last month, according to the Abbotsford Police Department. Police say officers responded around 5:23 p.m. on Feb. 6 to a report of a robbery at a bank in the 2100 block of Sumas Way. Investigators say a man entered the bank, demanded money, and left with cash before fleeing in a waiting truck. No injuries were reported. The department’s Major Crime Unit took over the investigation and gathered evidence over several weeks that led detectives across the Lower Mainland, police said in a news release. On March 10, inv