Vancouver-based Jim Pattison Developments has announced it will not proceed with the sale of a Virginia warehouse property to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which had planned to use the site as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing facility. The 43.5-acre property in Hanover County, Virginia, faced public scrutiny after news emerged that it could be converted into a holding and processing centre amid a wider U.S. immigration crackdown. The company, owned by Canadian billionaire Jim Pattison, had previously stated it was unaware of the final purchaser or the intende

Israel says it will reopen Gaza’s Rafah border crossing with Egypt on Sunday, allowing limited movement of people in and out of the territory for the first time in nearly two years. The Israeli military agency COGAT, which oversees civilian coordination with Gaza, said the reopening will permit “limited movement of people only,” with both Israel and Egypt screening those seeking to cross. European Union border assistance personnel will supervise operations at the crossing, Gaza’s primary link to the outside world. The Rafah crossing has been largely closed since May 2024, following ren

Canada’s Federal Court of Appeal has ruled that the federal government acted within its authority when it classified certain plastic products as toxic, clearing the way for Ottawa to maintain its ban on several single-use plastic items. In a unanimous decision released Friday, a three-judge panel overturned a 2023 lower court ruling that had found the federal government overreached by broadly labeling plastic manufactured items as toxic under environmental legislation. That earlier decision had cast uncertainty over the future of the single-use plastics ban. The appeal court concluded the go

A senior Canadian Food Inspection Agency official says agency employees faced escalating threats and harassment during preparations for the culling of hundreds of ostriches at a British Columbia farm, including incidents serious enough to force the relocation of a worker and their family. In an interview with The Canadian Press, the official said opposition to the cull intensified both online and in person, culminating in what they described as extreme cases of direct threats involving physical violence and sexual assault. One CFIA employee and their partner were relocated along with their chi

U.S. President Donald Trump has nominated Kevin Warsh to serve as the next chair of the Federal Reserve, a move that could signal a shift in the direction of American monetary policy. The nomination comes as the term of current chair Jerome Powell is set to expire in May. Warsh, 55, previously served as a Federal Reserve governor from 2006 to 2011, a period that included the global financial crisis. He is well known in financial and policy circles and is viewed as an experienced figure with deep familiarity with central banking and global markets. President Trump has repeatedly criticized Powe

Canada’s economy is showing renewed signs of strain, with new data suggesting the country’s gross domestic product may have contracted in the fourth and final quarter of 2025. Economists point to ongoing trade pressures, particularly from U.S. tariffs, as a key factor weighing on growth in a trade-dependent economy. According to Statistics Canada, economic activity stalled completely in November, marking zero growth for the month. This followed a 0.3 per cent decline in October, making it the second consecutive month without any measurable improvement in overall economic output. Analysts s

RCMP say they believe the infant child of a woman found dead in a St. Albert apartment north of Edmonton has also died, as a homicide investigation continues. Mounties were called to an apartment in the city on Friday, where officers discovered the remains of 23-year-old Ayla Egotik-Learn. Police say Egotik-Learn was originally from Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, highlighting the broader interprovincial impact of the case. Her common-law partner, Christopher William Beasley, has been charged with second-degree murder. He is also facing a charge of causing an indignity to human remains in relation to

U.S. federal prosecutors have laid charges against a Minnesota man accused of throwing a liquid on Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar during a public event in Minneapolis earlier this week, an incident authorities are treating as an assault on a sitting lawmaker. Court documents filed by the U.S. Justice Department say Anthony Kazmierczak was arrested following the incident and is charged with forcibly assaulting, opposing, impeding and intimidating a member of Congress while she was performing official duties. According to a sworn affidavit, investigators later determined the substance spray

Police in Langley are investigating after a pedestrian was struck and killed by a train Thursday morning in the Metro Vancouver region. According to the RCMP, the collision occurred shortly before 8 a.m. near the intersection of Glover Road and Billy Brown Road, an area that includes rail lines used for both freight and passenger traffic. Emergency crews responded quickly and attempted life-saving measures, but the individual was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities have not released the identity of the victim or details about how the incident occurred. Investigators remained in the area