BCAug 19, 2026
Maple Ridge shooting leaves 56-year-old man critically injured
A 56-year-old man has been critically injured in an overnight shooting in Maple Ridge, B.C.
Police say the shooting happened around 10 p.m. Tuesday at a home in the 11400 block of 236 Street. Officers responding to reports of gunshots found the wounded man inside a vehicle outside the residence.
The Maple Ridge RCMP Serious Crime Unit has taken over the investigation. Police say no motive has been established and no suspect information has been released.
Investigators are asking anyone who witnessed the shooting or has dashcam footage from the area around the time of the incident to come forwa
CanadaAug 19, 2026
Two Arrested in Brampton Online Dating Extortion Case
Peel Regional Police in Ontario have arrested a Punjabi man and a woman in connection with an alleged extortion scheme in Brampton involving an online dating platform.
Police identified the accused as 35-year-old Harwinder Singh and 23-year-old Ria. Both have been charged with extortion, robbery and forcible confinement related to an e-transfer. Singh is also facing an additional charge of uttering threats.
According to Peel police, in July, a victim was contacted through a messaging app by a fake profile using the name “Manisha Sharma.” The two later arranged to meet at a basement apartme
IndiaAug 19, 2026
Farmers Suspend Protest at Punjab-Haryana Border, Meeting with Manohar Lal Set for September 4
Farmer organizations protesting at the Punjab-Haryana border on Wednesday announced the temporary suspension of their agitation. The decision came after Haryana authorities proposed a meeting with Union Minister Manohar Lal on September 4 to discuss the farmers’ demands.
The protesting farmers had been sitting at the Khanauri–Data Singh Wala border point. On August 16, Haryana Police stopped a group of 51 farmers from proceeding towards Delhi. The farmers were undertaking a 228-kilometre-long “Kisan Bachao Padyatra” (Save Farmers March) to oppose the proposed India-U.S. trade agreement
AlbertaAug 19, 2026
Alberta AI Data Centres Face Public Scrutiny at Lacombe Town Hall
Alberta’s Minister of Technology and Innovation, Nate Glubish, is holding a town hall meeting in Lacombe this evening to hear residents’ views and concerns about artificial intelligence (AI) data centres.
Plans to establish large-scale data centres in the area have faced opposition from some local residents and environmental advocates. Critics are particularly concerned about the large amounts of water the facilities could consume, their potential impact on the environment, and the heavy electricity demand that could put additional pressure on Alberta’s power grid and potentially increas
BCAug 19, 2026
B.C. Government’s Decision to Shut Public Employee Directory Sparks Transparency Debate
The B.C. government’s decision under Premier David Eby to suddenly shut down its online directory of government employees to the general public has sparked a political controversy in the province.
Opposition parties have accused the government of hiding information from the public and undermining transparency. The government, however, says the decision was made to protect employees’ safety, privacy and cybersecurity.
Through the directory, members of the public could previously find out which employees worked in different government departments, their positions and how to contact them.
Lan
CanadaAug 19, 2026
Poilievre Targets Liberal Government Over ‘Catch-and-Release’ Bail System
The issue of bail for serious offenders in Canada has once again come under the spotlight. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has criticized the Liberal government, accusing it of allowing dangerous offenders to remain in the community because of what he calls weak bail laws.
Poilievre pointed to a recent incident in Windsor, Ont., involving 22-year-old Qasim Sabi, who has been accused of sexually assaulting two young boys. Police say Sabi was already facing allegations in an earlier case and was out under court-ordered conditions when the latest incidents allegedly occurred.
According to po
CanadaAug 19, 2026
Canada’s wildfire season could rank among country’s worst on record
Canada’s 2026 wildfire season is on track to become the country’s fourth-worst on record, with millions of hectares already affected and hundreds of fires still active.
Federal Emergency Management Minister Eleanor Olszewski said during a virtual briefing Tuesday evening that the country remains in the middle of the wildfire season, with some regions facing difficult and uncertain conditions.
According to the federal government, about 4.1 million hectares have been affected by wildfires so far this season. Roughly 580 fires are currently active across Canada, including about 30 that remain
BCAug 18, 2026
B.C. Conservative Leader Attacks Eby Government Over Forestry Decline
B.C. Conservative Party Leader John Rustad has accused Premier David Eby of blaming U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs for the province’s forestry-sector decline in an attempt to hide his government’s own failures.
In a statement Tuesday, Rustad said U.S. tariffs are harmful and should be strongly opposed. However, he said forestry production in B.C.’s Interior began declining as early as 2016, long before Trump returned to office, and has now fallen by about 50 per cent.
According to Rustad, poor provincial policies, permit processes that can take two to three years, and uncertaint
CanadaAug 18, 2026
Trump’s Presidency Delays Quebec Sovereignty Referendum, Says Parti Québécois
Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon says his party would not hold a referendum on Quebec sovereignty while Donald Trump remains president of the United States.
St-Pierre Plamondon says the party still intends to hold a referendum on whether Quebec should separate from Canada during its first mandate if elected. However, he says such a crucial decision about Quebec’s future requires a clear and calm debate.
He says the referendum debate should not be disrupted by American politics or unexpected announcements from the U.S. president. According to St-Pierre Plamondon, the unpredic