Five provinces are increasing their minimum wage today to support workers amid affordability issues. The hikes will apply to Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. The provinces have tied their increases to Canada's steadily growing consumer price index, which is an indicator of inflation. Ontario's minimum wage is now $17.60 per hour, Nova Scotia's and Prince Edward Island's are $16.50 an hour, Manitoba's is $16 per hour and Saskatchewan's is $15.35 an hour. Alberta is the only province that has not boosted its minimum wage, with its $15-per-hour rate now the l

Voting closes today for Alberta teachers on the latest contract offer from the province, one week before a provincewide strike deadline. The Alberta Teachers' Association is expected to announce the results tonight. The union has said that if the deal is voted down, 51,000 teachers would likely hit picket lines Oct. 6. The deal on the table is largely the same as the province's previous offer, with an added commitment to cover the cost of COVID-19 vaccines for teachers. Voting started Saturday on the new contract, which would see teachers receive a 12 per cent pay raise over four

Premier Danielle Smith and her Alberta Next panel are set to wrap up their cross-province tour tonight in Calgary. It's their tenth and final town hall since July consulting residents about the province's relationship with the federal government. The panel is pitching six ideas that could become referendum questions, including exiting the Canada Pension Plan for an Alberta-run version, creating a provincial police force and wrestling more control over immigration. Though initially billed as consultations, the premier told the most recent town hall in Grande Prairie that the prov

The Alberta Medical Association says Premier Danielle Smith needs to do her own research, after she told critics of a law restricting health care for transgender youth that they need to ``look up what puberty is.'' Smith has defended the law that prohibits doctors from prescribing puberty blockers for those under 16, saying the drugs permanently sterilize children. Dr. Sam Wong, president of the association's pediatrics section, says it isn't true that puberty blockers render a person infertile or sterile, adding that Smith should get her facts straight and be less condescending.

Alberta's government says it has yet to receive an interim report on the investigation into allegations of corruption over health contracts but it should be finished in the coming days. The government says former Manitoba judge Raymond Wyant had until today to submit it but still has interviews to finish. It also says the interim report won't be made public. The report was initially expected in May, but the province extended the deadline because of the number of documents involved and interviews Wyant wanted to do. The deadline for the final report was set for Oct. 15. The al

The Alberta government is calling a federal gun buyback program an ``attack on law-abiding firearms owners.'' A pilot project in Nova Scotia will be open to eligible gun owners in parts of Cape Breton before being rolled out nationwide. Participants can either deactivate their firearm using a licensed gunsmith or return it to police. Alberta Justice Minister Mickey Amery and Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis say the province will not be enforcing the ``gun grab,'' and they expect law enforcement to focus on violent criminals, not hunters and sport shooters.

The search for a five-year-old boy in southwestern Alberta is entering its third day. RCMP say two nights of searches have yielded no results in finding Darius Macdougall. Macdougall went missing Sunday after he didn't return from a walk with six family members to their campsite near Island Lake Campground, south of Crowsnest Pass. Mounties have said people should avoid the area and leave the search to the professionals. Darius is described as four feet tall with short brown hair, and he was last seen wearing a blue-grey hoodie and sweatpants. Police said the boy has autism, w

Dozens of students played hooky from school to rally for teachers at Alberta's legislature today as a provincewide teachers strike deadline nears. They shouted, "Hey, hey, ho, ho, where did the budget go?' and waved signs in solidarity with the province's 51,000 teachers who are fighting for higher wages and reduced classroom sizes. The Alberta government and the Alberta Teachers' Association say both parties remain at the table trying to hammer out a new collective bargaining agreement ahead of the Oct. 6 strike deadline teachers have set. Nyla Ahmadzai, one of the rally's organ

Searchers from Alberta and British Columbia have joined the effort to find a five-year-old boy who police say disappeared near a campground. RCMP say in a news release that Darius Macdougall was reported missing around 11:30 a.m., and was last seen walking with his family about four kilometres south of Crowsnest Pass near Island lake Campground in southern Alberta. Police say the boy has a medical issue which may prevent him from responding to others. They say RCMP and conservation officers are on the scene, joined by searchers from multiple agencies. Police say the searchers ar