A wildfire in the Los Angeles area of California has destroyed nearly 2,000 buildings and homes. The fire is so intense that it has forced evacuations from the homes of Hollywood stars and even Vice President Kamala Harris. So far, five people have died in the fire. About 300,000 people have been instructed to evacuate to safe areas. The fire has spread a blanket of smoke over the entire region. Among the stars whose homes have been destroyed are Mandy Moore, Cary Elwes, and Paris Hilton. Billy Crystal and his wife, Janice, lost their 45-year-old home in the Palisades fire. It is believed tha

Alberta is preparing to send water bombers, night-vision helicopters and incident command team support to help battle wildfires ravaging parts of Los Angeles. Premier Danielle Smith says on X that neighbours are always there for each other in times of need and the province will assist its American friends in this crisis. Water-bombing pilots and crews from Quebec and a British Columbia company are already fighting the wind-whipped flames in the Southern California city. Officials have said hurricane-force winds began igniting one neighbourhood after another on Wednesday in the coastal neighbou

Canada has been included in the top 5 "losers" in the new global passport ranking, while Singapore has maintained its position as the country with the most powerful passport in the world. According to the Henley Passport Index, Canada is ranked seventh out of 199 passports, down three places over the past decade. Canada is tied for seventh place with Malta and Poland, whose passports offer visa-free access to 188 destinations. Singapore, meanwhile, is the only country whose passport provides visa-free access to 195 destinations. Japan ranks second in the Henley Passport Index, while Finland,

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Cabinet Minister Dominic LeBlanc announced today that he will not be joining the Liberal Party’s leadership race. LeBlanc expressed his gratitude for the support he has received within the party but confirmed that he will not be a candidate in the upcoming leadership contest for the Liberal Party of Canada. This comes in the wake of Trudeau’s announcement that he will step down, prompting the party to choose a new leader. The leadership election campaign is expected to begin soon. Trudeau recently appointed LeBlanc as Finance Minister, and he had been con

A pair of Quebec water bombers and their crews are in California helping fight the massive wildfires tearing through the Los Angeles area. Stéphane Caron of Quebec's forest fire protection agency — SOPFEU — says the two planes are sent to the U.S. each fall as part of an annual contract, the length of which was extended this year because of the emergency. He says each plane is dispatched from Quebec with its own crew composed of a pilot, co-pilot and technician. Thousands of firefighters are battling at least four blazes that have killed at least two people and destroyed more than 1,000 s

Police in Calgary have laid more charges against a man accused of sexually assaulting a newcomer to Canada whose family he was volunteering to help. The latest charges include one allegation dating back almost six decades. Police charged an 83-year-old man in November after a complainant came to a police station to report multiple sexual assaults between December 2023 and June 2024. Police said the accused had been assigned to a newcomer family through a local organization, and they allege he took advantage of the complainant's immigration status to commit the assaults. Polic

Liberal MPs are meeting in Ottawa today for the first time since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced he will step down. The national caucus meeting, set to take place both in person and online, was originally set to last six hours to give MPs time to discuss Trudeau's previous refusal to resign. Now, the focus will be on next steps for the party as it begins a national search for a leader who can hold their own against popular Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. Some from the party caucus, including cabinet ministers Jonathan Wilkinson, Steven MacKinnon and Karina Gould, are fielding ca

Incoming U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to use economic force to make Canada part of the United States. Trump told reporters that he has no intention of using military force against Canada; instead, he would use economic pressure. Trump argued that the move would be beneficial for national security, stating that the issue with Canada is the billions of dollars the U.S. spends to protect it. Trump made these comments during a press conference in Florida. He also suggested he might use military force to acquire the Panama Canal and Greenland. Trump said China is using the Panama Can

Canada Post says it has reinstated on-time service guarantees and returned to full service levels for domestic parcels after a strike brought deliveries to a halt last year. However, it says Canadians should continue to expect delivery delays of several days beyond its service standard for transaction mail such as letters, bills and statements. It also says it is continuing to work through the accumulated volume of international mail and that customers should expect a delivery delay of several days for incoming international items. The mail started moving again late last month after the Canada