The Surrey School Board has a new chair after seven years. The Surrey Board meeting held on November 20, saw the election of a new chair. Former Vice Chair Gary Tymoschuk was elected Chair, and Trustee Terry Allen was elected Vice Chair. Tymoschuk thanked everyone for electing him and promised to do a good job. Allen served as Vice Chair from 2017 to 2022 and was re-elected to the Board in the recent municipal election.

An Alberta woman charged in the drowning death of a five-year-old girl has been denied bail while she awaits trial. Justice Rosanna Saccomani said there is a concern the accused, Mary Quinn, poses a significant risk to public safety. Saccomani issued the decision in provincial court in Stony Plain. Quinn, who is 35, was charged with failing to provide the necessaries of life after the girl drowned Oct. 13 at Wabamun Lake, west of Edmonton. The girl cannot be identified under a court-ordered publication ban.

Legislation to create a two-month-long GST holiday is expected to pass today. Liberals, NDP expected to pass GST holiday in House of Commons today The bill was introduced on behalf of Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland in the House of Commons on Wednesday afternoon, with the help of the NDP to at least temporarily stop debate on a Conservative filibuster. The NDP only agreed to support the bill after Freeland separated the GST break from a promise to also send $250 to most working Canadians in the spring. The NDP wants that benefit expanded to also go to non-working seniors and people with di

A committee appointed by the Quebec government has recommended the province adopt its own constitution and take other steps to boost its autonomy. Premier François Legault says he’s open to the possibility of a Quebec constitution before the next provincial election in 2026, but he won't make promises. The committee's report includes 42 recommendations, including that Quebec modernize its laws to remove references to the monarchy and that the province negotiate an agreement with the federal government on asylum seekers. The Opposition Liberals passed a motion in favour of a Quebec constitut

Canadian colleges have begun cutting back on academic programs as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government imposes a cap on international students. Ontario’s Sheridan College has suspended 40 academic programs, including six in its animation, arts, and design faculty, citing a projected decline in student enrollment. The college is also reducing its staff. Sheridan College expects a 30 percent drop in student enrollment next year, which will result in a $112 million loss in revenue. The programs being suspended include 13 business programs. However, students currently enrolled in these p

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health says responders have fielded more than 300,000 calls and texts since the launch of the national 988 suicide helpline a year ago. Dr. Allison Crawford, the chief medical officer for the helpline, says people having suicidal thoughts or other mental health distress can get help 24 hours a day, seven days a week no matter where they live in Canada. She expects the volume of calls and texts will go up as more people become aware of the service. Crawford says it's critical that responders answer the calls or texts quickly so someone needing help doesn't gi

Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon is summoning Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers to his office today as federal mediation to end the nearly two-week old strike isn't working. MacKinnon says the special mediator appointed to help end the labour dispute says the two sides are too far apart on critical issues for mediation to currently be of use. As such mediation has temporarily been suspended. MacKinnon says he will be telling both sides that they alone are responsible for the consequences of the job action, which has stalled mail and parcel delivery since Nov. 15. Around 55,0

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is set to meet with the country’s premiers this afternoon, after they asked for an urgent meeting on U.S.-Canada relations ahead of the incoming Donald Trump administration. That request came Monday, before the U.S. president-elect threatened to impose a 25-per-cent import tariff on goods coming from Canada and Mexico. Trudeau and the premiers will hold a virtual meeting at 5 p.m. today. Trump said in a social media post Monday night that he would keep the tariffs in place until Canada and Mexico stop illegal border crossings and prevent drugs such as fentanyl f

The NDP and Bloc Québécois have called on the Trudeau government to extend the $250 rebate to retirees. This move could significantly increase the cost of the government's proposed relief package. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced a $6.28-billion relief package for Canadians, including a GST exemption and a $250 rebate. Of this total, $4.68 billion is allocated to send $250 checks to Canadians. The government needs the support of at least one party in Parliament to implement the full package, but Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet has said he will only support the Liberals' plan i