Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called a pair of byelections to fill vacant seats in Quebec and Manitoba. Voters will go to the polls in the Elmwood Transcona riding in Manitoba and the Montreal-area riding of LaSalle—Émard—Verdun on Sept. 16. The Manitoba riding was held by the New Democratic Party until MP Daniel Blaikie resigned in March to go work for the office of the province's Premier, Wab Kinew. Blaikie had held the federal seat since the 2015 election. The Quebec riding was held by former Liberal justice minister David Lametti, who resigned in January after being excluded from

Cool and wet weather is making a difference in Jasper National Park. The park posted a statement on X late Thursday night saying cooler temperatures and up to 15 millimetres of rain since midnight had led to minimal fire activity. The park says due to the rainfall, fire behaviour is likely to calm over the next 72 hours. While more rain is expected Friday, temperatures are supposed to return to the mid 20s by Saturday, which the park says will lead to an increase in fire activity. The townsite and park have been besieged by wildfires, with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith estimating Thursday a t

McGill University has withdrawn its injunction request against a pro-Palestinian encampment, a little more than two weeks after the school removed the collection of tents from its campus. All parties were due at the Montreal courthouse today for a hearing, but none of the lawyers showed. Later, lawyers for McGill and some of the protest groups confirmed the university had dropped the injunction request. On July 10, the university hired a private security firm to dismantle the encampment that had been in place on the school's lower field since late April. In mid-May, the university failed to se

A fast-moving wildfire has hit Jasper, Alberta, destroying buildings and chasing some wildland firefighters away with dangerously poor air quality. The social media account for Jasper National Park says the fire has caused significant loss within the townsite, but the specific locations or neighbourhoods affected are not being reported. On the social media platform X Wednesday night, the account for Fairmont's Jasper Park Lodge says the flames have reached the hotel's grounds, but the extent of damage, if any, is not yet known. As the flames consumed more fuel, officials say the air quality dr

Opposition Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre blames a national rise in crime and the recent killing of an Ontario teenager on what he calls failed Liberal and NDP policies. Poilievre held a press conference in London, Ont., today, just one day after the community held a vigil for Breanna Broadfoot, 17, who police say was a victim of intimate partner violence. Poilievre says the suspect had previously been arrested, but was released before the fatal attack on Broadfoot. The Conservative leader says Broadfoot is the latest victim of radical "wacko" policies by the Liberals and NDP, and repeat

Calgary residents can now turn on their sprinklers for longer as the city swelters under an extreme heat warning. Mayor Jyoti Gondek says outdoor watering restrictions may befully lifted within days, but for now residents can turn on their hoses for up to two hours twice a week to water grass and outdoor plants. Michael Thompson, Calgary's infrastructure services general manager, says operational pump issues have been fixed, but other mechanical problems need to be resolved before the city can give the full green light. He says the city's water system is approaching 75 per cent c

The Bank of Canada delivered a widely expected interest rate cut today, marking the second consecutive time it has lowered its policy rate. The central bank's quarter-percentage-point cut brings its policy rate down to 4.5 per cent. The Bank of Canada says the decision was motivated by continued progress on getting inflation down as well as weakening economic conditions. In his prepared statement, governor Tiff Macklem says as inflation edges closer to its two per cent target, the central bank is trying to avoid the risk of the economy and inflation weakening by more than expected.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will head to British Columbia on Sunday, where he will be on vacation with his family until Aug. 1. A government official says the Prime Minister's Office is not disclosing the specific location for security reasons. Spokesman Mohammad Hussain says in an email that Trudeau travels on government aircraft as required, and will reimburse the equivalent of a commercial airline ticket for himself and his family. Hussain says Trudeau will also pay for his family's stay. The PMO has consulted with the Ethics Commissioner's office about the trip. Trudeau and his family va

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed... Interest rate cut possible this week: Economists Economists and market watchers are betting the Bank of Canada will deliver another interest rate cut this week amid mounting evidence that inflation is sustainably easing. Expectations that the bank will lower its overnight lending rate when it makes its scheduled announcement Wednesday have been high since last week's release of the latest Statistics Canada inflation report, which showed annual inflation cooled to 2.7 per cent in June. The inflation readin