The federal government is giving two weapons manufacturers millions of dollars to come up with a plan to make more ammunition in Canada. Defence Minister Bill Blair made the announcement in a speech to the Conference of Defence Associations Institute in Ottawa. He says the $4.4 million will go to IMT Defence and General Dynamics to develop detailed proposals to make more 155 mm ammunition. The deputy defence minister told a House of Commons committee last fall that the two companies estimated it would cost $400 million to ramp up production. The NATO-standard 155 mm ammunition is in short supp

An Ontario town is mourning a family of five who died in a Nashville plane crash earlier this week. Forty-three-year-old Victor Dotsenko, his 39-year-old wife Rimma Dotsenko and their three children, 12-year-old David, 10-year-old Adam and seven-year-old Emma, were killed Monday as a single-engine plane crashed alongside a highway. The family, who were the only people aboard the plane, lived in King Township, located about 50 km north of Toronto. The town's mayor, Steve Pellegrini, expressed condolences to the friends and relatives of the family Wednesday night, calling it a "heartbreaking and

Ottawa police are investigating the deaths of six people including four children and two adults found in a home in the city's Barrhaven area.Police said Thursday one person has been arrested and there is no ongoing threat to public safety. The investigation comes after police responded to 911 calls late Wednesday night.Police said officers found the six people dead inside the home located in a suburb south of the city.Identities of the deceased have not been confirmed. Police asked that anyone with information to contact the homicide unit."This is a tragic and complex investigation, and inv

Ottawa says it has suspended the largest contractor that worked on the ArriveCan app from bidding or working on government contracts that have security requirements. Public Services and Procurement Canada announced today that it is suspending the security status of GC Strategies, which the auditor general says was awarded more than $19 million for the project. The department says the suspension prevents the company from participating in all federal procurements with security requirements. That follows an earlier decision to suspend it from procurement processes within the department. The gover

Canada hasn't made a final decision on whether to resume funding to the UN aid organization in Gaza when its next scheduled payment is due in April. A senior government source, speaking on condition of anonymity, says discussions continue on the decision, including with other countries that also paused funding to the organization earlier this winter. More than a dozen countries paused donations to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in January after Israel alleged some of its workers workers participated in the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack. International Developm

Rural and Francophone minority communities are critical to Canada’s long-term growth, and regional immigration plays a key role in strengthening their economies. In particular, the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) has been successful in connecting businesses and employers in remote communities with the skilled newcomers they need to thrive. That is why today, the Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced new pilots for rural and Francophone minority communities, as Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) continues work toward

New Democrats say they are pushing for the Liberal government to fund a national school food program in the upcoming federal budget. The party says it has already been talking to the Liberals about it and the minority government seems open to the idea. The Liberal government opened up roundtable talks in 2022 with teachers, parents, children and youth about a national school food policy. The New Democrats say lunch programs, like the ones that already exist in British Columbia under a provincial NDP government, can ensure that kids get a healthy meal each day. The NDP has agreed to support the

The Bank of Canada is set to announce its interest rate decision this morning. Economists widely expect the central bank to maintain its key interest rate at five per cent, despite signs inflation is cooling. Canada's inflation rate dropped to 2.9 per cent in January as price pressures eased across the economy. The Bank of Canada has signalled it wants to see sustained declines in inflation before pivoting to rate cuts. Forecasters expect the central bank to begin lowering interest rates around the middle of the year. The slowdown in the Canadian economy is expected to pave the way to lower in

U.S. authorities continue to investigate a plane crash in Tennessee that killed five Canadians. A single-engine plane crashed alongside a highway west of downtown Nashville on Monday, killing all five people aboard. Investigator Aaron McCarter of the National Transportation Safety Board says the flight originated in Ontario and three of the passengers were children. In a recording of radio transmissions, the pilot tells air traffic controllers that his engine has shut down, he has overflown John C. Tune airport and has circled around in an attempt to land. A runway is cleared at the airport, b