Chilly nights and snow-covered slopes may not be easy to come by in much of Canada during the first part of the winter season, according to the winter outlook from one of Canada's prominent forecasters. The Weather Network predicts El Niño conditions will lead to above-average temperatures and lower-than-normal precipitation levels in much of the country, particularly in Western and Central Canada. While that trend is expected to hold throughout the winter in British Columbia and the Prairie provinces, the network said areas further east may see more variable conditions as the season progres

The federal Liberal government has reached a deal with Google over the Online News Act, following threats from the digital giant that it would remove news from its search platform in Canada. A government official confirmed that news to The Canadian Press under condition of anonymity, because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the deal. source is reporting, that the agreement would see Canadian news continue to be shared on Google's platforms in return for the company making annual payments to news companies in the range of $100 million. A formula in the government's draft re

A large majority of Canadians agree that higher immigration is fueling the housing crisis and putting pressure on the health-care system, a new Leger poll suggests. New federal voting intention numbers from the polling firm also show that the Conservatives are maintaining their sizable lead over the governing Liberals. The polling, conducted from Friday to Sunday, found that about three-quarters of respondents agreed the increase in immigrants is adding strain to both the housing market and health-care system. Nearly two-thirds of respondents, or 63 per cent, said the volume of newcomers is al

Beginning Jan. 1, 2024, asbestos abatement employers must be licensed to operate in B.C. This means homeowners, business owners, and contractors must ensure their asbestos abatement contractor holds a valid licence before allowing them to carry out work. To enable British Columbians to verify that a contractor is licensed, WorkSafeBC has developed an Asbestos Abatement License (AAL) Registry. In B.C., asbestos is prevalent in residential and commercial buildings, posing serious health and safety risks when disturbed. Asbestos is a mineral that was used in more than 3,000 building materials f

The leader of the BC Conservatives is rejecting accusations that he's stoking hateful politics with his opposition to school programs about sexual orientation and gender identity, known as SOGI. John Rustad was responding to comments Monday by Attorney General Niki Sharma about a highway chase on the weekend that ended when a tractor flying an anti-SOGI protest flag crashed with a police car and flipped over. Sharma said it was a concerning incident and Rustad's party is to blame for ``dangerous protests'' about the issue. Rustad says parents are right to raise concerns about SOGI, saying t

BC's attorney general says the province is taking the next step in its plan to tackle online sextortion. Niki Sharma says the province intends to launch an online platform in January that will allow people to report if their intimate images are being distributed without their consent, and provide an order telling the perpetrator to stop distributing images and for online platforms to take it down. Her comments come after Mounties in Prince George, BC, said a 12-year-old boy had died by suicide after being targeted in an online sextortion scheme. Sharma called the boy's death ``terrible'' an

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre wants MPs to order the "unelected" Senate to pass a Tory bill that would take the carbon price off natural gas and propane used on farms. Poilievre introduced a motion in the House of Commons this morning looking to send a message to senators to pass Bill C-234. The House already passed the private member's bill, and all but three Liberal MPs voted against it. It would remove carbon pricing from natural gas and propane used to heat farm buildings and grain dryers for eight years.

Four large Quebec public sector unions say they will strike for a week in December in an effort to accelerate contract negotiations with the provincial government. The four unions, who are negotiating together as a common front, say their 420,000 members will walk off the job from Dec 8 to Dec 14. 14 if a deal isn't reached before then. The unions represent the majority of Quebec's elementary and high school teachers, as well as education support staff and a range of workers in the health-care system, including patient care aides and laboratory technicians. Workers represented by the four u

A new report from Statistics Canada says life expectancy for the average Canadian at birth has fallen for three straight years, from 82.3 years in 2019 to 81.3 in 2022. The report on deaths shows New Brunswick saw the biggest decline in life expectancy in 2022, dropping to 79.8 years from 80.9 in 2021. Saskatchewan's life expectancy has fallen the most over the past three years combined, dropping a full two years to 78.5 in 2022 from 80.5 in 2019. Cancer and heart disease were the leading causes of death, accounting for 41.8 per cent of all deaths in 2022, while COVID-19 caused about six per