As wildfires continue to burn from northwest Ontario to British Columbia, Canada is getting help from near and far, and very far. Southern Highlands - New South Wales Rural Fire Service in Australia says a 96-personnel-strong Australian contingent of firefighters and specialists have deployed to Canada for five weeks. The service says the deployment is in response to a request from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says in a tweet that, "When our mates need help, Australia is there." A post on social media platform X from the official accou

A new analysis says first-time Canadian homebuyers could save up to $240 on their monthly mortgage payments through the federal government's proposal to waive the sales tax on new builds. Desjardins Economics says in a new report that the impact on housing affordability will be "particularly strong" for buyers in Canada's more expensive markets, like Toronto and Vancouver. The Liberal government has tabled legislation to eliminate the GST portion from new home sales of up to $1 million for first-time buyers, which works out to as much as $50,000 off the cost of a new build or substantially ren

An early season hot spell that has brought temperatures approaching 40 Celsius to parts of southern British Columbia, breaking more than a dozen daily heat records, won't be lifting until at least tomorrow. Lytton saw temperatures peak at 39.3 C on Sunday, making it the hottest spot in the country and breaking a daily record set two years ago. Also among the 15 daily records set Sunday were temperatures of 31.7 C in Nanaimo and 32.3 C in Pitt Meadows, both breaking high marks set in 1903. Environment Canada says the "early season heat event" will last into the week in Howe Sound, Whistler, Pem

Ontario's chief medical officer of health says six infants have been born with congenital measles since an outbreak began last fall, adding they were infected in the womb through mothers who were not vaccinated. Dr. Kieran Moore says these infants recovered, but their infections could have been prevented if their mothers had been vaccinated and protected from contracting measles. Congenital measles can result in severe complications, including inflammation of the brain and death. On Thursday, Moore announced an infant born prematurely and infected with measles died in southwestern Ontario. He

Authorities are investigating after a small plane crashed into the ocean 5 miles (8 kilometers) off the coast near San Diego with six people aboard. U.S. Coast Guard officials said a debris field was discovered near Point Loma Sunday afternoon and began searching for the wreckage in an area where the water is about 200 feet (61 meters) deep. The Federal Aviation Administration said the twin-engine Cessna 414 crashed around 12:30 p.m. Sunday not long after it took off. Flight tracking website, Flightaware.com, showed that the plane was bound for Phoenix. The National Transportation Safety Board

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum says she will attend the G7 summit next week in Alberta and is working to set up a bilateral meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Alberta is buying American alcohol and gambling machines again, three months after restrictions were announced to combat U-S tariffs. Service Alberta Minister Dale Nally says the province's decision signals ``sets the stage for more constructive negotiations'' ahead of the renewal of the Canada-United States-Mexico trade agreement. After U-S President Donald Trump placed heavy tariffs on Canadian goods and energy, the Alberta government responded in March by saying it would no longer buy American alcohol, gambling machines, or sign contracts with U-S companies. Other premiers at

The BC Wildfire Service says the Pocket Knife Creek wildfire in the province's northeast has merged with another blaze, increasing its size "substantially." It says the fire is now more than 610 square kilometres in size and is considered an out-of-control wildfire of note. The Peace River Regional District says the fire poses an "immediate danger to life safety" and issued an evacuation order Sunday for the area approximately nine kilometres west of the Buckinghorse River, and around the Redfern Trail down toward Redfern Lake. The regional district issued earlier evacuation orders due to the

Defence lawyers representing five former members of Canada's world junior hockey team have begun their final submissions to the judge overseeing the players' sexual assault trial. Prosecutors will follow later this week with their submissions to Ontario Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia, who will then set a date to deliver her ruling. Michael McLeod, Dillon Dube, Alex Formenton, Carter Hart and Callan Foote have pleaded not guilty to sexual assault. McLeod has also pleaded not guilty to an additional charge of being a party to the offence of sexual assault. Court has heard the complainant