Two former British Columbia Conservative MLAs have announced plans to form a new political party, saying they want to provide an alternative for voters who feel politically homeless. Delta South MLA Ian Paton and Peter Milobar, who left the Conservative Party earlier this month, say they plan to register the new party with Elections BC before the fall legislative session. Paton said the direction of the Conservatives under new leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay no longer aligns with his beliefs. He said the new party would provide “a home” for people who feel politically homeless in B.C. Speaking

Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced that the federal government will invest more than $11 billion to build six new icebreakers for the Canadian Coast Guard at Chantier Davie in Lévis, Quebec. The government says it is the largest shipbuilding contract in Quebec’s history. The new vessels will replace the Coast Guard’s aging heavy and medium icebreakers and will support missions including Arctic operations, search and rescue, environmental response and keeping key waterways open during the winter. The ships will be built using Canadian steel and other domestic materials under the fed

Canada’s Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne and Energy Minister Tim Hodgson have urged Canadians to support domestic products and “Buy Canadian” in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs. Champagne said that when a close trading partner uses negotiations as a tool to exert pressure rather than seeking a mutually beneficial outcome, it sends a serious message to the world and makes it clear that the United States has changed. He said the greatest strength of Canadians and Canadian companies is their purchasing power. By choosing Canadian products at grocery stores,

More than 7,000 lightning strikes across British Columbia over the weekend sparked more than 60 new wildfires across the province. According to the B.C. Wildfire Service, around 67 new fires were reported over the past 24 hours. However, rainfall brought by the thunderstorms helped prevent the fires from spreading, and most of the new blazes have been brought under control. The severe thunderstorms also disrupted operations at Vancouver International Airport. For safety reasons, airport operations were suspended from 9:30 p.m. Saturday until 2:55 a.m. Sunday. The disruption left thousands of p

Ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi is likely to visit Punjab in the last week of August or the first week of September. Punjab Congress in-charge Bhupesh Baghel shared the information after meeting Rahul Gandhi. During the meeting, Rahul Gandhi’s proposed visit to Punjab and preparations for a special bus yatra across the state were discussed. According to Baghel, a roadmap for the bus yatra has been discussed and preparations for Rahul Gandhi’s visit are underway. During the proposed bus yatra, Rahul Gandhi is expected to travel

Amid the latest escalation in the Canada-U.S. trade war, Ontario Premier Doug Ford has warned that the province could cut off electricity and critical mineral supplies to the United States if President Donald Trump’s trade measures push the situation into a more serious phase. Following Prime Minister Mark Carney’s decision to step back from trade talks with the United States late Friday, Ford said that “everything is on the table” as Canada considers possible retaliatory measures. Ford warned that Ontario has important resources that the United States relies on, including electricity

Chinese President Xi Jinping may attend the BRICS Summit in New Delhi next month with a large delegation. If the visit takes place, it would be his first trip to India in nearly seven years and could be seen as another sign of improving relations between India and China. India is scheduled to host the BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12 and 13. According to Indian officials, Chinese officials are working to finalize hotel arrangements and security preparations for Xi’s potential visit. Xi could be accompanied by a delegation of around 400 officials, compared with fewer than 200 officia

A 22-year-old Kamloops woman was killed in a single-vehicle crash Saturday evening. According to Kamloops RCMP, police were called to the 7000 block of Westsyde Road at around 6 p.m. after receiving reports of a crash. When Kamloops Fire and Rescue crews arrived, they found the vehicle off the road and crashed into a tree. The vehicle was fully engulfed in flames. First responders declared the 22-year-old Kamloops resident, who was driving the vehicle, dead at the scene. Kamloops RCMP said the cause of the crash remains under investigation. Police are asking anyone who may have important infor

British Columbia Premier David Eby has backed Prime Minister Mark Carney’s decision to suspend trade negotiations with the United States, saying B.C. stands “shoulder to shoulder” with Canada. Eby said the latest round of trade talks had exposed the true position of the Trump administration. According to the premier, Washington was seeking to impose conditions that would restrict Canada’s ability to independently negotiate and conduct trade with other countries. Eby said such conditions would effectively amount to turning Canada into an economic “51st state” of the United States. T