Vancouver city council has voted to oppose a planned overdose prevention site in the city’s downtown, backing an urgent motion from Mayor Ken Sim following a recent announcement by the regional health authority. Council approved the motion Tuesday along party lines, with all seven councillors from Sim’s ABC party voting in favour and four opposing. The motion directs the city to challenge the site planned for 900 Helmcken St., which Vancouver Coastal Health says it intends to open in June. Coun. Peter Meiszner told council the city was notified of the location only last week, “despite ma

Canada’s federal government is considering restricting social media access for children under the age of 16 as part of proposed online harms legislation, Immigration and Identity Minister Marc Miller told a parliamentary committee Tuesday. Appearing before the House of Commons heritage committee, Miller said the government is “seriously considering” age-based limits in response to growing concerns about the impact of social media on youth. According to Miller, the proposal would be included in the forthcoming Online Harms bill. Miller told the committee that evidence on the psychological

A Calgary criminal defence lawyer is facing multiple child sexual exploitation-related charges, and police say they are seeking to identify additional potential victims. According to a Calgary Police Service news release, 46-year-old Jordan Bonner was arrested Thursday. Investigators executed search warrants at a residence and a law office in Calgary in connection with the case. Police allege Bonner engaged in sexually explicit online conversations with multiple youths and shared child sexual exploitation material. The allegations have not been tested in court. Authorities say the complainants

Canada’s federal and provincial privacy commissioners have released a joint investigation report examining how OpenAI collected and used personal information to train its ChatGPT system, raising concerns about consent and transparency. According to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada and counterparts in British Columbia, Alberta and Quebec, the company gathered more personal data than necessary during early development stages, in some cases without users’ knowledge or meaningful consent. The report states that this information could include sensitive details such as health dat

Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke says recent incidents in the city require urgent attention, following a daytime shooting earlier this week that remains unsolved. According to statements attributed to the mayor, Locke said the situation “cannot continue” and must be addressed with seriousness by local authorities. The comments come after a shooting reported Monday afternoon near 130 Street and 76 Avenue, where police say gunfire occurred at a business complex. No arrests have been announced in connection with the incident as of publication time, according to available police information. Locke sa

A 47-year-old Alberta man is back in custody after police say he breached court-ordered restrictions on internet use just hours after being released from jail. According to a Lethbridge Police Service news release, the man was released from custody at about 7 a.m. last Friday. Police allege he was observed shortly before noon the same day using a social media account at a public library to view images of children. Police say the man is subject to a lifetime prohibition order that restricts his access to social media and other internet platforms. The order was imposed following his convictions

Police in Kamloops are investigating a fatal shooting that occurred overnight, with investigators confirming the case is being treated as a homicide. According to a statement from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, officers have released few details about the circumstances of the shooting, but say early evidence suggests the attack was targeted. Mounties have not disclosed the exact location of the incident. However, police are asking anyone who was in the 200 block of Columbia Street between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. to contact investigators. They are also seeking dashcam footage from the area during

Alberta's United Conservative Party caucus says staff attended a meeting to discuss how to access a website that's now the focus of investigations into a massive breach of personal data. The caucus says in a statement that staff regularly attend meetings of political interest and, in this case, organizers told them the database was obtained legally. The database contained the names and addresses of three million Alberta voters and was run by the Centurion Project, a group committed to getting Alberta to leave Canada. Elections Alberta says Centurion was not legally entitled to h

Former Vancouver mayor Kennedy Stewart says he has been interviewed by federal lawyers regarding what he alleges is an investigation into a British Columbia cabinet minister for possible collaboration with China’s government. Stewart said Premier David Eby and other cabinet members are aware of the matter. He did not identify the minister and did not provide documentation to support the existence or scope of any investigation. The RCMP said it is reviewing a request for comment but did not confirm any investigation. The B.C. government did not respond to a request for comment by publication