Canada crosses grim milestone of 15,000 COVID-19 deaths

A wildfire near Lytton, B.C., that ignited when a wheel fell off an RCMP trailer and prompted evacuations is now classified as "being held" and is no longer likely to spread. The BC Wildfire Service says the change is due to "significant efforts" of firefighters with the help of favourable weather, which means the Izman Creek blaze will no longer be considered a wildfire of note. Once the fire loses that classification — which designates a fire is generating particular interest, is highly visible or a threat to public safety — there will be no wildfires of note in B.C. The wildfire north o

Mounties in Alberta have charged a 23-year-old man with first-degree murder after he allegedly gave another man cough syrup laced with a fatal dose of fentanyl. Cpl. Gina Slaney says an 18-year-old resident of Chestermere, a city east of Calgary, died in hospital on April 3, 2020, about three days after consuming the substance. Court documents say the accused is also facing an attempted murder charge after he allegedly gave the laced cough syrup to a 25-year-old Calgary resident who didn't end up drinking it. Investigators allege the medicine was intended for both victims. Inve

Ottawa is expected to miss its 2026 deadline to implement $10-a-day child care services across the country, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives said in a new report published on Wednesday. The analysis concluded that just six provinces and territories are meeting that fee target now. David Macdonald, an economist with the centre, said even though fees have dropped significantly everywhere, the federal government is unlikely to meet its self-imposed deadline. “It's almost certain that even after the 2026 deadline passes, many parents in five provinces will be paying more than $10 a da

Russia fired a record 728 Shahed and decoy drones at Ukraine overnight, as well as 13 missiles, Ukraine’s air force said Wednesday. Ukraine’s air defenses shot down 296 drones and seven missiles, while 415 more drones were lost from radars or jammed, a statement said. The attack mostly targeted Ukraine’s western Volyn region and Lutsk, the capital city of Volyn region, in Ukraine’s northwest, bordering Poland and Belarus, it said.

Calgary police say they are investigating after three people were seriously hurt in an assault at the Calgary Stampede. Police say they responded to reports of an assault just after 11 p.m. Tuesday near the Euroslide on the Stampede's midway. They say they found a severely injured man who was transported to hospital in life-threatening but stable condition. Police say they then responded to reports of a young person and a man who were injured outside the Stampede grounds. Investigators say both people were victims of the same assault that took place on the midway and they were transported to h