In the news today: Canada flights to Mexico, Tumbler Ridge AI, Atlantic Canada storm

By Canadian Press on February 24, 2026.

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed…

WestJet, Air Canada among Canadian airlines resuming service to Mexico

Canadian airlines are flying in and out of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, today after widespread violence led them to temporarily suspend service since the weekend.

Air Canada, Air Transat, WestJet and Porter Airlines have all announced they will be resuming flights to and from the popular western Mexican resort city, with WestJet also offering service to Guadalajara and Manzanillo.

Tourists and locals in multiple regions of Mexico were told to shelter in place to escape violence that erupted on Sunday after the death of a notorious cartel leader as part of a Mexican government operation.

More than 26,000 Canadians in Mexico have registered with Ottawa.

Global Affairs Canada is still advising people to exercise a high degree caution in Mexico.

Why forcing AI firms to report online threats may not be simple

A cybersecurity law expert says Canada could introduce laws requiring artificial intelligence companies to notify police of online threats, but the process would not be a simple one, since reporting every suspicion is “just not workable.”

Emily Laidlaw, a Canada Research Chair in cybersecurity law at the University of Calgary, said every AI company sets its own policy around when to inform police about what happens online and that Canada considered laws in the past but did not follow through.

The issue is under scrutiny again in the wake of the mass killings in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., by a shooter who was banned by OpenAI from its ChatGPT platform at least seven months ago.

But the firm did not inform police about the problematic behaviour of Jesse Van Rooteslaar until after the Feb. 10 killings and it has been called to Ottawa to meet with federal Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon on Tuesday to explain its safety procedures and decisions.

The company banned Van Rootselaar’s account in June but it said the activities didn’t meet the threshold for informing law enforcement at the time because it didn’t identify credible or imminent planning. The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that Van Rootselaar’s account was banned over troubling posts, including some that included scenarios of gun violence.

Snow, strong winds continue to hit Atlantic Canada

More snow and strong winds are hitting Atlantic Canada today as a winter storm continues to batter the region.

Environment Canada has issued snowfall and winter storm warnings for much of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, as well as eastern New Brunswick.

The weather office says up to 30 centimetres of snow is expected in parts of New Brunswick, with wind gusts along the coast expected to reach 90 kilometres an hour.

Newfoundland and Labrador are also under winter storm warnings, with up 20 centimetres of snow expected in southern Newfoundland and as much as 25 forecast in parts of eastern Labrador.

Parts of eastern Newfoundland have been hammered by back-to-back storms in the past week, with Environment Canada data showing the St. John’s suburb of Paradise has seen more than 150 centimetres of snow.

Public trust in Canada’s institutions is rising in face of U.S. hostility: poll

Public trust in Canada’s key institutions is on the rise as the country navigates unprecedented tensions with the United States, a new poll suggests.

The annual CanTrust Index published by Proof Strategies — which was conducted online and can’t be assigned a margin of error — surveyed 1,501 Canadians between Jan. 7 and 15.

Canadians’ trust in others and in many major sectors and institutions has increased since last year, the poll suggests.

Four in 10 poll respondents said they have trust in governments, up from 36 per cent in 2025 and 32 per cent in 2021.

Forty-five per cent of respondents said they trust small and medium corporations and the news media, up from 40 per cent and 37 per cent last year. Trust in the news media is at its highest level since 2016.

Defence to continue cross-examining complainant in Stronach’s sexual assault trial

The fifth complainant to testify in Frank Stronach’s sexual assault trial is set to face more questions today from the businessman’s lawyer.

Leora Shemesh began cross-examining the complainant Monday afternoon, focusing on discrepancies in dates and details the woman gave in her statements to police and what she said in court.

Stronach, who is 93, has pleaded not guilty to 12 charges related to alleged incidents spanning the 1970s to the 1990s. All seven complainants are expected to testify.

On Monday, the woman broke into tears as she told the court that Stronach raped her inside his hotel suite in the fall of 1990.

The woman said she kept saying no and asking him to stop but that he only grew more aggressive and forceful.