In the news today: Stronach trial, Ottawa’s alcohol tax, Canada’s opponent in FIFA

By Canadian Press on March 31, 2026.

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

Lawyers to begin final submissions in Frank Stronach sex assault trial

Lawyers are set to begin their final submissions today in the sexual assault trial of Canadian auto parts tycoon Frank Stronach.

The defence’s last witnesses — two Peel Region police officers who led the investigation — finished their testimony earlier this month, closing out the evidence in the case.

Stronach, who is 93, has pleaded not guilty to 12 charges related to alleged incidents dating back decades.

Over the course of the trial, prosecutors have dropped five charges related to three of the seven complainants, though the defence has argued Stronach should instead be found not guilty on those counts.

His lawyers have also indicated they will seek a stay of proceedings.

Ottawa extending 2% alcohol tax hike cap for another 2 years

The federal government is set to extend its cap on an annual alcohol tax increase for another two years in a bid to rein in costs facing Canada’s brewers, wineries and distilleries.

Excise taxes on booze had faced annual increases pegged to inflation on April 1 each year, but the Liberal government has temporarily capped those hikes at two per cent since 2023.

This was supposed to be the final year for that cap, but a government official not authorized to speak about the announcement before it’s made public told The Canadian Press that Ottawa is set to renew the cap through to 2028.

The federal government is also giving a two-year extension to an agreement meant to support craft brewers that cut excise taxes in half for the first 15,000 hectolitres of beer brewed in Canada.

Summer air quality alerts will become routine in U.S. without action: UWaterloo study

A study out of the University of Waterloo is underlining how North American air quality could deteriorate by the end of the century unless efforts are taken to fight climate change.

The study, focusing on the United States, suggests that by 2100, one in three Americans could be breathing summer air considered unhealthy for sensitive groups without climate action.

Co-author and associate professor Rebecca Saari says the results indicate it’s not just a short-term problem anymore, but a chronic issue.

She says it also shows that telling people to stay inside can’t compensate for the rising health-care burden of poor air quality.

U.S. attacks Iranian nuclear site while Tehran hits oil tanker off the Dubai coast

The United States has hit the central Iranian city of Isfahan, sending a massive fireball into the sky, and Tehran struck a fully loaded Kuwaiti oil tanker in the Persian Gulf.

The attacks Tuesday were testament to the sustained intensity of the month-long war the U.S. and Israel launched against Iran.

Iran has maintained its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, closing off the vital waterway for global energy shipments, sending oil prices skyrocketing and roiling world markets.

Meanwhile, Israel said another four soldiers have been killed in its invasion of Lebanon, as have two more United Nations peacekeepers, prompting the U.N. Security Council to schedule an emergency session later in the day.

Playoff to determine Canada’s opponent for first FIFA World Cup game

Canada will learn today which country it will face to open the FIFA World Cup in June.

The winner of today’s playoff game between Italy and Bosnia and Herzegovina will join Canada, Qatar and Switzerland in Group B at the tournament, and will face Canada in Toronto on June 12.

Italy, which has won four World Cups (1934, 1938, 1982 and 2006), comes in as favourites, boasting talents such as Fiorentina’s Moise Kean and Federico Dimarco, a winger for Inter Milan.

No. 66 Bosnia and Herzegovina is hosting the playoff game in Zenica and seeking its second World Cup appearance after playing in Brazil back in 2014.

Toronto is hosting six games during the tournament, while seven more will be played in Vancouver.