National News
Overdose deaths drop by 21 per cent, but 1,826 deaths in 2025 still a ‘profound loss’
By Canadian Press on February 19th, 2026
VICTORIA — More than 1,800 people died in British Columbia last year from illicit drug overdoses, and while the coroner’s service says it still represents a “profound loss of life,” it’s a 21 per cent decrease from the year before and almost 30 per cent down from the peak in 2023. The service said in ... Read More »
1 responseClearview AI loses B.C. appeal of findings over facial recognition privacy breaches
By Canadian Press on February 19th, 2026
VANCOUVER — The British Columbia Court of Appeal has dismissed a bid by U.S. facial recognition firm Clearview AI to overturn findings that the company is subject to Canadian privacy laws, despite no longer doing business in the country. The ruling released this week says Clearview AI was investigated by the information and privacy commissioners ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Federal lawyers seek to shield information in Nijjar murder case on security grounds
By Canadian Press on February 19th, 2026
OTTAWA — The federal attorney general is looking to shield some information from disclosure on national security grounds in the trial of four men accused of killing Canadian Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Nijjar, an advocate for an independent Sikh homeland and president of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara, was shot dead in his pickup ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!New defence purchasing agency will become more independent, MP says
By Canadian Press on February 19th, 2026
OTTAWA — Ottawa is now well into its overhaul of defence procurement and will soon give the agency at the centre of its strategy more authority to ramp up the domestic defence sector and rearm the military, MP Stephen Fuhr told The Canadian Press. Fuhr, the secretary of state overseeing changes to how the federal ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Supreme Court to weigh appropriate legal path for reviewing complaint about railway
By Canadian Press on February 19th, 2026
OTTAWA — The Supreme Court of Canada will help decide the appropriate means of reviewing a company’s complaint about the service provided by a railway. In November 2023, the Canadian Transportation Agency ruled that Canadian National Railway Co. failed to meet the level of service it owed to Alberta Pacific Forest Industries Inc. The agency ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Hydro-Québec proposes doubling electricity rates for energy-hungry data centres
By Canadian Press on February 19th, 2026
MONTRÉAL — Quebec’s hydro utility is seeking to significantly raise electricity prices for data centres and cryptocurrency operations. Hydro-Québec has asked the province’s energy board to hike rates for new data centres to 13 cents per kilowatt hour — roughly double the price it charges to customers that consume large amounts of power. In a ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!New study to help assess potential impact of expanding port on Hudson Bay
By Canadian Press on February 19th, 2026
WINNIPEG — The federal government is taking another step toward a potential expansion of the Port of Churchill in Manitoba and increased shipping through the Arctic. Ottawa, along with the Manitoba government and other partners, is launching a market-sounding study on how road, rail and port improvements might attract more business from exporters. The idea ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!NDP leadership candidates to square off in final debate
By Canadian Press on February 19th, 2026
OTTAWA — The five NDP leadership candidates are in the Vancouver area today for the second and final party-organized debate of the leadership race. This English language debate follows a French language debate in Montreal late last year that was also held predominantly in English. Dockworker union leader Rob Ashton, social worker Tanille Johnston, documentarian ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Frank Stronach’s sexual assault trial hits hurdle as fourth complainant testifies
By Canadian Press on February 19th, 2026
TORONTO — The sexual assault trial of billionaire businessman Frank Stronach hit another hurdle today as one of his accusers repeatedly referred to her preparatory meetings with the prosecution while testifying about what she called a “degrading” and horrifying incident in the early 1980s. The woman, who is the fourth complainant to take the stand ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Pressure mounts on Quebec justice minister to backtrack on enshrining abortion rights
By Canadian Press on February 19th, 2026
QUÉBEC — Pressure is mounting on Quebec’s justice minister to abandon plans to enshrine abortion rights in the province’s proposed constitution. Consultations on the constitution bill ended this week, with opposition parties noting that the section on abortion was roundly criticized. Legal experts and women’s rights groups have warned the government against legislating on abortion, ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Finance minister unveils Ottawa’s ‘follow the money’ plan to tackle extortion
By Canadian Press on February 19th, 2026
OTTAWA — The federal government is bringing law enforcement and financial institutions together to fight extortion operations targeting Canadian businesses and households. Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne was in Mississauga, Ont., on Thursday to announce a suite of new initiatives he said will make it easier for police to “follow the money” and disrupt criminal networks. ... Read More »
1 response
