The British Columbia Lottery Corporation, a Canadian Crown gambling company, has unveiled a new program that allows employees to select their holidays. Under the new program, the BCLC will allow its workers to substitute up to six holidays for other days of the year.
Thanks to the new program, workers will be able to set their holidays for dates that have personal, cultural or religious significance to them. The announcement is in line with British Columbia’s multiculturalism week and demonstrates the BCLC’s desire to promote diversity and inclusion.
In addition to allowing its employees to pick their holidays, the BCLC will continue to implement inclusive policies that make its workers feel appreciated and welcomed. The company is guided by dedicated employee resource groups and is seeking to promote a “safe, equitable and barrier-free environment.”
However, the BCLC noted that there will be one exception to the substitution option, which is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The company said that this holiday aligns with the message it is trying to send, which is why it must be observed by all of its employees.
For reference, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also known as Orange Shirt Day, takes place on September 30 each year and celebrates the legacy of the Canadian Indian residential school system.
Sandy Austin, the BCLC’s chief people officer, commented on the new changes. She pointed out that her company is an employer that recognizes there cannot be a “one size first all” approach when it comes to holidays. Since the gambling company wanted to promote inclusivity, it opted to provide its employees with an extra level of personalization when it comes to their days off.
This is another important step to build inclusive, equitable and safe workplaces and communities and we’re encouraging other employers to reach out to us to learn more.
Sandy Austin, chief people officer, BCLC
Madhavee Inamdar, BCLC’s manager of diversity, inclusion and belonging, also commented on the new program, praising it for acknowledging the individual values and beliefs of the company’s employees.
We are incredibly fortunate to have such a diverse workforce and are honoring that diversity and reaffirming our commitment to fostering an inclusive culture at BCLC where all employees feel that they are seen, valued and belong.
Madhavee Inamdar, manager of diversity, inclusion and belonging, BCLC
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) is currently immersed in the first phase of reshaping the Canadian broadcasting landscape through the implementation of Bill C-11, known as the Online Streaming Act. As the two-week public hearing unfolds, diverse voices are emerging, with Indigenous media players hoping the bill will result in more equal opportunities.
Ryan Moccasin, owner of The Feather Entertainment, expressed optimism about the ongoing renaissance in Indigenous storytelling. “Our voices are being lifted by the industry,” he remarked. “We have seen success with shows like ‘Reservation Dogs’ and ‘Little Bird.’ It is an upward trajectory, and I see a lot of people that look forward to the stories we have to share.”
However, Moccasin stressed the need for increased funding and capacity building to support newcomers striving to break into the industry. “I see a lot of people interested in the industry,” he noted. “More funding and more capacity building is what we need to support all of those trying to break into the industry.”
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Kerry Swanson, CEO of the Indigenous Screen Office, emphasized the pressing need to move away from the perpetual struggle for funding. “We shouldn’t be constantly in this precarity proving why we should receive this funding,” Swanson said. “Making the case for our existence should not be our continual battle.”
Mike Omelus, executive director of APTN, voiced support for the commission’s proposal regarding contributions from online undertakings to support the Canadian broadcasting system. “APTN also supports the commission’s proposal that online undertakings make an initial base contribution,” Omelus said. “All undertakings, including foreign ones, should contribute in an appropriate manner to support broadcasting policy objectives.”
While the bill identifies Canadian content through three pillars – English, French, and Indigenous content – some Indigenous creators find this distinction limiting. Moccasin expressed concerns, stating, “They talked about the difference between Indigenous content and Canadian content, well they are the same thing.”
The hearings, hosting a total of 122 speakers, continue until the end of next week. The government’s objective with the Broadcasting Act amendments is to support Canada’s creative industries and make Canadian music and stories widely available and accessible in the digital age.
The CRTC’s phased approach aims to modernize Canada’s broadcasting framework and ensures online streaming services, such as Netflix, Disney+, and Spotify, make meaningful contributions to Canadian and Indigenous content. The commission emphasizes the importance of public participation in shaping these crucial decisions.
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As the debate unfolds, Indigenous creators like Moccasin remain determined to secure a more inclusive and supportive environment for their stories. The hope is to ensure that Indigenous content receives the recognition and backing it deserves within the broader scope of Canadian content.
The world’s top climate summit has become embroiled in a hypocrisy scandal, days before the start of key talks.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) schemed to use its position as host country of the imminent COP28 United Nations climate talks to discuss oil and gas deals with more than a dozen countries, leaked documents published by the BBC show.
Briefing notes prepared by the UAE’s COP28 team for meetings with foreign governments during the summit, which starts Thursday in Dubai, include talking points from the Emirati state oil and renewable energy companies, according to documents published Monday by the Centre for Climate Reporting.
Germany, for example, is to be told that the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) — whose CEO, Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber, is COP28’s president — “stand[s] ready to expand LNG supplies to Germany.”
The briefing notes for China say that ADNOC is “willing to jointly evaluate international LNG opportunities (Mozambique, Canada, and Australia).”
They also propose telling oil-rich giants Saudi Arabia and Venezuela that “there is no conflict between sustainable development of any country’s natural resources and its commitment to climate change.”
With COP28 just days away, the leaked documents have cast a shadow over the start of the crucial forum.
Zakia Khattabi, Belgium’s climate minister, told POLITICO: “If confirmed, these news reports add to the existing concerns regarding the COP28 presidency. The credibility of the U.N. climate negotiations is essential and is at stake here.”
The documents also sparked an outcry from climate NGOs.
In a statement, Greenpeace’s Policy Coordinator Kaisa Kosonen said, “if the allegations are true, this is totally unacceptable and a real scandal.”
“The climate summit leader should be focused on advancing climate solutions impartially, not backroom deals that are fuelling the crisis,” Kosonen said.
“The significant representation of EU and European countries in this list is alarming and a direct contradiction to the EU’s position to achieve a phase out of fossil fuels at this year’s COP,” Chiara Martinelli, director of Climate Action Network Europe, said in a written statement to POLITICO.
“Any deal with the UAE’s oil and gas companies is a slap in the face of the U.N. process on climate change,” Martinelli added.
The documents also include estimates of ADNOC’s commercial interests in the targeted countries, as well as an outline of energy infrastructure projects led by Masdar, the UAE’s state renewable energy company.
ADNOC’s business ties with China, for example, are valued at $15 billion over the past year, while those with the United Kingdom are worth $4 billion and the Netherlands’ stand at $2 billion.
Every year, the country hosting COP appoints a president to lead negotiations between countries. The president meets foreign dignitaries and is expected to “rais[e] ambition to tackle climate change internationally,” according to the U.N.
Home to some of the largest oil reserves in the world, the UAE has attracted criticism for appointing al-Jaber as COP president in spite of his role as chief of the country’s national oil company. Al-Jaber is also chairman of the board of directors of the national renewable energy company.
In a statement, a COP28 spokesperson said: “The documents referred to in the BBC article are inaccurate and were not used by COP28 in meetings. It is extremely disappointing to see the BBC use unverified documents in their reporting.”
This article has been updated to clarify Ahmed al-Jaber’s role at the national renewable energy company and to add comments fro, COP28 and Greenpeace.
The FBI‘s conclusion that a car explosion near a bridge linking the United States and Canada was not a terrorist incident has sparked claims on social media of a conspiracy to cover up the true nature of the incident.
Two people were killed after their vehicle exploded on Wednesday afternoon at the Rainbow Bridge, which straddles the two nations’ sides of the Niagara Falls. The incident prompted the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to shut down three other crossings between New York and Canada out of an abundance of caution.
The explosion prompted many—including several lawmakers, such as Reps. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) and Ronny Jackson (R-Texas)—to presume the incident was terror-related.
However, in a statement on Wednesday night, the FBI field office in Buffalo, New York, said it had “concluded our investigation at the scene” which “revealed no explosive materials, and no terrorism nexus was identified.”
View of the Rainbow Bridge border crossing into the U.S. in Niagara Falls, Ontario, after a car exploded at a U.S.-Canada checkpoint on November 22, 2023. The FBI have determined the explosion was not terror-related. PETER POWER/AFP via Getty Images
It added: “The matter has been turned over to the Niagara Falls Police Department as a traffic investigation.”
After visiting the scene, New York Governor Kathy Hochul wrote the same evening that there was “no evidence of terrorism indicated at this time.”
While Customs and Border Protection has released CCTV footage from the border crossing clearly showing a car traveling at a high speed veering off the road and flying into the air, many on social media expressed skepticism towards the FBI’s quick conclusion, while referencing the Las Vegas mass shooting in 2017, in which the gunman Stephen Paddock’s motive for killing 60 people has never been definitively determined.
CBP is working closely with @FBI, federal, state & local partners in response to a vehicle explosion at Rainbow Bridge which remains closed. Out of abundance of caution, CBP temporarily suspended inbound/outbound traffic at 3 other Buffalo crossings that have since reopened. pic.twitter.com/pTXyUsavRB
“Wow! The FBI concludes their investigation after half a day, and yet we still don’t know anything about the Vegas shooter,” one X, formerly Twitter, user wrote.
“Just like that, they’ve concluded their investigation…” another said, while a further user, a self-described “America First culture warrior,” commented: “Look how efficient you are when you want to shut things down.”
“Maybe it’s just me, but I highly doubt they’d tell us what was in the vehicle unless the perps were ‘right wing’,” Chris DellaCroce, purportedly a former U.S. Marine, responded to the statement. “All leftist attackers are protected and their motives are usually hidden. That’s the playbook.”
Newsweek approached the FBI field office in Buffalo via phone on Thursday, and was told it would respond after the holiday.
Meanwhile, another user, Holli Winters, wrote: “Shame on people for calling the FBI liars and believing conspiracy theories. There is a family grieving the death of their loved ones who were in the car.”
A 27-year-old guy with minor wounds and back discomfort was brought to Niagara Falls Memorial Hospital.
It is said that his condition is not serious.
US President Biden has been briefed
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated in a statement that US President Joe Biden has been briefed on the event that happened on the Rainbow Bridge at the US-Canada border.
She also mentioned that Biden and his team “are closely following developments.”
Mayor Adams shares statement
“The NYPD and our partners have already enhanced security, and the city is on heightened alert due to the upcoming holiday, so the public will see increased security at locations across New York City, including entry and egress points into and out of the city,” New York City Major Eric Adams said.
“We have also reached out to, and are in ongoing communication with, partners from across different levels of government to assist with this effort.
“Our number one priority is, and always will be, the safety of New Yorkers.”
NYPD member deployed to Rainbow Bridge
Mayor Eric Adams of New York City said on X on Wednesday that members of the NYPD had been sent to assist with the Rainbow Bridge operation.
It’s unclear how many NYPD officers were sent in and exactly how they would help local authorities.
Adams also reminded everyone that because of the impending holiday, New York City is already on high alert.
Couple witnessed explosion
The car explosion near Niagara Falls’ Rainbow Bridge on Wednesday was seen by a couple traveling from Kitchener, Ontario.
While walking close to the bridge, Mike Guenther and his spouse noticed a fast-moving car approaching the border. It veered, collided with a barrier, and then took off “flying up in the air.”
Guenther said that there was smoke all throughout the place and that the car was on fire.
Pictures from the scene
Below are pictures from the scene where a vehicle exploded on the Rainbow Bridge around a mile away from Niagara Falls.
Law enforcement personnel blocked off the entrance to the Rainbow BridgeCredit: AP
A vehicle exploded at a checkpoint on a bridge near Niagara FallsCredit: Twitter
Sources say two people were killed in a vehicle explosion Wednesday afternoon at Rainbow Bridge, a U.S.-Canada border crossing near Niagara Falls, in western New York. Four U.S.-Canada border crossings in the region have been closed as investigators respond to the situation, CBS Buffalo affiliate WIVB reported.
Multiple law enforcement sources confirmed to CBS News two people died inside the vehicle that exploded, and sources said that it appears at this point to have been a deliberate act.
A senior U.S. official confirmed to CBS News a car traveling from Canada at a high rate of speed crashed into a pylon at the bridge crossing. The crash was followed by an explosion, but the U.S. official said it is not yet known why the car exploded.
A border crossing between the U.S. and Canada has been closed after a vehicle exploded at a checkpoint on a bridge in Niagara Falls, authorities said.
Reuters Video
The FBI Buffalo Field office posted a statement on social media saying it was “investigating a vehicle explosion at Rainbow Bridge, a border crossing between the U.S. and Canada in Niagara Falls.” It added that the situation is very fluid and “that’s all we can say at this time.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement that she has been briefed on the situation. “At my direction, the New York State Police is actively working with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force to monitor all points of entry to New York,” she said, adding that she is on her way to Buffalo to “meet with law enforcement and emergency responders.”
The City of Niagara Falls said the incident involved a vehicle attempting to enter the U.S., WIVB reported.
The Rainbow Bridge is a popular crossing for tourists, connecting Niagara Falls, New York, with Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. The other border crossings in the region are the Peace Bridge, the Whirlpool Rapids Bridge and the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.Pat Milton, Robert Legare and Andres Triay contributed reporting.
Cara Tabachnick is a news editor and journalist at CBSNews.com. Cara began her career on the crime beat at Newsday. She has written for Marie Claire, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal. She reports on justice and human rights issues. Contact her at cara.tabachnick@cbsinteractive.com
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(NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y.)—A vehicle exploded at a checkpoint on the American side of a U.S.-Canada bridge in Niagara Falls Wednesday, leaving two people dead and prompting the closing of four border crossings in the area, authorities said.
There was no immediate information on the cause of the explosion, but it raised concerns on both sides of the border. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said officials were “taking this extraordinarily seriously,” and the White House said President Joe Biden was “closely following developments.”
The two deceased people were in the vehicle, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. The official was not authorized to discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
“This is obviously a very serious situation in Niagara Falls,” Trudeau said in Parliament before excusing himself from Question Period in the House of Commons to be briefed further.
The U.S. FBI’s field office in Buffalo was investigating the blast, along with other agencies. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul was traveling to Buffalo from the state capital, Albany.
The blast happened on the U.S. side of the Rainbow Bridge, which connects the two countries across the Niagara River.
Photos and video taken by bystanders and posted on social media showed thick smoke, flames on the pavement and a security booth that had been singed. Videos showed that the fire was in a U.S. Customs and Border Protection area just east of the main vehicle checkpoint. The agency had no immediate comment.
Speaking to WGRZ-TV, witness Mike Guenther said he saw a vehicle speeding toward the crossing from the U.S. side when it swerved to avoid another car, crashed into a fence and exploded.
“All of a sudden, he went up in the air and then it was a ball of fire like 30 or 40 feet high,” Guenther told the station. “I never saw anything like it.”
The Niagara Falls Bridge Commission called the incident “a serious car crash.”
The bridge and three others between western New York and Ontario were quickly closed as a precaution, and the Buffalo-Niagara International Airport began security checks on all cars and told passengers to expect additional screenings.
Trudeau said “additional measures” were being contemplated and activated at border crossings across Canada. And in Toronto, about 100 miles (about 160 kilometers) away, police said they were increasing patrols as a precaution.
From inside Niagara Falls State Park, Melissa Raffalow said she saw “a huge plume of black smoke” rise up over the border crossing, roughly 50 yards (45 meters) away from the popular tourist destination. Raffalow told AP in a message that police arrived soon after, urging visitors to disperse as they began cordoning off the street.
Raghu Bhattarai said by phone that he was inside his restaurant, the Niagara Tandoori Hut, near the bridge when he heard a sound he described as a “boom.” A few minutes later, he saw black smoke rising.
The Niagara Falls Bridge Commission reported that all four of its crossings — the others are Lewiston, Whirlpool and Peace Bridge — were closed.
About 6,000 vehicles cross the Rainbow Bridge each day, according to the U.S. Federal Highway Administration’s National Bridge Inventory. About 5% is truck traffic, according to the federal data.
The bridge, constructed in 1941, is just over 1,440 feet (439 meters) long and has a main span constructed of steel, according to the data.
___
Associated Press writer Michael Balsamo contributed from New York.
It was her second time visiting the group, following up on a 2020 meeting at the same office.
Zoë Craig-Sparrow, the organization’s director of indigenous rights and environmental justice, told Vanity Fair in an email that “as a fellow feminist and supporter of our work, we’ve been honored to keep in touch with the Duchess since our last visit.”
Courtesy of Justice for Girls.
Markle sat down with leadership from the organization, as well as two teenaged interns who have benefited from the group’s work, to discuss past achievements of the organization, as well as what’s left to be done to help young women in Canada.
“The Duchess is committed to advancing girls’ rights and equality,” Craig-Sparrow said. “It was an exciting, engaging, and heartfelt discussion. We discussed the resiliency of girls as well as the resiliency required to do this work, and celebrated the achievements and stories of the women and girls at the table.”
Courtesy of Justice for Girls.
Visits from high-profile supporters like Markle help increase visibility and awareness of groups like Justice for Girls and the work they do to fight negative impacts of poverty.
“The work we do is not easy, and sometimes we forget to celebrate our accomplishments, and the exceptional achievements of the girls and young women who work with us,” Craig-Sparrow said. “These moments are important to our collective resiliency and the sustainability of our work.”
Markle has long partnered with groups that focus on women’s needs. In September, on her way out of Germany after the closing of the Invictus Games, Markle stopped in at a cafe whose profits go to helping unhoused women and teens. Markle’s Canadian jaunt with husband Prince Harry comes ahead of the 2025 Invictus Games, which will take place in Vancouver.
When the EU and Canada meet for talks this week, their encounter will be calm, pleasant and even, in the words of one EU diplomat, “just plain boring.” But both sides will be contending with a looming problem — Donald J. Trump.
The prospect of another Trump presidency in the U.S. is spooking both Brussels and Ottawa as leaders plan to meet in St. John’s, a remote Canadian harbor city symbolic of their bilateral relationship: historically rooted, pleasant and friendly.
The U.S. is key to the economies of both sides. As the EU, especially, struggles to cope with the trade legacy of the previous Trump term, the unpredictability of another Trump presidency is sending shivers through Brussels. POLITICO spoke to several officials briefed on the summit who said next year’s U.S. elections will overshadow the talks.
After the recent visit of EU leaders to the White House, the bloc’s relationship with the U.S. will be discussed with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, according to officials briefed on the summit. Another four years of antagonism under a Trump White House would be a grave blow to the EU and Canada; both also fear that U.S. military and financial support for Ukraine will disintegrate with a Trump presidency.
For now, the talks should provide the participants with a breakafter weeks of navigating both the war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war.
European Council President Charles Michel met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv earlier this week, while Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has travelled to the Middle East following initial criticism of her response to the war between Israel and Hamas — geopolitical challenges on which the EU and Canada are cooperating at “unrivaled historic levels,” according to an EU official. In early December, both European leaders are set to travel to Beijing for their EU-China summit, from which they risk returning empty-handed.
Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s approval ratings have been in free-fall since the summer. Court rulings and the politics of affordability have dented his record on the climate, casting uncertainty on timelines for major projects. Fallout from the Israel-Hamas war has also hurt morale within his Liberal Party.
In St. John’s, at least, leaders will be able to reaffirm their bilateral relationship and underscore their “shared commitment to democratic values, multilateralism and the international rules-based order,” which elsewhere are falling apart. The two sides are set to double down on their bilateral commitments in new policy fields with an “impressive list of deliverables,” according to the EU official, including a green alliance, more cooperation on raw materials, and a digital partnership.
Another EU diplomat said that while there are no mutual irritants, “a few irritants could be a welcome challenge to dynamize the relationship.”
But while the EU remains on a good footing with Canada, it has struggled with the current U.S. administration of President Joe Biden, most notably with Washington’s Inflation Reduction Act, which will also be discussed on the sidelines of the St. John’s summit. The EU had worried that the $369 billion IRA would hollow out the bloc’s economy as firms decamped across the Atlantic to take advantage of its massive subsidies. Brussels and Washington continue to negotiate a high-stakes agreement on critical minerals to allow electric vehicle batteries made by European companies to qualify for the IRA’s consumer tax credits.
EU Ambassador to Canada Melita Gabrič told POLITICO that Ottawa’s relationship with the bloc is “closer than it has ever been.” She declined, however, to say if she saw Trump’s potential return as a catalyst for even closer ties in the year ahead.
“We will see what happens, but certainly we put a premium on our transatlantic relations,” she said, referring to both the U.S. and Canada.
Barbara Moens reported from Brussels. Zi-Ann Lum reported from Ottawa. Camille Gijs contributed reporting from Brussels.
In late October 2017, a US health official from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) arrived at the Wuhan Institute of Virology for a glimpse of an eagerly anticipated work in progress. The WIV, a leading research institute, was putting the finishing touches on China’s first biosafety level 4 (BSL-4) laboratory. Operating with the highest safeguards, the lab would enable scientists to study some of the world’s most lethal pathogens.
The project had support from Western governments seeking a more robust partnership with China’s top scientists. France had helped design the facility. Canada, before long, would send virus samples. And in the US, NIAID was channeling grant dollars through an American organization called EcoHealth Alliance to help fund the WIV’s cutting-edge coronavirus research.
That funding allowed the NIAID official, who worked out of the US embassy in Beijing, to become one of the first Americans to tour the lab. Her goal was to facilitate cooperation between American and Chinese scientists. Nevertheless, says Asha M. George, executive director of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense, a nonprofit that advises the US government on biodefense policy, “If you want to know what’s going on in a closed country, one of the things the US has done is give them grant money.”
In emails obtained by Vanity Fair, the NIAID official told her superiors what she’d gleaned from the technician who’d served as her guide. The lab, which was not yet fully operational, was struggling to develop enough expertise among its staff—a concern in a setting that had no tolerance for errors. “According to [the technician], being the first P4 [or BSL-4] lab in the country, they have to learn everything from zero,” she wrote. “They rely on those scientists who have worked in P4 labs outside China to train the other scientists how to operate.”
She’d also learned something else “alarming” from the technician, she wrote. Researchers at the WIV intended to study Ebola, but Chinese government restrictions prevented them from importing samples. As a result, they were considering using a technique called reverse genetics to engineer Ebola in the lab. Anticipating that this information would set off alarm bells in the US, the official cautioned, “I don’t want the information particularly using reverse genetics to create viruses to get out, which would affect the ability for our future information gain,” meaning it would impair the collaboration between NIAID and the WIV.
There was good reason to fear that such a revelation could derail the fledgling partnership. One year earlier, the US Department of Energy had warned other agencies, including NIAID’s parent entity, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), that advanced genetic engineering techniques could be misused for malign ends. The Energy Department had developed a classified proposal, reported on here for the first time, to ramp up safeguards against that possibility and develop tools to better detect evidence of genetic engineering. The proposal, which was not implemented in its suggested form, prompted a heated interagency battle, six people with knowledge of the debate tell Vanity Fair.
On January 10, 2018, as the NIAID official prepared her official trip report for the US embassy in Beijing, she wrote to colleagues, “I was shocked to hear what he said [about reverse engineering Ebola]. I also worry the reaction of people in Washington when they read this. The technician is only a worker, not a decision maker nor a [principal investigator]. So how much we should believe what he said?” She concluded, “I don’t feel comfortable for broader audience within the government circle. It could be very sensitive.”
Among the recipients of that email was F. Gray Handley, then NIAID’s associate director for international research affairs. Handley agreed with the official’s assessment and advised her: “As we discussed. Delete that comment.”
On January 19, the US embassy in Beijing issued a sensitive but unclassified cable that included concerning details from the NIAID official’s tour. It said that WIV scientists themselves had noted the “serious shortage of appropriately trained technicians and investigators needed to safely operate” the lab, according to an unredacted copy obtained by Vanity Fair. But the cable did not include the information that her NIAID colleagues apparently found most worrying.
The Duke of Sussex dropped the puck for a ceremonial face-off ahead of the Vancouver Canucks game against the San Jose Sharks on Monday.
Harry, his wife Meghan Markle, and other members of the Invictus Games Foundation are in B.C. ahead of the 2025 Invictus Games, which will be held in Vancouver and Whistler. This would make it the first-ever winter edition in Invictus Games history, taking place Feb. 8 to Feb. 16.
Welcome Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, to tonight’s game and to drop the puck for our opening faceoff!
Prince Harry is the Founder and Patron of the Invictus Games Foundation and in 2025, the Invictus Games will come to Vancouver and Whistler, where we will welcome military… pic.twitter.com/g3m0XfQWct
Harry’s moment on the ice comes 21 years after his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, made her own ceremonial puck drop at a Canucks – Sharks game. The late monarch visited Vancouver as part of her 11-day tour across Canada to celebrate her Golden Jubilee.
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The Vancouver Canucks won Monday night’s game 3 -1.
A residential development in Augusta Township, Ontario, one hour from Toronto, offers residents the … [+] opportunity to reconnect with nature and traditional rural farm life.
B+H Architects
Community farming, farm-to-table, farmers’ markets, clean labeling. These terms are all increasingly popular additions to the modern American vernacular.
Their emergence has had much to do with the growing preference for fresh foods unsullied by overprocessing and the addition of unhealthy levels of sodium and sugar, not to mention multisyllabic ingredients more befitting a chemistry lab than a homemaker’s kitchen.
While many are seeking a reconnection between food preparation and its original natural sources, others are finding it’s also possible for rural neighborhoods to forge a firmer and more direct connection to nature, locally grown food sources and active outdoor lifestyles. In Ontario, Canada, a trio of residential communities are unveiling designs that beckon newcomers — many of them having grown weary of big-city life — back to the land that sustained countless earlier generations of rural families. Moreover, they’re doing so in serious, purposeful and consequential ways.
CABN, Augusta Township
B+H Architects and Canadian housing technology company CABN are the driving forces behind a new 67-unit, off-grid net-zero community in Augusta Township, one hour from Toronto. The architects allowed nature to dictate the design process and pinpoint where homes and amenities would be placed. Old growth forests and wetlands remain untouched and homes are built solely on land already impacted by agriculture. The water, food and compost harvested is fed back into the community’s own self-sufficient system.
“We are moving beyond the long-standing separation of ’human’ versus ‘natural’ systems and instead recognizing that humans are a core part of our natural environment,” says Jamie Miller, B+H director of biomimicry. “This artificial distinction has had profound ramifications for our conventional development, and with the Augusta Township we planned and designed this site so that human activity positively contributes to the ecological function of the place overall.”
Thornbury Acres
Thornbury Acres, two hours north of Toronto, offers families a chance for an affordable, sustainable … [+] rural farm life.
Castlepoint Numa
This is a 152-acre residential farm cooperative in the town of Blue Mountains, Ont., about two hours north of Toronto. Developer Castlepoint Numa, a company intent on returning the area to its agricultural roots, offers a simple premise.
Thornbury Acres will give families a fulfilling, sustainable farm life, along with resources, land and expertise, while maintaining the region’s history-steeped farm heritage. The development offers 37 homesteads, with 800-square-foot plots for each household to own and manage. They also share financial responsibility for the maintenance and production of Thornbury Acres’ shared assets, among them a community barn and additional crops.
“Now more than ever, people are educating themselves and making informed decisions about where their food comes from,” reports Harley Valentine, partner with Castlepoint Numa. “We are taking this one step further, giving families the opportunity to become stewards of the land and take control of their food consumption cycle through a well-supported cooperative lifestyle. [It’s] a blueprint setting a precedent for human-scale regenerative agriculture in rural areas that move away from large commercial till farming.”
Craigleith Ridge
Also in Blue Mountains, Craigleith Ridge is a new townhome development set between Georgian Bay and the Blue Mountains, placing residents a brief walk from both Blue Mountain Village and the bay beach. The creation of SvN Architects + Planners and Parkbridge Lifestyle Communities, Craigleith Ridge is a development defined by protected archeological sites and dramatic topography, with natural watercourses slicing through the land.
Environmental protection areas have preserved both wildlife and a large number of mature butternut trees along the site-crossing Nipissing Ridge. Archaeological zones were researched with the assistance of The Saugeen Ojibway Nation.
“Each unit will be unique within the Craigleith and Blue Mountain communities and reinforce the broader objectives of the development to connect the community to nature,” says Drew Sinclair, partner with SvN Architects + Planners. “Our design even intends to celebrate the archaeological zones through both the diligent protection of this cultural heritage as well as through interpretive signage and other educational design features. This ensures we design a space that pays homage to the land and welcomes new community members to the Town of Blue Mountain.”
For many of us, our first introduction to puppetry came through children’s programming — but now this ancient art form is having a moment and taking centre stage.
Braeden took to X, formerly Twitter, on Monday to blast the airline after his son was told by company staff that he was too late to travel to Florida on a flight departing Toronto’s Pearson International Airport.
AIR CANADA is a dismal airlines, with an arrogant staff, mediocre service, etc! My son was just at Toronto airport, wanting to leave for FL! He was there in plenty of time for luggage to be stowed; they told him it took 3 hours to do so, obviously he asked why it took that long!!…
The 82-year-old, famous for playing the role of Victor Newman on the long-running soap opera, insisted that there was lots of time for his son to catch the flight.
“He was there in plenty of time for luggage to be stowed; they told him it took three hours to do so, obviously he asked why it took that long!! He learned later while going through US CUSTOMS THAT IT TOOK A FRACTION THEREOF,” the post continues.
He added that his son was told his luggage was on the plane but that, somehow, he was too late to board.
“He again begged the people at gate to let him on! They refused because he hadn’t been there exactly 3 hours before! He then went to customer service only to encounter some very rude B—H!! US customs just said ‘welcome to AIR CANADA’!”
“Now, I love VISITING CANADA, but your NATIONAL AIRLINE is NOT GOOD ADVERTISING FOR YOUR COUNTRY!!!” he concluded the post.
Air Canada has not yet replied to Global News’ request for comment on these accusations.
Consumer Matters: B.C. couple battles Air Canada over loss of dream vacation
Fans of the soap star quickly took to the post’s replies to share their own Air Canada horror stories.
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“Yes, Air Canada is a crumbling business. Nothing good comes from them. Sorry your family had to find out the hard way…as a Canadian I make sure to by pass them when booking flights. The horror stories they create…” shared one person.
“Eric, we Canadians know, and now unfortunately you now know as well, that Air Canada’s motto is, ‘We’re not satisfied, until you’re not satisfied,’” another quipped.
Braeden took time to reply to many of his fans in the comments, including one person who objected to him calling an airline employee a “b—h.”
“Do you think your PC crap prevents me from calling what something or somebody is??? I’m from the old school,” he fired back.
Do you think your PC crap prevents me from calling what something or somebody is??? I’ m from the old school , Mark
Later, he returned to the platform to clarify that he loves coming to Canada and that his frustrations were solely with the airline.
“I love coming to your country, have been all over CANADA, been visiting for over 40 years, only encountered very friendly people; however, AIR CANADA is not what it could be!” he wrote.
Let me make something VERY clear! I love coming to your country, have been all over CANADA, been visiting for over 40 years, only encountered very friendly people; however, AIR CANADA is not what it could be! Haphazard service, etc! Having said that, it’s a problem with a lot of…
“Haphazard service, etc! Having said that, it’s a problem with a lot of ‘privatized’ companies!”
He also clarified that he wasn’t trying to use his celebrity status to garner special treatment.
Obviously my remarks about AC have aroused a lot of reactions! Let me clarify something: I was raised from early on to be polite to people of ALL stations in life! Have NEVER taken advantage of being a somewhat familiar face, NEVER! But you come at me with a snotty or rude…
“Have NEVER taken advantage of being a somewhat familiar face, NEVER!”
Global News has reached out to Braeden for further comment but did not hear back as of publication time.
Braeden’s son’s encounter with Air Canada marks the most recent incident in a string of bad press over customer complaints.
Just last week a British Columbia man with spastic cerebral palsy said he had to drag himself off an Air Canada flight in Las Vegas when he was told the airline’s third-party ground assistance personnel were not available to help him.
In late October, Canada’s chief accessibility officer Stephanie Cadieux said Air Canada forgot her wheelchair in Toronto and it wasn’t available to her when she disembarked in Vancouver.
Air Canada apologizes after customers kicked off plane over vomit-covered seats
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And in September, the company issued an apology after they allegedly escorted customers off a plane when they refused to sit in a chair covered with vomit for the duration of their more than four-hour flight.
Pastor Julie Green, a self-proclaimed prophet and a staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump and his MAGA movement, claimed in a recent video that she received a prophecy from God about “dark connections” to President Joe Biden.
In the message posted on Monday, Green said God indicated he would “expose” these connections to the White House, which she said involves “the Red Dragon” [seemingly China], Iran, Iraq, Ukraine and Canada.
Green frequently posts videos on streaming channels for her Julie Green Ministries International in which she shares messages that she claims God sends to her. Last month, she said in a video “prophecy” that the U.S. would soon suffer a major “attack” following the “persecution” of Trump.
Green has been a featured speaker at right-wing ReAwaken America events, which have also featured guests such as former Trump adviser Michael Flynn and Eric Trump, one of the former president’s sons. The younger Trump appeared on Green’s show in September, where she told him that messages from God to her indicated the Trump family is receiving God’s protection.
President Joe Biden on Tuesday speaks in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, D.C. A self-described prophet claimed she recently received a prophecy about “dark connections” related to Biden being revealed. Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images
During her Monday message, Green spoke of a “greater weakness” in the “house you call white” and with “the one who’s sitting in a seat that doesn’t belong to him,” seemingly referring to Biden.
“I’ve told you I’ve cut the string from the puppet master and the puppet, so soon you’re about to see the puppet fall in greater ways,” she said.
The pastor then spoke of “great confusion … in the enemy’s camp” and said “he’s about to say again who’s really in charge and it’s not him.”
“For I will expose, oh yes, I will expose the tentacles that have been controlling the Biden. I will expose all the deep swamp are trying to do to you in this hour,” Green said.
Newsweek reached out for comment to the White House and Green via email on Thursday.
She continued by speaking of “foreign governments in foreign nations” being allowed to “infiltrate” the U.S. government. Green then further relayed the message she said was from God about exposing “every foreign entity in Washington, D.C.”
After running down the list of foreign governments such as Iran and Ukraine, Green emphasized America’s neighbor to the north.
“You will see connections to Canada. Evil dark connections with this deep state … The swamp runs far and wide,” Green said. “The roots of these nations connect in DC. I will show you each country. I will show you each government. I will show you each person. I will show you all the money.”
The message that Green said came from God then turned to the entertainment industry.
“I will show you what Hollywood has done. How they’ve had a major part in what you see in this great, evil movie that you have seen played before you like it’s real when it’s actually not.”
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
With Canada fully legal, 24 states in the US for recreational and 40 with medical, marijuana has gone mainstream. A full 90% of people believe it should be legal in some form. Is cannabis like alcohol and there for a good time, or are people truly using it for something else? The data say a surprising number uses marijuana to not get high, but to manage something medical.
Part of the reason this number is significant is research has shown cannabis is no where near as addictive as opioids. North America is facing an unprecedented opioid crisis leaving cities big and small in a turmoil about what to do.
According to a report from High Yield Insights, a Chicago-based consumer behavior research firm the numbers are intriguing. States where recreational use has been legalized, nearly half (44 percent) of cannabis consumers are using cannabis for medical purposes, including for pain relief (69 percent) and sleep assistance (65 percent), and to manage anxiety (54 percent).
In another study published in Psychopharmacology, the numbers are lower but significant. In US legal–recreational states (34%) than US illegal states (23%), US legal–medical only states (25%), and Canada (25%). The most common physical health reasons include use to manage pain (53%), sleep (46%), headaches/migraines (35%), appetite (22%), and nausea/vomiting (21%). For mental health reasons, the most common were for anxiety (52%), depression (40%), and PTSD/trauma (17%). There were 11% who reported using cannabis for managing other drug or alcohol use and 4% for psychosis.
Photo by Keenan Constance via Unsplash
High Yield Insights shared medical marijuana patients are twice as likely to check CBD levels when they purchase cannabis, with 47 percent verifying CBD concentrations versus 25 percent of recreational users. Medical users also seek out more convenient and discrete ways to consume, such as edibles, topicals, oils and tinctures. Notably, medical users are twice as likely as recreational consumers to use topicals (22 percent vs 11 percent) and over three times as likely to use tinctures (17 percent vs 5 percent).
“The industry generally understands that the adult use consumer differs significantly from the medical user. We saw an opportunity to quantify this customer segment’s behaviors and preferences in a way to yield deeper understanding and reveal untapped market opportunities,” said Mike Luce, co-founder of High Yield Insights and a veteran in consumer and market research.
“Flower will always play a significant role, but medical users are seeking solutions that feel familiar and accessible. With edibles, we’re seeing a demand for low- dose, fast-onset options that meet users’ needs for discretion and convenience. CBD-focused companies also have an opportunity for growth if aligned with medical cannabis users’ interest in what today are niche product forms,” Luce added.
Several studies have demonstrated medical marijuana helps reduce the opioid dosage for patients undergoing treatment for non-cancer pain. More research can be done to legal the patients benefits.
BLETCHLEY, England — The British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Thursday said that under a new agreement “like-minded governments” would be able to test eight leading tech companies’ AI models before they are released.
Closing out the two-day artificial intelligence summit in Bletchley Park on Thursday, Sunak announced the agreement signed by Australia, Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Singapore, the U.S. and the U.K. to test leading companies’ AI models.
“Until now the only people testing the safety of new AI models have been the very companies developing it. That must change,” said Sunak to a room full of journalists.
“Like-minded governments and AI companies have today reached a landmark agreement. We will work together on testing the safety of new AI models before they are released… it’s made possible by the decision I have taken along with Vice President Kamala Harris for the British and American governments to establish world leading AI safety institutes with public sector capability to test the most advanced frontier models.”
Sunak said the eight companies — Amazon Web Services, Anthropic, Google, Google DeepMind, Inflection AI, Meta, Microsoft, Mistral AI and Open AI — had agreed to “deepen” the access already given to his Frontier AI Taskforce, which is the forerunner to the new institute. The access is currently given on a voluntary basis, though under its Executive Order, the U.S. government has put binding requirements to hand over certain safety information.
Sunak also announced further details of an agreement reached with countries yesterday to establish an international advisory panel on frontier AI risks.
Modeled on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), it will be formed from representatives from the 28 countries attending the summit. The British government said it would provide secretariat support for it.
The panel will also support academic Yoshua Bengio in producing a “State of Science” report into the risks and capabilities of frontier AI. The report will not make policy recommendations, but is designed to inform international and national policy making. It will be published ahead of the next safety summit in South Korea in the first half of next year.
Matthew Perry’s iconic performance on “Friends” may forever link him with New York City, but the actor behind Chandler Bing described himself as half Canadian and had deep ties to some of the biggest names in Canadian politics.
The 54-year-old actor was found dead in his Los Angeles home Saturday.
Perry detailed his childhood spent growing up in Canada with his mother in his memoir, published a year before his death.
Perry lived between Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto with his Canadian mother, Suzanne Perry, who worked as press secretary for then-prime minister Pierre Trudeau and later as a national anchor for Global News.
Matthew Perry’s passing is shocking and saddening. I’ll never forget the schoolyard games we used to play, and I know people around the world are never going to forget the joy he brought them. Thanks for all the laughs, Matthew. You were loved – and you will be missed.
Artist and activist Buffy Sainte-Marie’s Indigenous identity has been challenged by a CBC investigation but her Piapot First Nation, Sask. family stands by the 82-year-old, calling the narrative “ignorant,” “colonial” and “racist.”
Ntawnis Piapot, speaking for the family, says the bombshell claim that Sainte-Marie has no Indigenous blood has no bearing on her belonging to the Cree family.
Piapot is the great-granddaughter of Emile Piapot and Clara Starblanket, both deceased, who adopted Sainte-Marie some six decades ago.
Piapot says Sainte-Marie connected with the Piapot First Nation after she met her grandfather at a powwow in Ontario.
“There was just things that kind of lined up to her story too,” she told Global News.
“My grandparents had 10 children and some of them died because of the Indian Act system, because they couldn’t get proper health care on the reserve and so she was at that age where one of their children passed away and they kind of connected on that.
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“The adoption process, it took years — it took days and months and years of getting to know each other and trusting each other and going to ceremony and getting her Indian name (from my mushum) to finally look at her and be like, I acknowledge you as my daughter, you’re officially part of our family.”
Buffy Sainte-Marie speaks after the unveiling of a Canada Post stamp honouring her legacy as a singer-songwriter in 2021.
THE CANADIAN PRESS / Justin Tang
It was done in Cree custom and while Sainte-Marie didn’t claimed proof of blood relations, she is accepted as kin because of that ceremony.
“It’s really insulting that someone would question my great grandfather’s choice and right to adopt Buffy as his daughter,” Piapot said.
“No one has the authority to question our sovereignty, we are a sovereign nation, we are sovereign people and our adoption practices have been intact since time immemorial.
“Having someone question the validity of that adoption … it’s hurtful, it’s ignorant, it’s colonial, and quite frankly it’s racist.“
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Sainte-Marie claimed to have been ‘scooped’ as an infant
Sainte-Marie’s authorized biography written by Andrea Warner reads “There’s no official record of Buffy Sainte-Marie’s birth, not really. At least not a satisfactory and decisive one that answers questions before they’re asked, grounded in a family lineage with all the gifts and baggage that accompany that kind of belonging.”
The book continues, “born with the given name Beverly, most likely in 1941, on or around February 20th, and probably on a reserve called Piapot in the Qu’Appelle Valley, Saskatchewan. She is Cree.”
Sainte-Marie has said she was somehow adopted and raised in Massachusetts by a non-Indigenous family.
But the CBC investigation — none of which has been verified by Global News — challenges that. They say a birth certificate shows her parents are Italian and English and aren’t her adopted parents at all, but her birth parents. Family quoted by the CBC say there is no Indigenous heritage in their family.
Responding this week ahead of the CBC report Sainte-Marie in a post on social media, said “I am proud of my Indigenous-American identity, and the deep ties I have to Canada and my Piapot family.
“I may not know where I was born, but I know who I am.”
“There’s been confusion regarding my Piapot adoption for instance,” she said. “I was adopted into the Piapot family, not I was adopted out of Piapot reserve. That makes a big difference.”
Among her many accolades, Sainte-Marie won an Oscar in 1983 for best original song, starred on six seasons of Sesame Street, influencing the show’s storylines, and founded the Nihewan Foundation — an organization dedicated to improving education of and about Indigenous people and cultures.
Buffy Sainte-Marie is pictured (centre) with Emile Piapot and Clara Starblanket.
Buffy Sainte-Marie / Facebook
Adoption processes have been happening in First Nations communities for centuries.
The Assembly of First Nations says customary adoption “usually takes place between members of the immediate or extended family, although it may also involve people close to these families, such as friends or community members. By its nature, adoption varies from nation to nation.”
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Buffy Sainte-Marie’s niece explains how much kinship means to the Piapot family
The allegations against Sainte-Marie caused a shock throughout Indigenous communities with reaction mixed, from disappointment to anger to support, spawning hashtags like #IStandWithBuffy.
News stories that challenge Indigenous identity — like Joseph Boyden, Michelle Latimer and Carrie Bourrasa — all raise the same question: Who has the right to decide who is and who isn’t Indigenous?
Among the many points to consider in determining identity, ultimate decision-making power lies in the hands of communities, says Metis lawyer Jean Teillet who in the wake of several high-profile Indigenous identity matters, recently penned what’s considered the gold standard for addressing identity fraud.
As well, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People states, in Article 3, that “Indigenous peoples have the right to self-determination.” Self-determination means “the sovereign right and power of the Indigenous group to decide who belongs to them, without external interference.”
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If the Piapot family claims her, is that enough?
“No one should be able to question if (Sainte-Marie) is from Piapot because we claim her,” said Piapot, who is a former CBC journalist. “She’s claimed. She’s not kicked out. She claims us, we claim her, end of story.”
Her family wants people to keep an open and critical mind as the story unfolds.
“Think about whose voices are included in this story, whose voices are not included in this story and why did that happen? And most importantly, who is telling this story? What is their track record for telling Indigenous stories?”
