P.E.I.’s second-largest hospital is dealing with an outbreak of influenza in its medical-palliative unit. 

(ROADTRIPMANITOBA.COM)

The City of Brandon has finalized a new four-year agreement with CUPE Local 69, covering 233 permanent and 79 temporary employees.

The deal, retroactive to January 1, 2024, includes a 2.5 percent annual wage increase and extends through December 31, 2027.

City officials say that the agreement supports both fair compensation and high-quality public services.

“This newly formed agreement is not solely about wages — it is about ensuring continued delivery of exceptional services to residents,” said Brandon’s human resources director Lola Oyeladun.

“An engaged workforce translates to higher service quality, improved efficiency, and a stronger sense of community pride.”

The agreement was ratified by CUPE Local 69 members on March 4 and approved by Brandon City Council on March 17.

Southwest New Brunswick MP John Williamson is running again in the next federal election for the Conservatives. 

“I will work hard to continue serving you so our voice is heard in Parliament. Our riding is growing by approximately 12,000 people and will include families in Geary, Burton & Saint John West,” he said in a post via social media. 

Williamson was first elected – in the riding now renamed Saint John-Saint Croix – in 2011 but was defeated by current Liberal candidate Karen Ludwig. He was re-elected again in 2019. 

“My local team is ready for the election, whenever it is called, and Conservatives are fighting to offer Canadians a smart alternative to the Liberals,” he said in his post. 

The Conservatives are hoping to defeat the Liberals, who’ve held government for the past 10 years. 

Both Williamson and Conservative Leader Pierre Pollievre have taken aim at the Liberal’s record – especially on the carbon tax – which was recently eliminated by now Liberal leader and Prime Minister Mark Carney. 

The riding of New Brunswick Southwest has generally leaned Conservative since 1997 but has a history of flipping between the two parties. 

“As your local Conservative candidate and MP, I have been fighting for southern New Brunswick,” he said in the post. 

Liberal candidate Karen Ludwig welcomed him into the race. 

“I welcome John Williamson to the race, and I remain focused on delivering real solutions that put our region first,” she said. 

Ludwig said the riding’s economy will need strong leadership that protects local jobs and industries. 

“This riding is home to hardworking people whose livelihoods depend on strong economic policies, not political rhetoric,” she said in a statement. 

It remains unclear when a federal election could be called, but is legislated to happen in October.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has named a new cabinet with many familiar faces, though he has shuffled his housing and education ministers. Paul Calandra moves from housing to become the education minister, taking over from Jill Dunlop who moves to emergency preparedness.

Activists are calling on the Canadian government and universities to let Afghan women studying under U.S.-funded scholarships to come to Canada, warning the students could face dire and potentially life-threatening consequences if they return to a country under Taliban rule.

Once again, another high seas mystery is playing out in the West End of Hamilton Harbour. Since July 2024 a sailboat has been anchored in the area of the West Harbour visible from the High-Level Bridge on York Boulevard. It remained there through the the fall when boats are normally pulled out of the water before the winter freeze. This boat in the high winds of early December started to drag its anchor and drift. After several days a power boat arrived with two men on it and they re-anchored the boat after a struggle and then left.

  Now after being encased in ice last month the sailboat is floating free as the ice covering the harbour thaws. There are no visible anchor lines on it, and it has floated beyond a spit of land called Caroll’s Point, still visible from the High Level Bridge.

  Across Canada there are thousands of abandoned boats like this because no one wants them. If a boat is towed to shore where do you put it while trying to find the owner? A dock is needed and eventually dry land storage. None of that is free.

  So far no owner has been found of this sailboat.  A boat may be sold several times with out it being registered by the new owner, so dead ends abound.

  The Hamilton Police Marine Unit has checked on it, but did not board it. The investigation really starts with the Canadian Coast Guard.

  “This case has been assessed as low-hazard and has been transferred to Transport Canada Navigation Protection Program (NPP). They will continue to monitor and reassess if this needs to return to CCG.” 

  For the CCG to consider a boat a hazard it needs to be deemed a hazard to navigation, harmful to the environment, or to infrastructure. They noted that the hatch was closed on the boat which mitigates some damage to the vessel.

    While abandoned boats are rare on Hamilton Harbour, there are over 40 reported along the west end of Lake Ontario. In some cases the CCG says people walk away from them because they can’t afford the costs of docking, winter storage, fuel and upkeep.

Nunatsiaq News has been nominated for a National Newspaper Award for its coverage of the 2024 Nunavut Quest dogsled race.

Coverage was compiled in a 20-page special edition, published July 5, 2024, and distributed with the weekly print edition. It offered readers day-by-day reports from the race in both English and Inuktitut, highlighted by numerous photos from the race.

What set it apart from typical news coverage was that all the stories and photos were produced by a team of six high school-aged people from Igloolik — Cadence Arnatsiaq, Kenneth-Owen Angilirq, Leonard Siusangark, Bernice Satuqsi, Dylan Kayotak and Riley Qamukaq.

In a project organized by Shanshan Tian, an educational consultant in Igloolik, the young correspondents’ work was sent each day from the race course to Nunatsiaq News.

The stories and photos were edited and published online throughout the six days of racing from Arctic Bay to Pond Inlet, which stretched from April 16 to 24, including one day of rest for the 10 mushers and their teams and another day lost due to poor weather.

Mushers and their dogsled teams race between Arctic Bay and Pond Inlet during the 2024 Nunavut Quest. (Photo by Dylan Kayotak, special to Nunatsiaq News)

Later, their work was translated to Inuktitut and published in the special section alongside English versions.

The nomination is in the category titled Special Topic: Journalism in a Language other than French or English.

Shanshan Tian, production co-ordinator Krista Klassen, production artist Andrea Gray, managing editor Corey Larocque and web editor Gord Howard are nominated for the work.

“We were truly grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with the Igloolik youths on such an exciting project,” said Julia Roberts, publisher of Nunatsiaq News.

“It was a fantastic experience that allowed them to hone their journalism and photography skills while providing unmatched coverage of the 370-kilometre Nunavut Quest — a win-win situation for everyone involved.”

Also nominated in that category are two entries from Sing Tao, a Toronto-based Chinese newspaper — one for its investigation into the sale of fraudulent mooncakes at Asian food markets in Toronto, another for its reporting on problems encountered by immigration applicants from Hong Kong.

Nunatsiaq News and Sing Tao were also both nominated in that same category in 2024.

National Newspaper Awards organizers announced Tuesday that 83 individual journalists representing 22 publications are finalists this year, alongside nine team submissions from those publications.

The Globe and Mail received the most nominations, with 16, followed by the Toronto Star with 15 and La Presse in Montreal with 13.

Among the nominations:

• Tavia Grant of the Globe and Mail for her reporting on the Vatican’s unfulfilled promises to return cultural items to Indigenous communities in Canada;
• Tanya Talaga of the Globe and Mail for columns on residential school survivors, residential school denialism and the legacy of Murray Sinclair;
• Richie Assaly of the Toronto Star, for his stories on Canadian musicians, including Nunavik’s Elisapie, and their cultural significance.

National Newspaper Awards winners will be announced at a ceremony in Montreal on April 25.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford revealed a new cabinet on Wednesday that shuffles some new names into key roles but leaves many prominent portfolios – finance, health and transportation – unchanged, after a snap election last month fought in the shadow of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff threats.

Among the names switching roles include Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Paul Calandra, who was installed in that post amid the scandal over the government’s aborted move to develop on protected Greenbelt lands. He moves to education, replacing Jill Dunlop, who moves to emergency preparedness and response.

A 44-year-old man was arrested and charged this week as part of an RCMP investigation into alleged sexual assault and drug trafficking in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

RCMP were notified on Monday evening by someone who alleged they had been drugged and sexually assaulted.

The following day, police obtained search warrants for a home on Saunders Street in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, and Darryl Dyson and a number of others were arrested.

Seized from the home were about 10 ounces of cocaine, brass knuckles, drug paraphernalia and more than $47,000 in cash.

RCMP say Dyson, who is being held in custody, is facing one count each of sexual assault, trafficking in cocaine, and possession of property obtained by crime over $5000.

The others arrested in Tuesday’s search have been released without charge. Police say further charges against Dyson and others are possible as the investigation continues.

A 31-year-old Stephenville man remains under investigation by police for a number of crimes committed on March 17.

Shortly after 5:00 a.m. on Monday, a pickup truck was stolen from a business on Utah Drive and, around the same time, during a break and enter at a nearby business, generators and a number of propane tanks were stolen.

While investigating the above matters, at approximately 7:00 a.m., police received a report of a stolen all-terrain vehicle (ATV) in Fox Island River. A 2022 Can AM Outlander was stolen from a residential property.  The property owner witnessed the theft and followed the suspect. Police attempted to stop the operator of the ATV, who fled the area on the stolen side by side.

Shortly before 11:00 a.m., Bay St. George RCMP recovered the stolen pickup truck in a snow bank near Crane Place in Stephenville.  The abandoned vehicle was left running and was seized as part of the investigation.

Shortly after this, the stolen Can Am Outlander ATV was observed by its owner, traveling along the T’railway. Police attended the area and, with the assistance of the owner, the ATV was located and recovered in Heatherton. The suspect was arrested nearby without further incident.

Following these crimes, police received a report of a second ATV that was stolen sometime overnight from a residential property in Point Au Mal, a 2019 black and blue 800 Can Am Commander XT. 

Police are continuing to look for the stolen property, including generators, currently of an unknown make or model, propane tanks and the 2019 Can Am Commander. The investigation is continuing with charges anticipated.

REGINA – As concerns are being raised over the release of Jared Charles into the community, the Regina Police Service (RPS) held a media availability on Wednesday regarding the matter.

Charles, who was released on Tuesday, has a criminal history of violent sexual offences and kidnapping involving children.

According to RPS deputy chief Lorilee Davies, Charles will be living in the Heritage Community in a residence approved by the court.

Under conditions given by the court, Charles cannot contact or access certain areas with children under the age of 16.

However, Davies said, Charles has made it clear he’s unwilling to abide by the conditions, increasing the risk of re-offending.

“It’s unfortunately the system that we live in,” she said regarding sexual offenders being allowed back into the public despite admitting they won’t follow their conditions.

Reporters asked Davies how his conditions would be monitored.

“Several times a week, partners with probation and Regina Police Service will be checking in to ensure that things are on track,” she said.

Davies also mentioned the RPS patrol officers, who are aware of where Charles resides and will keep an eye out for him.

One difference Davies pointed out between Charles and other sex offenders being released is those people who are released early have more conditions imposed on them.

Since Charles served his full sentence, it limits those condition options.

Along with Charles, the RPS advised of another sex offender, Ted Mercredi in the community yesterday.

Mercredi has been advised to be “a high risk to re-offend sexually and/or violently.”

When asked what more the police can do to ensure the public’s safety, Davies said their hands are a bit tied in that matter.

Even with that, Davies emphasized, “our number one [role is] ensuring that the public is aware that they are residing in our community, so by sharing that [information and] providing those photographs, that is really the key information.”

Global Affairs Canada is condemning China after the country executed an unspecified number of Canadian citizens earlier this year in an act that violates "basic human dignity."

The Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) has made an arrest after a sexual assault in Burlington.

Monday at approximately 6:30 am an adult female was sexually assaulted by a male as she boarded a bus on Fairview Street near Walkers Line. The male suspect was exiting the bus at the same time the female was attempting to board. After the assault the male fled the scene on foot.

Police were contacted and conducted an investigation which led to the identification of the accused. The female and accused are not known to one another.

34-year-old Bryan Pillon has been charged with one count of Sexual Assault and two counts of Fail to Comply with Probation Order. Pillon was held in custody pending a bail hearing in Milton.

Investigators believe there may be additional victims and are asking anyone with information, or anyone who has been victimized by him to contact the Child Abuse and Sexual Assault Unit at 905-825-4777 ext. 8970.

A photo of the accused has been attached to this media release.

Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers. “See something? Hear something? Know something? Contact Crime Stoppers” at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca.

Sexual assault is any touching of another person without their consent where the touching is of a sexual nature, or where the sexual integrity of the victim is violated.  A sexual assault can range from unwanted touching to sexual assault involving penetration.

Halton Police remind residents that there is no statute of limitation when it comes to reporting a sexual assault.  This means that no matter how long ago the sexual assault happened, it can still be reported to police for investigation.

Victims of violence and/or sexual assault can contact the Halton Regional Police Service Victim Services Unit at 905-825-4777 for support.

The Yukon Party called on the governing Liberals to create a task force dedicated to reducing the administrative burden that doctors have to deal with. The minister of health says a forum dedicated to discuss the issue already exists.

The 50th edition of the Newfoundland and Labrador Summer Games — set for 2026 — is heading to Corner Brook. The weeklong event will see more than 1,600 athletes between ages 11 and 18 visit the west coast city.

Canadian citizens were executed in China earlier this year, Global Affairs Canada confirms with CityNews.

“Canada strongly condemns China’s use of the death penalty, which is irreversible and inconsistent with basic human dignity,” Global Affairs Canada said in a statement.

“Canada repeatedly called for clemency for these individuals at the senior-most levels and remains steadfast in its opposition to the use of the death penalty in all cases, everywhere.”

Global Affairs Canada says it providing assistance to the victims’ families, but did not name them or say how Canadians were executed.

“We request that media outlets respect the family’s privacy during this difficult time” Global Affairs said, adding that due to privacy concerns no further information can be disclosed.

Canadian Robert Lloyd Schellenberg remains imprisoned in China after he was sentenced to the death penalty in 2019 for drug smuggling.

Global Affairs says it “continues to advocate for clemency for Robert Schellenberg and provides him and his family consular assistance.”

More to come