The Saskatchewan Health Authority denied claims made by the province's nurses union that critically ill babies are being sent south of the border due to a lack of capacity in the neonatal intensive care unit at Regina General Hospital.

At 14, Hemin Sadiq went behind his parents’ backs and started his career in media as a radio announcer. By his 30s, he was a well-known journalist in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. Now, at 42, he's a barber in Niagara Falls, Ont., and has opened his own business.

AHTAHKAKOOP – RCMP are busy responding to reports of a shooting on Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation.

On April 12 at approximately 8:50 p.m., Ahtahkakoop RCMP responded to a call involving a firearm discharge on Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation.

Officers responded immediately along with local EMS. The investigation determined a group of individuals were outside a residence on Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation when they were approached by four males. One of the males had a firearm. The firearm was discharged and a male victim was injured. A can of bear spray was deployed, also affecting the male victim.

The injured male was transported to hospital by EMS with injuries described as serious, but non-life threatening, in nature.

Officers made patrols and searched the area but were unable to locate the suspects.

On April 13 at approximately 2 a.m., three male youths were arrested by Ahtahkakoop RCMP on Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation.

The three male youths, all from Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation, have each been charged with:

• one count, aggravated assault;
• one count, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose; and
• one count, unauthorized possession of a firearm.

One of the males was additionally charged with one count, assault with a weapon.

Police are unable to identify any of the male youths as per the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

All three accused appeared in court on Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation on April 14, 2025.

A warrant has been issued for the arrest of a fourth male youth from Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation, who is charged with:

• one count, discharge firearm with intent;
• one count, aggravated assault;
• one count, unauthorized possession of a firearm; and
• one count, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.

Police say they are unable to identify the wanted male youth as per the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

Ahtahkakoop RCMP ask anyone with information about this incident to contact them by dialing 310-RCMP or Saskatchewan Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or www.saskcrimestoppers.com.

Ahtahkakoop RCMP continue to investigate.

Spiritwood, Big River, and Blaine Lake RCMP, along with Saskatchewan RCMP’s Police Dog Services and Critical Incident Response Team assisted in this investigation.

Meet the Saint John-St. Croix Candidates on CHCO-TV + New Brunswick launches FireSmart program ahead of wildfire season

Original Broadcast Date: April 15, 2025

CHCO-TV NewsBreak26 is an original CHCO Television produced in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada.

Hosts Vicki Hogarth and Nathalie Sturgeon take a closer look at the top stories of the week from CHCO-TV and The Courier.

Saint Andrews Mayor Brad Henderson discusses the future of the courthouse, municipal reform, and his decision to step down as mayor, on an all-new April 2025 edition of Your Town Matters.

Original Broadcast Date: April 10, 2025

Your Town Matters is an original CHCO-TV production taped on-location at the CHCO-TV studio in Saint Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada.

Across the Island, roads are snow-covered in most areas with icy and slushy sections and good visibility. Freezing drizzle is occurring in some areas.

Roads are snow-covered in Labrador with icy and slushy patches and good visibility.

The MV Grace Sparkes will depart St. Brendan’s at 9:00 a.m. and depart Burnside at 10:00 a.m. this morning. All other ferries are operating on schedule.

At the St. John’s International Airport, Air Canada flights 687 and 1519 and Porter flights 230 and 2280 are delayed. Flights in Gander and Deer Lake are on time.

Back on March 27, there was a fire at a six-unit row of homes on Livingstone Street in St. John’s owned by Newfoundland and Labrador Housing.

In the interest of public safety will be moving forward with the demolition of this row of homes.

Only one of the six units had a tenant at the time of the fire who has been living in temporary accommodations and is scheduled to move into another Newfoundland and Labrador Housing unit next week. 

The structure was broken into several times and vandalized following the blaze.

Security has been on-site since March 28 and will remain until this demolition work is completed.

If you’re heading to the liquor store today, be sure to bring a few extra quarters as the price of most alcohol went up Sunday.

The price of a case of domestic beer jumped by over 25 cents, now sitting at nearly $33.51 for a dozen. Import beer also jumped, adding nearly 40 cents to a 12-pack.

The price of some spirits also increased, depending on the size and the alcohol, but things like vodka went up by almost 60 cents for a 26oz bottle.

Some wines also increased in price.

Last week, federal alcohol taxes rose by nearly two per cent, hitting most products at the liquor store.

Signs outside the Hudson's Bay store at London's White Oaks Mall promised 20 to 40 per cent off items including clothing, furniture and bedding on Friday. Longtime Bay shoppers flocked to the store with the hope of snagging good deals before the stores are expected to close permanently in June.

The province’s health minister says P.E.I. is getting a lung cancer screening program, something advocates have said is urgently needed on the Island.

Toronto’s University Health Network is launching a campaign to recruit 100 “world-leading early career scientists,” targeting candidates doing research with commercialization potential at a time when some are looking to leave the United States.

The hospital network, which is the country’s largest, was set to announce Monday that it will be investing $15-million in recruiting 50 scientists immediately as a part of its “Canada Leads 100 Challenge,” with plans to secure matching investments to hire another 50 down the road.

Early last year, Federal Court Justice Henry Brown issued a surprise ruling. He had been asked by an Ottawa lawyer to compel the federal government to fill vacant judicial positions on top courts across the country.

Justice Brown didn’t quite order the federal government to do its job, but in his judgment, billed as the first of its kind, he said he expected Ottawa to reduce judicial vacancies in a reasonable time.

A pending Moncton council vote to loosen residential zoning rules will determine whether the municipality qualifies for millions in infrastructure money it hopes to use to boost housing development.

In the federal riding of Saint John-Kennebecasis, the fates of companies large and small hinge on what the U.S. does next in its trade war and how Canada responds.

Voting the way your parents and grandparents did is a habit that has endured decades of provincial and federal elections in some New Brunswick communities, but that could be fading, according to one political scientist.

Hope you’re rested after a wonderful weekend.

PEI WEATHER

TODAY: Sun and cloud. Winds light by the afternoon. High 3°

TONIGHT: Clouding over near midnight. Low -2°

TOMORROW: Cloudy with some snow starting near noon. High 1°

TEXT YOUR ANSWER TO 902-368-1720

The Toronto Blue Jays and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. have agreed to what is the largest contract in franchise history.

According to MLB insiders, Guerrero Jr. has agreed to a 14-year, $500M deal, with no deferred funds, locking the homegrown all star in as a Blue Jay for life.

It comes after the 26-year-old first baseman failed to reach a deal by spring training, indicating he was interested in testing the free agency market at the end of the season.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. during a pre-game warmup in his rookie season in 2019. (Photo via Sara Strickland/VOCM News.)

The son of hall of famer Vlad Guerrero, he signed with the Blue Jays at age 16, and shifted into the role of franchise player following his major league debut in 2019.

In 2021, in what was undoubtedly his best season, Vladdy tied for most home runs in all of Major League Baseball with 48, and finished second in AL MVP voting behind Shohei Ohtani.

Guerrero Jr. and teammate Bo Bichette before taking on the Seattle Mariners in April 2024. (VOCM News)

The new contract will take effect for the 2026 season.

The House of Assembly will resume sitting on Wednesday.

Budget 2025 will be delivered in the House on Wednesday. The budget will focus on the financial and economic health of the province, especially in light of tariffs.

Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance Siobhan Coady will deliver the budget at 2:00 p.m.

The newly modernized morgue at the Health Sciences Centre is scheduled to open mid-month.

The public was horrified to learn last year that a number of freezer units, which had been set up just outside the hospital, were being used to store unclaimed bodies.

Those units were later moved into an underground parking area while a new morgue, with increased capacity, was under construction.

Renovations of parking garage from June 2024. (File photo)

The CEO of NLHS, Pat Parfrey, says the new morgue is on track to open on April 14.

In January, new legislation was enacted giving NLHS the ability to respectfully bury some of the 32 unclaimed human remains being stored at the time.

The number of bodies currently in storage is in the range of 30 to 35.

Artificial intelligence can’t do the dishes or the laundry, but it can replicate the writing style of just about any author, including those from Newfoundland and Labrador.

The Fishers’ Loft in Port Rexton is anticipating a busy summer, as Canadians boycott U.S. travel and look to explore our own country, including Newfoundland and Labrador.

An eviscerating report into Newfoundland and Labrador's personal care homes found hundreds of incidents where residents were evicted, including some being refused re-admittance after needing emergency room visits.

Nations are trying to reach an agreement to charge commercial vessels a fee for their emissions in what would effectively be the world’s first global carbon tax.

The International Maritime Organization, which regulates international shipping, set a target for the sector to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by about 2050, and committed to ensuring that fuels with zero or near-zero emissions are used more widely. Its Marine Environment Protection Committee meets Monday through Friday in London.

The committee, comprised of IMO member states, is working to approve proposed new global regulations to put a price on maritime greenhouse gas emissions and to set a marine fuel standard to phase in cleaner fuels.

The measures are more than climate aspirations – they will become mandatory for ships operating globally, said IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez, who thinks the industry must do more to cut carbon pollution. The committee will “set the course for a net-zero future for the maritime sector,” he told The Associated Press in a statement Thursday.

The future of clean shipping hangs in the balance, said Emma Fenton, senior director for climate diplomacy at a U.K.-based climate change nonprofit, Opportunity Green. Fenton said a high price, simple flat-rate levy on shipping’s greenhouse gas emissions is the only way to decarbonize the industry equitably.

“If an agreement is reached, it would represent a huge moment of solidarity in the fight to tackle climate change,” Fenton said. “For the first time, we will have, hopefully, an effective global framework tackling this international issue. Most emissions are tackled domestically.”

Here’s what to know:

What are the talks about?

Emissions from shipping have increased over the last decade — to about 3% of the global total according to the United Nations — as vessels have gotten much bigger, delivering more cargo per trip and using immense amounts of fuel oil.

Maritime nations agreed in 2023 to slash emissions from the shipping industry, though several experts and nations were critical of the deal since it did not set 2050 as a hard date. The IMO is now in the process of adopting regulations to achieve the goals agreed to in 2023.

Why are they important to the world?

A simple climate levy paired with a green fuel standard would help narrow the price gap between fossil fuels and green fuels, such as hydrogen, methanol and ammonia, according to the Global Maritime Forum, a nonprofit that works closely with the industry. Shipping relies heavily on fossil fuels and the sector won’t transition off those on its own, said Jesse Fahnestock, who leads the forum’s decarbonization work. And it will take time to build up a supply of e-fuels based on renewable electricity so investments need to happen now, he added.

Most ships today run on heavy fuel oil, releasing carbon dioxide and other pollutants as it’s burned. Dominguez has said that major decarbonizing requires an overhaul of shipping fuel.

The Clean Shipping Coalition is calling on governments to commit to a high price on all ship emissions and a strong fuel standard. The alliance of environmental non-profits is also urging countries to revise the IMO’s tool for measuring a ship’s carbon intensity, to quantify and raise their efficiency transparently and drive down the amount of fuel burned long-term.

What is the status of the negotiations?

Led by Pacific island nations, whose very existence is threatened by climate change, more than 60 countries support a flat levy per metric ton of emissions to reach net zero in a fair way. The shipping industry supports a fee, too. The International Chamber of Shipping represents over 80% of the world’s merchant fleet. Its secretary general, Guy Platten, said a pricing mechanism for maritime emissions is a pragmatic solution and the most effective way to incentivize a rapid energy transition in shipping.

Some countries, notably China, Brazil, Saudi Arabia and South Africa, want a credit trading model instead of a fixed levy, where ships get credits for staying under their emissions target and ships purchase credits if they go over. Other countries want a compromise between the two models.

Some fear that anything short of a universal levy would jeopardize climate goals and allow wealthier ship owners to buy compliance while continuing to pollute. Ambassador Albon Ishoda, Marshall Islands’ special envoy for maritime decarbonization, said IMO’s climate targets are “meaningless” without the levy. Revenue from a levy could be used to help developing countries transition to greener shipping, so they aren’t left behind with dirty fuels and old ships.

What’s expected by the end of the meeting?

If the committee agrees and finalizes text for the regulations, they could be formally adopted in October and take effect in 2027. That could send a powerful signal that the green transition is happening and that it’s possible for a global industry, according to the IMO.

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The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Jennifer Mcdermott, The Associated Press