Who seeks to lead a country without knowing the dangers it faces?

Eric Grenier, who oversees CBC’s Poll Tracker, is projecting that if a federal election were held today, the Liberals would win. Conservatives are projected to make a few gains, while the NDP appears to be in freefall. Grenier explains why every seat could count come election day.

A Scottish archivist embarked on a decades-long quest to figure out who stole thousands of historical letters, with the trail leading him to Canada.

Morden resident Tracy Knutt always felt different from her family, often joking that she had been "switched at birth." With her dark hair and brown eyes standing in stark contrast to her blonde-haired, blue-eyed relatives, the thought lingered in her mind. It wasn’t until a casual decision to take a 23andMe DNA test that she uncovered a life-changing truth—her biological father was not the man who raised her.

"We did a 23andMe test because my mom was adopted, and we wanted to find out more about her side of the family," Knutt explains. "It came back with all this amazing information—half-siblings, long-lost relatives—but then I saw that the man who raised me wasn’t actually my father."

The revelation was both validating and shocking. "Growing up, I learned in biology class that my blood type didn’t match my parents," she says. "It all makes sense now."

Piecing together the past

The news sent Knutt on a journey to learn more about her biological father. However, her mother, who is in the early stages of dementia, struggled to recall his name. After months of uncertainty, an unexpected breakthrough arrived.

"On Christmas Eve, my mom handed me a photo and said, ‘Do you recognize anyone?’ That’s when she finally remembered his name," Knutt shares. "I felt this overwhelming sense of belonging. I sat in church with my minister and just cried—I finally knew where I came from."

Knutt quickly turned to Google and discovered that her biological father had passed away two decades ago from a heart attack. While she would never get to meet him, her search led her to another unexpected connection—a half-brother living in Saskatchewan.

Meeting family for the first time

Reaching out to her half-brother was a nerve-wracking experience, but Knutt knew she had to do it. "I randomly messaged him on Facebook," she says. "He was pretty shocked."

The two finally met in person this past weekend, marking a momentous occasion for Knutt. "We look so much alike! For the first time in my life, I saw someone who resembled me," she shares. "It was amazing."

Their first meeting took place over a long conversation at a restaurant. "We talked for three hours straight," Knutt exclaims. "We were joking, interrupting each other, and it just felt so natural. I was nervous to meet him, but he and my sister-in-law are amazing people."

A journey of identity and health awareness

Beyond personal discovery, Knutt’s DNA test also provided valuable health information. "I found out that my mom carries two variants of the Alzheimer’s gene, and my biological dad’s side has a history of heart disease," she says. "Knowing this, I can be proactive with my own health."

Knutt has since connected with her biological father’s widow, who lives in British Columbia. "She was so welcoming and told me how much my dad would have loved me," Knutt says. "Apparently, he was very involved in his community and loved kids. There’s even a tournament named in his honour."

Looking ahead

Knutt’s journey is far from over. She plans to meet more of her newfound family members and introduce her twin sister to their half-brother. "She can’t wait to meet him," says Knutt. "We even did a DNA test for her, just in case we had different fathers—but we have the same dad!"

Reflecting on the experience, Knutt expresses deep gratitude. "For years, I felt like I didn’t quite fit in," she said. "Now, I know that I belong."

A local man was recently sentenced on a charge stemming from a break-and-enter at a company-owned worksite.

Swift Current's Austin Hill appeared in Swift Current Provincial Court on Wednesday, March 26, where he pleaded guilty to one count of break-and-enter.

The 29-year-old was given a 90-day conditional sentence to be served at an approved residence with a 24-hour curfew for the first 45 days and 90 days of probation.

He was also ordered to pay a $200 donation to Maverick School, an additional $300 donation at the end of his probation period, and a $100 fine.

Hill initially faced two charges after entering a worksite with two other adult individuals and stealing property of significant value.

Swift Current Online will provide more details about the incident and the other individuals when made available.

The Canadian Research Insights Council (CRIC), a polling industry association, has received numerous complaints about these text-message tactics from ERG National Research.

The Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of St. John's is turning to the courts for help in a bid to gain access to — and sell — a small, rural church on the southern Avalon Peninsula.

It was a packed house as over 500 persons attended the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce’s 41st Annual Outstanding Business Achievement Awards, presented by RBC Royal Bank at Carmens Banquet Centre.

In addition to nine award-winning local businesses, youth mentor and advocate Frederick Dryden, Founder & Executive Director of Liberty for Youth, was named Hamilton’s ‘Citizen of the Year’. Cole Horncastle, Executive Managing Director of John C. Munro International Airport was named ‘CEO of the Year’. The evenings honorees were:

Century Award Recipients: Celebrating 100+ Years in Business

• Black & McDonald

• Coca-Cola Canada Bottling

Large Business Award Finalists: 50+ Employees

• Scarfone Hawkins LLP (Winner)

• AIM Recycling Hamilton

• The Other Bird

Mid-Sized Business Award Finalists: 10-50 Employees

• Dynamic Heating & Cooling (Winner)

• Revelry Beauty Bar

• Undefined

Small Business Award Finalists: 1-10 Employees

• Empire Mortgage Group (Winner)

• Ctrl + F

• Pisa Pizza

Not-For-Profit Organization Award Finalists

• 541 Eatery & Exchange (Winner)

• Mathstronauts

• Tune In Foundation

Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) Award Recipient

• Hamilton Folk Arts Heritage Council: It’s Your Festival

YEP Award Finalists: Entrepreneur Under 40

• Ancaster Chiropractic and Laser (Winner)

• COOCO Corporation

• Rental Rescue

Tourism Champion of the Year Recognition Award

• Golf Canada – 2024 RBC Canadian Open

2025 Judging Committee

This year’s nominees were evaluated by a local and diverse set of business experts, ranging from private and public sector, including representation from large and small business.

• Maria Artuso – VP, Commercial Financial Services at RBC Royal Bank

• Peter Ipema – Sales Representative at GFL Environmental Inc.

• Tej Sandhu – Founder MERIT Brewing & Chamber Board Member

• Norm Schleehahn – Director of Economic Development for the City of Hamilton

• Lohifa Pogoson Acker – Founder, Excel In Style & Owner + Hair Artist, LoDidThat & Chamber Board Member

In 1981, the provocative Canadian rock band Rough Trade appeared on the sketch comedy series SCTV. In a segment called Pre-Teen World, the musicians were asked, “In the underground pop world, which is better, bondage or humiliation?” Singer Carole Pope quickly said humiliation. Guitarist and keyboardist Kevan Staples was of a different mind.

“Truthfully,” he ventured, joking about sadomasochism, “I prefer discipline.” In fact, Mr. Staples was the musical leader of a group known for its frontwoman’s visual raunch and lyrical audacity. If not discipline, he lent direction, in the form of funky rhythmic ideas and spikier New Wave vamps that carried Ms. Pope’s satirical wit, winks and electric erotica.

Toronto police are appealing for information after a 23-year-old man was shot and killed in Etobicoke Wednesday night. “This is a tragedy,” Det.-Sgt. Jason Davis told reporters Thursday afternoon.

Plenty of southwest communities and highway corridors have been upgraded to SaskTel's 5G network.

The Crown corporation announced on Tuesday that 17 communities and four highway portions locally were recently switched over from 4G to 5G service.

Greg Jacobs, an external communications manager with SaskTel, said the 21 local improvements were a part of nearly 100 cell site upgrades across the province.

"I can't really say that the southwest was a prime focus for the most recent," he said. "We're just picking away at cell sites as everything is falling into order. This is a very complex project and every cell site requires a little different approach depending on the infrastructure that's already in place."

According to Jacobs, improvements to cell sites could include new towers, modernizing the power input, and enhancing backhaul feeding the cell site.

SaskTel's 5G network can reach data speeds of up to 1.2 gigabits per second - well above the 300 megabites per second its 4G service could offer.

"We can deliver significantly faster data speeds, meaning that customers will have a more seamless experience when they're surfing on their phone, maybe making a FaceTime video call or things like that. The exciting part about 5G is what's going to come down the line. We're really just scratching the surface of what you can do with that technology."

Abbey (north), Beechy, Cabri, Central Butte, Cypress Hills, Fox Valley (north), Pennant, Kyle, Lafleche, Lucky Lake, Ponteix, Prelate, Rockglen (south), Sceptre, Stewart Valley, Val Marie, White Bear (southwest) are the 17 southwest communities with 5G services after recent upgrades. The four highway corridor improvements are Highway 21 (south of Fox Valley), Highway 4 (south of Elrose), Highway 42 (east of Lucky Lake), and Highway 58 (north of Lafleche) are the communities upgraded in this initiative.

More than 100 new cases of measles have been diagnosed in Ontario in the past week as a major, multijurisdictional outbreak spreads to new parts of the province.

Public Health Ontario’s latest surveillance report, released Thursday, notes 102 new cases of the viral illness – 92 of them confirmed, 10 of them probable.

A former president of the NLTA is using his family’s previous struggle to fuel his efforts in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Visionaries of the Year campaign.

The campaign spans ten weeks, and is a friendly competition to see which team can raise the most money for the society.

Dean Ingram says his involvement in the initiative is “very much a personal thing.”

In December 2001, Ingram says he received the life-changing news that he had being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease, and at the same time his mom was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

“So me and mom were actually taking chemo on alternate weeks.” Ingram says it was a difficult winter, and that his family was able to get through it because of the supports available to them. He states “I will never live long enough, it is impossible for me to live long enough to repay what was done with me during that time.”

The Alberta government has implemented temporary measures to allow military reservists to deploy as part of June’s G7 leaders summit in Kananaskis Country.

Canada will host the leaders of the United States, France, Germany, Japan, Britain and Italy, as well as the European Union at the meeting scheduled June 15-17.

Alberta’s government is putting $19-million toward municipal flood and drought prevention projects as part of its new budget.

Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz says eight municipalities as well as two Indigenous communities are to receive the grant funding.

When a Winnipeg sergeant showed up at the home of Albert and Theresa Shingoose on a First Nation in northeastern Manitoba, they didn’t expect much.

“We figured all they were going to say to us is they were still going to look. That’s what we thought,” Albert told a press conference in Winnipeg Wednesday.

Instead Winnipeg police shared a major update regarding their missing daughter Ashlee Shingoose: that she is the previously unidentified victim of a Winnipeg serial killer and that her remains are likely in the city-owned Brady Road landfill.

“My wife and I, we looked at each other, and we cried,” Albert recounted. “It was a happy, happy cry. It was good to hear where our daughter is.”

READ: Manitoba premier promises search of landfill for remains of now identified serial killer victim ‘Buffalo Woman’

The 30-year-old Shingoose was known for three years only as Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe, or “Buffalo Woman,” until police finally matched Shingoose’s DNA to an item of clothing identified by killer Jeremy Skibicki during a post-conviction interview in December 2024.

That interview also provided investigators with more information about what happened to Shingoose’s body after she was killed, leading them to establish her remains are likely at the Brady landfill.

“Now we all gotta work hard to bring her home,” Albert said. “We need you to make it move now, to get that landfill going. I need your words, I need your voices, speak up, let’s say it, let’s get the landfill going, to bring our daughter home.

“The landfill is not a burial ground for anybody. We’re not garbage, nobody’s garbage. Let’s make it work, all of us. Get your voices going, talk. Let’s make it happen.”

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew is promising the landfill will be searched. “I cannot promise you that we will bring her home, but I can promise you that we are going to try,” Kinew said Wednesday.

Winnipeg police add they are committed to being part of the efforts to search Brady Road, an obvious contrast to the force’s position years ago on the now successful search of the Prairie Green landfill – a privately run facility north of Winnipeg – for the remains of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran.

“The initial decision not to search for the remains of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran has had significant impact on the families and community,” Winnipeg police Chief Gene Bowers said Wednesday. “We have had time for reflection, almost nearly three years. While we cannot undo the past, we can learn from it. Today we know what needs to be done.”

Alberta Shingoose welcomed the commitment from police as well as the provincial and municipal governments.

“It’s good to hear all the top people accept to go and look for Ashlee, our loved one, your sister,” he said. “I’m very happy to hear they accept to go and search that landfill.”

Shingoose, Harris, Myran and Rebecca Contois – all Indigenous women – were killed by Skibicki in 2022. His trial heard he targeted them at homeless shelters in Winnipeg and disposed of their bodies in garbage bins.

The post ‘The landfill is not a burial ground’: Parents of Ashlee Shingoose want search of Brady Road to begin soon appeared first on CityNews Winnipeg.

The Parkland Institute report raises concerns about the government's declining investment in public hospitals while funding for private surgical facilities grows.

A townhouse in Lowertown was evacuated early Wednesday evening after a vehicle struck one of the building's structural supports. Ottawa Fire Services said there was structural damage to multiple units and confirmed that the structural integrity of the townhouse was compromised.

Iqaluit city council is considering a new bylaw that would add support for local businesses to the criteria the municipality considers in its purchasing process.

At their meeting Tuesday night, city councillors looked over the draft of a procurement bylaw which, if approved, would repeal and replace the current bylaw which has been in place since 2023.

The city wants to move away from simply showing preference to the lowest–priced bids when it purchases goods or services, finance director Peter Tumilty told councillors.

“The ‘best value’ was a concept trying to incorporate quality experience and not necessarily just the lowest price, because you may not always get the best results,” Tumilty said in response to a question from Coun. Sam Tilley.

Tilley noted some projects might benefit from a more experienced contractor and that “low cost isn’t necessarily in the city’s best interest.”

The current bylaw includes a brief description of “best value” as “the optimal balance of high quality and financial terms.”

The draft bylaw councillors reviewed Tuesday expands on that term.

It states that “best value” means the “purchase represents the greatest overall benefit to the City of Iqaluit by considering the most advantageous combination of price, quality, and support for local and Inuit businesses — not solely determined by the lowest price but by evaluating multiple factors.”

The draft bylaw also says “preference will be given to local suppliers throughout all aspects of procurement process within the city.”

Local suppliers are defined as people with Iqaluit business licences and who operate within the city’s boundaries.

Tilley asked several questions Tuesday, clarifying details such as how the bylaw reflects territorial law. He suggested a few changes as well as including a dispute-resolution process.

Councillors deferred approval of the bylaw on second reading so that changes can be made.

Tilley, who drew on his experience working in procurement with the Government of Nunavut, told reporters after the meeting that he likes what he saw in the bylaw but that it needs some edits.

“A few definitions in the bylaw just need to be tweaked a bit,” he said.

“Other than that, it’s a great bylaw.”

Some U.S. senators sent a letter to the inspector general at the Department of Defence to formally request an investigation into how top Trump national security officials used Signal to discuss military strikes.

A Brandon man previously charged in a case of intimate images betrayal has been charged again on accusations brought by a second victim, Brandon police say.