On March 22, a well owned by Check Energy Ltd. released 60,000 litres of crude oil. The Alberta Energy Regulator said on its website that no impacts to wildlife were reported. 

Ontario’s gaming watchdog has issued a $110,000 fine to online sports betting platform BetMGM Canada after the company allegedly offered cash to new customers who set up an account on the platform.

The City of Swift Current has unveiled its budget for 2025 with a total of over $101.5 million dollars. 

Of that total, over $75.6 million is for the Operating and Utility Expenses, with $25.9 for the Capital Expenditures. 

Operating and Utility Expenses, according to Swift Current Mayor Al Bridal, are for general payments to cover operating costs. Subscriptions to accounting and administrative computer software, fuel accounts, RCMP contracts, and other general charges fall into this category. 

From the Capitol Expenditures, just under $15 million is for capital projects that are awaiting grant funding to proceed. The proposed construction of a new Aquatic Centre is occupying roughly $11 million of that money. 

"We have to put it in, but the chances aren't real good for that grant funding," said Bridal.

Property tax has risen by 2.71 per cent. Bridal, although he didn't have exact numbers in front of him, was confident that it was the second-lowest tax increase in the province. The only City he knew to be lower was Estevan, which hasn't had a tax increase in four years. 

The Aquatic Centre will be getting a $2.1 million retrofit to keep it operating for the next five years. Bridal called the amount optimistic from a contractor's perspective, although he admitted he did not go through all the details with a fine-tooth comb.

Bridal revealed that the contract covers redoing the electrical components of the entrance, plumbing, water lining, the deck around the pool, boiler work, and more.

"So that we can continue to use that building," said Bridal. "We hope for between four and five years and that with any luck, we'll get us to the new Aquatic Center." 

A new item added to people's bills for the year is the Recreation Levy. The charge is for $11 per month or $140 per property per year. Bridal says the levy will be a permanent fixture going forward. 

"We want our citizens to understand that recreation does cost money," said Bridal. "The only way we can continue to have these facilities is to maintain or build them."

Swift Current Online will provide more details on all of these items over the coming week. 

Some Saint John residents may have noticed a huge ship in the harbour this week. The Santa Rosa, roughly the length of three football fields, was the largest container ship ever to dock in the port.

Tim Whiskeychan, a Cree contemporary artist from Waskaganish, flew to Paris this month to teach Cree culture through art with French students.

Oscar-winning Palestinian director Hamdan Ballal believes he is being deliberately targeted by Israeli settlers and soldiers in the occupied West Bank following the success of his film No Other Land, which won best documentary at the prestigious awards ceremony earlier this month.   

Environment Canada said Wednesday afternoon its forecasters are increasingly confident a "widespread, prolonged freezing rain event" would arrive late Friday.

A fire chief in Digby County says his small volunteer fire department is out nearly $7,000 after a break-in earlier this month.

Council unanimously backed Chow’s 10-point plan to respond to the tariff fight on Wednesday, though some councillors said Toronto needs to be careful not to alienate potential visitors from the U.S., or American companies looking to invest in the city.

Winnipeg police say investigators believe that the remains of Ashlee Shingoose, a victim of serial killer Jeremy Skibicki, are in a city-run landfill south of Winnipeg.

“In reviewing the possible location of Ashlee’s remains, investigators believe that her body was placed into a garbage bin behind a commercial business,” said a release from police.

“Based on the timing of her death and the new information about where she had been placed, the Winnipeg Police Service believes that her remains were taken to the Brady Landfill in March of 2022.

Shingoose went missing in March 2022. Her DNA turned up on a jacket that police located online.

According to police, new information was provided in December 2024 that helped make a “preliminary identification” of an unidentified woman given the name Mashkode Bizihiki’ Ikwe or Buffalo Woman.

“To make a positive identification, specific evidence seized during the investigation was sent for DNA analysis to determine whether the known DNA of the possible victim could be located on the seized items.  On March 24, 2025, the results came back identifying Ashlee Christine Shingoose, 30 years of age, of St. Theresa Point Anisininew Nation as the unidentified victim known as Buffalo Woman.”

Police said that support services travelled to her home community of St. Theresa Point Anisininew Nation to provide the information to her family and the community directly.

“The Winnipeg Police Service has reached out to leadership from the City of Winnipeg and the Province of Manitoba to start the discussions on a humanitarian search for the remains of Ashlee Shingoose,” the police statement said.

“We are early in the discussions in terms of what a search would look like, but the Winnipeg Police Service is supportive of a search being undertaken and is committed to being part of those efforts.”

On March 17, the province announced that remains found at the privately run Prairie Green landfill north of the city were those of Myran. Harris’ remains were identified on March 7.

The partial remains of Contois were found in a garbage bin near Skibicki’s residence on May 16, 2022. Police commenced a search at the Brady Road landfill on June 2, 2022, and recovered additional human remains of Contois on June 14.

Shingoose is believed to be Skibicki’s first victim.

Skibicki was sentenced to life in prison in August 2024.

More to come.

The post Winnipeg police believe remains of Ashlee Shingoose in Winnipeg landfill appeared first on APTN News.

According to figures obtained by Radio-Canada, schools across the province are facing overcrowding. That means an estimated 34,500 students will either be sent to other schools, put in spaces not intended as classrooms or assigned to modular classrooms.

This year’s Terence Tootoo Memorial hockey tournament was “99 per cent” successful.

That’s according to event co-chair Troy Aksalnik, in a phone interview Wednesday with Nunatsiaq News.

The remaining one per cent involved a heated exchange of words that erupted as Team North and Team Tootoo players shook hands following the A division championship final, which Team Tootoo won 6-4.

Referees ordered two Team North players off the ice following the post-game incident.

The tournament held annually in Rankin Inlet is named to honour the older brother of Jordin Tootoo, the first Inuk to play in the National Hockey League. Terence Tootoo, a Rankin Inlet hockey player, died by suicide in 2022.

This year’s games ran from March 12 to 16.

“There were remarks made that were completely inappropriate,” said Jordin Tootoo, addressing the packed arena before honouring players from both teams after the championship game. Video of the game is available on YouTube.

“We take this very seriously. We have to be united — watch out for each other. That’s what community does. That’s what my brother, Terence, would want — not all the B.S. behind the scenes.”

Meanwhile, Rankin Inlet won the B division championship game 5-1 against last year’s winning team, the North Baffin Eskimos, earlier in the evening on March 16.

Thirteen teams from around Nunavut competed in 28 games during this year’s tournament.

“There will be changes made in coming weeks,” Aksalnik said, to avoid a repeat of the incident that marred the final moments of this year’s tournament.

The event ended on a positive note, with Tootoo thanking Aksalnik and all the volunteers, players and fans who otherwise made the event a success.

“I think we can all agree we had a great weekend,” said Tootoo.

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Editor’s note: The reporter covering this court proceeding became involved by objecting to an exclusion application. As such, this article cites statements made in court by the journalist who wrote this report.

The federal Crown applied to have a witness testify in secret in a trial about a 2022 murder in Chipman, but it abandoned that request after negotiations with the defence Wednesday.

Joshua John McIsaac, 35, formerly of Penniac, and Erica Lea Ann Blyth, 42, of Newcastle Creek near Chipman, were brought to the Burton Courthouse in custody Wednesday for a pre-trial application ahead of their jury trial on a charge of first-degree murder.

They’re jointly accused of killing Brandon Patrick Donelan, 27, in the Chipman area, on Jan. 28, 2022, and their trial is scheduled to begin April 23.

The Attorney General of Canada, on behalf of the RCMP, filed an application with the Court of King’s Bench in Fredericton on March 11 seeking an exclusion order under Section 486 of the Criminal Code of Canada with regard to a specific witness.

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The provincial government says it has a “constructive working relationship” with Memorial University, but it won’t agree to increase MUN’s funding as the university stares down a nearly $9-million deficit.

Last week, a coalition of nearly 20 unions and campus associations called on the province to step in and increase MUN’s funding.

In a statement to VOCM News, the department of education says they pump $400-million in to the institution every year, representing over 70 per cent of MUN’s operating revenue.

The province calls that among the largest sums of provincial funding provided to a public university in the country.

Government says MUN is an autonomous organization, and as such it is responsible for operational decisions related to salaries and infrastructure.

That said, government indicates it will continue to speak with MUN regarding the issues it is facing.

Roy Winter, 61, expected in court April 3 for charges including arson and uttering threats.