NEW YORK (AP) — The man accused of burning a woman to death inside a New York City subway train used a shirt to fan the flames, a prosecutor said Tuesday at his arraignment on murder charges.

Sebastian Zapeta, 33, who federal immigration officials said is a Guatemalan citizen who entered the U.S. illegally, was not required to enter a plea and did not speak at the hearing in Brooklyn criminal court.

Zapeta, wearing a white jumpsuit over a weathered black hooded sweatshirt, will remain jailed and is due back in court on Friday. His lawyer did not ask for bail.

Zapeta is charged with two counts of murder, accusing him of intentionally killing the woman and killing her while committing arson. He is also charged with one count of arson. The top charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole.

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez called the attack a “gruesome and senseless act of violence” and said it would be “met with the most serious consequences.”

The apparently random attack occurred Sunday morning on an F train that was stopped at the Coney Island station. The victim’s identification is still pending.

Authorities say Zapeta approached the woman, who may have been sleeping in the train, and set her clothing on fire with a lighter.

Zapeta then fanned the flames with a shirt, engulfing her in fire, Assistant District Attorney Ari Rottenberg said in court Tuesday.

Zapeta then sat on a bench on the subway platform and watched, Rottenberg said.

According to Rottenberg, Zapeta told detectives that he didn’t know what happened but identified himself in images of the attack.

Zapeta’s lawyer, Andrew Friedman, did not speak to reporters after the arraignment.

Video on social media appears to show some people looking on from the platform and at least one police officer walking by while the woman is on fire inside the train.

NYPD Transit Chief Joseph Gulotta said Sunday that several officers responded to the fire and one stayed to keep the crime scene “the way it’s supposed to be” while the others went to get fire extinguishers and transit workers.

“Officers who were on patrol on an upper level of that station smelled and saw smoke and went to investigate. What they saw was a person standing inside the train car fully engulfed in flames,” Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.

They eventually put the fire out, but “unfortunately, it was too late,” Tisch said, and the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

Zapeta was taken into custody Sunday afternoon while riding a train on the same subway line after teenagers recognized him from images circulated by the police.

A Brooklyn address for Zapeta released by police matches a shelter that provides housing and substance abuse support. The shelter did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Federal immigration officials said Zapeta was deported in 2018 but later reentered the U.S. illegally.

The crime deepened a growing sense of unease among some New Yorkers about the safety of the subway system, amplified by graphic video of the attack that ricocheted across social media.

Overall, crime is down in the transit system compared to last year.

Major felonies declined 6% between January and November compared to the same time period last year, according to data from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. But murders are up, with nine killings this year through November compared to five during the same period last year.

There have also been several high-profile incidents, including one in September where police inadvertently shot two bystanders and a fellow officer when they opened fire on a man holding a knife in front of a train.

Earlier this month, a Manhattan jury acquitted former Marine Daniel Penny in the chokehold death last year of an agitated subway rider. The case became a flashpoint in debates over safety, homelessness and mental illness on the system.

Policing the subway is difficult, given the vast network of trains moving between 472 stations. Each stop contains multiple entry points and, in many stations, multiple floors and platforms.

___

This story has been corrected to show that the name of Zapeta’s lawyer is Andrew Friedman, not Ed Friedman.

Cedar Attanasio, The Associated Press

The post Man arraigned on murder charges in NYC subway death fanned flames with a shirt, prosecutors say appeared first on CityNews Winnipeg.

According to a report by Jobseeker, Canada has been named the most desirable country in the world for job relocation.

The report was compiled using national and regional search data to map out the places people around the world are looking to move to for work.

Canada is the most-searched country for job relocation, followed by Australia, Switzerland, the United States and Singapore.

“For many years, Canada has been an appealing location for people all around the world to live and work. Factoring in accessibility while considering Canada’s comparatively strong economy, healthcare system and diverse culture — it’s clear why it remains an ideal location for people to relocate.”

The report found Canada to be the most popular country among job seekers in Costa Rica, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Canada was also recently named among the best countries in the world.

For our latest in news, please visit the News section.

The post Canada named most desirable country in the world for relocation appeared first on Cult MTL.

Immigration measures announced as part of Canada’s border response to president-elect Donald Trump’s 25 per cent tariff threat are starting to be implemented, beginning with a ban on what’s known as “flagpoling.”

This is when someone who was in Canada on a temporary visa leaves for the U.S. then quickly re-enters Canada to access immigration services at a port of entry.

The restriction on providing work and study permits to flagpolers takes effect today.

LeBron James made his Christmas debut in 2003. Victor Wembanyama was born 10 days later.

That’s right: James has been featured on the NBA’s big day for longer than Wembanyama has been alive. And on Wednesday — when the league celebrates Christmas with games for the 77th time — the league’s oldest player and brightest young star will be big parts of the holiday showcase.

It’s another Christmas quintupleheader, with Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs visiting the New York Knicks, Minnesota going to Dallas for a Western Conference finals rematch, Philadelphia heading to Boston to renew a storied rivalry, James and the Los Angeles Lakers taking on Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, and Denver playing at Phoenix in the nightcap.

“Very excited, of course,” Wembanyama said, the French star previewing his first Christmas game opportunity. “First of all, spending Christmas in New York, it’s going to be like the movies, I hope. Get a little snow.”

His first Christmas wish came true: Light snow fell in Manhattan on Tuesday morning.

James said he’s relishing another chance to share the holiday spotlight with Curry — someone he’s played against on Christmas three previous times.

“Any time you get an opportunity to be on the court and compete against one of the greatest to ever play this game, you don’t take it for granted,” James — who turns 40 next week — said of facing his U.S. Olympic teammate. “I don’t know how many more opportunities we’ll get to go against each other.”

The Christmas games have been looked at for decades as the time when more fans tend to start watching basketball. The NFL — which is going head-to-head against the NBA on Wednesday — is seeing its regular season winding down, and the five NBA games will all be shown nationally either on ABC or ESPN.

The Spurs-Knicks game will also have a special alt-cast starring Mickey Mouse and some of his friends, the first animated presentation of an NBA game. It’ll be shown on ESPN2 and stream on Disney+ and ESPN+.

“I wish there were more of our great players who had a chance to play on that stage on Christmas Day,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. “It’s been an interesting turnaround from certainly my earlier days in the league when we got a lot of complaints about playing on Christmas — and now it comes the other way, which is, ‘Why aren’t we playing on Christmas?’ I wish we could accommodate even more teams.”

Wemby’s debut: Spurs at Knicks, Noon ET

Knicks forward Josh Hart, like just about everyone in the basketball world, raves about Wembanyama. The Spurs star is averaging 24.8 points, 9.9 rebounds, 4.0 blocks, 3.9 assists and 3.3 3-pointers per game.

“He’s an amazing player, man,” Hart said. “He does things offensively, defensively that no one that’s 7-whatever-the-heck-he-is should be doing. He’s the future of the league.”

For the record, Wembanyama is officially just under 7-foot-4.

The Knicks are playing their 57th Christmas game, extending their NBA record. The first Christmas game in league history was at Madison Square Garden in 1947.

“Been fortunate to play on Christmas a lot of days,” Spurs guard Chris Paul said. “I’m excited.”

West rematch: Timberwolves at Mavericks, 2:30 p.m. ET

Game time is 1:30 p.m. in Dallas, and that means it’ll be 8:30 p.m. in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Prime time, Christmas night in Luka Doncic’s homeland.

The Mavericks star couldn’t be happier how that worked out.

“It’s special,” said Doncic, who had a 50-point game on Christmas last year. “You have a lot of people from Europe want to watch the NBA. … It’s a big thing. It’s going to be a special game.”

Dallas beat Minnesota 4-1 in last year’s West finals.

For Timberwolves guard Mike Conley, this is season No. 18 — and his second Christmas game.

“It was 14 years before I got to play on it in Utah,” Conley said. “I looked forward to the opportunity. Not many people get the opportunity to play. When people are celebrating the holidays, they turn on the TV and are watching the NBA.”

The rivalry renewed: 76ers at Celtics, 5 p.m. ET

No teams have faced off against one another more in NBA history than defending champion Boston and Philadelphia. Same goes for Christmas rivalries: It’ll be Celtics-76ers for the 14th time on Dec. 25, by far the most in the league.

Celtics guard Jrue Holiday says it’s tough to interrupt family time on Christmas — but also said it’s fun that his children can watch their father play that day.

“It’s an honor to be able to play on Christmas Day,” Holiday said. “I know I was one of the kids that couldn’t wait for Christmas games to come on. So, it’s always an honor.”

LeBron vs. Steph: Lakers at Warriors, 8 p.m. ET

Curry and James have met on Christmas in 2015, 2016 and 2018, all immediately following seasons that ended with Cleveland vs. Golden State matchups in the NBA Finals.

Lakers coach JJ Redick played on Christmas 11 times in his career. The significance of seeing another Steph vs. LeBron matchup on the holiday isn’t lost on him.

“I think it was great to have two of the icons of this generation go head-to-head and have one, for sure, classic series and then just also some classic games and classic moments,” Redick said. “For those guys also being teammates on the Olympic stage, they just have the ultimate respect for each other.”

James gets another chance to become the NBA’s all-time Christmas win leader: He’s played in 10 wins on Dec. 25, tying former teammate Dwyane Wade’s holiday record. This is James’ 19th Christmas game; Wade played in 13.

Curry, if he starts, will be the seventh person in NBA history with at least 11 starts on Dec. 25, joining James, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Wade, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant.

“Christmas spirit hopefully can bring some gifts our way with a win,” Curry said.

The finale: Nuggets at Suns, 10:30 p.m. ET

Durant will play on Christmas for the 12th time, and only James, Bryant and Oscar Robertson have more points on Dec. 25 than he does.

It’s a rematch of a 117-90 win by Denver on Monday night.

“Looking forward to this next game,” Durant said.

The Nuggets know the Suns will want to avenge losing by 27, plus that the holiday brings out the best in players.

“Hopefully we can go into their spot on Christmas and get another win,” Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. said. “But I’m sure it’ll be a tougher game.”

___

AP Sports Writers Janie McCauley and Greg Beacham, and Associated Press Writers Dick Scanlon, Aaron Bracy, Bill Trocchi, Pat Pickens, Jeff Miller and Michael Kelly contributed to this story.

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

Tim Reynolds, The Associated Press

After a nine-month investigation, Hamilton police have arrested two brothers in Hamilton for drug trafficking. They also came across a quantity of counterfeit money.

In March of 2024, members of the Hamilton Police Division 3 High Enforcement Action Team (H.E.A.T) began a drug trafficking investigation involving two brothers who reside on the Hamilton Mountain. 

On December 17, 2024 Hamilton Police conducted a search warrant at a residence near the intersection of Stone Church Road west and West 5th street. There, police found 149 grams of cocaine, Canadian cash totaling $8,233.65, and counterfeit American money totaling $3,900.00.

One of the brothers was arrested on scene and charged with trafficking, possession of counterfeit money and a probation violation.

Then on Monday  the second brother was arrested with the help of the Canadian Border Service Agency. He was charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking – cocaine, proceeds of crime over $5000.00 and possession of counterfeit money

Anyone with any information that could help Police with this investigation, are asked to contact the on-duty Division 3 Staff Sergeant at 905-546-3886. Additionally, for those who wish to remain anonymous, they can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or visit: http://www.crimestoppershamilton.com

Streaming guide JustWatch has revealed the streaming services in Canada with the best selection of Christmas movies this holiday season.

Topping the list with roughly 39% market share is Prime Video, whose selection includes classics like It’s a Wonderful Life, Love Actually and The Grinch.

In second place with 20% of the market share is Crave, which features titles like Elf, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and A Christmas Story.

In third place is Netflix with 16% market share and a selection that includes Klaus and How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

Overall, there are 287 holiday-themed movies streaming in Canada. For a list of the most popular Christmas movies streaming in Canada, please click here.

For previous updates on the most popular movies and TV shows streaming in Canada right now, please click here.

For our latest in film and TV, please visit the Film & TV section.

The post Which streaming service has the best selection of Christmas movies? appeared first on Cult MTL.

This is a collection of photos chosen by AP photo editors.

The Associated Press

It was the show before Christmas … and host Adam Walsh is joined by Santa Claus himself for a full hour of calls from children of all ages.

Immigrants are increasingly choosing to stay in Quebec, according to a new report from Statistics Canada, but the same isn’t true in the Atlantic region, which continues to lose newcomers to the rest of the country.

Out of all the immigrants admitted into Quebec in 2021, almost 94 per cent of them were still in the province one year later – a jump of 8.8 percentage points compared with the 2018 cohort of newcomers. The largest increases of newcomers choosing to stay in Quebec were in the economic category, the StatCan report said.

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby tied Mario Lemieux's record for most assists in team history with his 1,033rd during the first period of Monday night's 7-3 win over the visiting Philadelphia Flyers.

If she has the voice of an angel, and the face of an angel, she must be an Angel.

Angel Blue, that is.

The American soprano, one of the most admired singers of her generation, is headlining the Metropolitan Opera’s first new production of Verdi’s “Aida” in 36 years. Blue, now 40, debuted at the Met in 2017 as Mimi in Puccini’s “La Boheme” and has become a fixture at the house, starring in two opening nights and this fall portraying the lead character in Osvaldo Golijov’s “Ainadamar.”

But “Aida” is something else. The title role of the enslaved Ethiopian princess torn between love for an Egyptian warrior and loyalty to her country represents the pinnacle of Verdi’s mature vocal style. It demands power, flexibility and the ability to spin out long phrases, while conveying the dramatic intensity of the character’s emotional turmoil.

It also comes weighted with history, especially for a Black soprano at the Met, where Leontyne Price embodied the role from her first performance in 1961 until her retirement in 1985.

“I don’t think I’m the next Leontyne Price, but I’ve definitely looked at her my whole life as an example of someone to model myself after,” Blue said in an interview after a day of rehearsal.

“Sometimes in opera there’s an intimidation factor because of those who come before us,” she added. “But when it’s somebody who I look up to, I feel like, OK it’s my turn. Thank you so much, it’s because of you I’m here.”

Blue’s turn comes on New Year’s Eve, when Michael Mayer’s production opens before a sold-out house with a cast that includes tenor Piotr Beczala as her lover, Radames, mezzo Judit Kutasi as her rival, Amneris, and baritone Quinn Kelsey as her father, Amonasro. Met music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts. The Jan. 25 matinee will be broadcast live in HD to movie theaters worldwide.

Blue was less than a year old when Price made her Met farewell, so she never got to hear her live in opera. But her father, a classically trained gospel singer and pastor, loved her recordings and — according to family lore — pronounced shortly after Blue was born that she would be “the next Leontyne Price.”

“My beautiful dad, he was just enamored of her,” Blue said. “It was like a thought that came into his heart when I took my first breath.”

Growing up as one of five children in Southern California, Blue sang in church, studied voice and piano in high school, then entered several beauty pageants and used her prize money to help pay for her musical studies. She had been bitten by the opera bug at age 4 when her father took her to see a concert performance of Puccini’s “Turandot” while the family was visiting relatives in Cleveland.

Though she had sung “Aida” once in concert in Detroit, her only previous staged performances came last year at London’s Royal Opera House. The critics were impressed, though some felt she was still mastering the role.

“Sometimes Blue’s tone frays under pressure,” wrote Neil Fisher in The Times. But he added that she is “a heartfelt, affecting Aida … riding high in ensembles. This gutsy Aida will grow in authority.”

Mark Elder, who conducted Blue in London, recalled that “when she came to me, she wasn’t very experienced in the part, and I was incredibly impressed with how she would quietly go on with studying it and thinking about it and taking on board some of the ideas that I gave her.

“To express everything the music demands of her is by far the hardest thing that she’s probably ever had to do,” Elder said. “By the time she did the first performance with me it was clear she was very suited to the role. She will sing it for years to come.”

Mayer said that during the Met rehearsals he was struck by how naturally Blue was able to capture the character’s inner conflicts as she is torn between love for her Egyptian captor and duty to her homeland and her father.

“What’s remarkable about working with Angel is that she is utterly sympathetic,” Mayer said. “She does the thing that great actors do: She has the thought, and we see it. She’s not doing any histrionic indicating of feelings, she’s trusting that Verdi knew what he was doing in terms of how the music is telling its own story.

“She’s a gentle soul, but then she opens up and you hear this magnificent voice,” Mayer said.

Opening night of the Met production will be a poignant occasion for Blue because New Year’s Eve marks the 18th anniversary of her father’s death. Her mother and brother will be in the audience cheering her on, and the rest of her family will come to a later performance. She’s determined not to disappoint them.

“I feel like a boxer at the side of the ring, and I have these gloves on that say ‘AIDA,’” Blue said. “People are giving me water, patting me down and saying, ‘Angel, you’ve got this. You can do it!’’”

Mike Silverman, The Associated Press

For the past couple of years, two neighbours in Charlottetown have waged a friendly war to see who could come up with the most elaborate display of Christmas decorations. CBC's Connor Lamont visited the neighbourhood to check out how the battle shaped up this year.

TOKYO (AP) — Survivors of the U.S. atomic bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki said receiving a Nobel Peace Prize has given them a fresh incentive to campaign for nuclear disarmament ahead of the 80th anniversary of the 1945 attacks.

“I felt like I needed to work even harder on what I had done so far,” said Terumi Tanaka, who survived the atomic attack on Nagasaki on Aug. 9. 1945.

Tanaka, 92, was speaking at a press conference in Tokyo on Tuesday after returning from Oslo where he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize award on behalf of Nihon Hidankyo, the Japanese atomic bomb survivors’ organization.

Next year marks “a significant milestone of 80 years” since the end of World War II, Tanaka, who is co-chair of Nihon Hidankyo, said.

“I believe it is important to focus on the next 10 years and strengthen the movement moving forward,” he added. “I would like to lead a big movement of testimonials.”

Tanaka, a retired materials engineering professor, said he wants Japan to take the leadership in nuclear disarmament.

“What else is there for Japan, the only country to have suffered atomic attacks, to do other than leading the nuclear disarmament?”

That’s what Tanaka said he will ask Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who supports nuclear deterrence, when they are expected to meet in January. Japan, protected under the U.S. nuclear umbrella, has refused to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons despite repeated requests by survivors.

Michiko Kodama, who survived the first atomic bombing, on Hiroshima three days before the Nagasaki blast, said she felt the Nobel award and the congratulatory messages were so rewarding after decades of hardship, discrimination and fear of health effects from radiation, but she wants more people to know what nuclear weapons really do to them.

“We hibakusha (survivors) who saw the hell… within a decade won’t be around to tell the reality of the atomic bombing,” said Kodama, who was 7 in August 1945. “I want to keep telling our stories as long as we live.”

Nihon Hidankyo is a grassroots movement of Japanese atomic bombing survivors who have worked for nearly 70 years to maintain a taboo around the use of nuclear weapons. The weapons have grown exponentially in power and number since being used for the first and only time in warfare by the United States on Japan.

The first U.S. atomic bombing killed 140,000 people in the city of Hiroshima. A second atomic attack on Nagasaki killed another 70,000. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, bringing an end to a conflict that began with Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 during its attempt to conquer Asia.

Mari Yamaguchi, The Associated Press

Crackling fires have long been a gathering place where idyllic chestnuts are roasted, stories shared and souls warmed, whether around a hearth or at a campsite. Some folks cut their own wood and let it season, but most buy their wood without much thought about where it came from.

As it happens, where our firewood comes from matters a lot.

The U.S. National Parks Service recommends getting firewood within 10 (and never more than 50) miles of its destination. Transporting it longer distances — from your home to a campsite or from a farm to your home, for instance — significantly increases the chances of introducing invasive pests into the local ecosystem. And those pests can inflict devastating damage on local forests.

In my suburban New York region, for instance, pests like the Asian long-horned beetle, emerald ash borer, spotted lanternfly and the oak wilt fungal disease are major concerns. Moving untreated firewood from my town to yours could make our problem your problem.

To help prevent this, many states have passed laws against moving untreated wood more than 50 miles from where it was cut or across state lines, unless the package bears a state or federal stamp or seal certifying that it’s been heat-treated to kill pests.

Even seasoned wood can harbor pests, which often hide in layers beneath the bark, where they’re hard to spot. While these pests can’t travel far on their own, giving them a lift on firewood can enable them to start a new infestation in a faraway place.

This isn’t speculation. Past invaders have already decimated native species like the American chestnut, hemlock and American elm.

What’s more, buying local firewood can help protect your garden, too — and your wallet. Infested or diseased trees can have a negative effect on property values. They’re also costly to remove. Plus, no one wants to see the landscape they’ve worked so hard to create fall victim to hitchhiking pests.

The Don’t Move Firewood campaign, an outreach partnership managed by The Nature Conservancy, aims to protect North American trees and forests from invasive insects and diseases that can travel with firewood. You can do your part simply by making informed choices.

Tips from the Don’t Move Firewood campaign to help keep trees safe:

— Get firewood close to home. The best rule of thumb is to buy it within the same county, or no more than 50 miles from where you’ll be burning it. Consult the campaign’s Firewood Map for your state’s regulations.

— Don’t be fooled by “clean” firewood. Just because it looks healthy doesn’t mean it’s pest-free. Tiny eggs or fungal spores may be hidden within the wood, ready to start a deadly infestation when they’re transported to a new location. Don’t bring your backyard firewood with you, even if it looks OK.

— Aged or seasoned wood isn’t safe. Even if it’s been sitting around for a while, moving it is still risky.

— If you’ve moved firewood, burn it soon. If you’ve already transported firewood, dispose of it safely by burning it completely and thoroughly. Clean up the area afterward, then burn the debris. Going forward, purchase only from local suppliers.

— Spread the word. Tell your friends about the risks of moving firewood — no one wants to be the one who unknowingly spreads invasive pests.

Finally, before building any outdoor fires, be sure to check for local restrictions.

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Jessica Damiano writes weekly gardening columns for the AP and publishes the award-winning Weekly Dirt Newsletter. You can sign up here for weekly gardening tips and advice.

For her favorite tools and gear of the past year, see her 2024 gardening gift guide.

___

For more AP gardening stories, go to https://apnews.com/hub/gardening.

Jessica Damiano, The Associated Press

Marcus Merasty said the thing he loves about Métis jigging is that it brings people together.

The post Planning Items for January 13, 2025 Kingsville Council Meeting appeared first on Kingsville Times.

RNC are seeking the public’s help in a reported hit and run vehicle-pedestrian collision in the capital city region.

Police say an 18-year-old man was struck by a vehicle in the area of Ricketts Road and St. Clare Avenue on December 12.

The vehicle involved failed to stop at the scene. There were no injuries reported.

RNC are seeking any witnesses to the collision or CCTV, dash cam or cell phone footage in the area between 9:00 and 10:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 12 to contact them or Crime Stoppers.

PC MLAs representing ridings along the Manitoba–U.S. border have sent a letter urging Premier Wab Kinew and his NDP government to take immediate action against federal cuts that will reduce operating hours at a dozen ports of entry in southern Manitoba in the new year.

“We all know criminals don’t just operate from 9 to 5,” said Turtle Mountain MLA Doyle Piwniuk. “So why isn’t the premier fighting to keep these border crossings open in the evening to deter illegal activity and ensure vital cross-border access and services are maintained for communities near the border?”

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) announced in November that operating hours at 12 crossings, from Cartwright to Piney, will be reduced starting Jan. 6. These cuts coincide with alarming increases in illegal border activity. In the first ten months of 2024, illegal crossings soared by 14%, according to the CBSA. Additionally, the agency reported seizing 19 illegal weapons from travellers this year, a 73% increase from 2023.

“Border security is already an issue in southern Manitoba, and these cuts will make it worse,” said Borderland MLA Josh Guenter. “We need stronger security measures at the border to stop human traffickers, illegal migrants, and drug smugglers. Our communities deserve to be safe.”

The proposed cuts also threaten the economic and social fabric of Manitoba border communities. Thousands of Manitobans rely on evening access to border crossings for business, essential services, and community events. The free flow of goods and services is critical to southern Manitoba’s economy.

“We’re calling on Wab Kinew to stand up to Ottawa,” said La Vérendrye MLA Konrad Narth. “The Kinew government must push to restore the hours of operation at these ports of entry and put more boots on the ground to increase border security—not less.”

Manitoba faces a disproportionate share of the CBSA cuts, with one-third of all affected crossings in Canada located in the province. The cuts come amid heightened tensions between Canada and the US, including Donald Trump’s proposed 25% tariffs on Canadian goods. The NDP government has so far refused calls to strike an all-party committee to address U.S. trade and border security concerns, and the impacts on Manitoba.

“The border is a lifeline for southern Manitoba communities, and it’s the government’s duty to protect it,” said Piwniuk. “If Wab Kinew and the NDP won’t fight for our safety and our economy, we will.”

A NASA spacecraft may have made history on Tuesday, flying closer to the sun than any object sent before.

Gavin McKenna's second goal of the game, scored at 17:31 of the third period, snapped a 2-2 tie and lifted Canada to a 3-2 exhibition win over the Czech Republic on Monday night at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa.

The RNC is seeking information following a vehicle-pedestrian collision earlier this month in St. John’s.

On Dec. 12, just before 10 p.m., an 18-year-old male pedestrian was struck by a vehicle in the area of Rickett’s Road and St. Clare Avenue. The vehicle failed to stop at the scene of the collision. There were no injuries reported.

The RNC is seeking any witnesses or video footage (CCTV, dash-camera, cell phone) from the area between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Dec. 12.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the RNC at 709-729-8000. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.