Canada & World

Premiers (back row L-R), Sandy Silver (Yukon), P.J. Akeeagok, (Nunavut), Scott Moe (SK), Doug Ford (Ont),Francois Legault (Que), Dennis King (PEI), Tim Houston (NS), Blaine Higgs (NB), Andrew Furey (NL and Labrador) and (front row L-R), President of Institute for the advancement of Aboriginal Women Lisa Weber, National Chief of Congress of Aboriginal Peoples Elmer St. Pierre, Heather Stefanson (MB), Songhees Nation Chief Ron Sam, John Horgan (BC), Esquimalt Nation Chief Rob Thomas, Caroline Cochrane (NWT), Cassidy Caron (Metis National Council) and Terry Teegee (Assembly of First Nations) gather for a family photo during the summer meeting of the Canada’s Premiers at the Songhees Wellness Centre in Victoria, B.C., on Monday, July 11, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

Premiers demand meeting with Trudeau to discuss increased health-care funding

Want Ottawa to cover 35 per cent of health-care costs, up from the current 22 per cent

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy

B.C. man among three accused of drug smuggling in Washington state

More than 180 kilograms of methamphetamine and fentanyl was found in duffel bags on the beach

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry talks in the press theatre at the legislature in Victoria, B.C., on Thursday, March 10, 2022. The B.C. Centre for Disease Control says a deadly spike in acute respiratory illness is showing signs of stabilizing, after the flu-related deaths of at least six children and youth this season. Friday’s update came a day after provincial health officer Henry said pediatric flu deaths would be included in its weekly updates. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

B.C.’s respiratory illness surge stabilizing after deaths of six kids: disease centre

B.C. experiencing unusual season for respiratory illnesses with ‘unusual characteristics’

Vials of Pfizer’s updated COVID-19 vaccine is seen during production in Kalamazoo, Mich., in an Aug. 2022, handout photo. Health Canada has approved a Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine booster for use in children ages five to 11, which targets the original strain of the coronavirus and more recent variants. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-HO, Pfizer

Health Canada approves first bivalent booster for kids ages 5 to 11

Child-sized dose is about a third of the dose that is approved for people over the age of 12

Vials of Pfizer’s updated COVID-19 vaccine is seen during production in Kalamazoo, Mich., in an Aug. 2022, handout photo. Health Canada has approved a Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine booster for use in children ages five to 11, which targets the original strain of the coronavirus and more recent variants. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-HO, Pfizer
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivers remarks during the opening ceremony of the COP15 UN conference on biodiversity in Montreal, Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022. Trudeau was unequivocal Wednesday when asked if Canada was going to meet its goal to protect one-quarter of all Canadian land and oceans by 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

As nature talks unfold, here’s what ‘30 by 30’ conservation could mean in Canada

‘I am happy to say that we are going to meet our ‘25 by 25’ target’: Trudeau

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivers remarks during the opening ceremony of the COP15 UN conference on biodiversity in Montreal, Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022. Trudeau was unequivocal Wednesday when asked if Canada was going to meet its goal to protect one-quarter of all Canadian land and oceans by 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson
Misha, 40, poses with her kids Krishna, 9, and 15-month-old Surya, in Toronto, in a Thursday, Dec. 8, 2022, handout photo. It has been a challenging year financially for many Canadians grappling with decades-high inflation and soaring interest rates. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Tasneem Patla, *MANDATORY CREDIT*

From missing family time to making food, Canadians are cutting back amid inflation

Canadians coast-to-coast are making sacrifices and changes to their lifestyle

Misha, 40, poses with her kids Krishna, 9, and 15-month-old Surya, in Toronto, in a Thursday, Dec. 8, 2022, handout photo. It has been a challenging year financially for many Canadians grappling with decades-high inflation and soaring interest rates. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Tasneem Patla, *MANDATORY CREDIT*
FILE - A monarch butterfly pauses in a garden, July 11, 2021, in Marple Township, Pa. Populations of a vulnerable species of marine mammal, numerous species of abalone and a type of Caribbean coral are now threatened with extinction, an international conservation organization said Friday, Dec. 9, 2022. The International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List includes more than 150,000 species, including the monarch butterfly. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

Dugong, coral, abalone face extinction threat: conservation watchdog

International Union for Conservation of Nature at United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity

FILE - A monarch butterfly pauses in a garden, July 11, 2021, in Marple Township, Pa. Populations of a vulnerable species of marine mammal, numerous species of abalone and a type of Caribbean coral are now threatened with extinction, an international conservation organization said Friday, Dec. 9, 2022. The International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List includes more than 150,000 species, including the monarch butterfly. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)
Apples speed along as they’re sorted for size and quality at the BelleHarvest packing and storage facility, Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2022, in Belding, Mich. This process happens repeatedly throughout the year as apples are taken out of special storage rooms that help them stay fresher. They are then sent to grocery stores. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Fight to curb food waste increasingly turns to science

ReFed: 500,000 pounds of food could be diverted from landfills annually with better packaging

Apples speed along as they’re sorted for size and quality at the BelleHarvest packing and storage facility, Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2022, in Belding, Mich. This process happens repeatedly throughout the year as apples are taken out of special storage rooms that help them stay fresher. They are then sent to grocery stores. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
Traevon Desjarlais-Chalifoux, 17, was found dead in a closet of an Abbotsford group home in September 2020 after being reported missing four days earlier. His mother testified on the first day of a coroners’ inquest into his death on Nov. 28, 2022. (Credit: GoFundMe)

Speed up shift to family care, says B.C. coroner’s jury in death of Cree teen

Jury has made 18 recommendations arising from death of group home resident Traevon Desjarlais

Traevon Desjarlais-Chalifoux, 17, was found dead in a closet of an Abbotsford group home in September 2020 after being reported missing four days earlier. His mother testified on the first day of a coroners’ inquest into his death on Nov. 28, 2022. (Credit: GoFundMe)
A TV tower lies in the park after beinf blown up by Russian forces in Kherson, Ukraine, Thursday, Dec. 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

NATO chief fears Ukraine war could widen into wider conflict

‘It is a war that can become a full-fledged war that spreads into a major war between NATO and Russia’

A TV tower lies in the park after beinf blown up by Russian forces in Kherson, Ukraine, Thursday, Dec. 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
A sign directing visitors to the emergency department is shown at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) Friday, May 15, 2015 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Premiers to hold virtual news conference on struggling children’s hospitals

Hospitals across the country facing increase in pediatric patients with respiratory ailments

A sign directing visitors to the emergency department is shown at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) Friday, May 15, 2015 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
A one-month dosage of hormonal birth control pills is displayed in Sacramento, Calif. Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. An advocacy group that has spent five years championing for the B.C. government to cover the cost of prescription contraception says it will be pushing for that election promise to be fulfilled in the next provincial budget.THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Rich Pedroncelli

Advocates seek funding for free contraception in next B.C. budget

B.C. NDP promised to make prescription contraception free for all as part of its 2020 campaign

A one-month dosage of hormonal birth control pills is displayed in Sacramento, Calif. Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. An advocacy group that has spent five years championing for the B.C. government to cover the cost of prescription contraception says it will be pushing for that election promise to be fulfilled in the next provincial budget.THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Rich Pedroncelli
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith watches Minister of Justice and Solicitor General of Alberta Tyler Shandro speak at a press conference after the Speech from the Throne in Edmonton, Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

Trudeau says Ottawa to work constructively with Alberta after sovereignty act passes

‘I’m not interested in fighting with the Alberta government’

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith watches Minister of Justice and Solicitor General of Alberta Tyler Shandro speak at a press conference after the Speech from the Throne in Edmonton, Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
Finance Minister Katrine Conroy hugs Premier David Eby during the swearing-in ceremony at Government House in Victoria, B.C., on Wednesday, December 7, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

Conroy brings rural perspective to B.C.’s bottom line, may expand speculation tax

Veteran New Democrat surprised she was appointed finance minister in new cabinet

Finance Minister Katrine Conroy hugs Premier David Eby during the swearing-in ceremony at Government House in Victoria, B.C., on Wednesday, December 7, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito
WNBA star Brittney Griner, right, arrives at Kelly Field in San Antonio, Texas, following her release in a prisoner swap with Russia, Friday, Dec. 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Brittney Griner back home in US after Russian prisoner swap

Brittney Griner returned to the United States early Friday, nearly 10 months…

WNBA star Brittney Griner, right, arrives at Kelly Field in San Antonio, Texas, following her release in a prisoner swap with Russia, Friday, Dec. 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief, RoseAnne Archibald, speaks during the AFN Special Chiefs Assembly (SCA) in Ottawa, on Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022. Chiefs at the Assembly of First Nations are set to vote on whether to publicly oppose Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s proposed gun-control legislation. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

First Nations leaders reject Trudeau’s proposed gun law, citing risk to treaty rights

Chiefs at the Assembly of First Nations also oppose Alberta, Saskatchewan sovereignty bills

Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief, RoseAnne Archibald, speaks during the AFN Special Chiefs Assembly (SCA) in Ottawa, on Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022. Chiefs at the Assembly of First Nations are set to vote on whether to publicly oppose Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s proposed gun-control legislation. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby
A flare stack lights the sky from the Imperial Oil refinery in Edmonton Alta, on Friday December 28, 2018. Canada has announced that it will end new direct subsidies for fossil fuel investments and projects abroad, including those owned by Canadian companies.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

Canada to stop directly financing fossil-fuel projects abroad, with some exceptions

Policy applies to extraction, production and marketing of crude oil, natural gas or thermal coal

A flare stack lights the sky from the Imperial Oil refinery in Edmonton Alta, on Friday December 28, 2018. Canada has announced that it will end new direct subsidies for fossil fuel investments and projects abroad, including those owned by Canadian companies.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
A boy plays “Fortnite” in the early morning hours in the basement of his Chicago home on Oct. 6, 2018. A Quebec judge has authorized a lawsuit brought by parents whose children allegedly became addicted to the highly popular game Fortnite. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Martha Irvine

Quebec judge authorizes class-action lawsuit against ‘addictive’ Fortnite video game

‘The court concludes that there is a serious issue to be argued’

A boy plays “Fortnite” in the early morning hours in the basement of his Chicago home on Oct. 6, 2018. A Quebec judge has authorized a lawsuit brought by parents whose children allegedly became addicted to the highly popular game Fortnite. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Martha Irvine
Aa patient receives an influenza vaccine in Mesquite, Texas, on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020. At least five children died in British Columbia from influenza last month alone, a rise that comes as an early season of respiratory illnesses adds strain to the beleaguered health-care system.THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/LM Otero

Children’s deaths from influenza up in B.C., with five mortalities last month

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, an average of five to six kids died per flu season across Canada

Aa patient receives an influenza vaccine in Mesquite, Texas, on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020. At least five children died in British Columbia from influenza last month alone, a rise that comes as an early season of respiratory illnesses adds strain to the beleaguered health-care system.THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/LM Otero
Families, Children and Social Development Minister Karina Gould stands during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Monday, Oct. 17, 2022. Families Minister Karina Gould is expected to introduce legislation today to strengthen child care in Canada, which is likely to include an effort to secure a long-term role for Ottawa in the new national daycare system. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Liberals aim to secure long-term role for feds in national child-care system

New legislation introduced, does not make any specific financial promises

Families, Children and Social Development Minister Karina Gould stands during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Monday, Oct. 17, 2022. Families Minister Karina Gould is expected to introduce legislation today to strengthen child care in Canada, which is likely to include an effort to secure a long-term role for Ottawa in the new national daycare system. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick