Residents forced out of unsafe Edmonton condo building face uncertainty, financial strain
‘Thank God for the fire,’ engineer tells owners, tenants of Castledowns Pointe Residents of a northwest Edmonton condo building deemed at risk of collapse are demanding answers about how construction flaws went undetected for decades — and who can be held accountable. An evacuation order was issued this week at Castledowns Pointe at 12618 152nd Ave. after engineers investigating a March 2023 fire determined the entire four-storey structure lacked structural integrity. On Wednesday night, owners of the building’s 83 units attended an emergency meeting with property management and the engineersRead more
Forced to evacuate from her home, Northwest Territories mother welcomes newborn in Edmonton
‘It’s hard to be in a different community … when you have a new baby,’ says Tanisha Edison Tanisha Edison and her partner had to welcome the newest addition to their family more than 1,000 kilometres away from home. Edison, a resident of Hay River, N.W.T., had a healthy baby girl on Aug. 23 at Edmonton’s Royal Alexandra Hospital, a little more than a week after they were forced to leave home due to the wildfire. “It’s hard to be in a different community, like 13 hours from your home,Read more
Members of 2 rural Manitoba churches stunned by vandalism, ‘heartbreaking’ theft of gold wedding crowns
Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox, St. Elijah Romanian Orthodox hit with what looks like fire extinguishers An act of vandalism has members from two rural places of worship wondering who would do such a thing, while church leaders are pleading for the return of two crowns used in traditional Orthodox wedding services. Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox and St. Elijah Romanian Orthodox churches in Lennard, Man., about 20 kilometres east of the Saskatchewan border near the northern part of Riding Mountain National Park, were hit by vandals with what is suspected to be fireRead more
Sask. teachers prepare to navigate new name, pronoun policy as school year begins
Consequences for those who don’t follow policy still unclear Before a typical school year, Regina elementary school teacher Steve Boutilier’s mind is filled with lesson plans and hopes for his new class. But this September, that’s overshadowed with uncertainty about how best to support his transgender and non-binary students. Two weeks ago, then-education minister Dustin Duncan announced several new policies in schools throughout Saskatchewan. That includes students under 16 needing permission from their parent or guardian to change their name or pronouns at school. Consent is not required for students 16 or older.Read more
‘Violent conflict’ in Calgary involving 150 people may be linked to clashes within Eritrean community: police
11 people taken to hospital, EMS said Calgary police say they’re investigating a “violent conflict” between two groups involving around 150 people Saturday night that may be linked to clashes within the Eritrean community. Police responded to an incident in northeast Falconridge at around 5 p.m. Saturday after reports of two groups with opposing views engaged in violence. They said they believe up to 150 people were involved, and many were brandishing weapons. Supt. Cliff O’Brien said police were prepared with additional resources in the event of clashes like those seen elsewhere in the country.Read more
Hay River, Fort Smith still safe after ‘extremely challenging’ day: fire officials
Gusting winds brought fire within half a kilometre of downtown on Saturday The out-of-control wildfire threatening Hay River, N.W.T., is encroaching even further on the community after what fire officials are calling an “extremely challenging” day of firefighting Saturday. But crews successfully kept the fire back from structures for a second day as high winds continued. The wildfire is now half a kilometre west of Hay River’s industrial area, and half a kilometre from West Point First Nation along the West Channel. It is still one kilometre west of the airport.Read more
Feds still considering whether ‘imperfect’ Emergencies Act needs an update
In 6 month progress report, LeBlanc says government still reviewing most of Rouleau’s recommendations The federal government says it’s still considering whether the Emergencies Act needs to be updated to sharpen the definition of what constitutes a threat to national security. On Thursday, Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc published a six-month progress report updating Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the recommendations coming out of last year’s public inquiry. While LeBlanc said in the report that many departments and agencies continue to review Commissioner Paul Rouleau’s findings, he did not say one way or anotherRead more
StatsCan to change how it counts non-permanent residents
Agency says it ‘stands behind its numbers’ estimating number of non-permanent residents Statistics Canada says it will publish new data tables next month estimating the number of non-permanent residents in the country after a major bank issued a report that said the agency may be undercounting them by more than one million. “StatsCan will publish new data tables on NPRs starting on September 27 that will be computed using a revised methodology and going back to 2021,” the agency said in a media statement. The new tables will be updated monthlyRead more
Police lay 12 new charges against Mississauga, Ont., man accused of selling deadly substance
Charges come after British police revealed they are investigating deaths of 88 people in U.K. An Ontario man accused of sending a lethal substance to those at risk of self harm was charged in 12 new deaths on Tuesday as police outlined the growing scope of what has become an international investigation. Kenneth Law now faces 14 counts in total of counselling and aiding suicide, police said, with the cases involving deaths across Ontario. Police allege the 57-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., operated several websites starting in late 2020 that wereRead more
Ontario First Nations leaders reiterate opposition to Greenbelt land swap in unanimous vote
Chiefs of Ontario says province didn’t adequately consult First Nations on Greenbelt decision UPDATE: Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced Tuesday the government is “exploring” putting protections back on two parts of the Greenbelt in Ajax, Ont., that were slated for housing development. Ford’s office claims the company that owns the land was planning to sell it. First Nations leaders from across Ontario are demanding the provincial government return environmental protections to land it recently removed from the Greenbelt to build housing. The Chiefs of Ontario, an organization that advocates for 133 First Nations inRead more