Massive central California wildfire threatens more than 800 structures and leaves 3 injured

Backstreet Boys extend Toronto residency to 11 nights

TORONTO - Hit '90s boyband The Backstreet Boys are adding more tour dates to their Toronto residency.

What was first announced as a four-night run at Rogers Centre has swelled to 11 shows, with the band's recent announcement they're adding concerts on March 5 and 6.

The band says on its website the new dates were added "due to overwhelming demand."

Dubbed “Into the Millennium – Homecoming: Live in Canada,” the residency will kick off on Feb. 12.

Separatist movements are an indication of dissatisfaction, not imminent collapse

For a country supposedly on the verge of breaking apart, Canada has remarkably few people who actually support it.

You’d never know that from the headlines, with Quebec’s separatist party back in power and Alberta preparing to vote on its future in Confederation. The political noise is loud, but the public appetite for separation is extremely weak.

Roughly 70 per cent of Quebecers have no interest in separating from Canada, and the numbers in Alberta are probably about the same. That will be evident after Albertans vote Monday on whether they want to stay in Canada.

So where’s the crisis? Well, the truth is, there isn’t one.

Manitoba e-scooter legislation changes set to impose speed limit, age restrictions, sidewalk ban

People riding e-scooters and other personal electric vehicles in Manitoba will have to strap on a helmet, stay off sidewalks and follow new age limits once new provincial rules for the devices take effect next year.

The vehicles, which also include electric skateboards, hoverboards and unicycles, will fall under The Highway Traffic Act starting in 2027, according to the province’s website. E-bikes are excluded from the new rules, according to the province’s frequently-asked-questions page.

All riders must be at least 16 years old and wear properly fitting helmets — that goes for passengers, too, the province said.

The proposed new legislation sets a speed limit of 25 km/h and would prohibit personal electric vehicles from sidewalks unless signs specifically allow sidewalk use. Riders would be using shared paths or roads with speed limits of 50 km/hr or less. They won’t be allowed to operate the vehicles under the influence of alcohol or drugs and they must use hand signals and obey traffic signs.

Comparing the Iran and Vietnam Wars

The other day I asked my students in U.S. foreign policy to think about the relevance of the Vietnam War in relation to the ongoing war in Iran. More specifically, I wanted them to identify the similarities and differences between the two wars.

Tenants battling landlords find help in short supply from province

For nearly three years, Quincy Houdayer and Avery Helm repeatedly pressed their landlord to address plumbing failures, water damage and other maintenance problems at their West Broadway apartment, with records showing some issues persisted until the couple turned to the Residential Tenancies Branch.

Emails and text messages between the tenants, Clearwater Management and the RTB reviewed by the Free Press document recurring leaks and flooding, periods without heat or hot water, concerns about mould and basement conditions and repeated followups from the couple seeking repairs.

“Most of the experiences we’ve had with them can be boiled down to, like, they either are very dismissive about it, they act like it’s not their problem… or they will just fully, blatantly ignore you,” Helm said, adding that the only way to get Clearwater to respond was to threaten going to the RTB, a provincial government agency.

RTB data obtained by the Free Press also shows 13 orders involving the three-building complex at 193-197 Furby St. in 2026 alone. All but one favoured the tenant, while the remaining order ruled in favour of both the tenant and landlord on different items.

Hydro’s unpredictable fortunes

Hope for rain. Or snow. Or both. There’s a truism buried deep in a financial outlook in Manitoba Hydro’s 2025-26 annual report, released in late September: “Manitoba Hydro’s net income is highly dependent on several uncontrollable factors.”