In the news today: Gibbons on Artemis, N.S. solar power, Alberta separation hearing

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed …

‘Payoff day’: Jenni Gibbons on watching Artemis II crew make lunar history

Canadian astronaut Jenni Gibbons is already reflecting on her brief but gratifying time bearing witness to history.

On Monday, fellow Canadian Jeremy Hansen and his three American crewmates took part in a six-hour lunar flyby — the highlight of NASA’s first return to the moon since the Apollo era.

Gibbons has been a voice link from Earth to space — coaching her friend and the other astronauts on key mission objectives.

She says the moments leading up to — and immediately after — the Orion capsule lost radio contact as it travelled behind the moon were tense, but it was overall a positive experience.

Gibbons says she would love her own trip to space, but calls it a “career highlight” to see Hansen through his.

Energy-hungry Nova Scotia companies nearly doubled their solar power capacity in 2025

New statistics from Nova Scotia’s private power utility show that commercial players grew their capacity to generate solar energy by 82 per cent last year.

Energy consultant David Brushett says that’s partly because legislative changes a few years ago have allowed companies to sell 10 times more energy to Nova Scotia Power than before. 

Renewables generated 42 per cent of the utility’s power in 2025 and it says solar currently makes up about one per cent of the energy mix. 

The solar growth spurt comes as Nova Scotia Power seeks to have 80 per cent of its energy come from renewable sources by 2030. 

Hearing on injunction filed by First Nation to stop Alberta separation to begin today

A First Nation in Alberta will be in court today in an effort to shut down a petition urging the province to quit Confederation.

The Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation is asking a Court of King’s Bench judge in Edmonton to suspend the petition campaign on the grounds that First Nations’ consent is required first.

It alleges a failure by Alberta, Canada and the province’s chief electoral officer to uphold treaty rights.

Stay Free Alberta says it has already collected more than the 178,000 signatures required to trigger the vote on leaving Canada, with about a month to go before it must submit the names to Elections Alberta.

Iran calls for human chains around power plants as Trump’s deadline nears

Airstrikes across Iran killed at least 15 people while Iran fired on Israel and Saudi Arabia, prompting the temporary closure of a major bridge.

The latest strikes Tuesday came as Iranian officials urged youths to form human chains around power plants to protect them, as the latest deadline set by U.S. President Donald Trump to reopen the Strait of Hormuz drew closer.

Trump has threatened to bomb all of Iran’s power plants and bridges if Iran does not meet his deadline to allow shipping traffic to fully resume through the strategic waterway.

Israel’s military warned Iranians in Farsi to avoid taking trains throughout the day, likely telegraphing intended strikes on the rail network.

Canadians encouraged to register as organ donors as Green Shirt Day returns

Green Shirt Day is back, and Canadians are being encouraged once more to register as organ donors.

Green Shirt Day is a national campaign rooted in the legacy of 21-year-old Logan Boulet, an Alberta-born junior hockey defenceman killed eight years ago in the Humboldt Broncos crash.

His parents said it had been his wish to donate, and Green Shirt Day organizers say that decision helped save six lives.

Canadian Blood Services says 150,000 people registered to become organ donors in the weeks that followed, launching what became known as the “Logan Boulet Effect” and Green Shirt Day.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 7, 2026.