Canada – Winnipeg Free Press

Director of Taiwan Seismology department at the Central Weather Bureau, Ku Kai-wen, points to Richter scale graphs after a strong earthquake hit southern Taiwan, Thursday, march 4, 2010, in Taipei, Taiwan. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP Photo

9.0 quake in B.C. would kill thousands and cost $128 billion, report foresees

Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press 2 minute read 2:07 PM CST

VICTORIA - A British Columbia government report foresees more than 3,400 fatalities and more than 10,000 injuries if an earthquake with a magnitude of 9.0 strikes off Vancouver Island.

The scenario of such a "megathrust" quake also describes costs of $128 billion, the destruction of 18,000 buildings and extensive damage to 10,000.

The analysis is part of the B.C. disaster and climate risk assessment, dated October 2025, and says such a quake is "one of the more likely earthquake scenarios in B.C."

It says the heaviest damage could occur on Vancouver Island and a roughly 20-kilometre band including Vancouver along the mainland, from the U.S. border to the Sunshine Coast.

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From cold to closed: Advances in DNA analysis helped solve cold cases in 2025

Morgan Lowrie, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Preview

From cold to closed: Advances in DNA analysis helped solve cold cases in 2025

Morgan Lowrie, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Updated: 7:24 AM CST

MONTREAL - In a Quebec courtroom last October, Sylvie Desjardins delivered a message to her daughter's killer that was 30 years in the making.

"You thought you were taking a life, but in truth, you only added weight to your own existence," she told killer Réal Courtemanche.

"You will carry this silence, this emptiness, this gaze you extinguished until your last breath."

For decades, the murder of 10-year-old Marie-Chantale Desjardins north of Montreal had haunted investigators and her family. Her battered body was found in 1994, with her bicycle leaning against a nearby tree, four days after she had headed home from a friend's house.

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Updated: 7:24 AM CST

Montreal police Cmdr. Francois Sauve, left to right, Montreal police Cmdr. Melanie Dupont and Suzanne Marchand, senior executive director of the provincial crime lab, announce the resolution in the 2008 murder of Catherine Daviau during a news conference in Montreal, on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sidhartha Banerjee

Cold War bomb shelter in Nova Scotia being converted into high-end doomsday condos

Michael MacDonald, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Cold War bomb shelter in Nova Scotia being converted into high-end doomsday condos

Michael MacDonald, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Updated: 7:22 AM CST

DEBERT - A former Cold War fallout shelter in rural Nova Scotia is being transformed into luxury condominiums for elite clients seeking refuge from global crises.

Project co-owner Paul Mansfield says renovation of the two-storey, underground bunker started less than a year ago, but the project has already attracted attention from several well-heeled buyers. The price range for the 50 condos is a secret — unless the vetting process determines you can afford one.

“To be honest, the bunker business is booming globally,” the Halifax-based entrepreneur said during a recent interview inside the slightly creepy, 64,000-square-foot concrete structure built in 1964.

"The climate is a big concern and …. there's been more conflicts in the last few years than there has been in the last 25 years," Mansfield says in a windowless room as the bunker’s ventilation systems hum in the background.

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Updated: 7:22 AM CST

A rendering from the sales brochure for The Diefenbaker, a luxury condo development being built inside a Cold War-era nuclear fallout shelter in rural Nova Scotia, is shown in this undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - The Diefenbaker (Mandatory Credit)

Anand affirms Canada’s view that Ukraine must control decisions about its sovereignty

Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Anand affirms Canada’s view that Ukraine must control decisions about its sovereignty

Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Updated: 3:37 PM CST

OTTAWA - Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said she told her Ukrainian counterpart Monday that decisions about Ukraine's sovereignty must be made by Kyiv itself.

Anand's conversation with Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine's foreign minister, followed Canada's recent commitment of an additional $2.5 billion in economic assistance to the country as it fights Russia's invasion.

Anand said in a social media post that, as always, "Minister Sybiha and I will continue to be in touch."

Ukraine has been trying to fend off Russia since 2014, when Moscow illegally annexed Crimea and Russian-backed separatists took up arms in the Donbas, a vital industrial region in eastern Ukraine. Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

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Updated: 3:37 PM CST

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand delivers remarks with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha during the G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Niagara-on-the-Lake on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nick Iwanyshyn

B.C. wildfire season scorched more than 8,800 square kilometres

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

B.C. wildfire season scorched more than 8,800 square kilometres

The Canadian Press 2 minute read 1:15 PM CST

VICTORIA - British Columbia's 2025 wildfire season was about a third as destructive as the record-setting season two years earlier.

The Ministry of Forests says in a statement that 8,864 square kilometres of land was scorched by more than 1,350 blazes since April 1.

The area burned was close to the 10-year average of about 8,500 square kilometres, and is lower than the 10,811 square kilometres burned in 2024.

It's also down significantly from 2023's record wildfire season, when 2,293 wildfires scorched more than 28,400 square kilometres of land across B.C.

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1:15 PM CST

A helicopter flies by the Wesley Ridge wildfire near Cameron Lake where an out-of-control fire continues to burn near Coombs, B.C., Sunday, Aug. 3, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

Sharp rise in 911 calls in Montreal as wintry weather hits Eastern Canada

Morgan Lowrie, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Sharp rise in 911 calls in Montreal as wintry weather hits Eastern Canada

Morgan Lowrie, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Updated: 3:41 PM CST

MONTREAL - A winter storm brought freezing rain, blowing snow and strong winds across Eastern Canada on Monday, leading to a surge in 911 calls in Montreal and leaving tens of thousands of customers without power in Ontario.

Montreal-area ambulance service Urgences-santé said that for a period on Monday morning it received some 100 calls per hour — many for people who had fallen and hurt themselves on ice-coated sidewalks. Spokesperson Valérie Guertin urged people to stay home if possible, and if they had to go outside, she advised them to wear crampons and adapt their driving to the weather.

"Ambulance requests (are) mostly for falls on the ice, traumatic injuries or people with injuries following a fall," she said in a phone interview. By afternoon, another spokesperson, Alexandre Sapone, said the call volume had dropped slightly to between 60 and 70 calls per hour, compared to between 40 and 50 in normal times.

Sapone said that in addition to a rise in 911 calls, crews were facing challenges around loading people safely onto ambulances — sometimes requiring paramedics to clear entrances of snow and ice and spread salt or other abrasives on the ground.

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Updated: 3:41 PM CST

Shoppers walk through a snow storm as they exit Eaton Centre on Boxing Day in Toronto, on Friday, Dec. 26, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sammy Kogan

In the news: Shifting trade policies, High coffee prices, Ukraine peace-plan talks

The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

In the news: Shifting trade policies, High coffee prices, Ukraine peace-plan talks

The Canadian Press 4 minute read 3:55 AM CST

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

Carney's foreign policy shift to trade, security prompts questions about human rights

As Prime Minister Mark Carney puts trade and security at the centre of Canada's foreign policy, observers say Ottawa is also shifting how it asserts its values on the world stage.

The change in priorities is prompting some criticism — including when Prime Minister Mark Carney announced in November that Canada no longer has an explicitly feminist foreign policy.

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3:55 AM CST

Prime Minister Mark Carney takes part in the Canada-UAE Investment Summit in Abu Dhabi on Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

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Carney’s foreign policy shift to trade, security prompts questions about human rights

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press 7 minute read Preview

Carney’s foreign policy shift to trade, security prompts questions about human rights

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press 7 minute read Updated: 7:22 AM CST

OTTAWA - As Prime Minister Mark Carney puts trade and security at the centre of Canada's foreign policy, observers say Ottawa is also shifting how it asserts its values on the world stage.

The Liberals insist they are still standing up for human rights globally while seeking investment from China, India and Gulf countries. But a change in priorities is prompting some criticism — and changing how Canada trains its diplomats.

"They won't say out loud (that) we're going to be less interested in values, but clearly that seems to be the case," said University of Ottawa professor Stephen Brown.

Last month, Carney told reporters that while Canada no longer has an explicitly feminist foreign policy, his government is still upholding values that include defending LGBTQ+ rights abroad and combating violence against women.

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Updated: 7:22 AM CST

Whitecaps FC to settle class-action lawsuit with fans over Lionel Messi no-show

The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Whitecaps FC to settle class-action lawsuit with fans over Lionel Messi no-show

The Canadian Press 3 minute read Updated: 1:35 PM CST

VANCOUVER - A proposed settlement has been reached in a class-action lawsuit over the non-appearance of soccer superstar Lionel Messi and other Inter Miami players in a match against Vancouver Whitecaps FC last year.

The lawsuit stems from a May 25, 2024, match at BC Place Stadium that drew a crowd of more than 51,000 fans, with more than 3,000 later signing a petition calling for refunds due to ticket prices reaching more than $600 for a match typically priced around $30 after it was promoted using Messi, Luis Suárez and Sergio Busquets.

The proposed settlement between fans who sued the Whitecaps and Major League Soccer includes updates to the Whitecaps' ticketing policies and a $475,000 charitable donation by the defendants of the case, although the exact parties were not specified in the announcement of the settlement.

It also says that the settlement "for greater certainty … does not contemplate distribution of monetary benefits" to members of the class-action lawsuit.

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Updated: 1:35 PM CST

Inter Miami's Lionel Messi (10) leaps over Vancouver Whitecaps' Sebastian Berhalter (16) during the second half of the MLS Cup final soccer match, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Organizers of West Bank delegation blocked by Israel call for steeper sanctions

Craig Lord, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Organizers of West Bank delegation blocked by Israel call for steeper sanctions

Craig Lord, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Updated: 2:29 PM CST

OTTAWA - Members of a Canadian delegation that was denied entry to the West Bank earlier this month are calling on Ottawa to tighten sanctions targeting new Israeli settlements in occupied territory.

A group that included six Canadian MPs on a mission to meet with displaced Palestinians was turned away at the Allenby border crossing into the West Bank on Dec. 16. Multiple members of the group told The Canadian Press that Ontario MP Iqra Khalid was shoved by an Israeli border guard during the confrontation.

Delegation representatives, including members of The Canadian-Muslim Vote, Justice for All Canada, the National Council of Canadian Muslims and the Canadian Muslim Healthcare Network, held a press conference on Parliament Hill on Monday.

The groups pushed for accountability and further explanations for their denial at the border, and urged Ottawa to tighten sanctions on Israel's expansionist actions in the West Bank.

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Updated: 2:29 PM CST

Executive director of The Canadian-Muslim Vote Umair Ashraf speaks during a press conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

Treasury Board minister silent on details of plan to shrink federal public service

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Treasury Board minister silent on details of plan to shrink federal public service

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Updated: 1:54 PM CST

OTTAWA - Treasury Board President Shafqat Ali says the federal government hasn't worked out details of its plans to cut the bureaucracy and boost the amount of time public servants spend in the office.

Ali said in a recent interview with The Canadian Press the government is still finalizing its workforce adjustment and return-to-office plans.

Hundreds of federal employees have been warned they may lose their jobs as the government moves to shrink the public service, and many departments have told staff news on job cuts will come in the new year.

Ottawa is looking to cut program spending and administration costs by about $60 billion over the next five years through what it calls a "comprehensive expenditure review."

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Updated: 1:54 PM CST

President of the Treasury Board Shafqat Ali participates in a family photo following a cabinet swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Tuesday, May 13, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

French actor Brigitte Bardot remembered in Canada for fighting seal hunt

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

French actor Brigitte Bardot remembered in Canada for fighting seal hunt

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 9:58 PM CST

Brigitte Bardot, a French actor and animal rights activist who died Sunday at the age of 91, is being remembered in Canada as a vocal opponent of the country's seal hunt.

Bardot, known as one of the greatest screen sirens of the 20th century, was the first high-profile celebrity to speak out against Canada's seal hunt in 1976.

The following year, she travelled to Newfoundland and Labrador to witness it herself. Asked by reporters what her plans were for the trip, Bardot replied, "To save baby seals, that's all."

During that trip, she was photographed holding a baby harp seal, known as a whitecoat. The CBC reported her protest caused a major reduction in the price of seal pelts, affecting the livelihoods of people in fishing communities in Atlantic Canada and in the Arctic.

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Updated: Yesterday at 9:58 PM CST

French actor Brigitte Bardot and head of the

Advocates push for advance MAID requests two years after Parliament recommendation

Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Advocates push for advance MAID requests two years after Parliament recommendation

Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Updated: 8:57 AM CST

OTTAWA - Sandra Demontigny knew something wasn't right when she couldn't remember buying herself a new pair of boots. They were a splurge — a little out of character for the mother of three — and she had been excited about bringing them home.

"I saw them near the door and I asked my kids, 'Who bought these boots? I've never seen them,'" she said.

"The kids were saying, 'No, (they're) yours. You bought them and you really like them."

Sliding her feet inside, she realized she couldn't remember buying them. "I started crying," she said.

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Updated: 8:57 AM CST

Sandra Demontigny stands in a park on a rainy day in Levis, Que., Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

About 20 weather warnings in effect across Canada as rain, snow, cold hammer country

Fakiha Baig, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

About 20 weather warnings in effect across Canada as rain, snow, cold hammer country

Fakiha Baig, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025

EDMONTON - About 20 weather warnings from Environment Canada are set to remain in effect for swaths of the country over the weekend, as the weather agency forecasts more snowfall, blizzards, freezing rain, rain and shivering temperatures from coast to coast.

Marianna Greenhough, a meteorologist with Environment Canada, says the best thing Canadians can do is be aware of the warnings.

"They could be impactful for you depending on what you're doing," she said in a Saturday interview.

"It's definitely been a very active weather pattern, which we don't always get at this time of year, but we can."

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Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025

A Blue Jay eats from a bird feeder as snow falls near Cremona, Alta., Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. Alberta got it's first snowfall of the season and is experiencing the coldest Thanksgiving in decades. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

RCMP say Haitian migrants were intercepted on Christmas in Quebec near border

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

RCMP say Haitian migrants were intercepted on Christmas in Quebec near border

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025

MONTRÉAL - Nineteen migrants of Haitian origin were arrested on Christmas in Quebec after RCMP say they illegally crossed the border from the United States on an extremely cold evening.

Mounties say it happened in the Havelock area of Montérégie in southern Quebec, approximately five kilometers from the border with the state of New York.

They say the people in the group were between the ages of one and 60, including a three-year-old.

RCMP say in an email that Integrated Border Police Team officers found an initial group of 15 people hiding in the woods on Thursday evening, after being notified by the United States Border Patrol.

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Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025

An RCMP collar tab pin is seen in Edmonton, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

Carney meets Zelenskyy in Halifax as Trump prepares to host peace talks

Emily Baron Cadloff, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Carney meets Zelenskyy in Halifax as Trump prepares to host peace talks

Emily Baron Cadloff, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025

HALIFAX - Prime Minister Mark Carney condemned new Russian air attacks and announced additional economic assistance for Ukraine as he and the country's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, stood side-by-side and spoke to reporters at a Halifax-area airport.

The two leaders embraced as Carney welcomed Zelenskyy to Canada. Zelenskyy touched down for a brief stop on his way to Florida for planned peace talks with U.S. president Donald Trump this weekend, which he called “very important and very constructive.”

Russia attacked Ukraine's capital with missiles and drones on Saturday, killing at least one person and wounding 27. The Russian Defense Ministry said the strike targeted energy infrastructure used by Ukrainian forces, though several residential buildings were hit.

Carney said Canada will provide a further $2.5 billion of economic assistance for Ukraine, noting the money will help unlock financing from other organizations, including the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank for reconstruction.

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Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025

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