Canada – Winnipeg Free Press

Canada's Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation Evan Solomon, and Minister of Industry Melanie Joly, not shown, hold a press conference during the G7 Industry, Digital and Technology Ministers’ Meeting, in Montreal on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov

Canada not considering a ban on X over deepfake controversy, AI minister says

Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 5:18 PM CST

OTTAWA - Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon says Canada isn’t considering a ban of the social media platform X, though his office says discussions about X's deepfake controversy are underway.

The platform, which is owned by Elon Musk, has drawn global criticism over sexualized deepfakes created by X’s artificial intelligence chatbot Grok, which have proliferated in recent weeks.

On Saturday, The Telegraph reported the U.K. government was gathering international support to respond to the controversy, with Canada sharing U.K. Prime Minister Kier Starmer’s concerns.

Regulator Ofcom is investigating, which could lead to X facing a ban in the U.K.

Advertise With Us

Weather

Jan. 12, 6 AM: -7°c Cloudy Jan. 12, 12 PM: -2°c Cloudy

Winnipeg MB

-3°C, Windy

Full Forecast

Preclearance operations in Canada are a ‘critical component’ of border strategy: U.S.

Jim Bronskill and Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Preclearance operations in Canada are a ‘critical component’ of border strategy: U.S.

Jim Bronskill and Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Yesterday at 5:00 AM CST

OTTAWA - Canada and the United States say two preclearance projects that would allow more travellers to be screened well in advance of crossing the border are set to proceed this year after many months of planning.

The assurances follow U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra's comments that cast doubt on the future of arrangements currently allowing many passengers flying to American cities to be pre-cleared at Canadian airports by U.S. border officers.

Hoekstra suggested at a conference in Alberta last September that Washington might have to rethink preclearance because of the decline in Canadian travel to the United States prompted by frosty bilateral relations.

The idea of preclearance is to push the border out so officials can intercept threats before people or goods cross the border, Public Safety Canada says. It allows travellers to the United States to enter the country or catch a connecting flight more quickly because they've already cleared U.S. inspections and screenings in Canada.

Read

Yesterday at 5:00 AM CST

People are seen at Billy Bishop Airport in Toronto on Friday, July 19, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov

Champagne in Washington to talk trade, critical minerals with G7 countries

Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press 1 minute read Preview

Champagne in Washington to talk trade, critical minerals with G7 countries

Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press 1 minute read Yesterday at 4:10 PM CST

OTTAWA - Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne is in Washington, D.C., Sunday and Monday for meetings on trade and critical minerals.

The government says in a news release Champagne is meeting with G7 counterparts and "other like-minded countries."

It says Champagne will take part in a finance ministers’ meeting to discuss critical minerals supply chains, hosted by the U.S. treasury secretary.

Champagne said in December it is time to move on extraction and refining of critical minerals in Canada, and that that Canada can help Europe move away from dependence on China for critical minerals.

Read

Yesterday at 4:10 PM CST

Minister of Finance Francois-Philippe Champagne poses outside the ministry's offices, in Montreal, on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

Military will get to Manitoba First Nation dealing with water issues on Monday: chief

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Military will get to Manitoba First Nation dealing with water issues on Monday: chief

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 4:23 PM CST

PIMICIKAMAK - The chief of a Manitoba First Nation in the throes of severe water issues, including flooding and backed-up sewage, says seven members of the Canadian Armed Forces are to arrive in his northern community on Monday.

Pimicikamak Cree Nation Chief David Monias says in a social media post that members are to provide technical assistance, assessments and support related to critical infrastructure and recovery operations.

He says plumbers and other workers are also arriving to help with the water and electrical issues, but the community is having a tough time finding them adequate washrooms and shower facilities.

He says some workers already in the community about 500 kilometres north of Winnipeg are also getting sick due to the lack of clean water.

Read

Updated: Yesterday at 4:23 PM CST

John Woods / THE CANADIAN PRESS
Pimicikamak Cree Nation Chief David Monias, left, and Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Inc. (MKO) Grand Chief Grand Chief Garrison Settee speak to the media during a tour at Pimicikamak Cree Nation, Wednesday.

B.C. court to hear Charter challenge over religious exemptions to assisted dying law

Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

B.C. court to hear Charter challenge over religious exemptions to assisted dying law

Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Yesterday at 5:00 AM CST

OTTAWA - A trial set to begin Monday in British Columbia's Supreme Court questions whether publicly funded faith-based hospitals should be allowed to prevent patients from receiving medical assistance in dying in their facilities.

The Charter of Rights challenge is being brought by the advocacy organization Dying With Dignity Canada and the parents of a woman who was forced to leave a Vancouver hospital to receive medical assistance in dying, known as MAID.

Sam O'Neill was 34 years old when, in March 2023, she was admitted to Vancouver's St. Paul's hospital with severe pain as a result of stage 4 cervical cancer that had spread to her bones and lungs.

She had been assessed and approved for medical assistance in dying — but because the hospital is run by a Catholic organization that does not allow MAID, she had to be moved to another facility to carry out the procedure.

Read

Yesterday at 5:00 AM CST

A screen displays a patient's vital signs during open heart surgery at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore on Nov. 28, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Patrick Semansky

‘You cannot break us’: Protesters rally in Minneapolis after ICE fatal shooting

Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

‘You cannot break us’: Protesters rally in Minneapolis after ICE fatal shooting

Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026

MINNEAPOLIS - Thousands gathered in Minneapolis on Saturday to push back on the Trump administration's deployment of federal forces after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a woman earlier this week.

People held signs with the face of Renee Good, the 37-year-old mother who was shot in the head on Wednesday, while calling for ICE to get out of their city.

"Nobody should be taken off the streets," Emily Sanderson, who was attending the demonstration, told The Canadian Press. "Nobody should be murdered in the streets. It's irrational. It's disgusting."

The massive protest marked the latest demonstration that has gripped the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, which have become the main target of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.

Read

Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026

Canadians join global protests in solidarity with Iranian uprising

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Canadians join global protests in solidarity with Iranian uprising

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026

MONTREAL - Demonstrations were held in several Canadian cities on Saturday to voice support for the Iranian people as a popular uprising sweeping across Iran neared the two-week mark.

Protesters in Montreal and Ottawa demanded the fall of the Islamic regime and the return of Reza Pahlavi, the son of the former Shah of Iran who has been in exile in the United States for 47 years.

A demonstration was also held in Toronto on Friday.

Katayoon Haghzadeh says she went to the Montreal event to be the voice of the Iranian people currently in the streets and facing down torture and death at the hands of the Iranian regime as they fight for change.

Read

Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026

Learn more about Advertising solutions

N.S. lobster exports outside China are picking up as tariffs soften demand

Devin Stevens, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

N.S. lobster exports outside China are picking up as tariffs soften demand

Devin Stevens, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 2:23 PM CST

HALIFAX - Nova Scotia’s lobster sector is feeling the pinch from Chinese tariffs this year, but officials say exporters are starting to crack other international markets.

Geoff Irvine, executive director of the Lobster Council of Canada, says new data shows exports outside the U.S. and China, the sector’s two biggest markets, increased about 43 per cent in October and that’s helping to cushion the blow from the 25 per cent tariff China has placed on Canada’s exports.

Statistics Canada says China bought $11.8 million worth of live lobster in October, down about 31% from $17.1 million from a year ago.

“Our exporters are very smart and they have contacts around the world that we and others help them develop,” Irvine said in an interview Saturday.

Read

Updated: Yesterday at 2:23 PM CST

A crate of lobsters in Halifax on Friday, Oct. 16, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS /Andrew Vaughan

RCAF wants more than 1,200 security personnel to protect F-35s, other planes

Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

RCAF wants more than 1,200 security personnel to protect F-35s, other planes

Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026

OTTAWA - The Royal Canadian Air Force wants to hire more than a thousand new security personnel over the next five years at bases across the country — just as it brings its new F-35 stealth fighter jets into service.

Internal documents from spring 2025, obtained by The Canadian Press through the Access-to-Information law, show the Air Force drafted a plan to first hire 199 new security personnel by 2028, then expand that security force to 747 in 2029 and 1,227 by 2030.

The information comes from a presentation on the RCAF’s submission to the future structure plan — basically the Canadian Armed Forces' personnel planning document — and outlines a scenario for staff growth that was drafted when Lt.-Gen. Eric Kenny commanded the Air Force.

It's not a final plan, but its public release shows the Air Force is getting serious about stepping up security across the country as it takes on advanced equipment that hosts sensitive data and operational information.

Read

Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026

An F-35A Lightning II fighter jet practices for an air show appearance in Ottawa, Friday, Sept. 6, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Fifty years after the Games, Quebecers still spending on Montreal’s Olympic Stadium

Morgan Lowrie, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Preview

Fifty years after the Games, Quebecers still spending on Montreal’s Olympic Stadium

Morgan Lowrie, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026

MONTREAL - Montreal's Olympic Stadium started 2026 the same way it began the 1976 Games: under construction and without a roof.

In 2024, Quebec's tourism minister announced the province would spend $870 million to replace the stadium's roof, which was torn in more than 20,000 places and threatened to force the venue's closure.

The Quebec government's list of ongoing infrastructure projects also includes several stadium-related investments that aren't part of the $870-million price tag, including $20 million for replacing sound equipment and $28.6 million for the electric system.

It's only the latest round of spending for the Big O — sometimes dubbed the "Big Owe" for its runaway construction costs and contribution to an Olympic debt that took 30 years to pay off. But unlike in 1976, those in charge of the project say the work is on time and on budget, and that this roof will last.

Read

Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026

Cranes are shown inside the Olympic Stadium during the replacement of the roof in Montreal, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

What is ‘food noise’ and why are we hearing about it amid the rise of GLP-1 meds?

Nicole Ireland, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

What is ‘food noise’ and why are we hearing about it amid the rise of GLP-1 meds?

Nicole Ireland, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026

TORONTO - Before Brenda Rogers started taking Ozempic in the spring of 2023, she didn't realize how much "food noise" was sapping her mental energy.

"You're just constantly thinking about food and not having enough, having too much, 'what am I gonna eat? Oh, don't add in the carbs because carbs aren't good, that's gonna make me more fat, don't have fat because that's going to make you fat,'" said the 52-year-old online business manager in Vancouver.

"It's exhausting thinking that way."

The term "food noise" has emerged alongside the popularity of glucagon-like peptide-1receptor agonists — known as GLP-1 medications — that treat Type 2 diabetes and obesity, said Dr. Sanjeev Sockalingam, scientific director of Obesity Canada and chief medical officer at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto.

Read

Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026

A cart of groceries is shown in a store in Montreal, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

Judge reserves ruling on whether to throw out B.C. murder conviction over delays

Brenna Owen, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Judge reserves ruling on whether to throw out B.C. murder conviction over delays

Brenna Owen, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Friday, Jan. 9, 2026

VANCOUVER - A British Columbia Supreme Court judge has reserved her decision on whether to throw out the case against a man convicted of first-degree murder in a killing police have linked to organized crime.

Brandon Teixeira's lawyers have filed a so-called Jordan application seeking a stay of the charges on the basis that delays in the case violated his Charter rights.

Justice Jennifer Duncan said Friday that she would schedule another hearing for Feb. 12, though she may be able to share the result with Crown prosecutors and defence counsel sooner, or she may need more time.

A jury convicted Teixeira of murder, attempted murder and discharging a firearm with intent to endanger life last August in the October 2017 shooting death of 28-year-old Nicholas Khabra in Surrey, B.C.

Read

Friday, Jan. 9, 2026

The Law Courts building, which is home to B.C. Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal, is seen in Vancouver, on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Saskatoon hospital patient dead after altercation with security

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Saskatoon hospital patient dead after altercation with security

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Friday, Jan. 9, 2026

SASKATOON - Police in Saskatoon are investigating after a patient died Friday at the Royal University Hospital following an altercation with security.

Police said in a statement they're working with the coroner's service to determine whether the death at Saskatchewan's largest hospital is suspicious.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority said security officers were called to a patient's room in the morning, after staff reported a safety concern.

The officers were then involved in a physical altercation with the patient, and the patient became unresponsive, the authority said in a statement.

Read

Friday, Jan. 9, 2026

The Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon is shown on Wednesday, July 17, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Heywood Yu

Calgary water main repaired but restrictions remain until testing done, city says

The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Calgary water main repaired but restrictions remain until testing done, city says

The Canadian Press 3 minute read Friday, Jan. 9, 2026

CALGARY - The City of Calgary says it has finished repairs on a disastrous water main break but testing still needs to be done before it's fully operational again.

The city, in an update Friday, said residents are still being asked to reduce their water use until the testing is complete, which is expected to take several days.

It said the pipe, which carries approximately 60 per cent of the water for the city of 1.6 million, needs to be slowly filled back up and the water has to be tested for quality.

"There is no guarantee against another break once the pipe is returned to service," the city said, adding that work began elsewhere in the city to protect certain areas from flooding should it break again.

Read

Friday, Jan. 9, 2026

Firefighters stage at the side of a flooded highway in this handout photo, as the broken Bearspaw South Feeder Main, centre, spews water in Calgary, on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Ian Royer (Mandatory Credit)

Military to aid Manitoba First Nation hit by power outage, frozen pipes

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Military to aid Manitoba First Nation hit by power outage, frozen pipes

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Friday, Jan. 9, 2026

PIMICIKAMAK CREE NATION, MAN. - The federal government has agreed to send in military help to a northern Manitoba First Nation where thousands have been forced to leave due to frozen pipes and sewage backup.

Emergency Management Minister Eleanor Olszewski said Friday a specialized Armed Forces team would be sent to Pimicikamak Cree Nation for assessment and advisory support, although she provided no additional details.

Officials in the community are still determining the extent of damage to the more than 1,300 homes in Pimicikamak, nearly two weeks after a power outage led to the failure of critical infrastructure.

Pipes have burst, crawl spaces are filled with icy water and at least 4,000 people were sent to other communities.

Read

Friday, Jan. 9, 2026

Crews work to clean up the basement of a home on the Pimicikamak Cree Nation which was destroyed due to water damage during recent infrastructure failures during a tour with politicians and media at Pimicikamak Cree Nation, Man., on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods

Alberta’s Smith calls on Carney to speed up major project approvals

Jack Farrell, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Alberta’s Smith calls on Carney to speed up major project approvals

Jack Farrell, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Friday, Jan. 9, 2026

EDMONTON - Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is calling on Ottawa to further speed up its approval process for major projects, saying she wants to see applications green-lit within six months.

Prime Minister Mark Carney's major projects office, established last year, currently aims to complete regulatory reviews within two years.

Smith, in a letter to Carney shared on social media Friday, said that two years is too long, considering the recent U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to ramp up oil production in the South American country.

"Renewed Venezuelan crude production, supported by United States investment, will ultimately increase the amount of heavy oil bound for U.S. refineries and directly compete with Canadian production for limited refining capacity," Smith said in the letter.

Read

Friday, Jan. 9, 2026

January 12, 2026

Notification Settings

Breaking News

Recommended Reads