Alberta government moves to drastically reduce access to medically assisted dying

EDMONTON - Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's government took steps Wednesday to drastically restrict who's eligible for medical assistance in dying.

Smith’s United Conservative Party government introduced a bill that, if passed, would limit medical assistance in dying, better known as MAID, to those likely to die of natural causes within a year.

Those under 18 would still be prohibited regardless of condition, in line with current federal rules.

But Smith said Ottawa's framework is largely missing the mark.

City councillors fear backlash over tax bills thanks to huge increases in education portion

Two councillors say Winnipeggers who experience sticker shock when they open their 2026 municipal tax bills should know who to blame — and it isn’t the city.

Government data shows extent of truancy issue

You start to deal with a problem by admitting that you actually have one, not by burying it because you’re concerned about how it might look.

Protesters rally against police brutality

A rally marking the International Day Against Police Brutality gathered outside Winnipeg’s police headquarters and marched downtown Sunday afternoon.

Several dozen people gathered outside the Smith Street building, some carrying signs with slogans including “Cops don’t keep communities safe,” and “Fund community, defund cops.” While marching downtown, protesters stopped outside of the Canada Life Centre, where a Winnipeg Jets game was underway, before ending the march at the Magnus Eliason Recreation Centre.

Organizer Dale Schindle said the march was to honour victims of police violence worldwide, and to inspire others to view Winnipeg’s police force with a critical lens — especially with a civic election coming up this fall.

“There is a municipal election coming up, and I want you to consider how the money is spent in your city,” Schindle said outside of the police headquarters building. “A third of the budget goes to police, and you can look at their annual reports, they do not do what they say they’re going to do. They do not keep us safe — we keep us safe.”

New government bill would help police, spy service probe online activities

OTTAWA - Proposed legislation would give police and Canada's spy service new powers to investigate online activities — powers they say they need to keep pace with criminals in the digital age.

The bill tabled in the House of Commons on Thursday would require internet and phone companies to tell authorities whether they provide service to a particular person or account number.

The legislation would allow police to then seek a production order from a court to obtain subscriber information from a company, such as the name, address, phone number and services provided.

The bill also updates warrant powers for computer searches and proposes a new authority to allow Canadian police to make requests of foreign electronic service providers, including social media and AI chatbot companies.

Union coalition demanding government action on downtown safety

Eight unions have joined forces to create urgency around worker concerns about safety — on the job and on their commutes — in downtown Winnipeg.

Newcomer school to close amid immigration clampdown

English-language teachers are warning the consequences will be far-reaching when a school for newcomers — called “a beacon of hope”— closes its doors.

Winnipeg’s Enhanced English Skills for Employment is shutting down March 31.

“It’s sad for the students. It’s sad for the teachers, but it’s also sad for the community, Manitoba at large,” said Allyn Franc, a longtime teacher at the school that rents space on the Canadian Mennonite University campus at 500 Shaftesbury Blvd.

For more than 20 years, the school has been running free intermediate-level language classes on literacy and workplace etiquette.

Tories say high-earners could flee if NDP targets province’s wealthiest in upcoming budget

Premier Wab Kinew’s suggestion that the provincial budget on March 24 may squeeze the the “top one per cent” — the richest Manitobans — was met with both positive and negative responses Friday.

Kinew, who dropped the hint in a local radio interview without providing more details, wasn’t made available Friday to clarify who or how, “We’re going to have some help in the budget on the education property tax front, and we might be asking the top one per cent to help us out with that.”

The NDP government is staring down a $1.6-billion deficit while vowing to balance the province’s books in its first term. If the plan is to lean on some of Manitoba’s top earners, how big are those incomes, and will that drive those people away?

To get into Manitoba’s top one per cent of income earners in 2023 required an income of $235,100 or about $244,000 in inflation-adjusted terms, University of Manitoba economics professor Jesse Hajer said Friday.

Supreme Court says asylum seekers entitled to subsidized Quebec daycare

OTTAWA - Quebec discriminated against female refugee claimants by introducing regulations that denied them access to subsidized daycare spaces, Canada's highest court said on Friday, leading to strong rebukes from members of the provincial government.

In an 8-1 ruling, the court said that blocking female refugee claimants from subsidized daycare threatens to marginalize them from society, violating equality rights guaranteed in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

"While all refugee claimants are denied access to subsidized daycare under the scheme, the discriminatory impact on women is unique because they carry a greater share of childcare responsibilities and the availability of affordable daycare is directly linked to their ability to work," Justice Andromache Karakatsanis wrote on behalf of the majority.

The ruling was hailed by the UN Refugee Agency, saying the court has recognized "that access to childcare is not just a family issue, but a vital part of a woman's right to economic independence and dignity."

Three more citizen-led recall petitions against Alberta politicians fall short

EDMONTON - Three more recall petitions against members of Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's United Conservative caucus have failed.

The Red Deer resident targeting Primary Care Minister Adriana LaGrange says on social media that the campaign gathered about 2,400 signatures, or just over 20 per cent of the more than 11,000 signatures it needed.

Despite falling short, Danny Carlisle wrote on Facebook earlier this week that the signatures still send a message and raise awareness on important issues.

"We've done something Adriana LaGrange has failed to do: listen," Carlisle wrote.

Councillors back permanent bike lane for Wellington Crescent next year

The city is poised to scrap a long-awaited temporary bike lane pilot project on Wellington Crescent, which was expected this year, and speed up the construction of permanent bike lanes instead.

On Wednesday, council’s public works committee voted to accelerate the plan to construct permanent bike lanes in 2027, pending a final council vote. The city had planned to spend $5.5 million to do so in 2029.

Coun. Janice Lukes, chairwoman of public works, said the switch to pursue permanent protected bike lanes, with curbs to separate cyclists from vehicular traffic, is the best way to ensure lasting safety improvements.

“This is going to be a fundamental change in the way traffic moves, pedestrian cycling and vehicular traffic in this section, and I want to rip the Band-Aid off once… It’s going to be a big change for everyone,” said Lukes (Waverley West).

Canadian sovereignty is not just about borders, but culture too

It was “elbows up” in Davos — then came “leg up” in Ottawa.

The bawdy moment between Prime Minister Mark Carney and actor Hudson Williams happened in late January when both were at a gala celebrating the country’s film and TV successes.

“Do the leg thing,” Carney instructed Williams, one star of Heated Rivalry, the Canadian-made gay love story about hockey rivals and overnight international smash hit. Williams swung one leg up onto the prime minister while photographers captured the viral moment tossed into their lap.

Whether or not Carney has seen Heated Rivalry, it’s hard to imagine a sleeker image for elbows-up nationalism: loudly Canadian but still cosmopolitan, pro-hockey but not exactly hoser-ish — and eager for international markets.

Solomon to meet OpenAI CEO Altman in wake of mass killings in Tumbler Ridge, B.C.

VANCOUVER - Federal Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon will meet with OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman next week looking for a plan on how the company might prevent another tragedy like the mass killings in Tumbler Ridge, B.C.

Solomon said in a statement on Friday that he plans to talk to Altman "to seek further clarity and to ensure that the commitments made are translated into concrete action."

OpenAI had sent a letter to Solomon on Thursday, outlining its commitment to strengthen detection systems, to identify potential warning signals of serious violence, and better prevent attempts to evade safeguards.

Tumbler Ridge shooter Jesse Van Rootselaar had her ChatGPT account flagged internally and shut down by OpenAI last June, but the company did not notify police at the time. She went on to murder eight people on Feb. 10 in Tumbler Ridge, before killing herself.

Persian Gulf War vets still fighting for better recognition after 35 years

For Denis Cote, one of the worst parts of the Persian Gulf War was entering the conflict zone not knowing what to expect as sirens blared in the dead of night, warning of a missile attack.

"We didn't know when we were coming home. We didn't know where we were staying," said the 62-year-old veteran from Edmonton.

"We didn't know any of the situations or the setup — we were walking into just unknowns."

The former aircraft technician was deployed to Doha, Qatar, where Canada sent 16 fighter jets and more than 100 military personnel.

Trump plays games with Canada’s sovereignty

What in God’s name is U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent doing commenting publicly about sensitive national unity matters in Canada?

First Nations awaiting Hydro consults

With licences for two major Manitoba Hydro projects set to expire later this year, affected First Nations await consultation — and want to see change.

Licences for the Churchill River Diversion and Lake Winnipeg Regulation projects, first issued in the 1970s, expire Sept. 1 and Aug. 1, respectively.

The diversion directs water to five stations accounting for roughly 75 per cent of Manitoba’s power generation. The latter project allows Hydro to generate power by manipulating Lake Winnipeg’s water levels.

There is no timeline for the licence renewals, said Environment Minister Mike Moyes. He said that would be dependent on consultations with impacted First Nations.

Unpredictable health-care costs a given, redundant health-system bureaucracy an unaffordable burden

It’s an annual ritual in Manitoba politics: the provincial government blows past its health-care budget, critics cry mismanagement and the government responds that the spending was unavoidable because people got sick, needed care and deserved treatment.

This year is no different. The NDP government last week approved an unbudgeted $200 million to cover health-care costs in the 2025-26 fiscal year. The province signed off on a special warrant declaring the spending is “required for the public good.”

That language sounds dramatic, but the reality is far less scandalous than critics would have people believe.

It’s not unusual for governments to exceed their health-care budgets. In fact, it happens virtually every year, no matter who’s in government.

First Nations hopeful as Hydro’s first Indigenous chair eyes reversing years of enmity

Manitoba Hydro’s first Indigenous board chair says he has reconciliation on his mind as First Nations-driven lawsuits pile up against the Crown corporation and two of its major project licences are set to expire.

“I think there’s a lot of opportunity on the reconciliation side in Manitoba,” said Jamie Wilson, 58, a former treaty commissioner. “The more you understand the history, the more you understand the opportunity.”

Wilson, a member of Opaskwayak Cree Nation, grew up on a farm in The Pas. He remembered neighbours worked at Hydro but didn’t think much about the public utility — just enough to know it kept the house warm in the winter.

Opaskwayak recently took Ottawa to court over a Grand Rapids hydro dam and its impact on band members, CBC reported.

Eby says it looks like OpenAI could have prevented ‘horrific’ Tumbler Ridge killings

VICTORIA - British Columbia Premier David Eby said it "looks like" OpenAI had the opportunity to prevent the recent mass shootings in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., in which nine people died, as pressure piled on the artificial intelligence firm over its handling of interactions with 18-year-old shooter Jesse Van Rootselaar.

The firm has been summoned to Ottawa on Tuesday to explain why it didn't go immediately to police after its internal safeguards flagged worrisome interactions between the shooter and its ChatGPT chatbot at least seven months ago.

Eby — who is also calling for national standards for AI companies on reporting potential threats — said Monday there would be a public accounting by the company to explain why it only reported its concerns to police after the Feb. 10 killings by Van Rootselaar, who shot dead her mother, half-brother, five school pupils and a teacher's aide, then herself.

"From the outside, it looks like OpenAI had the opportunity to prevent this tragedy, to prevent this horrific loss of life, to prevent there from being dead children in British Columbia," he said. "I'm angry about that."

Albertans react to looming referendum during weekend rally, call-in radio show

EDMONTON - Some callers to Danielle Smith's provincewide radio show expressed support for a referendum the Alberta premier announced this week, while others at a rally outside the legislature said they're disheartened with the direction Smith is taking.

One caller congratulated Smith on her morning radio show for her speech on Thursday announcing the Oct. 19 referendum, which is to include questions about whether social services should be restricted for newcomers.

"It reflected what many Albertans wanted to hear," the caller told Smith.

"You're on the right track and I'm so thankful you're the premier at such a time as this," another caller told her.

Indigenous leaders outline priorities for spring sitting of Parliament

OTTAWA - Indigenous leaders were braced for change after the last federal election, when Prime Minister Mark Carney's win ushered in a new look for the Liberal government after 10 years under Justin Trudeau.

That change has compelled those leaders to build relationships with new cabinet ministers and a revolving cast of public servants working on Indigenous files.

First Nations, Inuit and Métis leaders have a long list of priorities they want the federal government to work on, including the introduction of a series of bills on self-government and clean drinking water.

Here's what they'll be watching for.