Trump signs an executive order that invites vetting of top AI models for national security risks

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on oversight of artificial intelligence Tuesday, less than two weeks after postponing a White House ceremony over his concerns that a similar policy could dull America’s technological edge.

The order establishes a framework for the federal government to vet the national security risks of the most advanced AI systems for up to a month before their public release. Participation by AI developers would be voluntary, the order says.

“Advanced AI capabilities make our Nation stronger, but also introduce new national security considerations that require coordinated action across executive departments and agencies,” the order says.

It was not immediately clear to what extent the order differed from the one Trump declined to sign on May 21.

Paramedic team to focus on overdoses in city’s core

With opioid-related emergencies overtaking alcohol-related calls for service in Winnipeg, the province is investing more than $1 million to ease pressure on front-line responders and improve overdose care.

The funding includes $802,000 for a three-month pilot project that will see a 24-7, two-person paramedic team respond to overdose calls in high-demand areas, including the downtown core, where many of the city’s shelters and support agencies are located. The pilot will start this month, the province said.

The province will also spend $150,000 on approximately 20 oxygen delivery devices to be managed by Main Street Project, which help when overdoses don’t respond to naloxone. Another $100,000 will be given to provide first aid and overdose response training for workers through St. John’s Ambulance and Manitoba Harm Reduction Network.

“We’ve been meeting quite regularly with the front-line organizations and this really came from them, and what they wanted and they need,” Housing, Addictions and Homelessness Minister Bernadette Smith told the Free Press Tuesday. “This was something that we could immediately respond to.”

MPs get an earful from opponents of ‘lawful access’ bill over privacy concerns

OTTAWA - A group that works to keep the internet surveillance-free says a federal bill intended to help police and intelligence services is "an enormous own goal" against Canada's economy and security.

Matt Hatfield, executive director of OpenMedia, told MPs studying the bill Tuesday that limited amendments will not salvage the proposed legislation.

The government says the bill will ensure law enforcement agencies have the legal tools to prevent, investigate and respond to modern crime and protect Canadians in a manner consistent with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Opponents argue the legislation, known as Bill C-22, unnecessarily expands the powers of police and intelligence agencies, endangers the privacy of Canadians, flouts the Charter and makes Canada a less attractive place to do business.

Indigenous speakers, politicians watching audit of languages office closely

OTTAWA - Indigenous language speakers and political leaders say they were disappointed to learn a landmark Indigenous languages office is under investigation after the federal government received anonymous complaints.

The Canadian Heritage department has ordered a financial audit of transactions and activities at the Office of the Commissioner of Indigenous Languages, The Canadian Press reported earlier this week.

The department has not elaborated on the specific allegations made against the office, an arm's-length body that was set up five years ago in response to a recommendation by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The department has said it has contracted an independent third-party firm to conduct the audit and has notified Commissioner Ronald Ignace.

One Indigenous language speaker said part of the problem with organizations like the commissioner's office is that they're accountable to the federal government, not to Indigenous people.

AFN chief rebukes Alberta separation talks in meeting with King Charles

OTTAWA - The national chief of the Assembly of First Nations rebuked the Alberta separation movement during a meeting with King Charles at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.

"The King was there with us in unison, that First Nations are foundational partners in the creation of Canada, and our relationship cannot be changed or moved just from politics," Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak told The Canadian Press in an interview.

"As long as the sun shines, the grass grows and the river flows, we're all treaty people in Canada."

The Alberta government is putting forward a referendum in October asking voters if they want to remain part of Canada or to pursue a second binding referendum on separating from Canada.

Canada sends letter to U.S., Mexico calling for renewal of trade agreement

WASHINGTON - Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc said he had a positive meeting with his American counterpart in Washington a day after sending a letter to the United States and Mexico recommending that the three countries renew the continental trade pact.

LeBlanc said he presented specific proposals to United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and talked about long-standing issues Americans have raised about Canada.

"We discussed how we can work together on a number of issues that strengthen the competitiveness of the North American economy," LeBlanc said at the Canadian Embassy on Tuesday following the meeting with Greer.

The letter from LeBlanc to Greer and Mexico's secretary of economy, Marcelo Ebrard, is a requirement of the mandatory review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade, known in Canada as CUSMA.

Don’t let fear of change determine vote

It is a truth universally acknowledged that human beings don’t just dislike change; we fear it. That’s as true for moving house as it is for getting a divorce or ousting a political incumbent.

Manitoba makes strides on poverty, but EIA rates must increase: report

When Jayline Bursey gets her monthly Employment and Income Assistance cheque, it’s gone almost immediately.

Police-to-population ratio increases for first time since 2013

The ratio of Winnipeg Police Service officers to the city’s population has increased for the first time in more than a decade.

In 2025, the so-called “cop-to-pop” ratio reached 166.8 officers per 100,000 people, up from 164.8 the previous year.

While that falls behind a national average of 180.3 per 100,000, it was the first local increase since 2013.

Overall, the service added 35 more officers since 2024, to reach a complement of 1,425.

Federal poll finds nearly half of Canadians think country takes ‘too many immigrants’

OTTAWA - A survey commissioned by the federal government late last year suggests nearly half of Canadians believe the country is admitting too many immigrants — but the share of respondents who think so has dropped since last year's polling.

The survey found 47 per cent of respondents believe "too many" immigrants are coming to Canada, while 38 per cent say "about the right amount" are coming.

A similar government poll conducted in late 2024 reported 54 per cent of respondents saying that "too many" immigrants were coming to Canada.

The report on the latest poll says the numbers saw little to no movement after respondents were told the government plans to admit 380,000 permanent residents this year.

Peace, justice and bringing this country together

From the War of 1812 to today, no one has stood up for this country and worked for unity in this place more than Indigenous Peoples.

Kerry-Lynne Findlay won B.C. Conservative race as most authentic populist: expert

VANCOUVER - Kerry-Lynne Findlay won the B.C. Conservative leadership race because she is an "authentic champion" of populism within the broader conservative movement, says an analyst who studies modern conservatism in western countries.

David Black, who teaches political theory at Royal Roads University in Greater Victoria, said Findlay's victory over Caroline Elliott confirms the party's turn toward populism.

"(Findlay) sought to apply purity tests during the debates, as part of her campaign strategy for the leadership, and she won that purity test," Black said. "She was the purest candidate with respect to populist bona fides."

He added that Findlay, unlike Elliott, did not have to perform populism because of her credentials while serving under former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper and later Pierre Poilievre, the current federal Conservative leader.

Quebec moves ahead with AI cultural databank project

MONTREAL - Quebec's national library is moving ahead with plans to create a database of cultural and government content that could be used to train artificial intelligence systems and improve their understanding of Quebec society, culture and Indigenous languages.

Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, or BAnQ, the province's national library and archives institution, has launched the experimental phase of its proposed government and cultural databank in French and Indigenous languages after completing a feasibility study earlier this year.

The project aims to address concerns that major generative AI systems often struggle to provide reliable information about Quebec society, economy and culture because of the limited amount of Quebec-related data available to them.

"All scenarios are a little bit on the table right now," Valérie D'Amour, who led the feasibility study, said in an interview. "We have a lot of ideas and we want to validate the possibilities with cultural stakeholders, as well as with data owners and providers, who will be involved in the discussions."

Advocates call on Ottawa to limit nicotine use among youth, demand stricter measures

OTTAWA - Several health organizations are urging the federal government to bring down nicotine use among Canadians to less than five per cent of the population by 2045, as vaping among youth rises.

Les Hagen, executive director of Action on Smoking and Health, says nicotine use has grown exponentially among Canadians aged 25 and under, which he says is a "huge concern."

Hagen said several published systematic reviews have shown that vaping creates a nicotine pathway in the brain — making them addicted to the substance, which makes youth more susceptible to starting smoking cigarettes.

"If that can't be satisfied by nicotine products like vaping products, they will find other ways to satisfy those cravings, including smoking."

City taking steps to reduce speeding in 30 km/h school zones

A pair of 30-kilometre-per-hour school zones known as speeding hot spots are getting safety upgrades this summer amid a citywide probe into posted speed limits.

Winnipeg school officials were recently briefed on hot spots for collisions and photo-radar tickets issued near elementary buildings between the months of September and June, when the maximum limit drops.

“There’s no cookie-cutter kind of solution, unfortunately,” said Denae Dorge, the city’s road safety outreach co-ordinator.

“You need to have lots of different tools in your toolbox and also, work with the families that attend your school.”

LHC helps underserved clients navigate the justice system

Norman Yusim came out of retirement to get right back to work. He didn’t plan it that way, but when the perfect opportunity landed in his lap, it was impossible to turn down.

The 70-year-old lawyer with a passion for helping people is back at it at the Legal Help Centre (LHC), empowering underserved individuals to navigate legal problems, offering guidance and connections to resources.

“LHC provides such an important service to those in need with legal issues, providing access to justice to those who simply cannot afford to hire lawyers, by helping them seek out resources, providing advice and assistance to the Court of King’s Bench in Winnipeg,” said Yusim. “LHC, in my view, provides an invaluable service.”

Prior to beginning his employment at LHC in September 2025, Yusim volunteered there as a mentor to the law students who worked directly with clients to assist them with legal matters (family law, immigration law, estate law, criminal law, small claims matters and civil litigation matters, among others).

New essay collection explores menace of far-right movements in Canada

“Democracy is at stake and Canada is not immune to its demise,” states Miriam Edelson, editor of this timely anthology, warning that right-wing extremism, energized by memes and trolls permeating digital spaces, is heralding social and political change and affecting how current generations view the slow, often cumbersome democratic process.

Edelson’s well-researched observations are supported by 18 different contributors comprised of an array of like-minded academics, researchers and concerned activists who collectively alert readers to the extremist messaging that is altering some long-standing expectations of responsible governance.

Edelson’s social activism was honed by personal experiences while living in Toronto and working with the Canadian labour movement, spawning a literary legacy of personal essays and commentaries published by the Toronto Star, Globe & Mail and Literary Review. Her earlier book, My Journey with Jake: A Memoir of Parenting and Disability (2000) remains a poignant reminder that society functions best when individuals share a common purpose of looking out for one another.

In a concise foreword to Confronting the Resurgent Right, University of Manitoba professor and award- winning Free Press columnist Niigaan Sinclair similarly reminds readers that “far right movements built on hate,” like those earlier thrust upon Indigenous people and still targeting Jews, Muslims and other identifiable groups, inexorably lead to “racism, violence, and genocide.”

Fairmont Hotel in Winnipeg to donate beds, chairs, tables, lamps ahead of renovations

Homeless people set to move into transitional housing will get a suite treatment later this year thanks to a donation from a Winnipeg hotel making its own transition.

The Fairmont Winnipeg will donate its room furnishings, including more than 760 beds and box springs, before it undergoes a multimillion-dollar renovation this summer.

Anything that isn’t nailed down in the 340 guest rooms will be donated to Linking Hope, a non-profit that will dole the items out to its 120 partner agencies across Manitoba.

“We had always had the donation intent top of mind, we did not want all of this to just find its way into a landfill,” said Ian Taylor, general manager of Fairmont Winnipeg. “There are needs within the community and the province abroad that we needed to look at.”

Human rights panel accuses Canada of genocide against Indigenous population

MONTREAL - An international panel of human rights experts has accused Canada of committing genocide against its Indigenous population after a week of hearings in Montreal.

The Permanent Peoples' Tribunal was mandated to look at missing and disappeared children and unmarked graves at Canada’s residential school sites, as well as the forced sterilization of Indigenous women, through the lens of international law.

The panel of seven judges said Canada historically adopted a series of policies that they deemed were crimes against humanity with genocidal intent, including the residential schools, which were in operation for over 150 years. The last residential school closed in 1996.

Survivors at the hearings held onto each other and wiped away tears as three tribunal members read out the decision.

Impulsive kids easy prey for addictive-by-design content

The allure of the screen is powerful, and despite working full-time in the realm of media literacy education, my home is not immune to the siren song of social media.

Carney discussed artificial intelligence with Pope Leo

OTTAWA - Prime Minister Mark Carney told Pope Leo XIV on Friday that Canada wants to take a leadership role in the responsible development of artificial intelligence.

The conversation happened days after the Pope called for robust regulation of AI.

"They discussed the imperative that AI must serve humanity, beginning with the protection of the individual," the Prime Minister's Office said in a release.

"Prime Minister Carney expressed Canada’s desire to lead internationally on responsible AI and tools to benefit the global community."