Study estimates 2023 Canadian wildfire smoke caused 82,000 premature deaths globally

VANCOUVER - Smoke from record-breaking Canadian wildfires in 2023 caused an estimated 5,400 acute deaths and about 82,100 premature deaths worldwide, a new study shows.

The study published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature acknowledges some variation in mortality estimates depending on the methods used, but says its overall conclusion is the smoke led to an "enormous and far-reaching" health burden.

Canadian co-author Michael Brauer says the findings serve as a "wake-up call" for areas that haven't typically seen repeated or prolonged exposure to wildfire smoke.

The health impacts will only increase with worsening climate change, he says, and understanding them is crucial for managing the risk and protecting people.

Amazon’s Zoox launches its robotaxi service in Las Vegas

Amazon's Zoox on Wednesday launched its robotaxi service in Las Vegas, offering free rides through parts of the entertainment mecca for anyone willing to gamble on the safety of a driverless vehicle that operates without a steering wheel.

The Las Vegas debut of Zoox's long-planned ride-hailing service reflects Amazon-owned robotaxi maker's confidence in the safety of its boxy vehicles after two years of testing them in the city.

The robotaxis initially were only available to employees in Las Vegas before gradually expanding to friends and family members. Now, anyone with the Zoox app will be able to request a ride to five designated locations, including Resorts World, the Luxor hotel and the New York-New York hotel. The longest distance the Zoox robotaxis will travel is about three miles (4.8 kilometers) while carrying up to four passengers.

All rides will be provided for free for at least the first few months to help promote the existence of the service in the perennially popular travel destination. Once it begins charging for rides in Las Vegas, Zoox says its prices will be comparable to traditional taxis and ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft.

AI could help manufacturers offset tariff costs, depending on implementation: experts

Manufacturing experts say there are specific ways integrating AI into the sector can help reduce costs and improve margins in the face of trade tensions, but note it won’t be a silver bullet.

“When the U.S. charges a 25 per cent tariff, if you can drop the supply price by, let’s say 20 per cent … then we can neutralize the additional cost due to the tariff,” said Chi-Guhn Lee, a University of Toronto professor and director of the AI in Manufacturing centre.

Currently, he said AI adoption in Canadian manufacturing is “widespread” and interest is high across the board but implementation is at very different stages for different companies. Some firms made investments years ago and are now “quite advanced,” he said.

There are also stark differences between the U.S. and Canadian industries, said Jayson Myers, CEO of Next Generation Manufacturing Canada. He said that on average, Canadian firms have a “huge advantage” over their U.S. counterparts because "we don’t rely on volume of product out the door.”

Federal government says emails, phone numbers accessed in cyberattack

OTTAWA - The federal government says individuals' email addresses and phone numbers associated with Canada Revenue Agency, Employment and Social Development Canada and Canada Border Services Agency accounts were accessed in a cyberattack.

The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat says the government was alerted to the cyber incident on Aug. 17 by 2Keys Corporation, the provider of a multi-factor authentication application used for the accounts.

The government says 2Keys Corporation discovered the incident, promptly informed the government and launched an investigation, which is being conducted with external cybersecurity experts.

Treasury Board says a routine software update caused a "vulnerability" that allowed a malicious actor to access phone numbers associated with CRA and ESDC accounts, and email addresses associated with CBSA accounts, linked to people who used the authentication service between Aug. 3 and Aug. 15.

Impact of cyberattack on Nova Scotia Power could be bigger than first thought

HALIFAX - Nova Scotia’s largest electric utility says the impact of a sophisticated cyberattack in March could be much broader than first thought.

Nova Scotia Power said in May that about half of its customers — 277,000 ratepayers — may have had personal information stolen by hackers. But the privately owned utility is now saying all of its customers may be affected in some way.

The new information comes from a Nova Scotia Power report submitted last week to the independent Nova Scotia Energy Board, which is investigating the cybersecurity breach.

“This investigation is ongoing and has been complex given the severe nature of the cyberattack," the report says. "It remains possible that all of the company’s customers may have been impacted by the cyberattack."

Bell launches Bell Cyber, building on AI and tech services umbrella

TORONTO - Bell Canada is launching Bell Cyber, a new brand under its growing tech services umbrella which will offer AI-powered cybersecurity solutions.

The company made the announcement Tuesday at its inaugural Bell Cybersecurity Summit in Toronto, which heard from Bell Cyber's leadership, government and law enforcement officials, as well as other industry stakeholders.

It said Bell Cyber unifies all of the company's cybersecurity capabilities under a single brand. It also complements Bell's other recent tech announcements, such as the launch of Bell AI Fabric and tech services brand Ateko.

Bell Cyber is the branding successor to Stratejm, a Mississauga, Ont.-based security services provider acquired by Bell in July 2024. The company has specialized in providing end-to-end security solutions with the use of artificial intelligence, including real-time threat detection and response.

Nepal internet crackdown part of global trend toward suppressing online freedom

Nepal's crackdown on social media companies, which led to protests and police killing at least 19 people, is part of a yearslong decline of internet freedoms around the world as even democracies seek to curtail online speech.

The Himalayan country’s government said last week it was blocking several social media platforms including Facebook, X and YouTube because the companies failed to comply with a requirement that they register with the government. The ban was lifted Tuesday a day after the deadly protests.

What's happening in Nepal mirrors “this broader pattern of controlling the narrative and controlling of stories emerging from the ground,” said Aditya Vashistha, an assistant professor of information science at Cornell University. “This has happened several times in the neighboring countries India, Pakistan, Bangladesh. So this is nothing new — in fact, I would say this is taken from the playbook, which is now very established, of trying to control social media narratives.”

Not just Nepal

Most US adults think individual choices keep people in poverty, a new AP-NORC/Harris poll finds

WASHINGTON (AP) — Most U.S. adults think personal choices are a major driver of poverty and homelessness, according to a new poll, while fewer blame a lack of government support.

However, just over half also think the government spends too little on those in need, the new poll from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows.

The poll comes as homelessness is on the rise and as officials across the country, including Republican President Donald Trump in the nation's capital, push to clear encampments where unhoused people live. At the same time, the GOP tax and spending cut bill signed into law by Trump in July is expected to reduce benefits for low-income people.

“It seems like people are a little conflicted,” said Bruce Meyer, a professor at the University of Chicago Harris School who helped craft and analyze the poll. “I think people probably realize, in part at least, the complexity of what leads people to get in trouble in terms of their economic circumstances. And I think a lot of people are generous at heart and will help people out and think the government should as well, even when individuals aren’t blameless.”

Protests against Nepal’s social-media ban grow more violent as demonstrators set buildings on fire

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Protests against Nepal’s short-lived ban on social media grew increasingly violent Tuesday as demonstrators set government buildings and politicians’ homes on fire and attacked some leaders. The prime minister resigned amid widening criticism of the country’s political elite.

The resignation appeared to have little effect on the unrest. Tens of thousands of protesters remained on the streets late in the day, blocking roads and storming government facilities. Army helicopters ferried some ministers to safe places.

A day earlier, demonstrations led by young people angry about the blocking of several social media sites gripped the capital, and police opened fire on the crowds, killing 19 people.

The ban was lifted Tuesday, but the protests continued, fueled by rage over the deaths and accusations of political corruption in the nation wedged between China and India.

Self-proclaimed ‘Queen of Canada’ freed on bail in Saskatchewan

SWIFT CURRENT - The self-proclaimed spiritual leader known as the "Queen of Canada” was freed on bail Monday, nearly a week after a police raid on her Saskatchewan compound.

And the compound has been declared off limits.

Romana Didulo, 50, was released on strict conditions, including not visiting the village of Richmound west of Regina.

In Richmound, she and her followers -- known as the "Kingdom of Canada" -- have long clashed with locals to the point the village office closed its doors to the public outside prearranged appointments, citing harassment and intimidation towards staff.

Trump celebrates West Point alumni group canceling award ceremony to honor Tom Hanks

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump celebrated news on Monday that an alumni group from West Point canceled an award ceremony set to honor Tom Hanks, with the president calling the famous actor “destructive” and “WOKE.”

Hanks was scheduled to receive the 2025 Sylvanus Thayer Award on Sept. 25, but the U.S. Military Academy's alumni association canceled the ceremony last week, according to news reports.

“Important move!” Trump said in a post on his social media network Monday. “We don’t need destructive, WOKE recipients getting our cherished American Awards!!! Hopefully the Academy Awards, and other Fake Award Shows, will review their Standards and Practices in the name of Fairness and Justice.”

West Point, its alumni association and a representative for Hanks did not immediately respond to messages and calls seeking comment Monday.

Number of private agency nurses rises

As the province tries to move away from its reliance on private agency nurses, data show the practice continues to increase in Manitoba.

A report Thursday from the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba shows there were 1,611 nurses working for private agencies in 2024, up from 1,418 in 2023.

“Our fundamental mandate as the professional regulator is to ensure public protection and provide the conditions that work towards supporting and ensuring patient safety,” said college spokesman Martin Lussier.

“When there is a significant shift in the practice of (nurses) that we regulate, part of our work is to assess: does that create new challenges or risks.”

400+ brands in 5+ years: Winnipeg-based digital marketing firm Mad Social Agency continues to evolve

Maddie Thompson was on a beach when she decided to drop out of school.

It was February 2022 and she was studying architecture at the University of Manitoba. While maintaining her spot on the dean’s honour list, Thompson was also running Mad Social Agency Ltd., the digital marketing firm she’d started two years earlier. She had enough business by that point she was hiring friends to help manage accounts.

Sitting on Locarno Beach in Vancouver, she realized it made sense to drop out and pursue the business full-time.

“My thought process was: I’m going to take a one-year leave of absence and see if I can make this work,” says Thompson, 23. “And I just never went back.”

Province gives businesses loan guarantees amid tariffs

Manitoba’s response to the U.S. waging economic war on Canada includes tens of millions of dollars in loan guarantees to companies to protect and create jobs in the province.

Last month, the provincial cabinet ordered a $15-million loan guarantee requested by Lexington Real Estate Holdings Ltd., which owns Palliser Furniture, but didn't put out a news release to announce it. A spokesperson said it wasn’t announced because of a communication blackout during the Spruce Woods byelection.

“We know that the tariffs that Donald Trump has put on have hurt Canadian companies right across the country,” said Jamie Moses, minister responsible for trade and job creation.

“Here in Manitoba, we work with businesses to make sure that we can support workers and support having good jobs here.”

Onslaught of sports betting ads make gambling seem enticing to youth, doctors say

TORONTO - Doctors are calling for restrictions on sports betting ads, saying they are setting youth up for a future of problem gambling.

An editorial published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal on Monday says the ads are everywhere during sports broadcasts and that the legalization of online gambling has made every smartphone a potential betting platform.

Editor Dr. Shannon Charlebois says even though betting sites say they're only for people 19 years of age and older, youth are being inundated with advertising that equates enjoying sports with betting.

She says child and teen brains are still developing and the constant exposure to gambling messages normalizes harmful behaviour that they can carry into adulthood

Alberta bans sexual images in school library books under revised order

EDMONTON - The Alberta government made good Monday on its promise to revise its school book ban, stating that from now on written descriptions of sex are OK, but images and illustrations of sex are not.

Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides told reporters that visual depictions had been the government's main concern from the start.

When asked by reporters why the government wasn't concerned with written descriptions of explicit sexual material, he said, “An image can be understood and conveyed at any grade level with any degree of comprehension.

“Whereas, of course, vocabulary and understanding progresses and develops throughout the school year."

Great potential in Churchill port project — but…

Prime Minister Mark Carney, seeking to bolster Canadian economic power at a time when its closest ally and trading partner is becoming increasingly hostile, wants to get started on some nation-building projects. Among them, he has indicated, is one to make some serious upgrades to Churchill’s port, funding for which is expected to be announced soon.

Australian woman sentenced to life in prison for mushroom poisonings

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — An Australian judge on Monday sentenced triple-murderer Erin Patterson to life in prison with a non-parole period of 33 years for poisoning four of her estranged husband’s relatives with death cap mushrooms.

Justice Christopher Beale told the Victoria state Supreme Court that Patterson’s crimes involved an enormous betrayal of trust.

Patterson was convicted in July of murdering Don and Gail Patterson and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, with a lunch of beef Wellington pastries laced with foraged death cap mushrooms.

Patterson was also convicted of attempting to murder Heather’s husband Ian Wilkinson, who spent weeks in a hospital.

Carney surprises many with appearance at long-distance trail race

Politicians typically do most of their running on campaign trails, but Prime Minister Mark Carney surprised many people when he competed in a long-distance trail run in southern Ontario on the weekend.

Carney was entered in the 26-kilometre event in the Haliburton Forest Trail Race, an annual event held about 160 kilometres north of Toronto, which also has longer distance categories, with the longest being 100 miles (160 kilometres).

"It has a reputation as one of the harder trail runs in Canada," organizer Tegan Legge said in a phone interview, noting the course features steep hills and an occasional rock face that competitors must scramble up.

"A 'crushing course' is what we hear, but we take that as a compliment."