First Nations chiefs in B.C. call on Carney, Smith, to halt pipeline advancement

A group that represents numerous First Nations across British Columbia is calling on Ottawa and Alberta's government to halt efforts to advance the West Coast pipeline, saying expanding the oil industry will accelerate climate change and disasters.

"The destructive and disastrous consequences of expanding fossil fuel production extend far beyond any single territory," the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs said in a letter addressed to Prime Minister Mark Carney and Premier Danielle Smith.

"From catastrophic wildfires to destructive floods and rising seas, the impacts of climate change are already being felt across this country. Every new fossil fuel project deepens that crisis."

The letter is signed by the group's heads, including Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, and it said B.C. Premier David Eby also has a copy of it.

Montreal LGBTQ+ community sees competing Pride parades

MONTREAL - Geneviève Gagnon says she has been attending the Montreal Pride parade with her children for many years.

She came to watch the parade downtown on Sunday with her daughter, Florence, who was wrapped in a Pride flag and came out as pansexual when she was 18.

"The most important thing is for (Florence) to be happy," said Gagnon. "People should just be happy and let people live. Love is love and nothing changes that."

Marc Venne, 72, said he attended the very first Montreal Pride parade 20 years ago. In recent years, he said he has noticed a rise in homophobia.

Does Wealthsimple want to add sports, politics to its new prediction markets product?

TORONTO - Wealthsimple’s newest product has given armchair economists and Canadians convinced they can predict Mother Nature a chance to put their skills to the test, but some say the business is likely after an even bigger audience.

The Toronto-based financial services company started offering prediction markets last month. The product lets customers make wagers of $1 or less on the outcome of economic, financial or climate matters like what will happen at the Bank of Canada's next interest rate announcement or how many major Atlantic hurricanes there will be this year.

But the first few weeks have some thinking Wealthsimple might have even bigger ambitions.

When Charles Martineau, an associate professor of finance at the University of Toronto, and Marius Zoican, the Canada Research Chair in financial technology, each logged onto Wealthsimple's Predict app, they found it displaying stakes in who will become the next James Bond, what the score will be at future football games and who will win the 2028 U.S. presidential election.

With the right preparation, international trips with babies are possible and even fun

Traveling with babies and toddlers can be daunting for parents. Questions about air travel, what to pack and safety are often top of mind, especially on long-distance flights and international trips.

“Traveling with kids is a whole new world," said Dr. Shannon Thompson, a pediatrician at Cleveland Clinic Children's, adding that it's important to “enjoy your kiddo on your trip” as much as you can.

Here are some tips and tricks for parents to travel safely with young children — and have fun with them, too.

Look for amenities like cribs and high chairs before you book

Vibrant Norwood apartment garden a labour of love to honour green thumb’s late partner

St. Vital resident Rob Duncan can’t pinpoint when he first noticed an award-winning garden blanketing the grounds of a two-storey St. Mary’s Road apartment block, near Coniston Street.

Perhaps he was on his way home from work and caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of his eye. Or maybe he was running errands in the Norwood Flats area and paused to admire the array of annuals, perennials and potted plants that extends from the block’s doorway to the front curb.

What Duncan does know for certain is that after spying the urban oasis, twice fêted in Take Pride Winnipeg’s annual Winnipeg in Bloom competition, he couldn’t unsee it.

“First of all, the pink building really stands out,” Duncan says, referring to the brightly painted California Apartments complex at 268 St. Mary’s Rd. “But then you have the pergola, the rock garden, the flowers and trees… a sea of colour on a very busy street.”

Watching while we work

For many employees, the idea that their employer might be tracking how long they spend at their keyboard, how often they move their mouse, or whether they are actively working throughout the day feels unsettling. For many employers, however, workplace surveillance is increasingly viewed as another management tool, particularly as hybrid and remote work become more common. The recent news that TD plans to monitor certain employees’ activity during the workday has reignited a conversation that has been quietly growing for several years: where is the line between legitimate oversight and excessive monitoring?

The reality is that workplace surveillance is nothing new. Employers have long monitored attendance, reviewed security camera footage, tracked company vehicles using GPS, audited expense reports, and reviewed internet usage on company-owned devices. What has changed is the sophistication of the technology. Today’s software can record login times, monitor application usage, track keystrokes, capture screenshots, analyze email activity, and even generate reports ranking employees based on their perceived productivity.

This naturally raises an important question. Does increased surveillance actually make people work harder?

The answer is not nearly as straightforward as many organizations hope.

An updated Wolseley classic

For unknown reasons, many older homes — in addition to being dated — were never fully developed or updated by their previous owners.

That was the scenario when a renovator went in to update a dishevelled two-and-a-half storey home in Wolseley in February 2026, says Darryl Walsh of Royal LePage Prime Real Estate.

“This was ... badly in need of updating,” he says of the 1,612 sq. ft. residence, which was built in 1910. “Not only that, but the top floor had never been fully developed.”

Today, the home’s top floor is now fully functional — and then some.

Rise of computer program Lean has changed the field of mathematics — and how we assess the truth

There are two age-old laments about mathematics which persist to this day. The first is that either ourselves or someone we know will express that they are not a math person — an admission that we are not good at math, or that somehow we are not hardwired for it. But we don’t tend to admit the same for reading, writing, child rearing, cooking or other skills that we deem inherent to the human experience.

The second lament is one that asks why we even learn math. “We’ll never use this in the real world,” goes the saying, particularly within the context of pre-calculus mathematics or calculus itself.

Both of these laments are regrettable, and most certainly need to be corrected by the public education system. Because, as author Kevin Hartnett argues in his latest work, The Proof in the Code: How a Truth Machine is Transforming Math and AI, mathematics is not only the language of the universe, but also a pathway to learning how to reason and seek truth.

Mathematics, ergo, is the language, both the physical and the metaphysical.

À Granby, le Manitoba francophone au micro

Bercée par la musique depuis l’enfance, Mercédès Beaudry sera la seule représentante du Manitoba à Jamais Trop Tôt, le volet jeunesse du Festival international de la chanson de Granby (FICG), au Québec. Le 16 août, l’auteure compositrice-interprète de 17 ans montera sur la scène du Palace de Granby aux côtés de 19 autres artistes de la relève francophone venus des quatre coins du Canada.

Mère, père, frère et même ses chats : à peine sélectionnée, Mercédès Beaudry s’est empressée de leur annoncer la bonne nouvelle. La jeune artiste se trouvait avec un ami quand le téléphone s’est mis à sonner : “Pour la première fois dans ma vie, je dois prendre un appel,” s’amuse-t-elle. C’est avec un grand enthousiasme qu’elle a accueilli cette sélection.

Après le dévoilement public de la cohorte, la nouvelle de sa participation s’est vite répandue dans son entourage. “Il y a des personnes qui m’ont textée et qui ne savent pas forcément en quoi consiste Jamais Trop Tôt, alors je dois expliquer ça à tout le monde.”

Au programme du FICG, qui se déroulera du 13 au 23 août, Jamais Trop Tôt n’est pas une compétition, mais un projet musical pancanadien avec un spectacle à la clé. Vingt interprètes de la relève francophone venus des quatre coins du Canada, dont près de la moitié du Québec, passeront cinq jours à l’Université Bishop’s, du 11 au 15 août, pour suivre une formation vocale et scénique. Ils se produiront ensuite en spectacle le 16 août à 19 h 30 au Palace de Granby.

Minago mining project under review with First Nation seeking funding options

A MULTI-MILLION-DOLLAR mining project in northern Manitoba is under review as its First Nation owner undergoes mass restructuring.

“All options are on the table” for the Minago Critical Minerals Project, said Blake Russell, senior adviser to Norway House Cree Nation’s chief.

The First Nation, north of Lake Winnipeg, had a leadership change following a May election. Chief Season Roulette pledged that all the nation’s programs would be reviewed to ensure they’re in-budget and providing value.

Norway House bought the Minago project for $10 million in 2024. The mining venture spans a swath of land along Highway 6, south of Ponton and north of Grand Rapids.

Farm to table is better, friendlier, tastier

Every year without fail, when the ground starts to thaw and temperatures begin to rise, Manitobans start calling Scott Schriemer.

“I’ll have people already phone me in the beginning of May asking if the local strawberries are ready yet,” says the proprietor of Vic’s Market (1049 Pembina Hwy.).

“Generally speaking, most people know strawberries don’t start until the end of June, but they get to a point where they have a real craving for something that’s been produced here, that’s fresh and that’s new.”

There are plenty of positives for those with access to locally grown, seasonal produce, especially when it comes to how something tastes.

Trucking operation linked to fatality in Brandon shut down by Alberta government

The Alberta government has shut down Conquer Transport Inc., the trucking company linked to a crash near Brandon in which a 49-year-old woman, who had the right of way, was killed.

Devin Dreeshen, Alberta’s transport minister, said the province launched an investigation into Conquer Transport after one of its semi-trucks ran a stop sign on May 27, 2026 at Highway 110 at Richmond Avenue East.

The semi hit an SUV driven by Xiaoyun Zhang, a Chinese immigrant who worked at the nearby pork processing plant. She died at the scene and the truck driver, 35-year-old Brijpal Panwar, has been charged with dangerous driving causing death.

“Our investigative team went out and … saw numerous non-compliance issues, whether it was hours of service with their drivers not being recorded properly, vehicle maintenance and inspections being insufficient, their safety program also being insufficient.”

A measure of hope a decade after senseless death, injustice

Colten Boushie’s death and the trial of the man who killed him had an immense impact on Canadians, many of whom learned about the injustice Indigenous communities know all too well for the first time.

Province allows pharmacists to prescribe birth control; more services coming, Asagwara says

Manitoba pharmacists have new powers to assess for, prescribe and administer birth control.

Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara announced an expanded scope of practice — although limitations on the profession remain the strictest in Canada — during a news conference Friday.

“This means that people will be able to access contraception more quickly, more conveniently and closer to home,” Asagwara told reporters inside the legislature.

The minister touted the regulatory changes, which came into effect Tuesday, as an expansion of the province’s free birth control initiative.

Can federal legislation effectively rein in social media’s opaque algorithms and deceptive design features?

In June, when Ottawa introduced Bill C-34, the Safe Social Media Act, one element — plans to block children under the age of 16 from certain social media platforms — dominated headlines and fuelled debates.

But this marks just one component of a complex, 92-page bill that would enact two separate pieces of legislation: the Digital Safety Act and the Digital Safety Commission of Canada Act.

The Free Press took a close look at the tabled bill, breaking down the changes it would make, if passed.

Heritage Minister Marc Miller, whose department is responsible for the file, told reporters in June the bill meant to ramp up Canada’s oversight of Big Tech.

Dairy farmers warn against concessions as U.S. tariff deadline looms

OTTAWA - Canadian dairy farmers are warning against any concessions involving their sector as trade talks intensify with the United States ahead of President Donald Trump's tariff deadline.

A new round of 50 per cent American tariffs on a range of Canadian goods is set to take effect on Aug. 19. Unlike most of Trump’s other tariffs, these would have no exemptions for goods that comply with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico agreement on trade.

The supply management system that protects Canadian dairy has been cited by the U.S. as a key irritant in trade negotiations and Trump has complained repeatedly about the level of U.S. dairy farmers' access to Canada's market.

Dairy Farmers of Canada says it's urging the federal government not to offer any more concessions on dairy or supply management in talks with the United States.

Old military transport aircraft to get new lease on life as waterbombers

OTTAWA - The federal government said Friday it is selling 10 of its used CC-130H Hercules aircraft to B.C.-based aerospace company Coulson Aviation, which will convert them into firefighting aircraft.

They're part of a fleet of 12 retired by the Royal Canadian Air Force back in January. The remaining two Hercs will be put on public display at bases and museums.

Secretary of State for Defence Procurement Stephen Fuhr announced the conditional sale of the recently retired aircraft in Abbotsford, B.C., where an international air show is being held.

Fuhr called the sale a "gold standard" divestment project that will give the military assets a new lease on life.

Some US adults are using AI for financial guidance but few trust it, Gallup poll finds

NEW YORK (AP) — Some U.S. adults are using artificial intelligence for financial guidance, but it’s far from the most trusted source of advice, according to a new Gallup survey conducted in partnership with Edward Jones, a financial services firm.

About 1 in 5 Americans who have sought financial advice in the past year turned to AI, the survey found. But among U.S. adults overall, only about 3 in 10 have “a great deal” or “some” confidence in its expertise for managing money, according to the survey, including just 3% who trust AI “a great deal.”

The poll, which was conducted in the spring and looked at the views of adults who are at least 21, found a disconnect between the resources Americans trust for financial advice and the ones they actually rely on. About 8 in 10 U.S. adults have at least “some” confidence in financial advisers. But only about one-third of U.S. adults who sought financial advice turned to a professional financial adviser, with far more, 73%, saying they relied on their own internet research.

As the use of AI increases, financial experts say consumers should be cautious about fully trusting these tools. Using AI as a tool at the start of a learning journey and then combining this knowledge with other trusted sources can be the best way to engage with new and traditional financial guidance tools, said Taha Choukhmane, associate professor at MIT’s Sloan School of Management.