MONTREAL — A fire last March that killed seven people in a heritage building in Old Montreal has turned into a criminal investigation that could lead to a wide range of charges, from arson to murder, city police said Monday. Traces of fire accelerant were found at the site, which help explain why the flames […]

OTTAWA — The federal government is looking for ways to bring more infant formula products to Canada while it overhauls regulations to prevent future shortages, an internal memo shows. Many parents still struggle to find the right formula for their babies at a reasonable price, after last year’s temporary shutdown of a U.S.-based manufacturing plant […]

OTTAWA — The haunting effect of Paul Bernardo’s crimes lingered for Canadians nearly 30 years later, detailed in the hundreds of messages that poured into Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office after the serial killer was transferred to a medium-security prison. “I have a personal friend who was on that jury and she remains traumatized nearly […]

OTTAWA — Canada changed the way it settles First Nation land claims, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada confirmed Friday. The department is also mulling over possible amendments to the Indian Act and the Specific Claims Tribunal Act, though it didn’t say what those changes would be. The response came after The Canadian Press obtained […]

OTTAWA — Canada’s corporate-ethics watchdog is investigating if Walmart, Hugo Boss and Diesel have forced labour in their supply chains. Sheri Meyerhoffer, the Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise, issued three reports today saying none of the companies have done enough to demonstrate the products they sell in Canada are free of slave labour. The Canadian subsidiaries […]

New Brunswick’s education minister has announced small changes to the school gender policy that’s created a storm of controversy. Bill Hogan told reporters outside a rural school in Keswick Ridge on Wednesday that his Progressive Conservative government was making tweaks to Policy 713, which addresses gender identity, less than two weeks before school starts. Those […]

NIAGARA FALLS, Ont. — At Marineland, the Ontario theme park subject to a long running animal welfare investigation, 14 whales and one dolphin have died since 2019, The Canadian Press has learned. Details about the deaths at the tourist attraction in Niagara Falls, Ont., are contained in a list created by the Ministry of the […]

OTTAWA — Canada has been pondering a new way to settle First Nation land claims, newly released internal documents show. In briefing materials prepared for the deputy minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, the federal government also acknowledged issues with the current specific claims process. Specific claims deal with past wrongs against First […]

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Top administrators at New Mexico State University wanted to find just the right wording to announce that they were pulling the plug on the men’s basketball season following reports of alleged hazing involving team members. It was a busy afternoon in February — Super Bowl Sunday, in fact — as university […]

The federal government has delayed implementing energy-efficiency regulations for major home appliances in order to align with new stringent standards announced by the U.S. Department of Energy. A briefing note obtained by Canada’s National Observer through a federal access-to-information request reveals how Natural Resources Canada is adapting to the U.S.’s new plan to increase energy-efficiency […]

The Manitoba government’s main reason to make a U-turn and build classrooms via public-private partnerships — a controversial model the Tories rejected in 2018 — is to fulfil a new promise to open 22 public schools by 2027. Internal documents obtained by the Free Press show government staffers have been in talks about using a […]

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee’s GOP-dominant Legislature will return to the state Capitol on Monday months after a deadly school shooting, equipped with a long list of proposals about mental health, school resources, tougher penalties for violent criminals and more. Almost certainly missing from the special legislative session will be any serious consideration of tightening […]