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U.S. booze might end up back on Canadian shelves, but have we lost the taste for it?

Jillian Kestler-D'Amours — Sat, 08 Aug 2026 08:00:00 GMT

A sign at a Vancouver liqour store in February last year encourages customers to consider purchasing Canadian alcohol. British Columbia and several other provinces have since pulled top selling American products from liquor store shelves in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press)

Deb Anderson can't remember the last time she bought a product from the United States.

Like many Canadians, the 65 year old from Prospect, N.S., said she's been alarmed by U.S. President Donald Trump's repeated threats against Canada — and she's been boycotting American goods in protest.

So when she read on Friday that Canada was prepared to lift a ban on American alcohol sales as part of its trade negotiations with the Trump administration, Anderson says she felt disappointed.

"But just because it goes back on the shelves doesn't mean that sales are going to go back to where they were. The damage has been done," she told CBC in an interview.

Anderson says the "constant badgering and unfair negotiation practices" from the U.S. have "really give us a bad taste for all things American."

Anderson doesn't appear to be alone in her feelings: Sixty-nine per cent of Canadians said they weren't likely to buy American alcohol if it goes back on store shelves, according to a Nanos Research poll published last month.

Support for a continued boycott of U.S. alcohol was highest in British Columbia, where 80.9 per cent of respondents said they were unlikely or somewhat unlikely to buy U.S. booze again if it's made available.

That was followed by 74.7 per cent of people in Ontario and 73.9 per cent of Quebecers who said the same, the poll found.

WATCH | Are the booze bans an effective pressure tactic?:

Is the U.S. booze ban working?

July 21|

3:31

With most Canadian provinces vowing to keep U.S. alcohol off store shelves in response to President Donald Trump’s latest tariff threats, CBC’s Eli Glasner asks: are the booze bans an effective pressure tactic or merely political symbolism — and an inconvenience for consumers.

Steep decline in U.S. alcohol imports

Industry sources with knowledge of Canada-U.S. trade negotiations told CBC News that the Canadian government was prepared to lift bans on alcohol sales as it negotiates possible concessions in exchange for U.S. tariff relief.

Trump has threatened to impose 50 per cent tariffs on some Canadian goods on Aug. 19 if Canada fails to lift some retaliatory trade measures against the U.S., including the alcohol bans.

Those bans date back to early last year, when several provinces removed U.S. alcohol from the shelves at their respective liquor boards in response to Trump slapping a 25-per-cent tariff on Canadian goods.

Ivan Gedz, who owns the bar Union Local 613 in Ottawa, says his stockpile of American booze ran out two months after U.S. supplies were taken off the shelves at the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) last year.

But Gedz says customers at the bar, which had previously offered a wide range of American spirits, didn't bat an eye at not having access to bourbon and other alcohol made south of the border.

Instead, the U.S. alcohol ban encouraged patrons to try booze they'd never had before.

"There's nothing I love more than giving someone an Indian whisky and they're like, 'India? I didn't even know India made whisky,' " Gedz told CBC News in an interview. "They're producing excellent stuff — it's just we don't get a ton of it."

A proposal to halt provincial bans on American booze was revealed Friday as negotiators race to reach a deal before new U.S. tariffs take effect on Aug. 19. However, a poll last month suggested 69 per cent of Canadians said they weren't likely to buy U.S. alcohol even if it returns to shelves. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press)

Changing tastes?

The need to seek out alternatives is something that was seen in other parts of Canada, too.

Quebec's liquor board, the Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ), said in its 2026 annual report that "fans of U.S. wines have turned to counterparts from other regions" amid the ban.

"Canadian wines, including Quebec wines, have gained popularity and now rank ahead of Australia's," the report said, adding that Austrian wines were also becoming more popular in "a sign that customers are curious and open to discovering new countries of origin."

Nicole Raufeisen is director of operations at Grape Witches, a bar and wine bottle shop in Toronto that continued to sell U.S. wines it already had stocked when the ban came into effect.

"We've slowly ticked away through those products. I think we're down to maybe just one or two different wines," she told CBC in an interview on Friday.

If the ban is lifted, Raufeisen says she expects customers will again reach for wines they enjoy from the U.S., such as fuller-bodied reds from California. "People will go back because those wines are good, that market share is well-trodden, so to speak, and the visibility there is high."

But she added that demand for American wines can also be attributed to trade barriers between provinces.

While nine provincial premiers announced last month that they would introduce direct-to-consumer alcohol sales between provinces, Raufeisen says restrictions on wholesale wine sales between provinces remain a major challenge.

"If there were no interprovincial barriers to the wholesale movement of wines, then it's possible that no one would miss any of the American wines," she said, noting that B.C. wines are comparable to those from California.

WATCH | Trump said Canada has 'nasty leadership':

Canada has 'nasty leadership,' says Trump as he praises U.S. tariff policy

August 6|

0:40

U.S. President Donald Trump, speaking from Las Vegas on Wednesday, praised his government's use of tariffs and once again mentioned Canada, saying, 'I love the people' but that the country has 'nasty leadership.'

Back in Ottawa, Gedz says Union Local 613 would probably bring U.S. booze back if the ban is lifted as part of a wider trade agreement between the two countries.

But he says he doesn't expect American alcohol to be as popular as it once was because many Canadians "have exposed themselves to products that they may not have tried" without the ban in place.

"I'm just hoping that those customers maintain their willingness for experimentation," Gedz said. "And you know what? If we stick it to the Americans for a little while longer, I'm cool with that."

On America's northern border, the threats are not unidirectional

Willy Lowry — Sat, 08 Aug 2026 08:00:00 GMT

Tim Thayer is a marine interdiction agent with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, assigned to the Detroit sector, which covers Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. (Willy Lowry/CBC)

Clad in a black bulletproof vest, a gun clasped to his hip, Tim Thayer gently pushes down the throttles of four 350-horsepower engines — and the 18,000-pound U.S. Customs and Border Protection boat jumps to life on the Detroit River.

Thayer is a marine interdiction agent, part of a team that patrols the waterways that make up the Canada-U.S. border in this part of the country.

He's assigned to the Detroit sector, an area that encompasses Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. The border with Canada here is entirely water — all 1,388 kilometres of it — which poses a unique challenge.

A peculiar quirk in the geography of the two countries is that Windsor, Ont., lies south of Detroit, separated by the river and connected by two bridges and a tunnel, with some seven million people crossing back and forth here alone annually.

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection boat is shown navigating the Detroit River, near Windsor, Ont., on Aug. 4. (Willy Lowry/CBC)

On a warm Wednesday afternoon, Thayer scans south, looking toward the Windsor shoreline, his eyes searching for anything out of the ordinary.

"When we do our enforcement patrols out here on the Detroit River, what we're seeing is both people, narcotics and guns going back and forth between the U.S. and Canada," he said.

Canada prepared to halt booze bans, meet other U.S. demands in exchange for tariff relief: sources

During the Prohibition era of the 1920s and '30s, the Windsor-Detroit corridor was the main route smugglers used to bring alcohol into the U.S. illegally from Canada.

While illegal activity on the Detroit River is perhaps not nearly as bustling today, the sheer number of recreational boaters who are frequently out presents a challenge for law enforcement.

WATCH | Trump's fentanyl claims aren't materializing at this Canada-U.S. crossing:

Trump’s fentanyl claims aren’t materializing at this Canada-U.S. crossing

August 7|

2:05

U.S. President Donald Trump declared a national emergency at both the northern and southern borders in 2025, citing the fentanyl crisis to justify tariffs levied against Canadian and Mexican imports. Ottawa, for its part, has committed roughly $1.3B in multi-year investments to beef up border security with the U.S. At the Detroit-Windsor border, the CBC’s Willy Lowry takes a look at how the U.S. handles things on their side of the fence.

"We saw how many boats today? And every boat could be a smuggler unless we stop every single boat," asked Kris Grogan, chief of external communications at CBP's air and marine operations.

"You have to use intelligence and partnerships to be able to secure this area up here."

Trump's claims aren't materializing

Just days into his second term in 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump accused Canada of failing to prevent drugs, especially fentanyl and human traffickers, from entering the U.S., using the flow of drugs as justification to declare a national emergency and slapping 25 per cent tariffs on an array of Canadian goods under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) of 1977.

In February of this year, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down those tariffs.

And while Trump has painted a picture of a porous and dangerous border, the reality is much more complicated.

In 2025, U.S. border officials in the Detroit sector seized more than 4,200 kilograms of illegal drugs, including nearly 15 kilograms of fentanyl, according to statistics provided by CBP. But the statistics don't reveal the direction the drugs were travelling.

"It's really not that big of a problem for inbound," said Lavarah Miller, a CBP watch commander on duty when CBC News toured a brand new American port of entry facility at the newly opened Gordie Howe International Bridge.

"A lot of the stuff that we actually get, we get a lot of it going out."

A view from the new American port of entry facility at the just-opened Gordie Howe International Bridge, which runs between Windsor, Ont., and Detroit. CBC News recently spent two days with U.S. Customs Border and Protection agents stationed in the region. (Willy Lowry/CBC)

And guns, too, are travelling north, recent statistics show.

In 2024, 87 per cent of the guns recovered in crimes in Ontario were traced back to the U.S, according to figures compiled by Ontario Provincial Police. In Toronto, police say 88 per cent of guns recovered were illegally smuggled into the country.

"Firearms, for sure. But also, the United States is the middle ground for drugs coming up into our country from Mexico and South America," said Kelly Sundberg, a professor of criminology at Mount Royal University in Calgary.

What tariffs are still in place? Tracking the Canada-U.S. trade war

While the flow of drugs and weapons between the two countries is primarily northward, Sundberg said, Canada still poses a threat to the U.S. — just not the one Trump continues to accuse Canada of.

"There is virtually no fentanyl getting smuggled into the United States, especially when you compare it to what's coming in from Mexico," he said. "Nevertheless Canada does have some serious issues with staffing [at our border] — we don't have enough officers.

"The officers we do have need to be better educated, better trained, better selected, better equipped. There needs to be a significant investment in the human side of our border security."

A tale of 2 borders

Canada's fentanyl czar — a role created in the early days of the trade war to try and assuage Trump's concerns about the northern border — has also pushed back against suggestions that Canada poses a major drug-trafficking threat.

In an interview with CBC's The House in June, Kevin Brosseau pointed to new data from CBP that shows less than half a kilogram of fentanyl was seized at the Canada-U.S. border in May, compared to 358 kilograms at the Mexico-U.S. border.

The total amount of fentanyl seized by U.S. officials so far this year at the Canadian border is approximately three kilograms. At the Mexican border, it's approximately 3,221 kilograms.

Despite ongoing political tensions between Washington and Ottawa, the U.S. border agents who spoke with CBC News over our two-day tour insisted the working relationship with their Canadian counterparts has remained unchanged over the last 18 months.

"Locally, we still have great partnerships with those agencies right across the water," said Tim Balkus, the patrol agent in charge of the Detroit sector.

Meanwhile, Thayer nods his head as an RCMP boat flies past, the Gordie Howe bridge looming large in the distance — a symbol of both how strong and strained the bond between the two countries is today.

The world wants more Canadian-made water bombers. Can Canada build them fast enough?

Verity Stevenson — Sat, 08 Aug 2026 08:00:00 GMT

A Canadair firefighting aircraft drops water on a wildfire in the Fox-Amphoux communal forest near Pontevès, in France's Var department, as drought conditions worsen following a heat wave and water shortages across much of the country, in July. (Manon Cruz/Reuters)

As France battled what President Emmanuel Macron called its worst wildfire crisis since the Second World War, his government faced swift criticism over whether it was prepared for the scale of the fires.

But another, less likely target soon came into view: Canada.

"We don't have enough Canadairs," said Didou Deyres, vice-president of the forest fire defence department in Le Porge, where 183 homes burned in late July after flames swept through the pine forests outside Bordeaux.

France has 12 of the distinctive yellow water bombers, but Deyres said only seven were flying at the height of the crisis.

Had more firefighting capacity been available sooner — "on the ground and in the air" — things may have been different, he said.

Asked whom he blamed, Deyres smiled: "Canada."

"We have to work together with Canada to modernize the planes."

How an aging fleet of Canadairs is keeping Europe's wildfires at bay

Deyres's answer was tongue-in-cheek, but it points to a real pressure building across Europe: demand for Canadian-made water bombers is growing faster than De Havilland Canada can deliver them.

Drought and successive heat waves have fuelled destructive fires across Europe, putting greater pressure on governments to expand their aerial firefighting fleets.

Didiou Deyres, the vice-president of the forest fire defence department in Le Porge, France, says the country lacks firefighting resources. (Verity Stevenson/CBC)

European countries have ordered 22 new Canadair 515 aircraft from De Havilland Canada since 2022. But after production of the aircraft line was dormant for nearly a decade, the first newly built planes are not expected to begin reaching European customers until 2028. France is expected to wait until 2032 for the second half of its order of four, according to the company.

France's Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said in June that he hoped those deadlines would be "respected."

The hand-built planes are unmatched in the firefighting aircraft market and are built to last for decades. They are agile even at low speeds and scoop water directly from lakes and other suitable bodies of water before returning quickly to a fire.

The aircraft can scoop roughly 6,000 litres of water in about 12 seconds.

"They really are the backbone of most European firefighting operations," said Neil Sweeney, De Havilland Canada's vice-president of operations. "The last few weeks have reminded everybody just how important these aircraft are."

Neil Sweeney, vice-president of corporate affairs for Westerkirk Capital, the company which holds De Havilland Canada, poses for a picture as De Havilland produces the Canadair 515 water bomber to combat wildfires, in Calgary, Alta., in August 2025. (Ahmed Zakot/Reuters)

The Canadair line had been dormant since 2015, when its former manufacturer, Bombardier, stopped building the aircraft with no orders pending. By the time De Havilland launched the new Canadair 515 program in 2022, much of the supply chain had disappeared, forcing the company to re-establish sources for the roughly 50,000 parts needed to build each aircraft, a process that takes about 10 months, according to one expert.

"The supply chain disappeared," said McGill University aviation management expert John Gradek. Suppliers had moved on, tooling had been dismantled and thousands of specialized parts once made for the aircraft had to be sourced again.

France's existing fleet has also come under strain this season. Although Canadairs are designed to remain in service for decades, Gradek said France has been flying its aircraft almost continuously during peak fire season, increasing maintenance demands.

After scooping water from the Seine River while fighting a fire in the Fontainebleau forest near Paris, pilot Grégory Prats complained that France had spent 2 billion euros ($3.2 billion Cdn) cleaning the river in time for the 2024 Olympics but had not invested enough in its firefighting fleet.

The question now is whether De Havilland should expand production before more governments commit to buying aircraft.

Sweeney told CBC News that De Havilland would build another production plant if it could sell 50 planes to Canadian governments.

But Gradek argues the company is being too cautious.

"Risk averse — and that's the Canadian way, right?"

Canadair firefighting planes fly over Fontainebleau forest, which was affected by wildfires near Noisy-sur-École, outside Paris, during a heat wave in July. (Stephane Mahe/Reuters)

Rather than waiting for governments to place more orders, Gradek said De Havilland could do more to modernize and streamline production. He argues the company needs to invest in greater manufacturing capacity if it wants to maintain its commanding position in the market.

No 'handouts'

Gradek also questions why the company hasn't entered into a public-private partnership with the federal government.

"This is an aircraft that would basically be able to address an evolving national emergency. And if it's a national emergency, we need national support," he said.

De Havilland sees it differently.

Sweeney said the privately held company is "not looking for handouts and not looking for subsidies — just orders."

Building another production line would require hundreds of millions of dollars in investment, he said.

"It's not like an automobile. You don't really build them on spec," he said. He noted that the planes are customized for each country ordering them.

Still, Gradek worries De Havilland risks losing the commanding position Canada has built over decades by waiting for firm orders before expanding production.

"The world loves your airplanes," he said. But with wildfire seasons growing longer and governments scrambling to rebuild their fleets, he argues Canada cannot assume that dominance will last.

"You have to go out there and spend the money to build these plants and the orders will come."

Competition on the horizon

That pressure is already emerging. European aerospace companies and startups, such as Positive Aviation and Kepplair, are racing to develop competing firefighting aircraft. France has taken matters into its own hands as well, retrofitting an A400M military transport aircraft to be able to dump up to 20,000 litres of water or fire retardant.

None of the new entrants has the Canadair's decades-long operational record, and Sweeney said De Havilland is aware of the competition. But the efforts underscore what Gradek sees as a narrowing window for Canada's only producer of large, water-scooping aircraft.

"The world is not going to wait for Canada," Gradek said.

WATCH | Canadairs went back into production in 2024:

Iconic Canadian-made water bomber in production once again

September 7, 2025|

1:59

The growing threat of wildfires means global demand for the aircraft is soaring. The production factory is in Calgary and the CBC's Josh McLean reports on its how quickly it hopes to get the planes out the door.

Why is gaming giant Roblox losing tens of billions in market value?

Richard Raycraft — Sat, 08 Aug 2026 08:00:00 GMT

The popular gaming platform Roblox has lost approximately $97.5 billion Cdn in market value over the last year. (Ramil Sitdikov/Reuters)

Roblox isn’t getting the high financial scores that it used to — not even close.

The popular gaming platform has lost approximately $97.5 billion Cdn in market value over the last year, according to stock market data. The company says the decline is partly because of changes in the games its users play and growing pains as it attempts to attract older gamers — but experts say more could be at play.

"I think there's actually a lot of things going on," said Aaron Langille, co-ordinator of the game design and simulation program at Cambrian College in Sudbury, Ont.

"I think it's sort of a platform getting a little bit older, and maybe making some decisions that didn't work out."

Roblox Corporation’s stock price is down approximately 70 per cent compared to this time last year, dropping from $129.63 US ($180.67 Cdn) to $36.96 US ($51.51 Cdn). The stock fell sharply following an earnings call last week where executives reported revenue below company expectations.

If you don’t have iPad-armed kids in your life, Roblox is a gaming and creation platform where users can play games created by other users. Released in 2006, the platform has since grown to 151.5 million daily users and 3.5 million game developers, according to company data.

Roblox offers racing games, obstacle courses, first-person shooters, platformers, board games and more. The vast majority are multiplayer, where gamers play with or against other gamers.

Roblox gamers tend to be younger. The company, which rolled out identity and age verification for users earlier this year, said in February that of the daily active users who had completed verification, 35 per cent were younger than 13 and 38 per cent were aged 13 to 17, making more than half of all active players non-adults.

CEO David Baszucki and CFO Naveen Chopra told investors last week that Roblox has fallen short of its expectations this year when it comes to getting users to spend — particularly those under 13. They said the shortcoming was partly because of changes Roblox has made in the platform’s game recommendation algorithm, but also because games that are popular now aren’t moneymakers compared to last year’s hits.

“If you just look at the percentage of hours consumed on the platform last year, that was coming from these very large and high-monetizing viral hits — it was very concentrated,” Chopra said on the call.

“Those games did appeal, in particular, to younger users.”

Concerns raised over safety

Roblox, which includes text and voice communication between users, is looking to broaden its appeal to include older gamers. The effort comes as governments, watchdogs and experts have raised concerns about safety of young users on the platform.

The RCMP’s National Child Exploitation Crime Centre received more than 1,000 reports involving Roblox between 2024 and 2025, according to the Mounties.

In February 2025, 16-year-old Penelope Sokolowski of Vancouver took her own life after online messaging with a violent cult called 764, which encourages self-harm. She first met a member of 764 on Roblox.

Public Safety Canada listed 764 as a terrorist entity last December, saying “members routinely use various social media and gaming platforms, particularly those with young and marginalized user bases, to lure, groom and extort youth to commit violent and sexual acts, including self-harm.”

Roblox reached an agreement with the state of Nevada in June to implement more stringent online safety measures for young users and to put more than $10 million US towards education and safety efforts.

Yulia Nevskaya, an assistant professor of marketing at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont,, said the platform’s complexity makes it difficult to pin down the cause of its financial downturn beyond the company’s explanations, but said safety concerns could be a factor.

“Roblox is facing a lot of scrutiny over safety, especially for children, and the company recently introduced new rules for age and account verification, which some users see as intrusive,” she said in an email.

“That could also be leading to some user base loss and affect some game developers' willingness to supply games. It’s very messy.”

Baszucki and Chopra also emphasized positives on the earnings call. They said changes to Roblox’s algorithm have boosted user retention.

They added that the company has seen growth in international markets like Japan and India, and that there’s increased diversity in what games users are playing — three years ago, its Top 10 games accounted for 30 per cent of all gaming hours compared to 20 per cent today.

Baszucki, Roblox’s Winnipeg-born co-founder, said improved gamer retention and growth, especially among older gamers, will eventually pay off, despite the disappointing revenue numbers.

“I’ve never been more excited about our mission, and more excited and confident in the road ahead.”

David Baszucki, co-founder and CEO of Roblox Corporation, attends the Allen and Company Sun Valley Media and Technology Conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, on July 8, 2025. Baszucki said on a recent earnings call that Roblox is making the right decisions for long-term growth, despite disappointing numbers for the company recently. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters)

Cristiano Politowski, an assistant professor of computer science at Ontario Tech University in Oshawa Ont., said Roblox is unique among gaming companies since it has full control of the platform its games appear on, and its ability to manage its platform suggests the changes that hurt its stock price in the short-term are part of a genuine long-term strategy.

“As the kids say nowadays, they are cooking something,” Politowski said.

“This is one step back to go two forward later.”

But, unlike its young userbase, Roblox could be starting to show its age.

“Twenty years is actually a really, really long time,” Langille said.

“I think what they’re seeing is that as their players they had along with them from the beginning are changing what they want to play, and what they think of as fun, they’re having a little bit of a harder time attracting new players.”

The air travel industry was on the brink of disaster, but travellers are still taking to the skies

Hanna Lee — Sat, 08 Aug 2026 08:00:00 GMT

Tourists take selfies in front of the Basilica of the Sacre Coeur in Montmartre in Paris in Ile de France in France in late June. Despite worries about headwinds earlier this year, the travel industry — and passengers' desire to fly — appears to have rallied and avoided a predicted crisis. (Benoît Durand/Hans Lucas/AFP/Getty Images)

It seemed like airlines were on the brink of disaster heading into the peak summer travel season, with the Middle East war causing chaos and uncertainty, closing airspace in many areas and sending fuel prices soaring.

For weeks, headlines seemed to point toward a doomsday scenario. Fuel prices more than doubled in April. Europe was on track to run out of jet fuel by June, the International Energy Agency warned. Many airlines — including those in Canada — cut less profitable flights as a result. Florida-based Spirit Airlines fully shut down in May.

Despite all those headwinds, the industry — and passengers' desire to fly — appears to have rallied. Europe avoided its crisis by finding other sources of fuel, while passenger traffic has held steady, expected to increase by 2.1 per cent this year.

This summer even saw a new record: July 23 had the most global commercial flights ever tracked — a whopping 153,359, according to Flightradar24, a live flight tracker.

"What we're seeing is increased scheduled air traffic," said Ian Petchenik, Flightradar24's communications director. "It's really as simple as that."

Peak travel season

Total air passenger demand fell 1.7 per cent in June, according tothe International Air Transport Association (IATA). However, this was a smaller drop than the preceding months, and much of it was concentrated in the Middle East, which saw a 13.9 per cent fall year over year.

There isn't one single explanation for the July record, experts told CBC News. But it was likely fuelled by demand from the Northern Hemisphere, Newsweek reported, as airlines have been deploying maximum capacity for the season when travel typically peaks.

The last Thursday or Friday of July is usually the busiest, says Petchenik, as many see it as the peak of the summer season, just before school begins in August in much of the U.S.

For this summer in particular, he says, many of those flights were likely booked well in advance.

LISTEN | Canada's domestic tourism boom:

The Current18:53Why Canadian tourism is booming

At a time when the overall economy is sluggish, the Canadian tourism sector is bucking the trend and projected to grow by 6% in 2026. We hear from some innovative Canadian travel businesses that are cashing in and from tourism and hospitality professor Wayne Smith about what is driving the growth — and what it would take to build on it.

"A lot of people looking at the state of the world … before prices really spiked and saying, 'Maybe we should book now to get ahead of any incoming price increases.' "

Canadian commercial flights increased over the summer, as well, by Flightradar24's count, rising by 16 per cent between April 1 and July 23 to hit 5,558. Global commercial flights increased by 11 per cent that same time period.

But the number of flights alone doesn't always paint the full picture, said Amra Durakovic of Flight Centre Travel Group Canada. That's because our total annual commercial flight count remains 20 per cent below 2019, she said, citing data from analytics firm Cirium.

The global increase in flights is likely driven by large, emerging economies like China and India, which are increasing their flights as their markets grow.

However, countries with more established flight industries — like Canada — have instead increased the size of the average plane, while phasing out smaller ones. That means more people are served in the end.

Tourists take selfies with a reflection of the Eiffel Tower in the Champ-de-Mars garden in Paris on July 28. Canadians heading to Europe this summer have tended to book flights last minute, adopting what industry experts refer to as a wait-and-see approach. (Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP/Getty Images)

Where Canadians are going

On July 23, most Canadian travel was domestic, accounting for more than a third of all bookings, according to Flight Centre data.

Durakovic says her firm hasn't seen that happen since before the COVID-19 pandemic, and she notes it's likely that people are rerouting trips that originally would have been to the U.S.

Still, the U.S. was the second most popular destination that day, at 19 per cent, followed by European countries like the U.K., Italy and Spain, at 18 per cent combined.

Durakovic also noted an interesting trend among Canadians heading to Europe: They tended to book their flights last minute, as opposed to the typical approach of booking in advance.

"They've adopted what we refer to as a wait-and-see approach," said Durakovic, who attributed the trend to ongoing uncertainty around factors impacting the industry, like fuel costs and contract disputes.

Meanwhile, summer travel through Flight Centre Canada to Japan is up 37 per cent year over year — a significant sum considering the East Asian country is a long-haul flight away, at a time when cost remains a priority for many.

Notably, that demand is extending into the winter months, Durakovic says, as Canadians are finding it can be more affordable to ski in Japan, largely due to the weak yen.

"That's what is largely driving a lot of Canadians' travel decisions is where are they going to find the best value?"

Tourists ride on horses at the fifth station of Mount Fuji in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi prefecture on July 23, 2026. Japan has become a popular tourist destination for travellers seeking good value for their money. (Yuichi Yamazaki/AFP/Getty Images)

What lies ahead

So far, the Middle East war hasn't seemed to significantly affect summer plans outside that region. But that may change the longer it goes on, alongside events like the recent WestJet strike, for example, which can erode confidence in travelling.

"I think that the more uncertainty there is and the higher prices rise … we will see a pullback in demand," said Petchenik of Flightradar24.

He says that could also trigger a shift to more local travel: "You know, 'I am buying a ticket, but … I'm flying somewhere where the prices are reasonable and I have certainty that my trip isn't going to be affected by world events outside of my control.' "

WATCH | How the war affected flight prices in March:

How is war in the Middle East affecting flight prices for Canadians?

March 18|

3:37

The costs of the war in the Middle East keep adding up as gas and diesel prices have risen sharply around the world; the cost of jet fuel has also increased. For people planning trips, it can be a scramble to find something less expensive. McKenzie McMillan from The Travel Group Ltd. explains how the war is affecting flights and by how much.

As for ticket prices, expect them to continue increasing, according to IATA. Airlines are still profitable, but their margins are under severe pressure due to fuel prices and with few ways remaining for them to cut costs.

Durakovic says she still expects demand to remain high in the near future.

"Look, it's a lot, but when we travel, we all love it, right?" she said, noting that people are generally willing to cut other costs to afford travel. "It says a lot about how important travelling is."

'I woke up and I had lost the baby': Miscarriages in Gaza spike amid harsh conditions, UN report finds

Yasmine Hassan — Sat, 08 Aug 2026 08:00:00 GMT

Eman Abu Fasifsa, 38, who lives with her five children in central Gaza, recently experienced a pregnancy loss. There have been nearly 4,000 miscarriages recorded in Gaza in the first half of 2026, according to a recent report from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). (Mohamed El Saife/CBC)

In a small, dark room off the side of the morgue in the Nasr Medical Complex in central Gaza, about a dozen tiny white shrouds are arranged on a metal table.

These are the remains of recent miscarriages.

The white cloths are labelled with the term of pregnancy and the date of the miscarriage as well as sometimes a name.

Shrouds containing the remains of recent miscarriages are kept in a small room of the morgue at Nasr Medical Complex in central Gaza. UNFPA officials say the reported rate of miscarriages in Gaza for the first six months of 2026 was more than three times higher than in the second half of 2025. (Mohamed El Saife/CBC)

Dr. Ahmed Al-Farra, head of pediatrics at the hospital, told CBC News late last month that the miscarriage situation is alarming.

"The percentage increased nearly three-fold in comparison with the percentage from before the war," he told CBC freelance videographer Mohamed El Saife.

There have been nearly "4,000 pregnancy losses" recorded as miscarriages in the enclave between January and June 2026, a rate that's more than three times higher than in the second half of 2025, according to a statement provided by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

This number doesn’t include instances where a miscarriage happened outside the hospital.

WATCH | Doctor says living conditions in Gaza lead to miscarriages:

Nearly 4,000 miscarriages happened in Gaza between January and June

4 hours ago|

1:42

Ahmed Al-Farra says the high rate of miscarriages is due to a lack of access to clean water, nutritious food, shelter and living in a high-stress environment in Gaza.

What pregnant women in Gaza endure

UNFPA's statement notes that pregnant women in the strip "endure severe food insecurity, malnutrition, repeated displacement, sustained psychological trauma and overcrowded and unsanitary living conditions."

The organization says interruptions to prenatal care and limited access to essential health-care services like diagnostics, medicine and emergency obstetric procedures "leave complications undetected or untreated."

In its statement, the organization notes that more analysis is needed to better understand the reasons behind the increase in miscarriages. It has commissioned a report to further analyze conditions pregnant women are experiencing on the ground in Gaza. That report is due out in about two months.

A July report published by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says sexual and reproductive health indicators "continue to deteriorate" across Gaza during the first six months of 2026.

"Nearly 74 per cent of pregnancy losses occurred during the first trimester, while 57.1 per cent of pregnant women were anemic," it noted. These numbers "highlight the worsening health and nutritional status of women in Gaza."

According to the UNFPA, the number of miscarriages recorded in Gaza doesn’t include instances where a miscarriage happened outside the hospital. (Mohamed El Saife/CBC)

Fear, anxiety contributing factors: Doctor

Al-Farra's experiences at the Nasr Medical Complex align with these numbers.

He says there are many factors that contribute to rising miscarriages, including the inhumane living conditions pregnant women face, such as extreme temperatures, the struggle to find food and water and the constant displacement of their families. He says they also contribute to fear and anxiety.

"They’re afraid," he said. "They are suffering a lot."

Eman Abu Fasifsa, 38, lives in a makeshift room at a UN-run school in central Gaza with her five children. Her walls are pieces of tarp held up with rope. She recently went through a miscarriage after being pregnant with her sixth child.

"The day of my miscarriage there was a very, very strong explosion," she said. "I was so scared, and that morning I woke up and I had lost the baby."

Abu Fasifsa says she also spent her pregnancy carrying heavy water jugs and had a hard time finding food, which she thinks also contributed to the miscarriage.

A displaced Palestinian woman carries containers of water last month in Gaza City. Though food insecurity in Gaza is easing, human rights groups say finding enough to eat and drink in the enclave is still a struggle. (Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images)

Aid needs still not being met

In Gaza, food insecurity has eased, according to a recent OCHA report, which also notes there's a real risk that those gains could be reversed as aid coverage has declined since February 2026, based on the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification analysis.

On Thursday, Israel's Co-ordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) wrote in a post to X that it has co-ordinated the entry of more than two million tons of food "along with other essential humanitarian aid" into the enclave.

"The constant flow of food has contributed to reduced market prices, as markets across Gaza offer a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, meat and dairy products," the post said.

But for Abu Fasifsa, finding that food for herself and her children is still a struggle.

"There is no good food, no clean water, no safe place," she said. "We can only save food for one day. The situation is very difficult, really."

And that's true for families throughout Gaza, despite the ceasefire, according to the UNFPA's statement.

"Nearly 90 per cent of the population remains displaced," the statement said. "Humanitarian access and the movement of essential goods remain constrained."

Gaza, it says, "has not moved from emergency response to recovery."

Abu Fasifsa, who lives in a makeshift run school in central Gaza with her five children, says after her recent miscarriage, she isn't considering getting pregnant again. (Mohamed El Saife/CBC)

Back at the UN school where she lives, Abu Fasifsa sits to chat with her sons as the sun begins to set.

She says she isn’t considering getting pregnant again because of how difficult her living conditions are at the moment. But she still longs for the baby she lost, as well as the life she had before the war.

"It was my dream to have the child with me today, with my children," she said.

Canada, U.S. shadow Chinese research ships in the Arctic as concern grows over Snow Dragons' presence

Murray Brewster — Sat, 08 Aug 2026 08:00:00 GMT

The Xue Long (Snow Dragon) Chinese icebreaker sits in the ice pack in eastern Antarctica in December 2013. More recently, the research ship and its sister vessel Xue Long 2 have been deployed in the Arctic Ocean off Alaska. (Andrew Peacock/Reuters)

Both Canada and the U.S. have been quietly shadowing two Chinese icebreaking research ships in Arctic waters off Alaska over the last couple of weeks.

The Xue Long (Snow Dragon) and Xue Long (Snow Dragon) 2 sailed north through the U.S. exclusive economic zone in the Bering Sea in July, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

The appearance of Chinese research ships every summer in the Arctic Ocean over the last few years has been a subject of growing concern among security and defence officials.

Data compiled by Steffan Watkins, an independent research consultant and ship tracker, shows a Royal Canadian Air Force CP-140 surveillance plane has been operating out of Alaska since early July.

Analysis
Cold front: Inside NATO's race to secure the Arctic

The Department of National Defence confirmed Friday that the plane has been watching the activities of the two Chinese vessels in tandem with the Americans.

"The Canadian Joint Operations Command is actively monitoring maritime traffic in the Arctic, including the vessels Xue Long and Xue Long 2," defence spokesperson Cheryl Forrest said in a written statement.

"Both vessels are currently operating outside of Canada’s exclusive economic zone," Forrest added, referring to the area of ocean beyond territorial waters where the country has sovereign rights to resources and jurisdiction over activities like research and protection of the marine environment.

WATCH | From 2025: Canada monitors Chinese research vessel:

Why is the Canadian military closely monitoring a Chinese research vessel?

July 22, 2025|

3:48

The Canadian military and possibly the Coast Guard are closely monitoring a Chinese research vessel that has breached Arctic waters for the second year in a row. CBC's Murray Brewster says the Coast Guard was 'following a parallel course' of the vessel, despite denying any 'shadowing.'

Last year, the Canadian military began a focused effort to better monitor northern waters and co-ordinate with allies in the Pacific Ocean, including the Bering Sea off Alaska, under the banner of Operation Latitude.

The Royal Canadian Navy has committed the frigate HMCS Ottawa and the Arctic offshore ships HMCS Max Bernays and HMCS Robert Hampton Gray, in addition to the air force's surveillance aircraft.

The defence department says Canadian Special Operations Forces Command personnel and the icebreaker CCGS Des Groseilliers are also taking part.

Buoys can track submarine activity

When asked about the Chinese ships on Thursday, Defence Minister David McGuinty said the Canadian military actively monitors the country's waters.

China, which has declared itself a near-Arctic state, has repeatedly said the deployment of its icebreakers to the region is strictly for peaceful scientific research, environmental monitoring and global climate change studies.

Both research ships, however, have been known to deploy advanced sonar and telemetry buoys. Western defence officials say these devices not only track environmental changes and undersea topography, but are also useful in tracking submarine activity.

"Those research ships could do so many different things," said Richard Shimooka, a defence researcher at the Ottawa-based Macdonald-Laurier Institute.

Analysis
Is the promise of military icebreakers political theatre or sensible policy?

There are no major international undersea fibre-optic cables in the Bering Sea region, but there is a regional subsea network vital to Alaska. Shimooka said he wonders how much time the Chinese are devoting to mapping that grid, in the same way the Russians are doing in the Baltic Sea and the North Atlantic.

People attend the launch ceremony of China's first domestically built polar icebreaker Xue Long 2 (Snow Dragon 2) at a shipyard in Shanghai on Sept. 10, 2018. (Reuters)

Canada, Shimooka said, is playing an increasingly important role in the western Pacific at a time when the U.S. Navy is occupied with the Iran war. But, he cautioned, given the age of the Canadian navy's frigates and coast guard ships, the country can't do much more than it's currently doing.

"I wouldn't say we're stressed, but it certainly is kind of reaching the limits that we can sustain comfortably given the age of the Halifax class," he said.

Described as the "backbone of the Royal Canadian Navy," the Halifax-class patrol frigates are now between 30 and 40 years old.

'Testing our capabilities to respond'

Members of the House of Commons defence committee travelled to the Arctic in mid- to late July and Conservative defence critic James Bezan left convinced that the region needs more surveillance.

"We know we've had to have more assets in the Arctic to ensure that we are monitoring the movements of the People's Republic of China as they continue to increase their interest in our Arctic," said Bezan, who noted that China has also been increasingly co-operating and co-ordinating its air activity in the Arctic with Russia.

"They are definitely challenging and testing our capabilities to respond to these incursions."

A Chinese research vessel returns to Arctic waters — and Canada is watching

The federal government has begun investing heavily in the construction of new destroyers and begun the process of acquiring Arctic-capable submarines. It also plans to deploy an undersea network of sensors.

Bezan said time is of the essence because the country's sovereignty is at stake.

"Russia and China do not recognize our maritime claims" in the Far North, including the Northwest Passage, Bezan said.

"So, we need to be investing in the Arctic. When you look at the vast amounts of resources, a high percentage of energy resources that are locked in the Arctic, including in the Beaufort Sea, we have to do more to protect it and defend against these adversaries."

Authorities say remains of 56 people found improperly stored at Chicago funeral home

CBC — Sat, 08 Aug 2026 00:31:37 GMT

A part of a street is seen being blocked off near the South Chicago Chapel funeral home in Chicago on Friday. Authorities say the remains of more than 50 people were found improperly stored there. (Pat Nabong/Chicago Sun-Times/The Associated Press)

The remains of 56 people were found improperly stored and decomposing Thursday at a Chicago funeral home run by a couple who previously operated a crematory that was similarly shut down because of mishandled remains, authorities said.

Illinois state officials, meanwhile, suspended the licence of one of the funeral home's directors, alleging bodies were being kept in an unrefrigerated area in "deplorable conditions."

The discovery came months after neighbourhood residents began noticing a "stench" emanating from the funeral home, which led some to complain to the city.

The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office said it was notified by state and local officials that bodies were being stored improperly at South Chicago Chapel, and investigators and forensic pathologists were dispatched Thursday. The remains were in various states of decomposition, officials said.

"Staff is assessing the conditions of the remains, searching for documentation regarding identification of the decedents as well as death certificates. This process could take several days to ensure proper disposition," the medical examiner's office said in a statement, adding that family notifications will be made following the identifications.

Police said Friday that their preliminary statement on the case incorrectly said that fire department officials declared the scene a hazardous materials incident.

Under investigation

No arrests have been announced, but city police said detectives are investigating.

Messages for the funeral home were left by phone and through its website Friday.

A row of hearses are seen parked outside the South Chicago Chapel on Thursday. (Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Chicago Sun-Times/The Associated Press)

Later Friday, a small number of residents and people seeking information about their deceased loved ones gathered in front of the brick-walled funeral home, which is on a South Chicago street lined with trees, homes and businesses.

Latasha Johnson, 55, said her mother's funeral was held at South Chicago Chapel on Thursday before authorities arrived and she later heard of their gruesome discovery. She said authorities told her that her mother's body would have to undergo an autopsy and she would have to identify the remains in a day or two.

"I'm discombobulated," she said. "My heart is broken."

Blaise Von Bruchhaeuser, who described herself as a community advocate for the neighbourhood, said it was upsetting that complaints about a terrible odour had been made for months before the decomposing bodies were found.

Incorporated in 2022

State business records show that funeral director Johanna Morgan incorporated South Chicago Chapel Inc. in 2022 and her funeral director's licence was temporarily suspended on Wednesday.

Police officers stand outside the South Chicago Chapel on Friday. (Laura Bargfeld/The Associated Press)

The state Department of Financial and Professional Regulation said the licence suspension was due to "a finding that Respondent's continued practice is a danger to the public safety, interest and welfare due to Respondent allowing multiple decedents to be kept in an unrefrigerated area with deplorable conditions including rodent infestation, causing decomposition and maggot infestation of the bodies."

The state business records also list Clark Morgan, who state officials say is Johanna Morgan's husband, as the funeral home's president. The Department of Financial and Professional Regulation said Clark Morgan's funeral director licence was revoked in 2024 for practicing with an expired licence and "unprofessional conduct" that it did not specify.

State Comptroller Susana Mendoza said Friday that Johanna and Clark Morgan previously ran a crematory in Chicago Heights, south of Chicago, which had its licence revoked last year after authorities discovered improperly stored bodies and hundreds of cremated remains that had never been returned to their families.

"Horrified. Again," Mendoza said in a statement. "The discovery of decomposing remains waiting to be laid to rest this week at a South Side funeral home is heartbreaking and an abomination. These are people — someone's mother, father, sister, brother, child or friend, and they deserve better."

Both Johanna and Clark Morgan are listed in Cook County court records as defendants in connection with lawsuits involving Heights Crematory in Chicago Heights, south of Chicago.

Messages were left Friday at phone listings for the Clarks and an attorney listed in records as their business agent.

2 Sask. restaurant operators convicted of trafficking woman from Bangladesh

Hannah Spray — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 23:37:00 GMT

Sohel Haider, left, and Mohammed Masum pay for parking in front of Saskatoon provincial court in June. On Friday, they were both convicted of human trafficking. (Hannah Spray/CBC)

Two Saskatchewan men have been found guilty of human trafficking for exploiting a woman from Bangladesh who worked in their restaurants.

Mohammed Masum, 44, and Sohel Haider, 55, were taken into custody on Friday after Judge Miguel Martinez announced his verdict in Saskatoon provincial court.

"Both of the accused exploited [the woman's] vulnerability for their respective material benefit," Martinez said.

"Both men took advantage of their authority as her employers and what I call their cultural authority as men to control and direct her movements. Both of them played on her fear of having to leave Canada. Largely, they did this by threatening to withhold or cancel her work permit or to report her to the authorities."

Masum "went even further," Martinez continued, by taking the woman's passport and withholding it from her "until she agreed to have sexual intercourse with him."

Masum was also charged with three counts of sexual assault; Martinez found him guilty on all of them — noting that he found Masum sexually assaulted the woman eight separate times.

The woman cannot be identified under a court-ordered publication ban.

Lengthy trial

The trial for the two men was held in Rosetown provincial court on various dates that added up to about seven weeks of court time over an 18-month period.

It moved to a Saskatoon courtroom for closing arguments in June, followed by the judge's verdict on Friday.

The charges covered a time period between Aug. 1, 2022, and March 31, 2023.

Judge deciding case of 2 Sask. men charged with human trafficking

Martinez gave a short overview of the evidence heard at trial.

The woman arrived in Toronto from Bangladesh in August 2022, ostensibly for a short vacation, but with the "real purpose" to find a way to stay in Canada, Martinez said.

She learned that she could extend her stay if she found employment as a temporary foreign worker and ultimately came to Saskatchewan in late September 2022 to work at a restaurant Haider operated in Gull Lake.

Haider didn't yet have government approval to hire her when she came to the province, but she said the deal was that in exchange for her labour, he would provide free room and board and pay her $1,000 a month.

She worked long hours, six days a week, and Haider never paid her, Martinez said.

MLA concerned

At the restaurant, the woman met Cypress Hills MLA Doug Steele when she waited on him three times in the fall of 2022. He became concerned about her, Martinez said.

In November 2022, Haider sent the woman to Tisdale to work in a restaurant operated by his friend, Masum, with a similar agreement that Masum would give her free room and board and pay her $1,000 a month.

From then until mid-March 2023, she worked 12-hour shifts, six days a week with a half-hour for lunch each day, Martinez said. On the woman's one day off, Masum usually required her to go with him to Saskatoon to buy restaurant supplies.

Steele continued to worry about the woman, and he contacted the MLA in the area at that time, Hugh Nerlien, about his concerns. Nerlien went to the restaurant in Tisdale, where the woman waited on him, and he "secretly" handed her his business card wrapped in a strip of paper with a social worker's contact information, Martinez said.

The woman spoke with the social worker, who also became concerned.

Eventually, the woman received her work permit, but it was a "closed work permit" that required her to work in a specific restaurant in Elrose.

After she was taken there, the social worker and Steele "devised a plan to clandestinely extract [her] from her situation," Martinez said.

"They successfully executed their plan on March 23, 2023," he said.

Men taken into custody

In coming to his verdict, Martinez said he found the testimony of the MLAs and the social worker to be very credible.

He also found the woman "credible and reliable."

Haider and Masum testified in their own defence and denied the woman ever worked in their restaurants. Masum also denied the sexual assaults.

Martinez said he found Haider's testimony "unconvincing, at times self-serving, often vague and sometimes evasive."

As for Masum, "I also did not find him to be the least bit credible," Martinez said.

After the judge finished giving his verdict, Crown prosecutor Leslie Dunning asked for Haider and Masum to be taken into custody as they await sentencing.

Human trafficking carries a maximum sentence of life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of four years.

Martinez ordered the men to be taken into custody. They will return to court next week to set a date for their sentencing hearing.

Organized crime is using encrypted messaging apps to enlist youth. This spells trouble for police

Adam Carter — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 21:03:51 GMT

How teens are recruited into guns-for-hire networks

August 7|

1:57

Teen boys are frequently being recruited by criminal actors to participate in violent activities, including brazen shootings. CBC’s Dale Manucdoc explains how much of the recruitment is happening online on encrypted messaging apps that law enforcement doesn't have access to — yet.

While police have made arrests after gunshots were fired at the U.S. consulate in downtown Toronto in two separate incidents in recent months, finding those responsible for these alleged gun-for-hire plots remains elusive.

Investigators say encrypted messaging apps are being used to recruit young people in the region and enlist them for criminal enterprises, which have also involved incidents at Jewish schools, synagogues and GFL Environmental waste management facilities in the Greater Toronto Area.

With the federal government's "lawful access" bill still before the Senate, police will likely face an uphill battle in cases like these, experts say — especially considering youth who are being recruited online probably have very little information about the people who are giving them instructions.

"They don't even know who they're working for, is my guess," said Michael Arntfield, a former London, Ont., police officer and current criminologist and professor at Western University.

The ringleaders for these plots are able to enlist teens who are impressionable, Arntfield told CBC News — with the added bonus that in most jurisdictions, teenagers aren't going to face stiff criminal sentences when compared to adults.

"And there's really no way if they're arrested to link them back to the architect of the crime," he said.

2 charged after gunshot hits consulate

Police announced Thursday that a 19-year-old and a 15-year-old now face a swath of charges after a gunshot hit the U.S. consulate in downtown Toronto last week.

During a news conference announcing the arrests, Toronto police Chief Myron Demkiw highlighted the importance of the federal government's controversial Bill C-22, which he said would provide police with the means to deal with "modern, digital communication" like encrypted messaging apps.

"If law enforcement does not have the tools needed to prevent violence that is planned and paid for through encrypted messaging apps, it ultimately is our communities that suffer," Demkiw said.

Police say a firearm was discharged at the U.S. Consulate building on University Avenue early on July 27. (Paul Smith/CBC)

But opponents have argued Bill C-22 unnecessarily expands the powers of police and intelligence agencies, endangering privacy, flouting the Charter and making Canada less attractive to business.

Carmi Levy, a technology analyst and journalist, told CBC Radio's Metro Morning Friday that once a back door for law enforcement is opened in encrypted messaging apps, it will likely be easier for other prying eyes to force their way in, too.

"That really is the problem here," he said. "How do you balance the need to put the right tools in the hands of law enforcement with the need to ensure that you and I — as regular, law-abiding citizens — aren't put at unnecessary exposure to this kind of digital mass surveillance?"

Creating safe online spaces for kids

But Levy also noted that encrypted messaging apps can be "incredibly disruptive" for police, and can grind an investigation to a halt.

"Timing is everything in law enforcement, and the more obstacles you put in place, the less likely it is that they will ever catch the bad guys," he said.

While the justice system and federal government wrangle with the legal ramifications of the issue, society as a whole also has a part to play when it comes to protecting kids and pushing back against criminal networks that are recruiting online, said Ahmed Ilmi, who is a member of the federal government's youth strategy working group expert panel on gangs and radicalization.

Ilmi, who is also an assistant professor in the department of global development studies at the University of Toronto Scarborough, told CBC Radio's Metro Morning Friday that both conversations between parents and their kids and education in schools is vital to combating the problem.

"For almost two decades now kids have been socialized online, and we are now seeing some of the negative effects," he said.

"The question is as adults, how do we intervene, and how do we create safer public space online for our children and our youth?"

Spider-Man: Brand New Day the fastest film to $500 million

Cole Cooper — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 20:50:00 GMT

Tom Holland and Zendaya pose for photographers upon arrival at the Spider-Man: Brand New Day premiere in London, England, in July. (Alberto Pezzali/Invision/The Associated Press)

With great power comes … great box office numbers? Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the friendly neighbourhood webslinger's latest outing, has become the fastest film in history to cross the $500-million US mark at the North American box office, doing so in just seven days.

Brand New Day, a Marvel and Sony production, marks Tom Holland's fourth time suiting up to lead a Spider-Man film as Peter Parker. He stars alongside his wife Zendaya, as well as Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) fan favourites Jon Bernthal, Florence Pugh, Mark Ruffalo, and newcomer Sadie Sink.

Review
Caught in a web: Spider-Man battles the Marvel machine in Brand New Day

The film, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, broke the record set by another Marvel hit, Avengers: Endgame, which reached $500 million US domestically in eight days. Brand New Day also ranks just behind Endgame in the race to $1 billion US worldwide, crossing the threshold in only six days. Endgame still holds the record at five days.

On top of the state-of-the art effects, carefully choreographed action sequences and dramatic twists the MCU has become known for, pop culture analyst and content creator Mikael Melo says that Brand New Day has elements that broaden the appeal for casual and hardcore Marvel fans alike.

"No Way Home, it ended on such a cliffhanger," he said, referencing the previous Spider-Man instalment. "I think this is the first MCU movie in a while where people were like, 'No, we really need to see this before any spoilers hit the internet.'"

The fact that Sink's role in the film had not been announced before its release added another degree of suspense and anticipation, Melo says.

WATCH | A darker Spider-Man tests Peter Parker's identity — but is the movie doing too much?:

Spider-Man: Brand New Day strikes a darker tone, but is it doing too much?

July 31|

7:16

Spider-Man: Brand New Day challenges viewers with a new, darker tone for the franchise as the webslinger faces a crossroads of self-identity, struggling to balance his personal life with fighting crime in New York. Eli Glasner asks if the movie is trying to cram in too much, detracting from the grounded tone set throughout the film.

He also thinks the film succeeded in balancing stand-alone accessibility with the crossovers and intertextual references fans expect.

"That's kind of what this movie did really well," Melo said, pointing to the appearance of franchise favourites such as Pugh and Bernthal's characters. "It gives context to people who might not know things, but also gives Easter eggs to people who have been following along this whole journey."

Video
Is Marvel about to dominate the box office again?

He says the mega-wattage star power of Holland and Zendaya — who also co-starred in this summer's hugely successful adaptation of The Odyssey — shouldn't be underestimated.

"The Tom and Zendaya love story is really what is also drawing people who might not be superhero fans," Melo said, "but they're going with their friends because they're just like, ‘Yo, I love Tom and Zendaya, so why not?"

Meet the man who is a step closer to being 1st openly transgender person to swim across all 5 Great Lakes

Ian Curran — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 20:35:43 GMT

He swam for 29 hours straight across Lake Huron

12 hours ago|

1:57

Lev Goldberg is one lake closer to making history. The swimmer completed Lake Huron on Thursday in his quest to become the first openly transgender person to cross all five Great Lakes.

This week, it took a small charter boat just over 29 hours to complete a 55-kilometer journey across Lake Huron. That's because the crew was not alone.

Swimming in the dark lake beside them was Toronto marathon swimmer Lev Goldberg, 27, who started the journey at 6 a.m. on Wednesday from Port-Sanilac, Mich., and reached Port Franks, Ont., at 11 a.m. on Thursday.

"I was pushing through a huge amount of current for the last four to six hours," Goldberg told CBC Radio's Metro Morning Friday. "But if I wanted a calm swim, I would have swum in a swimming pool."

This swim was part of his five-year mission to be the first openly transgender swimmer to cross all five Great Lakes, while fundraising for 2SLGBTQ+ youth along the way. So far he has completed two: Lake Huron this week and Lake Ontario last September.

Lev Goldberg swims beside his support boat on Lake Huron this week. He says the journey took 29 hours. (Submitted by Lev Goldberg)

Goldberg is hoping to raise $15,000 for the LGBT Youthline, which provides anonymous support to 2SLGBTQ+ youth in the province. Part of the funds raised will also cover the cost of the swim.

"I wanted to do something to materially support my community and support youth here," said Goldberg.

"I knew it was a big deal for me to be the first openly trans person to do Lake Ontario, to do any Great Lake, and I knew I wanted to be more than representation."

Huron an especially tough lake to swim, coach says

Goldberg is fairly new to marathon swimming. Although he swam with his local swim team as a child, he only started marathon swimming three years ago.

Goldberg said he started swimming again after undergoing top surgery and hormone therapy to overcome his body dysmorphia, joining the Lake Ontario Swim Team (L.O.S.T.).

Rob Kent, who founded the club 21 years ago, watched Goldberg progress as a swimmer and said he was very impressed by his recent performance.

"Lake Huron is a challenging lake," said Kent, who has swum across Lake Ontario and Lake Superior several times, but never Huron. "The route that he chose is a tough one by any standard."

According to Kent, most choose to swim Huron closer to the shoreline because it's warmer and has calmer water. Goldberg chose a route that's longer and crosses over the lake's "open ocean."

L.O.S.T Swimmers was founded by Rob Kent 21 years ago and provides an inclusive space for athletes to practice marathon swimming. (Submitted by Rob Kent)

"In the deep part, the conditions just get bigger and rougher and colder," said Kent.

"I swam for 21 hours straight and that was so freaking hard and Lev, who's not as good a swimmer as me, swam for 29 hours."

When Goldberg first joined the L.O.S.T. swimmers, Kent said he did not come with any extraordinary skill or ego, just the love of the sport.

"Lev is just a normal guy and to see a normal guy do an extraordinary thing is pretty cool," said Kent.

Looking ahead to Lake Erie

Goldberg said his next journey will take him across Lake Erie where he plans to swim from the shores of Pennsylvania, where he grew up, to Ontario, where he's lived for the past 13 years.

He said while he's trying to raise 2SLGBTQ+ awareness in Ontario, he's been disappointed to see what's happening in his native country.

"There were rights I had in the U.S. that were recently taken away," said Goldberg, noting federal and state efforts to regulate the lives of transgender people, including which sports competitions they can join and which bathrooms they can use..

Last January, U.S. President Donald Trump also signed an executive order to recognize only two sexes, male and female, that are unchangeable.

"For those of us in Canada and Ontario, I think it's important to think about not just appreciating those rights, but protecting those rights."

'Check your credit card bills': Gordie Howe bridge user says he's been double charged for crossings

Heather Kitching — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 19:13:41 GMT

The toll plaza at the Gordie Howe bridge. (Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority/Facebook)

A man who made several trips across the Gordie Howe International Bridge during opening week says he was double charged for two of those trips, and he's encouraging other travelers to check their credit card bills.

Greg Layson made two trips across the bridge on July 29 — one from Windsor to Detroit and one in the opposite direction. He made another trip on the bridge both to and from Detroit on Aug. 2, he said.

“This morning, my wife flagged me, ‘Hey have you checked the Visa? I heard people are getting double charged for some of their trips,’” he said.

“So we went on to our Visa, and sure enough, on July 29 ... it appears I was charged twice on the way home that evening on my personal trip.”

A spokesperson for the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, which oversees the bridge, said nobody was available to talk to CBC about the issue, but they were aware of it.

“We are aware that some customers have reported concerns related to toll transactions,” the bridge authority said in a statement.

Customer service easy to reach, Layson says

“Our Breakaway Customer Care team is working directly with affected customers to review and resolve these matters on a case-by-case basis. Anyone with questions or concerns about their toll charges is encouraged to contact Breakaway Customer Care at 1-855-200-3299 or email customerservice@breakawaypass.com.”

Customers should call the Breakaway line for all toll-related issues, regardless of whether or not they pertain to discounted Breakaway rates, the bridge authority said.

Layson said he reached out to the bridge authority first thing in the morning and reached a staff person right away, without having to wait on hold.

The staffer asked him for a number of details, including when he crossed, what kind of vehicle he was driving, what his license plate number was and what toll lane he used.

A screen shot of Greg Layson's credit card bill shows he was charged double for one of his trips across the Gordie Howe International Bridge on Aug. 2, the $16 charge. The regular toll for a single crossing in a passenger vehicle with no trailer is $8. (Submitted by Greg Layson)

They then called back asking for a screen shot of the credit card bill.

“I went to go take the screenshot and suddenly, the July 29 charge was no longer there,” he said.

But that was when he discovered he’d also been overcharged on Aug. 2.

“So now I have to reach back out to them again and resolve this issue,” he said.

Layson said he only checked his credit card bill because his wife had heard from a coworker that a friend had been overcharged crossing the bridge.

“My message is the same message we always hear and most of us ignore,” he said. “Check your credit card bills on a monthly basis or even after a purchase.”

Premier says it's up to Quebec — and Quebec alone — when U.S. booze returns to its shelves

CBC — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 19:10:33 GMT

American brand liquor will stay off the shelves of Quebec's government-run liquor stores for now, Premier Christine Fréchette says. (Bianca Sickini-Joly/Radio-Canada)

Quebec's premier says U.S. products will remain off the shelves of its government-run liquor stores, regardless of reports that Canada is readying to meet some U.S. demands, including rolling back its ban on American alcohol.

According to a Friday statement from Premier Christine Fréchette's office, in the context of the current trade war, it is essential to defend Quebec's economic interests.

The premier's office says the removal of U.S. alcohol from Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) shelves will remain in effect "until an agreement that we deem fair has been negotiated."

"The sale of alcohol falls exclusively under the jurisdiction of the Quebec government. Quebec, and Quebec alone, will make that decision," the statement says.

The statement comes after CBC News reported that the federal government is prepared to meet some U.S. demands in ongoing trade negotiations, including ending provincial bans on American alcohol sales, in exchange for relief from U.S. tariffs.

Industry sources told CBC that Ottawa is also considering lifting retaliatory tariffs on U.S. automobiles and making changes to dairy policies as Canada seeks to have the United States drop planned 50 per cent tariffs on hundreds of Canadian imports.

While Prime Minister Mark Carney has said decisions about restocking American alcohol ultimately rest with the provinces, he has also suggested changes to the bans could form part of a broader trade agreement.

Negotiators are racing to reach a deal before U.S. President Donald Trump's Aug. 19 tariff deadline.

Last month, California Rep. Mike Thompson put pressure on Quebec. He said it's in the best interest of both Canadians and Californians for Quebec to lift its restrictions on U.S. alcohol sales.

"California makes the best wine in the world. We have long worked to establish a good trade relationship with our Canadian friends," the Democrat congressman told CBC's As It Happens.

"It's important to us, and it's important to our Canadian neighbours, that they have access to this fine wine."

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

Kyle Duggan — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 18:47:53 GMT

A retired CC-130H Hercules aircraft pictured in Abbotsford, B.C., on Friday. Ten of the aircraft have been sold by the government of Canada to Coulson Aviation for use in battling wildfires. (Ben Nelms/CBC)

The federal government said Friday it is selling 10 of its retired 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 Hercules aircraft 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.

"I can't honestly think of a better divestiture," Fuhr told The Canadian Press. "There's jobs in the aerospace industry. We desperately need more firefighting capacity pretty much everywhere ... whether it be Canada, Europe, Australia, the U.S. You can't have too many of these assets."

Countries around the world are coping with a shortage of water bombers as wildfires become more intense and frequent. More than 4,500 wildfires have burned across Canada so far this year.

Coulson Aviation CEO Wayne Coulson said his company "has an expectation" that it can have the first of the aircraft ready for the next wildfire season.

While the company's best-case timeline could see two of the Hercules aircraft converted by next year, it's likely to receive the aircraft faster than it can convert them.

Coulson Aviation will convert and fly the aircraft on its own expense and offer their services under contract to governments. The conversions will take place in Port Alberni, B.C., and possibly in Abbotsford and Kelowna.

"We don't want to hang on to these things any longer than we have to. They cost money just sitting there. They're needed doing the firefighting role," Fuhr told the Friday news conference.

"Everybody's pushing to get these airplanes moved from where they are now to the end user."

The C-130H aircraft served as the backbone of the military's airlift capability for decades. They were used to transport personnel and large cargo loads, search-and-rescue operations and air-to-air refuelling.

Ottawa has since replaced them with the more advanced C-130J tactical aircraft.

The 10 Hercules aircraft being sold will become large tankers that can carry thousands of litres of retardant and deploy to anywhere in the world. Converting a single aircraft is expected to take roughly 20,000 hours of work.

Both the company and the government refused to disclose the total sale price, saying it is confidential information covered by the commercial agreement.

The federal government doesn't always have the option of selling old military assets. Sometimes they're used until the end of their service lives, leaving Ottawa no choice but to dispose of them.

Once Canada retires its four Victoria-class submarines in the next decade, they will almost certainly be scrapped.

Parents who missed kid's birthday due to WestJet strike say nothing can make up for it

Natalie Stechyson — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 18:43:36 GMT

Calgary couple Matt and Sarah Krakowski are pictured on July 31, 2026, on their anniversary trip to San Francisco. (Matt Krakowski)

It was a trip to mark their 10-year anniversary, and their first time travelling without their three young daughters.

But Matt and Sarah Krakowski's return journey from San Francisco was so chaotic due to the WestJet strike that they got home to Calgary three days late — and missed their youngest's second birthday because of it.

"We missed a milestone that we’ll never get back," Matt Krakowski told CBC News Thursday, the morning after he'd made it back home after three days of cancellations, delays, layovers, a flight to another city just to be flown back again, and zero communication from the airline.

"That’s something no travel credit or reimbursement can replace."

WestJet and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) reached a tentative deal early Monday, ending a strike that led to the cancellation ‌of hundreds of flights.

CUPE, which represents 4,400 flight attendants with the Calgary-based airline, sought pay for its members from ⁠the time they check in until they clock out, instead of ‌mostly just for time when their aircraft is in motion.

The work stoppage left passengers stranded and in limbo during the busy summer travel season after flight attendants walked off the job last Sunday. Between Aug. 1 and Aug. 6, WestJet cancelled 929 flights, or about a third of them, according to data from aviation analytics company Cirium.

On Aug. 2, all 494 of WestJet's flights were cancelled. Cirium notes that in May 2026, the latest data available, WestJet flew around 50,000 passengers per day.

CBC News has reached out to WestJet about the Krakowski's case, but the airline did not provide a response before publication.

Couple's flight home cancelled

The couple booked their anniversary trip to San Francisco back in January. They flew from Calgary on July 29 and were scheduled to return from San Francisco on Aug. 2.

They felt a little sad to leave their kids — ages eight, three and nearly two — with grandparents, Krakowskis said, but at the same time, it was the couple's first time doing something special just for themselves.

They were aware of the possibility of a looming strike the week before they left, Krakowski said, but the 72-hour notice didn't come until July 30. Plus, they'd already made deposits on tours and activities in San Francisco that they'd lose out on, and had booked their flights using a combination of points and purchase.

"So if we cancelled we wouldn't get that much back," Krakowski, 36, said.

Matt and Sarah Krakowski are pictured parking at the Calgary Airport on July 29, excited for their first trip without their kids. (Matt Krakowski)

So they went and had a great time.

They checked in for their return flight the night before and upgraded their seats as a final treat. Then, at 7 a.m. on Aug. 2, they woke up to an email that their direct flight to Calgary had been cancelled.

WestJet automatically rebooked them a new itinerary, Krakowski said: a United Airlines flight to Anaheim, Calif., later that day, followed by a connecting WestJet flight that would get them home to Calgary late that night. It was inconvenient, Krakowski said, but at least would get them home the same day.

But before they could leave for Anaheim, WestJet sent them another email: their connecting WestJet flight had also been cancelled. And then, the company sent them another new itinerary that Krakowski describes as "almost unbelievable."

WATCH | Strike ends, but delays continue:

WestJet strike ends, but flight delays continue

August 4|

2:02

A strike by WestJet flight attendants only lasted one day, but for passengers with cancelled flights, the delays will continue until the airline has available seats on existing flights.

'A little crazy'

They were still booked on the Aug. 2 flight from San Francisco to Anaheim, but then they would have to remain in Anaheim for two days, paying for their own accommodations and food, Krakowski said. Then, on Aug. 4, they would fly right back to San Francisco for another connecting flight.

"It was a little crazy," Krakowski said. "Why are we going somewhere just come back to the same starting destination?"

"I don't want to travel somewhere just because they want to put me on a plane."

From there, they were booked to fly to Seattle, followed by a nine-hour overnight layover, then finally they would fly to Calgary on Aug. 5.

They tried to cancel the flights to and from Anaheim, Krakowski said, but couldn't get through to anyone with WestJet due to high call volume. The website's chatbot wasn't working, he added, and because they were in the U.S., there weren't many WestJet counters at the airport.

So they had no choice but to board their flight to Anaheim or risk their entire reservation being cancelled, Krakowski said.

To make things worse, their daughter's birthday was Aug. 3. The girls celebrated with cupcakes at Krakowski's parents' house.

"We missed out on that, we missed celebrating on the day," Krakowski said, adding they plan to throw a make-up party for their daughter soon to make it special for her.

Matt and Sarah Kapowski's daughter's celebrate their youngest's second birthday with their grandparents on Aug. 3. Matt and Sarah missed it because of flight cancellations. (Matt Kapowski)

'Really frustrated'

They finally made it back to Calgary Wednesday just in time to pick up their daughters from daycare. He describes their reunion as "pure joy." But he's exhausted from his extra travel days and the stress of trying to get home.

He hasn't added up all the costs, but Krakowski says he probably spent at least an extra $1,000 on the two days they were stuck in Anaheim. On top of that, he and Sarah each missed two extra full days of work.

"I'm really frustrated with the whole situation," Krakowski said.

"I'm all for the flight attendants and their cause to want to be paid for what they're not being paid for, but the fact is that it's impacting a lot of people and it impacted my wife and I."

Domestic travel in Canada falls under the Air Passenger Protection Regulations. In the case of cancellations due to labour disputes, airlines are only on the hook for covering air travel, either via rebooking or providing a refund.

They don't have a regulatory obligation to help domestic passengers with other expenses accrued during delays and cancellations. That's because labour disruption due to strikes or lockouts is considered to be outside the airline's control.

Travellers who've been stranded internationally, however, are typically entitled to more compensation, such as hotels and meals. This includes the U.S., notes the Air Passenger Rights website.

"The airline is liable for your damages incurred as a result of a delay," notes the website.

Krakowski says he still hasn't heard anything from WestJet, but contacting them again is on his "to-do list."

Trucking company involved in deadly Manitoba crash among 20 carriers 'eliminated' in Alberta

Lara Schroeder — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 17:46:21 GMT

Xiaoyun Zhang, 49, was killed in this crash at the intersection of Highway 110 and Richmond Avenue in Brandon on May 27. The driver of the semi-trailer truck is charged with dangerous driving causing death. (Leigh Kernested/Facebook)

The company whose truck was in a fatal crash in Brandon, Man., in May — after it had its safety permit pulled in Manitoba — now can't operate from Alberta, the province said Thursday.

Conquer Transportation is one of the 20 unsafe carriers "eliminated" in Alberta since October, Alberta Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen said Thursday.

"We are trying to clean up the industry," Dreeshen told CBC. "It's the bad actors that are giving the industry a black eye."

Police say a Conquer truck driver went through a stop sign at a Brandon intersection and hit an SUV on May 27, killing a 49-year-old woman in the Manitoba city 200 kilometres west of Winnipeg.

Brijpal Panwar is charged with dangerous driving causing death after Xiaoyun Zhang died in the crash near Brandon Packers, her workplace.

Her son Jay has described her as "just a really hard-working woman and a really powerful person."

Conquer Transportation registered in Alberta in 2022 after Conquer Transport — owned by the same family and using the same trucks — had its safety permit pulled in Manitoba in 2021 for "deficiencies in safe operation and non-compliance," a Manitoba government spokesperson previously said.

Family wrestles with heartbreak after Brandon woman, 49, killed in May crash with semi

In April, weeks before the fatal crash in Manitoba, the company was assessed as among the highest-risk transportation companies based in Alberta.

That province downgraded the trucking company's safety fitness rating to "unsatisfactory" in June, "effectively shutting down its operations immediately," Dreeshen said in a statement Thursday.

The 20 trucking companies that are no longer permitted to operate in Alberta included 13 "chameleon carriers," the statement said, referring to companies that start operating from another jurisdiction when they're forced to shut down, like Conquer.

The intersection of Richmond Avenue E. and Highway 110 in Brandon is shown two days after the crash in May, controlled by a stop sign with a light on it. (Chelsea Kemp/CBC)

The Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators — a joint provincial, territorial and federal organization that regulates the industry — is working to develop a national database to deal with carriers that exploit gaps in interprovincial data sharing and enforcement, Dreeshen said.

In Alberta, 40 chameleon carriers were prevented from getting safety fitness certificates through document review, he said in his statement.

Alberta has also shut down five "fraudulent" Class 1 trucking schools, the statement said.

Barry Prentice, director of the University of Manitoba's Transport Institute, said the fatal crash in Brandon shows the need for tighter regulation in the industry.

"This is why we need regulations like licensing, not so much to permit someone to operate, but to be able to remove the licence so they can't operate," he said.

WATCH | Alberta shuts down trucking company involved in fatal Manitoba crash:

Alberta shuts down trucking company involved in fatal Manitoba crash

August 7|

2:04

Alberta's government says Conquer Transportation evaded enforcement and showed wilful non-compliance before the crash that killed Xiaoyun Zhang near Brandon in May. The company moved operations out of Manitoba in 2022 after its safety permit was pulled.

"They're also important for the good players in the industry because something like this can colour people's opinion of the entire trucking industry unfairly."

Robert Harper, president of the Alberta Motor Transport Association, said he's happy to see more resources devoted to getting bad carriers off the road.

Chameleon carriers are tough to tackle, because not only do provinces need to share information about companies' track records, they need to share information from agencies, such as property registries, Harper said.

Alberta trucking company at centre of fatal Manitoba crash has spotty history, records show

"The company can transfer their assets between provinces and reopen, and that doesn't necessarily mean that that's a bad thing that you're doing, but a lot of bad actors use it," he said.

You also need to track directors, owners, operators and assets such as vehicles, Harper said.

"How do you lock down that chameleon carrier? It's not a simple thing at the moment," he said.

"Why are they registering these assets in Alberta? Were they registered, you know, in a different province? And have they been re-registered or de-registered in Manitoba and moved to Alberta? There hasn't really been a process set up to look at that."

In the case of Conquer, the company's name changed slightly, and the Manitoba director of operations told the CBC in June that he was no longer involved and that his son and daughter-in-law were running the company since he helped them set up in Alberta.

Manitoba Transportation Minister Lisa Naylor said the only way to track the companies is through a national database.

"Just in the last few months, Manitoba has removed the safety fitness certificates of seven different trucking companies, and there's really no way for us to track if they turn around and go open up in Saskatchewan or Alberta," she said.

Manitoba currently doesn't have a way to track chameleon carriers that come to the province from other jurisdictions, Naylor said.

More stories from Southwest Manitoba

She said she's glad other jurisdictions are recognizing the problem and hopes to hear about progress on a national database when she meets with ministers from across Canada this fall.

"A national database with a registry across the country would allow every province and territory to know what's happening," Naylor said.

Federal Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon sent a statement saying his government continues to work with provincial and territorial partners to strengthen road safety and that progress depends on provinces fulfilling their responsibilities and enforcing existing laws and regulations.

Suspicious fires break out near B.C.'s Shuswap Lake amid high fire danger

Arden McLeod — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 16:17:35 GMT

Crews from three different fire departments in the Columbia Shuswap Regional District extinguished five separate brush fires on Wednesday evening. (Scotch Creek-Lee Creek Fire Department)

Firefighters were called to five suspicious brush fires near B.C.'s Shuswap Lake on Wednesday evening, the Columbia Shuswap Regional District says.

Three were discovered burning about 100 metres apart from each other in the ditch along Squilax Anglemont Road, and two others were found in Anglemont Estates area.

The district says the incidents are under investigation and RCMP are involved.

The fires come as the area around Shuswap Lake is listed as having a high to extreme fire danger by the province.

"Hot and dry conditions continue for the majority of British Columbia," said the B.C. Wildfire Service in its provincial report Thursday.

The CSRD noted there have been six other unrelated fires in the district that have been extinguished by fire departments over the past week, "which could have become very serious events without the intervention of our members."

No one has been arrested or detained in relation to the suspicious brush fires, as of Thursday evening, and the district says they were extinguished.

Violation tickets handed out

Meanwhile, the provincial Conservation Officer Service said in a Thursday Facebook post that it was busy over the long weekend, issuing 18 violation tickets for illegal fires in areas where prohibitions were active.

Prohibitions on all open fires are in place across the Cariboo, Kamloops and southeast regions.

The Coastal Fire Centre prohibits Category 1 fires in most areas, and Category 2 and Category 3 open fires across the region.

The northwest region only prohibits Category 3 open fires, and Prince George is allowing all categories.

WATCH | Illegal campfires result in nearly $22K in fines in B.C.:

B.C. conservation officers hand out nearly $22K in fines for illegal campfires over weekend

July 28|

2:07

A Category 1 fire is used for recreational purposes, such as a campfire to cook food. Category 2 open fires burn materials in up to two piles simultaneously.

Category 3 open fires are large material burnings in multiple piles or long rows of material.

The Conservation Officer Service added in its post that the effects wildfires have on "people, communities, and livelihoods are very real."

"We are asking everyone to do their part by respecting fire restrictions and road closures."

German politicians praise bus driver's risky move with explosive drone at airport

CBC — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 14:43:51 GMT

A police officer in protective clothing walks next to an explosive-disarming robot at Leipzig/Halle Airport in Schkeuditz, Germany, in a photo released on Wednesday. (Axel Schmidt/Reuters)

Chancellor Friedrich Merz held a call to discuss the drone incident earlier this week at a German airport, a government spokesperson said on Friday, a day after federal prosecutors launched a counterterrorism probe into what ⁠they said was a serious ⁠attack that could have impacted domestic security.

The spokesperson added that Merz was in constant contact with Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt and other cabinet members about the incident on Tuesday at Leipzig/Halle Airport. The drone was defused by experts after it crashed into the ground, but prosecutors say the device was equipped with professional explosives and a detonator.

Meanwhile, a senior lawmaker from the governing conservative Christian Democratic Union Party gave the most detailed account yet of how the drone was spotted and stopped, which included a remarkable claim.

"A bus driver kicked the drone away while it was flying ⁠low. It then crashed and came to rest on the ground," Detlef Seif, who is a member of the ⁠parliamentary ⁠interior committee, said.

"The bus driver's action was very daring and courageous, but also very dangerous. It is possible that his intervention prevented the intended attack."

Authorities have not named the man or said where the drone came from and how it managed to get into a restricted part of the airport.

Site known as a NATO hub

Armin Schuster, the interior minister for the ⁠state of Saxony, where Leipzig/Halle Airport is located, praised the bus driver's actions.

"But it's not a model to be emulated. Letting us know would be enough," Schuster told regional broadcaster MDR.

Police officers walk across a field on the grounds of Leipzig/Halle Airport in Schkeuditz, Germany, on Friday. (Sebastian Willnow/DPA/The Associated Press)

Leipzig/Halle ⁠is the main operational base for NATO's Strategic Airlift International Solution, known as SALIS, which uses Ukrainian Antonov An-124 cargo airplanes to deliver equipment to strengthen the defence pact's eastern flank, among other missions. It is also used by some logistics companies.

German authorities ‌have in the past accused Moscow of carrying out hybrid attacks — incidents of aggression that fall short of acts of war.

Moscow has denied those accusations. Russia's embassy in Berlin did not respond to a Reuters request for comment on the Leipzig/Halle drone incident.

"I assume this was a targeted hybrid attack — an attempted act of terror — orchestrated from Russia," Roderich Kiesewetter, a German lawmaker and parliamentary intelligence committee member, told a German newspaper earlier this week.

German media reported that the drone was found close to several Antonovs, among the world's biggest freighters. A Reuters journalist saw police collecting evidence near one of the ⁠planes early on Wednesday.

But the Interior Ministry later denied the drone was near cargo aircraft packed with munitions destined for Ukraine.

Tensions have mounted between Germany and Russia over the war in Ukraine and allegations of Moscow's interference elsewhere in Europe.

WATCH | NATO tracks for suspicious drones (2025):

How NATO is tracking airspace threats over eastern Europe

November 7, 2025|

4:31

NATO is on the lookout for airspace threats over eastern Europe as suspicious drone sightings continue to shut down airports. For The National, CBC’s Briar Stewart gets a closer look at the Operation Eastern Sentry mission and what it's watching for in the skies

European security agencies have been investigating a series of incendiary devices in parcels that caught fire in 2024, raising concerns about sabotage of air cargo operators.

German airports, meanwhile, are on high alert after a series of unauthorized drone overflights at sites including military facilities, energy terminals, seaports and logistics companies.

Russia has denied any involvement in the 2024 incidents and overflights.

Located in Schkeuditz, between the cities of Leipzig and Halle, the airport opened in 1927. It was largely destroyed by Allied bombing during the Second World War and was rebuilt in the former East Germany.

Canada adds 75,000 new jobs in July, unemployment rate lowest in 2 years

CBC — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 13:03:06 GMT

Canada adds 75,000 jobs in July as unemployment falls to 2-year low

August 7|

2:48

Canada's economy added 75,000 jobs in July while the unemployment rate fell to 6.4 per cent, its lowest level in two years. Statistics Canada says gains were split between full- and part-time work, with Ontario adding the most jobs of any province.

Canada added 75,000 jobs in July, up 0.4 per cent, as the unemployment rate fell to 6.4 per cent, its lowest level in two years.

Statistics Canada's labour force survey released on Friday said most of those gains were split between full- and part-time work, as wholesale and retail trade alone added 21,000 new jobs.

The agency says employment rose for people aged 25 to 54, and mostly for women in that age group.

The unemployment rate held steady at 5.8 per cent for men aged 25 to 54, Statistics Canada says, while falling 5.2 per cent for women in that cohort.

Ontario added the most jobs of any province in July, with 52,000, or an increase of 0.6 per cent, mostly in the professional, scientific and technical services sector. British Columbia had a similar increase, with 18,000 new jobs.

Canada added 18,000 jobs in June as unemployment rate edged down

Manitoba's employment rate rose 0.8 per cent, adding 5,900 new jobs, while Nova Scotia's increased 0.8 per cent, thanks to 4,600 jobs.

Statistics Canada said the country is up 181,000 jobs since April, and 196,000 from a year ago.

July's employment rate boost follows on good jobs news in May and June.

"Three straight months moving in the right direction is exactly how turning points begin," Laura Ulrich, director of economic research at the recruitment firm Indeed, said in an statement.

"And if the breadth we saw in July holds into the fall, stabilization could quietly become the momentum Canada has been waiting for."

Jobs report exceeds expectations

The hike in job numbers was "well above" forecasts, says CIBC senior economist Andrew Grantham, adding it's thanks to "brisk hiring" in July.

There was also good news for more young people, he said, with the student summer job market stronger than it's been in the past two years and unemployment for young people, ages 15 to 24, the lowest since early 2024.

But the situation varied when it came to racialized youth, with the July unemployment rate for Black youth at 22.6 per cent, 15.4 per cent for Chinese youth and 13.9 per sent for South Asian youth.

By comparison, the unemployment rate for non-racialized and non-Indigenous youth was 11.6 per cent last month.

The 6.4 per cent overall unemployment rate may be at its lowest level in two years, Grantham said in a statement, but it's still about half a point higher than what it would be if Canada's workforce was at what is considered full employment.

He said that means unemployment is not at a level that "will fuel domestically driven inflation."

BMO chief economist Douglas Porter said Canada's labour force has only grown by less than 8,000 jobs a month or 91,200 people over the past year.

"So it doesn't take much in the way of job gains to carve down that jobless rate," he said in an email statement.

He also said that positive trends in employment and job finding are offset by average hourly wage increases having "simmered down" to 2.8 per cent year over year, compared to 3.3 per cent in June, making it "the slowest in four years and in line with pre-pandemic trends."

LISTEN | Training needed for skilled trades:

CBC Newfoundland Morning6:58Ottawa wants skilled tradespeople, but they'll need training - and jobs

Looming tariffs could affect gains

Economists have previously said the labour market appeared to be stabilizing after the first quarter of the year brought a mild contraction and employers shed jobs.

The economy likely fared a lot better in the second quarter, with Statistics Canada estimating real GDP grew 3.4 per cent on an annualized basis over the three-month period.

"The latest jobs numbers add to the evidence that businesses are finding ways to navigate the current trade-related uncertainty," said Desjardins managing director Royce Mendes.

But there could be further trade turmoil on the horizon.

U.S. President Donald Trump's latest threats of 50 per cent tariffs on a wide range of Canadian imports, due to go into effect on Aug. 19.

Canada is pushing for the U.S. to drop those tariffs, possibly ending provincial bans on U.S. alcohol sales as a show of goodwill, as well as seeking relief from the sectoral tariffs on industries such as steel and aluminum.

Talks on the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement are also due to resume in the fall.

Backlash to OpenAI luxury retreat highlights influencers' uncertain relationship with AI

Nick Logan — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 08:00:00 GMT

The OpenAI logo pictured on June 11. Influencers have come in for criticism after attending an all-expenses-paid trip laid on by the tech giant. (Dado Ruvic/Reuters)

OpenAI hosted an all-expenses-paid gathering of content creators at an idyllic New York state resort last weekend — but the luxury getaway came at a cost for some attendees, who are now facing fierce fallout from followers for taking a promotional trip on the tech company's dime.

Some commenters took issue with influencers showing off the glamorous natural setting, reportedly in the Hudson Valley, despite concerns that OpenAI and other tech companies are having a significant impact on the environment and climate change. Others railed against the company’s work with the U.S. government, including the Department of War.

Influencer Grace McCarrick didn't think for a moment that taking part in what's known as a brand trip, to learn more about OpenAI's ChatGPT Work tools, would be controversial.

Addressing the backlash in a LinkedIn post, she said the response to her "awesome" time at the so-called summer camp had introduced her to "the shocking AI psychosis running rampant online," adding that she "genuinely had no idea that people were this anti-AI."

Experts say the uproar might not be solely about the pros and cons of artificial intelligence, but may also be a sign that content creators have come to a sort of crossroads when it comes to AI, tech giants and the unwritten bond of trust between them and their followers.

"Some of the criticism was obviously about people feeling it was in bad taste to be promoting a company like OpenAI," said Victoria Ibitoye, founder of the U.K.-based business website The Daily Influence.

"But I also think the reaction reflects the fact that the creator economy is still trying to figure out where it stands on AI more broadly."

WATCH | How artificial intelligence is fundamentally reshaping how humans use the internet:

Say goodbye to the internet as you know it

July 29|

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Artificial intelligence is fundamentally reshaping how humans use the internet. For The National, CBC’s Nora Young breaks down the future of search and what happens to information when bots do most of the reading online.

'Is that the cost of your soul?'

Ibitoye says it's clear OpenAI wanted to give content creators an opportunity to experience ChatGPT Work — billed as an AI agent that can automate workplace tasks by gathering information from applications and workflows — and then share its products with "audiences that already trust them."

But that clearly backfired for some who took part in the gathering.

Influencer Megan Lieu showcased her "2 days off the grid with OpenAI" on her LinkedIn and Instagram accounts, touting her experience as time well spent learning about ChatGPT's newest features, "all while taking in breathtaking views."

One commenter on Instagram called Lieu "a tool to be exploited by greedy white men," while another asked, "Is that the cost of your soul? One f---ing influencer trip."

McCarrick said on LinkedIn that "it was incredibly exciting to get to be in the room with the people shaping how this technology gets used," and appeared to call out the hypocrisy of some commenters.

"What gets my goat, honestly, is that every single of the commenters is on a smartphone. They're all on either Instagram or TikTok — two of the most addicting, extractive (if not straight up corrupt) platforms of our time."

How the Shein influencer trip marked a turning point in the brand-sponsored vacation trend

Ibitoye says the uproar has "exposed the gap between what people say about AI and how they’re actually using it."

"People say they’re uncomfortable with AI, and I think many of those concerns are completely valid. But at the same time, AI is becoming increasingly embedded in how creators work and what audiences engage with. ... I don’t think the creator economy has fully reconciled those two things yet, and that’s why debates like this keep happening."

While brand trips in general can attract backlash because they often appear to be "over the top," Ibitoye says, much of the negative reaction in this case was centred on the influencers' collaboration with OpenAI specifically.

The San Francisco-based company was the "first mover" in the field of generative AI, explains Paris Marx, a St. John's-based tech writer and host of the podcast Tech Won't Save Us.

"And certainly Sam Altman, the CEO of the company, has also been very vocal, a very public figure in pushing and defending this technology."

AI's PR problem

Marx isn't surprised OpenAI lavished influencers with a weekend away in order "to say good things about their products," because the company is "very aware" that public opinion of it, and generative AI in general, isn't favourable.

"More and more people are questioning whether this industry is actually thinking about the kind of social benefit of their technologies or just about what they, at the end of the day, want to get out of it," he said.

LISTEN | How Canadians are responding to the rapid construction of data centres:

Front Burner28:16Canada's data centre boom, and backlash

He points to recent Angus Reid polling that showed a majority of the Canadians surveyed (68 per cent) want the federal government to "heavily regulate" AI. That same poll found 67 per cent of respondents perceive AI data centres as bad for energy and environmental sustainability.

OpenAI is also facing accusations that ChatGPT played a role in suicides, and is facing potential legal action in British Columbia related to the mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge in February.

Influencer marketing and trust

OpenAI did not respond to a CBC News request for comment about the purpose of the luxury weekend, the number of influencers who attended, other details about the trip, and the backlash to it.

David Soberman, a marketing professor at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management, says some of the backlash may be rooted in the degree of knowledge people have about artificial intelligence.

But he says the outcry might also serve as a reminder that influencer marketing is not objective and that content creators may be more like traditional advertisers than their followers want to admit.

"People like to think that when they see an influencer, that this influencer is giving their honest opinion about these products," he said. "But they're not."

LISTEN | Can we keep AI from escaping human control?

Ideas54:00How can we prevent AI from becoming a menace?

Ibitoye says influencers can take a paid trip from a company like OpenAI and still be critical of its products.

She says they take risk by appearing too cozy with a company.

"Trust is probably their most valuable currency," she said. "If they stop being honest with their audience, people notice."

WATCH | How OpenAI and Anthropic's AI agents are going on the attack:

Another AI model goes rogue, hacks 3 company systems

August 2|

1:07

Anthropic’s Claude AI models had hacked into the systems of three companies during cybersecurity tests. This comes just days after rival OpenAI disclosed that one of its AI agents went on a rogue attack. The new incidents were due to a mistake that inadvertently gave Anthropic's models access to the open internet.

Bezos-backed $200M species project faces greenwashing scrutiny

Bridget Stringer-Holden — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 08:00:00 GMT

A golden-crowned sifaka lemur sits in a tree at the Fanamby-managed Camp Tattersalli in Madagascar. (Fanamby)

A new $200-million US initiative backed by the Bezos Earth Fund and Leonardo DiCaprio's Re:wild promises to help recover 100 threatened species, including pink iguanas, lemurs, wild pigs and pangolins.

The Phoenix Species Project could provide sustained funding for breeding programs, habitat restoration and locally led conservation work. But it also raises a broader question: Can billionaire-backed philanthropy help the environment, while improving donors' green image, despite the environmental records of the businesses that made them rich?

The question is becoming more urgent as governments pull back from climate and biodiversity commitments, leaving private funders to fill in the gaps.

Is it greenwashing?

The Bezos Earth Fund has committed $100 million US to the project. Re:wild and other partners will provide the rest.

The fund was founded by Jeff Bezos, Amazon's founder and executive chair. Amazon has faced criticism over plastic pollution, deforestation and excessive water use by its data centres.

The Odyssey's Matt Damon hyped his water charity in interviews. Why is it partnered with water guzzler Amazon?

Wren Montgomery, a researcher with the Greenwash Action Lab and a sustainability professor at Queen's University's Smith School of Business, defines greenwashing as companies "giving an overly positive impression" of an organization's environmental record.

After reviewing the project's website, she raised concerns about selective disclosure — highlighting positive work while distracting from harmful activities elsewhere.

"They may actually be doing the good thing, but we like to think on balance," Montgomery said.

"Even if it's credible and they're doing it, but they're hiding a lot of bad stuff, then we'd still think of it as greenwashing."

An Amazon Web Services-owned data centre, foreground right, is under construction next to the Susquehanna nuclear power plant in Berwick, Pa., in January 2024. (Ted Shaffrey/The Associated Press)

She called Bezos's contribution "a very, very small drop in the bucket" compared with Amazon's environmental impact and "nowhere close to balancing the harm he's doing to the planet in other ways."

Montgomery's larger concern is that philanthropy can distract from the need for governments and corporations to address biodiversity loss and climate change.

"We cannot be expecting a few philanthropists, a few billionaires to donate a little bit of money here and there and then do what they want in terms of data centres, other types of environmental destruction, fossil fuel emissions."

The Bezos Earth Fund declined to answer CBC News's questions about greenwashing. Instead, it provided an emailed statement from Cristián Samper, its managing director and leader for nature solutions.

Samper said the species were selected based on whether local partners were ready to carry out recovery work.

"For many species on the brink, the science and local leadership are already in place, what is missing is the sustained funding to put recovery plans into action," the statement said.

Samper said the initiative is part of the fund's $10-billion US commitment to climate and biodiversity crises. The fund said progress, setbacks and lessons will be published through an online dashboard.

'The actual impact'

Montreal entrepreneur and environmentalist Dax Dasilva is one of the projects partners.

Dax Dasilva, left, and Dr. Russell Mittermeier, Chief Conservation Officer at Re:wild, in Madagascar in January 2024. (Will Allen)

Dasilva founded the environmental non-profit Age of Union in 2021 with a $40-million investment in protecting ecosystems and species. It partnered with Re:wild in 2025.

During a trip to Madagascar with Re:wild, Dasilva saw species found nowhere else, including indri and golden-crowned sifaka lemurs.

"People can question motivations but they're not going to be able to question the actual impact here and the actual work because it's going to be transformational," Dasilva said.

"Now is not the time to be giving up."

He said much conservation work has been carried out on small grassroots budgets, with grants of $5,000 US sometimes growing into fully developed local programs.

The Phoenix funding will support habitat restoration, disease management, conservation breeding and invasive species control, he said.

Madagascar's indri lemurs, one of the 100 endangered species targeted by the Pheonix Species Project. (Dax Dasilva)

Meaningful, but limited

Chris Johnson, a University of Northern British Columbia professor who studies the conservation and ecology of large terrestrial mammals, is not involved with the project but hopes it will bring more attention to the global biodiversity crisis.

"I welcome any opportunity from any sector, any group, any person that's genuinely interested, dedicated and willing to put resources to the conservation of biological diversity," Johnson said.

He noted that the project's 100 species represent only a fraction of the 49,000 on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species.

But Johnson said the initiative includes more than the cute and charismatic animals most likely to attract publicity.

WATCH | How Amazon is reshaping shopping, the economy and the data that defines us:

The World According to Amazon

January 24, 2020|

44:40

The World According to Amazon reveals how one company is taking control of how we shop, how we run our economy, and the data that defines us.

Private funding can move quickly and support local work that governments or traditional donors overlook. But critics say it cannot replace environmental regulation, habitat protections, sustained public funding or corporate accountability.

Montgomery said the project could be an attempt to "confuse and distract from the impact of data centres on the environment."

The donors' motivations may remain open to debate. The results — whether species recover, habitats improve and local groups receive sustained support — should be easier to measure.

With files from Mitchell Fox

Canadians' climate change concerns rebound amid wildfire season

David Cummings — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 08:00:00 GMT

People ride the ferry to the Toronto Islands, as wildfire smoke from northwestern Ontario fills the sky during an intense heat wave last month. (Carlos Osorio/Reuters)

The percentage of Canadians who see addressing climate change as a top priority spiked this summer after years of it taking a back seat to other issues, recent polling has found.

Data published by the Angus Reid Institute shows a surge in Canadians indicating climate change is one of their top concerns. In the survey where respondents were asked to choose up to three issues they care about most, 21 per cent chose the environment and climate change in July, a 50 per cent increase from March.

Angus Reid found 25 per cent of Canadians aged 18 to 34, 23 per cent aged 35 to 55 and 16 per cent older than 55 put the issue as a top concern.

Shachi Kurl, president of the Angus Reid Institute, said a higher interest in climate change among younger Canadians is "along the lines of what we've seen in the past."

Kurl said the bigger takeaway from the newest results is the consistent increase in concern across all age groups.

Angus Reid surveyed a random sample of 1,770 Canadian adults from July 25 to July 27. It said a margin of error from a probability sample of the same size would be two percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Recent polling from Abacus Data found similar results, with 18 per cent of their sample selecting environment and climate change as a top concern, an increase of three points over two weeks. Abacus asked respondents to choose three top issues from a longer list of other issues.

Abacus Data CEO David Coletto said the increase is a "notable move up" for the climate change issue.

"This is competing with issues like [U.S. President Donald] Trump and cost of living and health care," Coletto said. "It's signalling that the salience of this issue, the attention people are paying to it, is rising."

Abacus surveyed a random sample of 1,910 Canadian adults from July 23 to July 29 and said a margin of error for a comparable sample would be 2.24 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Backdrop of fires and heat waves

As Abacus and Angus Reid polled Canadians in July, wildfires raged across the country, forcing thousands to evacuate their homes. Many fires are still burning, notably in British Columbia and northwestern Ontario.

Coletto said the presence of wildfires in the news, their direct effects like smoke and global extreme weather events, like major fires in Europe, come together to "raise [climate change and the environment] back up onto the agenda."

Still, Kurl said it is yet to be seen whether this is a "more permanent uptick" when wildfires are less top of mind for Canadians.

A moment or a movement?

Even as Angus Reid recorded a 50 per cent increase between March and July, climate change and the environment is still far from its peak in voter concern at the end of the last decade.

"Climate change was the number-one issue," Kurl said. "It was arguably the ballot issue in the 2019 election, among other issues."

Forty per cent of respondents listed climate change and the environment as one of their top issues in Angus Reid's June 2019 polling.

Kurl said during the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change took "a significant back seat" to other issues quarter after quarter.

By the 2021 federal election, a focus on climate was seen in policy proposals from all parties, with the Conservative platform including a consumer carbon price, an industrial price, a zero-emission vehicle mandate and a low-carbon fuel standard.

In 2025, Prime Minister Mark Carney ended the consumer carbon tax in his first move at Canada's helm. During the 2025 election, environmental issues fell out of the top five concerns, according to data from Vote Compass.

In a "forward guidance" video released in June, Carney acknowledged that Canada's emissions would be on the rise.

"The changes we have made will mean that our emissions will be higher in the next few years than they were projected to be under the previous government's plan," Carney said.

Kurl said the current rebound in environmental concerns is "not coming from nowhere," but wants to find out whether "this is a moment, or a movement."

Keith Brooks, programs director of Canadian environmental advocacy organization Environmental Defence, said he hopes the rebounding concern is a movement — and that interest continues to grow.

"I think support for climate action has never gone away, it's just that other things came in as more of an urgent priority," he said. "I'm hoping that people are grasping the severity of the climate crisis and the fact that it is definitely not going away."

WATCH | Former minister says wildfires are result of climate change:

Wildfires, extreme weather are 'clearly climate change': former environment minister

August 4|

8:48

Former minister of environment and climate change Catherine McKenna says the extreme weather across Canada and around the world is clearly due to climate change. She shares how Canadians can be protected right now, how to put climate change back on the political agenda and how advancing renewable technology may offer hope in moving away from fossil fuels.

Brooks said he would like to see a "complete about-face" from the federal government on climate and the environment. He said Carney "has not done good things" on climate change, rolling back on some of the previous government's environmental policies.

"The affordability crisis is a real crisis," Brooks said. "All of these things are legitimate concerns that people should be afraid about, but climate change is among those concerns.…

"Just because something's not someone's top concern doesn't mean it's not a concern and it doesn't mean that it doesn't need to be taken seriously by governments."

80 people died trying to get to Ceuta. In Europe, politics could eclipse the tragedy

Verity Stevenson — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 08:00:00 GMT

A migrant from Morocco is escorted by Spanish security forces on Aug. 1 after attempting to cross from Morocco into Ceuta, Spain. (Pedro Nunes/Reuters)

In Ceuta, the small Spanish territory at the tip of North Africa where more than 72,000 people crossed from Morocco last week by swimming around the border, asylum seekers wait to learn what comes next.

Dozens were seen resting on a small beach on the outskirts of town this week, as the enclave's few shelters were full, mostly with women and children, according to Spanish newspaper El Pais.

Aid groups that were largely absent when exhausted swimmers first stumbled ashore now distribute food and water to those who were not forced to return to Morocco. (Moroccan nationals cannot claim asylum in Spain under an agreement designating Morocco a safe third country.)

While humanitarian organizations respond to the aftermath on the ground, the debate across Europe has largely been about how to prevent another mass crossing.

European lawmakers debated the Ceuta crossings and migration policy in Brussels on Wednesday, after last week's events triggered one of the bloc's sharpest political disputes over migration in years.

Within hours of the crossings last week, member states of the European Union rushed to blame Spain, saying decisions by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's government had encouraged migrants to attempt the journey.

Italy temporarily suspended passport-free Schengen travel arrangements with Spain, even though they do not apply to Ceuta. And 22 of the European Union's 27 member states called for stronger external border controls.

WATCH | Hundreds of migrants are stuck in Ceuta:

Ceuta faces humanitarian challenge after surge of migrants

August 4|

2:06

Roughly 2,000 migrants are left in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta after 70,000 surged into the autonomous city last week, leaving humanitarian organizations stretched to their limits.

European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen called the crossings "unacceptable," and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz demanded Morocco "take back illegal migrants immediately."

Wednesday's meeting shifted the rhetoric of the past week somewhat, with interior ministers releasing a statement in solidarity with Spain and condemning attempts to divide the bloc.

But the sentiment remains. Over the weekend, new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham visited Dover, where asylum seekers land after crossing the Channel from France on boats. His visit came after Reform UK Leader Nigel Farage said that if elected, he would employ the Royal Navy to return migrants crossing the Channel back to France.

Migrants wait at a beach in Ceuta on Aug. 3 following deadly mass crossings of migrants on foot and by sea from Morocco into the Spanish territory. (Violeta Santos Moura/Reuters)

The reactions to Ceuta are a reflection not only of disagreements over migration policy but domestic political calculations, said Davide Colombi, a migration researcher at the Centre for European Policy Studies.

"Member states' governments are still acting according to their own national electorate," Colombi said, rather than in the interest of Europe. When they blamed Spain for the events in Ceuta, "they acted in their own defence rather than in co-operation."

Migrants seen as security threat

For José Javier Olivas, an associate professor of political science at Spain's UNED university, the significance of Ceuta lies in how it has been discussed.

He says politicians across Europe rapidly adopted language portraying the crossing as an "invasion," framing it as a security threat rather than a humanitarian emergency.

Migrants hold signs reading 'asylum' in Spanish while waiting in line to receive food and beverages from the Red Cross in Ceuta, Spain, on Aug. 3. (Violeta Santos Moura/Reuters)

"They have managed to impose the terms in which we discuss about the issue," Olivas said, arguing the far right's greatest victory was shifting the conversation away from the people still stranded in Ceuta.

Spain has increasingly found itself out of step with much of Europe on migration. Earlier this year, Prime Minister Sánchez expanded a program allowing 500,000 undocumented migrants, many of them from Latin America, already living in Spain to regularize their legal status.

Meanwhile, countries like Italy, Denmark and the Netherlands have emphasized migrant returns and tougher border enforcement. Colombi described Spain as "going in a very different direction" from many of its European partners.

Possibly misleading claims

Exactly what prompted tens of thousands of people to attempt the Ceuta crossing last week remains disputed.

Researchers point to a combination of misleading online claims, confusion over a recent Spanish Supreme Court ruling affecting return procedures for migrants arriving by sea and questions over Morocco's border enforcement.

Migrants wait outside Ceuta's temporary migrant centre (CETI), which is currently at full capacity, on Aug. 3. (Pedro Nunes/Reuters)

Colombi said there was evidence of widespread misinformation encouraging people to believe anyone reaching Ceuta would be allowed to remain in Spain, while adding that Morocco's precise role remains unclear.

In the days before the crossing, videos circulated widely on social media claiming migrants who reached Ceuta would not be deported. Other posts falsely suggested Spain's regularization program was about to close, creating a sense of urgency for people hoping to reach Europe.

Most of those videos have since been removed.

1,100 unaccompanied minors remain

European leaders are now focused on reinforcing borders instead of debating the fate of thousands of asylum seekers still awaiting legal assistance, shelter or asylum decisions, Olivas said.

"Very few people are talking about the fact that there are thousands of people still in the streets in Ceuta who don't have water, who don't have food, who don't know what's going to happen to them," he said.

Many of the remaining crossers are from other parts of Africa, having spent years travelling north in search of protection in Europe. In photographs taken by news agencies, some hold handmade signs reading "Asilo."

One Yemeni man who fled his country's civil war five years ago told El Pais he lost his brother in the sea near Ceuta. More than 80 people drowned or were crushed in last week's rush across the border, according to official figures.

Meanwhile, roughly 1,100 unaccompanied minors remain in Ceuta because they cannot be summarily deported, according to local authorities.

Many are staying in makeshift accommodation or sleeping rough as charities and neighbourhood groups struggle to care for children, pregnant women and others left stranded.

Ontario Conservative MP Larry Brock to exit Parliament in September

CBC — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 02:50:41 GMT

Conservative MP Larry Brock to resign from Parliament in September

August 7|

3:18

Conservative MP Larry Brock says he'll resign his seat representing Brantford–Brant South–Six Nations on Sept. 18 to return to the Brantford Crown Attorney's Office. Brock becomes the seventh MP to leave the Conservative caucus since the 2025 federal election.

Conservative MP Larry Brock says he'll be resigning from the House of Commons next month.

Brock, the MP for the Ontario riding of Brantford—Brant South—Six Nations, was elected to Parliament in two consecutive elections — first in 2021, and again in 2025.

He served as an assistant Crown attorney prior to being elected to the House of Commons.

In a letter posted to social media on Thursday, Brock said he'd "accepted an opportunity to return directly to the frontlines of justice at the Brantford Crown Attorney's office."

<a href="https://t.co/pcW5HZnwnO">pic.twitter.com/pcW5HZnwnO</a>
—LarryBrockMP

His resignation will take effect on Sept. 18, according to the letter announcing his exit.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre posted a brief message on X, thanking Brock for his work as an MP.

"My ardent wish is for you and your family to have all the success and happiness in the world. God bless, my friend," Poilievre said in his post.

The Conservatives won the second-most seats in the 2025 federal election, but the party has seen seven MPs — Brock included — leave its federal caucus since that time.

Four MPs from the Conservative benches crossed the floor to join the governing Liberals — Chris d'Entremont, Michael Ma, Matt Jeneroux and Marilyn Gladu.

Richard Martel, the now-former MP for the Quebec riding of Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, was appointed to the Senate by Prime Minister Mark Carney in July.

Cathay Wagantall, a Conservative MP since 2015, is resigning her seat of Yorkton—Melville in Saskatchewan effective Aug. 31.

CSC identifies 3 people killed in highway crash during transfer from Edmonton correctional facility

Wallis Snowdon — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 02:25:00 GMT

A view of the crash site as clean-up operations began and wreckage from the collision was cleared away. Three people died when a correctional van and a box truck collided northwest of Provost, Alta. (Name withheld by request)

Two officers with Correctional Service Canada (CSC) and an inmate in their custody were killed Thursday when their transport van was involved in a serious crash on a central Alberta highway.

In a news release Friday, Alberta RCMP revealed new details of the deadly crash, which happened as the officers completed an inmate transfer from the Edmonton Institution for Women.

RCMP said the crash involved a CSC minivan and a box truck, at the intersection of Highway 13 and Highway 41, about 200 kilometres southeast of Edmonton.

Provost RCMP were called to the scene of the collision just before 11:30 a.m., police said.

All three occupants of the correctional van — a 57-year-old man from Sherwood Park, Alta., a 25-year-old woman from Winnipeg and a 24-year-old woman from North Battleford, Sask. — were declared dead at the scene.

On Friday afternoon, CSC issued a news release that said the woman from North Battleford was the inmate being transferred at the time of the crash. The agency identified her as Kiara Mooswa. She is from Poundmaker Cree Nation.

CSC said she had been serving a sentence of seven years and 20 days since April 11, 2024.

The agency later issued a statement identifying the officers who died as Nicolae Serban and Ramandeep Kaur Maan.

"Today, our thoughts are with Nick and Ramandeep's families, friends and colleagues, who are facing an unimaginable loss," CSC said. "We honour them not only as correctional officers, but as valued members of our CSC family whose lives, service and contributions have made a lasting impact on those who knew and worked alongside them.

“We also mourn the loss of Kiara Mooswa, who was in our care and custody at the time of the accident, and extend our condolences to her family, friends and community.”

On Aug. 7, 2026, Correctional Service Canada issued a statement identifying two of its officers who died a day earlier in a highway crash in Alberta as Nicolae Serban and Ramandeep Kaur Maan. Serban is pictured in this photo. (@CSC_SCC_en/X)

Ramandeep Kaur Maan, a Correctional Service Canada officer, was killed in a highway crash in Alberta alongside a colleague and an inmate. (@CSC_SCC_en/X)

The driver of the box truck, who was the lone occupant of that vehicle, was taken to a nearby hospital with minor injuries, RCMP said.

The cause of the collision remains under investigation. Officials have declined to clarify where the van was headed or how the inmate may have been restrained inside the vehicle.

The federal agency announced the deaths of the officers and a person they described as an offender in a social media post Thursday night.

In its initial statement, CSC had provided few details but described the incident as a "tragic accident."

The Edmonton Institution for Women is nearing a breaking point, warns the Elizabeth Fry Society. (CBC)

In a statement Friday, Talal Dakalbab, commissioner for Correctional Service of Canada, said the deaths have been felt deeply felt across the entire organization, particularly at the Edmonton Institution for Women and throughout the Prairie region.

"Our colleagues served Canadians with professionalism, dedication, and courage," Dakalbab said in a statement provided by the RCMP Friday.

"Their commitment to public safety and to CSC's mission leaves a lasting legacy, and we will ensure their invaluable contributions to our country are never forgotten.”

Officials with Alberta RCMP offered condolences to everyone affected by the tragedy including the loved ones of all three individuals whose lives were lost in the crash.

In a statement to CBC News Friday, officials with the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers said they are devastated by the tragic loss of two of its members.

'Unimaginable tragedy'

"Our thoughts, prayers, and deepest condolences are with their families, friends, co-workers, and everyone affected by this unimaginable tragedy," the statement reads.

"These officers made the ultimate sacrifice while serving Canadians and ensuring the safety and security of our communities. Today, the entire correctional family is mourning their loss."

Union officials said they will not speculate on the events that led to the crash, out of respect for an ongoing RCMP investigation and the victim's families.

"We understand there are many questions, but it is essential that the investigative process be allowed to proceed without interference," the statement reads.

"We ask Canadians to keep these families, their fellow correctional officers, and all those impacted by this tragedy in their thoughts during this incredibly difficult time."

Condolences have also come in from agencies across the country as well as from Prime Minister Mark Carney and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.

In a statement Friday, Carney said his thoughts are with their loved ones and those grieving the loss.

Poilievre wrote that he was "saddened" to learn of the correctional officers' deaths and that they and their colleagues are owed "a debt of gratitude" for keeping Canadians safe.

How to protect yourself — and your kids — from wildfire smoke

Steven Chua — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Tourists walk by the downtown Vancouver skyline as smoke from wildfires across British Columbia lingers on Tuesday. There are many ways to protect yourself from poor air quality caused by wildfires — including masks, air purifiers and more. (Ben Nelms/CBC)

Year after year, much of B.C. is blanketed by smoke as wildfires burn across the province, and beyond.

Environment Canada has issued orange warnings — indicating a very high health risk — for areas around 100 Mile House, the Eastern Fraser Valley, the southern Fraser Canyon, the Skagit Valley and the Nicola, South Thompson and Similkameen regions.

Yellow warnings have been issued across Metro Vancouver, the Okanagan, the Central Fraser Valley, north Fraser Canyon, West Kootenay, Shuswap, Cariboo and Boundary regions.

The weather agency advised residents to avoid strenuous activity outdoors, and to instead stay indoors where the air is cleaner.

Photos
B.C. Interior skies glow orange as wildfire smoke from Fraser Canyon settles in

Here's what you need to know to protect yourself from the smoke and poor air quality.

Should I stay inside?

Health Canada advises everyone to weigh the risks and benefits of being outdoors.

A good starting point is to check the local Air Quality Health Index. B.C.'s Environment Ministry provides hourly readings across the province.

Depending on the air quality in your area, you can assess your risk level and whether going outside is worth it.

A rating level of one to three is considered low, four to six is moderate, and seven to 10 is high risk. Anything above 10 is very high risk.

It's also worth checking if you're in a high-risk category.

Health Canada says this includes people with chronic health conditions — especially respiratory issues — as well as those who are 65 and older, young children and pregnant people.

And remember — check in with yourself.

"One of the best things to do is listen to your body," said Stephanie Cleland, a research scientist at the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute Centre for Lung Health.

WATCH | Air quality impacted across southwest B.C.:

Wildfires impacting air quality across southwest B.C.

August 4|

1:55

How do I know if it's safe for my kids to go out?

Adults generally know how to check in with themselves.

"Kids are less attuned to that," said Cleland. "So checking in with your kid and saying, 'Hey, how are you feeling?' Do they have a headache? Are they kind of breathing a little bit heavier?"

Those are some of the first clues it's time to get them into an environment with cleaner air, she said.

WATCH | Long-term impacts of wildfire smoke a concern:

Long-term health effects of wildfire smoke exposure a growing concern: expert

September 5, 2025|

1:49

Exposure to smoke every summer of your childhood — which is becoming a regular occurrence in some parts of the province — may increase the risk of asthma or a chronic health condition, Cleland said.

Expectant mothers should also be careful, as smoke exposure can increase the risk of low birth weight or a preterm birth.

"Those are health conditions that affect the kid's health for the rest of their lives," said Cleland.

What does PM2.5 mean, and how does this affect my health?

Wildfire smoke contains dirt, dust and soot.

However, there are also microscopic particles known as PM2.5, which refers to particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometres in diameter.

"We're talking about the diameter of a hair or smaller," said Chris Lam, president of the B.C. Lung Foundation.

WATCH | How wildfire smoke affects your body:

How wildfire smoke can affect the body

May 17, 2024|

3:27

Health Canada calls PM2.5 the main health risk from wildfire smoke.

"That can get into your lungs, past lung lining and into your bloodstream," said Lam. "That can create a host of short-term and long-term health effects that none of us really want to deal with."

This can include irritation, shortness of breath, decreased lung function and aggravation of lung and heart conditions.

The provincial smoke forecast for the morning of Aug. 6, 2026, based on data from the Weather Forecast Research Team at UBC. Darker spots show more smoke. (Weather Forecast Research Team at UBC/CBC)

I have to go outside. How do I protect myself?

Health Canada recommends a well-fitted respirator-type mask.

Coverings such as a NIOSH-certified N95 or equivalent are standard since they don't let the air pass between the mask and the face.

However, just as important as choosing the right mask is ensuring it fits properly.

How wildfire smoke travels from Ontario to New York City — and turns distant city skies orange

Respirators must fully cover the nose, mouth and chin, and air should not escape the edges when you exhale.

It should rest snugly on your face with no gaps, and you should bend the nosepiece wire to fit snugly over your nose.

How do I keep the air in my home clean?

The first steps to reducing smoke in the home are to keep the windows shut, and ensure seals around the windows are properly filled.

A wet towel can be a handy tool for covering cracks.

Health Canada recommends air-cleaning devices that use high-efficiency air filters.

WATCH | How to keep air clean without a purifier:

How to clean the air in your home without spending hundreds of dollars

February 11, 2021|

4:00

Check the suggested room size and the clean air delivery rate, or CADR, of the appliance, and select a device with the highest tobacco smoke CADR within your budget.

The higher the tobacco CADR number, the more fine particles the device can remove — and this counts towards wildfire smoke as well.

But a decent air filter doesn't need to break the bank.

The B.C. Lung Foundation has tips on how to create your own DIY air purifier with a box fan, duct tape and filter that you can find here.

Tracking the 2026 wildfires in Canada

Graeme Bruce — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 15:39:55 GMT

The Brunswick Creek wildfire consumes trees on a mountainside, in Boston Bar, B.C., on Thursday, July 9, 2026. (Darryl Dyck / The Canadian Press)

Following three years of historic wildfire destruction, this season is shaping up to be another tough one.

Despite healthy spring rainfall, forecasted intense summer heat and lower-than-normal rainfall in the summer months is driving up fire danger across the country.

Here is where the wildfire situation stands today.

Fire danger across Canada is calculated by taking into account several factors including temperature, humidity, wind speed and rain.

Among other things, type of rating helps authorities decide how to best manage existing fires and when to implement burn bans.

Smoke from active Canadian wildfires doesn't just affect local communities. It can waft into the most populated areas of Canada.

The wind can also carry it across the border into the eastern seaboard of the United States, impacting major metropolitan hubs such as New York City.

Smoke from so many wildfires can pose significant health risks. On the Air Quality Health Index, anything seven or higher is considered high risk. The general population (regardless of any pre-existing medical issue) should consider avoiding strenuous activities outdoors at that rating.

Those living in areas with higher AQHI ratings may consider wearing a face mask if they go outside to protect against fine particles in smoke. According to Environment Canada, when indoors it’s important to keep all windows and doors closed as much as possible.