Trudeau says Canada is fortunate to be a ‘country of peace’ in Christmas messageOTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is asking Canadians to remind themselves how fortunate they are "to live in a country of peace." Trudeau says in his annual Christmas address that it's the season when life slows down and "Christmas movies, including Die Hard, are on repeat." But he says that 2022 was a challenging year and acknowledges that for some, the holidays won't be easy. Trudeau asks that as people to prepare to see extended family members who they "haven't seen in so long" to remember "how fortunate we are to live in a country of peace." He says this Christmas, his thoughts will be with members of the military and health professionals who are working over the holidays — Canadians who he says "go the extra mile to make our country a better place."

Passengers trapped on Via Rail trains running between Montreal, Ottawa and TorontoDuration: 04:55Hundreds of passengers have been trapped on VIA Rail trains running between Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto. Kelly Crowe, who is stranded on a Via Rail train, talks about the ongoing situation.

(Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press - image credit)The latest:Across Ontario, Quebec, B.C. Utility companies are making headway in their efforts to restore power to hundreds of thousands of people across Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and the Maritime provinces. In many parts of the country, including Ontario and B.C., officials are urging motorists to avoid travel if possible as treacherous winter conditions continue. Environment Canada is warning blizzards, strong winds and other stormy weather in parts of Ontario and Quebec will likely continue into Christmas. Air Canada is warning of further flight disruptions in Vancouver, Toronto, Quebec City and Montreal through to Christmas Day.

No Stars fan will want to rewatch much of the first 35 minutes of Friday’s game against the Canadiens. The vibe immediately shifted in the American Airlines Center. Tonight, it was our power play.”It is the second time this campaign the Stars have scored three power play goals. Early in the third period, Robertson received a pass on another power play in the middle of the offensive zone. Montreal went for one final rush with 10 seconds left on a power play a few minutes into the game.

Gord Ellis: The Incredible Journey of the Wolf,Radioduration 7:43The Incredible Journey is a 1963 Disney film that follows the adventures of a Labrador retriever, a bull terrier and a Siamese cat as they travel 480 kilometers across the Canadian wilderness to return home. But as it turns out, wild animals can travel that distance — and more — in the real world. Recently, a wolf that was trapped in Michigan traveled thousands of kilometers through four states and two provinces – including northwestern Ontario – before reaching the end of its journey in Manitoba. Cody Norton is a large carnivore specialist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. He was part of the team tracking the wolf and spoke to CBC’s Gord Ellis about it.

© Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press Community centres and arenas will be closed and buses will run on modified schedules over the Christmas break. Wondering what's open for business on the Christmas holiday long weekend? What's openDevonshire Mall will be open on Monday, Dec. 26, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.Tecumseh Mall will be open on Monday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Transit Windsor is running, but buses are operating on a holiday schedule on Sunday and on a Sunday schedule on Monday. For people experiencing homelessness, the day program at Windsor Water World is going ahead on regular hours (8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.) and modified hours on Sunday (8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.)What's closed

Whistleblower group criticizes federal review of wrongdoing disclosure regimeOTTAWA — An advocacy group for those who reveal wrongdoing says it cannot support a new task force looking at the federal whistleblowing regime because it lacks someone with "lived experience" as an actual whistleblower. In a letter to Treasury Board President Mona Fortier, Whistleblowing Canada Research Society president Pamela Forward calls the absence a "shocking omission." Fortier appointed the task force in late November to look at opportunities to improve the federal disclosure process and strengthen protections and supports for public servants who come forward to disclose wrongdoing. The Treasury Board Secretariat says many of the task force members, who also include academics and union representatives, were chosen through consultations with experts in the field and bring diverse expertise to the role. The task force will produce a public report with recommendations on possible amendments to the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act.

Sweden’s icebreaker season is underway, starting with the first vessel departing from the northern city of Lulea, a city just over 100 km from the Arctic Circle. “This is what we wait for every year,” Amund Lindberg, operations manager for ice breaking at the Swedish Maritime Administration, said in a news release on Thursday. The Ale, Sweden’s smallest icebreaker, was put on standby earlier this month so it could offer assistance to merchant ships with just a few hours notice. Ice breaking season starting late this yearThe Swedish Maritime Administration says warm weather means ice has come late to country’s coasts this year. After the Ale, the Swedish Maritime Administration says the next line in is the Atle followed by the Frej, the Odin and the Ymer.

But that beach stretch lasted less than three months before the sea claimed it once more, the waves eating away at the sand. Standing on the beach, he looked at the exposed giant sandbags that had been buried 2m deep into a section of Batu Ferringhi beach in January and September. Mat recalled the tsunami on Dec 26, 2004, during which 20 people were found drowned in Batu Ferringhi alone. Along a 30m stretch near a public path to the Batu Ferringhi beach called Pasir Emas, many of the sandbags are all but gone. Consumers Association of Penang senior education officer NV Subbarow called on those who had enjoyed Batu Ferringhi beach to reflect on the effects of global warming hitting the state’s beach asset.

On February 2, turmoil within the Conservative Party came to a head when MPs voted to replace party leader Erin O'Toole. But on which date was the Emergencies Act invoked? For how many days was the Emergencies Act invoked? The House of Commons voted to confirm the use of the Emergencies Act 181 to 151, with MPs largely divided across party lines. Which Green MP voted in favour of the use of the Emergencies Act and which voted against?

Province warns against non-essential travelDuration: 01:42With significant snow, followed by freezing rain and the potential for flooding, the province is advising everyone to avoid non-essential travel and as Emad Agahi reports that prompted last-minute shoppers to rush to stores.

Here is the latest on the winter storm wreaking havoc across the countryThe latest:At least one weather warning in every province and territory. Pick your poison: extreme cold, Arctic outflow, winter storm, snowfall warning, rainfall warning, wind warning, storm surge, blowing snow, blizzard and (deep breath) ice fog. The Environment Canada warning map has more red on it than the flag — all during one of the busiest travel times of the season. Heavy rains are expected in the Atlantic provinces, with some high winds, storm surge or freezing rain in certain regions. More than 240 million people — about 60 per cent of the U.S. population — were under some form of winter weather advisory or warning on Friday.

CBC News published this video item, entitled “3 dead, others injured in Paris shooting” – below is their description. A gunman has opened fire in central Paris, killing three people and wounding at least three others. Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/news CBC News YouTube ChannelGot a comment? Leave your thoughts in the comments section, below. Please note comments are moderated before publication.

CBC Manitoba wants to hear your holiday memories from the past two years. From Christmas dinners preceded by rapid tests to shopping for Hanukkah gifts online when "non-essential" items were off-limits in store — the last two Decembers were certainly different. CBC Manitoba wants to hear from people across the province to showcase some of the out of the ordinary holiday memories during the COVID-19 pandemic. The year before, public health officials made stores tape off certain items deemed non-essential, which made shopping in person for holiday gifts challenging. Tell us about those experiences by filling out the survey below, and we'll share some of the most memorable moments from the pandemic holidays across the province.

(Ryan Snoddon/CBC - image credit)Maritime Electric was standing by Friday to respond to power outages amid a wind warning for all of P.E.I. As of 8 p.m., 3,425 customers were without power, according to the utility's outage map. Shane Hennessey/CBCGriffin said on top of the high winds, falling debris and trees weakened by post-tropical storm Fiona could also damage power lines. Story continues"Many of our customers are just trying to get ready for the holidays and this could be really challenging for them if there's power outages," she added. Power outages are possible over the next few days.