Alberta NDP says premier’s rejection of federal authority lays separation groundworkEDMONTON — Alberta’s NDP Opposition leader says Premier Danielle Smith's comments rejecting the legitimacy of the federal government betray her unspoken plan to lay the groundwork for eventual separation. Rachel Notley cited Smith’s comments to the house just before members passed her sovereignty bill earlier Thursday, in which Smith rejected the federal government’s overarching authority. “Those comments are utterly chaos-inducing.”Free Alberta Strategy was a 2021 policy paper drafted in part by Smith’s current top adviser Rob Anderson. “The name of the bill is Alberta Sovereignty Within a United Canada Act,” said Smith. He said Smith’s bill threatens that, perhaps putting judges in the awkward position of having to decide whether they are the ones to make those decisions.

Griner in ‘good spirits’ in US after Russian prisoner swapSAN ANTONIO (AP) — Brittney Griner returned to the United States Friday and was reunited with her wife nearly 10 months after her detention in Russia made the basketball star the most high-profile American jailed abroad and set off a political firestorm. The deal that brought home Griner, 32, in exchange for notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout achieved a top goal for President Joe Biden. Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and Phoenix Mercury pro basketball star, was seen getting off a plane that landed Friday at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in Texas. Griner pleaded guilty in July but still faced trial because admitting guilt in Russia’s judicial system does not automatically end a case. The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed Thursday's swap, saying in a statement carried by Russian news agencies that the exchange took place in Abu Dhabi and Bout had been flown home.

With Thursday’s 4-3 overtime win to the Senators, the Stars avoided what would have been their first three-game losing streak under coach Pete DeBoer. Tyler Seguin won the game with 29 seconds remaining in overtime after Wyatt Johnston forced a turnover in the Ottawa zone. The win snapped Dallas’ five-game losing streak against the Senators, with its last victory coming on Oct. 21, 2019. Seguin entered the Ottawa game with four goals and 15 assists in the first 26 games of the season. Fiesta Night: The Stars hosted Fiesta Night on Thursday, a celebration of all Hispanic cultures at the American Airlines Center.

The Canadian PressLAS VEGAS (AP) — The Los Angeles Chargers needed to do three things to be successful against the Las Vegas Raiders: contain Josh Jacobs, limit Davante Adams on deep routes and capitalize on offensive opportunities. Failing on all three, the Chargers fell 27-20 to the Raiders on Sunday, their fourth loss in six games. “They were getting to us early on in the game,” Chargers running back Austin Ekeler said. “We were trying to mix it up, come out with some quick pass game, just take some pressure o

A slide outside Jack Hulland Elementary School in Whitehorse. However, he also noted more than 60 "almost exclusively democratic countries" have already eliminated provisions in their laws that allow the use of force against children. "This is a story of children, parents and school staff being left alone while the government closed its eyes on systemic abuse." In an email, Yukon education department spokesperson Clarissa Wall said the ongoing RCMP investigation was preventing the department from sharing "some items," but that it would be directly following up with families who have requested access to student records. "The past year has been exceptionally challenging for many members of the Jack Hulland Elementary School community and supports are available to anyone who has been affected by this."

The Canadian PressVANCOUVER — The Vancouver Canucks say they never believed they were down and out on Monday night — despite what the scoreboard said. The visiting Montreal Canadiens (12-11-2) took a 4-0 lead midway through the opening frame, chasing Vancouver's starting goalie Spencer Martin in the process. The Canucks (11-12-3) persevered though, and eventually gritted out a 7-6 overtime victory. “At the end of the day, I don't care how we did it. We got it done," said captain Bo Horvat.

© Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press Winnipeg Blue Bombers coach Mike O'Shea has 82 wins as the team's bench boss, only trailing legendary coaches Bud Grant (102) and Cal Murphy (86) in the franchise's long history. One of the most successful head coaches in Winnipeg Blue Bomber history is keeping the headset on and barking orders from the sidelines for at least another three years. Mike O'Shea has signed a three-year contract extension to lead the football club through the 2025 CFL season. He only trails legendary coaches Bud Grant (102) and Cal Murphy (86) in wins as Bombers head coach. O'Shea is currently the CFL's longest-serving head coach and holds an overall record of 82-58.

The Human Rights Award is presented annually in celebration of International Human Rights Day. The Human Rights Commission grants this recognition to someone who has made a meaningful, contribution to human rights in Newfoundland and Labrador. The Newfoundland and Labrador Human Rights Commission recognizes and sincerely thanks all those who nominated individuals for the 2022 Human Rights Award. The Human Rights Commissioners had a challenging time deciding this year’s Human Rights Award and Human Rights Champion recipients. -30-Learn moreFor more information on the Newfoundland and Labrador Human Rights Commission, please visit www.thinkhumanrights.ca.

Trans men are men. Last year, in a typically upbeat dispatch, NHL.com staff writer Amalie Benjamin reported that Team Trans allows trans hockey players “to be themselves. Trans women are women. — NHL (@NHL) November 22, 2022At ordinary hockey tournaments, teams register and compete as collective units—typically representing their school, neighbourhood, city, or region. But even in the absence of ill intent, their size advantage produced a heightened level of risk for the biological women.

Pembroke City Councillor Ian Kuehl has issued a statement after Mayor Ron Gervais cancelled a slate of committees including the Diversity Advisory Committee, a decision that’s disappointed and shocked some local residents, groups and former committee members. In a recent statement, Kuehl says he hears the Mayor’s position, but disagrees that work of the diversity committee is already over. Kuehl says Pembroke continues to see active hatred expressed in the community and adds many engaged residents want to see the Diversity Advisory Committee continued. Kuehl also noted the lack of diversity on Pembroke City Council and the lack of diversity at the top managerial levels in the City of Pembroke. Kuehl looks forward to a motion being brought before council to continue with the Diversity Advisory Committee and plans to vote in favour of keeping it.

The Federal Trade Commission on Thursday sued to block Microsoft’s planned $69 billion takeover of video game company Activision Blizzard, saying it could suppress competitors to Microsoft’s Xbox game console and its growing games subscription business. Smith said Microsoft has been committed to addressing competition concerns and brought proposed concessions to the FTC earlier this week. Democratic U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren tweeted Thursday that she welcomed the FTC action, noting that she had urged Khan to scrutinize the proposed merger. Both the Justice Department and the FTC this year have looked at strengthening merger guidelines to better detect and prevent illegal and anticompetitive deals. But the sheer size of the Activision Blizzard acquisition — which could be the priciest in tech industry history — has drawn attention.

Small business owners in Windsor-Essex say they are struggling to stay afloat amid skyrocketing grocery prices and changing customer habits. The bakery isn't the only Windsor business closing before the new year. Robbie Bornais, owner of Robbie's Sausage Company, said that after running his business in Windsor for nine years, he will be closing his doors to the public. © Katerina Georgieva/CBC Carley Noelle opened her vegan grocery store, Ethos Grocery, in September. Social media support not enoughBoth Ciotoli and Bernais said they have received a lot of support from the community through social media, but the online support isn't translating into enough sales.

The Dallas Stars are giving up fewer penalties, but they’re also giving up more net-front goals. It was the ninth time in the last 14 games that Dallas had given up four or more goals. “The things that jump out at me: soft around the net and penalties,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said after practice on Wednesday afternoon. “We’re starting to clean up the penalty problem, which obviously puts a lot of pressure on your goaltending. Super 16: Central Division well representedhttps://t.co/wPFOHmvug4 — NHL.com (@NHLdotcom) December 8, 2022The Seattle Kraken have made a stunning turnaround in their second season.

Spoiler alert: This story contains spoilers for the docuseries “Harry and Meghan” on Netflix. Viewers who binged the first three episodes of “Harry & Meghan” on Thursday morning expecting a takedown of members of the Royal Family will have to wait to see what next Thursday’s episodes bring. "I'm stunned by it," says Nick Bullen, co-founder and editor in chief of True Royalty TV, referring to the first three episodes of “Harry & Meghan." “In this family,” Harry says, “sometimes, you know, you’re part of the problem rather than part of the solution. “Harry & Meghan,” episodes 1 to 3, is now streaming on Netflix.

A rare neurological disorder that affects about one or two people per million is in the spotlight in the wake of an emotional social media post by pop star Céline Dion, who described her challenges with stiff-person syndrome. Newsome says the syndrome often causes a rigidity in the torso, lower back, abdominal and leg areas, affecting gait and balance. He says there is some evidence that the syndrome is related to an imbalance of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. He said that stiff-person syndrome affects predominantly older women. It was first described in the 1950s as stiff-man syndrome, despite the fact that the first case affected a female.