Both Ontario’s New Democrats and Liberals suffered serious setbacks in 2025 after losing a snap election to Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives. And the weekend before that, former Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie said she would resign after achieving only 57 per cent support in a review. But he expects the Liberals will have a new party leader in place by the end of 2026. “We can expect exactly the same thing for whoever the next Liberal leader is,” Bird said. “All party leadership contests are quite divisive,” she said.

January 02, 2026 21:01 UTC

A spokesperson for the government of Newfoundland and Labrador said the province is looking at its remote work policy. Plan to come in 'sharper view'It's still not clear when federal public servants will have to increase their office presence, or by how much. Provincial and federal public sector unions have pushed back against return-to-office mandates. "If this government tries to make sweeping changes to remote work in the middle of bargaining, we will oppose them. "Having public servants spread out a little bit, that's good for all the economies of our local communities."

January 02, 2026 20:37 UTC

Just as Edmonton saw a sharp spike in snowfall this December, other parts of Alberta also recorded some of their highest December precipitation volumes in decades. “After years of sort of heartbreaking drought for some ranchers and farmers, it’s certainly different news that we’re seeing with this snow,” Lang said. While any precipitation is helpful, Lang cautioned that its benefit depends heavily on how the snow melts in the spring. Some Alberta farmers are hoping that significant snowfall in December will help mitigate drought concerns in the spring and summer. Lang said Albertans should be prepared for more snow in the days ahead, as the current pattern shows little sign of changing.

January 02, 2026 20:31 UTC

The year 2025 saw little slowdown in the barrage of anti-Israel propaganda peddled from many news media outlets, targeted towards the Canadian public. When anti-Israel groups accuse Israel of genocide, they receive predictable news coverage. Ignoring Inconvenient Reports: When an anti-Israel group published a report alleging Israeli malfeasance, they were almost guaranteed Canadian media coverage. Sanitizing Hate: For more than two years, many anti-Israel groups have not condemned Israeli policy, but engaged in overt anti-Israel and anti-Jewish hate speech, and even glorifying terrorism. In 2025, most news media outlets badly failed in telling the full story to Canadians, and practicing responsible journalism.

January 02, 2026 17:38 UTC

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January 02, 2026 17:08 UTC





Advertisement AdvertisementAdvertisement AdvertisementWhile the OECD has been looking at the PBO's office, and not any particular PBO, economists in Canada have been doing both. These economists say that should start with more numbers and less commentary from whomever is appointed to run the office and — when possible — they'd like to see an increased use of peer review for its reports. But issues around how the last PBO evaluated the carbon tax have prompted economists to suggest it could be used more widely. He said he's open to expanding the use of peer review, especially on reports that step into politically fraught territory but noted that won't eliminate all potential controversy. "The mandate of the office is to produce numbers for things that parliamentarians are debating and voting on.

January 02, 2026 16:40 UTC

The family of a man killed on Big Island Lake Cree Nation say they're struggling with shock as they try to understand why someone would have shot him. WATCH | Neil Wahpistikwan's father recounts learning about his son's death:Début du widget . Fin du widget . 'It hurts right here': Larry Wahpistikwan on the shooting death of his son, NeilDecember 30|Duration2:25Larry Wahipistikwan describes what unfolded on Big Island Lake Cree Nation Tuesday morning. Big Island Lake Cree Nation was placed under lockdown for most of the day after the shooting.

January 02, 2026 16:28 UTC

A man found unresponsive in an east-end Windsor parking lot has died in hospital Thursday, police say. “The Windsor Police Service regrets to confirm that the man who was found unresponsive has since passed away in hospital. Police say the man was found in a parking lot behind a commercial building in the 5100 block of Tecumseh Road East. The Windsor Police Service Major Crimes Unit has taken over the investigation and is working to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Windsor and Essex County Crime Stoppers at 519-258-8477 (TIPS) or online at catchcrooks.com.

January 02, 2026 15:31 UTC

TORONTO, Jan. 02, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Toronto Star Short Story contest opens tomorrow and invites all aspiring published authors to take part. Now in its 48th year, the Toronto Star Short Story contest is one of the largest and longest-running short story contests in North America. Last year’s Toronto Star Short Story winner was Jessica Maheral-Wareing’s “Heaven Without.”This year’s judges include:Deborah Dundas, Toronto Star Opinion editor and feature writerRichard Ouzounian, Director and writer and former Toronto Star theatre criticMoe Hosseini-Ara, City Librarian, Toronto Public LibraryJean Marc Ah-Sen, Author and Toronto Star contributorCassidy McFadzean, AuthorWriters who are residents of Ontario are encouraged to enter. Deborah Dundas, Toronto Star Opinion editor and feature writer, said: “I’ve been lucky enough to be in the position to support Toronto and Ontario’s writers through many of my years here at the Toronto Star. The Toronto Star has been making a difference in the lives of children for more than 100 years through the Toronto Star Fresh Air Fund and the Toronto Star Santa Claus Fund.

January 02, 2026 15:31 UTC

Fin du widget . WATCH | Give magpies a chance, Calgary naturalist Brian Keating says:Début du widget . Fin du widget . They are a feathered primate, essentially, in their ability to think, Keating said. Magpies thrive in urban environmentSara Jordan-McLachlan, who studies Calgary's urban wildlife, says magpies have become a core component of the city's ecosystem.

January 02, 2026 15:28 UTC

Bears aren’t stupid, so that’s that’s a problem. What is the general consensus in Bella Coola after the bear attack? It is not a bear problem. Our house has been there for a long time, and we didn’t have any bear attractants, so I don’t think that’s a human problem. A bear attack on children is just pretty horrific.

January 02, 2026 15:14 UTC

The voluntary grocery code of conduct for grocers, suppliers, wholesalers and primary producers in Canada is set to fully roll out on Thursday. The grocery code is intended to promote fair dealings between grocers and their suppliers, including in the application of penalties and fees. The office of the Canada Grocery Code will also start collecting annual membership dues and releasing annual reports highlighting industry trends, systemic challenges and proposed improvements, according to the Canada Grocery Code website. Loblaw agrees to sign grocery code of conduct — if its competitors do, tooLoblaw Companies Ltd. says it's agreed to sign onto a long-planned code of conduct for grocery retailers, as long as other industry players do, too. In other countries that have brought in grocery codes of conduct, prices have come down, he said at the time.

January 02, 2026 15:14 UTC

Dozens dead in Swiss New Year's Eve party fireNewsDuration 2:34Officials say about 40 people are dead and 115 others injured, most of them seriously, after a fire tore through a crowded bar during a New Year's Eve party in the upscale ski resort of Crans-Montana in southwestern Switzerland.

January 02, 2026 13:48 UTC

Zyn refers to a Swedish brand of nicotine pouch not available in Canada, but can also be colloquially used as a catch-all term for pouches. In part, this is due to American conservative firebrand personality Tucker Carlson launching his own nicotine pouch product Alp in late 2024. The government first approved the nicotine pouch product Zonnic for sale as a smoking-cessation product in 2023. Zonnic is owned by Imperial Tobacco Canada, and until recently, was the only nicotine pouch product authorized for sale in Canada. Dave Morrow, 44, a nicotine pouch user based in Montreal who says he “leans libertarian,” views Canada’s approach to regulating nicotine as senseless and oppressive.

January 02, 2026 13:19 UTC

A home described as the first of its kind now stands in the Nak’azdli Whuten community near Fort St. James, B.C. The home is a prototype for an Indigenous-led housing system that uses low-grade locally-sourced wood to produce prefabricated housing kits for northern communities. Advertisement AdvertisementAdvertisement Advertisement“This house means security not only in housing, but in economics and community longevity,” said Nak’azdli Whuten member Elky Taylor. They partnered with researchers at the University of Northern British Columbia’s Wood Innovation Research Lab to develop the prefabricated mass timber panel system. The mass timber panels are exposed on three sides of the home.

January 02, 2026 13:17 UTC