Hydro-Québec works to restore power, some schools shut for another day after storm
Hydro-Québec is gradually restoring power to customers after freezing rain and high winds brought down power lines overnight. While the province avoided the worst of the anticipated ice storm, some schools in southern Quebec remained closed for a second day due to poor road conditions and power outages. The high winds and freezing rain led to some fallen trees and branches in Montreal. Snow further eastWhile Montreal and the surrounding area was hit with freezing rain, other parts of the province saw a mix of snow and ice pellets. Several schools in the Quebec City area also remained closed Thursday morning, though some daycare services were open.
Source:CBC News
March 12, 2026 20:50 UTC
Heritage minister reconvenes advisory group on online harms to consult on AI chatbots
OTTAWA — The federal heritage minister has reconvened a group of researchers and advocates that had been tasked with advising the government on how to regulate tech platforms, as Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government weighs how it wants to tackle the issue of online safety. Those efforts culminated in Bill C-63, known as the Online Harms Act, which died when former prime minister Justin Trudeau prorogued Parliament last year. Advertisement AdvertisementAdvertisement AdvertisementNo timelines have been set for when Carney’s government will bring forward a new bill, with Miller tasked with leading the efforts. Solomon has also signalled his intention to bring forward his own bill related to AI and privacy. Speaking in Tokyo last week, Carney said given the federal government’s last bill failed to pass through Parliament that Canada was “lagging” behind others in the area of online safety.
Source:National Post
March 12, 2026 19:44 UTC
What happens if — or when — Mark Carney and the Liberals get to a majority?
Victories in University-Rosedale and Scarborough Southwest — two Toronto ridings the Liberals won comfortably less than a year ago — would bring the Liberals to 172 seats. A win in Terrebonne — where a rare judicial annulment has necessitated a byelection — would bring the Liberals to 173 seats. "Mark Carney is using backroom deals to seize a costly majority that voters rejected," Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre argued in a social media post. Four years after winning a majority, Harper was out of power completely — replaced by a Liberal majority. Voters might not worry too much about how Carney gets his majority, but they likely will care about what he does with it.
Source:CBC News
March 12, 2026 19:30 UTC
Political agendas have no place in university research applications: Peter MacKinnon in the National Post
This is a political agenda that should have no place in research applications. Certainly it is a term that implies major change, though of what kind and quality are usually left unspecified. Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) has been widely discussed and has been the subject of surveys by think-tanks and other organizations. It is clear that there are mild, moderate and strong versions of DEI; the unobjectionable mild version recognizes the importance of diversity and encourages outreach in its pursuit. The moderate and strong versions include one or more of race-based hiring, quotas for identity groups, and requirements that job applicants pledge support for them
Source:National Post
March 12, 2026 19:06 UTC
B.C. Human Rights Tribunal ignores science to silence debate on gender ideology: Mia Hughes in the National Post
By Mia Hughes, March 12, 2026Last month, the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal handed down an extraordinary decision, ordering former Chilliwack school board trustee Barry Neufeld to pay $750,000 for publicly criticizing gender-identity ideology and its inclusion in schools. Transpeople are, by definition, people ‘whose gender identity does not align with the sex assigned to them at birth,’ ” states the ruling. In truth, Canada approached the gender debate backwards, enshrining the highly disputed, unscientific concept of gender identity into law without analysis or scrutiny. Even with human rights tribunals acting like authoritarian zealots, the debate is on and its momentum is unstoppable. Mia Hughes specializes in researching pediatric gender medicine, psychiatric epidemics, social contagion and the intersection of trans rights and women’s rights.
Source:National Post
March 12, 2026 19:06 UTC
Canadians concerned about rising government deficits, believe middle-class will foot the bill: poll
Canadians are concerned about rising government deficits, with a majority believing that middle-class taxpayers will eventually have to foot the bill for all the public overspending, according to a new Postmedia-Leger poll. By comparison, 19 per cent of respondents said they were not concerned and 10 per cent said they didn’t know. (22 per cent) were the least likely to say the middle class will pay, with B.C. “While governments often say they are targeting any tax measures at the wealthy, somehow it always seems to be the more populous middle class that has to foot the bill,” he said. Sixty-five per cent of respondents supported the move, while 24 per cent opposed and 11 per cent didn’t know.
Source:National Post
March 12, 2026 18:49 UTC
Translating, restraining kids, teaching multiple grades at once: Alberta teachers describe complex classrooms
She said 10 of them were learning English and two spoke almost no English at all. Children's coats hang in cubbies in the hallway of one Alberta school. Enlarge image (new window) A file image from an Alberta school. I am an English language arts teacher, not an English language learning teacher, not a special education teacher. Boys learn to tell time in an Alberta school.
Source:CBC News
March 12, 2026 17:54 UTC
House leader says Liberals are still courting opposition MPs to cross the floor
OTTAWA — Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon said conversations with dissatisfied MPs from opposition parties continue, just one day after his party secured its fourth floor crosser in four months. “I think very much so,” he told reporters on his way into a cabinet meeting on Thursday, in response to a question about whether his party is talking to more MPs. Since November, the governing party has convinced Conservative MPs Matt Jeneroux, Michael Ma and Chris d’Entremont to join their ranks. The seats were left vacant following the resignations of Bill Blair and Chrystia Freeland, with the Liberals heavily favoured to win both. The third race will be held in Terrebonne, Que., which is expected to be a close race between the Liberals and the Bloc Québécois.
Source:National Post
March 12, 2026 15:45 UTC
How remote First Nations are working with Ornge to improve medical transportation
We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results. Getting a proper vehicle to transport people for urgent medical care is an ongoing challenge in fly-in First Nations in northwestern Ontario. In Keewaywin First Nation, for instance, people with a medical emergency can't readily get a vehicle, let alone one equipped with health-care supplies, to go to the nursing station. All of the equipment is provided by Ornge, which also helps with record-keeping and data management. “I was a medical driver a few years ago and I went on a call,” Brown recalled.
Source:CBC News
March 12, 2026 15:32 UTC
Woman who lost 35-week pregnancy settles lawsuit with Fredericton hospital
"It was an amicable conclusion," said Aris Lavranos, the Nova Scotia-based lawyer who represented Dunn and Waite. WATCH | Woman who went to Chalmers ER in distress said no one checked on her unborn baby: Parents of stillborn child settle lawsuit with Fredericton hospital | Duration 1:43 Horizon declines to comment on a medical malpractice lawsuit that was resolved out of court. A plaster cast of their daughter's feet and hands, given to Dunn and Waite by staff at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital. (Submitted by Aimee Dunn)In an email to CBC News, Horizon acknowledged the lawsuit had concluded and declined any further comment. In the months following her loss, Dunn, who then worked in housekeeping at the Chalmers Hospital, and Waite, who worked as an auto mechanic, both felt discouraged about seeking legal recourse.
Source:CBC News
March 12, 2026 14:47 UTC
Province names company allegedly responsible for Fredericton chemical spill
A New Brunswick government official has named the company allegedly responsible for spilling a substance containing a potentially cancer-causing chemical in Fredericton last week. WATCH | Investigation to determine whether company broke any laws: Province names company responsible for Fredericton chemical spill | Duration 3:26 A Department of Environment official has identified the company responsible for a chemical spill in Fredericton and says an investigation will determine whether it broke the law. The cleanupCleanup of the spill began last Friday, with EFI Global hired to do the work, Awad said. Kevin Burgher of EFI Global said the chemical spill appeared to be most concentrated on the Vanier Highway interchange, as seen in this photo from last Friday. The same is advised for those who drove through the spill but reside outside of Fredericton or New Brunswick.
Source:CBC News
March 12, 2026 14:39 UTC
Liberals are elated while Poilievre accuses Carney of 'backroom deals' after NDP defection
He said Idlout is "very down to earth," and together they will work on projects "large and small in Nunavut." In a written statement released by the Liberal Party, Idlout said that threats to Canada's sovereignty and "pressures on the well-being of people throughout the North" inspired her to join a government that can address those issues. This defection means the Liberals now have 170 MPs — just two seats shy of a majority government. Other NDP MPs declined to say anything more. We only have a statement that is on the website," said NDP MP Alexandre Boulerice, who is also thinking of leaving for Québec Solidaire, a left-wing separatist provincial party.
Source:CBC News
March 12, 2026 14:35 UTC
Snow and ice storm closes schools, knocks out power
A snow and ice storm kept most New Brunswick schools closed on Thursday. The only exceptions were schools in the Anglophone South School District, as well as Saint John-area schools in Francophone South. As of 6 a.m., highways across the province were partly to fully covered with snow, ice and slush, according to New Brunswick's Department of Transportation and Infrastructure. There were slushy conditions in Campbellton during Thursday's snow and ice storm. Walking in parts of Campbellton was tricky as sidewalks were covered during a snow and ice storm on Thursday.
Source:CBC News
March 12, 2026 14:33 UTC
Idlout gains ‘leverage’ by joining Liberals, former MP says
Ittinuar said he sympathizes with Nunavut MP Lori Idlout, who switched party affiliations Tuesday to join Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal caucus after more than four years as a New Democratic Party caucus member. Ittinuar similarly switched from the NDP to the Liberals in 1982 over what he described as a desire to influence the government during Nunavut land claim negotiations. These are people who influence or develop policy.”The Liberals now have 170 House of Commons seats, two shy of the 172 needed for a majority government. The NDP’s House of Commons standings meant Idlout could not sit on committees and was limited in her ability to ask questions. Ittinuar said he hopes to speak to Idlout soon to share his advice about moving forward with the switch she made.
Source:CBC News
March 12, 2026 14:26 UTC
War has gripped the Middle East, but the turmoil is giving Russia an opportunity
Russia does not want to antagonize Washington, and its military remains stretched by its four-year war in Ukraine. "There are elevated oil prices and Patriot interceptors are being diverted to the Middle East, alongside political attention." A week earlier, the U.S. offered India relief from the supply pressures by allowing its refiners to purchase Russian oil already on tankers at sea. Pikin said volatility in the oil prices this week shows the uncertainty around how things will progress in the region. (Andrej Isakovic/AFP/Getty Images)Growing deficitsRussia has been grappling with worsening budget pressures, driven by high military spending, a slowing economy and weaker energy prices.
Source:CBC News
March 12, 2026 14:11 UTC