National News

Health Canada says some manufacturers of kids' pain and fever medications are now operating "at double or triple their normal volumes" in an effort to address a months-long shortage. 

Chief medical adviser Dr. Supriya Sharma said in a press briefing Friday the government is working with the industry to address the supply crunch ahead of flu season.

HONG KONG (AP) — A pink diamond was sold for $49.9 million in Hong Kong on Friday, setting a world record for the highest price per carat for a diamond sold at auction.

              The 11.15-carat Williamson Pink Star diamond, auctioned by Sotheby’s Hong Kong, sold for $392 million Hong Kong dollars ($49.9 million). It was originally estimated at $21 million.

Danielle Smith delivered a dramatic political comeback Thursday, winning the leadership of the United Conservative Party to become Alberta’s next premier almost eight years after she decimated the movement with an epic floor crossing. 

Smith captured nearly 54 per cent of the vote on the sixth round of the preferential ballot, defeating six rivals and securing the majority needed for victory. 

"I’m back!" Smith told a cheering crowd of about 1,500 at BMO Centre in Calgary just before confetti popped around her and blue and white balloons fluttered down from above.

A member of James Smith Cree Nation was wrongfully accused by RCMP of killing an individual during the stabbing attacks last month in the community and in the nearby village of Weldon, Sask. 

Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore said evidence shows Damien Sanderson did not kill anyone during the rampage and was killed by his own brother.

Blackmore said Myles Sanderson killed Damien Sanderson and 10 others on Sept. 4. Eighteen people were injured. 

"Myles Sanderson committed all of the homicides alone," Blackmore said Thursday. 

The cost of modernizing technology at Manitoba's auto insurance Crown corporation has jumped sharply.

Project Nova, which is aimed at letting customers and brokers do more business with Manitoba Public Insurance online, was originally expected to cost $86 million plus contingencies.

That number was bumped up to $115 million last year and, according to a memo obtained by the Opposition New Democrats, could reach $224 million plus contingencies.

The memo also says the time to complete the project is expected to jump by about two years.

Hockey Quebec says it has lost confidence in Hockey Canada and will not transfer funds to the national organization, while a well-known Canadian brand extended its sponsorship boycott. 

Hockey Quebec confirmed to The Canadian Press that its board of directors adopted a motion Tuesday night stating it does not believe Hockey Canada's current structure can change hockey culture. The resolution was first reported by La Presse. 

The federal government has tabled a long-awaited plan in the House of Commons to improve access to diabetes treatment and prevention in Canada, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos announced Wednesday.

Liberal MP Sonia Sidhu called for the framework as part of a private member's bill that became law in 2021.

At the time, Diabetes Canada was clamouring for some kind of national vision to address the growing disease epidemic.

Joyce and Earl Burns were childhood sweethearts. 

They grew up together on James Smith Cree Nation in Saskatchewan, first as neighbours, then as husband and wife. 

"It was childhood love," said Victor Sanderson, a younger brother of Joyce Burns. He babysat their children and watched the couple grow old together.

He now visits his sister in a Saskatoon hospital room, where she recently regained consciousness after she was stabbed multiple times in the stomach and neck in a mass killing on the First Nation.

Alberta’s governing United Conservative Party is scheduled pick the province’s new premier Thursday, and political observers say its next step should be getting back on the same page as the rest of the province.

“The campaign was striking for the lack of focus on the issues that are primary for Albertans,” said political scientist Lori Williams.

“It was about controversies over Ottawa and how to deal with Ottawa. 

Canada needs a new civilian force to respond to natural disasters and other emergencies as such events become more common and severe, the head of the Canadian Red Cross said Tuesday.

In an interview CEO Conrad Sauvé compared Canada’s current approach to responding to emergencies to fighting a fire without any previous planning or preparation.

“We're trying to sort out who does what after the fire started,” he said.

Right now, Sauvé said, "we're not paying for the firehouse."