Beloved monarch butterflies now listed as endangered

The monarch butterfly fluttered a step closer to extinction Thursday, as scientists put the iconic orange-and-black insect on the endangered list because of its fast dwindling numbers.

“It’s just a devastating decline,” said Stuart Pimm, an ecologist at Duke University who was not involved in the new listing. “This is one of the most recognizable butterflies in the world.”

SURVEY: How is inflation impacting you? Canada's rate jumped to 8.1% in June

Canada's annual inflation rate spiked to 8.1 per cent in June according to new data from Statistics Canada (Stats Can). It's the largest yearly change in 39 years.

The climbing inflation rate came largely from gas prices, which were up over 50 per cent when compared to a year ago, Stats Can says in its report on Wednesday, July 20. Excluding the cost of gasoline, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) in the country was up by 6.5 per cent.

Truck driver in deadly Humboldt Broncos bus crash granted day parole

The Parole Board of Canada has granted the trucker who caused the deadly Humboldt Broncos bus crash day parole for six months. 

Following an emotional, seven-hour hearing at Bowden Institution on Wednesday, the two-member board panel said Jaskirat Singh Sidhu will get full parole after those six months if he follows all conditions, including no contact with the families of the victims. 

Sidhu was sentenced to eight years after he pleaded guilty to dangerous driving charges for the 2018 crash that killed 16 and injured 13. 

How is inflation impacting you? Canada's rate jumped to 8.1% in June

Canada's annual inflation rate spiked to 8.1 per cent in June according to new data from Statistics Canada (Stats Can). It's the largest yearly change in 39 years.

The climbing inflation rate came largely from gas prices, which were up over 50 per cent when compared to a year ago, Stats Can says in its report on Wednesday, July 20. Excluding the cost of gasoline, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) in the country was up by 6.5 per cent.

How is inflation impacting you? Canada's rate jumped to 8.1% in June

Canada's annual inflation rate spiked to 8.1 per cent in June according to new data from Statistics Canada.. It's the largest yearly change in 39 years.

The climbing inflation rate came largely from gas prices, which were up over 50 per cent when compared to a year ago, Stats Can says in its report on Wednesday, July 20. Excluding the cost of gasoline, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) in the country was up by 6.5 per cent.

Parole board to hear from truck driver in deadly Humboldt Broncos crash

A parole hearing is scheduled to take place today for a former truck driver who caused the deadly Humboldt Broncos bus crash.

Jaskirat Singh Sidhu was sentenced to eight years after he pleaded guilty to dangerous driving charges for the 2018 crash that killed 16 and injured 13.

Singh went through a stop sign at a rural Saskatchewan intersection and drove into the path of the junior hockey team's bus as it was on its way to a playoff game.

Sidhu, who has been serving his sentence at a prison in Bowden, Alta., is asking to be released pending possible deportation.

5 common ailments in vegetable gardens and how to treat them

You started seeds in spring and watched as they sprouted, then watered, fertilized and even staked plants as they grew, while visions of summer salads, grilled vegetables and homemade pickles danced in your head.

Then one day, black blotches, yellow-spotted leaves and mushy bottoms showed up, and your dreams turned to nightmares.

Many home gardeners lovingly tend their plants only to find them ravaged by unknown forces before harvest time.

But fear not: Here are some tips for identifying and treating five of the most common ailments that threaten your crops.

Catholic dioceses failed in past to raise money promised to survivors. Will they now?

When 48 Catholic church entities signed on to fundraise $25 million for survivors under the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, it was spelled out they would do so through their "best efforts."

Ken Young puts it another way. 

"It was a weasel clause," the former Manitoba regional chief of the Assembly of First Nations said in a recent interview. 

"And they used it."

Mental health experts say Canada should have a three-digit suicide crisis hotline

Canada must make good on a long-standing promise to implement a centralized mental health crisis line that bypasses police and connects those in need with professionals who can help them, experts argued as a similar system went live in the United States.

The new 988 mental health hotline American authorities launched on Saturday will, once fully operational, offer residents struggling with suicidal thoughts an easy-to-remember number that will connect them with trained mental health counsellors rather than law enforcement personnel.

'Robbed of the most precious thing': Missile kills Liza, 4

VINNYTSIA, Ukraine (AP) — Liza, a 4−year−old girl with Down syndrome, was en route to see a speech therapist with her mother in central Ukraine when a Russian missile rained down from the sky.

She never made it to the appointment. Now the images that tell the story of her life and its end are touching hearts worldwide.