National News

The wail of an air-raid siren has become part of the soundtrack of Svitlana Matviyenko's life.

The first time she heard the blaring alarm indicating she was along the trajectory of a Russian rocket, Matviyenko panicked. Now, the assistant professor at Simon Fraser University's school of communication has something of a routine. 

Statistics Canada says the economy added 337,000 jobs in February, more than offsetting the loss of 200,000 jobs in January as the unemployment rate fell below pre-pandemic levels.

The unemployment rate dropped to 5.5 per cent in February compared with 6.5 per cent in the first month of the year.

That is the lowest it's been since it was 5.7 per cent in February 2020 just before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Golden West, the largest independent radio broadcaster in Canada, started 65 years ago.

The first station, CFAM, began broadcasting at 8:01 p.m. on March 13, 1957. The radio station, operating at 1,000 watts and heard at 1290 AM, was housed in a small studio in Altona – a community of 1,800 people at the time.

There is public support for a switch to permanent daylight time in British Columbia and Ontario, which have passed laws to allow the change, but the potential costs and risks of going it alone are holding up the move, say business and political experts.

Prof. Andrey Pavlov at Simon Fraser University's Beedie school of business in Burnaby, B.C., is among those who support making the change permanent.

"I just worry if we're the only ones who do it, that's going to hurt us," he added.

A former truck driver who caused the deadly Humboldt Broncos bus crash has lost a first step in his effort to stay in Canada.

Jaskirat Singh Sidhu tried to make the case to the Canada Border Services Agency to stay in the country after serving his prison sentence.

His lawyer, Michael Greene, says that the agency has rejected Sidhu's submission, and his client is "devastated."

Canada Border Services referred questions to Immigration Canada.

Ontario is ending its mask mandate in most indoor public settings and schools on March 21.

Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Kieran Moore, made the announcement Wednesday morning.

"Removing the mask mandate does not mean the risk is gone, COVID-19 transmission is still occurring across the province and masks can help protect you and others from becoming infected from COVID-19," says Moore. 

Mandatory masking will still remain in hospitals, congregate care settings, the long-term care system, and users of public transit.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada is sending another $50 million in specialized equipment, including Canadian-made surveillance drones, to help Ukraine defend itself against the Russian invasion.

Trudeau says he spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy by phone to inform him of the additional aid.

He says Zelenskyy also accepted an invitation to address Canada's parliament.

Trudeau says there have been some logistical challenges getting promised weapons and military equipment into Ukraine, but they are not insurmountable.

With Sept.10 picked as the date for when the Conservative Party of Canada will have a new leader, time is ticking for prospective candidates and their teams to get into place. Those running have until April 19 to throw their hat into the ring and until June 3 to sell memberships.

Here’s a look at the contest so far:

Who’s in:

Pierre Poilievre: The 42−year−old longtime Ottawa−area MP declared his candidacy almost one month ago. He has started fundraising and holding events. He has promised to cancel the federal carbon tax.

The RCMP told MPs Monday that it only gave the names of people directly involved in Ottawa protests to banks to freeze their accounts, and not supporters who donated to the Freedom Convoy.

The lists of protesters given to banks included personal details from the police database, such as whether protesters had been suspected of other crimes, had witnessed crimes or had other "dealings" with the police, as well as personal information such as age and height. 

Artists and arts organizations across Canada are working on shows in support of Ukraine while taking public stances against Russia and its devastating invasion on the country last week.

From immersive experiences of the work of beloved Ukrainian painter and writer Taras Shevchenko to performances of the Ukrainian anthem at hockey games, Ukrainians in Canada are celebrating their culture as an act of hope.

Others, such as Russian-born Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra music director Daniel Raiskin, are speaking out.