National News

The Pan American Health Organization says Canada has the highest number of measles cases on the continent and more action is needed to address low vaccination rates.

The regional agency within the World Health Organization, which covers North and South America, says there has been an exponential rise in measles this year. 

As of Aug. 8, it recorded 10,139 confirmed measles cases across ten countries, representing a 33-fold increase compared to the same period in 2024, when there were 311 cases. 

Passengers around the world are feeling the effects after the union representing more than 10,000 flight attendants with Air Canada announced its members were walking off the job after it was unable to reach an eleventh hour deal with the airline.

The strike officially began just before 1 a.m. ET on Saturday.

Keelin Pringnitz and her family, from Ottawa, were returning from a European vacation, but were left stranded after flights were cancelled.

A meeting between Canada Post and the union representing 55,000 postal workers has been delayed until next week due to the availability of federal mediators, the company says.

The two sides, which were set to meet Friday, will now meet on Aug. 20.

It's been two weeks since members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers rejected the employers' latest offers in a majority vote.

After more than a year and a half of negotiations, the two sides met with federal mediators earlier this week before agreeing to meet with each other.

Thousands are out of their homes, and many more are on alert to evacuate as wildfires continue to rage across Atlantic Canada.

Officials in Newfoundland and Labrador have expanded an evacuation alert along the Bay De Verde Peninsula as the Kingston wildfire burns nearby.

The community of Job's Cove in Newfoundland is affected by the expanded evacuation alert for the wildfire, which is considered out-of-control and is now more than 90 square kilometres in size.

The Kingston fire is the largest in the province and has forced more than 3,000 people from their homes.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has set his sights on Canada's electric vehicle mandate, pledging Thursday that his party will embark on a national campaign to push the Liberal government to scrap the policy he's dubbed the "Carney tax."

Poilievre led the charge as the Conservatives relentlessly attacked the consumer carbon price over the last two years, with the Liberals admitting the Tory tactics swayed public opinion and forced them to end the so-called carbon tax earlier this year. 

Officials say the largest wildfire burning in Newfoundland and Labrador may have destroyed up to 100 homes and structures.

However, Premier John Hogan says it is still too dangerous for crews to get into the area to complete an accurate tally.

The fire burning along the northwestern shore of Conception Bay began on Aug. 3 near Kingston, N.L.,  and Hogan says it now measures more than eight square kilometres.

Five-year survival rates for people with lung cancer have doubled since the 1990s, but the disease still kills more patients than any other type of cancer, a Statistics Canada report said on Wednesday.

The report said the number of people living five years after they were diagnosed jumped from 13 per cent to 27 per cent between 1992 and 2021.

Lung cancer is still responsible for almost a quarter of all cancer deaths in Canada, it said.

Farmer Bill Prybylski says China’s planned tariff on canola seed wasn’t factored into his business equations this year.

The president of the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan says the 75.8 per cent preliminary duty, announced Tuesday, has already caused canola prices to fall by $1 per bushel.

That translates to a loss of about $200,000 for his farm. 

“That’s a pretty significant financial hit,” said Prybylski, who farms northeast of Regina near Yorkton.

Air Canada says it will begin a gradual suspension of flights to allow an orderly shutdown as it faces a potential work stoppage by its flight attendants on Saturday.

The airline says the first flights will be cancelled Thursday, with more on Friday and a complete cessation of flying by Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge by the weekend.

Air Canada Express flights operated by Jazz and PAL Airlines will continue to operate as normal. 

Air Canada says customers whose flights are cancelled will be notified and they will be eligible for a full refund.

National galleries and museums across the country have seen a 15 per cent increase in attendance so far this summer, after the federal government introduced free or discounted admission through the new Canada Strong Pass.

The Canada Strong Pass, which took effect on June 20 and is available until Sept. 2, offers free national museum admission to children 17 and under, and a 50 per cent discount for those aged 18 to 24.

The pass also offers free admission to national parks and sites maintained by Parks Canada.