National News

Canada's federal government as well as organizations representing some the nation's beef producers warn a decision south of the border about "Product of USA" labels on meat, poultry and eggs could disrupt supply chains.

The United States Department of Agriculture announced Monday a final rule on conditions for when voluntary "Product of USA" or "Made in the USA" labels may be used, stating they will be allowed for meat, poultry and egg products only when they are derived from animals born, raised, slaughtered and processed in the United States.

Extreme cold near the start of this year in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan has led to a damage bill that the Insurance Bureau of Canada says is more than $180 million. 

The bureau says about 70 per cent of the insurance claims related to the extreme cold were for personal property and damage caused by frozen and burst water pipes. 

The cold moved in Jan. 12, breaking dozens of daily minimum records, including in Edmonton where there were four straight days of cold ranging from minus 40 to minus 45 degrees.

Former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi came out of political retirement on Monday, announcing a run for Alberta's NDP leadership to challenge what he termed an “immoral” United Conservative government.

"This government is like nothing I've ever seen before,” Nenshi told The Canadian Press in an interview prior to the announcement.

“They're not only incompetent. They're dangerous and they're immoral.”

Nenshi, 52, was elected mayor of Calgary in 2010 and won three terms before deciding to bow out before the 2021 municipal election.

Scientists believe hot magma will erupt under the Pacific Ocean floor in deep waters off Vancouver Island after they detected up to 200 small earthquakes per hour in the area. 

They say the expected rupture about five kilometres deep and 260 kilometres off the coast of Tofino, B.C., will be too distant and small to be cause for concern, but offers a unique opportunity to learn more about how the Earth's crust is formed.

Canada will join an international effort to deliver humanitarian assistance to Gaza by sea, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly announced on Sunday, as hundreds of thousands of Palestinians continue to go hungry. 

Joly issued a statement saying Canada will join the international coalition that is working together to increase the flow of aid to Gaza through a humanitarian sea corridor originating from Cyprus. Further details have not yet been released.

The general manager of a movie theatre in Saskatchewan says it’ll be an extra early Oscars watch party this weekend as the award show airs after most Canadians wind their clocks ahead an hour.

The 96th Academy Awards show is to be broadcast Sunday, but this year it’s taking place an hour earlier at 7 p.m. ET. It also airs after daylight time, which sees most Canadians change their clocks.

Yukon and most of Saskatchewan keep their clocks the same year-round.

The families of two slain First Nations women are continuing to press the Manitoba government to search a landfill for their remains.

The families, along with supporters and Indigenous leaders, rallied outside the legislature and accused the government of delays and inaction.

Cambria Harris, whose mother Morgan Harris is believed to have been killed and taken to the Prairie Green Landfill, says she hasn't heard from the province in weeks.

The pilot of a single-engine plane that crashed near downtown Nashville told air traffic controllers he could see the runway they were clearing for an emergency landing. But he said he couldn’t reach it.

“I’m going to be landing — I don’t know where!” the pilot said before the plane crashed alongside Interstate 40, killing all five people aboard.

The parliamentary budget officer is projecting inflation will return to the Bank of Canada's two per cent target by the end of the year and the federal deficit will grow amid weakening economic conditions.

The budget watchdog's latest economic and fiscal outlook comes as the federal government gears up for its spring budget and Canadians eagerly wait for the central bank to begin lowering interest rates.

The report predicts the first rate cut to come in April, slightly earlier than financial markets expect.

Alan Holman says the carbon rebate he gets four times a year from the federal government is crucial for his household budget.

Without the funds, the Saskatoon resident, who is on disability assistance, says he'll have to scale back on spending for his everyday needs.

"It gets plugged in with the rest of my money for whatever's on my list," Holman said in a phone interview.

"I'm kind of a little screwed if I don't get the rebate."