WestCentral

Prime Minister Mark Carney reaffirmed Canada's "steadfast and unwavering support" for Ukraine in his first meeting with the country's president on Saturday in Rome.

His meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy was one of several sitdowns with world leaders taking place in the Italian capital, where Carney — a devout Catholic — has travelled to attend the inaugural mass of Pope Leo XIV. The Prime Minister is making a concerted effort to meet with other G7 leaders ahead of the global summit Canada is hosting in Kananaskis, Alta., next month.

More Saskatchewan women will have faster access to life-saving breast cancer screening thanks to new mammography machines added in the province’s two largest cities.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority has installed one additional mammogram machine at each of its breast screening centres in Regina and Saskatoon, improving access to screening services for women across the province.

Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill said the new equipment—combined with the efforts of medical staff—will help deliver more timely care.

A new Holy Father of the Roman Catholic Church has been appointed in Rome and has taken the name of Leo XIV. We spoke with Donald Bolen, Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Regina, to get his reaction.  

The new pope is Robert Francis Prevost, an American from Chicago who spent many years as a bishop in Peru, where he also holds citizenship.   

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) has confirmed a minor tornado near Maple Creek on Saturday.  

The preliminarily rated EF0 tornado touched down about 20 kilometres south of Maple Creek at approximately 5:23 p.m.  

ECCC confirmed the tornado on Sunday at 11:16 a.m. after receiving a report of it and a photo.  

No reports of damage were shared with ECCC.   

Prime Minister Mark Carney had a brief audience with Pope Leo XIV Sunday afternoon at the Vatican following the pontiff's inaugural mass in St. Peter's Square.

Carney was seated in the second row with his wife Diana for the mass, in a section amongst other world leaders and heads of state.

The prime minister, who is a devout Catholic, was one of the few world leaders to kneel during the blessing of the Eucharist, and was spotted at two instances taking a picture of the Pope on his phone to mark the occasion — before the mass started and after it had concluded. 

Government House is marking the arrival of summer with a family-friendly outdoor celebration on Victoria Day.

The event, which runs Monday, May 19 from 1 to 4 p.m., will feature a classic car show, a petting zoo, and refreshments on the grounds of the historic site.

With sunny skies and daytime highs climbing above 30°C this week, Environment and Climate Change Canada is reminding farmers and others working outdoors to take precautions against the heat and UV exposure. 

Temperatures are expected to reach 31°C on both Wednesday and Saturday in the Weyburn area, with a UV index of 7 or higher, considered “high” on the scale and posing a risk of skin damage with prolonged exposure. 

As the first Indigenous person ever to lead the federal department responsible for delivering services to First Nations, Inuit and Métis, Mandy Gull-Masty knows she has a daunting task ahead.

But the newly-appointed Indigenous services minister also knows what it's like to sit at both sides of the table — as a cabinet minister now and, until recently, as the grand chief of the political body representing 20,000 Cree people in northern Quebec.

A major expansion of the Saskatoon Correctional Centre is nearly complete and expected to open this summer, the Government of Saskatchewan announced Thursday.

The $135 million project, which began construction in 2021, will add 312 beds to the facility, increasing its capacity to house adult men in custody. The expansion also includes a new medical unit and clinic, additional program space, upgraded video court suites, and a kitchen to serve the entire centre.

Officials said the project remained on schedule and within budget.

Richard Dyke appeared in Moose Jaw Provincial Court on Monday afternoon before Judge Brian Hendrickson, and through his lawyer Estes Fonkalsrud entered guilty pleas for each of the offences he is charged with — his intention, communicated by Dyke personally to those in the courtroom, was to bring the matters to a close with the least pain possible for the victims and their families.

[Content warning: Descriptions of sexual abuse that may upset some readers.]