National News

To flush or not to flush?

It is a question Canada's Competition Bureau says it cannot answer.

Three years ago, Friends of the Earth Canada and lawyers from Ecojustice filed a grievance with the bureau saying the makers of 20 disposable wipes were falsely advertising the products as safe to flush down the toilet.

In February, the Competition Bureau informed Friends in a letter that it was closing its inquiry because it's not clear what it really means to be "flushable."

Hockey Canada has confirmed that Andrea Skinner, interim chair of the organization's board of directors, has submitted her resignation. 

Skinner joined the Hockey Canada Board of Directors in November 2020 as a volunteer, and assumed the role of chair in August after the resignation of former chair Michael Brind'Amour.

A proposed condominium development on Juno Beach in France has been cancelled after public outcry and a three-year legal fight. 

The Canadian and French governments are helping the town of Courseulles-sur-Mer buy a parcel of land where a developer planned to build a 70-unit building.

Veterans Affairs Canada says the construction "posed a threat to both the integrity of Juno Beach itself, and Juno Beach Centre operations."

Health Canada says some manufacturers of kids' pain and fever medications are now operating "at double or triple their normal volumes" in an effort to address a months-long shortage. 

Chief medical adviser Dr. Supriya Sharma said in a press briefing Friday the government is working with the industry to address the supply crunch ahead of flu season.

HONG KONG (AP) — A pink diamond was sold for $49.9 million in Hong Kong on Friday, setting a world record for the highest price per carat for a diamond sold at auction.

              The 11.15-carat Williamson Pink Star diamond, auctioned by Sotheby’s Hong Kong, sold for $392 million Hong Kong dollars ($49.9 million). It was originally estimated at $21 million.

Danielle Smith delivered a dramatic political comeback Thursday, winning the leadership of the United Conservative Party to become Alberta’s next premier almost eight years after she decimated the movement with an epic floor crossing. 

Smith captured nearly 54 per cent of the vote on the sixth round of the preferential ballot, defeating six rivals and securing the majority needed for victory. 

"I’m back!" Smith told a cheering crowd of about 1,500 at BMO Centre in Calgary just before confetti popped around her and blue and white balloons fluttered down from above.

A member of James Smith Cree Nation was wrongfully accused by RCMP of killing an individual during the stabbing attacks last month in the community and in the nearby village of Weldon, Sask. 

Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore said evidence shows Damien Sanderson did not kill anyone during the rampage and was killed by his own brother.

Blackmore said Myles Sanderson killed Damien Sanderson and 10 others on Sept. 4. Eighteen people were injured. 

"Myles Sanderson committed all of the homicides alone," Blackmore said Thursday. 

The cost of modernizing technology at Manitoba's auto insurance Crown corporation has jumped sharply.

Project Nova, which is aimed at letting customers and brokers do more business with Manitoba Public Insurance online, was originally expected to cost $86 million plus contingencies.

That number was bumped up to $115 million last year and, according to a memo obtained by the Opposition New Democrats, could reach $224 million plus contingencies.

The memo also says the time to complete the project is expected to jump by about two years.

Hockey Quebec says it has lost confidence in Hockey Canada and will not transfer funds to the national organization, while a well-known Canadian brand extended its sponsorship boycott. 

Hockey Quebec confirmed to The Canadian Press that its board of directors adopted a motion Tuesday night stating it does not believe Hockey Canada's current structure can change hockey culture. The resolution was first reported by La Presse. 

The federal government has tabled a long-awaited plan in the House of Commons to improve access to diabetes treatment and prevention in Canada, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos announced Wednesday.

Liberal MP Sonia Sidhu called for the framework as part of a private member's bill that became law in 2021.

At the time, Diabetes Canada was clamouring for some kind of national vision to address the growing disease epidemic.