The Canadian Press

An apartment complex slated to open next year in Winnipeg is to provide First Nations students who have moved off reserve an affordable place to live while they pursue a post-secondary education. 

The project is being spearheaded by the Opaskwayak Cree Nation in northern Manitoba, with funding from the federal and Manitoba governments. 

The First Nation will own and operate the seven-storey apartment building downtown near the University of Winnipeg and will include a mix of affordable living with more than 40 per cent of the rental units offered at a discounted rate. 

A Nelson, B.C., police officer who died in an avalanche earlier this week is being remembered as a gentle man who looked out for those who were new to the force.

Const. Wade Tittemore, 43, died Monday while off-duty, skiing with a colleague just north of Kaslo, B.C.

Nelson police Chief Donovan Fisher said Tuesday that Tittemore will be missed terribly in the small force of 20 officers.

Fisher called Tittemore a hard worker, a skilled officer and a dedicated family man who was a mentor and example to many junior officers.

A City of Nelson police officer has been killed in an avalanche near Kaslo, B.C., the Nelson Police Board says.

In a post on the City of Nelson Facebook page on Monday, the board said another officer was also critically injured.

The board said the pair were on snowmobiles when they were stuck by the avalanche.

No further details were immediately available.

The Nelson Facebook post said more information will be released in the coming days.

Kaslo is in southeastern B.C., about an hour drive north of Nelson.

A pastor who was servicing a Metro Vancouver church has been charged with sexual assault and sexual interference against children.

Police in New Westminster, B.C., say they began an investigation after multiple reports came to them.

A police news release says the offences are alleged to have taken place between 2017 and 2021.

It says after a lengthy investigation by the department's major crime unit, three charges each of sexual assault and sexual interference have been laid against Pastor Edwin Alvarez.

The mayor of a Mexican city caught up in a wave of drug cartel violence last week wasted little time reassuring Canadians and other foreign visitors that his city is safe for travellers.

Edgar Gonzalez, in a video posted online by the City of Mazatlán, strolled through his city's historic centre on Friday, shaking hands and posing for pictures with tourists.

Renowned composer Joseph Koo, whose music helped form the soundtrack for what his family called the "Golden Era" of Hong Kong culture in the 1970s and '80s, has died in a Metro Vancouver hospital.

Koo's family said in a statement that he died of natural causes on Tuesday, six days short of his 92nd birthday.

The composer is closely associated with the heyday of Cantopop, writing songs for some of the biggest names of the Cantonese music genre as well as scoring movies including Bruce Lee's "Way of the Dragon" and "Fist of Fury."

Canadian tourists were trapped inside a Mexican hotel Thursday as buses that were supposed to take them to an airport and safely home burned outside. 

"It's just chaos," said Tina Dahl of Edmonton, whose six family members stranded in the popular tourist city of Mazatlan were supposed to fly out Thursday night.

The federal government advised Canadians in Mexico to limit their movements and shelter in place due to violence in the western part of the country. 

Airline passengers leaving China, Hong Kong and Macau will have to provide evidence of a negative COVID-19 test when they enter Canada starting today.

The Canadian government announced last week that the travellers would need a negative test administered within 48 hours of their departure as cases soar in China. 

Other countries, including the United States and several European nations, imposed similar rules despite protest from China. 

Today marks Canada's first National Ribbon Skirt Day. 

Manitoba Sen. Mary Jane McCallum's bill to recognize the day every Jan. 4 passed in Parliament late last year.

It was inspired by Isabella Kulak, a member of the Cote First Nation in Saskatchewan who wore a ribbon skirt to her rural Saskatchewan school in December 2020, when she was 10 years old.

She wore the colourful garment, donned by Indigenous women at cultural events, as part of a formal day — but her family said at the time that a staff member told her the outfit wasn't considered formal enough.

Another Manitoba Progressive Conservative has announced he will not seek re-election.

Alan Lagimodiere says he will not run again in his Selkirk seat due to personal family reasons.

In a social media message, Lagimodiere says it was not an easy decision but he is putting his family first and will continue to support the Tories under the next candidate.

He was first elected in 2016 and has served in recent years as the minister for Indigenous Reconciliation and Northern Relations.