B.C. restaurant Baan Lao wins best in North America award for 2026
A Richmond, B.C., restaurant has been named the best in North America by a global hospitality and culinary industries group, in a first for a Canadian establishment.
Baan Lao Fine Thai Cuisine has been named North America's Best Restaurant by the World Culinary Awards, topping a group of 22 Canadian nominees and 18 in the United States.
The restaurant was also named the top Canadian restaurant for the third straight year.
The awards were established in 2020, with winners determined by weighted voting among the public and registered members of the culinary industry.
Baan Lao opened in 2021 and serves "Royal Thai tasting menus with individually plated courses."
The previous six winners of the North American award have all been from the United States, including two wins each by Le Bernardin in New York and The French Laundry in California.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 14, 2026.
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
U.S. sets tax total for Canadian softwood lumber exports at almost 35 per cent
The BC Lumber Trade Council says Canadian softwood lumber now faces total import taxes of almost 35 per cent after the latest review from the U.S. Department of Commerce.
The organization representing B.C. lumber producers says the new figure is down from the combined rate of 45 per cent announced in August last year.
But Kim Haakstad, the council's interim president, says their members are disappointed that Canadian lumber producers still face unjustified and punitive trade measures.
She says in a statement that the combined weight of duties and tariffs remains a significant burden on producers.
The statement says the softwood lumber dispute has dragged on for nearly a decade, putting pressure on forest-dependent communities.
The council says the Commerce Department has imposed countervailing duties at 14.11 per cent, an anti-dumping rate of 10.64 per, and the additional tariff of 10 per cent, which U.S. President Donald Trump levied on the grounds of national security.
Haakstad says families in the United States are also paying a price, because trade barriers have driven up the cost of building homes there and hurt companies that sell equipment and services to Canadian mills.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 14, 2026.
By Wolfgang Depner | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Nearly 175K referendum votes cast on first day of advance polling: Elections Alberta
The first day of advance voting is in the books in Alberta’s separation referendum — and the numbers suggest voter interest remains very high.
Elections Alberta says close to 175,000 voters trekked to the polls on the first day of advance voting on Tuesday, with the official polling day set for Monday.
A spokesperson for the agency says that's higher than the daily average of nearly 152,000 people seen during the advance voting period in the 2023 provincial election.
Michelle Gurney says a few polling stations stayed open late to accommodate the people in line, including one that was open until 11 p.m., three hours after it was supposed to close.
Elections Alberta has said it's expecting record voter turnout for Premier Danielle Smith's 10-question referendum, which includes one on whether the province should hold a second, binding vote on separating from Canada.
The province saw unprecedented interest in mail-in ballot requests last month, and the agency says two-thirds of the roughly 658,000 special ballots requested have now been returned.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 14, 2026.
By Jack Farrell | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.