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British Columbians vote in early election, with David Eby's job on the line
British Columbians voting today in early election
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
British Columbians go to the polls today in an early election called by NDP Leader David Eby in the biggest gamble of his political life.
The five-week campaign saw the major parties fight over issues from health care to housing, the province's record deficit and the increasing cost of living.
Polls open at 8.a.m. and close at 8 p.m. in the snap election that Eby called two years early, initially saying he needed a new mandate to tackle challenges posed by U.S. President Donald Trump.
But Eby said Friday the election was needed to end the frustrations of a "stalled out" legislature where the NDP held a one-seat majority, and he regretted not making that clearer.
Interim Conservative leader Lorne Doerkson secured his party's top job two days before the election call in September, and managed to woo back legislators who quit the party under the divisive leadership of Kerry-Lynne Findlay.
It's Green Party Leader Emily Lowan's first provincial election and Eby spent the closing days of the campaign urging her party's supporters to consider voting NDP to prevent splitting the vote.
The legislature at dissolution officially consisted of 47 New Democrats, 29 Conservatives, two Greens and 13 Independents, with two vacant seats.
But that does not take into account that most of the nominal Independents were Conservatives who returned to the party after Doerkson became interim leader — they may not all be reflected in the official numbers, but the Conservatives went into the election holding about 37 seats.
Elections BC has said votes cast on election day will be counted by hand, despite electronic tabulators being used for the first time in 2024. The agency cited the tight timelines in the snap election and the technical requirements to get the machines up and running.
Mail-in and absentee ballots won't be counted until about two weeks after election day, with Elections BC saying it needed time to ensure that only eligible voters vote, and only once.
More than 891,000 advance votes were cast, representing about 24 per cent of all registered voters.
The campaign saw the NDP propose a new tax bracket for those making more than $1 million to help fund health care, while pledging price caps on some basic groceries and to create a training program for qualified international medical graduates already living in B.C.
The Conservatives promised no tax increases and to raise B.C.’s basic personal income tax exemption from $13,216 to $32,000, resulting in a $1,000 tax cut for most individual workers.
Doerkson said his top priority was repealing the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.
The Greens promised to tax household wealth over $50 million, to open a community health centre in every riding, and to reform the province's oil and gas royalty framework.
Other parties contending for votes include CentreBC, led by former Conservative Elenore Sturko, and OneBC, whose interim leader Dallas Brodie is another former Conservative.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 24, 2026
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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Assisted living grant seeks to leverage community-level innovation
The first $50 million in grants will support projects that improve care across Alberta.
A pioneering way to deliver assisted living services could be percolating this minute in an Alberta outpost, the cabinet minister touting a new grant believes.
And a jolt of cash may be all that lies between that vision and better lives for more people in more places, said Nathan Neudorf, the minister of assisted living and social services.
"You never know where a great idea can come up," Neudorf said, as he explained the reasoning behind the $200-million Assisted Living Innovation Grant Program.
An approach developed in a small community could be “a really great idea and it’s working really well,” he said. “Can we replicate that across the province? That’s what we’re looking to do.”
Eligible businesses or groups need to gather their thoughts and materials soon to apply.
The deadline is 4 p.m. on Nov. 6 for proposals under an initial tranche of $50 million. Single-year projects will be considered for between $50,000 and $2 million, multi-year ones of up to three years for between $250,000 and $5 million.
Explained Neudorf: “What we need is a really good idea with some applicable information. Where is it going to be applied? How is it going to be applied? Why are you asking for the amount of money you're asking for?”
But he noted that proposals “can't be completely out of left field” and must be channeled through eligible organizations.
“Show us you can do it. We will evaluate it,” said Neudorf, who represents Lethbridge-East under the UCP banner. ”We think there are a lot of ideas out there.”
An information webinar happens this coming Tuesday, Oct. 27, from 2 to 3 p.m. And questions will be taken until 4 p.m. on Nov. 4.
Eligible projects might use technology like virtual and remote support services to help Albertans stay independent within their homes, the province suggests.
Novel approaches for supporting continuing care workers are fair game. So are community-based services that help support those receiving and giving care.
The program will also fund research into new approaches to improve care in ways that will work elsewhere, the government said in announcing the grant earlier this month.
A successful proposal “can look like a number of things, but at the end of the day, it's about Albertans having a better life for longer, wherever that might be for them,” said the minister.
Eligible organizations include non-profit, community and in certain cases for-profit groups involved in continuing, home and community care. Indigenous communities and organizations in Alberta, along with Alberta municipalities, are eligible.
Post-secondary and research institutions can make proposals that tap into the grant, too.
For-profit groups need to demonstrate innovation, education, system improvement or evidence generation in their proposals. Proposed spending must go beyond routine business.
Even if the province doesn’t get its money back in eventual savings, the program could prove successful, Neudorf said. The win would be that more Albertans who need care — many of them in the province’s ballooning contingent of senior citizens — receive it where and when it’s needed.
For rural and remote Alberta, that often means keeping older generations close or within their home communities for longer. Everyone benefits when seniors are nearby, the minister said.
“If kids just have to go down the road to see their grandparents, that’s great. They might stop in literally every day after school instead of only on certain weekends when they can make the trek to the big city,” Neudorf said.
Seniors connect communities and young people to a shared past, he said, and often put their experience and knowledge to work as volunteers.
Assisted living keeps jobs and care in rural Alberta, and “keeps the heartbeat alive, which is families and organizations."
For more information, visit alberta.ca and search for the Assisted Living Innovation Grant Program.
Copyright 2026, The Macleod Gazette. All rights reserved.
George Lee, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Macleod Gazette.
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Winnipeg police suspend use of Crime Stoppers after data breach
Winnipeg police suspend use of Crime Stoppers
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Steve Lambert
Winnipeg police say they've suspended the use of Crime Stoppers in light of a massive data breach of the crime-reporting system.
The pause comes after CBC reported that 1.5 million tips submitted to Canadian Crime Stoppers programs over the last 25 years were stolen earlier this year.
Winnipeg police say they have been made aware that some data related to the city was included in the breach.
They are reviewing the additional safeguards and security measures being implemented by Crime Stoppers.
Other police forces in Canada have also suspended use of the service, including several in the Toronto region.
Crime Stoppers is a community-based intermediary that allows people to anonymously report information about crimes to police.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2026.
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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Jérémy de Star Ac fait encore un commentaire sur sa mise en danger et les fans réagissent
« L’ancien Jérémy est de retour! »
Lors de l'épisode du mardi 8 février de Star Académie, Jérémy Plante qui était en danger pour une deuxième fois, avait passé un commentaire sur Sandrine Hébert, ce qui avait déplu à plusieurs membres du public. L'ancien de Mixmania 2 a récidivé en disant que d'autres auraient dû être à sa place en apprenant sa mise au ballotage lors de la quotidienne du 1er mars, ce qui a encore une fois fait réagir les fans.
Lors de la première semaine de février, Jérémy Plante n'était pas d'accord avec le choix de la directrice Lara Fabian de le mettre en danger et n'avait pas mâché ses mots :
« [Il] me semble [que] j'ai fait une belle perfo cibole! Ma frustration c'est plus; entre un gars qui mâche un petit peu ses mots, mais que là c'est beaucoup mieux et une fille qui ne dit pas les bons mots ou qui a un méga accent... Je ne sais pas pourquoi c'est moi qui [suis] en danger. »
Le 9 février, le chanteur avait abordé la situation sur sa page Facebook :
« Salut, tout le monde, depuis hier, j’ai pris connaissance de vos commentaires sur les différents réseaux sociaux. Je réalise que j’en ai déçu plus d’un parmi vous, qui me suivez et m’appuyez dans cette grande aventure qu’est Star Académie. Avec le recul, je me rends compte que la dernière semaine a été éprouvante pour moi, avec deux mises en danger consécutives. Visiblement, je me suis laissé emporter par le stress des derniers jours. Il a pris le dessus sur mes émotions et m’a fait dire des mots que je ne pensais pas réellement à l’endroit de Sandrine, ce qui n’est pas dans mes habitudes, étant un gars de nature positive. [...]»
« Malheureusement après trois fois... Il serait peut[-être] temps que Jérémy quitte. »
Il a remis le couvert le 1er mars en expliquant que d'autres avaient plus leur place r le bloc : « Je ne sens pas qu'il y a de l'acharnement envers moi, cependant, sans nommer de noms, je pense qu'il y en a certains qui auraient, pour les mêmes raisons que moi, pu être en évaluation. »
Une partie du public a donc été déçu de l'entendre dire de tels propos encore une fois.
« Je trouve dommage que Jérémy passe des commentaires comme de quoi que d'autres auraient dû être en danger... Il doit changer d'attitude, je crois que c'est ce qui lui nuit le plus, car il a du talent. Il en a, mais il est imbu de sa personne comme s'il n'avait rien à apprendre... attendons de voir ce qu'il fera comme performance dimanche. »
Certain.es téléspectateurs.trices ont souligné que Jérémy Plante était retombé dans ses vieilles habitudes en mettant la faute sur les autres.
« Jérémy a encore rajouté en disant qu'il y en a qui aurait mérité d'être en danger. Petite gaffe! »
« L'ancien Jérémy est de retour! Il construit sa perception de lui-même sur de vieilles certitudes et reçoit la critique en la faisant ricocher sur quelqu'un d'autre, qu'il aura eu le bon jugement de ne pas nommer, mais ce n'est pas moins immature comme attitude. »
« Pourquoi Jérémy a encore exprimé le fait que d'autres que lui auraient dû être mis en danger! Ego un peu élevé, assume Jérémy et montre ce que tu sais réellement accomplir et sors de ta zone de confort.»
Malgré cet écart de conduite, Jérémy Plante a quand même beaucoup de fans derrière lui qui lui souhaitent de réussir.
« Go Jérémy go, tu vas être capable de réussir ta belle chanson. Et tu vas rester [à l']Académie, je vais voter pour toi Jérémy. »
« Jérémy »
« Jérémy et Marily c'est mon vote »
« Jérémy et Sandrine»
C'est ce dimanche 6 mars que le public pourra savoir si Jérémy Plante va être sauvé une troisième fois ou devra plier bagage et quitter l'Académie.