In the news today: maple leaf love in Alberta, Wainwright grieves, B.C. vote nears
Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed …
Maple leaf love: Albertans vote strongly to stay in Canada
O Canada, Alberta is staying put.
In a historic referendum Monday that capped a long debate over separation, voters on both sides overwhelmingly marked their ballots to remain in the country that made Alberta a province 121 years ago.
In early returns, about 76 per cent of Albertans said yes to Confederation, while 24 per cent said they wanted the province to hold a second, binding referendum on leaving.
Both Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Prime Minister Mark Carney lauded the result in statements on social media.
Smith said she would give a TV address Tuesday night to detail where the province goes from here.
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Wainwright, Alta., residents grieving but resilient after tragic fire on army base
Residents of a central Alberta town are grieving but stoic after a vicious fire killed four soldiers and wounded dozens more at a nearby military base.
Living alongside soldiers preparing for battle, they say, has built up a deep stoicism and resilience in Wainwright, southeast of Edmonton.
Sharon Pashko says Saturday's tragedy at CFB Wainwright — one of Canada's busiest military bases — is heartbreaking, but that the town will bounce back.
Defence officials have said 84 members of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry were in a training area of the base when strong and sudden winds sent flames from a nearby grass fire barrelling toward soldiers at lightning speed, sending 39 to hospital.
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Federal ministers defend major projects bill at House committee meeting
Four federal ministers defended the government's contentious legislation to speed up major projects in the House of Commons on Monday, as Ottawa continues to face criticism from Indigenous, environment and labour groups.
The 243-page bill would fast-track approvals for major projects, cut their review times and create zones of "national interest" to pre-approve certain types of projects.
Labour leaders and union members gathered across Canada last week to protest Bill C-39, arguing the legislation would undermine workers' right to strike, as it proposes changes to the Canada Labour Code.
Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu said Monday the bill strengthens the right to strike by removing the ability to use Section 107 before a labour disruption, adding that "Protecting workers and protecting the national interest go hand in hand."
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Advance voting in B.C. election is down compared to 2024
The number of ballots cast in the first three days of advance voting in the British Columbia election is down about 8 per cent compared to 2024.
Elections BC says there were about 440,000 votes cast from Friday to Sunday, compared to almost 480,000 in the first three days of advance voting last election, which set a record for total advance turnout.
Early voting continues at hundreds of places across the province today and tomorrow until 8 p.m. ahead of final voting day on Saturday.
There were more than one million advance ballots cast in 2024, a surge of 49 per cent compared to the previous election, and a report by the chief electoral officer says the process has been steadily increasing in popularity for two decades.
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Paris police issue overnight curfew in 2 areas of French capital to try to prevent further disorder
Paris police issued an overnight curfew in two areas of the French capital “to protect people and property from the violence and looting.”
The statement on Monday said that the orders ban gatherings and demonstrations and impose a curfew prohibiting anyone from entering or remaining around the Place de la République, where rioting took place Saturday.
The shopping neighbourhood of Les Halles, which has been subject to looting, has also been included in the curfew.
The curfew was in effect from 11 p.m. Monday until 6 a.m. Tuesday.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 20, 2026.
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Election results are tied between mayoral candidates in Lytton, B.C.
The municipal election in Lytton, B.C., has resulted in a tie between two mayoral candidates with differing views on the community's recovery from a devastating wildfire that destroyed much of the village five years ago.
The results posted to the village's website on Monday show Denise O'Connor, the incumbent, and challenger Jennifer Thoss each received 45 votes.
Thoss, who was elected as a councillor in 2022, has criticized the village's handling of the recovery and rebuilding process after the wildfire in June 2021.
She told The Canadian Press last spring that more than $50 million in planned infrastructure funded largely by Ottawa would ultimately "bankrupt" the tiny village, where the shrunken tax base wouldn't be able to sustain the operations costs.
Thoss said the facilities would be overbuilt for the community, while O'Connor said "dwelling on the negative" won't help the town rebuild and the village can't attract new and returning residents if lacks infrastructure and amenities.
The ballots from the Oct. 17 election will undergo a judicial recount and Lytton's election procedures bylaw indicates that a tie would be resolved by drawing a lot.
A similar process unfolded in Peachland, B.C., in 2018, when an incumbent mayoral candidate and a challenger each received 804 votes.
A judge oversaw a recount that confirmed the tie, then drew a name out of a box and declared the incumbent, Cindy Fortin, would serve another four-year term.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 19, 2026.
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Mounties investigate after man flashes knife at youth in Tumbler Ridge, B.C.
Mounties in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., say a man is in custody after flashing a knife at youth over the weekend.
They say the incident happened late Saturday evening in the small town, which gained international attention earlier this year after a mass shooter killed eight victims, including six children, before turning the weapon on herself.
Police say officers responded to the knife report at the 100-block of Kinuseo Avenue and apprehended the man under the Mental Health Act.
They say he was brought to a hospital by officers but was released Monday and brought back to Tumbler Ridge, where he will remain in custody until he attends court.
Cpl. Jennifer Cooper says the Mounties want to assure the public that they are taking the situation very seriously and there is no further risk to the public, though the investigation is ongoing.
She says the detachment appreciates all the information received from the public and commends the youth involved for quickly reporting it to police.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 19, 2026.
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Mon honnête expérience: j'ai mangé 100% vegan pendant une semaine
Il y a deux ans, après avoir visionné plusieurs documentaires (voir titres plus bas) relatant de la terrible vie des animaux d'élevage, j'ai complètement coupé la viande de mon assiette. J'ai commencé avec un défi d'un mois, et je ne suis jamais revenue à mes anciennes habitudes alimentaires.
Ce défi pourrait aussi t'intéresser: J'ai mangé comme cette star d'Instagram cette semaine et voici ce qui s'est passé.
Depuis que je suis pesco-végétarienne (je mange encore du poisson), je m'intéresse grandement au végétalisme. Après avoir visionné des centaines de vidéos YouTube sur le sujet et lu le livre Comment ne pas mourir, j'ai décidé de plonger et de vivre une semaine sans aucun produit animalier.
Voici ce qui s'est passé et ce que j'ai mangé:
Lundi & Mardi
Mon début de semaine s'est très bien déroulé: j'avais plus d'énergie que jamais! Mon alimentation n'était pas si différente que d'habitude puisque j'ai tendance à préférer des repas vegan pendant la semaine de toute façon.
J'ai bu un smoothie (protéines vegan, graines de chia, son d'avoine, framboises, lait d'amande, avocat, huile MCT) pour déjeuner, mangé des crudités en collation matinale, une salade de pois chiches, riz & pesto pour dîner, des noix en après-midi, puis un sauté de légumes et tofu pour souper.
Mardi soir, j'avais un pique-nique entre amies et j'ai simplement évité les salades de patates et de macaronis (contenant mayonnaise et oeufs) et les fromages. Après le souper, je suis la seule qui n'a souffert d'aucun problème digestif. Je me sentais rassasiée, mais aucunement pleine et lourde.
J'ai trouvé ça beaucoup plus simple que prévu, et contrairement à la pensée populaire, ce n'était pas difficile à gérer.
Mercredi & Jeudi
Mercredi après-midi, j'ai eu un gros coup de barre: je me suis sentie complètement épuisée. Je ne me suis pas trop inquiétée, parce que ça pouvait être lié à autre chose: j'ai recommencé à m'entraîner à peu près au même moment, j'étais dans ma semaine et hyper stressée par mes recherches d'appartement. J'ai fait attention pour manger assez (au moins 1800 calories), car les aliments végétaux sont souvent faibles en calories.
Jeudi, j'avais un 5 à 7 entre amis. C'est à ce moment que je me suis sentie en privation pour la première fois. Il y avait plusieurs bouchées, et je me suis abstenue de manger celles avec du poisson, alors que ça avait l'air délicieux. Nous sommes ensuite allés au resto et il n'y avait qu'une seule option vegan sur le menu.
Vendredi
J'ai passé la journée à penser à des sushis et à du fromage brie. Donc à l'heure du souper, j'ai non seulement mangé 8 sushis, mais beaucoup trop de fromage, et plusieurs pointes de pizza. YOLO.
Défi raté.
Expérience globale:
J'ai réalisé que le mode de vie sans viande est parfait pour moi, car je n'ai jamais été une fan de toute façon. Mais le fromage et le poisson vont toujours faire partie de mon assiette.
Je crois que les gens ont peur du véganisme, parce que ça semble restreignant. Je crois que ce qui l'est, c'est de se sentir "au régime'' et en privation. Nous devrions plutôt voir cela comme un mode de vie, et trouver un équilibre qui nous convient niveau valeurs, digestion et énergie.
Personnellement, le 80/20 fonctionne bien pour moi! Je mange du poisson et du fromage quelques fois par semaine, et le reste du temps, je remplis mon assiette de légumes et je trouve des façons originales et le fun de manger des légumineuses.
Honnêtement, je recommande de réduire la consommation de viandes et dérivés peu à peu, jusqu'à ce tu trouves un ratio qui te rend heureux et bien dans ton corps! Et bien entendu, de choisir des produits éthiques et de t'informer sur le rapport entre la santé et l'alimentation. Bien entendu, tu peux ben manger comme tu veux: aucun jugement, tout diffère d'une personne à l'autre.
Si tu manques d'inspiration et que tu penses que la bouffe vegan c'est juste du tofu et de la luzerne, je te recommande ces 2 chaînes YouTube: Tess Begg & thrivingonplants.
Documentaires intéressants sur le sujet sur Netflix Canada:
Food, inc.
That Sugar Film
Forks over Knifes
Hungry for Change
Fed Up
Vegucated
Food Matters
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