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In the news today: offshore wind funding, health ministers meet, PM visits Calgary
A look at what's in the news for today
THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Julia Nikhinson
Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed...
Ottawa to announce $100 million toward offshore wind projects in Nova Scotia
The federal government is set to announce a $100-million commitment toward developing offshore wind energy in Nova Scotia.
Energy Minister Tim Hodgson is set to deliver the news in Halifax this morning alongside Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston.
A senior government source tells The Canadian Press that Ottawa is putting $5 million toward deploying a fleet of buoys to help measure wind speeds and ocean conditions.
The information, the source says, will help inform prospective investors ahead of a call for bids in winter 2027.
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Health ministers set to meet in Winnipeg after Ottawa announces funding extension
Canadian health ministers meet in Winnipeg today after the federal government announced it would extend funding for mental health, addictions and home care by one year.
Federal Health Minister Marjorie Michel made the announcement on social media late Wednesday, saying the extension represents $1.2 billion in funding.
The existing funding was set to expire next year.
Manitoba Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara is to host provincial and territorial counterparts today, and Michel is to co-chair Friday's meeting.
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AI, resources and water bombers: Draft document maps Canada, EU path to closer ties
A draft joint statement from Canada and the European Union lays out concrete steps to strengthen ties around digital security, defence and resources ahead of a major summit at the end of the month.
The document states that Ottawa and Brussels aim to let Canadian companies bid on cloud and artificial-intelligence infrastructure contracts typically reserved for European companies.
The leaked statement also launches plans for Canada to join in Europe’s Galileo satellite navigation program and a deal to facilitate European investment in Canadian critical minerals.
The expanded partnership marks a broader effort to shore up links in areas ranging from trade to education and the military, as Canada and the European Union look to guard against a less reliable America.
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Carney to attend pro-Canada rally in Calgary as Alberta races toward referendum vote
Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected in Calgary today to rally support for a united Canada as Alberta gears up for a separation referendum.
Carney is scheduled to join former Alberta deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk at a rally for his "Forever Canadian" group ahead of Monday's vote.
Premier Danielle Smith has put 10 questions on the ballot, including one on whether Alberta should stay in Canada or if it should hold a second, binding vote on quitting Confederation.
The prime minister is also scheduled to attend a rally with Lukaszuk in Edmonton on Friday -- the same day Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and Smith are set to deliver speeches at a conference in Calgary.
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'Hardly surprising' many Alberta business leaders staying mum on separation: expert
The silence from many Alberta business leaders on the upcoming provincial referendum comes as no surprise to one corporate leadership expert.
Richard Leblanc from York University says there's a tradition in Canada for CEOs to stay in their lanes and not risk alienating shareholders or employees by taking a political stand.
Leblanc says there may be times a company's board of directors agrees that a CEO should speak out on a matter that affects the well-being of the business, as something like separation arguably would.
A handful of leaders at big, publicly traded companies are among the more than 70 signatories to an open letter from the Calgary Chamber of Commerce warning of the economic fallout of separation, while the top brass at many prominent firms have stayed mum.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 15, 2026.
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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Fry and Sim face off in Vancouver, but other mayoral candidates reject spoiler label
Fry and Sim face off in Vancouver mayoral race
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Vancouver mayoral candidates Ken Sim and Pete Fry view each other as their main rival in the battle for City Hall.
But while recent polling suggests the mayoral race is indeed a faceoff between incumbent Sim and two-term Green Councillor Fry, there are three other big-name candidates who reject the label of spoiler.
Kareem Allam — Sim's former chief of staff turned litigation adversary — is running with the Vancouver Liberals, which is not affiliated with the federal party.
"The pollsters don't always get it right. Municipal government is also the hardest level to poll. It's got its tricks and nuances, especially in an at-large system," he said in an interview Tuesday.
The Vancouver race culminates Saturday, when municipalities across British Columbia go to the polls.
Interest in the Vancouver race appears high. The City of Vancouver says more than 103,000 people have voted in advance, up 60 per cent from roughly 65,000 voters over five advance days in 2022.
Sim, who is campaigning for a second term as mayor with the right-of-centre ABC Vancouver, said while he would be the first to admit he didn't get everything right during his tenure, he believes he can lead the city in the right direction.
"We've gotten some pretty significant things done, but there's way more work to do," he said in an interview Wednesday.
Other candidates include Rebecca Bligh, a two-term councillor who helped get Sim elected with ABC Vancouver in 2022 and is now running with Vote Vancouver, and TEAM candidate Colleen Hardwick, a former councillor.
Allam, Hardwick and Bligh all rejected the notion their candidacies could split the centre or centre-right vote.
"The question is not left or right. The question is about who we are serving at city hall," Hardwick said Tuesday.
Bligh said she was running to govern for Vancouver's ignored middle class, and polling did not change how she campaigned.
"It's anyone's race," she said in an interview Wednesday.
Fry, son of longtime Liberal MP Hedy Fry, has acknowledged benefiting from the narrowing of the progressive field, after the withdrawals of William Azaroff from OneCity Vancouver and Stephanie Allen for COPE Vancouver.
After ending his candidacy, Azaroff appeared at City Hall with Fry, who praised him for running a serious campaign that "raised real issues" such as housing, small business and affordability.
"I think folks are excited to be able to talk up a viable alternative to Ken Sim as the mayor of Vancouver and really reset," Fry said in an interview Tuesday.
He added that Azaroff's withdrawal was recognition that he was the person best suited to defeat Sim.
Bligh said she's a progressive candidate with a centrist platform. Meanwhile, Allam said he believed he was taking votes from Sim and Fry equally.
The candidates' platforms all emphasize quality-of-life issues, including affordability and public safety. Sim's promises include a zero per cent property tax increase.
The election ballot also includes two plebiscite questions on public safety.
The non-binding questions ask voters if they're in favour of the city "strengthening its laws to forbid open-air hard drug use in public spaces," which is already illegal in B.C. The other asks if the city should ask the province to convert portions of the old St. Paul's hospital into a "secure medical facility" with 100-plus involuntary care beds.
Hardwick called the questions a "populist election tactic," while other critics said they aren't realistic.
Sim said strengthening the city health bylaw — regulating conduct such as smoking in common areas — would allow officers to issue tickets or confiscate drugs without arrests. The involuntary care question, he said, is about asking the province to fulfil its accountability to people who pose a risk to their own safety or others.
Fry said he supports managing drug use in public spaces, but differs from Sim in believing that people should be diverted to supervised consumption sites or shelters.
His platform focuses on housing, transportation and the economy. "Folks should be able to have a good life in this city, he said.
Bligh said Sim's property tax freezes protect wealthy landowners and undercut critical services. She said she would work with the federal government to leverage city-owned land and provide free transit for youth.
Hardwick said the key to livability in Vancouver is effective city planning. She said she wanted to repeal the city's official development plan and re-establish neighbourhood planning offices
Allam said he wants to bring youth back to Vancouver by improving affordability through jobs and housing, and investing in parks and community centres.
He said his platform cuts across ideologies, and distanced himself from Sim, who filed a lawsuit in May 2025 alleging Allam falsely accused him of drinking and driving.
Sim faces his own defamation lawsuit from councillor Sean Orr, filed after falsely accusing Orr of distributing illegal drugs in comments to Chinese-speaking reporters.
Trials in both cases are far off.
For now, the focus is on the ballot box.
"I think people will be surprised at the results," Allam said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 15, 2026.
By Marissa Birnie | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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Health ministers set to meet in Winnipeg after Ottawa announces funding extension
Canada's health ministers set to meet in Winnipeg
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby
Canadian health ministers meet in Winnipeg today after the federal government announced it would extend funding for mental health, addictions and home care by one year.
Federal Health Minister Marjorie Michel made the announcement on social media late Wednesday, saying the extension represents $1.2 billion in funding.
The existing funding was set to expire next year.
Manitoba Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara is to host provincial and territorial counterparts today, and Michel is to co-chair Friday's meeting.
Provincial health ministers had said they were worried about "profound and negative" effects on patients and health-care jobs if the federal funding agreements weren't renewed in this year's budget.
Provinces and territories also raised concerns about the future of the Canada Health Transfer as the federal budget states the minimum growth rate will drop to three per cent from five per cent in 2028.
Asagwara says after meeting with Michel that she has shared the unanimous concerns of health ministers and is keen to hear more on federal health funding.
"I am thrilled to be able to say that I feel Minister Michel has been listening," Asagwara said Wednesday.
"I look forward to hearing some news from the minister on this, we all do."
Linda Silas, president of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions, said funding commitments should be a priority.
She said the federal government can't lose sight of the importance of health care as it ramps up spending on defence and other priorities.
"There has to be a just balance, and we have to see our health-care system as an investment, as a human rights issue, and as proud Canadians, it's the core of our fabric, and we need to hear our prime minister speak more loudly about it."
The Canadian Medical Association said in a release Wednesday that the meeting is an important opportunity for the federal government to provide certainty on funding to provinces and territories.
The association said strong and reliable federal funding to maintain universal health care is foundational to growing Canada's economy.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 15, 2026.
By Ian Bickis | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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