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'Perfect storm': Extreme weather fuelled Wainwright military base fire, expert says
Extreme weather fuelled deadly Wainwright fire
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov
A wildfire expert says powerful winds with shifting directions and dry weather contributed to rapid expansion of the fire at a military base in Wainwright, Alta., that left four soldiers dead and 39 others wounded.
Environment and Climate Change Canada had issued a severe weather alert for swaths of Alberta on Saturday, warning of powerful wind gusts of up to 90 kilometres per hour in the region where the base is located, 200 kilometres southeast of Edmonton.
The agency said a strong cold front also passed through the area at the time of the windstorm.
Jen Beverly, an associate professor of wildland fire at the University of Alberta, says that weather combination created a “perfect storm” for the deadly fire to spread at a staggering speed and engulf the military training ground.
Defence officials have said that 84 members of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry were in a training area when strong winds spread the flames from a nearby grass fire that was initially considered sufficiently under control.
The military said the fire burning about a kilometre away reached the training ground in less than one minute, and Beverly says that could be “the fastest recorded observation of wildfire spread in Canada” if confirmed after the investigation.
Beverly says people working near a wildland fire should have access to information about any severe weather conditions, including extreme winds.
She says the military's investigation needs to find out whether such information was communicated and if any decisions made about the training were based on it on the day of the fire.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 20, 2026.
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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Mother of First Nation woman who couldn't get medical transport and died seeks reform
First Nation woman speaks out on daughter's death
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Eva Mamakwa (Mandatory Credit)
If only. It's a phrase that plays over and over again in Eva Mamakwa's mind.
If only her daughter, Miranda Mamakwa, had made it to at least one followup appointment after open-heart surgery, she may be alive.
If only Indigenous Services Canada's non-insured health benefits program had arranged travel for just one of her four missed appointments, Miranda may be alive.
The 31-year-old mother of three from Fort Severn First Nation died on Sept. 8, weeks after asking people on social media to seek action in case of her death.
"I don't want this to happen to anyone else," Eva Mamakwa said in an interview with The Canadian Press from her home before falling quiet, overcome with emotion. She is speaking out about her daughter's death for the first time.
Since Miranda Mamakwa's death, more than a dozen First Nations and tribal councils have filed a human rights complaint that alleges widespread neglect of their communities' health needs, while chiefs have demanded reform from the federal agency in charge of arranging medical travel for remote First Nation people.
Indigenous Services Canada said it's working to improve delivery of the service, while the minister in charge has said she requested a fact-finding mission on the circumstances that led to Miranda Mamakwa's death.
Months ago, Mamakwa's family was filled with hope as she underwent surgery at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute in April to replace a valve in her heart. She recovered over two weeks at the hospital in Ottawa, then two more weeks at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.
On May 24, she arrived home in Fort Severn First Nation, the most northerly community in Ontario that sits near the mouth of the Severn River on Hudson Bay.
Her doctors wanted to see her for several followups. She had blood clots and had been put on blood thinners, which required testing on an ongoing basis, Eva Mamakwa said. Doctors booked her daughter for an echocardiogram and an appointment with a vascular surgeon in Thunder Bay.
Miranda Mamakwa was thrilled to be back home; her children were excited and her mother was caring for her.
That excitement would soon abate.
Eva Mamakwa said she went to the First Nation's nursing station to begin the administrative process to arrange travel back to Thunder Bay for her daughter's first followup appointment. Nurses soon faxed Miranda's documentation to the non-insured health benefits program — faxes are protocol — and the family waited to hear back on travel plans.
She said the agency never responded and her daughter missed her first appointment on May 28. Eva Mamakwa then called NIHB's office in Sioux Lookout, Ont., and got someone on the line.
"I told her that it was extremely important that Miranda go to her followup appointments," she said. "I talked to her and she listened to me and she said they would send her travel, but travel never came."
She said the NIHB told her the request never arrived despite more than one tranche of faxes being sent.
The same thing occurred for followup appointments on June 11, July 2 and Aug. 6, Eva Mamakwa said, despite multiple faxes and phone calls.
"They didn't care at all," she said.
As the summer progressed, Miranda Mamakwa became more tired, slept more and started losing feeling in her fingers.
On Aug. 19, she wrote a Facebook post about the problems with NIHB and the missed appointments.
"If I die, pls go after (them)," she wrote.
On Sept. 6, she started to feel sick. Her stomach hurt and she began vomiting. "We just thought she might have caught the flu from her kids," her mother said.
But Eva Mamakwa soon realized that "something was terribly wrong."
Her daughter needed immediate help. Later that day, Skycare, which operates on behalf of provincial air and land ambulance Ornge, arrived, and airlifted her to the intensive care unit of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, some 850 kilometres away.
The next day, Eva Mamakwa and Mike Bluecoat, Miranda's father, got a call from the ICU doctor.
"He told me that Miranda had a lot of bleeding in her brain, she was hemorrhaging," she said. "Even if they send her down south (to Toronto), to try and help her, that she wouldn't have survived it."
The doctor told them to fly to Thunder Bay so they did, with Miranda's children in tow. Eva Mamakwa's oldest daughter was already at the hospital to support her sister.
They arrived to crushing news.
"There was no brain activity at all and we had to make a very difficult decision to take her off life support or not," Eva Mamakwa said through tears.
"As much as I wanted to keep her, it wouldn't have been a good idea because it was the machine that was helping her breathe," she said.
"It was very, very heartbreaking seeing my daughter being disconnected. But up until the end, when her heart stopped, and everything shut down, her children were beside her. All of us were beside her. And then we watched her go."
Eva Mamakwa's words failed, briefly, as tears rolled down her cheeks while she relived the nightmare.
"Today my daughter would be here if her travel was made to attend her appointments, but sadly it didn't happen," she said. "I am holding NIHB accountable for my daughter's passing."
Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty has said her department would review the circumstances of the case, and that Mamakwa's community and family deserved answers.
WIDESPREAD ISSUES
The woman's death became a clarion call to First Nation leadership across Canada. It came after hundreds of people staged a sit-in at the NIHB office in Sioux Lookout over missed medical appointments, calling for urgent reform.
Chief Archie Wabasse of Wunnumin Lake First Nation, a remote fly-in community some 500 kilometres north of Thunder Bay and 330 kilometres south of Fort Severn, broke into tears as he discussed the issue in a recent interview.
He said that in his community of 800 people, about 80 residents had a total of 147 missed medical appointments between March 2025 and March 2026 due to lack of transport.
There is no full-time doctor in the First Nation, but one rotates in for a week or two every month, for 12 to 14 visits a year. Demand for the doctor's time far exceeds availability, and those visits lead to referrals to specialists in southern parts of the province.
"The problem is getting worse for my people," an emotional Wabasse said.
He lists a number of community members who need help. One, with a pacemaker, who has already missed a few appointments. Another who needs dialysis in a few days, but has not heard back from NIHB about his travel. In one case, the band paid about $3,000 to send an elder to a specialist in Winnipeg after NIHB did not return calls, he said.
Wabasse said he met with the Indigenous Services minister to talk about the issue, months before Miranda Mamakwa's death.
He said Gull-Masty told the chiefs in attendance about improvements being made to NIHB, but she declined their request to sit down with them and resolve on the spot what he sees as a relatively straightforward administrative issue.
"It is a solvable problem, but what we're trying to do here is advocating, telling the minister, the decision makers, the prime minister, this could be solved in one day," Wabasse said.
When asked about Wabasse's description of that meeting with the minister, Indigenous Services Canada said regular dialogue with First Nations leaders about NIHB "has been an important part of our work to improve service levels."
HUMAN RIGHTS COMPLAINT
More than 12 First Nations and tribal councils filed a complaint on Oct. 1 with the Canadian Human Rights Commission against Indigenous Services Canada over what they say is effectively a denial of health care in their communities.
The joint complaint from Wunnumin Lake First Nation, Matawa Chiefs Council and Windigo First Nations Council alleges the federal department's non-insured health benefits program is failing to meet the needs of community members for medical transportation.
The NIHB program for First Nations and Inuit people covers medical, dental and mental health care not available through private insurance or provincial health plans. First Nations leaders and physicians have long said the program is not working for communities, and that its employees are notorious for being slow in responding to queries, requests and filing reimbursements.
The complainants say NIHB fails to consistently arrange medical transportation, or it informs patients so late about the transport that they are forced to miss their appointments.
They say Eabametoong First Nation community members miss about 50 appointments per month, while North Caribou First Nation members missed almost 100 appointments in the past year.
The complaint said First Nations have attempted to raise the issue with Indigenous Services Canada from as early as 2014, to no avail.
“Due to ISC’s actions, First Nations are suffering and dying. This is known to ISC, and yet nothing has been done to change it," the complaint said. “Years of NIHB failing to approve requests on a timely basis, considered in the context of costs associated with First Nation service-provision and remoteness, represents a choice to deny First Nations health care.”
The complainants are requesting a formal review and reform of the benefits program, along with $20,000 in compensation for each individual who missed an appointment due to NIHB's failures, and an additional $20,000 for pain and suffering.
“The continued failure regarding medical transportation is the newest chapter in a long history of Canada’s colonial practices devaluing the health and safety of Indigenous people," the complaint said.
Indigenous Services Canada spokesperson Carolane Gratton said the department recognizes the serious impacts any gaps in service can have on people who rely on NIHB for medical transportation, and that it's working to strengthen the delivery of the service.
The department implemented a simplified travel submission process in early October, meant to provide clients with more direct support from local medical transportation co-ordinators and create a "more consistent and streamlined experience," Gratton wrote in an emailed statement. She said the department is looking into other actions that could improve call centre performance.
Indigenous Services Canada did not provide details when asked if there is a service standard for arranging medical transportation, nor how often that standard is met.
Gratton said the department takes seriously any complaints to the Canadian Human Rights Commission, and that it would respond "through the appropriate process."
Julian Falconer, a longtime human rights lawyer who is representing the First Nations and tribal councils in the case, said their complaint is not about "simple negligence."
"We are talking recklessness when it comes to the sanctity of life," he said. "It's an outrage."
The government's response is a "perfect parallel" to what happened to Miranda Mamakwa after her surgery, he said.
"The ignoring continues to this day," Falconer said. "The minister promised an urgent review. We're six weeks out and it's crickets."
DOCTOR SAYS SYSTEM IS A 'BLACK HOLE'
Pediatrician and infectious disease specialist Anna Banerji, who travels to see patients in northern communities, said administration of the NIHB is discriminatory.
She said First Nations children, some of whom have serious health issues, are often no-shows for their appointments.
"Their flights were not booked," she said.
Lack of transport has also led to missed mammogram appointments, allowing cancers to spread, and high-risk pregnancy symptoms that aren’t caught early and lead to complications for mothers and babies, she said.
Banerji said when concerns have been raised to NIHB, it’s like a “black hole.”
"(Patients) don’t know if the flight is booked, or when it’s booked, and if you try to communicate with (NIHB) again, no one ever picks up the phone. They can send faxes, and no one responds to the faxes,” she said.
“At the last minute they’ll say, ‘You have a flight in an hour.’ Well, (patients) have other responsibilities. They have other children, they have elderly people at home, they have jobs and suddenly they have to drop everything they’re doing last minute to go on a flight. It’s just disrespectful."
Banerji said if the NIHB was any other system in Canada, it would be dismantled.
"My conclusion is, after 30 years of observing it, this is all racism. It’s a double standard. It’s discriminatory," she said.
"I would go so far as to say when you give one group of people certain rights and you deny that to another group based on race … it’s called apartheid.”
Banerji said Miranda Mamakwa's death was preventable, but not unpredictable, and called for a national inquiry into the system.
For Mamakwa's family, the past month has been difficult.
Her children, aged 7, 9 and 11, are struggling. Eva Mamakwa said her youngest grandson often says, "I want my mom back."
They trek to her grave to visit. They're just trying to get through the days.
"My grandson, he wakes up early in the morning and he cries and in the evenings, that's when it gets really hard for all of us," Eva Mamakwa said, choking up.
"I cry every day. There are times I get extremely angry. What happened with our daughter? I miss her. I miss talking to her."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 20, 2026.
By Liam Casey and Alessia Passafiume | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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Quebec opposition parties want Parti Québécois to take note of Alberta referendum
Quebec opposition leaders react to Alberta vote
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Karoline Boucher
Two opposition leaders in Quebec are urging the incoming Parti Québécois government to take note of Monday night's referendum results in Alberta.
About three-quarters of Albertans voted for the province to remain in Canada, rejecting a proposal for a future referendum on separation.
However, they also voted for their province to negotiate for changes to the Constitution to secure more powers from the federal government.
Conservative Leader Éric Duhaime says Quebecers must align themselves with Alberta to to secure a balance of power in the federation.
He is also urging PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon to drop his promise to hold a referendum on independence.
Liberal Leader Charles Milliard made the same request, but did not comment on Alberta's desires for more powers.
— With files from Patrice Bergeron in Quebec City
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 20, 2026.
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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6 vidéos d'OD qu'Éloïse aurait pu regarder sur YouTube lors de son isolement
Le public doit maintenant assimiler tous les événements survenus lors de l'épisode d'OD du dimanche 25 octobre. Entre les pleurs de Karine, le départ de Julie, et la tentative de baiser manquée de Kiki, c'est définitivement la tricherie d'Éloïse d'OD qui a suscité le plus de réactions.
La candidate a avoué avoir regardé des vidéos YouTube à propos de l'émission lorsqu'elle était en confinement suite aux quelques symptômes qu'elle avait eus pouvant s'apparenter à la COVID-19.
Éloïse est revenu dans l'aventure en bonne santé, mais surtout, avec des informations que les autres candidats n'avaient pas sur la saison d'Occupation Double Chez Nous.
Elle n'a mentionné que quelques détails qu'elle avait appris. Toutefois, on se demande si elle a tout dit quant à ses trouvailles.
Voici six vidéos à propos de l'aventure d'OD sur lesquelles elle aurait pu tomber lorsqu'elle a triché.
La sélection de l'éditeur : Noovo confirme qu'il y aura des conséquences pour Éloïse à Occupation Double
Claudie et Mathieu commentent les portraits des candidats d'OD Chez Nous
Dans cette vidéo, le couple de Claudie et Mathieu, ex-candidats d'OD Afrique du Sud 2019, commente les portraits des nouveaux candidats.
Claudie annonce simplement qu'elle aime bien Charles, après avoir vu sa présentation.
Laura-Gabriel montre sa réaction à la première d'OD Chez Nous
La youtubeuse, et ancienne candidate d'OD, commente la première d'Occupation Double Chez Nous. Elle y regarde le tapis rouge et les réactions des candidats.
Chris Negrowski commente le tapis rouge
Le youtubeur commente les présentations des filles sur le tapis rouge lors de la première d'OD Chez Nous. Il dit trouver les candidats moins intéressants que les autres années.
Chris Negrowski a fait, depuis, d'autres vidéos auxquelles Éloïse aurait pu avoir accès.
Le youtubeur sous le nom du Maire de Laval a fait plusieurs vidéos critiquant Charles
Le youtubeur est convaincu qu'Éloïse est allée voir ses vidéos, car il est l'un de ceux qui parlent le plus en mal de Charles sur YouTube.
Sa vidéo Charles doit partir de OD Chez Nous MTN a obtenu plus de 37 000 vues.
Claudie et Mathieu commente une soirée d'élimination
Une autre vidéo de Claudie et Mathieu était sortie lorsqu'Éloïse a eu accès à YouTube.
Elle aurait pu voir les deux tourtereaux commenter l'épisode de l'élimination de Martine.
Alicia Bernier donne son avis sur les candidats
La youtubeuse parle clairement dans sa vidéo de la rumeur qui circulait selon laquelle Charles aurait fait les auditions d'OD lorsqu'il était encore en couple.
Mis à part Charles, Alicia n'a que des bons mots pour les autres candidats de la maison des gars.