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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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Carney to attend pro-Canada rally in Calgary as Alberta races toward referendum vote
Carney set to attend pro-Canada rally in Calgary
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi
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.
Tonight's rally isn't the first time Carney and Lukaszuk have teamed up to spread a pro-Canada message.
Last month, the prime minister invited Lukaszuk's group to attend a cabinet retreat in Banff, Alta., and Carney signed the Maple Leaf-wrapped motorhome Lukaszuk has been touring the province in.
Carney has said Canada is worth fighting for and that the country works better when it works together.
The prime minister is also scheduled to attend a rally with Lukaszuk in Edmonton on Friday.
Also Friday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and Smith are scheduled to deliver speeches at a conference in Calgary.
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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Supreme Court hears challenge of law clearing path for Ontario Place redevelopment
Top court hears challenge of Ontario Place law
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
The Supreme Court of Canada plans to hear arguments today from a coalition challenging the constitutionality of legislation that smooths the way for major changes at Ontario Place.
The case unfolding in Canada's top court could reverberate far beyond the Toronto waterfront park that opened in 1971.
Over the years, the theme park featured a spherical theatre that showed movies on a huge screen, children's play areas, a revolving concert stage and several pavilions suspended above the water.
The provincial government wants to redevelop Ontario Place to include an elaborate spa operated by a private company, a relocated Ontario Science Centre, revamped play and shoreline areas, a parking facility and a provincial police detachment.
The coalition Ontario Place Protectors challenged the province's Rebuilding Ontario Place Act on the basis that it insulates state action from scrutiny by the courts and therefore violates the Constitution.
The coalition also argued that exemptions from environmental and heritage laws and municipal noise regulations amount to a breach of public trust.
An Ontario judge dismissed the application in 2024 and a challenge of the ruling in the provincial Court of Appeal was also unsuccessful.
Writing on behalf of a unanimous Court of Appeal, Justice Grant Huscroft said there was no doubt that the provincial government's decision to redevelop Ontario Place is strongly opposed by a number of concerned citizens and organizations.
Political opposition to the plan has not swayed the government and the coalition has turned to the court in an effort to stop it, Huscroft said.
"But there is no basis for the court to do so. The court is not an alternative forum for resolving political grievances. The only legitimate question for the court is whether the impugned provisions of ROPA violate the law or the Constitution," he wrote.
"They do not, and the appeal must be dismissed."
In January, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the Ontario Place Protectors' case.
The coalition says provincial superior courts have historical and inherent jurisdiction to review laws and government actions protected under section 96 of the Constitution Act, 1867, and to provide effective remedies when governments do not respect the limits on their powers.
The coalition says the Rebuilding Ontario Place Act's scope is unprecedented and appears to violate section 96 by removing the essential core powers of the courts.
It argues the legislation severely limits or entirely eliminates the ability of courts to hold Crown officials accountable through declaratory actions, damage awards and injunctions when they have acted beyond their powers.
The coalition is also seeking to have the doctrine of public trust acknowledged as an unwritten constitutional principle rooted in English common law and inherited by Canada.
It argues the doctrine of public trust maintains that natural and cultural assets are essential to public welfare and must be safeguarded by the state in its role as trustee.
Margie Zeidler, the daughter of Ontario Place architect Eberhard Zeidler, remembers visiting the park as a child.
"It was extraordinary. It was a public place," she said in an interview. "You could have a picnic in the forest. You could watch films at Cinesphere. You could watch any musical performance at the forum."
Zeidler, a member of the Ontario Place Protectors coalition, says the provincial government's actions have made the fight about more than just the historic theme park. "It became more, not about Ontario Place, but about, wait a minute, what democracy are we living in here?" she said. "I didn't know governments could do that."
In their written submission to the Supreme Court, the Crown and the Ontario attorney general say the case should be dismissed.
The immunity provided by the provincial legislation does not go as far as the coalition alleges, the submission says: "(The act) does not make Ontario Place a lawless zone."
Rather, it immunizes the Crown, its servants and agents from civil causes of action arising from specific circumstances, the submission says.
The Crown and attorney general also urge the court to reject the claim that the legislation is invalid because of the doctrine of public trust.
"The novel doctrine articulated by the Appellant is not an unwritten constitutional principle, and even if such a doctrine existed in law, which is denied, there is no evidence in the record that could warrant applying this far-reaching new doctrine to Ontario Place," the submission says.
The case has attracted submissions from interveners, including several provinces, First Nations, civil liberties groups and environmental organizations.
The Supreme Court often reserves its decisions until a later date, meaning a ruling in the case might not come until next year.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 15, 2026.
By Jim Bronskill | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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Un ours noir a été aperçu dans les rues d'une municipalité de Lanaudière
La Ville appelle à la prudence.
Des résident.es d'une petite municipalité de Lanaudière ont eu toute une surprise durant leur lunch alors qu'iels ont vu un ours noir roder dans la ville. L'animal aurait été aperçu dans les environs du rang de l'Église et du domaine du Villageois, à Saint-Liguori, vers midi, le 12 juillet 2022.
Dans une publication sur Facebook, la Municipalité a tenu à rappeler aux citoyen.nes les consignes de sécurité et les gestes à prendre afin de diminuer les risques : « Soyez prudents dans les secteurs boisés de la municipalité. Assurez-vous de faire du bruit pour signaler votre présence. »
Contacté par Narcity Québec un employé du bureau municipal a affirmé que l'ours n'aurait pas été revu depuis hier. Bien que les agent.es de la faune aient été contacté.es par la Ville, ceux-ci et celles-ci ne se sont pas encore déplacé.es sur les lieux au moment d’écrire ces lignes.
Selon le ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs, il y aurait 70 000 ours noirs sur le territoire de la province. Ce mammifère est connu comme un animal craintif, à priori rarement agressif, mais très glouton. Il ne faut donc surtout pas laisser de la nourriture à des endroits qui lui serait facile d'accès.
Voici les consignes de prévention du ministère afin de diminuer les risques d'attirer un ours noir :
La Ville de Saint-Liguori invite les citoyen.nes à communiquer toute information utile pour signaler l'animal par téléphone au bureau municipal, soit au 450 753-3570 poste 0.