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U.S. ambassador offers Canada help almost a week after Wainwright tragedy
U.S. offering help after Wainwright fire
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Keito Newman
U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra says the United States has offered to help following the deadly fire at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta.
Four soldiers were killed and 39 injured on Oct. 17 when a fire that began during a training exercise on an anti-grenade launching range was picked up by fierce winds.
The military says the fire swept in less than a minute about a kilometre away to where a different training exercise was taking place on the base about 200 kilometres southeast of Edmonton.
Twenty-seven soldiers remain in hospital, including 13 in critical condition, many of them with severe burns.
In a social media post today almost a week after the tragedy, Hoekstra said the U.S. government has made a formal offer of assistance and resources to Canada's federal government to help support the recovery of soldiers affected by traumatic burns "should it be deemed necessary."
The military says there are three different investigations into the tragedy and could not say when more answers will be available about how the tragedy occurred.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2026.
— With files from Kyle Duggan and Nick Murray in Ottawa
By Catherine Morrison | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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Alberta introduces new flag rules and restrictions for all schools starting in 2027
Alberta introduces new flag rules for schools
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
The Alberta government has announced new rules on when, how, and what flags can be displayed at schools.
Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides says the flags of Canada and Alberta must be flown outside schools during the school year.
Other flags -- including the Franco-Albertan flag, municipal flags and the Royal Union Flag -- can be displayed on specified days.
First Nations and Metis Settlement flags and foreign national flags can be displayed inside a school building during official occasions and on other specified days.
No other flag displays are permitted without permission from the province.
The new rules begin on Jan. 4, 2027.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2026.
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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Quebec premier announces $28 million for warming centres and emergency shelters
Quebec premier announces millions for homelessness
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi
Quebec's new premier says the provincial government will spend $28 million in emergency funding to address homelessness.
Paul St-Pierre Plamondon announced the new funding in his first major announcement since he was sworn in as premier on Wednesday.
St-Pierre Plamondon says the money will go to warming centres and emergency shelters across Quebec.
The Montreal area is slated to get $18 million out of the total.
Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada joined the premier for the announcement.
She says she is thrilled the new provincial government has made homelessness its first order of business.
She noted how the city had come up with a homelessness strategy for the winter, but needed $20 million from the provincial government to implement its plan.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2026.
By Erika Morris | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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