Ottawa to extend $1.2B in funding for home care, mental health services
The federal government says it plans to extend funding to provinces and territories for mental health, addictions and home care by one year.
Health Minister Marjorie Michel says in a social media post that the announced extension represents $1.2 billion in funding.
Michel’s post comes after provincial health ministers expressed worry about "profound and negative" effects on patients and health care jobs if the federal funding agreements aren't renewed in this year's budget.
Provinces and territories also raised concerns earlier this month about the future of the Canada Health Transfer.
The federal budget will be tabled later this fall.
Provincial and territorial health ministers are set to meet Thursday in Winnipeg, while Michel is to co-chair Friday's meeting.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 14, 2026.
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
U.S. grand jury indicts alleged Tumbler Ridge conspirator James Bryant
A grand jury in Washington state has indicted an alleged co-conspirator in the Tumbler Ridge, B.C., mass shooting.
The indictment of 30-year-old James Bryant for conspiracy to murder persons in a foreign country means there is probable cause for prosecutors to pursue the case.
Emily Langlie, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office, said last week that an indictment would mean a preliminary hearing in the case scheduled for Oct. 20 would be eliminated.
Bryant, whose lawyer says she goes by "Melody" and uses female pronouns, was denied bail a day ahead of Wednesday's indictment.
A statement issued by the U.S. Department of Justice says the indictment "details several overt acts that Bryant took to further the school shooting conspiracy."
Eight victims were shot dead in Tumbler Ridge by 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar in February, including five pupils and a teacher at a secondary school.
Among the alleged acts the indictment of Bryant, who's a resident of Bellingham, Wash., lists are that she agreed to record the shooting and broadcast it over the internet, offered the shooter advice on where to attack and what weapons to use, and sent Van Rootselaar money to buy a lighter for use in an improvised explosive device.
The Justice Department's statement says conspiracy to murder in a foreign country is punishable by up to life in prison.
It cautions that the accusations against Bryant remain unproven, and says the case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Greenberg with help from the Justice Department’s National Security Division.
Van Rootselaar shot herself dead at the school on Feb. 10 as police closed in.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 14, 2026.
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
U.S. sets tax total for Canadian softwood lumber exports at almost 35 per cent
The BC Lumber Trade Council says Canadian softwood lumber now faces total import taxes of almost 35 per cent after the latest review from the U.S. Department of Commerce.
The organization representing B.C. lumber producers says the new figure is down from the combined rate of 45 per cent announced in August last year.
But Kim Haakstad, the council's interim president, says their members are disappointed that Canadian lumber producers still face unjustified and punitive trade measures.
She says in a statement that the combined weight of duties and tariffs remains a significant burden on producers.
The statement says the softwood lumber dispute has dragged on for nearly a decade, putting pressure on forest-dependent communities.
The council says the Commerce Department has imposed countervailing duties at 14.11 per cent, an anti-dumping rate of 10.64 per, and the additional tariff of 10 per cent, which U.S. President Donald Trump levied on the grounds of national security.
Haakstad says families in the United States are also paying a price, because trade barriers have driven up the cost of building homes there and hurt companies that sell equipment and services to Canadian mills.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 14, 2026.
By Wolfgang Depner | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.