Ottawa opens up $430M for training facilities, equipment in skilled trades
The federal government plans to spend $430 million over the next five years to help unions train a new generation of skilled trades workers.
Ottawa is opening applications today for access to the new pool of funding, most which comes through an expansion to the Union Training and Innovation Program.
The federal government says in a news release that unions and training providers will be able to apply for extra capital to expand their training facilities and other infrastructure starting next spring.
A separate application stream will temporarily boost federal contributions to help eligible organizations cover the cost of training equipment.
A third stream will fund unions' proposals for innovative ways to attract, recruit and support trainees before and throughout the apprenticeship process.
Nearly half of today's funding announcement is accounted for in a previous Liberal government pledge to spend $8 billion to recruit and train up to 100,000 new skilled trades workers in the next five years.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 15, 2026.
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
In the news today: offshore wind funding, health ministers meet, PM visits Calgary
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.
Here are five things to know about B.C.'s only televised election debate
British Columbia's three main party leaders took part in the only televised debate on Wednesday night, trading barbs, criticizing their opponents' policies and making their pitch for votes.
Here are five take-aways from the debate between interim B.C. Conservative leader Lorne Doerkson, NDP Leader David Eby and Green Party Leader Emily Lowan:
Conservatives tried to bring down his government 13 times, Eby said.
Eby said neither he nor his party have been perfect while in government, but he defended his snap election call, saying he needed a stronger mandate to respond to tariff threats from the United States.
"This was not a government that was able to deliver the big swings that you and your family need government to be taking for you," he said.
Doerkson said his plan would benefit British Columbians with the lowest incomes
Doerkson said he would pay down the forecasted provincial deficit of $13.8 billion by supercharging the economy without introducing new taxes or raising existing ones.
He also defended plans to give British Columbians a tax cut, which he said would inject $2 billion into the provincial economy.
"When we give a break to business in British Columbia, they spend," he said. "They create an economy."
Top priority to advocate for a better electoral system, Lowan said.
Lowan said her party would push for election process if it held the balance of power in a minority government.
"A voting system where we're not caught between lesser evils, where we are choosing between broken promises or service cuts. And I think we can find that system in proportional representation."
Eby leaves a trail of broken promises, his opponents said.
Doerkson said B.C. residents no longer believe Eby.
"You have had a decade to try to fix what's happening in this province," Doerkson said.
Lowan noted Eby's decision to slow construction on seven long-term care projects.
"This year's election bribes are next year's broken promises."
Eby promised last week that the seven projects are back on track.
A surprise appearance by party leaders who didn't meet the threshold to take part in the debate.
CentreBC Leader Elenore Sturko and interim OneBC leader Dallas Brodie delivered taped messages near the end of Wednesday's debate. They were once caucus colleagues within the Conservatives but split off.
Sturko described her party as socially progressive and fiscally responsible, saying she would bring a centrist voice to Victoria.
Brodie said her party would push for a 25 per cent income tax cut for both individuals and corporations, while promising to end the "greed and corruption" of what she called the reconciliation industry.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 15, 2026.
By The Canadian Press | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

La version québécoise de Survivor dévoile sa première bande-annonce et tu peux t'inscrire
Es-tu game?
Tu es fan des émissions d'endurance, de stratégies et de trahisons? Alors tu seras bien content.e d'apprendre que Novoo adaptera la série américaine Survivor. C'est le 14 septembre que la première bande-annonce est sortie pour dévoiler que l'émission sera diffusée ce printemps, et tu peux même déjà t'inscrire.
L'animateur Patrice Bélanger se rendra aux Philippines avec les participant.es pendant 40 jours et les candidat.es devront jouer sans merci dans l'espoir de gagner le gros lot de 100 000 $.
Si tu n'es pas familier.ère avec le concept américain, ce sont 16 à 20 candidat.es qui se rendent sur une île paradisiaque, mais loin du confort de la civilisation, et sont ensuite séparé.es en deux équipes. Chaque semaine, iels doivent participer à des défis autant physiques que mentaux dans le but de remporter l'immunité, des privilèges ou des objets de confort.
Sur l’île pendant plus d'un mois, les participant.es devront construire leurs propres abris, faire des feux, trouver leur nourriture en plus de se faire compétition jusqu'à la fin.
Tu as envie de devenir le ou la dernier.ère survivant.e? Tu as jusqu'au 2 octobre à 23 h 59 pour remplir le formulaire d'inscription en y mettant une photo de toi, en plus d'une vidéo de deux minutes où tu te présentes en expliquant quelles sont tes raisons pour t'inscrire et ce que tu ferais avec le prix.
Si tu crois avoir la force mentale et physique pour te dépasser et survivre aux intempéries, tu peux aller sur Noovo pour t'inscrire. Sinon, tu dois attendre au printemps pour regarder la version québécoise de Survivor à la télévision.