Feds investing $1 billion for road to Ring of Fire in Ontario: Carney
Prime Minister Mark Carney says his government is putting down $1 billion to help build the road to the mineral-rich Ring of Fire region in northern Ontario.
The region is said to be rich in nickel, chromite, copper and gold and Carney says it will secure Canada's critical mineral supply chain.
The area sits partially in the James Bay lowlands, part of North America's largest wetland, and is home to a number of remote, fly-in First Nations.
Earlier this year, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced construction had begun on two of the roads that will eventually connect the provincial highway system to the mining area some 500 kilometres north of Thunder Bay, Ont.
Ford had long called for the federal government to match his government's $1-billion investment in the road project.
The province has signed partnerships with three First Nations who want the road, while many others are decidedly against it.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2026.
By Liam Casey | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
New southern resident killer whale calf spotted in waters near B.C.
The endangered southern resident killer whale population has increased by one after a calf was spotted in waters near British Columbia.
The Center for Whale Research says in an email statement that the new calf was first spotted on Monday with its mother, designated J35 by researchers.
The centre's researchers then spotted the mother and calf again on Tuesday and determined the "very young" whale is a male likely less than a week old.
The calf has been designated J65 and is J35's sixth documented calf, her first being born in 2010.
The centre says J35 previously lost calves, and was seen carrying a dead calf for 17 days in 2018, while another calf born in 2024 did not survive.
Researchers say J65 shows no health issues and is "moving well, socializing, and nursing," but only about half of all calves survive their first year.
Another southern resident, J31, was spotted with a dead calf earlier this month near Sombro Point on Vancouver Island.
The centre says that as of July, the population of Southern Residents was 76.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2026.
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Federal union announces strike votes for 120,000 federal public servants
Canada's largest federal public service union says 120,000 workers will take part in nationwide strike votes starting next month after contract talks with the federal government broke down.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada says voting will take place from Nov. 16 to Jan. 22.
The union and Treasury Board have been in contract negotiations for a year and a half, and PSAC in May called a government wage offer of less than one per cent per year "insulting."
PSAC says the government has refused to negotiate on key issues such as wages, job security, remote work and protections against artificial intelligence.
Workers to take part in strike votes include wildland firefighters, passport and benefit officers, fishery officers, federal teachers, librarians and administrative staff.
In 2023, 155,000 federal public servants spent almost two weeks on picket lines across the country before winning wage increases amounting to 12.6 per cent over the agreement’s term, which ran from 2021 to 2024.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2026.
By Catherine Morrison | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.