Elenore Sturko loses seat for CentreBC in return to Surrey South
The Canadian Press decision desk is projecting that CentreBC Leader Elenore Sturko has lost her bid to win back her former seat in Surrey South.
The former RCMP officer, who was defeated by B.C. Conservative Megan Knight, was previously elected to the riding in 2022 as a B.C. Liberal before joining the Conservatives in 2024 and winning in nearby Surrey-Cloverdale that year.
But Sturko was ejected from the Conservatives by former party leader John Rustad, who cited the need for caucus unity.
Sturko sat as an Independent before announcing in September that she was joining CentreBC, along with seven other Conservatives defectors.
All except Sturko went back to the Conservatives just days later, after Kerry-Lynn Findlay quit as leader and was replaced by interim leader Lorne Doerkson ahead of the provincial election.
Sturko stayed on and became leader of CentreBC, which she has described as socially progressive and fiscally responsible.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 24, 2026.
By Chuck Chiang | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Winnipeg police suspend use of Crime Stoppers after data breach
Winnipeg police say they've suspended the use of Crime Stoppers in light of a massive data breach of the crime-reporting system.
The pause comes after CBC reported that 1.5 million tips submitted to Canadian Crime Stoppers programs over the last 25 years were stolen earlier this year.
Winnipeg police say they have been made aware that some data related to the city was included in the breach.
They are reviewing the additional safeguards and security measures being implemented by Crime Stoppers.
Other police forces in Canada have also suspended use of the service, including several in the Toronto region.
Crime Stoppers is a community-based intermediary that allows people to anonymously report information about crimes to police.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2026.
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Industry Minister Mélanie Joly wants to build an aluminum rolling mill in Canada
Industry Minister Mélanie Joly says new federal investments announced Friday are a first step toward reducing the Canadian aluminum sector's dependence on the United States.
Joly, who is also the minister responsible for economic development in Quebec, made the comments in La Baie, Que., where she announced more than $193 million in federal funding for projects at four Rio Tinto facilities in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region and at the Alouette aluminum smelter in Sept-Îles, Que.
“The aluminum industry is much more than an economic driver. It is also a strategic industry for our country and for Canadian sovereignty,” the minister said in her speech.
Citing the economic upheaval caused by tariffs and the unpredictability of the American government, Joly said that “in this new context, we must be able to produce more of what our economy needs right here in Canada.”
She also said the funding is a first step toward strengthening the Canadian aluminum supply chain.
Joly pointed out that the price of aluminum products are inflated first by tariffs when they enter the United States and a second time when that aluminum returns to Canada. The United States imposes a 50 per cent tariff on Canadian aluminum, and since Sept. 8, Canada has imposed a 50 per cent tariff on processed aluminum from the United States, resulting in a total surcharge of 100 per cent.
The Canadian tariff imposed in March 2025 was 25 per cent before Sept. 8.
Joly stressed that the government sees aluminum as a strategic sector for the Canadian economy and that she sees the importance of building rolling mills in Canada.
"It’s not normal that most of our aluminum is processed in the United States and then comes back at a higher cost to our companies," she said.
She said several sectors — including agri-food, beverages, and aerospace — need more processed aluminum and have rolling mill projects of their own.
"We want to be able to produce our aluminum cans here at home; we want to be able to produce our aircraft and aerospace parts here at home; and we also want to attract key investments in aluminum processing for our defence sector," Joly said.
On top of providing financial support to producers, she said the government also wants to work with entrepreneurs interested in developing these rolling mills and take on equity stakes.
Ottawa also wants “to be able to offer procurement contracts, certainly defence-related ones, for key components in the aerospace sector, precisely to create a business model that makes sense for a rolling mill,” Joly stated.
“Economic sovereignty isn’t something you proclaim, it’s something you build."
Canada has nine primary aluminum smelters, eight of which are located in Quebec. The other is in British Columbia.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2026.
By Pierre Saint-Arnaud | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.