Regina News

OTTAWA — Canadian wood manufacturers are welcoming a trade inquiry into wood imports but say the investigation needs to be followed by immediate provisional tariffs on foreign-made goods entering the country. Earlier this month, Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne said the government had directed the Canadian International Trade Tribunal to launch an inquiry into global imports of wood cabinets and vanities, hardwood flooring and storage furniture. He said the tribunal would have 270 days to decide if increased imports of the products are causing or threatening to cause serious injury to Canadian wood product manufacturers, and to make recommendations to the government on next steps. The Canadian Wood Products Alliance says it appreciates the government’s "swift recognition" of the situation but says it won't be enough to provide the stability and relief the industry needs unless it's followed by tariffs. It says there are tens of thousands of Canadians who depend on the industry. The alliance says there have been job losses and business closures already, and more will follow if tariffs aren't implemented immediately. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2026. Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press

OTTAWA — NDP Leader Avi Lewis said Monday he won't run in an upcoming Quebec byelection to fill a seat being left vacant by Alexandre Boulerice. Boulerice officially announced Monday he is leaving Parliament to run provincially for the Québec solidaire after spending 15 years as an MP. He will sit as an Independent until he formally resigns his seat in the Quebec riding of Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie ahead of the provincial election campaign call this fall. Boulerice said he feels he has completed his work federally and framed the move as a continuation of his progressive work rather than a political calculation. "It’s not a decision that is taken lightly," he said. "After 15 years and five election victories, I felt I had done what I needed to do in Ottawa and that it was now time to come back home, here, to Quebec." His departure is another blow to the NDP, which last year had its worst showing in a federal election, winning just seven seats. It needs 12 to be considered an official party in the House of Commons, which means it no longer has a seat on House committees, and had its caucus funding reduced. The NDP caucus was reduced to six in March when Nunavut MP Lori Idlout crossed the floor to the Liberals. Boulerice's departure will cut that further to five. He was also the only MP in Quebec, and the only one east of Manitoba. Lewis, who was elected less than a month ago to lead the party, said he encouraged Boulerice to stay on in Parliament. "I think everyone did and when I saw Alex in my first moments as leader, I did what I think a responsible leader should do because everyone had heard the rumours for a long time and we knew he was considering it," Lewis told reporters Monday. "But it's clear that this decision has been a long time in coming and we were ready." Although Lewis doesn't hold a seat in the House of Commons, he said he won't run in the vacated seat because Quebecers should be represented by someone from Quebec and it's too soon for him to consider a run. "This is not a riding where I will seek election myself," he said. "I'm not a Quebecer, and there's a lot of interest already locally." Boulerice said his shift to provincial politics reflects where he believes the most urgent battles are now being fought in Quebec. "The house is not in order," he said. "We need to fix Quebec." He said issues like housing affordability, public services and inequality have become increasingly difficult to address from Ottawa, and stronger provincial action is required to respond to what he described as mounting social pressures in Quebec. Lewis said Monday he believes Boulerice's move is different from recent floor-crossings and what he called "opportunistic moves that we've seen from MPs recently." In addition to Idlout, four MPs elected as Conservatives joined the Liberals between November and April. "This is a move of principle," said Lewis. "Alexandre wants to put his considerable skills as a politician and as a fighter for progressive values to work in his province, and we respect that decision." This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2026. —With files from Charlotte Glorieux in Montreal Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press

TORONTO — Business groups say the federal government's decision to establish Canada's first sovereign wealth fund could be helpful to get projects going, but is not a singular fix. Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the Canada Strong Fund on Monday, saying it will invest in major Canadian industrial projects in areas such as energy, infrastructure, mining, agriculture and technology with an initial $25 billion in government funding. Matthew Holmes, head of public policy at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, says the fund is another tool to spur investment, but its success hinges on the details and speed of implementation. Holmes says in a statement that given the amount of time it could take to get such a fund running, the immediate focus should remain on areas like boosting trade relations, reducing regulation and tax reform. Pierre Gratton, head of The Mining Association of Canada, says a sovereign wealth fund could be helpful in areas like critical minerals that need patient, longer-term capital. He says it will be less helpful for more conventional metals projects like copper or iron mines, which he says would benefit more from tax and infrastructure improvements. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2026. Ian Bickis, The Canadian Press

The three Liberals who won the byelections that secured a majority government for Prime Minister Mark Carney earlier this month took their seats in the House of Commons on Monday. The government moved quickly to make use of its new majority powers by introducing a motion to limit debate on a change to the House rules that would enable the Liberals to take control of committees. Read more:

• MacKinnon rejects Conservative’s call to leave some committee control to opposition
• MacKinnon defends Liberal move to seize control of House committees
• Prime Minister Mark Carney announces Canada’s first sovereign wealth fund

The Liberals are looking to change the structure of committees to ensure they have a majority of members. Committees study legislation and other government business and have the power to call witnesses and require the production of documents. Government House leader Steven MacKinnon said the changes reflect the “long tradition” in Parliament that majority governments also hold a majority of seats on committees — though he acknowledged the situation is unusual. “Let’s agree that it does not happen often that governments change status such that they grow to have a majority of the seats in the elected chamber during the typical mandate,” he said. Opposition House leader Andrew Scheer decried the move as undemocratic. “The very first vote that these new Liberal MPs will pronounce on will be a vote to shut down debate. So welcome to the Liberal Party of Canada, you can check your soul in at the door and just follow whatever the whip tells you to do,” Scheer said. The Liberals have enough voting members to force the changes through, in spite of the opposition. There are now 174 members on the government benches after five MPs — four from the Conservative benches and one from the NDP — defected over the last six months. Doly Begum, Danielle Martin and Tatiana Auguste took their seats on Monday after they were formally sworn in as members of Parliament on Saturday. Begum and Martin are newcomers who replaced outgoing cabinet ministers Bill Blair and Chrystia Freeland in Toronto-area seats. Auguste won the seat in the Bloc Québécois stronghold of Terrebonne in a rematch after the Supreme Court of Canada invalidated the results of last April’s election in the riding. The court found that Elections Canada had made an error in the printed return addresses on some mail-in ballots and ordered the vote redone. Auguste increased her one-vote margin in 2025 to more than 700 votes this year. Most members of the Liberal caucus came to the Commons chamber to welcome their newest colleagues with standing ovations and a few hugs. No more than two dozen MPs filled the sparsely populated opposition benches, and none of the other party leaders were there. The new additions came on the same day NDP MP Alexandre Boulerice announced that he was leaving the party to sit as an Independent MP before he resigns to run provincially for the Québec Solidaire this fall. The departure leaves the New Democrats with just five seats in Parliament. The party’s new leader, Avi Lewis, is not an MP. “I’m not fazed by this,” Lewis said Monday, adding that Boulerice began considering the move to provincial politics well before he was chosen as the leader. A byelection must be called within six months of Boulerice’s resignation in his riding of Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2026.

Second-degree murder charges have been laid against a 29-year-old man accused of killing a 36-year-old in Regina earlier this month, the city’s police said.  

A man has been charged with murder in relation to the death of 36-year-old Myles Anderson in Regina's North Central neighbourhood earlier this month. Read More

WINNIPEG — Manitoba's education minister says the government may first turn to schools to ban children from using social media accounts and artificial intelligence chatbots. Tracy Schmidt says Manitobans can expect to see the ban's first phase roll out in schools, comparing it to when the province banned cellphones in classrooms. She didn't provide additional details on what the rollout would look like or a timeline. She says legislative changes need to be made and that implementing the ban in classrooms is an easy first step. Premier Wab Kinew announced the decision over the weekend, saying the province plans to protect kids from technology platforms that hurt their development. Details on the age limit or how the province would have jurisdiction over international platforms have not been revealed. Schmidt says the province is consulting with school divisions, the community and parents on what the ban in schools could look like. 
 Brittany Hobson, The Canadian Press

A proposed partial sale of Regina’s REAL District to Brandt is drawing both optimism and calls for caution, as council prepares to debate a deal that could reshape how the site operates. The non-binding agreement would see Brandt purchase several key buildings at the REAL District for roughly $6.4 million, with the city saying the move could save taxpayers money and shift risk to the private sector. Read more:

• City of Regina plans partial sale of REAL District to Brandt, promises cost savings
• Uncertainty around REAL makes booking live events challenging: CEO
• Struggling REAL asking for $12.7 million from Regina city budget

From groups already using the facility, the reaction has been largely positive. “It’s exciting for the community, for the city of Regina,” said Mike Reich, owner of Queen City Young Guns Hockey Academy. “It could bring a lot of good things to the entire community, and hopefully the youth sport community too.” Reich said his group has spent the past few years building relationships inside the facility, and he believes new investments could help it grow even further. “We found a way to work together with the other groups that are in there,” he said. “We’re developing young athletes, and it’s been good.” He added that potential upgrades to aging infrastructure at the facilities could benefit both users and fans. “For them to be willing to give that type of commitment to do some upgrades, I think that’s definitely promising,” Reich said. At city hall, some councillors are also backing the proposal, pointing to what they see as a shift in responsibility. “We have to really ask ourselves, is events something that the city should be involved in?” said Ward 10 Coun. Clark Bezo. Bezo said the decision ties into a broader debate around municipal government priorities. “When I campaigned, I talked about getting back to basics,” he said. “We didn’t really talk about event planning.” Ward 1 Coun. Dan Rashovich said what he’s heard from the community so far has been encouraging. “The feedback I’ve been getting has been really, really positive,” he said. Rashovich said he’s confident in the work done so far on the proposal, which has taken the city’s administration six months of effort. “I have no hesitations of moving ahead,” he said. He said the deal could allow the city to redirect more of its resources toward infrastructure and other long-term needs. But not everyone on council is ready to move forward. Ward 8 Coun. Shanon Zachidniak said there are still significant gaps in the information that was provided. “There’s a lot to be digested,” she said. “I still have lots of outstanding questions and concerns.” Zachidniak said she wants a clearer understanding of the full financial picture, including the costs, risks and long-term implications for taxpayers. “I’ve not seen any total of all of the costs that the city will be responsible for,” she said. She also raised concerns about the process, noting the proposal came forward without a broader public offering or competing bids. “We don’t really know if this is a good deal or not, because we don’t have anything to compare it to,” she said. Zachidniak said the scale of the decision means council needs to proceed carefully. “This is a major decision that will impact the city indefinitely,” she said. “We have to do this properly.” Council is expected to hear public feedback at upcoming meetings before making a final decision on the proposal.

OTTAWA — Conservative MPs are calling on the auditor general to probe the federal government's handling of a $250 million program which is reportedly set to be scrapped next month. PrescribeIT was launched in 2017 to modernize the way doctors send prescriptions to pharmacies and to phase out older technology, such as fax machines. Conservative MP Dan Mazier cites reporting by The Globe and Mail which suggests fewer than five per cent of prescriptions are sent using the PrescribeIT program, which is being shut down on May 29. Mazier says Conservatives have been working at the committee level to produce documents related to PrescribeIT. He accuses the government of filibustering those efforts until it can restructure the parliamentary committees to reflect the Liberals' new majority in the House of Commons, which is expected to happen this week. Mazier says if that happens, the public may never see documents explaining the government's handling of PrescribeIT. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2026. Nick Murray, The Canadian Press

MONTREAL — Alexandre Boulerice has announced he is leaving the federal NDP to join the leftist, sovereigntist Québec solidaire party ahead of October's provincial election. Boulerice, the only Quebec member of Parliament remaining for the NDP, says he will immediately sit as an Independent and will formally resign the day before the provincial campaign is called. His departure had been an open secret for some time, and he made the official announcement today in the Montreal riding of Gouin where he plans to run for Québec solidaire. Québec solidaire co-spokesperson Sol Zanetti says his party's new recruit represents a strong endorsement of its pro-independence platform. The Gouin riding is considered a safe seat for Québec solidaire, which has been struggling with the electorate since the 2022 election and is polling behind the other major parties. Boulerice is the last MP standing in Quebec from the NDP's 2011 "orange wave" election, which catapulted the party under Jack Layton to official Opposition status in the House of Commons. The departure of the MP from Montreal's Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie riding leaves the NDP with five seats in Parliament, all located west of Ontario. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2026. The Canadian Press

The movies always feel bigger in the summer. The budgets. The ambition. The names. The stakes. This summer, Hollywood has many of the regulars on the lineup: “Spider-Man,” “Minions,” “Star Wars” and “Toy Story.” But the most eagerly anticipated is not a superhero, toy, or franchise: It’s a 3,000-year-old epic poem. For filmmaker Christopher Nolan, “The Odyssey,” out July 17, isn’t just a story. It’s the story: A foundational piece that deserved to be done on the biggest possible scale, with all the resources modern Hollywood had to offer. Read more:

• Child advocates to rally for online harms bill covering AI chatbots, gaming
• Poll suggests Canadians want Carney government focused on affordability in next year
• Prime Minister Mark Carney announces Canada’s first sovereign wealth fund

“There’s a massive amount of pressure,” Nolan told The Associated Press. “Anyone taking on ‘The Odyssey’ is taking on the hopes and dreams of people for epic movies everywhere and that comes with a huge responsibility.” It’s a familiar feeling, though. He did three Batman films after all. “What I learned from that experience is that what people want from a movie about a beloved story, a beloved set of characters, is they want a strong and sincere interpretation,” Nolan said. “They want to know that a filmmaker has gone to the mat for it. I really tried to make the best film possible.” Three summers ago, “Oppenheimer” made nearly a billion dollars. “The Odyssey” has battles, gods, creatures and an army of movie stars — Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya and Tom Holland included. It’s also the first movie shot entirely on IMAX film. Tickets for some IMAX 70 mm showings sold out in under an hour a full year in advance. “The Odyssey” will be shorter than “Oppenheimer”; Three hours is the longest they’ve been able to get onto an IMAX film projector, after all. “It’s an epic film, as the subject matter demands,” Nolan said. “But it is shorter.” Summer movie season’s fashionable kickoff Hollywood may not save all its blockbusters for the hottest months anymore, but the 18 week corridor running from the first weekend in May through Labor Day remains the industry’s most important, accounting for around 40% of the year’s box office. And it’s only surpassed $4 billion once since the pandemic, in 2023. Marvel movies often kick off the season, but last year filmmaker David Frankel got a call from Disney: “Avengers: Doomsday” wasn’t going to be ready by the first weekend in May; Could “The Devil Wears Prada 2” step up? May 1 is just days before the Met Gala and it would give the movie a long runway to play, he figured. It would also require a bit of a sprint — they finished the film just weeks ago. But the enthusiasm was motivating, from fans snapping photos of Hathaway and Meryl Streep on the New York streets, to support from Anna Wintour. Love for “Prada” isn’t the only thing that’s changed in 20 years; Magazines have also become an endangered species. “How does Miranda Priestly deal with this changing world and what’s her future?” Frankel said. “The same with Andy Sachs: If all your ambition has been funneled in this one direction, what happens when you have to pivot and how do you adapt?” The $4 billion question The movie industry is also adjusting to a new paradigm. Box office is down over 20% from pre-COVID levels. The rise in streaming, the pandemic and shifting theatrical windows altered people’s moviegoing habits, perhaps permanently. And there may be one less major studio if Paramount acquires Warner Bros. But, as James Cameron said, “hope springs eternal. “We still have a very robust theatrical industry at a time when it was kind of almost pronounced dead,” Cameron said. The gap is not widening. Studios are committing to longer exclusive theatrical windows. Original movies and premium formats are drawing crowds. And the market continues to expand globally. Cameron is behind one of those only-in-a-theater experiences with the 3D Billie Eilish concert film (May 8). Using new technology, they used 17 camera systems to capture four nights of her Manchester shows last year. “Seeing it in 3D is astonishing,” Cameron said. “You really feel an intimacy with her and yet you feel the scale of the spectacle.” A summer for heavyweights Nolan isn’t Universal’s only giant of cinema on its summer roster: Steven Spielberg is also returning to one of his most beloved genres with “Disclosure Day” (June 12). There are superhero movies as well, with “Supergirl” (June 26), which DC Studios co-head Peter Safran said is “is something cool and original and we haven’t seen before,” and “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” (July 31). The last Spidey film, which made over $1.9 billion, ended with Holland’s Peter Parker erasing himself from everyone’s memory. “This is a blockbuster action movie with all the humor and emotion we love about Spider-Man,” director Destin Daniel Cretton said. “But at its heart, it’s a story about learning how to reconnect with the ones you love.” A lot of power recently has shifted to PG-rated offerings. This summer has “Toy Story 5” (June 19), “Minions & Monsters” (July 1) and a live action “Moana” (July 10), which could all very well hit a billion dollars each. One non-franchise family friendly film is “The Sheep Detectives” (May 8), in which the animals (Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston) investigate the death of their beloved owner (Hugh Jackman). Writer Craig Mazin understands the hurdle: There have been a lot of stupid talking animal movies. But this one is different, he said, it’s not just silly sheep doing silly things. “There are some really beautiful moments and themes and things that parents can talk about with their kids,” Mazin said. “And most importantly, it is legitimately a movie that is meant for everyone.” Then there’s “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu” (May 22), which is rated PG-13 but has an impossibly cute alien going for it. It’s also one of several made for IMAX. “People have got great TVs at home,” said director Jon Favreau. “You’ve got to give them a reason to go out.” The scary movies Movie studios also continue to lean into horror and this summer has both franchises, like “Evil Dead Burn”(July 10) and “Insidious: Out of the Further” (Aug. 21) and unnerving indies, including the “conversion therapy” horror “Leviticus,” “Rose of Nevada” (both June 19), “Backrooms” (May 29) and a new Jane Schoenbrun, “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma” (Aug. 7). And then there is “Scary Movie 6″ (June 5), which sees the return of Regina Hall and Anna Faris, as well as Marlon and Shawn Wayans, who haven’t been involved in the franchise they helped create since the 2001 sequel. And there were so many movies ripe for parody, like “M3GAN,” “Get Out,” “Weapons,” the just-released “Michael,” and “Sinners,” which Marlon Wayans was most excited about. “Mockery is the greatest form of flattery,” Wayans said. “Sending up their movie was definitely tipping our hat to them.” The festival darlings and other gems Audiences want more than brands and blockbusters though. This year moviegoers have already proven they’ll turn out when the buzz is right, whether it’s for a big crowd pleaser like “Project Hail Mary” or for something more challenging like “The Drama.” One that has the potential to break through is Olivia Wilde’s “The Invite” (June 26), a chamber dramedy about two very different couples (Wilde, Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton) over one wine-filled night that sparked a bidding war at the Sundance Film Festival. Wilde was heartened that most studios were offering theatrical releases, and ultimately chose A24. They’ve even made a 35 mm print. “The whole project for me is really tipping my hat to Mike Nichols,” Wilde said. “We thought of the audiences that have always loved those films.” There are plenty of indies and originals to choose from throughout the summer, including Daniel Roher’s “Tuner,” about a piano prodigy turned safecracker, Boots Riley’s colorful shoplifting movie “I Love Boosters,” (both May 22) a John Carney musical with Paul Rudd (“Power Ballad,” June 5) and David Wain’s wholesomely raunchy comedy “Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass” (July 10). As Wilde said, there’s room for both originals and franchises. “The audience really likes to recognize risk,” she said. “There’s something exciting about that.”

Jewish advocacy group B’nai Brith says anti-Jewish hatred is being normalized in Canada and its annual count of antisemitic incidents hit another record high in 2025. “We cannot allow antisemitism to be rendered into mere statistics that we grow numb to. There was an immense and tragic human cost to the 6,800 incidents recorded in 2025,” the group’s advocacy head Richard Robertson said Monday at a news conference on Parliament Hill. Read more:

• Senators call on Carney to restore antisemitism envoy, step up fight against hate
• Israel seeking ‘significant change’ in how Canada tackles antisemitism
• Redvers man who founded nationalist party once again charged with promoting hatred

The report says those 6,800 incidents were up from 6,219 in 2024, and were the highest number recorded since B’nai Brith began collecting the data in 1982. They included acts of violence, harassment and vandalism aimed at Jews in Canada. The organization tracked an increase in antisemitic acts in B.C. and Ontario and a decrease in Quebec and Alberta. The reported incidents include shocking acts of physical violence — including the beating of a visibly Jewish man in Montreal, captured on video, whose attacker threw his skullcap into a puddle. “An assault on a Jewish man in a park in front of his children is not just another notation in the violence column. It is an incident that creates generational trauma and leaves an entire cohort of society questioning if they are safe to remain in this country,” Robertson said. “A Jewish person that was harassed is not just a statistic. They are a person that was told that they should have been gassed along with their ancestors at Auschwitz. A Hakenkreuz (swastika) drawn in a schoolyard is not just an incident of vandalism. It is a diabolical act of hate that leaves Jewish children afraid to go to school.” The report also includes incidents that do not meet the legal threshold of a hate crime — such as Montreal’s Pride festival barring Jewish groups over concerns about anti-Palestinian commentary, a decision the festival reversed following calls from politicians. The report says antisemitic incidents in Canada — which have included gunfire, arson and vandalism attacks on synagogues and Jewish schools — have doubled in number since 2022. The increase followed the brutal October 2023 attack by Hamas militants on Israel, which prompted Israel to bomb the Gaza Strip, triggering massive political shifts from Iran to Syria. Israel’s campaign in Gaza has drawn widespread condemnation over the high number of civilian deaths. Israel also has been widely denounced for rising settler violence in the West Bank and a series of policies targeting the rights of Palestinians. B’nai Brith said anti-Jewish hate is being spread under the guise of anti-Zionism, which the group frames as the act of demonizing those who support in the existence of a Jewish state in the Middle East. Other groups — including some run by Jewish critics of Israel — say justified criticism of how Israel treats Palestinians and Arabs has been wrongly conflated with anti-Jewish hate. Israeli ministers have expressed Jewish supremacist ideas and called for actions widely understood as ethnic cleansing. The Israeli parliament has passed a death penalty law that Ottawa last month called a discriminatory act that is “dehumanizing the Palestinian people.” Robertson argued there is a difference between criticizing Israel’s government and blaming Canadians. “It is OK to hold political views. It is OK to challenge a nation’s response to issues. It is not OK to subject a minority in this country to unprecedented levels of hate because of the actions of a foreign government,” he said. The group also argued that online hate is going unchecked, with Jewish Canadians being exposed to threats and racist imagery that could serve to normalize violent attacks. “We have ceded our digital spaces to radical actors who seek to incite hate and indoctrinate others with their extremist ideologies,” Robertson said. The group is calling for tighter regulation of online spaces, more training for police on identifying and countering incidents of hate, and banning “events that incite hate and intimidation.” The report also called for terrorism listings for three foreign branches of the Muslim Brotherhood but did not suggest the group is operating in Canada. Monday’s report comes days after the Senate Human Rights Committee called for more education, better digital literacy and a federal task force on hate to fight a spike in anti-Jewish hate crimes and acts of intimidation. The committee noted calls from civil society groups to avoid a chill on free speech while bolstering actions that counter anti-Jewish hate. The Senate committee called on Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government to restore the antisemitism envoy role it scrapped in February. The Liberals have replaced the role — along with a separate envoy on Islamophobia — with a new advisory council on rights, equality and inclusion. B’nai Brith CEO Simon Wolle said the switch removes a co-ordinating role for someone focused on anti-Jewish hate. “We have a void, a vacuum, a gap. The problems continue to escalate and there’s actually no mechanism in this country to solve the problem,” he said in an interview. He said Ottawa is offering “more words about a possible solution or alternative with very little action, very little definition, very little understanding” of the new advisory council’s mandate and timeline for action. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2026.

OTTAWA — Jewish advocacy group B'nai Brith says anti-Jewish hatred is being normalized in Canada and its annual count of antisemitic incidents hit another record high in 2025. "We cannot allow antisemitism to be rendered into mere statistics that we grow numb to. There was an immense and tragic human cost to the 6,800 incidents recorded in 2025," the group's advocacy head Richard Robertson said Monday at a news conference on Parliament Hill. The report says those 6,800 incidents were up from 6,219 in 2024, and were the highest number recorded since B'nai Brith began collecting the data in 1982. They included acts of violence, harassment and vandalism aimed at Jews in Canada. The organization tracked an increase in antisemitic acts in B.C. and Ontario and a decrease in Quebec and Alberta. The reported incidents include shocking acts of physical violence — including the beating of a visibly Jewish man in Montreal, captured on video, whose attacker threw his skullcap into a puddle. "An assault on a Jewish man in a park in front of his children is not just another notation in the violence column. It is an incident that creates generational trauma and leaves an entire cohort of society questioning if they are safe to remain in this country," Robertson said. "A Jewish person that was harassed is not just a statistic. They are a person that was told that they should have been gassed along with their ancestors at Auschwitz. A Hakenkreuz (swastika) drawn in a schoolyard is not just an incident of vandalism. It is a diabolical act of hate that leaves Jewish children afraid to go to school." The report also includes incidents that do not meet the legal threshold of a hate crime — such as Montreal's Pride festival barring Jewish groups over concerns about anti-Palestinian commentary, a decision the festival reversed following calls from politicians. The report says antisemitic incidents in Canada — which have included gunfire, arson and vandalism attacks on synagogues and Jewish schools — have doubled in number since 2022. The increase followed the brutal October 2023 attack by Hamas militants on Israel, which prompted Israel to bomb the Gaza Strip, triggering massive political shifts from Iran to Syria. Israel's campaign in Gaza has drawn widespread condemnation over the high number of civilian deaths. Israel also has been widely denounced for rising settler violence in the West Bank and a series of policies targeting the rights of Palestinians. B'nai Brith said anti-Jewish hate is being spread under the guise of anti-Zionism, which the group frames as the act of demonizing those who support in the existence of a Jewish state in the Middle East. Other groups — including some run by Jewish critics of Israel — say justified criticism of how Israel treats Palestinians and Arabs has been wrongly conflated with anti-Jewish hate. Israeli ministers have expressed Jewish supremacist ideas and called for actions widely understood as ethnic cleansing. The Israeli parliament has passed a death penalty law that Ottawa last month called a discriminatory act that is "dehumanizing the Palestinian people." Robertson argued there is a difference between criticizing Israel's government and blaming Canadians. "It is OK to hold political views. It is OK to challenge a nation's response to issues. It is not OK to subject a minority in this country to unprecedented levels of hate because of the actions of a foreign government," he said. The group also argued that online hate is going unchecked, with Jewish Canadians being exposed to threats and racist imagery that could serve to normalize violent attacks. "We have ceded our digital spaces to radical actors who seek to incite hate and indoctrinate others with their extremist ideologies," Robertson said. The group is calling for tighter regulation of online spaces, more training for police on identifying and countering incidents of hate, and banning "events that incite hate and intimidation." The report also called for terrorism listings for three foreign branches of the Muslim Brotherhood but did not suggest the group is operating in Canada. Monday's report comes days after the Senate Human Rights Committee called for more education, better digital literacy and a federal task force on hate to fight a spike in anti-Jewish hate crimes and acts of intimidation. The committee noted calls from civil society groups to avoid a chill on free speech while bolstering actions that counter anti-Jewish hate. The Senate committee called on Prime Minister Mark Carney's government to restore the antisemitism envoy role it scrapped in February. The Liberals have replaced the role — along with a separate envoy on Islamophobia — with a new advisory council on rights, equality and inclusion. B'nai Brith CEO Simon Wolle said the switch removes a co-ordinating role for someone focused on anti-Jewish hate. "We have a void, a vacuum, a gap. The problems continue to escalate and there's actually no mechanism in this country to solve the problem," he said in an interview. He said Ottawa is offering "more words about a possible solution or alternative with very little action, very little definition, very little understanding" of the new advisory council's mandate and timeline for action. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2026. Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press

A 29-year-old man is facing a murder charge in connection with the death of Myles Anderson in Regina earlier this month. According to the Regina Police Service, officers were called to the 3100 block of Fifth Avenue in the city’s North Central neighbourhood just after 1 a.m. on April 13. When the officers arrived, they found an injured man who was later identified as the 36-year-old Anderson. Read more:

• Police in Regina open homicide investigation after death of 36-year-old man
• Man charged in two Regina vehicle arsons
• City of Regina plans partial sale of REAL District to Brandt, promises cost savings

“Life-saving measures were attempted by officers until EMS arrived and declared the victim deceased on scene,” the Regina Police Service said in a statement. “The area was secured and the Regina Police Service Major Crimes Unit, the Regina Police Service Forensic Identification Unit and the Saskatchewan Coroners Service were called in.” Police said officers raided a home on Toronto Street on Friday, where they arrested Blayne Okemaysim. He’s now facing a charge of second-degree murder in connection with Anderson’s death. Okemaysim is expected to appear before a judge on Monday morning at Regina Provincial Court, police said.

The City of Regina is using some interesting math to justify why it should sell a big chunk of its exhibition association property to a private buyer. Murray Wood wonders, what’s the big rush? Murray Wood delivers sharp, insightful commentary with a blend of wit, skepticism and straight talk. Whether he’s exposing political maneuvering, celebrating cultural icons or unpacking life’s everyday quirks, he never holds back. Read more:

• Prime Minister Mark Carney announces Canada’s first sovereign wealth fund
• Drought fears linger as seeding begins on southwest Saskatchewan farms
• Hospitality Saskatchewan says change to liquor laws could help struggling service industry

Listen to more commentary from Murray Wood: Fri., April 24: Every Friday, Murray Wood takes a look back at the week’s news and decides who’s hot… and who’s not. This week’s list includes the winter that just won’t end and stores that ignore warranties. Thurs., April 23: Murray Wood says Pierre Poilievre has suffered some bad timing in his career as Conservative leader, but the question is whether or not time will be on his side going forward. Wed., April 22: Murray Wood says the Food Fuel and Fertilizer Global Summit happening in Regina this week underlines why the 21st century belongs to Saskatchewan. Tues., April 21: Murray Wood says the debate about whether Saskatchewan should change it’s clocks like other provinces is being replaced with a new one: Will other provinces stop changing their clocks and be in synch with us? Mon., April 20: Darryl Schemenauer is closing down his Regina gun store after 35 years, and he puts the blame squarely on the federal Liberals. Murray Wood says he doubts the gun bans will make us safer.

OTTAWA — The three Liberals who won the byelections earlier this month that secured a majority government for Prime Minister Mark Carney are taking their seats in the House of Commons today. Doly Begum, Danielle Martin and Tatiana Auguste were sworn in as members of Parliament on Saturday. Begum and Martin are newcomers who replaced outgoing cabinet ministers Bill Blair and Chrystia Freeland in Toronto-area seats. Auguste won the seat in the Bloc Québécois stronghold of Terrebonne in a rematch after the Supreme Court of Canada invalidated the results of last April's election in the riding. There are now 174 members on the government benches after five MPs defected to the Liberals over the last six months. NDP MP Alexandre Boulerice is expected to announce that he's resigning to run provincially today, dropping that party's caucus to just five members. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2026. Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press

Like most negotiations, Canada and the U.S. are laying their cards on the table publicly, but Sarah Mills says in Canada’s case, there’s a little bit of spin mixed in as well. The Mills Minute is a daily commentary heard on 650 CKOM and 980 CJME, where Sarah Mills offers sharp insights, strong opinions, and a touch of wit on the stories that matter to people in Saskatchewan. Read more:

• Prime Minister Mark Carney announces Canada’s first sovereign wealth fund
• Drought fears linger as seeding begins on southwest Saskatchewan farms
• Hospitality Saskatchewan says change to liquor laws could help struggling service industry

Listen to more commentary from Sarah Mills: Fri., April 24: After months of waiting and wading through FIFA’s Kafkaesque ticket-buying process, Sarah Mills finally has tickets to see England in the World Cup, thanks to help from a colleague. Thurs., April 23: Sarah Mills says there are great health-care costs associated with smoking, but those costs are also associated with obesity, so will governments start passing laws to say what people can eat and drink? Wed., April 22: Sarah Mills says the tale of the Regina husky Missy escaping her vet to head to her favourite doggy daycare is the heartwarming, bring-a-smile-to-your-face story that we need in this world. Tues., April 21: A soon-to-be learner driver in Sarah Mills’ house is making her pause and think about some of the bad habits drivers display on the roads, and what they are being taught. Mon., April 20: It sometimes feels like leaders in our cities and towns don’t plan for construction very well, but Sarah Mills says the zipper merge, when done properly, can reduce those construction-zone frustrations.

A proposed mixed-use development will reach higher into the sky than downtown Saskatoon’s tallest tower if the project gets approved. The development would take over the former Star Phoenix building at 204 Fifth Avenue North, including a renovation of the existing space. The plan also includes residential towers on the south and north ends of the block, according to Brent McAdam, a senior planner with the City of Saskatoon’s planning and development department. Read more:

• Artificial Intelligence Saskatchewan’s expo aims to grow community
• Prime Minister Mark Carney announces Canada’s first sovereign wealth fund
• Hospitality Saskatchewan says change to liquor laws could help struggling service industry

Based on the initial application, the south tower would be 35 storeys high, while the north tower would be 24 storeys. McAdam said that would make the south tower the tallest in the city. “If built to the scale proposed, it’s about 110 metres or so, which would eclipse the Nutrien Tower, which I think is just shy of about 90 metres,” McAdam said. The proposal for the development includes roughly 600 residential units and 540 parking spaces, as well as room for offices and retailers, including a grocery store. The application, submitted by Kindrachuk Agrey Architecture on behalf of Duchuck Holdings Ltd., is currently under review by the city’s planning and development department. There’s no target date yet for ground could be broken, but McAdam said the city is a few months into the formal application process. Senior planner Brent McAdam said the 600 residential spaces included in the proposal could mean an extra 800 to 900 people living downtown. It would bring “a level of vibrancy to a downtown that you can’t have if you don’t have people living there,” he said. (Marija Robinson/650 CKOM) The next steps Right now, the space is currently zoned as M4, which allows for most aspects of the proposal including, “high-density development,” according to McAdam. “It’s in our downtown. It’s where we expect high density to be,” he said. But a rezoning process is underway, because some parts of the project, like the grocery store, aren’t currently permitted, according to McAdam. But even if the site gets rezoned, it wouldn’t guarantee that a grocer would move into the space. Additionally, there are airport zoning regulations which would need to be followed. While height restrictions are more of a concern on the southwestern edge of downtown, closer to the Riversdale area, McAdam said the plans still need to be reviewed by the airport authority and related federal agencies to ensure there’s no conflict with Saskatoon’s north-south flight path. “That review is underway, so that’s something that would be confirmed and settled before we bring the rezoning forward to council,” he said. In less than two weeks, the public will have a chance to provide feedback and ask questions about the proposal as part of the city’s community engagement phase. A public information meeting has been scheduled for Thursday, May 7 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Saskatoon City Hall. “We’ll have the developer there. We’ll have representatives from the city able to chat with folks from the public and answer those questions,” McAdam explained. After the meeting, the application will go forward to the municipal planning commission, though McAdam said those dates have not yet been determined.

Prime Minister Mark Carney is unveiling the country’s first national sovereign wealth fund, which will begin at $25 billion. Carney says the fund will invest in major Canadian industrial projects in areas such as energy, infrastructure, mining, agriculture and technology. Read more:

• Poll suggests Canadians want Carney government focused on affordability in next year
• Inflation jumps to 2.4% in March driven by Iran war oil shock, StatCan says
• Federal government reports $25.5B deficit for its April-to-February period

The prime minister says the federal government will put up funds alongside private investors. Countries such as Norway and Gulf states already have large sovereign wealth funds. Carney made the announcement today at the Canada Science and Technology Museum. The announcement comes just a day before the Liberal government’s spring economic update. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2026.

Two years ago, Josephine Timperman arrived at college with a plan. She declared a major in business analytics, figuring she’d learn niche skills that would stand out on a resume and help land a good job after college. But the rise of artificial intelligence has scrambled those calculations. The basic skills she was learning in things like statistical analysis and coding can now easily be automated. “Everyone has a fear that entry-level jobs will be taken by AI,” said the 20-year-old at Miami University in Ohio. Read more:

• Child advocates to rally for online harms bill covering AI chatbots, gaming
• Artificial Intelligence Saskatchewan’s expo aims to grow community
• Sask. parents have split reactions on need for social media ban for minors

A few weeks ago, Timperman switched her major to marketing. Her new strategy is to use her undergraduate studies to build critical thinking and interpersonal skills — areas where humans still have an edge. “You don’t just want to be able to code. You want to be able to have a conversation, form relationships and be able to think critically, because at the end of the day, that’s the thing that AI can’t replace,” said Timperman, who is keeping analytics as a minor and plans to dive deeper into the subject for a one-year master’s program. Today’s college students say that picking a major that’s “AI-proof” feels like shooting at a moving target as they prepare for a job market that could be fundamentally different by the time they graduate. As a result, many are reconsidering their career paths. About 70% of college students see AI as a threat to their job prospects, according to a 2025 poll by the Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School, while recent Gallup polling finds U.S. workers are increasingly concerned about being replaced by new technologies. Students seeking majors that teach ‘human’ skills The uncertainty appears most concentrated among those pursuing degrees in technology and vocational areas of study, where students feel a need to develop expertise in AI but also fear being replaced by it. A recent Quinnipiac poll found the vast majority of Americans believe it’s “very” or “somewhat” important for college and university students to be taught how to use AI, as Gallup Workforce polling finds AI is getting adopted in technology-related fields at higher rates. Meanwhile, students studying healthcare and natural sciences may be less impacted by AI overhauls, Gallup found. “We see students all the time change majors. That’s not new or different. But it’s usually for a ton of different reasons,” said Courtney Brown, a vice president at Lumina, an education nonprofit focused on increasing the number of students who seek education beyond high school. “The fact that so many students say it’s because of AI — that is startling.” A recent Gallup poll of Generation Z youth and adults, between the ages of 14 and 29, found increasing skepticism and concerns about AI. Although half of Gen Z adults use AI at least “weekly,” and teenagers report higher use, many in this generation see drawbacks to the technology and worry about AI’s impact on their cognitive abilities and job prospects. About half — 48% — of Gen Z workers say the risks of AI in the workforce outweigh the possible benefits. Part of the challenge for college students is that the experts they would typically turn to for advice, like advisers, professors and parents, don’t have any answers. “Students are having to navigate this on their own, without a GPS,” says Brown. That uncertainty was evident last month at Stanford University, where the leaders of several prominent universities gathered for a wide-ranging panel discussion on the future of higher education. Topics of concern included the AI revolution that is transforming how students learn and forcing educators to rethink pedagogy. “We need to think really hard about what students need to learn to be successful in the job market in 10, 20, 30 years,” said Brown University President Christina Paxson. “And none of us know. We don’t know the answer to that,” Paxson said. “I think it’s communication, it’s critical thought. The fundamentals of a liberal education are probably more important than learning how to code in Java right now.” Anxiety also reaches computer science majors Computer science major Ben Aybar, 22, graduated last spring from the University of Chicago and applied for about 50 jobs, mostly in software engineering, without getting a single interview. He pivoted to a master’s degree in computer science and meanwhile has found part-time work doing AI consulting for companies. “People who know how to use AI will be very valuable,” said Aybar, who sees new jobs emerging that require AI skills, particularly for people who can explain the complexities in layman’s terms. “Being able to talk to people and interact with people in a very human way I think is more valuable than ever.” At the University of Virginia, data science major Ava Lawless is wondering if her major is worthwhile but can’t get concrete answers. Some advisers feel that data scientists will be safe because they’re the ones building AI models, but she keeps seeing gloomy job reports that indicate the contrary. “It makes me feel a bit hopeless for the future,” Lawless said. “What if by the time I graduate there’s not even a job market for this anymore?” She is considering switching to studio art, which is her minor. “I’m at a point where I’m thinking if I can’t get a job being a data scientist, I might as well pursue art,” she said. “Because if I’m going to be unemployed, I might as well do something I love.”