A 22-year-old woman from Lennox Island has pleaded guilty to two charges of impaired driving causing death, eight months after a single vehicle crash killed her close childhood friend and a member of that friends’ family.

Angelina Marina Jacqueline Bernard appeared in Summerside provincial court in person Monday as her trial was scheduled to start. She wore a white sweater and dress pants with shackles at her wrists and ankles. Bernard has been in custody since her arrest last August.

The trial did not go ahead, instead, Bernard changed two of her prior not guilty pleas to guilty. 

The court heard the facts for two separate incidents of impaired driving for which Bernard is now awaiting sentencing.

The first was four months before the deadly crash.

On February 19, 2025, someone called police to report that a video was posted online in which Bernard could be seen with an alcoholic beverage while driving. 

RCMP were able to catch up with Bernard and caught her going 103 km/h on a route in the Lennox Island First Nation where the posted speed limit was 40 km/h. 

Bernard admitted she had been drinking and then failed a roadside breathalyzer. 

The facts read in court said she became irate when the officer tried to put her under arrest, but she was eventually taken to an RCMP detachment where she refused to provide a breath sample for the official screening device police would use to lay charges.

She pleaded guilty to charges of dangerous driving and refusing to comply with a breath demand in May 2025, but her sentencing was adjourned to July so a Gladue report could be prepared. 

A Gladue is a type of presentence report for Indigenous offenders that looks at the specific harms caused to that person through the legacy of colonization and residential schools.  

Refusing a breath demand carries many of the same penalties as impaired driving, including mandatory jail time and a one-year driving suspension. Bernard had a prior conviction for this same charge in 2023.

Fatal incident

Because Bernard had not yet been sentenced for her February 2025 refusal charge, she was technically still able to drive on June 27 last year when her driving caused a single vehicle collision that killed her two passengers.

The court heard that on that day, Bernard was with her childhood close friend, Karissa-Jo Mary Elizabeth Bernard, 22, and Karissa’s uncle, Kevin Joseph Labobe, 54.

The room was silent Monday as the 25 observers packed in the courtroom watched CCTV footage of some of the last moments of Labobe and Karissa Bernard’s life.

The court heard the group had stopped at the liquor store in Tyne Valley around 7:20 p.m., and then watched as Labobe’s wife’s Grand Cherokee pulled into the back parking lot of the bowling alley, driven by Karissa Bernard.

The footage showed the two young women in shorts and matching straw hats, posing and taking pictures in the parking lot before going inside the bar, where they each ordered a shot and a mixed drink.

Labobe could also be seen coming and going from the bar before the group got back in the vehicle around 7:40 p.m., again with Karissa in the drivers’ seat. 

The vehicle did not move, and then Karissa and Angelina could both be seen getting out to walk around the SUV, switching spots, with Angelina Bernard now driving the Jeep as it backs out and pulls out of the parking lot.

About ten minutes later, RCMP were notified the vehicle was off the road in East Biddeford and was on fire.

The first handful of people to come across the scene included a volunteer firefighter who lived a few doors down and other drivers who stopped. 

They all later spoke to police, with one noting when he looked in the car “no one was sitting where they would normally be sitting” and he could not tell who was driving based on the way the occupants were thrown around the cab.

Witnesses described that Angelina Bernard was responsive, while the other two did not seem to be. All three were removed from the burning Jeep and people at the scene started CPR on Karissa and Labobe.

They were both later pronounced dead at the scene. The court heard Karissa Bernard died from trauma to most of her body and likely was not wearing a seatbelt. Labobe died from chest trauma but had bruising consistent with having had a seatbelt on. 

Angelina Bernard was taken to hospital and her blood was taken. RCMP later sought orders to seize that drawn blood, and forensics showed Bernard’s blood alcohol level was 226 mg of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. 

That’s just under three times the legal limit. 

Bernard’s deceased passengers’ blood alcohol levels were both higher than hers.

The case has been adjourned for a few weeks so the Crown and Defense can discuss a possible joint submission on sentencing. It will also provide family members and loved ones of the deceased time to submit victim impact statements.  

Bernard was originally facing four charges for impaired driving causing death.

The Crown stayed two after her guilty pleas. 

Two Richmond city councillors are racing for the mayor’s office in the municipal elections this October, bringing a change to the city’s leadership as the incumbent mayor steps down.

After nearly 25 years in office, Mayor Malcolm Brodie said in September he would not be running for re-election.

Three-term city councillor and Olympian Alexa Loo announced her candidacy on Saturday.

“Some of the most important issues for Richmond are looking after our infrastructure, both our built and our natural, making sure that we raise our dikes, protect people’s homes from flooding and people’s families inside those homes,” Loo told CBC News.

Coun. Kash Heed, a former B.C. solicitor general and former West Vancouver police chief, will be her opponent.

Besides focusing on public safety and housing, Heed said he wants more accountability and change at city hall, including putting term limits on councillors.

“I want to be portrayed as different. I want to be portrayed as bringing sensible change to Richmond because the status quo is not working and it will not work as we go forward,” he said.

New candidates, similar politics: prof

While the mayoral candidates envision the future with someone different in charge, the values held by many Richmond voters may stay the same.

According to University of B.C. political scientist Stewart Prest, the city continues to lean Conservative.

“This feels like a moment where Richmond’s politics is being renewed, but not in a revolutionary way,” said Prest.

“To some extent, it is a continuation of Richmond being a centre-right community in many ways. And so we can locate this battle for the mayor’s chair inside the debates that are playing out within the B.C. Conservative Party, more broadly.”

Prest said, as an example, leadership candidates for the B.C. Conservative Party are positioning themselves in some “spectrum of opposition” to Indigenous land claims, namely a recent claim in Richmond.

The Cowichan lands ruling — a contentious court decision in August that established Aboriginal title alongside private property ownership of land in one part of Richmond — is among the city’s top issues.

Loo received applause from her audience on Saturday when she said she would “protect private property rights and freehold title by continuing to defend the indefeasibility of land title while supporting reconciliation.”

Heed said he’s hopeful an appeal court will overturn the Cowichan decision, and if not, that a higher court will do a better job with the case.

He said if a court doesn’t rule that property owners fully own their property, he thinks the federal government will have to make changes to Indigenous treaty rights under the Constitution.

Another important community issue two years ago involved a proposed supervised consumption site (SCS). It drew enormous public backlash, and is now something that both mayoral candidates said they won’t accept.

“I’ve learned, I’ve listened to the community. They don’t want it here,” said Heed, who initially put forward the motion to explore a SCS at Richmond Hospital.

“But I was the one that brought forward a motion to encourage the provincial government to get secure care for people that have significant mental health issues, severe drug addiction, or both,” he said.

Prest said he doesn’t think the counterpoint to the candidates’ policy positions exists yet in the city.

“We don’t really have a voice in Richmond trying to speak for the need to maintain those spaces for a more inclusive approach to addictions, that are speaking for a need to really grapple with the legacies of Indigenous exclusion in the province,” he said.

“Those voices aren’t really present, at least so far in this mayor’s race.”

Ввечері у понеділок, 23 лютого, у Дніпрі пролунав вибух у райвідділку поліції. Це вже другий імовірний теракт за вечір – кілька годин тому вибух прогримів у Миколаєві. 

Оновлено 00:17: В Офісі генерального прокурора підтвердили, що розслідують терористичний акт. Повідомляється, що в одному з відділів поліції у Дніпрі здетонував саморобний вибуховий пристрій. 

“Вибуховою хвилею пошкоджено адміністративну будівлю, вікна приміщення та автомобіль, припаркований поруч. На місці події працюють фахівці вибухотехнічної служби”, – йдеться у повідомленні.

За процесуального керівництва Дніпропетровської обласної прокуратури слідчими СВ УСБУ області розпочато досудове розслідування за фактом вчинення терористичного акту (ч. 2 ст. 258 КК України).

Оновлено: У Національній поліції України підтвердили факт вибуху в адміністративній будівлі поліції. Він пролунав о 20:30 в Амур-Нижньодніпровському районі міста.

“Унаслідок події постраждалих немає. Вибуховою хвилею пошкоджено вікна приміщення, меблі та комп’ютерну техніку. Також зазнав пошкоджень автомобіль, припаркований поруч із будівлею”, – йдеться в заяві.

Правоохоронці додали, що обставини інциденту зʼясовуються. На місці працюють фахівці вибухотехнічної служби, криміналісти та слідчо-оперативна група.

Про інцидент спершу повідомило видання РБК-Україна із посиланням на джерела у правоохоронних органах.

У пабліках Дніпра писали, що вибух пролунав на лівому березі міста. 

Згодом у мережі зʼявилося відео з наслідками вибуху. На кадрах видно, що в будівлі повибивало шибки. Повідомляється, що вибухнув невідомий предмет в одному з кабінетів. 

Теракти проти поліції

Ввечері 23 лютого у Миколаєві пролунав вибух на території непрацюючої АЗС, яка знаходиться поруч із будівлею управління патрульної поліції в Миколаївській області.

Правоохоронці заявили, що здетонував саморобний вибуховий пристрій. За даними прокуратури, постраждали 5 поліцейських, одна людина – у тяжкому стані.

Напередодні, вночі 22 лютого вибухи сколихнули Львів. У центрі міста стався теракт, внаслідок якого загинула 23-річна поліцейська Вікторія Шпилька. Підозрювану у скоєнні теракту вже затримано, їй обрали запобіжний захід у вигляді арешту без права внесення застави.

Згодом стало відомо, що у 33-річної мешканки Рівненщини була спільниця. У СБУ розповіли, що дзвінок на лінію “102” із повідомленням про начебто крадіжку здійснила 18-річна дівчина. 

Нагадаємо, що перший вибух пролунав тоді, коли патрульні прибули на виклик. Коли на місце інциденту приїхав другий екіпаж, прогримів ще один вибух. 

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Toronto police say they’ve arrested two people and are searching for two outstanding suspects after an alleged four-on-one beating that sent a male to hospital earlier this month.

Officers were called to the St. Clair Avenue West and Dufferin Street area on Monday, February 9, 2026, at around 8:47 p.m. for reports of an assault.

Investigators say the victim met with four people outside his building.

At some point the meet-up turned violent, and police allege all four of the suspects assaulted the male before fleeing the area.

The victim, whose age was not released, suffered serious injuries.

The next day officers arrested two of the suspects.

Lino Pagano, 63, and Linda Elmaleh, 57, both of Toronto, face charges of assault, assault with a weapon and aggravated assault. Elmaleh faces an addition charged of fail to comply with probation order.

Investigators are now trying to identify the outstanding suspects. They are described as:

Suspect #1: male, clean shaven with a medium build, 30-40 years-old. He was wearing a blue baseball hat, dark jacket with a white stripe across the chest, gray pants and black shoes with a white sole.

Suspect #2: male, with a medium build, 50-60 years old, with blond hair. He was wearing a blue medical mask, black jacket, blue jeans and brown boots.

The below is attributable to Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott:

Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen on the first day of his tenure.  Secretary Rubio congratulated Foreign Minister Berendsen on his appointment, and the two leaders reaffirmed the close and continuing cooperation between the United States and the Netherlands.  They discussed NATO, efforts to bring a negotiated end to the Russia-Ukraine war, and the Trump Administration’s three-phase plan for Venezuela.

As the United States proudly celebrates 250 years of independence, we also mark 250 years of enduring friendship with the Kingdom of the Netherlands.  Our nations are united by a shared dedication to freedom, democracy, and individual liberty—principles that have shaped our historic bond.  We extend our best wishes to Prime Minister Jetten and his cabinet for success in their new roles and express our hope for continued partnership with the people of the Netherlands.

The federal Liberals accepted a Conservative proposal Monday to put guardrails around proposed new cabinet powers as they debated the government’s omnibus budget bill.

The Liberal government’s budget implementation legislation, Bill C-15, proposes to give federal ministers the ability to temporarily exempt individuals or corporations from some non-criminal federal laws — an approach the government refers to as “regulatory sandboxes.”

Some members of Parliament have expressed discomfort with the idea of granting such sweeping powers to cabinet in the interest of boosting competitive or economic forces.

Both interim NDP leader Don Davies and Green Leader Elizabeth May appeared at Monday’s finance committee meeting, where MPs were going clause by clause through the legislation.

Davies said such a ministerial override would present a “serious threat to Canada’s democratic foundations.”

“Shame on you,” May said after committee members did not adopt her own amendment to restrict the application of regulatory sandboxes.

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Could Liberals gain majority without going to polls?

Conservative MP and committee member Sandra Cobena said she was concerned about the “immense concentration of power” implied in the proposal. She introduced amendments that she said would “meet the urgency of the moment” while balancing democratic standards.

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The successful amendments, backed by Liberal members of the committee, included a requirement for ministers to consult with Canadians before ordering any legal exemptions, and to report back to Parliament.

Cobena’s amendments would also require the approval of both a cabinet minister and the president of the Treasury Board before an individual or corporation is shielded from a law. They also would clearly state that certain laws — including the Conflict of Interest Act and the Access to Information Act — cannot be overridden

“The government has heard opposition concerns … and we are willing to support the guardrails suggested by these CPC amendments,” said Liberal MP and committee member Carlos Leitao.

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MPs still had hundreds of clauses ahead of them before they broke for question period Monday afternoon.

The finance committee is on a tight timeline with the omnibus budget bill. Members of the finance committee were scheduled to meet for up to 12 hours in Ottawa on Monday to go clause by clause through Bill C-15.

Liberal MP Karina Gould, the committee chair, said she booked the lengthy meeting so House of Commons resources would be available to MPs late into the evening as they tackle more than 600 clauses in the bill.

MPs agreed earlier this month to a motion seeking to fast-track the bill through the committee and report stages of debate.

That motion said Bill C-15 must be considered at finance committee by Monday, which must report back to the House by Wednesday. It’s not yet clear when the final vote on the bill will take place.

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Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon says he summoned representatives from OpenAI to Ottawa to discuss safety concerns following revelations about interactions the Tumbler Ridge, B.C., shooter had with ChatGPT.

ChatGPT states that the account was suspended due to concerns about the suspect’s posts, but it did not alert law enforcement officials in Canada because it was not deemed an immediate threat.

“The horrifying tragedy in Tumbler Ridge has left families with unthinkable losses and shaken communities across Canada,” Solomon said in a statement on Saturday.

“Like many Canadians, I am deeply disturbed by reports that concerning online activity from the suspect was not reported to law enforcement in a timely matter.”

2:30
Fresh questions about Tumbler Ridge tragedy

Solomon said Canadians expect online platforms, including OpenAI, to have “robust safety protocols and escalation practices” to help protect public safety.

On Friday, ChatGPT confirmed that an account connected with the Tumbler Ridge shooter, Jesse VanRootelsar, was identified in June 2025 for “abuse and detection and enforcement efforts.”

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VanRootelsar shot and killed eight people on Feb. 10 — her mother and half-brother at her home and then five students and an educator at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School. VanRootelsar was then found dead of what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside the school, RCMP later confirmed.

“Our thoughts are with everyone affected by the Tumbler Ridge tragedy,” a spokesperson for OpenAI, which owns ChatGPT, confirmed on Friday afternoon, adding that after the incident on Feb. 10, the company contacted the RCMP.

“We proactively reached out to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police with information on the individual and their use of ChatGPT, and we’ll continue to support their investigation.”

Solomon said on Monday he is deeply disturbed by the reports of what happened with ChatGPT and VanRootelsar’s account and that he contacted the company over the weekend to get more information and to arrange a meeting in Ottawa on Tuesday.

He says he expects the company’s top safety representatives to explain its protocols and how it decides to forward cases to law enforcement.

— With files from Global News’ Prisha Dev and The Canadian Press

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