In an effort to help tree swallows find homes and successfully breed, one woman is encouraging Halifax residents to build and install nesting boxes on their properties. 

Jessica Ryuzaki said the idea popped into her head one day while she was strolling around the city. 

“I’m noticing a lot of trees are getting cut down. And it kind of just got me thinking what impact this is having on the animals that live here? Especially the birds,” she said.

“I just remember hearing their chirping every morning. And to me, they’re an integral part of our community.”

Tree swallows, as well as other kinds of aerial insectivores, have seen their population decline in Nova Scotia and PEI since the 1970s, according to the Canadian Breeding Bird Survey. They are cavity-nesters, meaning they like to live in holes or crevices inside of trees. 

Nesting boxes are not a new concept to introduce new homes for birds when there aren’t enough trees. Ryusaki said it’s fairly simple and accessible to build one. 

“You could probably just honestly go to the dollar store and buy a bunch of different pieces. It doesn’t have to be real wood, she said. 

She said spent no more than $20 in materials to build her own, and that it took her 30 minutes to assemble. All the box needs is scrap wood, an entrance hole, and a pivoting side panel for easy cleaning. 

Tony Millard, president of the Nova Scotia Bird Society, said Ryusaki presented the idea to him and he decided to help spread the word on social media. 

Millard says nesting boxes should be mounted in open, sunny, grassy areas. They should be five to six feet high off the ground so ground predators can’t reach the birds. It should also be facing south or east to avoid harsh winds. 

The project, now officially called ReNest Nova Scotia, is also sharing exact templates for people to use when making the boxes.  

Millard said these boxes could also help other birds aside from the tree swallow. And there’s also a benefit for the homeowners that participate, he said.

“You’ve got the delight of seeing the swallows swooping around your yard. They’re eating the bugs,” he said. “The swallows have got somewhere to nest and raise their young and you’ve got less bugs in your yard.”

He said winter is the ideal time for construction, suggesting people use their indoor time now to build the nesting boxes and install them no later than April, just before spring when the birds will require them.

Ryuzaki said she has already been contacted by many people that want to participate in this, but she says the real number won’t be clear to her until the spring, when she goes on another walk and hopefully sees the boxes outside people’s yards. 

“Having everyone set up a box in Halifax would be absolutely amazing. I would absolutely love it if that could happen,” she said.

MORE TOP STORIES

Workplace violence is a reality for many P.E.I. nurses, but accountability is rare, according to a survey conducted by the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions.

The survey, conducted last summer, found that 88 per cent of nurses surveyed on P.E.I. said they experienced workplace harassment in the previous year, with 36 per cent of those members saying they experienced five or more incidents in that timeframe. 

The survey also found that 51 per cent of the nurses surveyed did not report their most recent incidence of workplace violence. 

“When they bring concerns forward, it doesn’t seem like there’s any meaningful change, for the most part, to protect them,”  said Kim Sears, president of the P.E.I. Nurses’ Union. 

“Violence — whether it’s physical or verbal — is not part of nursing. You know, we’re here to take care of patients and Islanders, not absorb the violence and frustration in the system.”

Sears said more needs to be done to ensure the concerns of nurses are heard and that they are made to feel safe at work. 

‘No meaningful change’

Health P.E.I. said all of its employees deserve to work in a safe and respectful work environment. 

“Under Health P.E.I.’s Violence Prevention Policy, violence includes any act of aggression — physical, sexual, verbal, or psychological — that threatens or harms staff, patients, or visitors,” the health authority said in an emailed statement. 

Health P.E.I. added that it tracks all reports of violence through an incident management system, and follows up on everything submitted through that system. 

The issue, however, is that many instances of violence don’t ever get reported.

“It just feels like you’re filling out the paperwork and it takes a really long time for change to happen if it does,” Sears said.

Even when changes are implemented, she said, they’re not always effective.

For example, Bill C-3 aimed to amend the Criminal Code of Canada and create a new intimidation offence for provoking a state of fear in health-care professionals. 

“While the bill passed, there’s been no meaningful change, and there’s very few people that are actually prosecuted for acts of violence against health-care workers,” Sears said. “Unfortunately, it hasn’t really panned out in reality.” 

Although there’s enhanced security at some of the Island’s larger health facilities like the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Sears said those measures should be system-wide. 

Implementing others — like swipe-card access, enhanced security cameras, personal safety alarms and specialized safety training — is something the union stands behind, and believes should be prioritized.

Another way to address the problem is through improving staffing ratios, Sears said. 

“It’s all tied,” she said. “People aren’t  connected to primary care providers, so there’s longer wait times and … the public gets frustrated.” 

After seeing the results of the Canada-wide survey, Sears said she took away one key message: “Violence is not isolated to one area, one specific spot, either in Canada or Prince Edward Island. It’s a systemic issue, really.” 

A Kelowna, B.C., man has been convicted of interfering with firefighting efforts with a drone during the 2023 McDougall Creek wildfire.

Derek Leippi was found guilty of violating the Wildfire Act in Kelowna Provincial Court this week. The conviction stems from an incident on Aug. 27, 2023, where Leippi flew a drone from his boat on Okanagan Lake while a helicopter was in the area fighting the fire.

Speaking on the phone following the verdict, Leippi said he was unaware at the time that he was in an active fire zone.

“I know [the court] has got to treat these matters seriously and I understand that,” Leippi said.

In a judgment released on Monday, Judge Cathie Heinrichs wrote that Leippi was operating the drone in order to take video images of the ruins of Okanagan Lake Resort, which was destroyed by the wildfire.

While Leippi’s drone hovered above the surface of the lake, a helicopter was scooping water just feet away from his boat. According to the judgment, the pilot was working to douse a portion of the forest fire burning approximately four kilometers inland.

Helicopter pilot Brett Mayden testified during the trial that the drone took his focus away from his firefighting efforts. In her judgment, Heinrichs noted that Mayden’s frustration led to a confrontation in the air.

“Because it irritated him, [Mayden] decided to try to knock [the drone] out of the air, and took a small amount of water and tried to douse the drone,” Heinrichs wrote.

A ‘distraction’ from the task-at-hand

The court heard that Mayden made two attempts to douse the drone before noticing an approaching B.C. Conservation Officer boat. While Mayden testified he tries to keep emotion out of the cockpit, he told the court the drone was “irritating” and caused him stress.

“For those moments when Mr. Mayden was annoyed by the drone, his focus was no longer on the firefighting efforts,” Heinrichs wrote. “During the time he was attempting to eliminate the drone, he could have been halfway back to the fire he was helping to suppress.”

The judgment detailed how conservation officers directed Leippi to move his boat away from the resort. Leippi complied and moved the vessel, but the drone remained in flight.

Leippi told CBC News he was “in shock” during the encounter and was focused on navigating his boat as directed before he could safely land the drone.

However, Judge Heinrichs ruled that Leippi “should have immediately retrieved the drone, not simply lowered it and maintained it in flight.”

‘Reasonable person’ standard

During the trial, Leippi testified he was unaware of any active fire suppression because he saw no smoke plumes or fire near the resort at the time.

Heinrichs rejected that argument, stating it was “common knowledge that the fire was extensive, vast numbers of people were evacuated and displaced, and many people lost their homes and businesses.”

“A reasonable person would put those pieces together and understand that neither his boat nor the drone should be in the area, lest they come in the way of the forest fire efforts,” Heinrichs wrote.

Ultimately, the judge did not accept Leippi’s defence that he was mistaken about the gravity of the situation or that he had taken sufficient steps to prevent interference with the helicopter.

Leippi told CBC News he made his best effort to keep his drone out of the way when he saw the helicopter.

“I did the responsible thing from my point of view, which was to lower it as close to the water as I could and land it as quickly as I could,” he said.

While the Wildfire Act allows for a maximum fine of $100,000 and up to one year in jail, Leippi said Crown is currently seeking a penalty between $12,000 and $15,000.

The B.C. Prosecution Service declined to confirm the specific penalty it is seeking, noting that sentencing arguments will be made during the next court appearance.

Leippi is scheduled to return to court for sentencing on Feb. 24.

Президент України Володимир Зеленський заявив, що кожен кілометр окупованої території нашої держави обходиться Росії у близько 170 загиблих і тяжкопоранених солдатів. Про це він сказав в інтерв’ю The Atlantic.

За словами глави держави, Україна не зазнає поразки. Він вважає, що команда президента США Дональда Трампа це вже зрозуміла. 

“Нещодавно ми порахували: один кілометр окупованої української землі коштує їм 170 втрат – людей, вбитих або поранених настільки, що вони не повернуться. У нас є всі докази цього. Сказати, що за останні шість місяців вони десь перемагають? Ні”, – зазначив Зеленський.

Також журналіст запитав у нього, що станеться, якщо Трамп заявить, що втомився від перемовин та сфокусується на внутрішній політиці США. 

“Це буде погано. Ми не хочемо, щоб американці залишили переговори”, – сказав український лідер.

Зеленський додав, що наразі не бачить у росіян реального бажання закінчити війну, попри те, що вони демонструють готовність до цього завдяки президенту США. 

“Нам легше завершити її [війну] за участю американців. Це легше, бо вони можуть змусити росіян. Я вважаю, що сьогодні лише Трамп здатен на це”, – наголосив глава держави. 

Втрати РФ на війні в Україні – останні новини

Раніше видання Financial Times писало, що втрати армії РФ в Україні різко зросли й ставлять під сумнів наступальні плани Кремля. За словами експертів, нинішня тактика Росії не дозволяє їй досягати значних результатів на полі бою.

“Путін зробив ставку на те, що постійний тиск на широкому фронті зрештою призведе до краху з українського боку. Але те, як воюють російські сили, просто не призведе до значних оперативних проривів”, – наголосив старший науковий співробітник Фонду Карнегі за міжнародний мир Майкл Кофман.

Водночас ексначальник штабу “Азов” Богдан Кротевич заявив, що реальні втрати РФ значно нижчі за офіційні. Він вважає небезпечним явищем “брехати собі”.

“Але рахувати, коли росіяни закінчаться – це взагалі неправильна річ, від якої треба відмовитись”, – зазначив військовий. 

Вас також можуть зацікавити новини:

A major rally in support of anti-government protests in Iran is scheduled to bring large sections of North York to a standstill on Saturday afternoon. 

Toronto police are expecting crowds upwards of 200,000 as a 3.8 km march moves south on Yonge Street from Steeles Avenue to North York Boulevard that will force the full closure of Yonge Street between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., with surrounding roads restricted to local traffic only.

“If you’re in the neighbourhood, please plan ahead as significant traffic delays are expected,” Toronto police said in a release on Friday. “Police will be present to help ensure everyone’s safety.”

The TTC says the 97 Yonge bus will be on detour around the affected area starting at 11 a.m. and they are also warning of “extreme traffic and transit delays” until at least 6 p.m.

“Due to the high volume of foot traffic expected outside North York Centre Station, access to that station will be limited and monitored for safety and security reasons,” the TTC said.

“Staggered station closures will be implemented as needed to manage crowd levels and maintain safe conditions on subway platforms.”

A similar peaceful rally earlier this month in downtown Toronto drew hundreds of thousands of people.

Countrywide protests erupted in Iran on Dec. 28 after an economic crisis sent the country’s currency into free fall. While early demonstrations were driven by rising costs of living, protesters have since shifted their focus to broader demands for political change.

 The death toll from those nationwide protests has exceeded 7,000, with many more still feared dead, according to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. Iran’s government offered its only death toll on Jan. 21, saying 3,117 people were killed. 

MILAN – Here are some notable quotes from the Milan Cortina Olympics on Feb. 13, 2026:

—

“That’s a good young team, strong scrubbing. They make a lot of shots with the broom, like a lot of young teams do nowadays. We knew they were going to be excited to play us, Team Canada. We did a good job sort of silencing their US fans today, and just really out-curling them from lead to skip.”

— Team Canada curling skip Brad Jacobs, after his team’s 6-3 win over the United States

—

“I’m very happy with the total results, considering this is my personal best.

“I’ll take everything I can from this moment, and considering this is probably the biggest stage of sports, I think I’ll have quite a bit of confidence leading into the world championships.”

Related Videos

2:48
‘You have to be confident’: Canada’s Grondin speaks silver medal win in Men’s Snowboard Cross

Previous Video

Next Video

— Canadian figure skater Stephen Gogolev after finishing fifth in men’s single skating.

Get breaking National news

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.

—

“For sure, I don’t like the number beside my name today. But I know I still have something to celebrate. It’s the whole past four years I have to celebrate with my family right now here in Italy.”

— Canadian snowboarder Audrey McManiman, on missing the quarterfinals in the women’s snowboard cross event

—

“It did hurt, still hurts, but it’s part of it. That’s why we have a team here. Unbelievable physio and docs have been helping me.”

— Canadian women’s hockey captain Marie-Philip Poulin on the injury that has kept her out of the team’s last two games at the Milan Cortina Olympics.

—

“Obviously, we wanted to win that game. But, you know, there’s lots of games left and just take the lessons from that game.”

— Canada’s Rachel Homan, on her team’s 9-8 loss to the United States in round robin play.

—-

“It’s been a really long career. I had a lot of beautiful moments and this was another beautiful moment in a different way. Maybe not in a performance way, but I think this was a beautiful goodbye at the biggest stage with my family and kids in the crowd. I got to say goodbye in a beautiful way.”

— Canadian long-track speedskater Ted-Jan Bloemen, who ended his Olympic career in the men’s 10,000 metre race.

—

“We definitely take some hits at times, and it’s definitely a part of the sport. And there’s not one snowboarder out here that hasn’t taken a hard hit. We’re a tough breed, and everyone has that warrior spirit in snowboarding and definitely has a lot of passion towards it, or else they wouldn’t be out here.”

— Canadian snowboarder Mark McMorris, who is recovering from a concussion and bone bruising that incurred during big air training before the Milan Cortina Olympics started.

—

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 13, 2026.

&copy 2026 The Canadian Press

***THE DAILY PUBLIC SCHEDULE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE***

SECRETARY MARCO RUBIO

Secretary Rubio is on travel to Germany, Slovakia, and Hungary from February 13-16, 2026.

9:00 a.m. LOCAL Secretary Rubio delivers remarks to the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany.
(POOLED PRESS COVERAGE)
The remarks will be streamed live on the Department homepage and the Department YouTube channel. 

11:00 a.m. LOCAL Secretary Rubio participates in a G7 Ministerial Meeting in Munich, Germany.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

2:00 p.m. LOCAL Secretary Rubio meets with Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu in Munich, Germany.
(POOLED CAMERA SPRAY AT TOP)

6:15 p.m. LOCAL Secretary Rubio holds a meet and greet with employees and families of U.S. Mission Germany in Munich, Germany.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

За підсумками зустрічі Контактної групи з питань оборони України у форматі «Рамштайн» партнери підтвердили один з найбільших бюджетів на підтримку України — $38 млрд на 2026 рік. Понад $6 млрд — у конкретних пакетах допомоги, зокрема більш як $2,5 млрд — на українські дрони, понад $500 млн — на PURL, $2 млрд — на ППО, а також кошти на артилерійські боєприпаси, підготовку, морські спроможності й інші напрями. 

«За завданням Президента домовилися з європейськими партнерами про термінове постачання ракет до Patriot зі своїх складів. Дякую партнерам за цю ініціативу. Кількість фіналізуємо після остаточного погодження керівництвами відповідних країн­партнерів. Сподіваємося на максимально швидкі терміни постачання», — розповів міністр оборони Михайло Федоров. 

Зокрема, Велика Британія надає Ј500 млн на ППО та робить внесок Ј150 млн на ініціативу PURL. Загалом — Ј3 млрд на військову допомогу Україні 2026 року. Німеччина спрямовує щонайменше я1 млрд на закупівлю дронів для України, профінансує проєкт купола ППО над нашими містами та проєкт дроново­штурмових підрозділів у межах свого бюджету на допомогу Україні я11,5 млрд. Норвегія надала $7 млрд 2026 року, з яких $1,4 млрд — на дрони, $700 млн — на ППО, $200 млн — на артилерію, $125 млн — на PURL. Нідерланди зобов’язалися надавати принаймні 0,25% ВВП на оборону України 2026 року й анонсували внесок я90 млн на PURL. Бельгія надасть цього року я1 млрд на військову допомогу. Швеція анонсувала 24­й пакет допомоги на я1,2 млрд та внесок я100 млн на PURL. Загалом надає я3,7 млрд на цей рік. Данія оголосила про збільшення бюджету на військову допомогу Україні на $425 млн до $2 млрд загалом 2026 року. Іспанія надає $1,2 млрд 2026 року. Канада спрямує $50 млн на данську модель та $45 млн — на медичну підтримку. Ісландія робить внесок $8 млн в ініціативу PURL та спрямує $2,4 млн на закупівлю озброєння через NSATU trust fund. Литва надає $265 млн цього року. Латвія надасть принаймні 0,25% ВВП на підтримку України. Естонія також спрямує щонайменше 0,25% власного ВВП.  

«Ми вперше представили партнерам наші оборонні цілі на рік, погоджені Президентом України й нашими військовими. Ми прийшли із чітким планом та конкретними рішеннями, які плануємо реалізувати разом з нашими партнерами», — підсумував Михайло Федоров, повідомляє Міноборони.