With slush and ice melting across Saskatchewan, the unplanned warm weather this time of year is bringing negative impacts to winter activities.

The Rosewood Community Association’s ice rink has lost a couple of inches of ice to the warm weather, and Larry Hounjet, the association’s co-ordinator, is hoping for the temperatures to drop to build up the ice on the rink.

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“The last couple of days were too nice here,” says Hounjet. “I don’t think I’ve ever prayed for cold weather.”

Sask. Snowmobile Association says some snowmobile trails have closed while others haven’t even opened due to a lack of snow.

In Saskatoon, citywide street rut levelling efforts are being made to fix ruts caused by melting and refreezing. On the flip side, some residents are enjoying the city’s warm weather and are describing it as ‘a great thing’ that is creating the illusion of winter being a lot shorter than it is.

A Medicine Hat, Alta., man who had a standoff with police nearly two years ago has been found not criminally responsible for attempted murder.

Cole Scory, 31, fired a shotgun multiple times inside the apartment building where he lived on July 27, 2024.

Over the course of a two-day trial at the Medicine Hat Court House, Scory testified he believed he was acting on the orders of police and was shooting at a gang.

A pair of local officers who took the witness stand said Scory fired on four service members wearing police gear. Body camera video shown at the trial depicted the four officers attempting to communicate with Scory and identifying themselves as police.

On Friday, Justice Grace Auger agreed with the Crown’s version of events and found Scory committed the acts that led to the attempted murder charges.

Psychiatrist Dr. Kenneth Hashman, who has been treating Scory since shortly after the incident, testified he diagnosed him as being on the schizophrenia spectrum.

Auger agreed with Hashman’s assessment and found Scory was not criminally responsible due to his mental illness.

‘Like it was yesterday’

Scory told the court he remains employed by the Medicine Hat Police Service and communicates with them through an earpiece.

He said on Thursday he remembers the July 2024 incident “like it was yesterday.”

He said he was informed there were murderers in a neighbouring apartment through an in-ear device he used to communicate with police.

Scory testified he fired a shotgun through the door into the apartment and hit someone inside.

When owner John Karamanos entered the building, Scory discharged the gun in his direction, causing him to leave.

Scory then waited for police to arrive.

When he heard people come to the front entrance, he said he believed they were members of a local gang coming to kill him.

He admitted to firing his gun towards people at the doorway of the building but denies shooting at police.

When he was struck by return fire, Scory said he crawled to his apartment and asked for help.

Police officers testify

Sgt. Eric Marshall and Cst. Mackenzie Kipta were among the four officers who responded to calls reporting gunfire at the apartment building.

The officers said they identified themselves as police, and Kipta attempted to negotiate with Scory, who told them in response that he wanted to discharge his weapon.

After less than a half-hour of attempted negotiations, Scory appeared from behind a stairwell wall on the second floor and fired towards the officers, according to testimony.

Marshall, then an officer with the tactical response team, told court he was struck by shrapnel and felt pressure generated by the shotgun fire.

He fired back, but didn’t believe he hit Scory.

Scory disappeared behind the wall, Marshall said.

When he returned to fire at the officers again, Marshall shot and injured Scory.

When Scory fell out of sight behind a wall, Marshall said he fired at the wall to create a hole and attempt to stop the threat.

Marshall said he suffers from worsening hearing loss due to the shotgun blasts and will require hearing aids in the future.

‘Not a criminal’

Scory retreated to his apartment after the exchange of gunfire.

The standoff continued for about two more hours, according to testimony and a related November 2025 ASIRT report.

Scory was eventually transported to hospital for gunshot wounds to his right leg and lower abdomen.

Defence lawyer Darcy Shurtz said he agrees with the court’s ruling. 

“This is not a criminal; he’s someone who suffers from a mental health disorder,” Shurtz told CBC News after the trial concluded.

“It’s unfortunate that he did not receive the help he required prior to this incident.”

The justice ordered Scory to remain at the Southern Alberta Forensic Psychiatry Centre, where he’s been held since 2024.

Scory will appear before the Criminal Code Review Board within 45 days to evaluate his risk to public safety. That body will determine whether he remains in hospital, has a conditional discharge or is set free.

China’s top court has overturned the death sentence for accused Canadian drug smuggler Robert Schellenberg, a Canadian official told CBC News.

The Supreme People’s Court struck down the lower court’s sentence on Friday. The source requested anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly on the matter. The New York Times first reported the news.

Schellenberg had been found guilty of being involved in an international drug-trafficking ring and initially sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2018.

But he was retried and sentenced to death in 2019, roughly a month after Canadian authorities detained Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on a warrant from the U.S.

In 2021, a Chinese court in Shenyang rejected Schellenberg’s appeal of his death sentence.

WATCH | Schellenberg death sentence upheld in 2021:

China upholds death sentence for Canadian prisoner Robert Schellenberg

Canadian Robert Schellenberg has been denied his appeal to get a death sentence lifted in China after being convicted of drug smuggling. A verdict in the case of Michael Spavor, a Canadian detained on suspicion of espionage, is also expected to be handed down this week.

A spokesperson from Global Affairs Canada said the government “is aware of a decision” regarding Schellenberg’s case, but declined to comment on the specifics.

“Canada has advocated for clemency in this case, as it does for all Canadians who are sentenced to the death penalty,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

CBC News has reached out to Schellenberg’s lawyer and family for comment.

Meng’s arrest had put relations between Canada and China on ice for several years.

Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor were detained by Beijing on vague national security allegations shortly after Meng’s arrest — though both were released in 2021.

Four Canadians were also executed in China last year for drug-related charges.

Prime Minister Mark Carney travelled to China last month in an effort to reset relations with Beijing.

Carney and Chinese President Xi Jinping struck an agreement to remove certain trade barriers during last month’s meeting.

Schellenberg has been accused of conspiring with others to smuggle 222 kilograms of methamphetamine from China to Australia in 2014. Although he has proclaimed his innocence, the B.C. native has a history of drug-related offences in Canada, including a two-year sentence in 2012 for drug trafficking.

The cauldrons are lit in Milan and Cortina

Long-track speed-skating legend Enrico Fabris hands off the torch to ski racer Alberto Tomba and alpine skier Deborah Compagnoni, who then light the cauldron in Milan together.

Fabris won three medals at Italy’s last Olympics, Torino 2006: gold in team pursuit, gold in the 1,500 metres and bronze in the 5,000 metres. 

Not only was he the first Italian to win a medal in long track speed skating, he was the most successful Italian athlete at those Games. (He also has multiple world championship and European championship medals, but never quite reached the Olympic peak of Torino again.)

Compagnoni won three gold medals and one silver in three alpine skiing disciplines — super-G, giant slalom and slalom — over three Winter Games (1992, 1994 and 1998).

Tomba dominated men’s slalom and giant slalom in the late 80s and early 90s, claiming three gold medals and two silver over three Winter Olympics (1988, 1992 and 1994).

Alpine ski racer Sofia Goggia lit the Cortina cauldron. She became Italy’s first Olympic women’s downhill champion when she won at PyeongChang 2018. 

During the day, Vic Lyons works full-time in dementia care as a senior Admiral Nurse. Her job is to help families navigate the emotional and bureaucratic minefield of a disease that robs their loved ones of their independence, memories and cognitive functions. 

Although Vic would naturally display kindness and a sympathetic ear when listening to what people are going through, it is all the more poignant for her.

When she logs off to the day, Vic heads back to her home in Hertfordshire, where she and her husband, Andrew, 53, care for Andrew’s 89-year-old mother Margaret, who was diagnosed with dementia in January 2024. All while also raising their two sons, aged 15 and 12.  

‘At work, I support families going through dementia and, at home, I’m in the thick of it,’  Vic, 51, tells Metro. ‘Mornings are consumed with getting Margaret dressed and the boys to school, while evenings are spent coaxing her through confusion and helping my sons with homework. Then the weekends are swallowed by housework, bills and medication reviews.’

There is thought to be up to 2.4million ‘sandwich’ carers in the UK – people stuck between looking after their children and elderly relatives – something the nurse admits is ‘a tough gig’.

‘The demands are exhausting,’ she admits. ‘It feels like Groundhog Day and there’s no respite. When you’re caring for someone you love, there’s no off switch. Both Andrew and I work full time, so every day demands careful planning.

‘Andrew gets his mum dressed and drops her off at the local day centre each morning, while I put her to bed in the evening. Her dementia is advanced, and her memory span is sometimes just seconds.’

Vic explains that Margaret can no longer make herself a drink, and often forgets who the family are. ‘She gets anxious when she’s by herself. It takes all of us, including the boys, to care for her,’ she says.

‘I know how hard it is for families because of my job – and yet the reality is so much harder than I ever thought it would be.’

In 2021, Vic’s mother-in-law moved from London to a flat close to the family home, a move planned to preserve her independence for as long as possible.

‘She’d stopped cooking dinners, taking her pills properly and going to the supermarket,’ remembers Vic. ‘We didn’t have an official diagnosis but, because of my job, I knew where this was headed. We discussed what care Margaret would need and moved her in around the corner because she still wanted her autonomy. We installed cameras and zone alerts for peace of mind – and count ourselves lucky that she sleeps through the night.’  

However, Vic recognises that her mother-in-law will soon need around-the-clock care. ‘Her condition is fast deteriorating,’ she adds sadly. 

‘We’ve pressed the button on building an extension to our house next year. Margaret oscillates between not wanting to be a burden and not wanting to be alone. But for her welfare, we see no other choice than for her to move in with us.’  

Thankfully, Margaret has enough money saved to fund the day centre costs where she receives specialist dementia support and companionship during the week while Vic and Andrew are at work. Still, the couple will need to remortgage their house to pay for the extension.

While the family have had to confront the costs of later-life care, a new poll has revealed just how much Britain is burying its head in the sand when it comes to ageing, care needs and the price tags attached.

A national survey of UK adults aged 45-+ reveals that two-thirds (62%) have never discussed later-life care with a parent or partner, while only 6% have a clear plan for how they or their parents will be supported as they age.

In fact, an astonishing 94% of people don’t talk about these things until forced to by circumstance. It was only when Margaret began to display worrying symptoms that it prompted conversations about care, highlighting how even the most informed families often delay planning until they are forced to act. 

The research, commissioned by Age Space, the UK’s leading online hub for families supporting elderly relatives, paints a picture of widespread confusion, financial uncertainty and what campaigners are calling a ‘dangerous national silence’. 

Vic explains that she also worries about the emotional impact the situation is having on their family – especially their two boys. 

‘When Margaret’s distressed, they can feel a bit scared and unsure how to react,’ she explains. ‘She sometimes thinks Andrew is her husband and I’m the other woman – it’s hard for the boys to hear this. I want them to feel they can invite friends around and be normal noisy teenagers.

‘I feel constantly torn. If the boys come home and want to talk but Andrew’s mum is becoming distressed or needs something, I have to prioritise her.

‘On special occasions such as Christmas Day, I worry she’ll get upset and I don’t want the boys to carry that memory. I also feel sad that they probably won’t sit and watch a movie with us – there’s an emotional barrier there now because of Nan.’  

The personal toll of being a sandwich carer, is also something that resonates with Vic. ‘You’re caring for everyone except yourself,’ she admits. ‘We get an hour watching TV at night if we’re lucky. I haven’t been to the gym in a year, and holidays look impossible for us now.

‘Last year, we went to Portugal while Margaret stayed with her sister, but a UTI led to delirium and she was admitted to hospital. We spent our holiday speaking to doctors and worried sick about her.’

For Vic, the silence around care in the UK is rooted in fear, rather than avoidance.

‘People don’t know where to start. The topic is wrapped up in fear – fear of cost, fear of losing independence, fear of aging. It isn’t easy,’ she says. 

‘People imagine caring is popping in to make a cup of tea. But it’s navigating memory loss, safety worries, emotional distress and guilt. And most people have no idea how much support they will need until they’re already drowning.’

To tackle Britain’s care silence, Age Space has launched the Prepare to Care campaign, fronted by broadcaster Janet Ellis. The campaign urges families to have earlier conversations about care, ideally years before decisions are forced on them by crisis. For more information, click here.

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Eddie Speir is not afraid of a fight with the Florida GOP establishment. In 2024, he took on 10-term incumbent Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., and won just under 40% of the vote, positioning himself as a constitutional conservative outsider against an entrenched moderate Republican.

Now, with Buchanan’s Jan. 27 announcement that he would be retiring after a nearly two-decade stint in D.C., Speir is launching another grassroots, outsider candidacy to challenge the “RINO Republicans” that he frequently derides.

FLORIDA GOP REP VERN BUCHANAN TO RETIRE, ADDING TO WAVE OF HOUSE EXITS

“This is just a continuation of what I did in ’24, which was run against Vern Buchanan to expose the RINOs [Republicans In Name Only] that are not representing the district…and the taxpayers of Florida. So we need somebody that’s gonna step up and actually represent and go to Washington D.C. with a bold agenda and not compromise to the elite social circles that are up there in D.C.”

Eddie Speir, founder of Inspiration Academy, tech entrepreneur and congressional candidate for Florida’s 16th district, comprising Manatee County and the eastern portion of Hillsborough County. (Fox News Digital)

Speir said he believes that his messaging and grassroots support will carry him through to victory in the Aug. 18 primary.

“We were the largest grassroots movement in this district’s history…Nobody else had even come close to earning 40% in the entire state of Florida. … So, it’s hard to push against an incumbent here in Florida. But now there’s not even an incumbent, so we’re just gonna continue the same momentum that we had and get the message out.”

DAYLIGHT SAVING REFORM HITS WALL AS LAWMAKERS BLAST ‘OUTDATED PRACTICE’

Florida political observers have batted about several possible contenders that might join Speir in the GOP primary. Chief among these is close Trump ally Joe Gruters, who cut his political teeth working on Buchanan’s campaign and would be the establishment heir apparent.

Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., attends the House Ways and Means Committee meeting. Buchanan announced recently that he is retiring from Congress. (Bill Clark/Getty Images)

However, Gruters’ potential candidacy is complicated by the three high-level positions he currently holds. He is a sitting Florida state senator, the RNC chairman, as well as the current candidate for Florida Chief Financial Officer in 2026.

Gruters is seen as the most likely establishment opponent to Speir, and some believe he may abandon his Florida CFO candidacy to run in Florida’s 16th district.

THE UGLY TRUTH ABOUT MODERN ‘ANTI-FASCISM’

New College of Florida President Richard Corcoran has also been discussed as a potential candidate. Speir was appointed to the New College of Florida board of trustees by Gov. Ron DeSantis in January 2023, but the Florida Senate refused to confirm his appointment.

Speir’s controversial tenure at New College, and the subsequent rejection of his confirmation by the Florida Senate, catapulted Speir onto the national stage at a time when the Florida GOP was conspicuously seeking to rebrand the school as the “Hillsdale of the South.”

Additional candidates who may join the field include former state Rep. Mike Beltran, developer Carlos Beruff, former state Senate President Bill Galvano, and Manatee County Commissioner Mike Rahn.

Speir says he’ll not only be facing off against the local GOP establishment, but President Donald Trump as well. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Speir said he realizes he is likely to be facing off not merely against the local GOP establishment, but against President Donald Trump as well:

“In the ’24 primary, Vern Buchanan had one of the worst records possible, and Donald Trump endorsed him with a number of other horrific candidates. So we’ve got to be able to separate Trump’s priorities and his constitutional conservative push, versus the political machine that he’s working with, because that political machine is not doing any favors to the Republican Party,” Speir said.

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“So I think the endorsements mean a little bit less. Now, that doesn’t mean that I won’t try to get Trump’s endorsement, but we already gained [a] historic vote, and as a challenger in 2024.”

The City of Barrie says it has been forced to use a landfill property as a temporary snow storage site, following weeks of record snowfall.

City officials told Global News that the decision to use its Ferndale Drive North property was necessary as snow removal continues under what has become the longest continuous “Significant Weather Event declaration” in Barrie’s history.

The decision to use the land comes after running out of room at its operations centre, due to reports of the city receiving about 300 centimetres, or more than 9.5 feet of snow, since Nov. 1.

City officials said the temporary site would be used for the foreseeable future, with no end date set yet.

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“It is dependent on additional snow accumulations and our requirements to do snow lifts to remove excess snow from areas throughout the city,” said Dave Friary, the city’s director of operations.

Friary said the snow is not being dumped with household waste. Instead, it is being placed on a vacant portion of land at the landfill property, a practice the city says has been used in previous years.

Residents living near the site may notice increased overnight activity as snow hauling continues.

Friary said mitigation measures are in place, including the construction of a berm to reduce noise and light impacts during overnight operations.

Barrie has been under a Significant Weather Event since Dec. 28, 2025, a designation that remains in effect as crews continue to clear narrowed roads and snowbanks.

The city added that this year’s winter cleanup has far exceeded previous events, both in scale and cost.

“This winter’s snow removal effort represents the largest volume of snow we have had to remove,” Friary said. “Previous Significant Weather Events typically lasted one to three days, causing only short delays and little to no additional cost.

“In contrast, the unprecedented snowfall over a compressed time period and the extended duration of this event resulted in significantly higher costs and increased co-ordination and oversight.”

The city says the weather alert will not be lifted until roads, cycling lanes and other impacted areas are fully restored, and updates will be provided as conditions change.

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