Twenty years after the sinking of the Queen of the North, a former chief executive of BC Ferries says the tragedy remains one of the darkest moments in the company’s history.

In an interview with Global News, former president and CEO David Hahn recalled the night the ferry struck Gill Island in Wright Sound and sank, saying the situation was “bewildering” and “very scary” as details slowly emerged.

The vessel went down at about 1:40 a.m. on March 22, 2006, with 101 passengers and crew on board. Ninety-nine people were rescued, but two passengers, Gerald Foisy and Shirley Rosette, were never found.

Hahn said the initial hours following the sinking were marked by limited information due to the remote location.

“It was a lot of chaos in terms of trying to get good information,” he said. “It took (until) about… four in the morning… to figure out what went on.”

Members of the Hartley Bay community were among the first to respond, using fishing boats to help rescue passengers from the water.

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“They did a great job… they saved a lot of lives,” Hahn said, adding their actions helped reduce the fear and uncertainty faced by those on board.

An investigation later determined the ferry failed to make a required course correction, citing human error and a loss of situational awareness.

Hahn said once it became clear the vessel had not altered course, “you kind of knew where this was going to go,” though the exact reason remains unclear.

“We’ll never know 100 per cent why there wasn’t a course change,” he said.

The disaster led to sweeping changes within BC Ferries, including a renewed focus on safety practices and the introduction of new programs aimed at preventing similar incidents.

Looking back two decades later, Hahn said the impact of the tragedy still lingers.

“It’s disturbing,” he said. “It’s probably the darkest day in the history of the company.”

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The Kraft Hockeyville competition is down to two communities that have each gone through hardships in recent months, giving both a chance of celebration in a year that’s been anything but.

On Saturday, Kraft announced Taber, Alta., and Tumbler Ridge, B.C., as the final two.

“I haven’t stopped smiling, my phone hasn’t stopped ringing, it’s been extraordinary,” said Meghan Brennan, the communications manager for the Town of Taber. “We are humbled, we are honoured, we’re thrilled. There is no way to adequately describe a feeling like this – it is euphoria.”

The contest, a partnership between Kraft Heinz, the NHL, and the NHL Players’ Association (NHLPA), awards the winner with $250,000 for rink upgrades and the opportunity to host an NHL Pre-Season game for the community. The runner-up will receive $100,000 for rink upgrades.

In addition, each community, along with other provincial and territorial winners, will receive $10,000 in brand-new hockey equipment for youth.

“We’re honoured to mark this top-two-finalist milestone in Kraft Hockeyville’s 20th anniversary year,” said Kelly Fleming, chief marketing officer for Kraft Heinz Canada. “Canadians shared inspiring stories about how their local rinks foster connection, strength and community. That spirit is reflected in this year’s finalists – Taber, Alberta and Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia – where the arena is at the heart of it all.”

2:17
Blaine Lake named Hockeyville Saskatchewan

Each town is still recovering after tragedies in recent months.

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Last month, eight people – including several students – were killed, when a shooter went to Tumbler Ridge Secondary School and opened fire. The shooter had gone to the school after killing her mother and half brother at their family home.

Other students were injured, with at least one still in hospital undergoing her fourth surgery to repair her fractured skull. 

“When we were faced with the tragedy of this year, this is where we gathered,” said Amy Heaton, a hockey parent and coach, in a post by Hockeyville about Tumbler Ridge. “When we’ve recently been hurting, we’ve all come here to support one another. It’s not just an arena, it’s who we are.”

The town said if it wins Hockeyville, it would upgrade its sound system and accessible seating.

“Kraft Hockeyville has brought our whole community together. It’s lifted our spirits,” said hockey parent and coach Zeb Irving.

The importance of an arena is also true for Taber, which lost its only two rinks in a Zamboni explosion in December.

“It wasn’t one hour after the arena exploded – the dust hadn’t even settled – and people in Taber (were) already saying, ‘What’s next? How do we rebuild? Let’s join into the Hockeyville,’” Brennan told Global News.

City council agreed this month to spend about $6 million to rebuild its large ice rink after the blast shattered the walls around it. But about $5 million more is needed to fix the second ice rink and the remaining parts of the community centre. The town has requested $8 million from the federal government for upgrades.

The leak was reportedly ignited by a nearby electric heater, creating a fireball that shattered glass, damaged the roof, toppled concrete walls and bricks, and hit gas lines.

Brennan said she also recognizes the importance of Tumbler Ridge being a semi-finalist, adding Taber recognizes the pain the community is in.

“Taber of all communities can certainly understand the pain that they’re going through and can sympathize with that and wish we didn’t have to,” she said. “But we’re really, really glad to have seen their name in the top two. And I mean that sincerely, knowing that we’re the competitor.”

Taber was the site of a school shooting in 1999, when a teenager walked through the doors of W.R. Myers High School and opened fire. One student was killed and another was injured.

Taber residents say the idea of NHL players coming to their city would be “life-changing.”

“If we were to win Kraft Hockeyville and have the NHL game here, it would just be a life-changing experience for so many people,” said Amy Allred, economic development manager for the Town of Taber, in a Facebook video.

Voting for the winner begins April 3 at 9 a.m. Eastern time, with the announcement of the winner set for the evening of April 4.

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A late winter blast of snow is set to fall over parts of Quebec and Atlantic Canada just two days after the first official day of spring, with the first flakes starting on Sunday.

In Quebec, a total of nearly 10 centimetres of snow will fall on Sunday in parts of the Greater Montreal Area, Monteregie, Drummondville and Estrie.

Environment Canada says residents can expect the snowfall rates of two centimetres per hour at times.

Snowfall amounts of 10 to 15 cm are expected in much of Nova Scotia starting late Sunday afternoon, reaching from the southwestern shore around Digby over to Halifax counties.

The weather system is expected to reach the Halifax Regional Municipality by Sunday evening.

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The heaviest snow is forecast to fall Sunday evening and into Monday morning, with the potential for it to intensify again.

Environment Canada cautions the snow is expected to be wet and heavy as temperatures remain near the freezing mark.

Parts of northern Nova Scotia could see the snow start to move in early Monday morning, reaching Cape Breton by mid-morning. The snow will continue into Tuesday morning.

The weather agency adds that some parts of the Atlantic coast could see snow mix with ice pellets on Monday evening, but it’s uncertain where it will fall.

Even higher amounts of snow could hit Newfoundland on Monday, with yellow winter storm watches in place for the island’s southern, central and northeastern regions. Orange winter storm watches are in place for much of eastern Newfoundland.

The majority of the island is expected to see between 20 to 30 cm and northerly wind gusts of 80 to 100 km/h starting Monday night and continuing into Tuesday.

People are cautioned to be careful on the roads as visibility could be reduced to near zero at times.

Meanwhile, eastern Newfoundland could see between 30 to 50 cm of snow beginning Monday evening until Tuesday night. Wind gusts Tuesday could hit 60 km/h, but rise to between 80 and 100 km/h in the night.

Environment Canada warns the snow will transition to ice pellets and freezing rain to rain on Tuesday as temperatures rise above zero. A second period of poor visibility is possible on Tuesday night due to blowing snow as temperatures fall once again.

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Man’s best friend is more than a furry companion — many Canadians rely on service dogs everyday to live happy and healthy lives. Global News met with four of these incredible dogs to learn more about the work they do to improve the lives of people around them.

First up is Taffy, the newest member of the Saskatoon Police Service. Taffy is a three-year-old Golden Retriever who works with the Internet Child Exploitation Unit (ICE) to find electronic devices during warrant searches.

“The introduction of Taffy as a resource for investigators greatly increases our ability to locate these and hold offenders accountable,” says Staff Sargent Tim Failler. “Taffy is one of eight dog teams in Canada. And the first in Saskatchewan trained in this work.”

Taffy is also trained as a therapy dog, helping aid and comfort police officers and victims of crime.

Over at Medavie, Betty and Misty, a pair of black Labradors, provide comfort to paramedics on the frontline.

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“They are really just here in the office for, you know, to bring comfort and joy to either frontline paramedics or our shared services staff or admin staff,” says Angela Serda, senior manager at Medavie Mobile Integrated Health.

But service dogs aren’t only for professionals. Ollie, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, helps his owner, war veteran Kevin Hicks, cope with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

“If I get too stressed, I stutter really badly or I get to the stage where I can’t speak properly at all,” Hicks says.  “[Ollie] will pick up on that straight away, and his head’s there, and he’s pushing me. And it breaks the cycle in no time at all.”

Hicks says that without Ollie he was unable to leave his house alone. Now he works at the Saskatoon Museum of Military Artifacts, with Ollie by his side.

“In fact, everything we do, whether it’s a theatre or a concert or wherever, he comes.” Hicks says.

However cute these pups may be, it’s important for people to keep their distance and avoid petting them. This can cause distractions that make the dogs forget the tasks at hand.

“When you pet a service dog, you’re distracting them from their handler,” says Candace Bighead, director of Prairieland Service Dog Training. “There could be a handler who has quite a severe disability that requires an alert before the thing happens, so like a seizure dog.”

Watch the video above to see Taffy, Betty, Misty and Ollie in action. 

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Ottawa’s nominee for federal fiscal watchdog will face questions from members of Parliament on Monday after a turbulent period for the budget office.

Annette Ryan, a longtime public servant and currently a deputy director at Canada’s financial intelligence agency, Fintrac, was named as cabinet’s pick to be the next parliamentary budget officer earlier this month.

Ryan’s nomination, which must be approved by the House of Commons and Senate, was referred to the parliamentary finance committee, where she’ll testify on Monday afternoon.

The Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer scrutinizes federal spending decisions and helps to cost out campaign proposals during elections.

There’s currently no PBO in place because interim officer Jason Jacques’ six-month term expired at the start of the month with no successor named. The office is unable to publish reports or take on new requests from parliamentarians until someone is named to the role.

Ryan said that, out of respect for the process, she would not sit for an interview ahead of Monday’s committee appearance.

She said in a brief message that she is honoured to be nominated.

“There is nothing more fundamental to parliamentary democracy than the scrutiny of the public taxation and spending choices on behalf of the people,” Ryan said.

She also said she has “tremendous respect” for Jacques and all those who served in the role before her.

3:04
2025 budget leaves ‘little room’ for future risks, watchdog finds

Should Ryan be confirmed for the office’s seven-year mandate, she would have the backing of Kevin Page, Canada’s first PBO and the president of the Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy at the University of Ottawa.

“I got to know her and she is super smart,” Page said, reflecting on his time working with Ryan in the Privy Council Office in the early 2000s. He said he worked with Ryan on briefing notes advising both former Liberal prime minister Paul Martin and former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper.

Page said he also offered public officials informal advice during the latest PBO recruitment process.

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Ryan holds a degree in mathematics from Acadia University and a degree in economics from Oxford University, where she attended as a Rhodes Scholar. Her career in Canada’s public sector has also seen her take on roles at Finance Canada, Industry Canada and Employment and Social Development Canada.

Page said that experience should serve her well at a critical moment for Canada’s economy and public policy, as Prime Minister Mark Carney attempts to leverage public finances to build out housing, infrastructure and other major projects.

“To have somebody that really worked on those issues means you’re not starting with a blank sheet of paper and not very much knowledge. She really brings a ton of experience,” he said.

The Canadian Press asked Carney’s office if he and Ryan had worked together in the past, whether in the public service or during their overlapping time at Oxford in the early 1990s. A spokesperson described the pair as acquaintances but did not offer further details.

Privy Council Office spokesman Pierre Cuguen said Ryan’s appointment “resulted from an open, competency-based selection process.”

“All applicable procedures and rules have been followed, including those outlined in the Conflict of Interest Act,” he said in a media statement.

Page said he can understand if some are worried about Ryan taking on a watchdog role in Parliament having known Carney previously. He said he did not share those concerns and noted that Canada’s finance community is so small, it would have been hard for Carney and Ryan to have avoided interacting at some point in their careers.

Page said he faced similar questions when he prepared to take on the first PBO position in 2008. He was assistant secretary to then-prime minister Harper just a few months before taking on the inaugural budget officer role.

“And I would say, within a year, they were trying to fire me because they felt that I was being almost too hard on the government,” he said.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said on March 9 that his party would review Ryan’s record and vote accordingly on her nomination.

In a letter to Carney sent March 5, Poilievre said he had “serious” reservations about the prime minister’s suggested appointment and urged him to install Jacques to a full seven-year term. Poilievre accused Carney of trying to “muzzle” the PBO by letting Jacques’ interim term expire.

Some Conservative and Bloc Québécois MPs backed that push, and the standing committee on government operations and estimates passed a motion on March 10 recommending that Jacques take on the permanent position, despite Liberal opposition.

Early in Jacques’ tenure as interim PBO, he described the Liberal government’s finances as “stupefying” and not sustainable. He later told The Canadian Press in an interview that he regrets using that language and said after Ottawa tabled the fall budget in November that the federal spending plan was sustainable in the long run.

6:00
Poilievre calls out Carney for ‘feeling very cocky’ until PBO report surfaces

Jacques, who said he would apply for the permanent position, did not offer comment for this story.

Page said he respects Jacques, having worked with him extensively during and before his time at the budget office. He said he can understand why opposition parties would seize on the language Jacques used, but added it likely quashed the interim PBO’s chances of landing the permanent gig.

“He’s really experienced and he’s technically very sound and he is a good person, but you can’t say stuff like that,” he said. “For me, it was disqualifying.”

Ryan’s nomination comes a few weeks after the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, the OECD, published a largely glowing report on Canada’s PBO and ranked the office first internationally among fiscal monitors.

The report flagged Jacques’ comments last year in the context of the need for a formal PBO communications strategy, which the office implemented earlier this year. It also criticized “persistent delays” in appointing new budget officers and said relying on interim PBOs can affect perceptions of independence.

Page said accusations of partisanship come with the territory on Parliament Hill, and whoever heads up the office next will need to be prepared to handle the political environment.

Page turned to sports to make his point.

“If you play hockey and play at a competitive level, you’re going to get hit,” he said. “You’re going to have to take hits and get up off the ice.”

Two Canadians on a humanitarian mission in Cuba say it’s easier for locals to count the number of hours the lights are on than off.

And when electricity is flowing, Leanne Isaak says Cubans can be seen scrambling to get as many tasks done as they can, such as cooking, charging phones, showering and filling buckets with water.

“People say, ‘I may not get power again for three days so I’m going to do everything that I need to do in this one or two-hour time-frame to prepare for the next chunk of time when I’m just going to try to keep going,” said Isaak, the founder and a co-director of a non-profit called One Shared Future Un Futuro Compartido.

“In Spanish they say, ‘We don’t have blackouts, we have lights-on,’ because (they’re) more often in the dark than they have electricity,” added Elise Hjalmarson, also a co-director of the non-profit.

The women, who live in Kelowna, B.C., arrived in Cuba on Friday with 14 suitcases full of medicine, solar equipment, multivitamins, adult diapers, surgical gloves and menstrual products, among other goods.

In an interview from Havana on Saturday, they said they plan to find a driver with an electric car and, in partnership with Cuban-led groups, distribute the items across the island over several days. They also plan to buy rice and beans with cash donations for distribution.

“Some of this is going to hospitals, it’s going to women’s centres. We have a whole variety of places that we built connections with,” said Isaak, who also works at the University of British Columbia.

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Life on the Caribbean island has been rapidly deteriorating since the U.S. removed Venezuela’s leader in January, halting critical petroleum shipments from the nation that had been a steadfast ally to Havana. U.S. President Donald Trump has also threatened tariffs on any country selling or supplying Cuba with oil.

The island has since been relying on its own natural gas, solar power and oil to run thermoelectric plants, but that hasn’t been enough to meet demand.

2:04
U.S. ramps up pressure on Cuba as oil crisis deepens

Isaak and Hjalmarson said they experienced the dire situation as soon as they landed. There was a power outage at the airport. They heard a flicker and a generator, and the conveyor belt carrying their bags began moving minutes later.

“Then we had a power outage in the evening when we got to our Airbnb, and then we had another one in the morning, so you can see the frequency. This portion of the city, about a year ago, would maybe get less than a handful of power outages,” said Isaak, who has made nearly a dozen trips to Cuba for her charity work.

The women said they carried all 14 of their suitcases up several flights of stairs because an outage brought to a halt the elevator in the building where they’re staying.

Many of the nation’s 11 million residents are struggling to keep food from spoiling. Hospitals have cancelled surgeries. The leading university has reduced classes due to the power outages and transportation shutdowns.

Trump is demanding, in part, that Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel leave his position, release political prisoners and move toward political and economic liberalization in return for a lifting of sanctions.

After Cuba’s electric grid collapsed last week, spurring an island-wide blackout, Trump told reporters he believed he’d soon have “the honour of taking Cuba.”

Aid shipments are beginning to arrive and a Russian oil delivery is expected this month, but fuel shortages remain critical.

Isaak said the challenges she and Hjalmarson are facing don’t compare to those faced by Cubans.

“People are tired, they’re frustrated, they’re stressed. There’s so much uncertainty,” Isaak said. “A lot of them, when they describe how they’re feeling, they say they’re surviving.”

And Cubans are surviving by finding the joy in daily life, she said.

“We were walking around like two in the morning and people were out playing dominoes on the street. Music was happening, people were dancing,” Isaak said.

“Some Cubans hate the word resilient, but they are such an incredibly resilient people and they find joy in being with each other.”

The process of distributing items over the next several days feels daunting, Isaak added.

“But we’re excited to be here, and to get started.”

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Tensions flared Saturday in Quebec City as Christine Fréchette and Bernard Drainville faced off in the first debate to succeed Premier François Legault as leader of the Coalition Avenir Québec.

The proposed “third link” bridge connecting Quebec City and Lévis quickly moved to the centre of the clash.

Fréchette accused Drainville’s preferred route of serving his “ego,” while Drainville countered that she was blocking the project with too many conditions.

“To sum it up: I’ll do it, and Christine is putting it on hold because she’s imposing so many conditions that it won’t happen,” he said.

The “third link” refers to a long‑proposed transportation project to build a new highway link, likely a bridge‑tunnel, across the St. Lawrence River between Quebec City and Lévis — a city on the south shore of the river — to improve mobility and freight access and reduce pressure on the two existing inter‑river crossings.

Fréchette, who proposes a corridor farther east in partnership with the private sector, said she had consulted local residents and found little support for Drainville’s route.

“I called people to consult them, and very quickly I was told that no one had ever been asked, even in Lévis,” she said. “The route is chosen for them, for the people here, not for you, not for your ego.”

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Drainville responded: “I don’t think it’s a good idea to get into personal attacks. I think we need to stay respectful because we’re going to have to work together afterward.”

Drainville and Fréchette are the only two candidates vying for the top role, which opened up when Legault announced in January he was stepping down as leader.

On shale gas, Drainville said he supported natural resource development but opposes hydraulic fracturing.

“If you ask me to choose between water and gas, I will always choose water,” he said.

Fréchette said she is open to reopening the discussion but would prioritize social acceptance and environmental standards.

“The proposal I made is to discuss it, to debate it. The context has changed a lot in recent months, even in recent days, with the conflict in Iran,” she said.

Both candidates agreed on the need to shrink the size of government. Drainville said he would reduce the cabinet to 20 members, though he declined to say which ministers would be cut. Fréchette did not give a number but emphasized efficiency and promised that Drainville would have a role at the cabinet table if she won.

Drainville pledged to make Fréchette deputy premier if he became CAQ leader.

Both candidates outlined their broader plans. Fréchette said she aimed to build a “more sustainable and efficient public sector,” while Drainville highlighted his focus on reducing government bureaucracy and supporting regional development.

About 300 people attended the debate at the Espace Saint-Grégoire, a former church in Quebec City converted into an event hall. The event was also streamed online.

Just before the debate, Treasury Board president France-Élaine Duranceau endorsed Fréchette.

“We share the same vision of a more effective state, focused on its core missions. A government that fully leverages its tools, including public contracts, to support our (small and medium-sized enterprises) and our economy,” se said on social media.

This was the first of at least two debates in the CAQ leadership race, with the next scheduled for Laval next week. The party has just under 20,600 members eligible to vote in a party-wide membership vote.

The deadline to join and secure the right to vote was March 13, and the new leader is expected to be announced on April 12.

&copy 2026 The Canadian Press

More than two years after a Toronto father vanished without a trace, his sister is speaking out, pleading for answers as police continue to investigate his disappearance as a homicide.

Taron Stepanyan, 40, was last seen leaving his apartment building near Chichester Place on Dec. 23, 2023.

On Saturday, his sister, Tatev Stepanyan, spoke with Global News during a visit to Toronto, where she has travelled from Armenia in search of answers.

“Till now we have no answer… what happened to him, where is he… is he alive?” she said.

Stepanyan said the last time she spoke with her brother was just days before Christmas.

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“He going to celebrate Christmas with his son, with his friends… yes, it was the last time,” she said

When her family stopped hearing from him, she said they immediately knew something was wrong.

“Oh, maybe every day… if not with me, with my mother,” she said, describing how often he would check in.

Taron, a father, had been living in Canada since 2013 after moving with his wife and son in search of a better life.

His sister described him as a devoted family man, saying it is “impossible” he would suddenly cut off contact.

“It’s just impossible… he go without any reason, without any call,” she said.

In January, Toronto police upgraded the case to a homicide investigation, saying there is a strong possibility foul play was involved. Investigators have not released details about what led to the shift.

More than two years later, there have been no arrests and no clear answers for the family.

“But we don’t want to believe… we have a little bit hope that maybe he’s somewhere,” Stepanyan said.

She added she is determined to find answers for herself and her mother.

“I promised her to find the answers,” she said.

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