The North Atlantic Treaty Organization must turn its focus to security threats in the Arctic, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said on Wednesday.

Canada is investing heavily in Arctic defence, Anand said, speaking at the Ottawa Conference on Defence and Security on Wednesday.

“NATO’s focus now must not only be towards the east, but also northward. NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, must look northward,” Anand said at the conference.

Last month, Canada opened a consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, as U.S. President Donald Trump escalated his threats to acquire the semiautonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark.

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Describing the opening of the consulate as “one of the most poignant moments” of her life, Anand said the consulate took on “new meaning” in the current “geostrategic environment.”

2:04
Canadian Armed Forces train in Arctic conditions amid increased geopolitical attention on the region

Canada will also open a consulate in Anchorage, Alaska, she said, adding that Ottawa will co-ordinate with NATO allies as there is “global competition in the Arctic.”

“The threats are evolving from climate change to economic threats to strategic and military threats as, for example, Russian infrastructure moves further and further north towards the Arctic Circle,” she said.

Responding to expanding Russian power requires “pragmatic, cooperative action with NATO and with new alliances like the Nordic-Baltic countries with whom we are closely collaborating,” Anand said.

In addition to investing in Arctic defence capabilities, Canada must also work with and be in close collaboration and consultation with Indigenous peoples.”

“In today’s strategic environment, Arctic sovereignty is not simply declared, it must be demonstrated,” she said.

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Soon after Rhiana Stryd moved to the scenic lakeside Village of Granisle in British Columbia’s northern Interior in the fall of 2024, she says she began noticing her parents’ health going downhill, while she was vomiting every day for months.

Stryd said that when her daughter visited, she got sick too.

Their health woes prompted Stryd to start looking for a “common denominator” behind their symptoms.

“It ended up being the water,” Stryd said.

Now Stryd is leading a proposed class-action lawsuit against the village and Ontario-based water treatment company Purifics Water Inc., alleging that Granisle’s 300-plus residents were supplied with aluminum-tainted drinking water for an unknown period of time.

The Village of Granisle issued a “do not consume” order in December 2025, and residents have been relying on bottled water distributed with the help of volunteer firefighters, but Stryd said her efforts to get answers about the water problems are ongoing.

“Since then, we have been kept in the dark. The only information we were being provided for a number of weeks was information that I was gathering,” she said. “Then the village tried to get ahead of it and released a timeline into what had gone on in the water treatment facility to cause the coagulant to leak into our system.”

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The timeline of the lead-up to the order posted by the Village of Granisle said a power surge at its water treatment plant in June 2024 preceded complaints about water discoloration and a “slimy” feeling in the months afterwards.

The treatment plant, the lawsuit said, uses a “coagulation and filtration process” to remove impurities from water sourced from Babine Lake, and it’s alleged that the contamination resulted from a coagulant leak.

A test in October 2024 showed a water sample with aluminum levels of 8.99 mg/l — more than triple the maximum allowable concentration — but both the village and the Northern Health Authority only “became aware” of that test result in January 2026.

A document from Northern Health posted on the village’s website on Tuesday said Granisle’s drinking water shouldn’t be consumed, but it’s still safe for bathing, laundry, dishwashing and handwashing.

It said short-term aluminum exposure isn’t likely to cause any immediate health effects in healthy adults, but long-term exposure to high-levels of aluminum can cause neurological symptoms including tremors, confusion and gastrointestinal problems such as vomiting.

Stryd’s lawsuit alleges that residents weren’t told about the 2024 test results and “continued to consume drinking water supplied by the water system without being warned of contamination.”

“We are looking into how this occurred, and setting up protocols to ensure it does not occur again,” the village’s timeline document said.

New components to fix the leak were sent to the village by Purifics Water at the end of January, but testing at that time still showed aluminum levels beyond safe drinking water guidelines.

The village and Purifics have not responded to the lawsuit, and Granisle Mayor Linda McGuire said the village is aware of the claim and seeking out legal counsel, but she was unable to comment on the claim.

Purifics Water did not respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit.

Lawyer Scott Stanley, who filed the action in Vancouver last month, said the class could include roughly 400 people if certified.

“I think I would be fair to describe the people of Granisle as being distressed, or collectively distressed, over the uncertainty of their water supply, not knowing what they’ve ingested, when they’ve ingested and what the long-term impacts of that will be. That would cause anybody to be distressed,” he said.

For Stryd, who unsuccessfully ran for Granisle council last year, the village’s small-town politics have boiled over at council meetings and on community Facebook groups as she’s tried to get health officials and other policy makers to take notice of the ongoing water woes.

“If you speak out against the municipality, they shut you down very, very quick. They tell you not to speak,” she said.

“That is why I ran for council because I was like, if I can get into council and I can get more information, then I can whistleblow. Now they’re going to hear me. I lost, which was to my benefit because now they can’t shush me.”

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In Australia, Prime Minister Mark Carney continued his argument that middle powers should band together, saying Canada and Australia share the advantages of legitimacy and trust.

“Australia and Canada can’t compel like the great powers; but we can convene, we can set the agenda, shape the rules, and organize and build capacity through coalitions that deliver results at speed and global scale,” Carney said in a speech at the Lowy Institute think tank in Sydney.

Carney hit on many of the same points as he did in his headline-making Davos speech in January.

“Middle powers have more power than many realize,” he argued.

Carney gave the example of Europe, Australia, Canada, Japan and South Korea, saying that, combined, they have a larger GDP than the United States and three times the trade of China.

Prior to Australia, Carney visited India, and will next head to Japan on the third and final stop of his 10-day trip.

Carney said Canada and Australia are both rich in critical minerals and are working together to build “the largest mineral reserve held by trusted democratic nations.”

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Canada and Australia could partner on more defence projects, such as those involving AI and aerospace, he said, adding that “right now, when we spend capital on defence, 70 cents of those dollars goes to the United States.”

Ottawa and Canberra signed an agreement last year for Canada to buy an Australian over-the-horizon radar system for use in the Arctic.

The two countries are also working to build links between the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the European Union, Carney said, adding that accomplishing that would create a new trading bloc of 1.5 billion people.

1:49
What’s at stake as Carney in Australia amid Middle East conflict

Carney is leading a push to get the European Union into some form of partnership with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, or CPTPP, a massive Pacific Rim trade bloc that includes Australia. Canada is a member of the CPTPP and has a trade agreement with the EU.

Following his speech, Carney participated in a question-and-answer session, joking at times and at one point dropping the F-word.

It was as he was telling a story about his time as governor of the Bank of Canada during the 2008 financial crisis, in response to a question about whether central bankers or politicians have more fun.

He was at a dinner with a group of other central bankers as the Bear Stearns investment bank was collapsing, with an hour and a half before the Asian markets opened, only for the chair of the group to spend most of a half hour describing the wine options.

“Central bankers have a lot more fun, and the (politicians), we’re working all the time. No fun, no rest for us,” he said.

Ahead of the speech, Carney held meetings with business leaders, including Simon Trott of the global mining company Rio Tinto and Jack Cowin, CEO of the fast-food company Competitive Foods. He also met with the heads of investment funds, talking with Raphael Arndt, CEO of the Future Fund, Shemara Wikramanayake, CEO of Macquarie Group, and Kate Galvin, CEO of Victorian Funds Management Corporation.

Next, he will head to Canberra, where he will meet with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and address the Australian Parliament.

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Monday would have been the 29th birthday for Logan Boulet had it not been for a tragedy eight years ago.

He played for the Humboldt Broncos and died following a collision that claimed the lives of 15 others alongside him.

Even as time goes on, the legacy of Logan has endured.

Green Shirt Day was founded after Logan made a heroic final act — becoming an organ donor.

Despite this important and lasting impact, his family still feels the void where he once was.

“It’s like Groundhog Day in the morning and like Groundhog Day at the end of the night,” said Toby Boulet, Logan’s father.

“Everything in the middle of the day changes, but the morning, you wake up the same way, Logan isn’t going to call me today. At nighttime, I haven’t called Logan today.”

For the Boulet family, some things may never return to the old normal, but they are at least thankful for the community in Lethbridge who rallied to support them.

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“The journey just continues on, and to know that people, after eight years, still support us — that’s important,” said Bernadine Boulet, Logan’s mother.

His name is known across Canada and, in fact, the world. It’s hard to measure, but it’s possible that the ripple effect of Logan’s final actions may have saved countless lives.

“Logan had the opportunity and indeed became an organ donor. He inspired so many people. We know for sure well over 150,000 people registered (as organ donors) right after that,” said Joyce Van Deurzen, executive director of the Kidney Foundation of Canada in southern Alberta and Saskatchewan.

This wasn’t something Logan or the Boulets asked for, but Bernadine says it’s good to know the conversations around organ donation have been brought into the mainstream with Green Shirt Day.

“We don’t always hear of the people who have been touched by organ donation and I think Green Shirt Day makes it so that those people have an opportunity to tell their stories and their journeys.”

Next month will mark eight years since the tragedy happened, but Toby is able to take solace in knowing Canada remembers his son as a good, kind and strong young man.

“The word legacy is wonderful, but is it a legacy of evil you’re leaving behind or a legacy of good? What’s your legacy? Everyone wants to have a legacy. Well, Logan has left behind a legacy of kindness.”

Green Shirt Day will take place on April 7, with events planned at Lethbridge’s Logan Boulet Arena. There will also be events in Calgary and all across Canada.

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Indigenous Services Canada is promising stricter enforcement against businesses falsely claiming to be Indigenous-owned in order to gain preferential access to billions worth of federal government contracts, according to a document reviewed by Global News.

In a letter sent late last month to the House of Commons’ Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee, Mandy Gull-Masty, the minister responsible for the Procurement Strategy for Indigenous Business (PSIB), said the department has moved to strengthen its verification process to ensure a business is Indigenous-owned before being listed on the government’s Indigenous Business Directory (IBD).

The government is also warning it will impose consequences for any company falsely claiming Indigeneity, including removal from the directory, barring them from future federal work or referring the matter to police.

Gull-Masty said the department has boosted training and “strengthened verification guidelines for staff,” as well as conducted a “comprehensive review” of listings in the IBD that resulted in 1,881 companies being delisted.

“Further, all (IBD) applicants are now required to answer a detailed questionnaire regarding the business’ ownership and control to help standardize and expedite assessments,” the letter read.

“This approach ensures businesses understand the assessment criteria, which has helped improve both accuracy and efficiency of the business registration and revalidation processes.”

But Gull-Masty stopped short of accepting the committee’s recommendation to immediately put in place new eligibility and verification requirements for companies to be listed as First Nations, Inuit or Métis owned.

Government departments turn to the IBD to find Indigenous businesses as part of a policy that five per cent of all government contracts go to companies owned and operated by First Nations, Métis or Inuit peoples. In 2023-24, $1.24 billion in government work was awarded under the policy.

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Conservative MP Billy Morin, who sits on the Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee, told Global News in an interview last week that he doesn’t see any “concrete action” being taken by Gull-Masty’s department.

“(It’s) a bunch of jargon and not a lot of tangible things they’re going to do to protect First Nations, but also protect government coffers,” Morin said.

“They were exceeding their (five per cent) targets in 2022-23, and they don’t say how much (went to) fraudulent businesses. And I think Canadians and First Nations are owed that.”

One of the dangers, Morin added, was that concerns that fraudulent companies could gain access to work set aside for Indigenous businesses could undermine support for the program.

“What I anticipate here is more controversy and more gatekeeping against actual, real First Nation businesses and no actual protection of the government coffers here,” Morin said.

An investigation by Global News and the First Nations University of Canada in 2024 revealed that billions in government contracts had been awarded under the PSIB with little scrutiny of whether companies were, in fact, Indigenous-owned and operated.

Under the program, which was begun in the late ’90s, government departments and agencies “set aside” five per cent of all contracted work for companies owned by First Nations, Métis or Inuit people. The program was designed both as a form of economic reconciliation and a way to help Indigenous-owned companies compete for government work against established suppliers and multinational corporations.

Internal government reviews of the program obtained by Global News suggest that, from the start, federal officials were concerned that non-Indigenous businesses were attempting to game the system to gain access to billions in federal work.

Global’s investigation revealed those concerns were well-founded, with non-Indigenous companies using schemes to gain access to that work, such as arrangements where an Indigenous person serves as a figurehead for a company’s bid in exchange for a cut of the contract.

And because of gaps in the government’s scrutiny of the IBD, other businesses were listed as Indigenous-owned without proper documentation or government verification.

Global reported that some businesses were asked to provide no supporting documents to prove their Indigeneity, including an Indigenous tribal council who were told they could upload a “picture of a bunny” to qualify for the multi-billion-dollar procurement program.

In her letter to the committee, Gull-Masty noted that longer-term and potentially significant changes to the PSIB are in the works. Those include a policy update expected later this year, as well as longer-term changes being co-developed with First Nations, Métis and Inuit leadership.

Ultimately, the government wants to “devolve” the IBD into an “Indigenous-led” model that would oversee the verification process and would continue to serve as government departments’ main source for finding First Nations, Inuit and Métis suppliers.

Canada’s Auditor General is also probing the government’s Indigenous procurement initiatives in the wake of Global’s investigation, and is expected to present their findings later this year.

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Two Muslim mothers in Quebec say they have been told they can no longer volunteer at their children’s elementary schools because they wear hijabs.

Sabaah Khan, a resident of Brossard, says she has spent more than a decade volunteering at her children’s schools, helping with activities ranging from library duties to vaccination days.

“Volunteers are needed because the teachers and the staff are very overworked, and they need a lot of help,” Khan told Global News.

Khan says staff at the Riverside School Board recently told her she could no longer volunteer because of her hijab.

“I’m from here and my kids are from here,” she said. “And I’m being told that my free time is not good enough.”

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The province banned teachers from wearing religious symbols on the job in 2019. Last year, the government barred all school personnel from wearing religious garb.

Khan says there has been confusion about how the rules are being applied. She says someone questioned whether she was allowed to enter a school gymnasium to watch her son play basketball.

“They’re constantly looking while playing a game to make sure mom’s still sitting there,” she said. “It’s just not fair and the damage it’s doing to the kids is very difficult.”

Another mother, Asma Qureshi, says she and her husband will be providing food for their child’s graduation but she has been told she cannot serve it at the event.

“We pay our taxes, we are law-abiding citizens, but we are still made to feel like second-class citizens just because of the way we look,” she said.

Both women say they do not blame the schools or school boards, saying staff who delivered the news appeared to have little choice.

In a statement, the Riverside School Board said it will approach the implementation of Bill 94 with professionalism and care and ensure staff are informed and supported.

The office of Quebec’s education minister said all parents who wish to get involved in their children’s school are welcome, provided they do not wear religious symbols.

“Students must be able to learn in a neutral environment, free of religious pressure, and in keeping with Quebec’s values of gender equality,” the statement said.

Khan says wearing a hijab her choice.

“This is a part of my choice to dress modestly and you can’t take away my right to my freedom of choice,” she said.

Khan and Qureshi say they plan to keep speaking out against Bill 94 in hopes things will change.

Vonda Fire and Rescue and its 12 volunteer firefighters are getting a new fire truck, paid for by private funds from members and the community.

“You never know what you’re going to encounter. It could be a grass fire, it could be a major structure fire. You always want to be prepared,” said Andrew Scanlon, co-chief of Vonda Fire and Rescue.

Town council voted not to use town money to help purchase the truck, so the team took matters into their own hands.

“When we were rejected for only $15,000… we were pretty confused because we had more than enough money to cover this truck. I’m very appreciative that our community and our members decided we’re going to do it anyways,” said Byron Saxinger, co-chief of Vonda Fire and Rescue.

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“We’re going to use our money so it’s not our rate payers’ money.”

Mayor Brenda Willman was supportive of providing the money, saying she’s happy to see the community will continue to have the protection residents deserve.

“It’s such a huge asset,” Willman said. “It warms my heart to see our fire department team get together, pool their money with some community support that reached out to them when they found out the denial from council.”

Scanlon says the new truck won’t only benefit the town, but also the province.

“This will serve not just the community, but neighbouring communities who might need mutual aid, as well as the provincial government, should they need assistance during the wildfire season,” he said. “Or neighbouring provinces. Alberta sometimes asks for help.”

A special shout-out went to Melissa Gerwing, who was heavily involved in acquiring the fire truck.

Watch above for more on Vonda’s new fire truck and how Vonda Fire and Rescue is looking out for their community.

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Residents in some south Edmonton neighbourhoods near the University of Alberta are sounding the alarm over new infill properties where individual bedroom are being rented out rooming house-style — in some cases by the day and even the hour.

People living in Belgravia and McKernan who spoke to Global News feel some of the developments are deceptive.

“As it’s being built, they’re not advertised that they’re going to be rooming houses,” explained McKernan resident Rhonda Bell.

“They say seven or eight units —a multi-family dwelling. But what they’re actually building is about 32 rooms at a time.

“Each bedroom has it’s own ensuite. So it’s misleading.”

Global News found classified posts on Facebook Marketplace and Kijiji advertising daily and even hourly rentals for individual bedrooms within a newly constructed infill in the McKernan neighbourhood.

“It’s really questionable — who’s going to be included as a tenant?” Bell wondered.

“It can become a revolving door and that’s really not safe.”

The ads say the kitchen, bathroom and laundry is shared. There is no mention of living rooms. Costs range from $35-$65 per night. The number of bedrooms in the building was not clear.

Frustrated community members sent the advertisements to their city councillor, Michael Janz.

“Ultimately, we need more accountability around landlords,” Janz said.

“We need more accountability around property owners. We need to make sure that the ad matches the delivery.”

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Rooming houses, formally called “lodging houses” are a unique development in Edmonton, as they require different safety measures.

The city defines a lodging house as a building, or part of a building, containing four or more “sleeping units” in which each is rented individually.

According to the city, the McKernan property on the online ad is listed as a four-plex and zones for Small Scale Residential (RS), but there is an application in development for a partial change to a lodging house.

There were various numbers to contact on the Kijiji ads, including some saying text-only.

A woman listed as a contact declined an interview, but told Global News she has a short-term rental license.

After Global News reached out to the phone numbers on Monday, the postings on Kijiji and Marketplace were all taken down within an hour.

Councillor Janz said that is suspect.

“I think neighbours deserve a sense of transparency and predictability and fairness about who their neighbours are, who’s in the community, what the nature of your building is.”

1:51
Edmonton man buys neighbour’s house to prevent infill development

He also worries about what impact developments like this have on the subject of infill — something that’s been highly controversial in Edmonton for years.

“I think cases like this, even if they’re one or two off anecdotes, do not help.

“They undermine the social license, they undermine the public sense of surety, they make other neighbours worried.”

Janz has been fielding infill concerns from his constituents for some time now, which last year led to him bringing forward a motion at city hall.

Now, a report will be coming forward outlining exactly what a lodging house is, and where it can be built.

In the meantime, neighbours feel there are loopholes in existing rules being exploited that the city should have caught.

“They approved the plans, knowing full well that there would be 32 bedrooms and 32 bathrooms,” Bell explained, adding the city spokesperson she was directed to said they were shocked to hear properties were being rented by the room.

“That wasn’t the plan and you can see it from the drawings of the buildings. That was never the plan. Don’t pretend it was the plan. Honesty is the best policy,” she said.

The infill home next to her has been renting individual rooms monthly to students. She said that’s created issues over parking, garbage, landscaping and snow removal.

By using unregulated classified sites to rent through, like Kijiji or Facebook Marketplace, as opposed to established short-term rental companies like Airbnb, Bell said there’s no recourse for neighbours or tenants with concerns.

Regardless of the designation, Bell said the actual use of the property is what matters.

“When it walks like a duck and moves like a duck and quacks like a duck — at some point people have to call it a duck,” she said.

“Call it what it is, then that will help the city set out appropriate bylaws for operating it — not just for building it.”

2:06
Edmonton homeowner worries neighbouring 8-plex infill will block his solar panels

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