Concordia and McGill universities say they are abandoning their legal challenge against the Quebec government’s decision to maintain a 33 per cent tuition hike for out-of-province students.
The English universities won a ruling last April after the Superior Court overturned the hike of about $3,000, finding that it was unreasonable.
But the province formally entrenched the tuition increase in a revised framework published in January, saying the government wanted to ensure Quebec taxpayers weren’t subsidizing the education of out-of-province students.
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Premier François Legault has said the tuition hike is in part to reduce the number of English-speaking people in Montreal and protect the French language.
McGill University says that while it doesn’t believe the government’s response respects the 2025 court ruling, the school has decided that further litigation would undermine the university’s objectives.
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A spokesperson for Concordia University says the school doesn’t have the financial means to continue the challenge and hopes it can work productively with the government.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 27, 2026.
Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon says he wants more clarity on OpenAI’s committed safety protocol changes after the Tumbler Ridge, B.C., mass shooting, and isn’t ruling out legislative changes to address the issue.
The company behind ChatGPT on Thursday said it would enhance its police referral and repeat offender detection practices, after it did not elevate the shooter’s AI chatbot activity to police months before she killed eight people and wounded dozens of others.
In a statement Friday, Solomon said OpenAI’s statement did not include “a detailed plan for how these commitments will be implemented in practice.”
He said he would be meeting with CEO Sam Altman next week to “seek further clarity” and assurances of “concrete action.”
“The tragedy in Tumbler Ridge has raised serious questions about how digital platforms respond when credible warning signs of violence emerge,” the minister said. “Canadians deserve greater clarity about how human review decisions are made, how escalation thresholds are applied, and how privacy considerations are balanced with public safety.
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“We will be seeking further clarity on how human review is conducted and whether Canadian context and best practices are appropriately embedded in those decisions. I will also be consulting with my cabinet colleagues on additional options.”
Solomon added he would also be meeting with other AI companies in the coming weeks “to ensure there is a consistent and clear approach to escalation, local coordination, and youth protection.”
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“Decisions affecting Canadians must reflect Canadian laws, Canadian standards, and Canadian expertise,” he said.
“All options remain on the table as we assess what further steps may be necessary. Public safety must come first.”
Solomon and other federal ministers expressed frustration with OpenAI after the company did not present an action plan during a meeting in Ottawa on Tuesday.
The ministers said they would give OpenAI a chance to come back with one before considering a legislative response to the issue of how AI companies handle and address users’ violent behaviour.
OpenAI representatives summoned to Ottawa over Tumbler Ridge shooting
Researchers and opposition MPs have urged the federal government to speed up efforts to regulate the AI industry in the wake of the Tumbler Ridge shooting.
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OpenAI acknowledged on Thursday that, if it had detected Jesse VanRootselaar’s ChatGPT activity today, it would have flagged it to law enforcement under its current police referral thresholds, which were updated “several months ago.”
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Instead, that activity was only referred to RCMP after the shooting occurred.
It also revealed that it found a second ChatGPT account linked to VanRootselaar after she was identified as the shooter in Tumbler Ridge — despite her first account being shut down last June due to “violent” activity and a system meant to detect repeat violators of OpenAI’s policies.
The company committed to further enhancing both of those protocols, as well as establishing direct points of contact with Canadian authorities and developing better practices of connecting users to local mental health supports if they exhibit troubling behaviour.
B.C. Premier David Eby said Thursday he will also be meeting with Altman, calling OpenAI’s commitments “cold comfort for the people of Tumbler Ridge.”
He told reporters Friday in Vancouver there is no firm date yet for the meeting with the CEO, who has yet to comment publicly on the Tumbler Ridge tragedy or the changes his company says it will make in Canada.
“I want to recognize that OpenAI did come forward,” Eby said. “They did bring the information forward to police. They didn’t try to cover it up after the fact, but this was a colossal, horrific mistake, I guess, is the most generous interpretation I can offer, to fail to bring that information forward to authorities.
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“It’s important that Mr. Altman realizes that, and I will be looking for his support for a national standard across Canada, a national threshold where all AI companies must report — and clear consequences for if they fail to report — incidents where people are planning violence, planning to hurt other people, and using these tools to develop those plans.”
A Markham man who drove drunk with only a G2 licence, causing a head-on collision that killed off-duty York Regional Police (YRP) officer Travis Gillespie, has been sentenced to six years in a penitentiary.
Haoju Zhou was found guilty of impaired driving causing death and dangerous driving causing death last October after a judge-alone trial.
Along with the six-year prison sentence, Justice Mark Edwards imposed a 10-year driving prohibition which goes into effect from the day of sentence.
Edwards said that Zhou, a citizen of China who was an international student at York University at the time of the crash, could be deported at the expiry of his sentence.
The incident took place on Sept. 14, 2022, around 6 a.m., when Gillespie was driving along Major Mackenzie Drive in Markham on his way to work at YRP 2 District in Richmond Hill where he worked as a police constable.
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Zhou, who was driving in his father’s Porsche Cayenne SUV, was travelling eastbound.
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As he reached the crest of a hill, Zhou veered into westbound lanes of traffic and slammed into Gillespie’s car, causing it to spin counterclockwise and hit a dump truck.
Gillespie, 38, was pronounced dead at the scene.
An autopsy found the cause of death to be blunt force trauma.
Zhou was arrested at the scene and transported to Markham Stouffville Hospital.
Zhou’s blood alcohol level (BAC) at the time of the crash was 80 mg per 100 ml of alcohol. In Ontario, a driver with a G2 licence must maintain a 0.00% blood alcohol level.
“He came to Canada as an international student to study at York University. Like so many other drivers he made a terrible mistake. By getting behind the wheel of a motor vehicle knowing he was intoxicated, he went from a law-abiding citizen to someone facing life in prison,” said Edwards.
The maximum sentence for impaired driving causing death is life imprisonment.
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The judge noted that Zhou was a youthful offender with no prior criminal record, nor any Highway Traffic Act (HTA) convictions.
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“He was a relatively young man with relatively little driving experience, reflected by the fact he had a G2 licence. His father warned him not to drink and drive … He chose to do what he knew was wrong. It resulted in a totally needless and avoidable tragedy,” said Edwards.
The Crown had suggested a sentence of seven years, whereas defence said the range of four years was more appropriate.
After enhanced credit for 10-and-a-half months spent in pre-trial custody, Zhou has four years and seven months left to serve.
As he was let out of the courtroom in handcuffs, Gillespie’s family said they were relieved.
“I’m glad he showed up for court today. I was nervous he would flee and I’m glad he left the courtroom in handcuffs,” said Dan Gillespie, the victim’s brother. “He’s dragged my family through this for the past three-and-a-half years.”
Gillespie’s girlfriend said she hopes others think twice before getting behind the wheel after drinking or using drugs.
“Just don’t drive impaired,” she said. “It’s dumb. Just stop. It’s common sense.”
A WWE Hall of Fame ring belonging to the late British Bulldog has been recovered after someone attempted to pawn it in Lloydminster, according to family members.
Harry Smith, who performs under the alias Davey Boy Smith Jr., said online that his father’s ring had been found after police were called when someone tried to sell it.
“Good news!!… my dad’s WWE Hall of Fame ring has been FOUND!!! Someone tried to pawn it, and the police were called! Thank you all for your help and getting the word spread on this matter!” Smith wrote.
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Diana Hart Smith also confirmed the ring was located at a pawn shop in Lloydminster and is “in the process of being returned” to Smith.
“Great news! Davey’s WWE Hall of Fame Ring has been found at a pawn shop in Lloydminster and the ring is in the process of being returned to @dbsmithjr,” she wrote in a post on social media.
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The ring had been reported stolen Wednesday during a break-in involving Canadian Wrestling’s Elite while the promotion was touring in the area, before leaving for Saskatoon.
The original British Bulldog, Davey Boy Smith, was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame posthumously in 2020, nearly two decades after his death in 2002.
The ring represents both a professional honour and a family heirloom passed down to his son, who calls it “priceless.”
China’s government says it will suspend some tariffs on Canadian agricultural goods following a recent visit by Prime Minister Mark Carney.
The country’s finance ministry says 100 per cent tariffs on canola meal and peas, and a 25 per cent levy on lobsters and crabs, will not be imposed.
A statement says the announcement, which made no mention of canola seed tariffs, will take effect March 1 and continue through to the end of 2026.
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The announcement comes after Carney met earlier this year with Chinese President Xi Jinping in a visit that saw the leaders ink a deal on electric vehicles and canola.
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The pair agreed Canada would import up to 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles each year at a tariff rate of 6.1 per cent in exchange for lower duties on canola seed.
Carney’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
On the walls of Donna Bartlett’s home hang photos of her beloved granddaughter, Marcedes Myran.
“She used to love getting her picture taken. She would jump in front of other people; they couldn’t get in [the photo],” Barlett laughed. “She was funny. That was my girl.”
Photos and tributes of Marcedes Myran hang on the walls of Donna Bartlett’s home.
Jordan Pearn / Global News
Messages and memories of Marcedes also hang on the walls.
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“She made this when she was in school,” Bartlett said, reading a poem by Marcedes hanging on the wall. “It says friends are like family, because they help you when you need it.”
A vase with Marcedes Myran’s image on it inside Donna Bartlett’s home. Bartlett says Marcedes loved yellow roses.
Jordan Pearn / Global News
They’re memories that both Barlett and Marcedes’ mother, Pamela Myran, keep close to their hearts.
“I have this little box; we were at the women’s centre and we were painting boxes,” Pamela told Global News. “She painted a heart with little scribbles around it and a music box.”
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“She said, ‘When I go, Mom, you’ll always be able to hear my heart,’” Pamela said through tears. “It’s like, don’t make jokes like that… That’s the only thing I kept of hers. My mom has the rest, but that’s what I cherish.”
Marcedes’ family remembers her as a happy and kind daughter, mother, sister, granddaughter and friend. They also say Marcedes, a member of Long Plain First Nation, was a bit of a practical joker.
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“I always remember her playing jokes. When I’d go visit them at their mom’s, she’d always hide my purse or my shoes so I couldn’t leave. So when it was time for me to go, they were gone. Missing,” Bartlett laughed.
Marcedes Myran’s grandmother, Donna Bartlett, says her granddaughter always had a great sense of humour.
Jordan Pearn / Global News
“Whenever she’d get in trouble, she’d ground herself or say, ‘Mom, I’m going to do dishes for a week because I’ve been a bad girl.’ I didn’t have to ground her, she’d ground herself. I thought that was cute,” Pamela said.
“And yeah, she was a pain in the butt; she’d bug her brother and sisters.”
“She had that big smile, I’ll never forget her smile. Her girl is the same way…. She has the same smile. Now, when I watch [her daughter], I see Marcedes,” Bartlett said.
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“She was a good kid, I’m not saying she was perfect but she was perfect for us,” Bartlett added. “Too trusting. That’s how that guy got her, because she was too trusting.”
Marcedes’ mother, Pamela Myran, and grandmother, Donna Bartlett, say the pain of losing their loved one will stay with them forever.
Josh Arason / Global News
It’s been about one year since the province announced that Marcedes Myran and Morgan Harris were coming home. The remains of both women were found in the Prairie Green landfill, just north of Winnipeg, after they were murdered by a convicted serial killer in 2022.
It’s still vivid in their minds.
“It just made it real. They found 15 per cent of her, that’s all they could find,” Bartlett said. “It just made it real. She’s gone. She will never come in the door again, never be able to hug her or say I love you. Never be able to see her again, see her smile.”
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“I had a lot of things in my head, like how she died, what was the last word she said. I wanted to know everything,” Pamela said.
“She’s still over there, that’s her home now, that’s her home…. It just hurts that I don’t get all of her.”
Marcedes Myran.
Josh Arason / Global News
Bartlett says the grief is something that will stay with the family forever, but so will the memories of Marcedes.
“I just wish she was here, because if you would have met her when she was alive, you would have seen how nice she was, what a beautiful person she is,” Bartlett said.
“How much pain this has caused us. How much this has torn our family apart. How much pain her children are going to have when they have to learn to live without her.
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“I miss her. And they won’t take that away, they can never take that away. I’ll always miss her.”
The Brantford Police Service have arrested and charged a 39-year-old woman in connection with the 2005 death of a newborn boy known as Baby Parker.
Police said the infant’s body was discovered on July 28, 2005, on walking trails near Dufferin Avenue and Parkside Drive in Brantford.
The full-term newborn boy was found deceased, prompting an extensive investigation.
Because the child’s identity was unknown, officers named him “Baby Parker.” Until now, neither the child’s mother nor father had been identified, police said.
With assistance from the Toronto Police Service and the use of new DNA technologies and advanced investigative techniques, detectives were able to identify the person believed to be the newborn’s mother.
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On Feb. 26, 2026, a woman who was living in Brantford at the time of the incident was charged with indignity to a body and concealing the body of a child.
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Police said the name of the accused will not be released due to the sensitive nature of the investigation, privacy considerations and the ongoing judicial process.
Police added they have no evidence to suggest anyone else was involved in the birth of Baby Parker or in the events that followed, and do not anticipate further charges.
Police had previously indicated the mother may have been between 13 and 17 years old at the time, had a connection to the Holmedale neighbourhood and may have concealed the pregnancy.
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In 2005, police also released segments of a letter believed to have been written by the mother, sharing handwriting samples publicly in hopes someone would recognize the author.
While tips were received, none led to conclusive results, and police said they currently have no evidence confirming the letter writer’s identity.
On Aug. 17, 2025, the community marked the 20-year anniversary of the memorial service and the date Baby Parker was laid to rest.
In a statement, Insp. Keith Tollar of the Investigative Support Branch thanked officers and civilian members, both past and present, for their dedication to the case.
“To seek closure for Baby Parker has led us to this important milestone,” Tollar said, noting his appreciation for those who assisted in the case, given its distressing nature.
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Police said they will not provide further comment as the matter is now before the courts.
A man in his 70s has died after being struck by a vehicle in Mississauga on Thursday evening, according to Peel Regional Police.
Police said officers responded to Lakeshore Road East and Stavebank Road area at approximately 7:10 p.m, when a blue Chevy Trax travelling westbound on Lakeshore Road struck a pedestrian, who was crossing mid-block from north to south.
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The driver, an adult male, remained at the scene and was co-operative with investigators.
Peel EMS responded to the scene and transported the male to a local hospital with serious, life-threatening injuries.
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The pedestrian later died in hospital.
The investigation is now underway by the Major Collision Bureau. No charges have been laid.
The intersection was closed following the collision, but has since reopened.
An Ontario agency responsible for probing police misconduct is investigating three suspended Peel Regional Police officers over alleged ties to an ongoing corruption probe.
The Law Enforcement Complaints Agency (LECA), which investigates allegations related to the Community Safety and Policing Act, announced Thursday that it’s in the “public interest” for it to take control of the probe.
Earlier this month, Peel Regional Police administratively suspended three officers after York Regional Police unveiled accusations of corruption within Toronto police as part of its probe dubbed Project South.
The allegations against seven active Toronto police officers and one retired Toronto officer include bribery, obstruction of justice, drug trafficking, theft of personal property, breach of trust and the unauthorized access and distribution of confidential information.
No officers from Peel Regional Police have been charged in connection with Project South, a spokesperson for the force told Global News on Feb. 6.
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LECA said Peel Regional Police informed them of the allegations against its officers on Monday.
“Based on all the information to date, Director [Stephen] Leach determined that it is in the public interest for LECA to assume control of the conduct investigation,” the agency said in a news release.
“LECA’s conduct investigation will not interfere with any ongoing criminal investigations or prosecutions, nor does the initiation of a conduct investigation displace the right of members of the public to submit a related complaint.”
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LECA added that it’s also investigating the misconduct allegations against the Toronto police officers.
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The unveiling of Project South sent shockwaves throughout the region and resulted in the announcement of a review into Ontario’s police services and boards.
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Ryan Teschner, the province’s inspector general of policing, told reporters on Feb. 9 that the review will examine officer supervision and span of control, screening and vetting of officers, access to police databases and information systems, evidence and property management, and substance abuse and fitness for duty.
If the review finds any non-compliance with policing legislation, Teschner said he’ll determine whether to issue any legally binding directions.
His directions and the full review will be made public.
Toronto police Chief Myron Demkiw has sought the reviews and is currently seeking suspension without pay for six of the seven officers who were charged.
The nuances of legislation don’t allow him to seek suspension without pay for the seventh officer, he has said.
