The federal government has announced $1.2 million in funding for a new program that aims to help Muslim youth in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick avoid joining gangs and taking part in criminal activity.

“This project will help to steer youth away from a life of crime and give them the support they need to make safer, healthier choices in life,” said federal Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree.

Anandasangaree was in Halifax Friday to make the announcement in partnership with Ummah Society, a Muslim-led charity in Atlantic Canada.

The project, dubbed Gang Busters: Reducing Youth Violence And Gang Involvement, will focus on young people aged 15 to 30.

Organizers say the program will address factors such as social isolation and discrimination, while offering mentorship and prevention-based programming.

“In Halifax, as in many cities across Canada, we face real challenges. Some of our youth experience isolation, poverty, online radicalization, and pressure that can lead toward gang involvement and many other issues,” said Abdullah Yousri, the CEO of Ummah Society.

“This funding is more than a financial contribution. It is an investment in local leadership, community trust and the organizations working every day on the front lines to support our young.”

2:27
Surrey RCMP dispel myths of gang life with video

Yousri said the support that will be offered could include counselling and therapy services, as well as cultural, religious and linguistic support for youth. The program is projected to help 700 people.

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“These are the youth that we wanted to re-engage … in the community and work with them and we see them and identify them as youth at risk from engaging in such activities,” he said.

Anandasangaree added that the funding, which is through Public Safety Canada’s Youth Gang Prevention Fund, is particularly important at this time — not just for the Maritimes but for all of Canada.

The country is still reeling from the impacts of the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting in B.C., where an 18-year-old shooter killed eight people.

As well, recent cases of young people being arrested and charged for alleged participation in the online extremist group, 764 Network, highlight the growing concerns about youth violence.

Liberal MP Shannon Miedema, who represents Halifax, said it’s important for a growing city to get ahead of these problems.

“I would say it’s not about number or frequency, it’s about really focusing on that critical prevention that we need to do to try and ensure that that doesn’t happen again,” she said.

A sentiment echoed by the public safety minister.

“Certainly as a major city, a major hub within the region, it does provide for those opportunities to escalate, and our objective is prevention,” said Anandasangaree.

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Coffee and beer were both flowing as bleary-eyed fans in Western Canada tuned in to the breakfast-time Olympic hockey semifinal against Finland.

The Games in northern Italy are taking place eight time zones ahead of Alberta and Saskatchewan, and nine hours ahead for folks in British Columbia.

It’s been a similar situation to other Olympic Games over the past decade, held halfway around the world in Paris, France (2024), Beijing, China (2022), Tokyo, Japan (2020) and Pyeongchang, South Korea (2018).

At the Shark Club Sports Bar and Grill in Vancouver, the 7:40 a.m. puck drop didn’t deter more than 100 fans from soaking up the action and watching Canada win the match 3-2.

There were servings of breakfast tacos, home fries, eggs and bacon, alongside coffee, Guinness and mimosas.

2:49
Toronto relaxes liquor laws to allow 6 a.m. serving during Olympics

Simon Marshall only arrived in Canada the night before from Australia but managed to pick up a Canada jersey to watch the match.

He was jet-lagged and admitted he was still learning the finer points of the game.

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“I watched ‘Mighty Ducks,’ 1, 2 and 3 for the second time recently, just to educate myself,” said Marshall, who noted he typically just follows the Summer Games.

“I’m just a sport lover, so I’m trying to embrace the Winter Olympics.”

Malik Dhami and John Cookson, who were sipping coffee, not beer, at the Vancouver bar said despite the early hour, it was important to share the fan experience.

“Sure, we could watch it in the four walls of our own homes,” explained Dhami. “As a Canadian, you’ve got to come out.”

“We were just looking for a place that would have the game on and would have it loud,” Cookson said.

General manager Murray Saunders said the city extended the bar’s liquor licence for the Olympics and it could be serving beer as early as 5:30 a.m. for Sunday’s pre-dawn men’s final.

“It’s cheering on Canada,” Saunders said about why people came to his bar so early on Friday.

He said the Vancouver Goldeneyes hockey team was in the packed bar on Thursday to watch the “amazing” Canada-U.S. women’s final, and the bar is already fully booked for the men’s final this weekend.

At Kelly’s Pub in downtown Edmonton, Amelia Carruthers said watching a game at home “doesn’t have the same camaraderie.”

“You have these fans here cheering and groaning and it’s fun,” she said, after ordering breakfast with her daughter Chloe Paré.

“The tater tots are amazing,” she added, saying she was a little taken aback that others were ordering beer.

6:11
Canada at the Olympics: A look back at a century of moments

At a nearby table, Schyla Courtorielle sat with a friend and her dad, who was working on a laptop.

“We can plug in and have the game on in the background while still working,” said Courtorielle, adding she had taken in a lot of early morning Olympic hockey so far.

“We start with breakfast and tea, and once we have some food in our system, then we’ll move to the booze,” she said.

Like watching hockey at a bar at night, the breakfast show had fans on their feet at times, with the Shark Club crowd singing a round of Stompin’ Tom Connor’s The Hockey Song after Canada’s win.

Hockey fans will do it all over again this weekend: the puck drops on Sunday’s gold medal match at 5 a.m. PT/8 a.m. ET.

— With files from Karen Bartko, Global News

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Peel Regional Police say a Brampton, Ont., kidnapping investigation has led to multiple charges and the seizure of a firearm after a victim was allegedly held at gunpoint during a $200,000 ransom demand.

According to Peel police’s release, the investigation began on Nov. 6, 2025, at approximately 6 p.m., when a complainant contacted officers to report that a close friend had been kidnapped.

Investigators allege the accused demanded $200,000, warning that the victim would be harmed if the payment was not made.

The victim was safely located and found to be unharmed. One accused was arrested at the scene, where a .45-calibre firearm was recovered.

“Through their coordinated and persistent efforts, they [police] removed an illegal firearm from our streets and intervened in time to protect a victim from harm,” Peel Regional Police Chief Marc Andrews said.

On Feb. 13, 2026, investigators executed two Criminal Code search warrants in Brampton, where additional evidence related to the investigation was located.

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Police say officers also seized a loaded firearm magazine and an unloaded rifle magazine.

Two Brampton men, both 27, have been charged with multiple firearm-related and kidnapping offences.

Police say an arrest warrant has also been issued for a third suspect, a 28-year-old with no fixed address, who now faces similar charges.

Anyone with information is being asked to contact Peel police.

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A rain-to-snow transition is sweeping across Ontario once again, with eastern and central parts of the province forecast to receive up to 20 centimetres of snow through Saturday.

According to weather forecasters, a storm similar to Wednesday’s system will move across southern and eastern Ontario on Friday, bringing another round of mixed and shifting precipitation.

The showers started Friday morning and will move east throughout the day.

Many regions are expected to see rain transition to freezing rain before changing over to snow, though not all areas will experience every phase.

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The precipitation near the Greater Toronto Area will create cloudy and wet conditions throughout the day, before the rain is expected to stop in the evening.

Compared with Wednesday’s storm, the approaching system is expected to deliver more consistent snowfall to eastern Ontario, including Ottawa, where accumulation totals could climb significantly.

According to Environment Canada, the heaviest snowfall, between 15 and 20 centimetres, is forecasted for parts of eastern and central Ontario, where colder air is expected to remain firmly in place.

Toronto, however, is expected to stay warm enough to predominantly see rain for much of the event, with a gradual shift to snow possible later.

Environment Canada has also issued yellow freezing rain warnings for some areas north and east of Ottawa, as well as regions farther north, including areas near Barrie.

Environment Canada urges the public to check driving conditions before getting behind the wheel.

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A Porter Airlines flight arriving in Hamilton from Edmonton Wednesday lost traction and slid off the taxiway, officials say.

Flight PD478 landed safely at John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport but lost traction due to weather conditions while taxiing to the terminal, a spokesperson for the airport told Global News Friday.

“There were 78 passengers and crew onboard, with no reported injuries,” they said.

A spokesperson for Porter added the plane’s nose wheel had slightly left the paved surface.

The incident caused delays at the airport.

“Out of precaution, the airport elected to close the runways for a brief period, resulting in two flights being diverted to Toronto Pearson International Airport (Porter 764 inbound from Cancun and Porter flight 484 inbound from Calgary),” the airport spokesperson said.

“Normal operations resumed shortly thereafter. The aircraft will undergo typical inspections before returning to service.”

0:30
Porter Airlines flight becomes ‘disabled’ after landing at Halifax airport from Toronto

This is the second Porter flight to slide off a taxiway this month.

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On Feb. 12, a Porter flight from Toronto arrived at Halifax Stanfield International Airport and “became disabled at the end of Runway 14/32 following landing,” the airport told Global News in a statement.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada said in a statement the aircraft landed without incident at 8:21 p.m., but as it was “exiting the runway onto the taxiway, the aircraft slid laterally and got stuck in the snow.”

Emergency crews responded to the plane for an assessment and determined that the aircraft could not make its way to the terminal on its own, airport officials said.

Porter said the plane — carrying 59 passengers and five crew members on board — had become disabled in snow off the taxiway after landing. A winter storm calling for as much as 20 centimetres of snow had moved through the region.

There were no reports of injuries, the airline said.

— With files from Global News’ Gabby Rodrigues

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There’s a sandwich foodies have flown thousands of kilometres to Japan to try and have strategized how to get through customs to share with friends back home.

Though it sells for just a few bucks and comes wrapped in plastic, it even got the stamp of approval from late food journalist Anthony Bourdain who labelled it “pillows of love.”

That sandwich — a tamago sando, or Japanese-style egg salad sandwich — comes from 7-Eleven, one of the world’s biggest convenience store chains.

The treat, which nestles a generous heap of cooked eggs and Kewpie mayonnaise between fluffy pieces of crustless milk bread, is about to make its way to Canada on March 4.

But for 7-Eleven, it’s much more than a sandwich. It’s a small part of a broader, five-year push to deepen the chain’s presence in Canada and help it grow in an environment where everyone is now their competitor.

“The industry just generally has blurred,” Marc Goodman, vice-president and general manager of 7-Eleven Canada, said in an interview.

2:10
Business Matters: Canada’s Couche-Tard looks to buy owner of 7-Eleven

That means the convenience stores you might have popped into for a chocolate bar are now facing competition from Walmart, which has plunked itself in every city with more than 10,000 people, and other discount stores, where treats are a very low price, he said.

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Also in the mix are grocery stores with expanded snack sections and more ready-to-go meals than ever, food trucks that can pop up in front of the busiest office districts and fast-food chains welcoming walk-in customers and others requesting meals through delivery apps.

“So more and more we’ve been seeing the external environment trying to take a piece of our pie, if you would,” Goodman said.

Never was that more true than over the last two years, when Alimentation Couche-Tard, the Laval, Que.-based convenience store goliath also behind Circle K and Ingo, tried to purchase 7-Eleven parent company Seven & i Holdings.

Seven & i’s board initially rebuffed Couche-Tard’s overtures but then the Quebec firm sweetened its deal and the two met at the table to discuss how a sale could get regulatory approval. Months later, Couche-Tard walked away, accusing its takeover target of a “persistent lack of good faith engagement.”

Asked about the failed merger and how it’s shaping the company now, Goodman said, “that was interesting, but we never lost sight and never took our foot off the pedal.”

“We continued down our path and our direction and we’re glad we did and now, it’s time to accelerate it,” he said.

That plan is to combat competition, not just with the sandwich, but also with a revamp to 7-Eleven’s business model and move toward franchising.

The chain, which has been in Canada since 1969, has 550 corporately-owned stores between Ontario and B.C.

Goodman says a franchisor could help the company reach the Maritimes and Quebec and beef up its presence in Ontario.

Franchise growth will come as the company slowly repositions itself to be more like a quick-serve restaurant that happens to sell convenience store items, he said.

Some of that shift has already taken shape with many locations selling beer and wine and others offering dine-in seating for customers who don’t want to dirty their car with food.

There’s also been an emphasis on more diverse and quality food. For example, 7-Eleven Canada ships in its samosas from India and has hundreds of stores where crispy chicken is battered on site and croissants and cookies are baked. There are also four commissaries the company runs in Canada where it makes food that is then sent immediately to stores.

“If we talk about this in five years’ time, hopefully, we’ll see a higher degree of fresh food sales and hot food sales, and proprietary beverage sales, than we have today,” Goodman said.

“And while we’ll still have our traditional convenience store items, that will take a back seat.”

Some of its new stars will come from Japan. It already sells onigiri — Japanese rice balls — but Goodman says, “we can probably do better with that product and expand.”

“Whatever is popular in Japan, we could hopefully find one day here in Canada in our 7-Elevens,” he said.

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The NDP leadership candidates began the final official debate with a general acknowledgment they agree on policies, but have different visions for how to achieve their most existential goal — rebuilding the party.

At the close of the debate, each candidate was asked if they are running to rebuild the party or become the prime minister. Four of the five candidates said they are running to rebuild the party, while Ontario organic farmer Tony McQuail was the lone candidate who said he is eyeing the Prime Minister’s Office.

During opening remarks in the Vancouver-area debate, Alberta MP Heather McPherson said the party needs someone who knows how to turn NDP policies and values into electoral wins. She said she has a track record of beating Conservatives in her home province and can expand that nationally.

Following the debate, she said that the NDP has always been the party of “big ideas” but to get them implemented you need get people elected.

“What we really need to do is look across the country and pick up seats where we have lost support, and I think we can do that,” McPherson said after the debate.

“I think there are many areas across the country where we have seen New Democrats are strong, where people actually thought they were electing — they were voting for something they didn’t get,” McPherson said after the debate, alluding to votes lost to the Liberals in 2025.

She then pointed to areas she sees as winnable for the NDP including Vancouver Island, Metro Vancouver and southern Ontario.

Documentarian Avi Lewis said the same approaches seen in past elections will not work and the NDP needs to be putting forward big, bold ideas. He said this can be a winning strategy as his campaign has pulled in the most donations, nearly $780,000 as of Dec. 31, 2025, and is getting significant member support.

Lewis disputed the assertion that they all agree on what the NDP needs to do, and talked about his push for government-run options in groceries, telecoms and banking as a means of addressing affordability.

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“We’ve raised almost as much money on our campaign as all the other campaigns combined, we have signed up new members in 338 out of 343 ridings and we have giant events packed with hundreds of people across the country. So something about our offer is resonating,” Lewis said after the debate.

Dockworker union leader Rob Ashton disputed this, and said people need quicker fixes to address the affordability crisis and establishing these new Crown services will take too long.

Ashton said in his opening statements that the party needs to go back to its working-class roots if it wants to try and win back ridings that it lost in the last election to the Conservatives and Liberals. Ashton said that without that support, their ideas will remain ideas.

He later took a shot at Lewis for his authorship role in the Leap Manifesto, saying it killed the Alberta NDP’s chances of being re-elected under former premier Rachel Notley.

“The part that I disagree with is not communicating with the provincial NDP, the Alberta NDP, before bringing it forward, before dropping it on the table in Alberta,” Ashton said after the debate.

“Because that’s when the sitting government, sitting NDP government had to fight and defend themselves.”

2:20
Natural resources key in upcoming NDP leadership race: analysis

Lewis defended the Leap Manifesto saying it had wide union buy-in and was adopted as a resolution by three-quarters of NDP members as a federal policy resolution at the party’s 2016 convention in Edmonton.

McPherson said that the party only agreed to look at the Leap Manifesto and it gave provincial conservative leaders, including former Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall, a cudgel to beat the NDP with.

Social worker Tanille Johnston opened the debate saying that she is honoured to be the first Indigenous person to be on a federal leadership ballot.

She said Canada needs to bring in a universal basic income to pull people out of poverty, end fossil fuel subsidies and have proper government-to-government relations with Indigenous communities.

Johnston said that the party and leader need to physically go to more places they don’t have seats, speak to people and more importantly listen to those community needs.

“Not going to the places and spaces where we have big opportunities is not helping us. Prince Albert, huge opportunity in Prince Albert, (Sask.) and a lot of people might not see that. Prince Albert has a very high Indigenous population and people tell me all the time well Indigenous people don’t vote,” Johnston said during the debate.

“I’m like ‘well have you had a gone and had a conversation with them?’ … No we haven’t.”

McQuail said Canada needs a radical societal reworking to address climate change and the affordability crisis. He said Canada needs to redistribute wealth and shift the country’s capitalist, consumer society to a more sustainable system.

“We have to talk about how do we not only change the economy and transition it to renewables, but how do we redesign to drastically reduce the amount of energy and resources that economies use,” McQuail said during the debate.

“Because our economic growth, which has been promoted for the 45 years since I got involved in politics is actually becoming a cancer on the planet.”

Yves Engler, a Montreal activist who was not allowed to run in the race, and a small group of protesters tried to enter the studio during the debate. They banged on the doors, shouting “Let us in!”

Local police arrived at the studio in New Westminster, B.C., to remove the protesters.

The broadcast of the debate was not interrupted by the protest.

Engler had promised to disrupt the race after his candidacy was not approved.

The race will be decided through a ranked ballot vote. Voting opens on March 9 and closed on March 28 at 7 p.m. Voters will be able to cast their ballot online, by phone or mail.

The next NDP leader will be announced on March 29 during the party’s convention in Winnipeg.

The women’s winter warming shelter on Avenue C that opened late last year may see a new location.

Concerns about the close proximity to the Salvation Army Men’s Emergency Shelter have kept the city looking for another location, worried about the congregation of people.

A new location, 130 Idylwyld Drive North, has been proposed to city council as a new drop-in centre.

“It has been a challenge over the years to find locations. The city only really got into this in the last few years,” said Lesley Anderson, director of planning development for the City of Saskatoon.

“And these types of facilities do generate quite a bit of interest and feedback from adjacent landowners, so we’ve been working through that, and we know there’s challenges with every location.”

The proposed long-term location is looking to have distinct spaces for both men and woman.

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Existing funding from the federal government would go into purchasing the building with money from the city to renovate it.

Tribal Chief Mark Arcand of the Saskatoon Tribal Council says more services are needed in the new building compared to the resources they had in the previous Avenue C building.

“Showers are really important, proper bathrooms, you now, so we can actually monitor what’s going in there because again, we have some people that are still breaking the rules and sneaking in, you know, addiction situations,” Arcand said.

The new location is close to other service organizations like Big Brothers and Big Sisters, as well as The Friendship Centre.

Arcand says he isn’t concerned about moving the concentration of people as those nearby services aren’t dealing with the same challenges in homelessness, and they may help people attending the drop-in shelter.

“They’re running programs and services. I think what it’ll do is potentially support this opportunity. So it’s easier access, I’ll say, for them to go on … over to the Friendship Centre and … access some of their services, whether it’s an AA meeting or whatever they’ve got going on,” said Arcand.

If the city decides to go through with the purchase, the Idylwyld location is set to open in November, but Arcand is pushing to have it open sooner to be prepared for cold temperatures.

As for the Avenue C location, Arcand says that instead of closing it, he would like to see it used as a backup winter shelter, since a lot of money and resources have already gone into the building.

Talks will continue in the next city council meeting on Feb. 25th.

Watch above for more on the proposed drop-in shelter.

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