April 2nd is World Autism Awareness Day, starting Autism Awareness Month.

“The stats are currently that there’s at least one in 50 children in Canada that are on the autism spectrum and more recent data suggests that it’s even more prevalent than that, so it affects all of us,” said Julain Tomlinson, CEO of Autism Services of Saskatoon.

Systems are designed for neurotypical people, bringing challenges for people with sensory issues.

“Being able to navigate a world that’s not really designed for neurodiverse folks, kind of an exploration process from employment, housing, and navigating the system,” said Aiden Young, a Person-Centred Consultant for Inclusion Saskatchewan.

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Young says there are many misconceptions about autism, especially on social media.

“There is a misconception that having a breakdown or nervous breakdown is a part of autism spectrum disorder and that is actually not really capturing the whole picture,” he said. “People with autism (are) not being rude, they are simply being overstimulated.”

Tomlinson says Saskatoon has done great work around raising awareness and inclusion, but more work needs to be done.

“We need to create more inclusive workplaces, we need to be able to support our schools, they’re supporting children with autism. There’s a whole variety of things that we need to be doing.”

Young says talking to people on the spectrum is a great way to expand understanding.

“Take a step into the community and see all the diverse people out there and… going into a space where people with autism tend to connect and being able to connect with those folks.”

Throughout the month, Stacked Pancake House in Saskatoon will be donating $2 of every meal to Autism Services.

Watch above for more on what this day means for the autistic community and how neurotypical people can better educate themselves.

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Nearly half of Black women, girls and gender-diverse people in Canada have delayed or avoided seeking health care out of fear of racial discrimination, according to a new national survey that researchers say exposes widespread anti-Black racism within the health-care system.

The Black Women’s Institute for Health has released Voices Unheard: Healthcare Barriers and the Lived Experiences of Black Women in Canada.

They surveyed nearly 2,000 Black women, girls and gender diverse people across Canada, collecting both data and the personal stories of those experiencing anti-Black racism first hand.

“Anecdotally we knew that Black women were having a differential experience,” Kearie Daniel, executive director and Founder of The Black Women’s Institute for Health, said.

“The reality is that in our society, data … numbers are power.

“Data is how we change things.”

Daniel said that while most women do experience dismissal in the health-care system, “forBlack women there are layers on top of that.”

“We know women in general feel dismissed,” she said. “But two-thirds of Black women feel dismissed.”

“One of the things we heard so frequently were the assumptions that are made about Black women,” she said. “Like when you are in pain there’s this idea that you can tolerate more pain.”

3:37
Addressing gaps in Black health care

The report documents six critical areas of healthcare disparities:

1. Medical conditions that disproportionately affect Black women, girls, and gender non-conforming people
2. Black maternal health and medical neglect
3. Severe and unique mental health challenges
4. Exposure to racial violence, abuse, and increased risk for post-traumatic stress disorder
5. Burnout and emotional fatigue through toxic work environments
6. Racial discrimination and Black girls’ and youth’s early experiences with racism and identity

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“We’ll compare ourselves to the U.S. and say, ‘We’re not as bad as them,’” Daniels said. “That’s not true.

“Racism doesn’t know a border. The experience is universal.”

Many of the concerns reported in the survey included women being told they were drug-seeking when they were in pain, or instances where child services had been called because of assumptions made about the parenting abilities of Black women.

Some of the more detailed stories involved women miscarrying in hospital waiting rooms, while others spoke about having a caesarean section where doctors forgot to provide freezing for the mother.

“Some of the stories are so horrific,” Daniels said. “When we gave them to our researcher team, we had to give it to them with supports.”

0:36
AG audit highlights long-standing barriers for women, Black people, Indigenous people, veterans and more

Researchers were given access to mental health supports as they combed through both the numbers, and the stories attached.

The survey also showed that mental health was the top chronic illness diagnosed among survey participants at 15.8 per cent.

Statistics Canada reports that four per cent of women, nationally, experience suicidal thoughts, while 27.4 per cent of Black women have contemplated self-harm — more than six times the national average.

Aaya Musuya was one of the women who took part in the survey.

“I recognize we always start at the back of the line with some many things,” she said. “I’ve lived it myself.”

Musuya has faced significant challenges in accessing care at local clinics and ERs, even during an emergency where she was forced to wait for 22 hours to see a doctor.

“I understand the cultural disparities sometimes that come with this very important area of our lives,” she added. “There’s a disconnect in accessing and fully utilizing the services.”

She moved from Uganda to Red Deer six years ago and said while she expected change, she didn’t expect the difficulties that came with navigating the Canadian health-care system.

“We’re integrating, settling in, figuring things out,” she said. “When it comes to the health-care system, it’s not just visiting a doctor, it’s working through a system.”

3:01
Three generations of Muslim women reflect on hate in Canada

Musuya said that she has avoided going to the doctor’s office, and when she does seek help, she goes in overprepared for the appointment.

“I was worried whether they would understand, “she said. “I was worried about if they would just give me a bunch of drugs to cover up my symptoms.

“I feel like I walk in already plugging gaps versus just walking in and saying, ‘This is what’s wrong with me.’ When I had a doctor who looked like me, I felt a little more comfortable explaining because I felt they would understand where I was coming from and what issues might likely be causing what I was facing.”

The Voices Unheard survey was a chance to share her stories, while also helping to pave the way for a better future for her two daughters.

She said she’s teaching them now how to better advocate for their own health.

“It just feels like going to the doctor is so complicated.” she said. “It never seems easy.”

“Now that we have the data, the next step is action,” Daniels said.

“There’s no excuse anymore.”

The report makes 70 recommendations for various levels of government. It includes calls for anti-Black racism to be declared a public health emergency, and for a national Black health equity strategy.

Those behind the survey say addressing the barriers faced by Black women would not only save lives but strengthen Canada’s health-care system as a whole.

“What we know is that if we are looking at the experiences of those most impacted by oppression, if we’re fixing the system for them — we’re fixing the system for everybody,” Daniels said.

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Another potential issue is emerging from the controversial Cowichan land title ruling regarding properties in parts of Richmond.

Some B.C. appraisers tell Global News that they are getting a lot of questions about the Cowichan ruling and because of that, they are starting to make it more visible in their appraisals of properties in the affected areas.

“We assume as appraisers that the properties are free and clear and unencumbered, so a free and clear and unencumbered title means that is the basis of the appraiser’s report, so really what the appraisers are doing is just taking that clause, highlighting it, and bringing it forward in the appraisal so that it’s easier to see and highlighting it for the reader to see it,” Leigh Walker, with Lawrenson Walker Real Estate Appraisers, said.

He added that they are putting on their assessments a variation of: “We assume the subject property is not subject to a land claim and they are valued as if unencumbered.”

2:23
Ontario company cites Cowichan ruling for pulling out of hotel sale

The federal and provincial governments are appealing the B.C. Supreme Court’s ruling in favour of the Quw’utsun Nation, or Cowichan Nation, that found it had “established Aboriginal title” to more than 5.7 square kilometres of land on the Fraser River in Richmond, south of Vancouver.

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The City of Richmond has also joined the appeal.

The ruling declared Crown and city titles on the land are “defective and invalid,” and the granting of private titles on it by the government unjustifiably infringed on the Cowichan title.

That has created confusion and anger among homeowners in the affected area, despite the Cowichan Tribes insisting it has no intention of stripping private title holders of their property.

It appears that not a single property has sold in the affected area this year.

“We get questions from buyers saying, ‘Where should I buy or where should I not buy,’ and trying to determine that is impossible, where the next land claim might pop up or which areas might be impacted,” Steve Saretsky, a realtor with Oakwyn Realty, said.

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Disability advocates and Alberta’s Opposition NDP is calling on Premier Danielle Smith’s government to up its game when it comes to accessibility, saying it’s about dignity.

Alberta is one of just two provinces to not have overarching accessibility legislation and standards, which critics say continues to be a blemish on the province.

The NDP is trying to fix that through a private member’s bill, which aims to have the government form a committee to create standards for most aspects of daily life, including public transit, employment accommodations and access to services like health care.

Advocates like Bean Gill and Zachary Weeks, speaking at an NDP news conference Tuesday, told reporters they hope it gets through even though private members’ bills rarely if ever get passed in the legislature.

A sudden spinal cord injury left Gill paralyzed over a decade ago, causing her to use a wheelchair.

“It’s stuff that everybody takes for granted — that I took for granted from my 30 years of being able-bodied — being able to step over a curb, being able open a door, being able to access places and services without a second thought,” Gill said.

“Now it requires six or seven thoughts before I even get out of my car.”

Gill said the challenges extend to such mundane but fundamental tasks as using a public washroom.

2:43
Alberta woman feels ‘trapped’ by lack of affordable and accessible rentals

Sometimes there are no options, she said, or if there are, it’s not very accessible.

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“When I find a door that I have to go up a ramp to get to and pee my pants pushing myself up a ramp that’s not to code, I lose my dignity,” Gill said.

“It’s really, really frustrating being on this side of the ball, not really having any power, but always still getting up, smiling, getting dressed, getting out of your house and doing the thing anyway,” Gill said.

“This life is not for the faint-hearted.”

Weeks, an Edmonton-based accessibility consultant and advocate who also uses a wheelchair, agreed with Gill.

“A lot of people don’t even know what dignity looks like anymore,” Weeks said.

“We are the only minority group that you can join at any time. So people with dignity now may not have that dignity later if we do not pass this bill right away.”

1:42
A look at the impact of winter weather on Edmontonians with wheelchairs

Marie Renaud, the NDP’s assisted living critic, introduced the bill. She said existing accessibility measures in Alberta are done piecemeal or in response to complaints.

She wants the government needs to take the initiative. She said broad standards would cover “basic things” like having government documents be made compatible with screen readers for those who are visually impaired and having those who know sign language available in hospitals.

“This is the work that Alberta needs to start. We’re so far behind already,” she said.

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Edmontonians welcome to come check out leading neurorehabilitation facility

The committee the bill would form would feature a majority of members who live with disabilities, as well as law experts and people who support those with disabilities.

Asked about the bill, Assisted Living Minister Jason Nixon told reporters he has concerns.

He noted it wouldn’t include input from businesses or the Municipal Affairs Ministry, which is responsible for building codes in the province.

Nixon also said he didn’t like the idea of having the committee separate from government, “which would not allow the elected legislature to obviously have a say in the process.”

He added, “We want to continue to make sure that Alberta is an accessible place (but) most of what I would say is good in the bill, we already do,” he said.

1:57
Edmonton neighbouhood gets accessibility makeover

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Weyburn is like any other small town in Saskatchewan, but one thing sets it apart from other cities across the country: it’s home to the last KFC All-Day Buffet.

Since 1988, Larie Semen, Weyburn KFC’s Manager, brought in an All-Day Buffet option — a move that initially ruffled some feathers. But after bringing in more business than ever, it was deemed a success and 27 KFCs across the country followed suit.

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With other locations closing down their buffet options for a variety of reasons, Weyburn’s KFC is now the only KFC in the country that offers all-day buffet, and hopes to keep it that way.

Sania Ali has more details in the video above.

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More than two billion Muslims around the world observe Ramadan every year, a time when those observing the month fast from sunrise to sunset, in hopes to grow closer to their faith.

Iftar is an integral part of Ramadan, a meal shared at sunset to break the fast. The meal is encouraged to be shared with community, to bring people closer together. That’s why Creative Options Regina held its very own community iftar, to share the message of charity, community and Ramadan.

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Partnering with the University of Regina’s Islamic Relief Club, COR held an evening of presentations, answering faith-based questions and sharing personal stories centred around Islam and charity. The month encourages Muslims to give back more than usual as they believe acts of worship hold more weight during this month.

Creative Options Regina’s team leader, Alvy Chowdhury, is Muslim himself and hopes the community iftar can bring people together.

“One of my favourite things about Ramadan is iftar because the act of iftar is not just about eating, it’s about joining together as a community and sharing that experience and that moment with other,” he says.

Sania Ali has more details in the video above.

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Just a few weeks ago, the Historical Society of Alberta (HSA) was discussing its upcoming plans as though it was an ordinary meeting.

However, the entire future of the organization now seems in doubt. Alberta’s 2026 budget is set to remove all provincial funding for the HSA.

“As part of Budget 2026, the funding for the HSA is being completely eliminated — not just reduced, not just as a temporary measure, but completely eliminated and highly unlikely to ever be restored,” said HSA president Lorien Johansen.

It really was a blindside for the volunteer-run organization.

“There was no indication that the phone call I was going to get was, ‘Yeah, sorry, no more money.’”

The HSA was founded in 1907 by Alberta’s first premier, Alexander Rutherford. Since then, it has persevered through some of the most trying times in recent human history.

“The HSA has survived both world wars, it has survived pandemics, it has survived recessions,” said Johansen.

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The group was expecting to receive $76,000 from the province this year, but now that number is zero.

Johansen says the amount would have been microscopic when added to the multi-billion-dollar deficit, yet it would have gone a long way toward history-keeping in Alberta.

“It’s not just the articles, it’s not just the publications — it’s the filmmaking, it’s the preservation of ethnic stories of people who built the province.”

Beyond history, there is concern this may even snowball and negatively affect an industry that brought in more than $15 billion last year.

“When things like the HSA start to fall away, we will start to see the impacts to that,” said Erin Crane, CEO of Tourism Lethbridge.

The HSA says tourists come to Alberta for the culture, history, stories and more. That view is shared by industry experts like Crane.

“The stories (the HSA) tells, the information they provide, it is imperative to us being able to tell those stories to visitors and bring them into our community.”

Alberta’s Ministry of Arts, Culture and the Status of Women sent a statement to Global News saying they aren’t going to abandon history, but the budget was a challenge this year.

“Although we face a tough budget, Alberta’s government is committing more than $55 million to support the provincial archives, historic sites and heritage grants,” said Juliana Rodriguez, press secretary for the Ministry of Arts, Culture and the Status of Women.

The statement continues, saying several organizations will continue to be supported and the HSA can still apply for grant funds.

“This includes maintaining annual funding for the Alberta Museums Association and the Archives Association of Alberta — supporting training, programs and services for heritage organizations across the province. Other heritage non-profit organizations, including the Historical Society of Alberta, are welcome to apply for grants of up to $75,000 through the Community Initiatives Program.”

However, the HSA says this could truly be the end if funding isn’t restored.

“History and the collection and preservation of it is not something you can defer for a year and hope the momentum is there when you pick it up in a year.”

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The fallout from three Aboriginal rights agreements, signed last month between the federal government and the Musqueam First Nation, continued on Tuesday.

It was a hot topic in question period in the BC legislature.

“Yesterday in this House, the Minister of Indigenous Relations stood up and he said he had no idea about any agreement with the federal government and the Musqueam,” BC Conservative interim leader, Trevor Halford, said during question period.

“Worse than that, the premier of this province stood in front of the media with children all around him and he says, and I quote, ‘I can’t say whether or not at this stage whether any public service members have line of sighted to it. I certainly didn’t,’ end quote.”

On Monday, at a press conference announcing that B.C. is adopting permanent daylight saving time, Premier David Eby said, “I haven’t been briefed yet on the contents of the agreement; I look forward to learning more about what the federal government’s been doing here.”

The premier’s office later revealed that Eby was at the signing ceremony on Feb. 20, but was not given any details.

“You would think that the premier of this province would attend an event and have some idea what the event is about,” Halford said.

“But then to go before the province and say he had no idea. He actually sat front row at a signing ceremony and then said he was caught surprised, just like everybody else. I’m not buying it, and I don’t think the public are buying it.”

3:54
Musqueam signs Aboriginal rights deals with Ottawa

Eby said in question period that he had no briefings about the contents of the agreement or any heads up from the federal government.

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He said he received an invitation from Musqueam Chief Wayne Sparrow to attend the signing and that he regularly attends events with the Musqueam Indian Band because they do not have a local MLA who represents their interests.

“I was honoured and glad to be attending,” Eby said.

“I absolutely sat in the front row. I was glad to see the federal government working with the Musqueam people, but I didn’t know the content of the agreements until they were released publicly by the federal government. But I’m glad they have been released.

“I wish we had been briefed in advance because we would have been able to clarify some of the comments made by the official Opposition that this was a land grab, that people didn’t own their homes anymore in Metro Vancouver, all the kind of nonsense that they said.”

Late on Monday, the federal government released a copy of the Rights Recognition Agreement between them and the Musqueam Indian Band.

Sparrow said the three deals outline how the federal government will work in partnership with Musqueam on fisheries, stewardship and marine management.

They also establish a framework for future negotiations on issues, including rights and title.

Speaking with CKNW on Tuesday, Sparrow said it does not include private properties.

“How we move forward on third-party land, municipal land and everything is stuff that we still need to resolve, but we still have interest in title, but it’s not with individual homeowners, that’s what I’m saying,” he said.

2:00
Cowichan court ruling raises property rights worries

Eby said that the work being done by the federal government is a positive thing.

“I’m hesitant to point the finger at the federal government about not bringing us in, because I know for our own government, we’re reflecting on how we can do a better job of bringing along key stakeholders in our own Indigenous work,” he said.

“This is challenging work when we sit down government to government, Hon. Speaker, but it’s important work, it’s crucial work, and up until very, very, recently, this was non-partisan work.”

Halford said it is hard to believe that Eby had no idea what was going on at the signing ceremony.

“Give me an absolute break, Mr. Speaker. We’re not buying that, neither is British Columbia,” he said.

“Either this is one of the highest levels of incompetency we’ve seen from this premiere, or even worse, he has chosen not to be up front in this House or outside of this House on important issues when it comes to First Nations deals. It’s that simple.”

Halford also asked Eby about DRIPA (Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act), which Eby said previously that the government would be amending, but not repealing.

“I look forward to tabling that in the house and we will ensure there is full opportunity to have debate and discussion about those amendments,” Eby said.

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On an ordinary April day in 1999 in a small agricultural community in the heart of Alberta’s southern Bible Belt, a gunman entered W.R. Myers High School in Taber — killing one student before a gym teacher managed to tackle him down.

The student who lost his life was Jason Lang. His friend Shane Christmas, also 17, was blasted in the stomach but survived.

It was the first fatal school shooting in Canada in a quarter of a century — and came eight days after the massacre at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., where 12 students and one teacher were killed.

Now, 27 years later, Dale Lang, Jason’s father, is speaking out after another tragic school shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C. has shaken Canada.

“This is something that you can’t fix. It’s a very helpless feeling, a very empty feeling.”

He says the shooting that took his son’s life will never fade from his memory.

“Even though I would say that God has healed us over the time, we still think about it sometimes and we still live in a place where you know you’ve lost somebody and you can’t get them back.”

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Jason’s legacy has continued in several ways, including a scholarship in his name, which has helped countless students.

“We have had, over the years, a number of students who have contacted us to say thank you, to say they remember Jason, they know what happened. So, there’s kind of a legacy going on and hopefully it’s a positive thing that helps people remember things can go wrong and we have to watch out for each other.”

After the shooting in 1999, when classes at W.R. Myers resumed, Lang returned to the school in an effort to heal as a community.

“A lot of the kids were very frightened about the idea of going back into the school where somebody had been killed. For us to be able to (greet them), that was a healing thing for us, but also a healing thing for the kids.”

Lang, an Anglican minister at the time, became a tireless crusader for nearly a decade against the sort of bullying and school violence that led to the shooting. He then walked away from organized religion.

He says the message he shared following Jason’s death unfortunately still rings true today.

“We’re living in a world that’s pretty broken and damaged and people are getting damaged. It was my hope that those kinds of things would begin to change a little but in the 27 years since, we still see a lot of terrible things happening to people, needless things happening.”

Now, for the families of Tumbler Ridge, like Lang’s family, things cannot be the same.

“For the families that lost people, it’s a new normal and it’s not a very nice normal,” said Lang.

As a former pastor, Lang says faith, forgiveness and acceptance was crucial for his personal journey of healing.

“We need some place that we can go to (a church), where we are stimulated to honour and respect other people and treasure other people — support people wherever and whenever we can. There’s lots of good people out there doing nice things and good things,” Lang said.

“But there’s still a lot of broken people and hurting situations and difficult family circumstances and all of those things. So, I’ll just keep praying and we’ll see what happens.”

While hesitant to give advice on healing to other people, Lang does believe there is a way to continue your life even after dealing with such a horrible tragedy.

“These things are painful and when you think about them even 20 years later, you still have a sense of the pain, but it doesn’t mean you can’t be healed and move on with your life.”

With files from Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press

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