In the news today: Joly heads to South Korea to meet with Hanwha

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed…

Industry Minister Joly heads to South Korea to meet with Hanwha

Industry Minister Mélanie Joly is jetting off to Asia for a five-day trip to meet with major companies and discuss Ottawa’s hunger for attracting large investments into Canada’s defence-related sectors. The meetings come as Canada looks to quickly ramp up non-U.S. exports, and will include talks with one of the two bidders on Canada’s major submarine procurement project. Joly is meeting with officials from the Korean business conglomerate Hanwha, part of a trip lasting through Friday that includes stops in Seoul and Busan in South Korea, and later in Tokyo, Japan. Her talks with government counterparts and industry are expected to cover a range of topics, including automotive and battery manufacturing, shipbuilding and mining.

Search goes through the night after bear attack

Teams of British Columbia conservation officers rotated throughout the night to search for a grizzly bear responsible for attacking an elementary school group. An update from B.C. Conservation Officer Service on Sunday said the search around Bella Coola for the female and two young bears includes an RCMP aircraft with thermal imaging cameras. Teams have been looking for the bears since the attack on Thursday that sent three pupils and a teacher to hospital with serious injuries. About 20 students and staff were on a field trip and having lunch in the remote community about 700 kilometres northwest of Vancouver at the time of the attack.

Here’s what else we’re watching…

B.C. drug activists in constitutional challenge

A constitutional challenge by founders of a Vancouver “compassion club” who were found guilty of drug trafficking is expected to begin today at the British Columbia Supreme Court. Jeremy Kalicum and Eris Nyx were found guilty by a B.C. Supreme Court judge earlier this month in relation to charges of possessing cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine for the purposes of trafficking. A post to DULF’s website, dated March 3, 2025, says its legal challenge is seeking to prove that a section of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act that prohibits possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking is unconstitutional and “its enforcement is killing the very people it purports to protect.”

Quebec’s largest union decries proposed labour law

Union leaders from sectors across the province gathered in Quebec City on Sunday to decry a new bill they say could severely limit how unions are allowed to use dues collected from their members. Quebec Labour Minister Jean Boulet tabled the bill, which proposes dividing union dues into mandatory and optional ones. Under the proposed law, any activities deemed to be outside of a union’s primary mission wouldn’t be eligible for financing via mandatory fees, but through optional ones only. Optional dues would also have to be approved through a majority vote before they could be collected. The union is one of more than 30 represented under the Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec, which hosted the press conference at a convention centre ahead of a congress set to kick off there Monday.

AI poised to be Santa’s little helper this year

Canadians in pursuit of the perfect gifts for everyone on their list this holiday will be increasingly turning to artificial intelligence. A survey commissioned by Shopify that polled 18,000 consumers and 7,500 business leaders found 64 per cent will use AI for at least one shopping task this holiday season. In the coveted Gen Z demographic, which spans ages 18 to 24, a whopping 84 per cent will make use of the technology. Jenna Jacobson, director of the Retail Leadership Institute at Toronto Metropolitan University, says shoppers are increasingly willing to give AI a try because they are overwhelmed by choices and often, starved for time.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 24, 2025.