Lifestyles – Brandon Sun

Ukrainian-Canadian electronic artist Rezz is shown in this undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Tessa Paisan (Mandatory Credit)

Canadian electronic artist Rezz cancels Coachella Weekend 2 set over health concerns

Alex Nino Gheciu, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Wednesday, Apr. 15, 2026

There will be one less Canadian performing at Coachella’s second weekend.

Ukrainian-Canadian electronic artist Rezz has cancelled her set at the California music festival, citing undisclosed health issues that “need to be addressed.”

In a social media post, the Ontario DJ and producer — born Isabelle Rezazadeh — said she has been pushing through her recent shows despite her body telling her she needed a break.

Known for her dark, grungy sound and signature LED spiral goggles, Rezz was the only other Canadian on the Coachella lineup besides Justin Bieber.

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Raptors forward Ingram named Eastern Conference player of the week

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Preview

Raptors forward Ingram named Eastern Conference player of the week

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Monday, Apr. 13, 2026

NEW YORK - Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram has been named the NBA's Eastern Conference Player of the Week.

Ingram averaged a team-high 25.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, one steal and 33.3 minutes as Toronto went 3-1 last week.

He shot .578 (37-64) from the field, .533 (8-15) from three-point range and .800 (20-25) at the free-throw line.

Ingram started the week with 23 points and six rebounds Apr. 7 vs. Miami. He followed up two nights later with a season-high 38 points and seven rebounds in a second straight victory over the Heat.

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Monday, Apr. 13, 2026

Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram (3) takes a shot over Brooklyn Nets guard Malachi Smith (18) during first half NBA basketball action in Toronto, Sunday, April 12, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

Pope Leo XIV says ‘not in my interest at all’ to debate Trump but will keep preaching peace

Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Pope Leo XIV says ‘not in my interest at all’ to debate Trump but will keep preaching peace

Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press 4 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 10:41 AM CDT

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) — Pope Leo XIV said Saturday that it was “not in my interest at all” to debate U.S. President Donald Trump about the Iran war, but that he would continue preaching the Gospel message of peace.

Leo spoke to reporters aboard the papal plane flying from Cameroon to Angola as part of his 11-day tour of Africa.

He addressed the spiraling back-and-forth saga of Trump’s critiques of his peace message, which have dominated news headlines this week. But the American pope also sought to set the record straight, insisting that his preaching isn’t directed at Trump, but reflects the broader Gospel message of peace.

“There’s been a certain narrative that has not been accurate in all of its aspects, but because of the political situation created when, on the first day of the trip, the president of the United States made some comments about myself,” he said.

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Updated: Yesterday at 10:41 AM CDT

Pope Leo XIV arrives in procession to celebrate Mass at Yaounde Ville Airport, Cameroon, Saturday, April 18, 2026 on the sixth day of his 11-day pastoral visit to Africa. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Climate change is eroding typical nighttime breaks in wildfire activity, study says

Jordan Omstead, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Climate change is eroding typical nighttime breaks in wildfire activity, study says

Jordan Omstead, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Friday, Apr. 17, 2026

Climate change is breaking down typical nighttime lulls in wildfire activity, a new study by researchers in Canada suggests, eroding opportunities for crews to contain the intensifying blazes.

The study co-authored by researchers in British Columbia and Alberta suggests the number of fire-friendly hours has surged across North America in the past 50 years, and especially in Western Canada's wildfire hotspots.

The study, published Friday in the peer-reviewed journal Science Advances, suggests much of Western Canada has seen an additional four to five hours of fire-conducive conditions each wildfire season for the past half-century.

In British Columbia and Alberta, that translates to about 200 to 250 more hours of fire-fuelling conditions in current seasons compared to those in the 1970s, cutting into once-quieter overnight hours and periods in the spring and fall.

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Friday, Apr. 17, 2026

The McDougall Creek wildfire burns on the mountainside above houses in West Kelowna, B.C., on Friday, August 18, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Federal government needs more desk space as public servants return to office: PSPC

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Federal government needs more desk space as public servants return to office: PSPC

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Friday, Apr. 17, 2026

OTTAWA - In less than three months, the federal government's order requiring most public servants to attend the office four days a week — up from the current benchmark of three days — takes effect.

There's just one hitch. It doesn't have room for all of them.

Michèle LaRose, a spokesperson for Public Services and Procurement Canada, said the department's analysis shows certain departments will need more workstations or more space in certain locations to accommodate the shift to in-office work four days a week.

LaRose said she couldn't say which buildings are short of workstations or how many more spaces are needed.

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Friday, Apr. 17, 2026

Sexual assault charges against Alberta spiritual leader and wife stayed

Daniela Germano, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Sexual assault charges against Alberta spiritual leader and wife stayed

Daniela Germano, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Friday, Apr. 17, 2026

EDMONTON - Sexual assault charges against a self-styled spiritual leader and his wife have been stayed after the Alberta prosecution service said it conducted a thorough review of the file and determined it was unable to proceed with the charges.

Johannes (John) de Ruiter and his wife, Leigh Ann, faced six charges each of sexual assault and were slated to go to trial in Edmonton in September.

Police have said John de Ruiter is the leader of a group known as the College of Integrated Philosophy or the Oasis Group.

Investigators alleged he told female members that he was directed by a spirit to engage in sexual activity with them and doing so would give them the opportunity to achieve spiritual enlightenment.

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Friday, Apr. 17, 2026

Coat of arms at the Edmonton Law Courts building, in Edmonton on Friday, June 28, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

Canada’s emissions reductions slowed in 2024, federal data shows

Nick Murray, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Canada’s emissions reductions slowed in 2024, federal data shows

Nick Murray, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Friday, Apr. 17, 2026

OTTAWA - The latest annual account of greenhouse gas emissions shows Canada's emissions reductions slowed in 2024 to almost nothing.

Environment and Climate Change Canada quietly published its national inventory report on Wednesday, something it's required to submit annually to the United Nations. Those reports were once announced with much fanfare, including news releases and media interviews with the environment minister.

Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin issued no news release and made no public statement to coincide with the latest report. When asked for comment on Friday, her office provided a statement to The Canadian Press touting the latest figures as "proof Canada can build a stronger economy while reducing Canada's emissions."

"Through our 2025 climate competitiveness strategy, we are going further by introducing enhanced oil and gas and landfill methane regulations that will cut 400 megatonnes of emissions," Keean Nembhard, Dabrusin's press secretary, said in a statement, adding the latest report indicates methane levels in 2024 were the lowest since monitoring began in 1990.

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Friday, Apr. 17, 2026

The West Block of Parliament Hill is pictured behind the Centennial Flame as a heavy fog hangs over downtown Ottawa on Thursday, April 16, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

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FOI documents suggest plant-based milk facility linked to deadly outbreak was ‘haven for listeria,’ experts say

Hannah Alberga, The Canadian Press 9 minute read Preview

FOI documents suggest plant-based milk facility linked to deadly outbreak was ‘haven for listeria,’ experts say

Hannah Alberga, The Canadian Press 9 minute read Friday, Apr. 17, 2026

TORONTO -

Documents detailing an inspection of a beverage production facility that regulators say was the source of a deadly listeria outbreak reveal it was cited for several infractions that have not been shared previously, including some that experts say suggest may have created a "haven for listeria."

The Canadian Press obtained through a Freedom of Information request a copy of an inspection conducted by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency into a Pickering, Ont., facility that packaged several types of plant-based milk initially recalled on July 8, 2024 by the agency due to concerns of listeria contamination. The Public Health Agency of Canada said the outbreak led to 20 reported illnesses, 15 hospitalizations and three deaths.

The problems observed by inspectors between June 26, 2024 and Aug. 22, 2024 include condensation on the ceiling and peeling paint on the floor in pasteurization areas at Joriki, the third-party facility that packaged soy, almond and coconut milk under the Silk and Great Value brands. The Pickering production line was immediately shut down after the recall and never resumed.

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Friday, Apr. 17, 2026

Signage for Joriki Beverages is seen in Toronto on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston

Scott Griffin addresses backlash over poetry prize changes, seeks community input

Nicole Thompson, The Canadian Press 7 minute read Preview

Scott Griffin addresses backlash over poetry prize changes, seeks community input

Nicole Thompson, The Canadian Press 7 minute read Friday, Apr. 17, 2026

TORONTO - A yearslong conflict in Canadian poetry — a quiet mutiny waged in Instagram comments and Substack posts — could soon be resolved by way of a survey and a town hall.

The scene's top benefactor, the publisher-philanthropist Scott Griffin, is re-evaluating a controversial change he announced in 2022 to the poetry prize that bears his name. As a result, he's launching a survey to gather feedback and a town hall where poets and poetry lovers can workshop a solution.

At issue is Griffin's decision to merge the two categories of the Griffin Poetry Prize, one for an international poet and one for a Canadian, previously each worth $65,000, into a single $130,000 pot. It made the award the largest of its kind, and came with other changes meant to bolster support specifically for homegrown poets, including a $10,000 prize for a Canadian's first book of poetry.

The backlash was swift and as loud as poets generally get, but it was also sustained. Early critics include Alicia Elliott and rob mclennan. Last year was the first time no Canadians made the five-book short list for the prize. Then last month, when the 2026 long list was announced, Canadians were shut out there too.

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Friday, Apr. 17, 2026

Publisher-philanthropist Scott Griffin is shown in this undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Joy von Tiedemann (Mandatory Credit)

Inflation expected to jump in March as Iran oil shock enters price data

Craig Lord, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Inflation expected to jump in March as Iran oil shock enters price data

Craig Lord, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Friday, Apr. 17, 2026

OTTAWA - Statistics Canada will reveal the early impacts of the Iran war's oil price shock on inflation when the agency reports its consumer price index for March on Monday.

A Reuters poll shows economists widely expect the headline inflation rate rose to 2.5 per cent in March, up from 1.8 per cent in February, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.

RBC senior economist Claire Fan said the bank is also expecting a 0.7-percentage-point jump in the headline inflation rate in March.

"Most of that will just be driven by elevated gasoline prices as well as diesel prices," she said.

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Friday, Apr. 17, 2026

A person fills up their car at a gas station in Montreal on Thursday, March 5, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov

Canadian bishops speak out amid Trump’s spat with Pope Leo XIV over Middle East

Daniela Germano, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Canadian bishops speak out amid Trump’s spat with Pope Leo XIV over Middle East

Daniela Germano, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Thursday, Apr. 16, 2026

A group representing Catholic bishops across Canada is speaking out against using images of Christ for political rhetoric after U.S. President Donald Trump posted religious pictures on social media amid his spat with Pope Leo XIV.

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops said in a statement Thursday that it doesn't intervene in political affairs of other countries, but recent events "make it opportune to underscore the moral principles that should inform public life everywhere, including truthfulness, humility, reverence and concern for the innocent."

It didn't name Trump in its statement but said imagery or rhetoric presenting political leaders "in terms that belong uniquely to Christ and His saving work" is disrespectful.

Trump shared an AI-created image on social media Wednesday showing Jesus embracing him with an American flag in the background.

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Thursday, Apr. 16, 2026

This combination file photos show on left, U.S. President Donald Trump listening during a meeting with North Korean defectors where he talked with reporters about allowing the release of a secret memo on the F.B.I.'s role in the Russia inquiry, in the Oval Office of the White House, on Feb. 2, 2018, in Washington. On right, Pope Leo XIV arriving for his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, on Aug. 6, 2025. (AP Photos/Evan Vucci and Gregorio Borgia, File)

Public funds don’t make Catholic hospitals ‘government actors’: lawyer in MAID case

Darryl Greer, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Public funds don’t make Catholic hospitals ‘government actors’: lawyer in MAID case

Darryl Greer, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Thursday, Apr. 16, 2026

VANCOUVER - Providing medical assistance in dying at a Catholic hospital would go against religious doctrine and be a "scandalous" practice that couldn't be justified to the faithful of the world, a lawyer for Providence Health Care has told the B.C. Supreme Court.

The court in Vancouver has been hearing arguments in a lawsuit by the family of a woman denied MAID at a Providence-run hospital who are challenging the right of faith-based institutions to refuse the service based on religious beliefs.

Samantha O'Neill sought MAID in 2023 while suffering from cervical cancer but couldn't access it at Vancouver's St. Paul's Hospital, so she was sedated and transferred to another hospital in what her mother calls an "unbearably painful" experience at the end of her life.

Providence Health Care's lawyer, Geoffrey Cowper, told Chief Justice Ronald Skolrood that he's been tasked with deciding a case that represents "a collision between a view of the Charter that is irreconcilable with the ongoing operation and delivery of health care by faith-based health-care institutions."

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Thursday, Apr. 16, 2026

Mother of Samantha O’Neill, Gaye O’Neill speaks before the start of the B.C. Supreme Court trial involving the IRO (Institutional Religious Obstruction) lawsuit in Vancouver, on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns

Trump nominates Erica Schwartz, former deputy surgeon general, to serve as CDC director

Mike Stobbe, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Trump nominates Erica Schwartz, former deputy surgeon general, to serve as CDC director

Mike Stobbe, The Associated Press 3 minute read Thursday, Apr. 16, 2026

President Donald Trump on Thursday nominated Erica Schwartz, a former deputy surgeon general, to be the next director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In a social media post, Trump described Schwartz as “incredibly talented” and said, "She is a STAR!"

The Atlanta-based CDC, which is charged with protecting Americans from preventable health threats, has been in turmoil since Trump returned to office more than a year ago, with a succession of mostly temporary leaders.

The agency is overseen by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who had promised not to change the nation’s vaccination schedule. But shortly after taking office, Kennedy said he was going to investigate the childhood vaccine schedule and went on to attempt a substantial rewrite of vaccine recommendations for kids. Some of those efforts were put on hold recently by a federal judge.

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Thursday, Apr. 16, 2026

Nearly half of VCH maternal deaths within a year of birth caused by overdose: report

Ashley Joannou, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Nearly half of VCH maternal deaths within a year of birth caused by overdose: report

Ashley Joannou, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Thursday, Apr. 16, 2026

VANCOUVER - Drug-related overdoses are now the leading cause of maternal death among residents in the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority within a year of giving birth, a new report says.

The report, published by the health authority's chief medical health officer, looked at 25 deaths from 2010 to 2024 and found 11 fatal overdoses and three where substance use was considered a contributing factor.

Medical health officer Dr. Althea Hayden, the lead author of the report, said in an interview that while the numbers are small, there are reasons to be concerned.

The expected maternal death rate in Canada per 100,000 live births should be somewhere in the six to 12 range, she said.

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Thursday, Apr. 16, 2026

A pregnant woman stands for a portrait in Dallas, Thursday, May 18, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, LM Otero

Jon Klassen, Canadian writer and illustrator of ‘I Want My Hat Back,’ wins $750K Swedish prize

Nicole Thompson, The Canadian Press 1 minute read Preview

Jon Klassen, Canadian writer and illustrator of ‘I Want My Hat Back,’ wins $750K Swedish prize

Nicole Thompson, The Canadian Press 1 minute read Thursday, Apr. 16, 2026

Jon Klassen, the Winnipeg-born children's book author and illustrator behind "I Want My Hat Back," has won the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, which is worth nearly $750,000.

The award administered by the Swedish Arts Council is handed out annually to a person or organization for their contribution to children's and young adult literature.

Jurors praised Klassen's body of work as a "subtle, astute and humorous investigation into existential questions."

His books include the tale of a bear searching for his missing pointy red hat; "This Is Not My Hat," which follows a tiny fish wearing a bowler hat and the much bigger fish he stole it from; and "We Found a Hat," about two turtles who find a cowboy hat they both want.

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Thursday, Apr. 16, 2026

Jon Klassen, the Winnipeg-born children's book author and illustrator, is shown in this undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Carson Ellis (Mandatory Credit)

Privacy Commissioner says stronger data laws needed as Canada readies for Chinese EVs

The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Privacy Commissioner says stronger data laws needed as Canada readies for Chinese EVs

The Canadian Press 3 minute read Thursday, Apr. 16, 2026

OTTAWA - Canada's privacy commissioner says he hopes laws around private sector data sharing are strengthened as the federal government prepares to open the domestic market to Chinese electric vehicles.

Speaking to the standing committee on science and research, Philippe Dufresne said Thursday he hopes that Parliament will modernize private sector privacy laws on a number of fronts, including with stronger enforcement abilities.

He says Canada lacks a cross-border data transfer rule regime that is as rigorous as jurisdictions such as Quebec and Europe.

Dufresne's comments come after Canada reached a deal with China to dramatically lower tariffs on 49,000 EVs a year from the country, a move that has raised concerns about data privacy and surveillance in the heavily connected vehicles.

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Thursday, Apr. 16, 2026

April 19, 2026

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