Pooch on a mission: Regina dog escapes yard, makes solo trek to beloved daycare

REGINA - Behind the placid, brown eyes of Missy, the husky mix, is a committed friend, a daring escape artist and a punctual date. 

The five-year-old canine became something of a security camera star this week when she – yet again -- escaped her home in Regina's east end to make the one-kilometre journey back to her home away from home, Spot's Place.

Spot’s Place is a dog boarding and grooming centre where Missy spends her weekdays.

One of Missy’s owners shakes his head at the pooch who yearns to be free, and says Missy dug up the gravel underneath the gate and squeezed underneath.

Sexual assault charges against Alberta spiritual leader and wife stayed

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.

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

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. 

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

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.

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

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.

No reported wildlife, water affected from Imperial Oil leak in Alberta, company says

COLD LAKE - Imperial Oil says there have been no reported effects to wildlife or open waterbodies from a pipeline leak of crude bitumen in eastern Alberta.

Company spokeswoman Lisa Schmidt says the pipeline leaked a bitumen emulsion — a mixture of the heavy crude oil, bitumen and water — within the company's leased area northwest of Cold Lake on April 9.

Cold Lake is near the Saskatchewan boundary, about 240 kilometres northeast of Edmonton.

The Alberta Energy Regulator's website says 843,000 litres of fluid leaked from the pipeline, with about 172,000 litres of it being crude bitumen and 671,000 litres produced water. Produced water can be contaminated with salt, oil or other substances.

Who should be the next James Bond? A few out-of-the-box ideas

NEW YORK (AP) — The bond, James Bond, market is heating up.

For almost a year, Denis Villeneuve has been on tap to direct the next 007 installment, the first since Daniel Craig exited the role. Producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman have been lined up since March 2025. The big missing piece: Who’ll play the guy in the tux?

The casting process — the first that isn’t being overseen by the Broccoli family, which relinquished creative control to Amazon MGM last year — has been typically secretive. That hasn’t stopped rampant speculation about who’ll be the next Bond.

The oddsmakers have a few favorites, among them Callum Turner, Jacob Elordi and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. But our task here, today, is to open up the possibilities. This is the first time in more than two decades that a new Bond is being minted. We should have some fun with it, and cast a wide net.

QVC prepares for bankruptcy protection in the era of influencers, TikTok and Temu

NEW YORK (AP) — The owner of home shopping network pioneer QVC — which for years garnered the attention of millions of TV viewers looking for a deal on baubles and housewares, is planning to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

A filing about imminent bankruptcy protection by parent company QVC Group, which also owns HSN, formerly the Home Shopping Network, arrives as long-running TV shopping networks struggle to adapt to the rapid shift by consumers now tuning in to livestreams on TikTok, or online marketplaces like Shein.

According to an annual report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission this week, the company said that it intends to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas after reaching a restructuring agreement with creditors.

Its goal is to emerge from bankruptcy protection before the summer is over, but the West Chester, Pennsylvania, company warned that its access to funding is difficult to predict. It noted significant fees and other costs in connection with the preparation for the bankruptcy protection.

‘Mile End Kicks’ star Barbie Ferreira says she supports ‘Euphoria’ cast, is ‘totally cool’ with not being eligible for Canadian Screen Award

TORONTO -  

 Barbie Ferreira has put her "Euphoria" days behind her. 

The actress played Kat for two seasons on the hit HBO drama, which returned with Season 3 last week.

"It's not that I don't care about it, it's just been four years since I've been on it. So for me, I have moved on with my career," Ferreira said in a video interview Tuesday from Los Angeles.

Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen and NASA crewmates reflect on historic lunar mission

HOUSTON - Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen reflected on his historic Artemis II lunar mission on Thursday, saying it left him with a powerful sense of his connection to all of humanity.

"Small and powerless, yet powerful together," Hansen said at a news conference for the Artemis ll crew at the Houston space centre — the first since the astronauts returned to Earth.

The four-person crew — commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover and mission specialists Christina Koch and Hansen — splashed down in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego, Calif., on April 10.

The 10-day flight saw astronauts travel to the moon for the first time in more than 50 years, setting a record for the greatest distance travelled by humans away from Earth.

Oh, give me a home: Alberta-raised wood bison calves safely relocated to Alaska

Dozens of Alberta-raised bison calves sent to Alaska as part of a relocation agreement with the state made it safely to their new home, but it wasn’t without months of logistical work and a 40-hour trip on treacherous northern roads.

Jonathan DeMoor, resource conservation manager for Elk Island National Park, said the 44 wood bison arrived in Fairbanks, Alaska, on Tuesday night. 

The calves, which are all under one years old, departed Monday morning from the park east of Edmonton on a cattle liner with wood chip bedding, water and hay — their food of choice. They were also given a tranquillizer to help calm their nerves.

What is the Canadian Victoria Cross — the medal that no one has ever received?

OTTAWA - The Canadian Victoria Cross is Canada's highest military honour. It was created more than 30 years ago, but has yet to be awarded to anyone.

Here's a brief look at what it is.

What is the Canadian Victoria Cross?

Established in 1993, the Canadian Victoria Cross is meant to recognize acts of valour, self-sacrifice or devotion to duty in the presence of the enemy.

Saskatoon hospitals dealing with more overdoses after drug site closure: Union

A union representing Saskatchewan nurses says the closure of Saskatoon's only supervised drug consumption site appears to be having spillover effects in hospitals. 

Bryce Boynton, president of the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses, says he's heard from workers that they're dealing with more overdoses in emergency rooms since Prairie Harm Reduction shut down. 

He says St. Paul's Hospital has set up a dedicated team in its ER to deal with overdose and alcohol recoveries. 

"(It's) to the point where some are even being admitted to the ICU now," Boynton said in a recent interview.

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

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.

Vets, MPs call on feds to launch honour review board to award Canadian Victoria Cross

OTTAWA - The federal government is facing mounting calls to establish a military honours review board and to finally award Canada's highest military honour.

The Canadian Victoria Cross was established in 1993 to recognize acts of valour, self-sacrifice or devotion to duty in the presence of the enemy. It has never been awarded.

On Wednesday, Canada's former chief of the defence staff, retired general Rick Hillier, led a delegation to Parliament Hill to call on the federal government to review upwards of 40 cases of veterans going back to the First World War.

A petition with 16,000 signatures calling on the government to establish the review board was submitted to the House of Commons Wednesday afternoon.