In the news: Rain to continue in B.C., Hudson’s Bay window display, youth happiness

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

‘High impact’ warning as heavy rains forecast to cause more flooding in B.C.

The B.C. government says heavy rains in the forecast may cause more flooding in low-lying areas in parts of the province. 

Environment Canada has issued a slew of rainfall warnings across B.C., including for the flood-ravaged Fraser Valley, with some regions expected to see up to 80 millimetres of rain in higher elevations. 

Both the mayor and fire chief for Abbotsford say they’re pleased Highway 1 was reopened in both directions over the weekend, but dozens of properties are still under evacuation order, with hundreds more still on alert after the flooding across the Sumas Prairie last week. 

Officials say Vancouver Island is also poised for heavy rainfall, and the province will be watching routes, including Highway 4, Bamfield Road and other roads due to possible landslides and falling trees from heavy winds.

Customs portal causing headaches more than a year into its rollout

More than a year after its rollout, an online portal for collecting taxes on goods transported into Canada continues to cause headaches for shippers.

The complaints range from enrolment delays to periodic outages and poor customer service, all during a costly trade war with the United States.

The federal government’s $706 million digital platform for paying duties came online in October 2024 in an effort to streamline the old, paper-based process that customs officials relied on for decades.

The Canada Border Services Agency says the portal smooths out cross-border transport by providing shippers a user-friendly site for paying duties and submitting documents.

However, industry groups have stressed the need to streamline the sign-up process and weed out digital glitches as costs stemming from border holdups and red tape could trickle down to consumer prices.

Canadian Blood Services reducing reliance on U.S. for life-changing plasma drugs

The head of Canadian Blood Services says it plans to reduce its reliance on the U-S for life-changing plasma drugs.

Dr. Graham Sher says thousands of Canadians with immune system disorders and cancer patients receive immunoglobulin drugs made from donated blood plasma.

Canada currently gets 70 per cent of drugs from international sources, and largely from the U.S.

Sher says the current political climate of protectionism in the U.S. coupled with increasing demand for the drugs every year means Canada must become more self sufficient. 

Canadian Blood Services has partnered with Grifols, a Barcelona-based company, to start making immunoglobulin by 2027.

Mars turns former Hudson’s Bay windows into eye-candy in time for holiday season

Mars Canada has brought the windows at Hudson’s Bay’s former flagship store back to life.

The confectionary company is renting the windows along Yonge Street in Toronto until January 2nd.

Mars has filled them with seven scenes depicting a day in the life of the company’s elves.

The windows are around the corner from the spot where Hudson’s Bay, which shuttered all of its stores in March, had annual Christmas displays dating back to the early 1900s.

How did Canada’s young people become its unhappiest generation?

Researchers with the World Happiness Report say young Canadians are the unhappiest generation.

While Canadians under 30 used to be the happiest age group in the country — as recently as 2011 — the study shows that is no longer the case.

It says life benchmarks are happening later for Canada’s young — from families to finances — and that social and economic conditions are not seen by today’s young as promising, unlike previous generations.

Young people across Canada interviewed by The Canadian Press describe being bogged down by an unaffordable housing market, struggles to save for the future, online gloom and a growing mental health crisis.

Surprisingly, the happiness decline for young people in Canada is less pronounced in Quebec, and cultural or linguistic factors could explain why.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 15, 2025.