Science & Technology – Brandon Sun

People attend a vigil for the victims of a mass shooting, in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

Focus on mental health, public safety at inquest into Tumbler Ridge, B.C., deaths

Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Tuesday, Mar. 3, 2026

VICTORIA - An inquest into the deaths of nine people in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., will examine how the mental health and public safety systems intersect, the province's chief coroner says.

Dr. Jatinder Baidwan announced the inquest on Tuesday with a goal to prevent future deaths.

While a date for the inquest hasn't been set, Baidwan said it would also consider how guns were obtained by the killer.

Jesse Van Rootselaar shot dead her mother and 11-year-old half-brother at their home before killing five students, a teacher's aide and then herself at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School on Feb. 10.

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Hoping to see the ‘blood’ moon eclipse? It may depend on where you live in Canada

The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Hoping to see the ‘blood’ moon eclipse? It may depend on where you live in Canada

The Canadian Press 3 minute read Monday, Mar. 2, 2026

Moongazers across Canada will be treated to a full lunar eclipse early on Tuesday, but not everyone will have the best seats in the house for the celestial show that's expected to turn the moon red.

Astronomy experts say the "blood moon" eclipse will be best seen the further west you go.

A lunar eclipse occurs when Earth is between the moon and the sun and the moon passes through the shadow cast by Earth.

The Canadian Space Agency says the phenomenon only happens during a full moon, and eclipse totality occurs when Earth completely blocks sunlight from reaching the moon.

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Monday, Mar. 2, 2026

An eclipse of the moon progresses on Sunday, Jan. 20, 2019 above Cochrane, Alta. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Dave Chidley

Solomon to meet OpenAI CEO Altman in wake of mass killings in Tumbler Ridge, B.C.

Chuck Chiang, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Solomon to meet OpenAI CEO Altman in wake of mass killings in Tumbler Ridge, B.C.

Chuck Chiang, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Friday, Feb. 27, 2026

VANCOUVER - Federal Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon will meet with OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman next week looking for a plan on how the company might prevent another tragedy like the mass killings in Tumbler Ridge, B.C.

Solomon said in a statement on Friday that he plans to talk to Altman "to seek further clarity and to ensure that the commitments made are translated into concrete action."

OpenAI had sent a letter to Solomon on Thursday, outlining its commitment to strengthen detection systems, to identify potential warning signals of serious violence, and better prevent attempts to evade safeguards.

Tumbler Ridge shooter Jesse Van Rootselaar had her ChatGPT account flagged internally and shut down by OpenAI last June, but the company did not notify police at the time. She went on to murder eight people on Feb. 10 in Tumbler Ridge, before killing herself.

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Friday, Feb. 27, 2026

Premier David Eby is joined by fellow MLAs in solidarity as he speaks during a press conference following the throne speech while the province declares today as a day of mourning at the legislature in Victoria, B.C., on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

NASA revamps Artemis moon landing program to reduce flight gaps and risk

Marcia Dunn, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

NASA revamps Artemis moon landing program to reduce flight gaps and risk

Marcia Dunn, The Associated Press 3 minute read Friday, Feb. 27, 2026

NASA said Friday it’s adding an extra moon mission by Artemis astronauts before attempting a high-risk lunar landing with a crew.

The shake-up in the flight lineup and push for a faster pace came just two days after NASA’s new moon rocket returned to its hangar for more repairs and a safety panel warned the space agency to scale back its overly ambitious goals for humanity’s first lunar landing in more than half a century.

Artemis II — a lunar fly-around by four astronauts — is off until at least April because of rocket problems.

The follow-up mission — Artemis III — had been targeting a landing near the moon’s south pole by another pair of astronauts a year or two later. But with long gaps between flights and concern growing over the readiness of a lunar lander and moonwalking suits, NASA’s new administrator Jared Isaacman announced that mission would instead focus on launching a lunar lander into orbit around Earth for docking practice by Orion capsule astronauts in 2027.

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Friday, Feb. 27, 2026

NASA's Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) moon rocket with the Orion spacecraft slowly rolls back towards the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Growing more complex by the day: How should journalists govern use of AI in their products?

David Bauder, The Associated Press 7 minute read Preview

Growing more complex by the day: How should journalists govern use of AI in their products?

David Bauder, The Associated Press 7 minute read Friday, Feb. 27, 2026

Like so many sectors of the economy, the news industry is hurtling toward a future where artificial intelligence plays a major role — grappling with questions about how much the technology is used, what consumers should be told about it, whether anything can be done for the journalists who will be left behind.

These issues were on the minds of reporters for the independent outlet ProPublica as they walked picket lines earlier this month. They're inching toward a potential strike, in what is believed would be the first such job action in the news business where how to deal with AI is the chief sticking point.

Few expect this dispute will be the last.

AI has undeniably helped journalists, simplifying complex tasks and saving time, particularly with data-focused stories. News organizations are using it to help sift through the Epstein files. AI suggests headlines, summarizes stories. Transcription technology has largely eliminated the need for a human to type up interviews. These days, even a simple Google search frequently involves AI.

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Friday, Feb. 27, 2026

Mother of B.C. mass shooting survivor shares update, says breathing tube removed

Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Mother of B.C. mass shooting survivor shares update, says breathing tube removed

Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 8:05 PM CST

The mother of a 12-year-old girl critically injured in the mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., last month says her daughter's breathing tube has been removed as doctors check to see whether she can breathe on her own.

A post on the Facebook account belonging to Cia Edmonds, mother of Maya Gebala, says the removal was a "terrifying experience" and she held her daughter's hand as the girl winced.

But Edmonds writes in the post on Friday that her daughter was "doing great" and "looking more like her beautiful self."

Edmonds and Gebala's father, David Gebala, have said their daughter was struck in her neck and in the head, just above her left eye, when shooter Jesse Van Rootselaar opened fire at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School on Feb. 10.

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Updated: Yesterday at 8:05 PM CST

Eby says OpenAI’s Altman will apologize to Tumbler Ridge, B.C., in wake of shootings

Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Eby says OpenAI’s Altman will apologize to Tumbler Ridge, B.C., in wake of shootings

Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 9:39 AM CST

VICTORIA - British Columbia Premier David Eby said OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has agreed to apologize to the people of Tumbler Ridge after the mass shooting by a user of the firm's technology, whose worrisome online behaviour wasn't flagged to police by the company.

"Everybody on the call recognized that an apology is nowhere near sufficient, but also that is completely necessary," Eby said of his conversation with Altman on Thursday.

OpenAI will also work with the province to come up with recommendations for federal regulatory standards on artificial intelligence and reporting of problematic interactions with its users, Eby said.

The premier said after the virtual meeting with Altman that OpenAI will work on the apology with the mayor of Tumbler Ridge where eight victims were shot dead on Feb. 10 by Jesse Van Rootselaar.

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Updated: Yesterday at 9:39 AM CST

B.C. Premier David Eby speaks during a press conference following the throne speech at the legislature in Victoria, on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

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OpenAI agrees to strengthen safeguards following B.C. mass shooting: minister

Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

OpenAI agrees to strengthen safeguards following B.C. mass shooting: minister

Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Wednesday, Mar. 4, 2026

Federal Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon says the CEO of OpenAI has agreed to take several actions to bolster safety, including providing a report outlining the new systems the firm is developing to identify high-risk offenders and policy violators.

A statement from Solomon following his meeting Wednesday with Sam Altman says the minister will also ask the Canadian AI Safety Institute to examine the company's model and provide expert technical advice to his office.

The meeting follows the revelation that OpenAI banned the mass shooter in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., from using its ChatGPT chatbot last June due to worrisome interactions but did not alert law enforcement before the killings last month.

OpenAI has said new protocols would have resulted in Jesse Van Rootselaar's interactions being flagged to police, but Solomon says the tragedy "demands answers and stronger safeguards when powerful AI technologies are involved."

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Wednesday, Mar. 4, 2026

Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation Evan Solomon takes questions from journalists as he makes his way to a meeting of the Liberal caucus on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Dueling documentaries illuminate the promise and perils of artificial intelligence

Michael Liedtke, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

Dueling documentaries illuminate the promise and perils of artificial intelligence

Michael Liedtke, The Associated Press 6 minute read Wednesday, Mar. 4, 2026

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Artificial intelligence's dystopian specter has spawned a pair of documentaries dissecting a technology that's depicted in the films as a ravenous parasite devouring humanity's knowledge, creativity and empathy.

The films, “Deepfaking Sam Altman” and “The AI Doc," examine the issue through different lenses while similarly illuminating why the technology evokes both existential fears and utopian visions about how it might change the world.

Both documentaries coincide with an intensifying debate about whether AI will become a catalyst that helps enlighten and enrich people or a technological toxin that insidiously dulls human intelligence while wiping out millions of high-paying jobs that have traditionally required college educations.

Dealing with AI dread

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Wednesday, Mar. 4, 2026

OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman speaks at the AI Summit in New Delhi, India, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo)

Carney in Australia to deepen trade and defence ties with ‘natural partner’

Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Carney in Australia to deepen trade and defence ties with ‘natural partner’

Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Tuesday, Mar. 3, 2026

SYDNEY - Prime Minister Mark Carney is in Australia, where he says his government is focused on forging new partnerships in investment, defence, security, critical minerals and artificial intelligence.

"Australia is a natural partner for Canada in these areas and many, many more, areas that will deliver enormous benefits to both our peoples," Carney said at a media availability in Sydney.

Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne told reporters it was a "strategic visit at a strategic moment in history."

Earlier in the day, he announced a co-operation agreement between Canadian and Australian pension funds.

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Tuesday, Mar. 3, 2026

Prime Minister Mark Carney gets into a waiting vehicle as he arrives in Sydney, Australia, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Triceratops skeleton ‘Trey’ to hit the auction block as dinosaur market soars

R.j. Rico, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Triceratops skeleton ‘Trey’ to hit the auction block as dinosaur market soars

R.j. Rico, The Associated Press 3 minute read Monday, Mar. 2, 2026

A triceratops skeleton that stood in a Wyoming museum for decades will be auctioned off, a rare instance of a museum-exhibited dinosaur going to the auction block just as the market for the prehistoric giants has hit record highs.

The fossil, dubbed “Trey,” will be open for bidding from March 17 to 31 on Joopiter, an online auction platform founded by Grammy-winning artist and producer Pharrell Williams. It has a preauction estimate of $4.5 million to $5.5 million.

Dating back more than 66 million years to the late Cretaceous period, Trey was discovered near Lusk, Wyoming, in 1993 by Lee Campbell and the late Allen Graffham, a commercial paleontologist who made numerous significant finds over his lifetime.

The 17-foot-long (5.3-meter-long) herbivore greeted visitors at the 1995 grand opening of the Wyoming Dinosaur Center in Thermopolis, and remained there on loan until 2023.

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Monday, Mar. 2, 2026

In this photo made available by JOOPITER, a triceratops skeleton, dubbed Trey, is displayed at Le Freeport, Singapore, Feb. 5, 2026. (Courtesy of Joopiter via AP)

Asian and Black skips look to carve a place in curling history at Brier

The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Asian and Black skips look to carve a place in curling history at Brier

The Canadian Press 4 minute read Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026

ST. JOHN'S - Two curlers believed to be the first Black and Asian skips in Brier history are set to break new ground at Canada’s national men’s curling championship.

Cody Tanaka said it wasn’t until he and his team won the provincial championships in British Columbia to qualify for the Brier that someone suggested he would be the first Asian skip at the event.

"It's an honour," Tanaka, of Tsawwassen, B.C., said after a Friday practice session at the Mary Brown's Centre.

Meanwhile, Team Ontario’s Jayden King, of Tillsonburg, Ont., is believed to be the first Black skip to compete at the Brier.

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Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026

British Columbia skip Cody Tanaka, left, and teammate Josh Miki on the ice during a practice session of the Montana 2026 Brier at the Mary Browns Centre in St. John's, N.L., on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Daly

From energy to AI: Five big themes behind Carney’s mission to India

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Preview

From energy to AI: Five big themes behind Carney’s mission to India

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Friday, Feb. 27, 2026

OTTAWA - Prime Minister Mark Carney's trip to India meant to reset bilateral relations after two years of extreme tensions.

Canada and India halted trade talks and pulled their diplomats after Canada alleged in both 2023 and 2024 that agents of the government of India were behind acts of violence and extortion targeting Canadian Sikhs, mainly those who support the creation of an independent Sikh state known as Khalistan.

But U.S. President Donald Trump's erratic approach to trade and threats of annexation have led Carney to attempt to rebuild the relationship with India. His government set up security talks with New Delhi in the hopes of addressing flashpoints — like transnational repression — without allowing them to dominate the relationship.

While the prospect of a trade deal likely will dominate media coverage of his visit, Carney is also expected to touch on multiple other topics when he sits down with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

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Friday, Feb. 27, 2026

Prime Minister Mark Carney takes part in a bilateral meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the G20 Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Group calls on Health Canada to make labels mandatory for gene-edited pork

Emily Baron Cadloff, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Preview

Group calls on Health Canada to make labels mandatory for gene-edited pork

Emily Baron Cadloff, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Sunday, Mar. 1, 2026

HALIFAX - An advocacy group of farmers and environmental organizations wants Health Canada to implement mandatory labelling on pork from gene-edited pigs.

Earlier this year, the federal agency approved the sale of gene-edited pigs as food. The pigs are resistant to Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus, called PRRSV-resistant pigs.

"It is expected that by addressing PRRSV in pigs, farmers can prevent severe illness and death in their herds, reduce the need for antibiotics, and improve animal welfare," Health Canada said in an email to The Canadian Press.

In January, Health Canada released a statement saying that the pigs do not “pose a greater risk to human health than pigs currently available,” and added that there are “no differences in the nutritional value of the PRRSV-resistant pigs compared to other pigs.”

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Sunday, Mar. 1, 2026

Pork chops are on display at a Sam's Club, Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025, in Bentonville, Ark. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

OpenAI says Tumbler Ridge shooter evaded ban with second ChatGPT account

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

OpenAI says Tumbler Ridge shooter evaded ban with second ChatGPT account

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026

SAN FRANCISCO - Artificial intelligence firm OpenAI says the shooter involved in mass killings in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., got around a ban on her problematic use of ChatGPT by having a second account.

The revelation came as the firm outlined a series of "immediate steps" it would be taking in response to the killings.

OpenAI vice-president for global policy Ann O'Leary says the company only discovered the second account after Jesse Van Rootselaar's name was announced by RCMP.

She says the shooter who killed eight people and then herself on Feb. 10 somehow evaded systems to prevent banned users from creating new accounts, and Van Rootselaar's second account was shared with law enforcement upon its discovery

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Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026

Police tape surrounds a school in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

Feds announce more than $41.5 million for cancer prevention research

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Feds announce more than $41.5 million for cancer prevention research

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026

OTTAWA - The federal government has announced more than $41 million for cancer prevention research.

A news release said six research funding organizations contributed funds, including the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Terry Fox Research Institute and the Canadian Cancer Society.

The Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development, the Cancer Research Society and BioCanRx also contributed funds.

The funding will support 19 teams that will work over the next five years to develop and share new approaches to support cancer prevention, reduce cancer risk and improve early detection.

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Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026

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