Russians could evade Canada sanctions by laundering money, agency warns

ceremony in their backyard in -35 C weather.That’s how Kay and Curtis Ballance celebrated their “perfect” wedding day.The couple got married at their home in Grand Prairie, Alta., in February this year just seven weeks after giving birth to their first daughter.Kay Ballance said their preference was to have no guests at all and to just tie the knot at the courthouse, but in Alberta, you are required by law to have a marriage ceremony – which is what they ended up doing.“The size of our wedding, it actually turned out to be perfect,” said Curtis Ballance.“The very important people in our lives were there and yeah, just the smaller the better.

Bianca Andreescu took the tennis world by storm back in 2019, winning the Rogers Cup at age 19 — the first Canadian to do so in a half-century — and defeating Serena Williams to win the U.S. Open.

David Johnston says his decision to recommend against a public inquiry into foreign interference was based on “unprecedented” access to raw intelligence, Canadian national security officials and their political masters.

PHILADELPHIA - Emergency crews are responding to a large junkyard fire sending smoke into the air in Southwest Philadelphia. Multiple cars are reportedly on fire in the junkyard. SKYFOX flew over the junkyard on South 61st Street, where large flames from the 2-alarm blaze and explosions could be seen. The Philadelphia Fire Department has not released any official information on the size of the fire or the response from crews. Residents in the area have been urged to take precautions to avoid exposure to the smoke. MORE LOCAL HEADLINESAccording to the Philadelphia Health Department, people in the area should avoid going outdoors, avoid excessive activity, close all windows and doors to minimize indoor pollution and recirculate air with fans. The smoke from the flames may be especially troubling for children, the elderly, individuals who are pregnant and those with respiratory conditions. This is a developing story.

mortgage rates are ratcheting up the pressure on Canadian landlords, especially young investors who are facing the harsh side of the interest rate cycle for the first time.A report released Thursday by Royal LePage shows higher payments are even pushing some housing investors to consider selling off their properties. But for 32-year-old Karim Najjar, that decision is about more than just writing off the loss on an investment.Najjar moved to Ottawa from Edmonton in 2017 and jumped into the housing market a year after he arrived.His timing into the market was good, Najjar recalls, as home prices soared in his first few years of ownership.

After long ruling out providing F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine to defend itself from Russia, the U.S. military now says the jets “clearly have a role” in the war.

Cold Lake but in the summertime the city, located 280 kilometres northeast of Edmonton, shines.“We’ve got a beautiful beach and a lot of people come up here to camp and to fish,” said Cold Lake mayor Craig Copeland.Over the next several years, thousands of people could be coming to the area of Alberta to work as well.The city has been home to a Royal Canadian Air Force based for decades — the military says 4 Wing Cold Lake is the busiest fighter base in Canada.People who live in Cold Lake either, for the most part, work at the military base or in oil and gas — but soon, Cold Lake could become major hub for clean energy as site of one of the largest carbon capture and storage facilities in the world.“It has the right geology,” Pathways Alliance president Kendall Dilling said.

Drivers with certain medical problems must declare them to the DVLA or risk being hit with hefty fines - and a possible licence surrender.

township of Norwich, Ont., has resigned after council voted to enact a controversial bylaw forbidding non-government flags, including Pride flags, on municipal properties.Ward 2 Coun. Alisha Stubbs announced her immediate resignation Tuesday night in protest of the council’s decision to support the bylaw at the end of the meeting in the rural southwestern Ontario community located east of London.“I refuse to participate in this any longer, to the dog whistles and blatant discrimination, and to the hypocrisy of decisions made for peace while many citizens feel fear,” said Stubbs in her resignation as she packed her possessions.“Use your power for good,” she continued.“When you hear of people in our community that feel unsafe, believe them.

Chinese state-sponsored cyber threat actor is performing discrete espionage operations within critical U.S. infrastructure and may target other nations, Western cybersecurity agencies and Microsoft warned Wednesday.Those operations may be aimed at developing ways to disrupt critical communications between the U.S.

A common and widespread virus may increase the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to scientists.

If you’re a regular online shopper — especially if you’re under the age of 30 or so — you’ve probably seen the name Shein, and might have bought an outfit or two from the retailer.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is set to publish an update on guidance relating to eye conditions.

toxic chemical BPA in their sports bras, shirts, shorts and leggings, according to a United States consumer watchdog group.The Center for Environmental Health (CEH) on May 17 sent out legal notices to eight athletics brands after testing showed high amounts of bisphenol A (BPA) in the clothing they sold. This comes months after the group previously issued legal notices to a handful of other athletic companies and alerted consumers about the issue.Brands that were tested included Adidas, Athleta, Champion, Fabletics, Kohl’s, New Balance, Nike, Patagonia, Pink, The North Face and Reebok.

The U.S. surgeon general warned Tuesday of the potential risks of social media to young people, and urged policy makers and technology companies to strengthen standards for adolescents. Dr.

The world needs to learn from the Covid-19 pandemic in order to prepare for "even deadlier" viruses in the future, a World Health Organisation (WHO) chief has warned.

foreign interference in Canadian elections and society is not needed, special rapporteur David Johnston says.The 81-year-old former governor general made the recommendation Tuesday after being given two months to do so by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau back in March. Johnston had until May 23 to decide whether an inquiry or another form of independent review was warranted.However, public hearings should be conducted on the allegations, Johnston said.

air travellers in Canada will no longer need to take their personal belongings out of their carry-on luggage during airport security screening.Transport Minister Omar Alghabra made the announcement Tuesday for a new Verified Traveller Program being launched by the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) that will take off in June.The new lines will allow eligible travellers to keep laptops, large electronics, and compliant liquids and gels in their carry-on at security screening checkpoints, according to a press release from Transport Canada. They also won’t need to take their shoes, belts and jackets off during the screening process.Members of NEXUS and Global Entry, airport staff, aircrews, RCMP and police officers with IDs as well as active members of the Canadian and U.S.

The Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador (AFNQL) is calling on a Quebec politician to step down after his “contemptuous and disgraceful” remarks during a city council meeting.

CANADA - A photographer, based in Canada, managed to capture a mesmerizing green glow of an aurora borealis Sunday after smoke from recent wildfires dissipated. The footage, captured by RJ Roldan, shows the aurora borealis over South Indian Lake in the early hours of May 21. The video showcases the vivid green northern lights flowing across the clear Manitoba sky.Roldan told Storyful that recent days have posed challenges for aurora viewing due to the smoke blanketing the skies from an outbreak of wildfires."The smoke was finally pushed in giving us a clear view of the night sky and gave us an opportunity to watch the night spectacle – the beautiful northern lights show," he said.(Credit: ) According to the latest update by the Manitoba Wildfire Services, wildfire danger across southern Manitoba is moderate to high throughout the province.

Ireland will be the first country in the world to put labels on alcohol bottles warning of its reported risk of causing cancer, along with other health information.The labels will warn about the risk of consuming alcohol when pregnant and of liver disease and fatal cancers from consumption, as well as calorie counts, the government said in a statement. They will be implemented in three years, by May 2026.“Packaging of other food and drink products already contains health information and, where appropriate, health warnings,” said Ireland’s health minister, Stephen Donnelly, in a statement.

WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy will meet face to face Monday after a weekend of on again, off again negotiations over raising the nation's debt ceiling and mere days before the government could reach a "hard deadline" and run out of cash to pay its bills.The two sides are working to reach a budget compromise before June 1, when Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has said the country could default.McCarthy and Republicans are insisting on spending cuts in exchange for raising the debt limit. Biden has come to the negotiating table after balking for months but says the GOP lawmakers will have to back off their "extreme positions."On Sunday evening, negotiators met again and appeared to be narrowing on a 2024 budget year cap that could resolve the standoff.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Canada and Ukraine are working on a new package to help Kyiv fight off Russia.Zelenskyy made the comments on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Hiroshima, Japan, when asked by Global News if Canada had done enough in recent months to support the Ukrainian war effort.“I would like you to understand that we have powerful relations with Canada,” said Zelenskyy.“We are working on something … which maybe, publicly cannot be commented (on).”Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Zelenskyy had met earlier in the day and Canada did not announce any new weapons or aid for Ukraine after they spoke.That’s in contrast to allies like the United States, who announced a US$375 million package for Ukraine, which included new ammunition, artillery and armoured vehicles.On Thursday, Canada announced additional sanctions on Russian individuals and businesses.

Air Quality Health Index forecasted air quality at 10+ for both cities on Sunday, the worst rating for air quality according to Environment Canada.This means the air quality may pose very serious health risks for residents, especially for the elderly, children and people with respiratory illnesses.The smoke is also expected to linger in Edmonton.“It looks like it’s actually going to stick around until around tomorrow afternoon where we might get a brief reprieve in the smoke,” said Marianna Greenhough, meteorologist for Environment and Climate Change Canada.“We can probably see a few thunderstorms possibly pass through tomorrow night …After those thunderstorms go through, it does look like the smoke will come back in again and maybe not quite as terrible as it is today, but it will not be good.

BUCKS COUNTY, Pa. - Reports of a police impersonator in Bucks County have sparked an investigation by a local police department this weekend.The alleged impersonator pulled over a 31-year-old woman as she left a Wawa on West Trenton Avenue in Morrisville around midnight Saturday.Police say the suspect is a man in his 30s wearing a plain dark uniform with a gold badge, carrying a flashlight.

financial planner or advisor to guide decisions on everything from investments to getting out of debt.But as complicated as planning your own finances can be, experts say it’s no simple task getting the right help, either.“There’s still a lot of ambiguity, I find, with financial advisors in Canada to figure out what the heck they do,” says Jason Heath, managing director of Objective Financial Partners.Heath, who is a certified financial planner (CFP), and other experts also say relying on outside advice might not be right for every household budget when the costs of financial planning itself are factored in.Here’s how to decide if a financial planner is right for you, and how to navigate the market to find the right fit.There are many different types of financial guidance you can get, ranging from straightforward advice to hands-on management of your investments.But the first distinction to be made is the difference between a financial advisor and a financial planner.The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) differentiates the more general financial advisors, which could encompass anything from a bank employee to a stock broker to an insurance agent, from the more specific financial planner, which is a type of advisor who helps you make a plan for your long-term savings goals.

sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury on Friday along with his Canadian-registered business and his Hong Kong firms.The 41-year-old’s company Asia Pacific Links Ltd.

New York City‘s skyscraper skyline is iconic, but it may be causing the Big Apple to sink, a new study suggests.According to research published by the scientific journal Earth’s Future, the cumulative 1.68 trillion-pound weight of New York City’s buildings is causing the city to sink about one to two millimetres per year on average.The “subsidence rate” — the scientific term for the speed of sinking — was observed by three University of Rhode Island oceanologists and a researcher from the U.S. Geological Survey.

Canadian economists are growing increasingly nervous as the United States inches closer to a potential default due to an impasse in debt ceiling talks.

Google is celebrating one of Canada’s favourite comfort foods on Friday.The search engine gave a nod to poutine with a Google Doodle ahead of the long weekend in the country.A colourful image shows a takeout box full of French fries topped with brown gravy and white cheese curds as well as a blue fork dancing next to it.“Today’s Doodle celebrates a delicious Québécois dish you’ll surely want to pout-ine your mouth!” Google said.The search engine picked May 19 as it was the same day the word “poutine” was added to the English Merriam-Webster Dictionary in 2014.Poutine is a Quebec specialty whose history in the province goes back decades.

A view of Dubai downtown in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on November 21, 2022. (Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images) DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Who says you cannot reach for the moon? A proposed $5 billion real estate project wants to take skyscraper-studded Dubai to new heights — by bringing a symbol of the heavens down to Earth.Canadian entrepreneur Michael Henderson envisions building a 274-meter (900-foot) replica of the moon atop a 30-meter (100-foot) building in Dubai, already home to the world's tallest building and other architectural wonders.Henderson's project, dubbed MOON, may sound out of this world, but it could easily fit in this futuristic city-state. Dubai already has a red-hot real estate market, fueled by the wealthy who fled restrictions imposed in their home countries during the coronavirus pandemic and Russians seeking refuge amid Moscow’s war on Ukraine.And even though a previous booms-and-bust cycle saw many grand projects collapse, Henderson and others suggest his vision, funded by Moon World Resorts Inc., where he is the co-founder, might not be that far-fetched."We have the biggest ‘brand’ in the world," Henderson told The Associated Press, alluding that the moon itself — the heavenly body — was his brand.

pilots’ strike that threatened to upend Canadians’ Victoria Day long weekend travel plans.The Calgary-based airline and the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) announced a tentative agreement to avoid the job action early Friday. Some 1,800 pilots at WestJet and Swoop had been poised to walk off the job Friday morning after the ALPA served a strike notice Monday.In anticipation of a work stoppage, WestJet grounded more than 200 flights Thursday and Friday to avoid “abandoning aircraft in remote locations without support.” The process of getting those flights back online started after the tentative agreement was reached, WestJet said.“The WestJet Group is ramping up its operations as quickly and efficiently as possible, however the full resumption of operations will take time,” the airline said in a statement.“Guests remain encouraged to continue to check the status of their flights before heading to the airport.”WestJet’s cancellations affected dozens of routes within Canada and to the U.S.

FILE - (L to R) European Council President Charles Michel, Italys Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Canadas Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Frances President Emmanuel Macron, Japans Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, US President Joe Biden, Germanys Chancello HIROSHIMA, Japan - Leaders of the world’s most powerful democracies vowed Friday to tighten punishments on Russia for its 15-month invasion of Ukraine, days before President Volodymyr Zelenskyy joins the Group of Seven summit in person on Sunday."Our support for Ukraine will not waver," the G7 leaders said in a statement released after closed-door meetings, vowing "to stand together against Russia’s illegal, unjustifiable, and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine.""Russia started this war and can end this war," they said.Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, confirmed on national television that Zelenskyy would attend the summit."We were sure that our president would be where Ukraine needed him, in any part of the world, to solve the issue of stability of our country," Danilov said Friday. "There will be very important matters decided there, so physical presence is a crucial thing to defend our interests."Zelenskyy on Friday opened a visit to Saudi Arabia, where Arab leaders were holding a separate summit, he announced.Russian President Vladimir Putin’s nuclear threats against Ukraine, along with North Korea's months-long barrage of missile tests and China’s rapidly expanding nuclear arsenal, have resonated with Japan’s push to make nuclear disarmament a major part of the summit.

WestJet and its pilots have reached a last-minute deal, averting a strike ahead of the May long weekend, according to the union.A news release from the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA) late Thursday night said members voted to approve an agreement-in-principle with WestJet management, following more than nine months of negotiations on a new pilot contract.Just after 12 a.m. MT, the Calgary-based airline confirmed the two sides had reached a tentative agreement on the second collective bargaining agreement between the organizations.Some 1,800 pilots at WestJet and Swoop had been poised to walk off the job overnight Friday after the ALPA served a strike notice Monday.Already the airline had cancelled hundreds of flights in anticipation of its fleet being grounded.The shutdown affected dozens of routes within Canada and to the U.S.

Justin Trudeau called out the Italian government’s stance on LGBTQ rights during a bilateral meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the G7 Leaders’ Summit in Hiroshima, Japan.“Obviously, Canada is concerned about some of the (positions) that Italy is taking in terms of LGBT rights,” Trudeau told Meloni at the start of the meeting.“But I look forward to talking with you about that.”The comments were made at the start of the meeting, prior to media being ushered out of the room.In March, gay rights activists denounced as homophobic moves by Meloni’s far-right-led government to limit recognition of parental rights to the biological parent only in families with same-sex parents.In a move that would impact hundreds of families, the government told the city of Milan to stop automatically recording both parents in same-sex couples on city registers.It was the last major city to continue the practice that had been briefly adopted in Rome, Turin, Naples and elsewhere after Italy’s high court in 2016 made it easier for gay people to adopt a partner’s biological child.In a readout of the meeting sent out by the Prime Minister’s Office, it says the leaders “exchanged views on the importance of protecting and defending human rights, including the rights of 2SLGBTQI+ people.”“Prime Minister Meloni responded that her government is following court decisions and is not deviating from previous administrations,” the summary said.Trudeau met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida earlier in the morning, where both leaders discussed increasing co-operation between G7 countries to further peace and economic prosperity.The G7 Leaders’ Summit is taking place between Friday and Sunday.The summit is expected to focus on

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the chief of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group, on Thursday accused regular Russian army units of pulling back 570 meters north of the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, leaving his own fighters’ flanks exposed.

pilots’ strike despite ongoing talks between the union and the airline.With a work stoppage set for Friday, WestJet CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech said in a May 18 statement that the company wanted to avoid “abandoning aircraft in remote locations without support.”WestJet has now parked the majority of its 737 and 787 fleet. WestJet Encore, WestJet Link and limited 737 flights will continue to operate, von Hoensbroech said.“We deeply regret the disruption this will have on the travel plans of our guests and the communities and businesses that rely on our critical air service,” he said.“We remain at a critical impasse with the union and have been left with no choice but to begin taking the painful steps of preparing for the reality of a work stoppage.”Bernard Lewall, who heads the union’s WestJet contingent, has said the workers’ issues revolve around pay, job security and scheduling, and says pilots are earning roughly half of what some of their U.S.

PHILADELPHIA - The Democrat who will almost certainly become Philadelphia's next mayor wants to hire hundreds of additional police officers to walk their beats and get to know residents. She wants to devote resources to recruiting more police and says officers should be able to stop and search pedestrians if they have a legitimate reason to do so.Those positions, particularly the search policies that have been criticized for wrongly targeting people of color, would seem out of step in a progressive bastion like Philadelphia.

WestJet’s CEO on Wednesday called the salary demands of the pilots’ union unreasonable and said a “substantial” gap remains between the two sides, as the airline prepares for a looming strike with no signs of a deal.

A Delta Airlines jet carrying the Georgia Bulldogs football team taxis as the teams arrive for the College Football Playoff National Championship on January 06, 2023, at the Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Jevone Moor Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said Wednesday that more government regulations could lead to higher ticket prices. "There's no question if there is another layer of government regulation and cost that's introduced into the system, it'll eventually find its way back into ticket prices," Bastian said during an interview with "CBS Mornings." It's "common business logic," he added. In April, airline fares dropped about 2.6% from March after four months of increases, according to government data. DELTA DISCLOSES RECORD ADVANCE SUMMER BOOKINGSRepresentatives for Delta Air Lines declined to comment further. Earlier this month, President Biden said his administration will write new regulations requiring major carriers to compensate travelers and cover their meals and hotel rooms if they are stranded for reasons within the airline’s control.This is in addition to ticket refunds for passengers when the airline is at fault for canceling or significantly delaying a flight. INTERNATIONAL AIRFARE PRICES SURGE PAST 2019 LEVELSBiden noted that travelers "deserve more than just getting the price of your ticket (refunded) — you deserve to be fully compensated.

WestJet is telling its pilots it was offering “significant” wage increases that would make them among the highest paid workers in Canada before the pilots’ union issued notice for a strike that could begin this week, Global News has learned.But the union says the “cherry-picked” six-figure salaries included in internal communications do not represent the full scope of the offer they rejected, and criticized the airline for bargaining in public.Global News obtained a memo sent to pilots by John Aaron, WestJet’s vice-president of flight operations, to the airline’s pilots hours after the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) issued a 72-hour strike notice Monday evening.WestJet pilots are set to walk off the job at 3 a.m. Eastern on Friday unless a deal is reached.In the memo, Aaron said the airline’s latest offer — which expired after the strike notice was issued — would have raised salaries to “around” $300,000 for a narrowbody aircraft captain and $350,000 for a widebody aircraft captain, before overtime and other stipends.Aaron said those wages would have made narrowbody captains and first officers the highest-paid in Canada.Narrowbody aircraft are the more common passenger planes, like the Boeing 737, that have a single aisle separating passenger seating.

People’s Party of Canada has been fined $2,000 for violating COVID-19 restrictions in Manitoba two years ago.Maxime Bernier admitted to two charges of holding a public gathering contrary to public health orders that were in place in June 2021.Two other charges of entering Manitoba without self-isolating were stayed under an agreement with the Crown attorney.Bernier was arrested as he began a tour of Manitoba communities to prepare for the federal election that year and to denounce pandemic restrictions.Judge Anne Krahn said Bernier made a deliberate and conscious decision to not respect the rule of law.Bernier says he respects the decision but feels he is a victim of political repression because other people at his events were not fined.

The annual rate of inflation rose slightly in April as Canadians paid more at the gas pumps, bucking a streak that had seen price pressures easing year-over-year since the summer in Canada.

General Motors GM.N said on Monday it will recall 42,000 sport utility vehicles in Canada from the 2014 through 2017 model years because the driver’s airbag inflator may explode during deployment.On Friday, GM recalled 994,763 Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, and GMC Acadia vehicles in the United States from the 2014-2017 model years with modules produced by ARC Automotive Inc. GM did not immediately say if it will recall the vehicles in other markets.Dealers in Canada and the United States will replace the driver’s airbag module. The U.S.