The Friday news briefing: An at-a-glance survey of some top stories

Highlights from the news file for Friday, Aug. 4

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PM SAYS GOVERNMENT CAN HANDLE ASYLUM SEEKER SURGE: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada has the resources and the capacity to deal with the sudden spike in asylum seekers that have crossed into Quebec. Trudeau said Friday while at an event in eastern Ontario that the government is making sure the influx of people is being properly dealt with. The number of people seeking asylum in Quebec has tripled in the last two weeks, jumping to 150 a day. 

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ATLANTIC CANADA OFF THE GRID: Many people in Atlantic Canada had to make do without cellphones for much of Friday as a widespread outage also affected internet, TV, wireless and landline phones. Service was slowly being restored by Friday afternoon. Telus said on its website that a problem with the Bell network was to blame. Some flights were delayed as computer issues affected flights at a number of airports.

Last seen March 31

Missing: Eugenie Headman, 66, of Maskwacis

22h ago

mayor hopes to meet housing minister this month

Alberta demands Ottawa back off on housing funding stripped from Red Deer

Apr 02, 2026

Last seen Jan. 15

Missing: Courtney Cattleman, 17, of Maskwacis

Apr 02, 2026

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CANADA CHALKS UP ANOTHER MONTH OF JOB GROWTH: Canada’s jobless rate fell to its lowest level since the start of the financial crisis nearly nine years ago. The jobless rate for July dipped 0.2 to 6.3 per cent as the number of people looking for work declined. Statistics Canada said the economy produced 10,900 net new jobs for the month.

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QUEBEC CITY ANNOUNCES MUSLIM CEMETERY: Quebec City Mayor Regis Lebeaume has announced there will be a cemetery for Muslims in the provincial capital. The city is making a parcel of land available and the cemetery is expected to be ready this fall. Quebec City’s Muslims have been looking for a cemetery for two decades, but made a renewed push after they completed the payment for the city’s main mosque in 2011.

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SESSIONS WANTS TO PLUG GOVERNMENT LEAKS: Attorney General Jeff Sessions is pledging to rein in government leaks that he says undermine American security. His announcement Friday of a dramatic increase in the number of investigations into criminal leaks comes a week after President Donald Trump accused him of being “weak” on leakers. The timing raises questions about whether the attorney general is working to quell the anger of the man who appointed him.

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BC BRINGS BACK HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION: The new NDP government in British Columbia is bringing back the provincial human rights commission. It was scrapped by the previous Liberal government in 2002. B.C. is the only province without a commission and instead relies on a tribunal which receives and hears complaints but is not able to do any proactive work.

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CANADA’S FOREST INDUSTRY PANS CARIBOU PROTECTION PLAN: The Forest Products Association of Canada says a federal plan to protect caribou is a risky experiment that will do little to help the animals. The group says it will hurt companies already struggling with U.S. softwood tariffs. The federal plan includes an investment in additional research and requests feedback from any organization or person who has updated science. But the forestry association fears an October deadline for provinces to produce caribou range plans means incomplete science will be used to establish the recovery strategy.

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AIR QUALITY REMAINS POOR IN BC: Poor air quality caused by smoke from raging wildfires continues to hang over southern British Columbia.  An air quality advisory that has spanned from eastern Vancouver Island to the Elk Valley on the Alberta border has now expanded as far north as Prince George. Smoky conditions are causing poor visibility and creating health risks to people with medical conditions, infants and the elderly.

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TORONTO SPEEDS WORK ON SAFE INJECTION SITE: Construction on one of three safe injection sites planned for Toronto is due to begin next week. It’s among the measures the city announced this week in a response to a rash of overdoses last week. Toronto’s medical officer of health, Dr. Eileen de Villa, said work on the first site will start Tuesday, with plans for it to open on an unspecified date in the fall.  

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NHL POWERHOUSE HITS 30: Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby turns 30 on Monday and he’ll celebrate his birthday by parading the Stanley Cup through the Nova Scotia town where he has been a star since he was five. Crosby will mark his third Stanley Cup win by parading with the cup through Cole Harbour. Locals remember Crosby as a hockey prodigy who hasn’t been changed by fame and fortune.

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The Canadian Press