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

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Bluesky
• Share on X
• Copy Link

CANADA BRINING FEMINISM TO NAFTA TALKS: Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland says the Liberal government would like to see a chapter on gender included in the new North American Free Trade Agreement. Freeland said Monday the fact U.S. President Donald Trump worked with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on an initiative to support women entrepreneurs is a sign the White House would be open to such a thing. But she also pointed to the gender chapter in the free trade deal with Chile as a precedent-setting example.

Mourning the loss

Hope Mission reports overdose death outside temporary emergency homeless shelter

25m ago

Last seen on April 6

Missing: Diane Cooper, 82, of Consort

1h ago

6 to 8 p.m.

MLA Jason Stephan to hold public town hall on Thursday

1h ago

———

2 CANADIANS AMONG DEAD IN BURKINA FASO ATTACK: Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland says two Canadians were among 18 people killed in a suspected extremist attack on a popular restaurant in Burkina Faso. The incident happened late Sunday when suspected Islamic extremists opened fire at a Turkish restaurant in the country’s capital. Local authorities say other foreigners killed include two Kuwaitis and one person each from France, Senegal, Nigeria, Lebanon and Turkey. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the violence, which continued into the early hours Monday.

———

STUNT DRIVER DIES ON VANCOUVER FILM SET: A female stunt driver working on the movie “Deadpool 2” has died after a crash on a set for the film in downtown Vancouver. Police say the driver was on a motorcycle when the crash occurred on the movie set on Monday morning. Police say they have officers at the scene and investigators with WorkSafeBC, the provincial workplace safety agency, are also looking into the crash. Deadpool, a Marvel Comics superhero, is played by Vancouver-born actor Ryan Reynolds.

———

RALLY IN TORONTO PROTESTS CHARLOTTESVILLE VIOLENCE: Dozens of demonstrators gathered in downtown Toronto Monday morning to stand in solidarity with victims of the weekend violence in Virginia that killed one woman and injured 19 people. Many of them held signs decrying racism as they stood opposite the American consulate to express their opposition to white supremacists. “White supremacy is terrorism,” one sign said. The gathering came two days after a car plowed through a group of people in Charlottesville, Va., as they were protesting a white supremacist rally. James Alex Fields Jr., 20, of Ohio, is charged with second-degree murder and other counts.

———

HALIFAX WEATHERMAN FINDS SCORPION IN BANANAS: A weatherman says he got more than he bargained for during a recent trip to a Costco in Halifax after finding what appeared to be a live scorpion in a bag of bananas. Nathan Coleman, a reporter for The Weather Network, said he was unloading groceries when his 11-year-old daughter spotted something squirming in a plastic bag. Coleman said he double-bagged the arachnid and drove to the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History, where it has been jarred for observation. Costco did not immediately return a request for comment Monday.

———

SHAPAVALOV RISES IN RANKINGS AFTER ROGERS CUP: An unexpected run to the semifinals of the Rogers Cup has rocketed Canada’s newest tennis star up the world rankings. Denis Shapovalov improved from 143rd to 67th in Monday’s updated ATP singles rankings. The 18-year-old left-hander from Richmond Hill, Ont., introduced himself to Canada last week with an exhilarating performance at the Rogers Cup in Montreal that included a victory over top-seeded Spanish legend Rafael Nadal. He lost to fourth-seeded German Alexander Zverev in Saturday’s semifinals.

———

BUSINESSES RAISE CONCERNS ABOUT ONTARIO LABOUR REFORM: A business coalition says the Ontario government’s plan for major labour reforms would have significant side effects that would put 185,000 jobs at risk. The economic analysis commissioned by the Keep Ontario Working Coalition found that Ontario businesses stand to take a $23-billion hit within two years of the implementation of Bill 148, largely due to a minimum wage increase. The coalition said the changes proposed in the bill would force employers to find creative ways to cut costs, such as hiring less and increasing automation.

———

STUDY INDICATES PESTICIDE HARMING BUMBLEBEE COLONIES: A new study from an Ontario researcher suggests a widely used pesticide is placing bumblebee populations at an increased risk of extinction. Nigel Raine, an environmental science professor at the University of Guelph, discovered that thiamethoxam, a major neonicotinoid found in agricultural crops throughout the world, reduced the chances of bumblebee queens starting new colonies by more than a quarter. Raine said research indicates bumblebee queens that were exposed to the pesticide were 26 per cent less likely to lay eggs to start a colony.

———

GIRL KILLED IN RESTAURANT ATTACK IN FRANCE: French police say an 8-year-old girl was killed and at least five people were injured when a driver slammed his car into the sidewalk cafe of a pizza restaurant in a small town east of Paris. An official with the national gendarme service said the driver was arrested soon after the incident Monday night in the town of Sept-Sorts. The official said it is unclear whether the act was deliberate. The official was not authorized to be publicly named according to police policy.

———

The Canadian Press