KELOWNA – James Butler and the B.C. Lions won the ground battle while grinding out their first victory of the CFL season, beating the previously undefeated Edmonton Elks 36-24 on Saturday in front of another sellout crowd at the Apple Bowl.

Butler rumbled for 135 yards and two touchdowns, outshining league-leading rusher Justin Rankin on another sunny evening in the Okanagan — the Lions’ home away from home after being punted out of BC Place Stadium in Vancouver by the FIFA World Cup.

“It feels good to get in the win column. To be able to get one in Kelowna is great but just to get one overall is good,” said Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke, who again passed for more than 300 yards.

“We knew it wasn’t going to be easy. That’s a team that was 3-0 and they had won three close games. They were playing with a lot of confidence and we definitely saw that today. I just thought we fed off the energy of the crowd. We bounced back.”

Led by Butler, who scored consecutive touchdowns in the second quarter to turn a 14-10 deficit into a 23-14 advantage, the Lions head into a bye week with some confidence.

“It was awesome to see. We know that he’s capable of doing those things all the time,” said Rourke. “He ran extremely well behind the offensive line. They did a really good job setting the tone for the game. They opened up those holes for him.

“We want to be balanced as an offence. We want to do a lot of different things. We want to get the ball to different people. Him and Zander (Horvath) are doing a really good job of running the rock for us. It certainly makes my job easier.”

Horvath also scored twice, on the ground in the first quarter and through the air in the fourth, and Sean Whyte kicked three first-half field goals for the Lions (1-3). Whyte was good from 16, 33 and then 40 yards on the final play of the second quarter for a 29-21 lead at the halftime break.

“Very impressed with what we were able to do in running the ball,” said Lions head coach and offensive coordinator Buck Pierce. “And I thought our defence played hard. Rankin’s going to make his plays. He’s one of those type of guys that you should buy a ticket to go watch. But, coaching-wise, they did a great job devising a game plan to take him out.”

Cody Fajardo countered with three touchdown passes for the Elks (3-1), twice connecting with Kaion Julien-Grant before finding Austin Mack in the end zone in the final minute of the first half. Fajardo also threw three interceptions, with Vincent Blanchard’s lone field goal in the fourth quarter accounting for Edmonton’s only offence of the second half.

The teams combined for 50 points in the first half — including three majors each — to deliver another high-scoring, highly entertaining contest that concluded the Touchdown Kelowna festivities on a high note for more than 19,000 boisterous fans.

The Lions lost the opener of their two-week stint here, falling 41-33 to the Calgary Stampeders in a battle of winless teams last Saturday. But they held on this time, with several players stepping up on defence and special teams to support Butler, Rourke and the rest of the offence for an all-around impressive triumph.

“It’s huge that we finished here with a win,” said defensive back Jackson Findlay, who had a first-half interception for the first of B.C.’s four turnovers. “We really enjoyed our time here. Great weather, great people, and we had a lot of fun.

“We left a lot on the table those first three games. We know we’re a better team than that … and I think we showed that today,” added Findlay. “So we’re super excited to be going to the bye week with a win.”

KEY MOMENT

The Lions opened the scoring on their second possession to fire up the fans, marching down the field thanks to four straight completions from Rourke before Horvath punched it in from the one-yard line.

Darnell Sankey’s interception at B.C.’s goal line late in the fourth quarter was another key moment, snuffing out Edmonton’s comeback bid and getting the capacity crowd roaring again.

KEY STAT

Rankin only had four carries in the first half, resulting in a loss of three yards. He finished the game with 19 yards rushing and 100 yards receiving. He also fumbled for a turnover and didn’t factor into the scoring. He entered the game as the Elks’ leading rusher and receiver through three games.

UP NEXT

Elks: Host the Ottawa Redblacks (0-4) on Thursday.

Lions: Visit the Edmonton Elks on Friday, July 17.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 4, 2026.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

Canada’s historic FIFA World Cup run came to an end Saturday with a 3-0 loss to Morocco in the Round of 16 in Houston, Texas.

While many Canadians were left heartbroken after the men’s national team’s deepest run ever at a World Cup ended, thousands of others took to the streets and restaurants to celebrate.

In cities like Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto, members of Canada’s Moroccan community erupted in celebration as Morocco advanced to the quarterfinals.

One of the biggest names behind Morocco’s success also has Canadian ties.

Goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, who was born in Montreal before moving to Morocco as a child, helped anchor Morocco’s shutout victory.

Bounou has become one of the tournament’s standout goalkeepers throughout the World Cup so far.

In Montreal’s Petit Maghreb neighbourhood, dozens gathered at restaurants along Jean-Talon Street wearing red Morocco jerseys and waving Moroccan flags.

After a tense opening half in which Canada controlled long stretches of play, celebrations erupted when Morocco scored early in the second half.

A heavy police presence, including mounted officers and members in riot gear, monitored the celebrations and worked to keep crowds on the sidewalks.

More than 4,500 kilometres away in Vancouver, around 60 supporters packed a Moroccan restaurant in Yaletown to watch the match.

Otto Outn, who travelled from Morocco and now lives in Vancouver, praised Canada’s performance despite the result.

“Canada was playing like a very strong, confident team. They put Morocco back on their heels a little bit,” he said. “But then in the second half we were able to score two goals, finish with a third. Congratulations.”

Christa Aucy, honorary consul for the Kingdom of Morocco in British Columbia, said the gathering reflected the strength of the local Moroccan community.

“We’re feeling great. It’s been a fantastic day,” she said. “It’s been awesome to play Canada. It was really an honour, and what a game it was.”

Restaurant owner Mohamed El Haddi said the World Cup has brought the local Moroccan community together.

“We’ve done this before, but more and more people are getting excited as we progress,” he said.

Morocco will face France in the quarterfinals on Thursday, while Canada’s tournament ends after its deepest-ever run on soccer’s biggest stage.

– With files from Dan Spector, Global News

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Two people have been arrested after an alleged assault with a weapon near Beacon Hill Park in Victoria on Friday night that left three people injured.

Victoria police say officers were called to the area of Dallas Road near Beacon Hill Park shortly after 10 p.m. following reports of a confrontation involving multiple people, according to a news release.

Three people suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Police said two of the injured were taken to hospital for treatment and have since been released.

Officers arrested two people at the scene, neither of whom was injured. Police said one of those arrested is a youth. Both remain in custody.

The Victoria Police Department’s Major Crime Unit is leading the investigation, which remains in its early stages.

Anyone with information who has not yet spoken with investigators is asked to contact authorities.

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Team Canada’s historic World Cup run comes to an end. Emergency room closures at three Interior B.C. hospitals. The Burnaby Urban Search and Rescue team returns from its deployment in Venezuela.

Watch ‘Global News at 6 BC’ for the latest news in British Columbia.

Click here for more Global BC videos

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra is denying that donations from the family that owns the Ambassador Bridge are behind the delayed opening of the new Gordie Howe Bridge.

“Absolutely not,” Hoekstra said when asked by Global News whether the delay was tied to a US$1-million donation from billionaire Matthew Moroun — whose family owns the competing Ambassador Bridge — to Trump’s super PAC, MAGA Inc., in January.

“The bridge was not open when it was announced a couple of weeks ago by mutual agreement of the Canadian government and the U.S. government,” he said. “It has nothing to do with the Morouns.”

A planned ribbon-cutting event last month was cancelled at the request of the Americans, according to Prime Minister Mark Carney, who said there were “technical aspects” that were being worked through between Canada and the U.S.

The New York Times reported that Matthew Moroun met with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick hours before Trump posted in February that he could block the bridge’s opening unless the U.S. was “compensated.”

Campaign finance records reviewed by Global News show members of the Moroun family also made 15 separate donations worth more than US$35,000 to Hoekstra during his final year in Congress, donations that Hoekstra said had no bearing on negotiations.

“The Morouns operate a significant business in the United States, and in the United States, companies involved in those kinds of businesses donate to all kinds of campaigns,” Hoekstra said. “I know that they donate to Republicans and Democrats.”

A White House official told Global News last month that Trump’s position on the bridge “has not changed,” despite outreach from Canadian government officials, including Carney.

The new Detroit-Windsor crossing remains closed despite the fact Canada has paid for the entire cost of the bridge and will share ownership with Michigan. Hoekstra believes that isn’t good enough.

“Americans are contributing significantly more than half of the revenue that will pay back however Canada financed this,” he said, adding it’s being “paid for from revenue coming from the Ambassador Bridge, which is 100 per cent an American-owned company.”

Despite his complaints, Hoekstra remains upbeat about the bridge’s future. “We can reach an agreement on this bridge that is not tied into the larger CUSMA negotiations,” he said. “I’m optimistic we open the bridge relatively soon.”

No guarantee CUSMA exemptions will remain

Hoekstra’s optimism fades when it comes to the ongoing trade negotiations and the renewal of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).

“There’s maybe been some progress, but not the significant amount of progress that says, ‘OK, we know exactly where we’re going, now let’s fill out the details,'” Hoekstra said.

Canada has yet to hold formal negotiations with the U.S., which has already had multiple sit-downs with its Mexican counterparts.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has routinely pointed to Canada having the best deal with the U.S. due to tariff exemptions on free trade products — something the ambassador would not guarantee will continue.

“I’m not in a position to guarantee anything. These decisions are made at the White House. They are made by the president,” Hoekstra said.

His comments come just days after the Trump administration declined to extend the trilateral pact with Canada and Mexico for a new 16-year term, citing what the U.S. calls “shortcomings” and “trade deficits.” Mexico and Canada both publicly pushed for a renewal.

U.S. President Donald Trump suggested last month that the U.S. is “better without” CUSMA, and that he’d even prefer to see it “terminated.”

When asked by Global News, Hoekstra would not say if the administration is considering ripping up the deal, which can be done by any party with six months’ formal notice.

“All options are on the table,” Hoekstra said. “ clearly is allowed for within the agreement.”

– With files from Sergio Vargas, Global News

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

The union representing nurses in British Columbia says it will put up pickets around the province’s largest hospital starting next week as it escalates its strike.

BC Nurses’ Union says in a statement it will picket Vancouver General Hospital on Tuesday, five days after members voted in favour of a strike.

The union says it will maintain essential services to protect patient safety, but continue its provincewide refusal of all non-essential overtime hours and non-nursing duties.

Union president Adriane Gear says nurses don’t want to be on the picket line, but adds the provincial government can no longer ignore the demands of the health-care system.

The announcement from the union comes after 98.2 per cent of almost 51,000 nurses voted in favour of job actions and after 67 per cent members of rejected a tentative agreement.

Jim Gould, who is the union’s chief executive officer, says it’s up to the provincial government to come to the table with an offer that respects nurses.

“This government is not going to solve the nursing shortage without making serious improvements to nurses’ working conditions,” he says.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

HAMILTON – Wynton McManis will finally make his Hamilton Tiger-Cats debut.

The veteran middle linebacker will be in the lineup Sunday when Hamilton (2-1) hosts the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1-2). McManis joined the Ticats in the off-season as a free agent following four seasons with the rival Toronto Argonauts but had been sidelined with a bone bruise in his knee.

He was listed behind Canadian Ryan Baker on the depth chart.

Baker performed well in McManis’s absence, registering 16 tackles. But Hamilton head coach Scott Milanovich said McManis, a three-time Grey Cup champion, has a penchant for delivering big plays at key times.

“(With) Wynton, there’s just an intangible there, an instinctive deal,” Milanovich said. “Bake is also instinctive … but he (McManis) always just has a knack for finding the ball, getting a big sack when you have to and getting an interception (and) he usually scores when he gets one.

“He’s a player I’ve always respected.”

McManis, 31, had 62 tackles, four sacks, two interceptions and a forced fumble in 13 regular-season games with Toronto last season. The six-foot, 220-pound American has 390 tackles, 52 special-teams tackles, 16 sacks, nine interceptions and four forced fumbles while scoring three defensive touchdowns in 100 career CFL regular-season games with Calgary (2017-19) and Toronto (2022-25).

All-star cornerback Jamal Peters also returns for Hamilton, which comes off a bye week. He suffered a head injury in the Ticats’ 37-27 road win over Winnipeg on June 11.

Winnipeg starter Zach Collaros threw for 421 yards with two TDs and an interception versus Hamilton. But the Bombers only rushed for 49 yards on 14 attempts as Canadian Brady Oliveira had 32 yards on eight carries.

Mllanovich doesn’t expect Winnipeg to test McManis on Sunday, especially through the air.

“I know better than to go at Wynton in the pass game,” Milanovich said. “I’ve tried it before and it hasn’t worked out well.

“I’m sure they’re going to try to run the football, that’s their MO. Depending on what the weather is going to look like Sunday, we’ll see (but) I’ve never been one to test (McManis) in the pass game.”

Ticats starter Bo Levi Mitchell was a tidy 19-of-24 passing for 287 yards and three TDs versus Winnipeg while former Bomber Keric Wheatfall had three catches for 102 yards. Larry Rountree III ran for 124 yards on 23 carries.

“I thought we didn’t tackle our best so that would be a good start,” Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea told reporters in Winnipeg this week regarding the first meeting with Hamilton. “Everybody wants to be a little tighter in coverage but I don’t think that was bad … once again offences are pretty hot right now.

“We’ve got to be maybe just another step closer a little more often and try to disrupt things a little bit more.”

Winnipeg comes in having lost two straight games while Hamilton has registered consecutive victories. The Ticats’ other win was a 41-27 decision over the B.C. Lions (0-3 entering action this week) but Milanovich puts no emphasis on either club’s early-season record.

“I have so much respect for their (Winnipeg’s) players, their coaches, their championship pedigree,” he said. “I think their record does not indicate who they potentially will be.

“All that stuff sorts out at the end of the season and usually the teams that you thought were going to be good that don’t become good have a bunch of injuries along the way. Only time will tell but I don’t look at either of those teams (Winnipeg, B.C.) as a below-average team.”

Hamilton centre Liam Dobson, who began his CFL career in Winnipeg (2022-24), said the Bombers will be looking to resume their winning ways.

“I know they’re a very well-coached group, I have a lot of respect for everyone in that building,” he said. “They’re going to come out and play super hard, play super physical because they want to get back into the win column.

“At the end of the day we have to match that energy. We have to be going out there and playing as physical, if not more physical, than they are.”

Mitchell has been stellar over Hamilton’s last two games, having completed 34-of-42 passes (80.9 per cent) for 572 yards with eight touchdowns and no interceptions. He’s had six completions of 30 or more yards and amassed perfect efficiency ratings of 158.3.

Mitchell is only the eighth CFL quarterback to post consecutive perfect ratings and first since Toronto’s Ricky Ray in 2013. Hamilton is 14-5 off a bye since ’18 and has won six of its last seven home matchups versus Winnipeg.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 4, 2026.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

As the United States celebrates 250 years of independence, Canada is marking the occasion with a series of symbolic gestures highlighting the countries’ long-standing friendship.

A joint military fly-past over Ottawa, messages from Prime Minister Mark Carney, and the gift of 250 maple trees are among the ways Canada is commemorating the milestone.

The Royal Canadian Air Force and the U.S. Air Force are set to conduct a ceremonial fly-past over the nation’s capital Saturday evening as part of Ottawa’s annual Fourth of July celebrations.

The flypast, expected around 6:30 p.m. ET, will feature two Canadian CF-18 Hornets flying alongside two U.S. F-35 Lightning II fighter jets.

The Defence Department said the demonstration reflects the close military partnership between the two countries through the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD.

In a statement, Carney said Canadians and Americans have “built our friendship and prosperity one generation at a time.”

“Together, we have raised a monument to peace that is an inspiration to the entire world,” he said.

As part of the celebrations, Niagara Falls will be illuminated in red, white and blue, while Canadian military vessels will join the Sail250 celebrations in Norfolk, Baltimore and New York City. The gift of the 250 trees will be planted in Washington, D.C., and across the 13 states that border Canada.

King Charles III also marked the anniversary, saying the U.S.-United Kingdom relationship has been built on “friendship, trust and a belief in liberty, the rule of law and the dignity of all people.”

“As we look ahead to the next 250 years, I have no doubt we will continue to defend our shared values,” the King wrote. “The connection between our peoples is one that I trust will only grow stronger with time.”

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

TORONTO – The Toronto Maple Leafs signed defenceman Emil Andrae to a two-year contract worth a reported US$3.1 million on Saturday.

Andrae skated in 61 games for the Philadelphia Flyers last season, recording 13 points.

The 24-year-old Swede joined the Leafs last month in the trade that sent goalie Joseph Woll and defenceman Simon Benoit to the Flyers.

Selected in the second round, 54th overall, of the 2020 NHL Draft, Andrae has registered 20 points (three goals, 17 assists) in 107 games.

Maple Leafs general manager John Chayka has been active in reshaping the team’s roster since taking over in May.

The Leafs signed goalie Sergei Bobrovsky and several depth forwards, including Jack Roslovic, Colton Sissons and Teddy Blueger, when free agency opened on Wednesday.

Toronto also added talented winger Gavin McKenna with the first overall pick in this year’s NHL draft, signing him to a three-year entry-level deal on Friday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 4, 2026.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

This piece is one part of continuing coverage by Global News examining alleged Toronto police corruption. More stories about Project South are available here.

A web of Toronto’s highest-profile crime stories — from allegedly corrupt cops to major drug dealers and potential gun-for-hire networks – may all weave into Project South, according to detailed investigative theories from York Regional Police detectives based on call intercepts, listening devices and searches.

New documents chronicling evidence gathered by investigators in the massive police corruption probe lay out alleged relationships between key players in overlapping criminal investigations that stretch from Toronto to the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the United States.

While the central thesis of the documents was broadly made public when police announced arrests in Project South back in February, the fresh pages offer a new level of detail.

They are being made public after a consortium of media companies, including Global News, requested that the court unseal hundreds of pages of evidence.

The Information to Obtain, or ITO, is written testimony that police must provide to a judge in order to obtain a search warrant. The contents are based solely on preliminary police observations.

Major parts of the documents remain under a publication ban that the media consortium is contesting.

The now partially unsealed ITO was put together by York Regional Police in February 2026 as detectives sought permission from a judge to carry out a slew of nighttime raids, searching vehicles and homes for electronic devices, cash and other documents.

They lay out how officers believe a plan to “cause serious harm or death” to a Toronto jail worker has links to former Olympian and alleged drug lord Ryan Wedding, potential gun-for-hire networks and allegedly corrupt officers with the Toronto Police Service.

None of the links drawn in the police documents has been proven. They are based on evidence, like phone intercepts or recording devices, which have not yet been heard and assessed by a judge or jury.

Project South, the title for a massive corruption investigation led by York Regional Police, started after officers began looking into a shooting at the suburban home of an Ontario correctional worker.

Speaking at a news conference in February, Deputy Chief Ryan Hogan said the probe began in June 2025 when investigators allege a conspiracy unfolded to murder a man who was working at an Ontario correctional institution.

Hogan said over a 36-hour period, several suspects went to the man’s home in York Region, at least three times, “we allege for the purpose of murdering him.” He said video surveillance shows masked and armed suspects went to the home, and at one point, rammed a police cruiser that was in the driveway.

Police concluded the incident had been targeting a jail worker at the Toronto South Detention Centre.

According to the documents, the guard told police he was unpopular with “most inmates” at the jail where he worked. He listed several people he thought could have a reason to harm him, including a man named Gurpreet Singh, who was being held at the facility awaiting extradition to the United States.

Singh was arrested on Oct. 16, 2024, and is wanted by both the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration in the United States.

According to the ITO, Singh’s extradition order stems from allegations of “conspiracy and drug-related charges arising from an FBI and DEA investigation into Ryan Wedding’s international drug-trafficking.”

U.S. authorities have described Wedding as a “modern-day Pablo Escobar,” allegedly responsible for a trafficking empire netting more than $1 billion per year in illegal drug proceeds.

The police documents alleged Singh “had motive” to harm the correctional worker and “has connections” to three people who were allegedly involved in the attempted hit.

Singh has not been charged in Project South, and none of the allegations in the documents have been tested in court.

“The fact that Mr. Singh has not been charged with any offence in Canada more than four months after the execution of the warrants is the clearest response to the allegations contained in the information to obtain,” Brian Greenspan, Singh’s lawyer, wrote in an email to Global News.

Exactly how investigators allege Singh may be linked to some of the people charged under Project South remains under a publication ban.

As police looked into the alleged hit at the jail guard’s home in June last year, they started to piece together evidence.

The first clue came when investigators searched the jail guard’s licence plate to gather information about the victim for their probe.

According to the documents, a Ministry of Transportation database showed a Toronto police officer charged in Project South had searched the same licence plate at the end of the previous month.

The documents suggest Project South began to focus its attention on Singh as it developed, and how he could be related to the events in York Region.

Investigators started to look at another jail guard, Nishwant Dosanjh, who they believed had a relationship with Singh.

Police alleged she took a photograph of her colleague’s license plate in the correctional facility parking lot.

They theorized she then passed the image to Singh.

“The relationship between Dosanjh and Singh demonstrates both the opportunity and motive to facilitate access to sensitive information and contraband,” the ITO claimed.

“Subsequent investigative findings support that the licence plate information was disseminated through Singh’s associates, ultimately resulting in an unlawful database query,” the documents allege.

Dosanjh’s lawyer said her client “denies any allegations of criminal or professional misconduct and adamantly maintains her complete innocence.”

She added that Dosanh “co-operated fully” with the police investigation and was on paid leave since February when her lawyer said she made allegations against a colleague.

“Ms. Dosanjh was identified as a person of interest in the Project South investigation. She has cooperated fully with investigators, including by providing investigators with unfettered access to the contents of a cellular phone that was seized from her residence,” the statement continued.

“Ms. Dosanjh has not been charged criminally, and there is no indication criminal charges will ever be laid.”

The documents include a few scant references to a potential, alleged gun-for-hire network that may somehow be connected to Project South.

They include details of how one person charged with conspiracy to commit murder as part of Project South was allegedly involved in a “crime vehicle” text conversation, as well as a  “discussion about assembling a team for a job and firearms.”

The conversations and other details, which also allegedly involved the use of code names, are all covered by a publication ban.

Armed groups using encrypted messaging apps to organize criminal acts and get paid for them is a phenomenon Toronto police recently worried was on the rise in the city.

This year, Toronto police have alleged Signal is being used to order and organize shootings like one at the United States Consulate in March, along with others involving the waste collection company GFL or synagogues in Toronto.

“What we are dealing with in this case and in other unrelated incidents, including shootings at synagogues in Jewish schools, is a recurring and similar modus operandi: that is, criminals for hire,” Toronto police chief Myron Demkiw explained in June, after making arrests related to the United States Consulate shooting.

“Through encrypted messaging apps, young people are hired to carry out attacks against various targets. And in order to get paid, they’re required to film their attacks.”

The Project South records do not make any link between those shootings and their investigation, but appear to describe a similar setup.

— with files from The Canadian Press

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.