The number of Canadian citizens and permanent residents unaccounted for since the Nepal flash flooding has risen to 32, including Coquitlam couple Sumit and Shubakshi Rawla.

Their daughter says they were on a guided pilgrimage in the region and haven’t been heard from since the morning of Aug. 26.

“We’ve been so worried,” Kenisha Rawla told Global News.

“Me and my sister personally have made over 200 phone calls to our parents just hoping that even for a moment if they get a second of signal they can contact us.”

The foreign affairs minister is urging caution as the search continues.

“Those 32 Canadians are unaccounted for but no Canadian deaths have been confirmed,” Anita Anand said on Friday.

The Rawlas were travelling with Port Moody residents Dhaval and Megha Shah, who also remain unaccounted for.

“They were somewhere in that location and the company lost contact with anybody at around 8:30 that morning,” Nikita Shah, relative of Megha and Dhaval Shah said on Thursday.

“So we don’t know where they have been since then.”

Thousands are still missing after the tragedy and at least 579 people are confirmed dead.

The scale of the destruction is visible at one Nepal’s main border crossings into China, where the area is buried in mud and debris.

“Further north, some of the communities are completely cut out,” Tamara Demuria, Corus International Chief Humanitarian Officer, said.

“We cant even get there to assess what’s left. The damage is way more severe.”

Ottawa is providing $5 million in humanitarian aid and sending five consular officials to Nepal.

But some want Canada to go further.

“We really want to really push the Canadian government to help by sending rescue teams because we know there’s so many Canadians there too, aside from our parents, and their families must be worried sick like we are,” Rawla said.

For families still waiting, there’s little to do but search for information and find strength in each other.

“Community support, emotional support, are what one should seek at times like this,” Gaurav Subedi with the Nepal Cultural Society of B.C. said.

“But miracles do happen.”

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

As Vancouver businesses continue to close during construction of the Broadway Subway Line, Canada’s housing minister, a former provincial NDP MLA who previously demanded the B.C. government compensate businesses affected by Canada Line work, says he will look into the issue.

Fable Diner and SportChek are just two of the most recent businesses to shutter along Broadway near Main Street.

The local business improvement association has been pleading for financial support, including low-interest loans or tax breaks, but so far, the B.C. government refuses to budge on its ‘no compensation’ policy.

In 2007, as an opposition NDP MLA, Gregor Robertson demanded the BC Liberals provide compensation for Cambie businesses impacted by Canada line construction.

“First and foremost, we’ve seen with major infrastructure projects going back to the Canada Line, when I was the MLA in Vancouver Fairview, having a lot of impact on local businesses, the construction destruction can have real consequences and it certainly did back then,” Gregor Robertson said.

“I’ll certainly look into what has happened in terms of the impacts on the ground and flag that with my fellow, our colleagues MP (Taleeb) Noormohamed in Vancouver Granville, where most of the activity is taking place. We want to be sure small businesses can get through construction when it’s disruptive like that.”

The federal government provides funding to business improvement associations in Toronto to support businesses affected by transit construction — by funding FedDev Ontario.

Robertson says he’ll look into whether b-c businesses could receive similar support through Pacific Economic Development Canada.

Neil Wyles, executive director of the Mount Pleasant Business Improvement Association, said small business owners are resilient and innovative, but after six years of construction and closures, it is unclear how much more they can take.

Wyles said business owners are not asking for a handout from the provincial government; they are asking for a hand-up, which could come in the form of programs, low-interest or no-interest loans, or a tax break.

“Something just to help them get to the other side of this,” he added.

“Our government just has their heads buried in the sand.”

The B.C. government has always held fast to the decision that there will be no compensation for small business owners affected by the Broadway Subway construction.

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

A Summerland, B.C., thrift store will permanently close its doors in December, after two difficult years in business and a summer tourism season disrupted by the Bald Range wildfire.

Owner Jules Zest says she was already considering closing Twisted Whiskers Café and Thrift Store before the fire, but the challenges of this summer helped make the decision easier.

“It was on the burner already. I was already thinking I needed to close,” Zest said.

Zest opened the store hoping to create a space where people could shop, socialize and make art.

“I really wanted this place where people could come and hang out and have friends and do art,” she said.

But keeping a small business going has been difficult. Zest says the summer season is particularly important because strong sales can help businesses get through the rest of the year.

“The summertime supports the rest of the year. If you don’t make money during the summer, you might not survive,” she said.

The wildfire came during that crucial period. Zest says she worried about her business while she was evacuated and expected people to return to Summerland once the immediate danger had passed.

“During the fires, everyone was saying how they will come and support Summerland. Now that the fires are over, no one is here,” she said.

Zest says many of her customers have traditionally come from outside the community, making tourism particularly important to her business.

“When I asked customers who shopped here over the last two years, it was almost always people not from Summerland,” she said.

Brett Ziegler, a volunteer at Twisted Whiskers and member of the Penticton and Wine Country Chamber of Commerce, says the store is not an isolated example.

“I have seen many businesses close, open, close, open, close. It’s a conundrum,” Ziegler said.

For Ziegler, asking people to shop local only matters if it leads to people actually supporting businesses.

“Hearing shop local support, it isn’t enough to say it. We need to figure out how we can do that more,” he said.

For shoppers, however, spending locally can be difficult when household budgets are tight. South Okanagan resident Michelle Raynier says being conscious of how much money she spends affects where she shops.

“People are very money conscious right now and that’s what I find hard about shopping local,” Raynier said.

Still, local leaders are encouraging people to spend their money in the community.

“It is summer, we are open, we have a beautiful area with lots to offer. We hope everyone can come out and support local,” said Amelia Boultbee, MLA for Penticton Summerland.

Twisted Whiskers will operate as a thrift store and café for the final time in September. Zest plans to run glass fusing workshops in October, November and December before permanently closing the business.

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

The City of Calgary has used artificial intelligence to determine the 50 riskiest intersections for pedestrians across the city, but it’s unclear what will be done to address the issue as just half are recommended for upgrades.

According to a report set to be presented at the city’s Community Development Committee meeting Tuesday, administration used the city’s AI platform to assess and assign a risk score to more than 17,000 intersections across Calgary.

Many of the locations don’t meet “conventional warrant” thresholds for upgrades like traffic signals, overhead flashers, or curb-bump outs, the report said, as that set of criteria is based on factors such as traffic volumes, pedestrian volumes, roadway geometry, and speed limits.

City administration compiled a list of the top 50 highest-risk pedestrian intersections identified by the AI platform that do not have existing traffic signals like rectangular rapid flashing beacons with risk scores ranging from 93.55 to 99.02.

The intersection of Martindale Boulevard and Martindale Gate N.E. topped the list, followed by Falshire Drive and Falton Drive N.E. with a score of 98.54.

Ward 5 Coun. Raj Dhaliwal told Global News he was surprised with the intersections that scored the highest risk ratings, with four of the intersections in the top 10 in his area.

“I was asking myself is there something missing from my assessment,” Dhaliwal said of the intersection in Martindale. “Every time I drive by there, I see less pedestrian traffic.”

Just 26 of the locations are recommended for pedestrian safety improvements which are estimated to cost approximately $6 million, the report said.

According to the report, administration could “proactively advance improvements” with additional funding rather than “waiting” for future traffic counts, collision history or studies to “justify intervention under traditional processes.”

Some on council have questions about how AI was used to determine those findings, including modelling, inputs and prompts.

“I’m all for data-driven decision making. This is empirical evidence that is telling me that these things need to be upgraded,” Dhaliwal said.

“But at the same time, I want to know why, how and what.”

The report notes there “may be public scrutiny” around the city’s use of AI, but adds all the recommended improvements were reviewed and validated through professional engineering judgment and technical assessment.

The city’s use of AI is “innovative,” said Alex Gaio, an associate principal at Leading Mobility, with the sheer amount of data administration would need to comb through.

“We have a lot of data, the city updates its hotspot map every 10 minutes,” he said. “So the volume that we get is overwhelming for people to deal with, and we’re racing against risk.”

Last year, 15 people were killed on city streets and so far this year six people have died; another 283 incidents involving pedestrians resulted in injuries.

“If we really care about the safety of our residents, pedestrian safety, motor vehicle safety… then let’s put our money where our mouth is,” Dhaliwal said.

Although committee is not being asked to make a financial commitment Tuesday, city administration said it could incorporate the pedestrian safety upgrades into the next four-year budget.

If city council was to approve additional funding during budget talks in November, the report said design work could begin in 2027, with shovels in the ground in 2028.

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

The Calgary police arson unit is investigating after several vehicles were found engulfed in flames overnight in Northeast Calgary.

Police say they responded to the 0-100 block of Cityline Common Northeast around 2 a.m. after getting calls that multiple vehicles were on fire.

When officers arrived, they said five vehicles were found extensively damaged.

Lak Sidhu says he and his girlfriend were school shopping online when they heard a bang outside.

“It didn’t seem too abnormal, maybe a car hit another car or something, and then I go out and look out the window and like three cars are just engulfed in flames,” he said.

Neighbours in the area recalled hearing more than a dozen explosions as the vehicles burned.

Emrinder Singh says one of the vehicles exploded just metres from the front door of his new home.

“This is the first time happen. I’ve been in Canada 10 years and this is a weird thing I seen,” said Singh.

Global News has learned that the vehicles belong to a courier company that had just moved to Calgary about two weeks ago from Regina.

The owner — who doesn’t want to be identified —called it heartbreaking having to find half of his fleet now gone.

“I’m just so shocked at it happening,” says Sidhu. “It seemed very like such a plan attack on the person, and no one ever deserves this.”

Police are asking anyone who witnessed anything out of the ordinary, or who may have video of pedestrians or vehicles driving in the area between 1:00 a.m. and 2:00 a.m., to give them or Crimestoppers a call.

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

While revealing Alberta’s budget is now back in the black Thursday, finance minister Jason Nixon said Albertans could share in the revenues.

“We’re going to be very strategic and make decisions that don’t permanently, negatively impact the province, but also step in when we need to help the people of the province,” Nixon said.

Alberta is now forecasting a $2-billion surplus this fiscal year. That’s an $11.4-billion swing, after initially projecting a deficit.

One economist said that’s not a lot of cash for a government to spend.

“There might be some modest things here and there, like maybe they extend the (Alberta energy) rebate or do another round of something like that,” said Trevor Tombe, a professor at the University of Calgary.

This summer, the province is offering Albertans a $100 energy rebate to help offset the high cost of living.

That portal is still open, but has been criticized for the required application process.

Instead, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) has been calling for a fuel tax cut for months. They’d like to see that come into effect next quarter.

“Now they have a surplus, they have all this good news. (A) perfect opportunity to cut the fuel tax,” said CTF Alberta director Kris Sims.

The province has not announced any plans to provide any further assistance.

The energy rebate portal is open until Sept. 30.

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

A serious crash between an electric dirt bike and a vehicle in St. Albert is a prime example of the increase in injuries doctors are seeing, says an Edmonton emergency physician.

“The technology is rapidly evolving and these vehicles are getting faster and faster,” said Dr. Louis Hugo Francescutti.

“The problem becomes not when they’re driving — it’s when they crash.”

The University of Alberta public health professor and emergency physician at the Royal Alexandra Hospital said in the past week alone, he’s treated three injuries from electric scooters.

While e-scooters and e-bikes that can be rented from companies like Lime and Bird have their speed governed to around 20 km/h, more and more people are buying their own private ones that can reach higher speeds.

“These things can go up to 50 km/h. What ends up happening is the energy transfer quadruples. So a helmet is good, but a helmet doesn’t prevent a crash, right? A helmet may help prevent a brain injury.”

The human brain’s capacity for assessing risk does not finish developing until the age of 25, Francescutti said — noting that’s why car rental companies have an age limit — so kids and teenagers who hop onto electric scooters, bikes and motorcycles don’t fully understand the danger.

“It’s not that these kids are stupid. It’s just that they can’t access risk. That part the brain has not been formed properly,” Francescutti said.

“So what ends up happening is they take risk — because risk is fun.”

Just north of Edmonton in St. Albert, a teenager was injured on Thursday while having that kind of fun.

The collision between an electric dirt bike and a Ford Bronco SUV occurred on Akins Drive, between Alpine Boulevard and Amherst Crescent.

RCMP arrived just before 2 p.m. to find a 16-year-old boy bleeding with injuries on his face, sitting next to a damaged electric dirt bike.

St. Albert RCMP Cpl. Curtis Harsulla said the Bronco also had significant damage.

“Judging by the damage done to the Bronco — which caved in both passenger doors, deployed the airbags and smashed out a window — it had to be going at a substantial speed,” Harsulla said.

RCMP said the Bronco was going south on Akins Drive when the driver observed a sudden flash, then heard and felt an impact.

The SUV driver stopped and found the injured dirt bike rider lying on the ground nearby.

The crash was loud enough to be heard inside nearby homes. Matt McCotter lives on the corner where the collision happened and rushed outside after hearing the bang.

“I came outside and the kid was, like, mangled in his bike,” McCotter said, adding it appeared the dirt bikes didn’t yield for the stop sign before hitting the SUV.

“Smoked into the side of it so bloody hard… I’m surprised his helmet didn’t split in two.”

McCotter said the teenager had an instant black eye and the wind knocked out of him from the impact.

“He’s probably hurting pretty good, but he’s lucky to alive.”

RCMP said a second youth was with the injured rider on another electric dirt bike, but fled before police arrived.

McCotter said he sees kids and teens ripping around on e-scooters and bikes regularly and worries not just about them getting hurt, but also the legal implications of vehicles that aren’t street-legal being driven in the city.

“If you’re going to be on the street, you have to follow street rules, right? And if things like this happen… where does the insurance come from?”

It’s illegal to drive dirt bikes — electric or gas-powered — on public roads, RCMP reminded, adding the majority of the riders its officers are encountering are youths.

Underage riders and their parents both risk substantial fines, the seizure of the bike and could face criminal charges, Harsulla said.

“Typically it’s the parents that have bought them that think, ‘Oh, it’s just an e-bike. They can ride around the city,’ when that’s not the case, as we can see here with what happened.”

“These are dangerous, high-speed, off-highway vehicles that need to be ridden out in the back 40 and not in the cities.”

Doctors agree.

“They’re not toys and you have to have a certain maturity to be able to use them,” Francescutti said.

Hospitalizations among children and adults riding e-scooters have risen by almost 40 per cent in the last year, according to data released this week by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI).

Head and brain injuries and fractures were among the most common reasons. The data doesn’t surprise Francescutti.

“Kids are actually dying across the country, being seriously injured, ending up in the intensive care unit and getting injuries that are going to be permanently disabling.”

The teenager, who was wearing a helmet, was taken to the Stollery Children’s Hospital in an ambulance. RCMP said he was treated for “concerning injuries” and has since been released to go home.

Francescutti is frustrated with the rise in such incidents.

“These are not accidents. These are totally predictable and totally preventable events. Our emergency departments are busy enough without wasting our time treating these stupid injuries.”

The rise in injuries showing up in emergency rooms also appears to coincide with more complaints.

Since the spring, St. Albert RCMP say they’ve has an increase in complaints not just about electric dirt bikes, but also e-bikes and scooters.

“People are driving them at increased speeds. The technology is advanced to make them faster and quieter,” Harsulla said.

RCMP also noted just because the technology powering dirt bikes has changed — the law has not.

“An electric dirt bike is considered an off-highway vehicle in Alberta and it needs to abide by everything that an ATV would, or a side-by-side and those kind of things: so licence plates, insurance and cannot be operated on any public roadway in Alberta,” Harsulla said.

RCMP also said changes are expected to Alberta legislation to catch up with technology.

The teenager, who can’t be named due to the Youth Criminal Justice Act, faces violation tickets totalling nearly $1,400 in fines.

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

A Saskatchewan MP is laying the groundwork for a new university in northern Saskatchewan.

Desnethé-Missinippi-Churchill River MP Buckley Belanger shared his vision Friday in Prince Albert, Sask., and said the school would play a critical part in creating opportunities for people in the north.

The announcement marks a starting point for the formation of an exploratory process for the establishment of a university in northern Saskatchewan.

The idea is still in the very early stages. But Belanger says this work is a major step forward in rebuilding the north.

“Local university training in the north is what I consider critical infrastructure in rebuilding the north,” said Belanger.

Belanger said any path forward would need to be in close collaboration with the province, northern and Indigenous leadership, plus existing post-secondary institutions.

The exploratory process being launched now brings those voices together to look at what is possible. The expertise of Geordy McCaffrey will be key in that work in the coming months.

He has more than 30 years of experience developing university opportunities for Indigenous students through his work at Gabriel Dumont Institute, the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Regina.

“As an exploratory process, we want to get out and engage with 30 to 50 stakeholders and find out from Indigenous leadership what their thoughts are, what their needs are,” said McCaffrey.

As to what the school could look like to those who attend, McCaffrey pointed out that a university can take on many forms and there are many models.

“A university can start out as an affiliated college as many of our institutions are operating now, where they broker programming from the University of Regina or the University of Saskatchewan. Or you could perhaps be a federated college like we see with First Nations University of Canada operating.”

McCaffrey said as a university matures it can add research capacity, develop its own programing as it grows and its own methods of accreditation.

He said the exploratory process will identify the fields it might specialize in, but there are some professions that stand out because of chronic shortages in the north, particularly in teaching.

“Each year, around this time of year, you start to see Northern Light School Division and other First Nations school divisions, releasing teaching shortage lists, and they are fairly massive,” said McCaffrey.

He said a teacher will often come from another province, stay a year and then move on, leaving a void. He also thinks health care and mining support could be areas the university may look to explore.

Even without the location and type of programming offered, Prince Albert Grand Chief Brian Hardlotte is very excited.

He said many students who leave the north for educational opportunities in the south take on extra costs and other challenges.

“A thing like this, in the north, wow, would benefit the northern people, so they don’t have to leave,” said Hardlotte.

The exploratory process is set to begin in the fall with a final report with recommendations on how to move forward expected before the end of the year.

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

Bylaw officers have seized 97 dogs from a home in northern Alberta.

The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo says bylaw officers executed a search warrant at the home in Fort McMurray on Tuesday.

It says in a statement that the small-breed dogs were found to be living inside and all were rescued.

Charges are pending against a person who was at the home.

Bylaw services manager Aaron Anderson says the rescue is one of the largest the community has seen.

The dogs have been placed in the care of the Fort McMurray SPCA, which says it will let the public know when the animals are ready for adoption.

“We understand that everyone is curious and wants to see the new arrivals,” the agency said in a Facebook post Friday.

“But allowing people to come in and visit right now would add additional stress and make it much more difficult for our team to focus on getting 97 animals safely settled and cared for.”

The municipality said each of the dogs requires a medical examination, which could include vaccinations and spaying or neutering. And it could take months before the animals are ready for new homes.

The municipality urged people to report animal welfare concerns. It said if pet owners are struggling to care for their animals, they should consider rehoming.

“If you are unable to rehome your animal, bylaw services can help. Surrendering a pet is an understandably difficult decision, but it’s an important step to ensure an animal’s well-being.”

© 2026 The Canadian Press

On Thursday, Manitoba announced a two-year pilot health curriculum that would make in-person physical education classes mandatory for all students up until Grade 12.

The program will be rolled out gradually, with 110 hours of P.E. required for students in the 11th and 12th grades by the 2027-2028 school year. The province says it’s an initiative to keep youth healthy, but will those habits stick upon graduation?

A recent study out of the University of Michigan found a “cliff effect” in physical activity after structured opportunities like school teams or classes disappear.

A poll of parents with children aged 18 to 25 conducted by the university highlighted some of the reasons this age group doesn’t stay active. Fifty-seven per cent of parents said their child had a lack of interest in physical education, while 31 per cent believed that screen time and gaming played a major role.

“The high school years can really set up the young adult years,” says co-director of the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health at the University of Michigan, Sarah Clark.

“For a lot of people, the opportunities you have in high school, whether it be on a school team or a travel team, a lot of those kind of evaporate for young adults.”

The poll found that young adults progressively got less active as they aged.

Clark welcomes Manitoba’s new P.E. initiative, and says the province can also focus on keeping people active beyond their high school years.

“Young adult is often the first time they’re confronted with having to do this themselves. In high school activities going on now can maybe include conversations about once you graduate, what are you going to do? What are your options? How can we allow you to continue to do that with the friends you already made?”

A 2024 study from The Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute found 64 per cent of girls between five and 17 reported playing sports over a six month period. That drops nearly 20 per cent for those aged 18 to 25.

Many moving away from an active lifestyle point to a lack of time, or not knowing where to participate after leaving organized programs in school.

At the YMCA of Winnipeg, they stress that there’s many options at their facilities and across the city, many of which aren’t overly competitive or intimidating.

“There’s always recreational groups and there’s tons here in Winnipeg. I came from a different country and I still found the sport I used to play back home,” says adult program coordinator Javi Izaguirre.

“You will find a community that’s interested in the same as you, it doesn’t necessarily always have to be very physical.”

Under the new Manitoba teaching guidelines, students will also learn about the mental health impacts of screen time, and the marketing tactics of vape companies.

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