In the mid-70s, David Bowie was a mess. He was drinking a lot. His cocaine intake was off the charts. And he was convinced that he was some kind of alien who was being pursued by witches looking to steal his vital essence, which is why he took to storing his urine in the fridge. Oh, and for a while, he fell to less than 100 pounds because all he would eat for meals was milk and red peppers.

This being the 70s, the police were often curious about what sort of illegal things rock stars like Bowie were up to. On December 1, 1974, after the final show of the Diamond Dogs tour, there was a party. It was decadent.

Suddenly, a bunch of plainclothes cops armed with handguns broke down the door. Bowie retreated to a bedroom where he was able to flush his stash. Whatever was left was claimed by Bowie’s bodyguard, Tony Mascia.

He took the rap for his boss, keeping Bowie from being arrested on serious drug charges.

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Before there was X Factor and all the Idol and Got Talent TV shows, there was The Gong Show. It was conceived as an insane half-hour of absurdity by TV executive Chuck Barris. It debuted in 1975 and ran for 500 episodes.

There was often nothing serious about the amateur contestants who performed for the panel of judges. If they couldn’t stand you, one of them struck a big gong and your time was done.

John Lee was a radio DJ who also played in a band called The Hard Luck Band. In about 1979, John appeared singing a cover of The Eagles Desperado. Much to his surprise, the judges loved his performance, and he won that particular episode, escaping with his dignity and a little cash.

Why do I mention this? Because John Lee is the father of Amy Lee of Evanescence.

© 2026 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

One of the great things about vinyl is that you have a 12×12 palette on which to create artwork that says something about the release.

For example, everyone knows the cover for Nirvana’s Nevermind with the naked baby underwater in a pool chasing a dollar bill on a fishing hook. What’s the message? The designer Robert Fisher wanted to make a punk rock statement about the evils of late 20^th-century capitalism mated with the cynicism felt by the Gen Xers of the day.

Nirvana loved the concept because it captured their anti-corporate feelings. It has become one of the most famous album covers of all time.

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After two men accused of breaking and entering and stealing around $140,000 worth of items around Winnipeg and Headingley were detained Tuesday, both of whom were wearing court-ordered electronic monitoring bracelets, the effectiveness of such monitors is in question, experts say.

“There’s no guarantee that anyone will not re-offend. There’s no guarantee that the police or corrections agents will roar off as soon as someone violates,” said Michael Weinrath, a University of Winnipeg Criminal Justice professor.

Monitoring devices are equipped with a GPS system, allowing law enforcement to be notified of an offender’s location in real time and issue alerts if they enter a prohibited area, according to the province.

The province has previously said 60 per cent of individuals with ankle monitors were rearrested and breached in October 2025.

There are 194 ankle monitors in use, a provincial spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Watch the video above for the full story.

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

There are concerns being raised about government spending in B.C. in connection with some struggling businesses and an almost empty SRO hotel.

The Broadway Subway Project has already caused business owners in the area to express frustration with long delays and declining revenue.

Now, SportCheck has announced it is about to close its Mount Pleasant location and small family businesses dealing with reduced foot traffic are having a difficult time making ends meet.

The Business Improvement Association says it is a frustrating and common refrain.

“Because there is no compensation policy, they’re not doing anything here,” Neil Wyles, the executive director of the Mount Pleasant BIA, said.

“And policy is just that, it can be changed. Governments change policies all the time, but they have dug in on this one and they’re using it as a shield, an excuse to do nothing.”

The B.C. government has said there will be no compensation for these merchants.

Housing Minister Christine Boyle is the local MLA and her office is across the street from the closing SportCheck.

“These businesses are looking for a lifeline; they’re looking for some help; they’re not looking for handouts,” Wyles said.

He also questioned why Boyle is allowing her ministry to spend more than $100,000 a month to operate an SRO building on Granville Street with one resident, but has no money for taxpayers in her riding.

The Broadway Subway Project was originally slated to be finished in 2025, but will not be complete until 2027.

There are also questions about how much taxpayers paid for the Granville Strip SRO Hotel, which is still open a month and a half after the province promised to close it.

BC Housing bought the former Howard Johnson Hotel, now known as the Luugat, in 2020 for $55 million. At the time, the combined assessed value of the building and an adjacent parking lot included in the deal was $38.6 million. Both sites are now assessed at approximately $27 million.

Urban planner and retired architect Michael Geller said governments often pay more than their properties are worth when they intend to create supportive housing.

“I don’t think it’s unreasonable to assume the province will lose about half of what they paid for this property,” he said.

“When I say the province is losing half, what I’m really saying is the taxpayers of British Columbia are losing half of what was spent on this building and that ignores all the other costs that have been associated with it over the years.”

Global News asked B.C.’s housing ministry why the Luugat purchase price was higher than its assessed value.

The government said that B.C. Housing received an independent appraisal before purchasing and ended up buying the site for less than the appraised value, which it did not disclose.

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

As negotiations surrounding Donald Trump’s threat to impose a 50 per cent tariff on many Canadian imports tick down to the wire, the Calgary Chamber of Commerce said Alberta business owners are “very concerned” and “see this as an important signal on whether Canadian and U.S. trade is going to normalize or whether this is in fact going to continue to be the new normal.”

The Chamber’s vice president of policy and external affairs, Ruhee Ismail-Teja, said the “uncertainty in the trade relationship” over the past 18 months has forced many Canadians to adapt their businesses, attempting to focus more on internal trade (within Canada), finding new markets and new opportunities, adding the results of the current negotiations will “solidify” how they’re looking at the U.S. market over the long term.

While Ismail-Teja said provincial and federal governments have done a lot of work over the last 18 months to make sure that Canadian businesses are in a better spot, there are still a “significant” number of businesses who are reliant on the U.S. as a key export market and expanding markets within Canada is “not as easy as we think it needs to be.”

That, she said, along with things like higher tariffs and energy prices, has had a negative impact on business confidence.

“For anyone who’s looking to expand outside of Alberta, because there’s so much uncertainty as soon as you go outside of our borders, we also see that things like having CUSMA (Canada U.S. Mexico Free Trade Agreement) exemptions no longer in place really does disrupt businesses and the things they thought were stable no longer are and that does put a damper on the economy.”

Going forward, Ismail-Teja said, all levels of government must focus on not just restoring the Canada-U.S. trade relationship, but also a a much broader vision of regulatory competitiveness, labour mobility, improved supply chains, new trade agreements and new export markets with other countries.

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

Edmonton city councillor Karen Principe has tabled a motion asking city staff to report to council on the impact multi-unit infill housing may be having on nearby property values.

“Other concerns I’m hearing about are waste removal and parking issues. There are many issues residents are concerned about when it comes to the impact of infill in their neighbourhoods,” said Principe, who represents Ward tastawiyiniwak.

Belgravia resident Felix Meier-Stephenson said he supports densification but believes some developments are too large for established neighbourhoods.

“We need densification, but there is such a thing as too much of it and in the wrong spot. I don’t think an 18-unit building fits this neighbourhood,” Meier-Stephenson told Global News.

The city’s zoning bylaw changed at the start of 2024 to allow more infill development.

“We’re not talking about single-family infill. We’re talking about developments ranging from sixplexes to 16-unit buildings,” said Dallas Moravec of Edmonton Neighbourhoods United.

The group, which opposes multi-unit infill development, funded a study examining the issue between January 2024 and September 2025.

After controlling for housing characteristics, neighbourhood factors and market conditions over time, the study found homes within 50 metres of multi-unit infill developments sold for about 7.4 per cent less on average.

Among the properties examined, the estimated average impact was about $34,000 per sale, with losses ranging from about $19,000 to $65,000.

The study only examined properties that sold and did not include homes that were listed but did not sell, or listings that expired, were terminated or relisted.

Edmonton Neighbourhoods United is now working with a statistician on an updated analysis using more recent data. The group expects the work to be completed later this month.

Principe said a city report could provide residents with more information about the issue.

“It’s nuanced, but it would be nice to see for transparency and to give residents the information they’re looking for because there are a lot of concerns,” she said.

There is no timeline for when the city report could be completed.

Meier-Stephenson said residents are not opposed to infill development but want input on what is appropriate for their neighbourhood.

“We’re not against infill, but we would like to have a say on what comes here and what is reasonable,” he said.

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

We are hearing more from businesses in South Edmonton near the proposed site for a new permanent Hope Mission shelter.

It comes in the middle of a debate on the facility at City Hall, which is proving to be a contentious issue.

A public hearing was held Monday on a rezoning application for the site near Argyll Road and 75th Street. Currently, the building is used as a thrift store and a warehouse.

The Hope Mission is looking to convert some of the space into a permanent 120-bed shelter.

“The need for shelter space is real. So we do need more space for people, we also would like to decentralize services,” said Tim Pasma, senior director of the Hope Mission.

“Last year, for example, we had a 23 per cent increase in the number of people coming to our sites in winter. So we know that that need is real and that we’re seeing more and more people needing to access emergency shelter.”

During the hearing, a few neighbouring businesses spoke in opposition. They said that with a casino, liquor and cannabis store nearby, this is the wrong place.

“For someone trying to stabilize and rebuild their life, accessibility is more than a nearby bus stop. Where are the grocery stores? Where is the pharmacy? How accessible are health care, mental health and addiction services,” said Blaine Helliker at the hearing on Monday.

A home renovation company near the facility says they’ve already dealt with issues involving people living on the streets.

“We have already experienced serious incidents around our property, whether that’s property damage, break-and-enter, trespassing, or even in some worst cases, we’ve had our business lit on fire,” said Ranvir Singh with Regency Innovations.

However, another business in the industrial park has a different view.

“I don’t believe it’s going to disrupt my business, and I don’t believe it’s going to disrupt anybody’s business,” said Josh Powell, general manager of Loadrite.

Their location is on the street behind the facility. Powell says with people experiencing homelessness already in the area, a shelter could be a big help.

“We have a problem in this city, but I think sites like this are going to help reduce that presence and going to help the continuation of making progress towards finding housing,” said Powell.

The public hearing on Monday was postponed until next Tuesday. Councillors say they still have a lot to discuss before they make their decision.

“Really want to be able to dig into some questions from speakers, both those who presented in favour as well as those in opposition and then have some opportunity for some council dialogue,” said ward Métis councillor Ashley Salvador.

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

Former federal minister and Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith is tossing his hat into municipal politics, confirming he’s after a Toronto city council seat in this fall’s election.

Erskine-Smith, who served as MP for Beaches-East York, confirmed to Global News Tuesday he’ll be running for the council seat for Ward 19 Beaches-East York.

The longtime politician’s run has been hinted at for weeks after he failed to secure the Ontario Liberal nomination for the riding of Scarborough Southwest for the upcoming provincial byelection.

The 42-year-old former lawyer was first elected to the riding in 2015 when the Liberals surged through much of Canada with their majority victory. He won re-election in the 2019, 2021 and 2025 elections.

He was named Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities in late 2024 by former prime minister Justin Trudeau, and kept in the role when Prime Minister Mark Carney took over as leader. But following the 2025 federal election, he was dropped from cabinet.

Following this, Erskine-Smith signalled he would leave federal politics and planned to run for the provincial Liberal nomination, with an intended bid for the party’s leadership also expected. He lost, but appealed to the party’s arbitration panel, alleging irregularities that included 34 more ballots counted than the number of recorded voters.

The panel decided in late May that Ahsanul Hafix, who won the nomination, was the “true winner” of the vote.

After he failed to secure the nomination, Erskine-Smith said his planned leadership bid was “much less likely.”

In the months since, Erskine-Smith has suggested he was considering a run for city council which he confirmed Tuesday.

He resigned from his seat in the House of Commons last month.

 

Ward 19 Beaches-East York is one of two city council seats that currently have no incumbent running, though it was previously held by Brad Bradford who is challenging Mayor Olivia Chow for her position.

There are currently 10 candidates registered for the ward, including former journalist Natalie Johnson and former bureaucrat James Dann. Erskine-Smith has not yet filed his nomination papers as of publication.

Erskine-Smith confirmed to Global News he’ll enter the race Wednesday.

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

The feud between the City of Wetaskiwin and its mayor, Joe Branco, found some middle ground on Tuesday, announcing they came to a court-approved interim agreement to lift his ban.

The court order states that Branco can officially return after he retakes a respectful workplace training course and once he’s back he will have to avoid contact with the complainant.

This comes several months after city council voted to ban Branco from attending city council meetings in person in mid-January.

Later on in July, Branco’s lawyer, Roberto Noce, released the city report that led to the ban. It alleged the mayor verbally harassed a female city employee, calling her names like sweetie, honey, and his girl. Branco admitted to most of those allegations.

Noce and Branco then called for a judicial review of the decision to ban him, and even though it’s now lifted, that legal process is still underway.

Noce hopes to have the first hearing in the fall of 2027.

Katherine Ludwig has the full story in the video above.

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