There’s nothing like having the window open or the top down on a great day with tunes blasting from the car stereo. Chances are you’ve got your favourite driving song, if not a series of driving playlists. Is it your imagination, or do some songs sound better while driving?

It has to do with the brain’s sweet spot when it comes to rhythm. The background noise of a car—the engine, the road noise, the vibrations—is pretty consistent. But when you combine that with the slightly less consistent rhythm of a song, your brain shifts into a space where it’s more likely to enhance the novelty of the music.

Driving fast (which adds a sense of danger) while knowing you’re in control (which inspires confidence), combined with a great song (which makes you want to move), results in a little extra adrenaline that just makes everything sound better.

Hey, it’s science.

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

For the first time since 2019 the Hamilton Tiger-Cats didn’t start the season with back-to-back losses.

The Ticats spoiled the party in front of a sellout crowd with a 37-27 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on a rainy night Thursday at Princess Auto Stadium.

Hamilton scored three first half touchdowns and led by as many as 18 points. The Bombers scored a pair of TDs in the fourth quarter, but their comeback attempt still fell short as they lost their home opener for the second time in the last three years.

Bo Levi Mitchell had three passing touchdowns and threw for 287 yards as the Bombers defence stumbled in the first half for the second game in a row. Hamilton led 24-10 at the half after Mitchell posted 233 yards passing in the opening half.

The Bombers defence had only one sack and surrendered 455 yards of net offence.

“Didn’t tackle well enough,” said Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea. “There’s some plays you’d like to have back. Just sorta some mistakes that we’re not used to making, you know. I think when they watch the film, they’ll know, and I think they know now. Things I think are easily fixed, but tackling, at some point you just got to make the decision to wrap up and tackle somebody.”

Former Bombers receiver Keric Wheatfall had 102 yards receiving and Larry Rountree had 124 yards rushing for the Ticats in the win. Kiondre Smith had a pair of touchdown catches for Hamilton.

Zach Collaros tossed for 421 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Nic Demski, Ontaria Wilson, and Bryce Perkins scored the touchdowns for the Bombers. Tommy Nield had his first career hundred-yard game with a game-high 111 yards receiving.

“Offensively, we just left points on the field,” said Collaros. “It starts with me, turning the football over there in the second quarter and going into halftime. You can’t do that. That’s at least three points for us. Yeah, there’s a couple obviously when you look back at the film and you could see a lot of them at the sideline, you wish you had back that could lead to points. But it’s something we got to take and figure out and get better.”

With the Bombers falling behind in the game, Brady Oliveira finished with just 32 yards rushing.

“When you get down, it is going to be hard to run the football,” Oliveira said. “Every single week it’s going to look different. I just want to win the game. We didn’t win the game today which is unfortunate, but with us getting down like that it is going to be hard to run the football.

“I thought Zach played incredible. When he’s in the mode like that, you got to let him go. He was throwing the ball all over the field.”

Smith’s first touchdown in the opening quarter gave Hamilton a 10-3 lead.

Demski had a 41-yard touchdown catch in the final minute of the quarter to give the Bombers the upper hand. But touchdowns by Maximillian Mang and Smith in the second quarter gave the Tiger-Cats the lead for good.

After Major Williams was flagged for pass interference in the end zone in the third quarter, Jake Dolegala scored on a QB sneak to push the lead up to 18.

Wilson and Perkins had touchdowns in the fourth quarter, but the Bombers still fell short.

The Bombers fall to 1-1 for the season.

Tiger-Cats defensive back Jamal Peters had to be stretchered off the field in the first quarter and after taking a knee to his head, but the Tiger-Cats posted on social media that he’s been cleared and released from the hospital.

The Bombers had a record 15th consecutive sellout going back to the 2024 campaign.

The Bombers are on a bye next week and don’t play again until June 25 when they host the Edmonton Elks.

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

Several consumer advocacy groups across the country are warning the voice of Canadian consumers could be in jeopardy.

Ottawa has announced it is phasing out the Canadian Consumer Protection Initiative and the Office of Consumer Affairs which currently supports non-profit consumer organizations. “It was shocking rather than surprising to hear that this program in the Office of Consumer Affairs is coming to an end,” said acting General Counsel at the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC), Tahira Dawood.

The Public Interest Advocacy Centre is a national non-profit which advocates on behalf of consumers in several industries including telecommunications, financial services, and transportation.

Dawood warns the cuts will hurt all Canadians.

“This program has been in place for many decades and PIAC, along with other consumer groups, have relied on this program to produce very important and valuable independent consumer research,” she said.

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) confirmed to Consumer Matters the savings associated with the changes will reach $2.6M per year by 2028-2029.

ISED spokesperson Hans Parmar stated the decision was part of the Comprehensive Expenditure Review announced in Budget 2025, which is taking measures to “deliver more efficiently and effectively on main priorities like consumer protection.”

“Agency organizations such as the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, the CRTC, and others continue to provide Canadians with effective ways to voice their concerns and ensure fairness and transparency in our marketplace,” he added.

However, Dawood strongly disagrees. “You are weakening the voice of consumers because consumers don’t go on their own to present their arguments to a regulator. If there is no consumer group that is able to actively participate in different regulatory hearings or different matters, then you don’t have your voice on the table,” she argued.

Non-profit Car Help Canada, which helps consumers in the automotive industry, says the Canadian Consumer Protection Initiative provided critical funding to its research projects over the past 25 years.

“This sustained support directly enabled initiatives that advanced consumer education campaigns, drove delegated authority policy reforms, and shaped provincial and federal consumer protection legislation. Without this vital funding stream, our organization’s capacity to conduct essential consumer advocacy research is severely compromised,” said Car Help Canada’s Shari Prymak.

Option consommateurs, a Quebec-based non-profit consumer advocacy group, is also sounding the alarm.

“This decision will make public interests weaker and private interests will be more powerful. It’s as simple as that,” said Christian Corbeil, Executive Director of Option consommateurs.

Corbeil proposes that funds from the private sector be used as a solution to the recent cuts.

He suggests fines imposed by the Competition Bureau for violations of federal consumer protection laws could be allocated to a fund dedicated to financing consumer organizations.

“I think it is a pragmatic approach in an economy of constraints that will respond to the needs of the government to lower costs, but on the other side to protect consumers,” said Corbeil.

Still, Dawood notes her organization is navigating through the recent announcement. “This is very disappointing. We do not know of any alternatives,” she said.

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

When a rescuer found a three-month-old puppy wandering in the Oliver area, she hoped she had found her future dog.

The tiny puppy, later named Lucky, was severely underweight and in rough condition, but his rescuer was determined to help. She planned to take him home, nurse him back to health and eventually adopt him.

Those plans quickly changed.

“He was not eating and didn’t take any water the night she had him,” said Romany Runnalls with the Okanagan Humane Society.

“We got a distressed email at three o’clock in the morning saying that this dog was in distress and critical.”

Lucky was rushed for treatment, where he was diagnosed with parvovirus, a highly contagious and potentially deadly disease that primarily affects puppies and young dogs.

Now fighting for his life, Lucky has become the latest reminder of a virus animal advocates say is once again spreading across British Columbia.

Veterinarian Dr. Harsh Joshi says parvovirus attacks a puppy’s digestive system, causing severe vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy and loss of appetite.

“He is going through severe dehydration. His body cannot absorb water or nutrients, and he is losing water through his gastrointestinal tract,” said Joshi.

The virus is easily spread through contact with infected dogs, contaminated food and water bowls, clothing and even public places such as dog parks.

For unvaccinated dogs, the disease can be devastating.

“The mortality rate can be 80 to 90 per cent in unvaccinated dogs,” Joshi said.

Despite the danger, experts stress that parvovirus is highly preventable through routine vaccinations. A full series of puppy vaccinations typically costs a few hundred dollars, while treatment for parvo can reach $4,000 to $5,000 and still may not save the animal.

As Lucky continues his fight to survive, the Okanagan Humane Society remains hopeful. His story, however, serves as a warning that one missed vaccination can mean the difference between life and death.

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

WARNING: Details in this story are disturbing. Discretion is advised.

The daughters of a couple murdered in their Abbotsford, B.C., home in 2022 say the federal government has failed them.

“I’m sure our parents begged for mercy and were not shown that, and yet the irony of a fateful clause in this case, in which they can get released from jail, possibly after 15 years, just does not seem just to us,” daughter Sandra Barthel said.

“It’s very ironic, even Canada has such a problem with people coming in and committing crimes. It’s all over the news right now, and we’re basically, by allowing this to happen, or even considering this to happen, you’re just basically giving a free ticket to people to come in and commit crimes and spend their 15 years and be eligible for parole, so it just, it seems like there’s no justice.”

In May, three men were found guilty of first-degree murder in the deaths of 77-year-old Arnold De Jong and 76-year-old Joanne De Jong.

The court earlier heard that Arnold died by asphyxiation, with his entire head and face wrapped in duct tape, while Joanne was bludgeoned and had her throat slashed.

The three men, including Gurkaran Singh, all in their 20s, were arrested in December 2022, after the De Jongs’ bodies were found in their Abbotsford home that May.

Prosecutors say the suspects had done cleaning work there before the home invasion, and that the men killed the couple before stealing cheques, credit cards and a power washer.

During the trial, the court heard how two of the three men were in Canada on international student visas and at least one of them never attended one class.

“Had they followed the policies and regulations of Immigration Canada with the student visas, and they were not following that, and going to school, that they should have been deported, and they wouldn’t have been here,” daughter Heather Hoogland said.

“They would have been kicked out of Canada. They would not have been here. The crimes wouldn’t have been committed. My parents would still be here.”

Mohkam Singh Malik, Surrey’s Livability, Social Equity, and Public Safety Committee member, said action could have been taken.

“The government identified this was an issue, but they didn’t act on it, and they haven’t been acting fast enough on it, and it’s the same outrage that I know many communities in Surrey feel when we’re dealing with this extortion crisis,” he said.

The trio was convicted of first-degree murder, which carries an automatic life sentence with no chance of parole for 25 years.

Toor’s lawyers have applied for a constitutional challenge, which can happen when there are multiple murder victims.

It’s expected counsel for the other two will join the challenge.

That hearing is set for the first week of September, further delaying sentencing.

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

It’s an area of Kelowna, B.C., that is considered by many the epicentre of crime and social disorder.

The issues plaguing Rutland are ones that have long been overlooked, according to many who live and work in the area.

“I feel like the system has failed us,” said concerned Rutland resident Kitana Toland.

Toland and Sharlene Drohomereski and other area residents say they are fed up and taking matters into their own hands.

“I personally don’t want to raise my kids in a community where we have to be scared to even let our kids play out in our yards,” Toland told Global News.

The pair, who lives near Ben Lee Park, is mobilizing concerned residents and creating a neighbourhood watch group to conduct foot patrol and establish a network of safe locations.

“It would be a place where people can go to if they are feeling scared or unsafe,” Drohomereski said.

Called the Ben Lee Community Watch Group, it would also enhance safety by encouraging neighbours to watch and report any suspicious activity in the area — one that has become unsafe, according to organizers.

“We have children seeing people passed out in the park, we have people passing out in people’s yards, we’ve had people using drugs in public spaces, on private property,” said Drohomereski, describing some of the problems area residents are experiencing.

The issues in Rutland are drawing renewed attention from the city.

It is providing some funding to the Uptown Rutland Business Association (URBA) to help reboot a program aimed at helping businesses manage social disorder.

“It’s kind of a mix of security, basically helping our business owners,” said URBA president Jason Bullock.

Similar to the Downtown Kelowna Association’s red shirt program, URBA ambassadors will again be responding to business complaints, such as loitering and mischief, after a six-month hiatus.

“It’s going to start in the mornings and then from there, we’ll see what we can do as we search for more funding,” said Bullock. “I believe this project is just making everyone know that we’re trying our best to get business up and running every day.”

URBA is officially re-launching the program next week.

In addition to the URBA on-call program, Kelowna Mayor Tom Dyas is also proposing expanding a clean-up program in Rutland called ‘Community Care’ from three days to five days.

The program employs vulnerable people to clear streets of garbage and other debris.

Dyas could not comment on the matter Thursday ahead of council debating it at its upcoming meeting.

While some residents say the steps being taken are long overdue, others are just pleased to see them happening.

“It’s about time that we get the attention that we need, so we can become a vibrant location in Kelowna, just like downtown or Pandosy or other areas,” said Bullock, who is a business owner himself and operates OK Tire Rutland.

“It really is a hidden gem and you know these little steps, I believe, are going to help get us to the next step of what what a great Rutland is going to look like.”

Anyone wanting to be part of the newly formed ‘Ben Lee Community Watch Group’ is asked to send an email to Droski4@hotmail.com.

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

Without the goats, the Lethbridge River Valley could be teeming with weeds.

These hard-working farm animals are back for another year of crunching, chomping and chewing away at invasive plants.

It’s their eighth year on the job, and the progress is impressive.

“Grazing for leafy spurge is not a one-and-done thing. It’s a multi-year program,” said Parks Natural Resource Coordinator Jackie Cardinal.

The most visible invasive species that the goats are tackling is leafy spurge.

“There were huge patches of yellow blurs, which were leafy spurge. Compared to then and now, it’s probably a 70 per cent reduction,” said goat herder Trent Cahoon.

The team is no small group. It includes 206 goats, alongside Chance, the herding dog, and Cahoon, their herder.

In just one day the goats can take down — or rather eat up — 50 hectares of land.

It’s an efficient and environmentally friendly alternative to other weed control methods.

“They’ve done a fantastic job over the last eight years,” said Cardinal.

The goats graze three parks throughout the city: Indian Battle Park, Alexander Wilderness Park and Pavan Park.

“Every single site has had a significant decrease of leafy spurge. There are some areas we’re monitoring where we had very dense patches of spurge come down to absolutely zero,” said Cardinal.

Visitors to the parks are welcome to watch the goats work.

“When people are coming along the path, I say just walk through, the goats will make way,” said Cahoon.

Officials do, however, ask that dogs be kept on leash and visitors keep a respectful distance, so the munching mammals can focus on the job at hoof.

“They’re more scared of you than you are of them,” said Cardinal.

These seasonal employees will stick around Lethbridge on and off for the next seven weeks as they make two passes of each park before heading off for a well-deserved break.

The program has received great feedback from the public, and both Cahoon and Cardinal are happy to chat with the public and answer any questions about the grazing goats.

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

Over the past four years, residents in Lethbridge, Alta., have faced annual tax increases of 5.1 per cent. However, following budget deliberations for 2027, the increase could be lower.

Working with a ‘stub’ year, the 2027 operating budget for the City of Lethbridge will be just a single year plan, before the city returns to a full four-year rotation from 2028-2031.

After deliberating all day on Wednesday during a Community Issues Committee (CIC), Lethbridge’s city councillors decided on a plan for next year.

That plan includes a 2.67-per cent tax increase for the municipal portion of collected property taxes.

“To come back down to close to half of what it was last year is welcoming,” said Lethbridge Mayor Blaine Hyggen.

Much of Wednesday was council agreeing to slash funding and cut costs in order to keep the increase lower than in those previous years.

“We’re trying to do the best we possibly can and trying to keep as many services within the community,” said Hyggen.

While the CIC did pass dozens of motions related to funding for various services, nothing will be official until it is voted on during a regular council meeting, scheduled on June 23.

However, the picture for 2027 is fairly clear now, barring any last-minute changes.

For the most part, council followed recommendations from city administration to limit spending where efficiencies could be found.

“We went through the operations with all the departments. General managers were tasked with, by the city manager, to take a look at their operations and what could be looked at as efficiencies or cost-cutting measures that council could consider,” said Darrell Mathews, CFO of the city.

Nothing is free, however — even cost cuts. The price of this lower increase? Lower service levels.

One of the biggest cuts includes the elimination of free Saturday drop-offs at the Waste and Recycling Centre.

Hyggen says it’s not necessarily a complete goodbye to that service, but it will at least look different in 2027.

“This will just give a way to monitor and to do what’s best for the residents.”

The city estimates they will find an additional $258,750 by making this change at the landfill.

The CIC made the decision to also increase utility bills by $2.00 per month for anyone still getting paper invoices, which could net the city $400,000, according to their statistics.

Meanwhile, another substantial cost saving comes from the transit department.

Bus routes 51, 52, 53 and 62, which service the University of Lethbridge and Lethbridge Polytechnic, will see reductions in order to save more than $240,000, according to the city.

If passed by council, those route changes will only be reduced during the slower summer months.

The city says the limited number of passengers means the current cost on a per-passenger basis is staggering.

“If you take the number of rides for the four months that the reduction would be for and divide it up, it was just under $400 to move somebody across the city — one person,” said Hyggen.

It’s not just buses and garbage runs affected, though. The savings are coming for sports and entertainment, too.

The CIC voted to increase concession prices at the VisitLethbridge.com Arena by $0.25 for top items.

However, the city didn’t cut every cost under the sun.

$10,000 will be allocated to joining the Southgrow Regional Initiative, which is an economic development organization.

The membership fee will, according to Southgrow, be beneficial for the entirety of southern Alberta.

“Every time we succeed in the region, the increase in economic activity flows through to businesses in Lethbridge just as the fact that this is how the economy operates,” said Peter Casurella, executive director of Southgrow.

Hyggen, who was in the minority on council for this decision and voted against joining Southgrow, says there are still benefits.

“Having leadership and the community size that we do in Lethbridge, that does have a larger voice for Southgrow when they go look at grants, and so I do appreciate that,” said Hyggen.

Another place the city chose to continue spending money was in planting flowers at city parks.

It may not be flashy, but council felt the beauty of the city was worth $21,000.

The CIC also voted to spend $55,000 to keep the fall leaf collection program and $48,000 to maintain honorariums for public members who volunteer on boards, commissions and committees.

As mentioned previously, nothing is official until council votes on it later this month. The CIC exists to push recommendations to council, while giving the public a chance to speak on topics when they sometimes can’t during regular council meetings.

A full list of everything debated on Wednesday can be found on the city website here: Recap of the 2027 Operating Budget deliberations | City of Lethbridge.

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

Mounties are investigating allegations money was offered in exchange for a council vote at Calgary city hall last summer, according to court documents obtained by Global News.

The new revelations into the probe come months after the RCMP carried out search warrants at the homes of former Calgary mayor Jyoti Gondek, former Ward 4 councillor Sean Chu, and sitting Ward 10 Coun. Andre Chabot.

The court documents are part of an application to extend the warrants, which would allow police to keep Gondek’s phone for several more months.

According to an affidavit signed by Det. Matt White — a Calgary Police Service investigator who has been seconded to the RCMP unit investigating the matter — the probe centres around allegations of municipal corruption, obstruction of justice and fabricating evidence.

None of the allegations have been proven in court and no charges have been laid.

The court documents reveal the Calgary Police Service began an investigation into the circumstances surrounding a proposed land-use change in downtown Bankview area that was in front of council on July 16, 2025.

The application, which aimed to change the zoning of several properties to a Direct Control District, was defeated in a 6-6 tie.

Gondek wasn’t present for the vote, in which Chu was one of the votes in opposition.

Later in the meeting, Chu tabled a motion to reconsider the vote.

“I realize that I voted wrong,” he told council during the meeting.

The land-use change was ultimately approved 8-5 after Chu changed his vote; Gondek was also present and voted in favour.

It all happened four months before the fall municipal election.

“Initial information received by police was that David White, who runs a company that assists developers navigate City of Calgary processes called CivicWorks, had been offering campaign donations that exceeded the maximum allowed to councillors, in exchange for them tabling a reconsideration motion,” reads the affidavit.

According to court documents, White’s phone was seized on Sept. 16 and the search “yielded evidence of the offences.”

“It was determined that Gondek had provided guidance to White on a tactic to approach another councillor in an effort to secure a reconsideration motion,” the document read.

“The reconsideration created an opportunity to reopen voting on the application so Gondek could cast a ballot in favour of it.”

White’s phone was returned to him, the document read, and Global News has learned Chabot’s phones were also returned.

Allan Fay, the lawyer representing White, said his client has “no comment at this time.” Chu’s lawyer did not respond to Global News’ request for comment.

Police now want to keep Gondek’s phone as investigators believe it “will afford evidence pertaining to Gondek counselling White,” but officers have been unable to unlock it without the passcode.

Gondek’s lawyer, Rebecca Snukal, won’t comment on the allegations in the affidavit, but is arguing against the application to extend the hold on her client’s phone.

In Snukal’s response, she said the investigators’ application is “on the basis of speculation alone,” and that Gondek’s vote was “mathematically superfluous to the outcome.”

She hopes to cross-examine police at a hearing scheduled for later this month.

Municipal Lobbyist Registry

Calgary’s current mayor, Jeromy Farkas, said the situation has raised “important questions” about how influence is exercised at city hall and how decisions are made.

He told reporters Thursday he and other city councillors plan to introduce a motion that explores establishing a municipal lobbyist registry, as a tool to improve accountability and transparency.

“Calgarians deserve to know who is seeking to influence public policy, who they are meeting with, and on whose behalf they are acting,” Farkas said.

“As Calgary grows, our accountability measures must grow alongside us.”

Although Farkas said it would be “inappropriate” to comment on the RCMP investigation, he said “recent events” have reinforced the importance of stronger transparency measures.

Ward 2 Coun. Jennifer Wyness, who served on the previous city council, said a lobbyist registry is simply a “headline grabber” and won’t solve the issue the RCMP is alleging happened.

“I think what we’re seeing is council jumping to conclusions without allowing a police investigation to conclude,” Wyness said.

“When you go and make policy changes without allowing the RCMP to conclude its investigation, you are creating problems and opening doors for other negative impacts on council.”

Wyness noted councillors already disclose who they meet with in their offices.

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

Some Edmonton businesses are calling for more practical solutions as they weigh in on a new economic development strategy for the city.

They say they don’t feel like the city is currently business-friendly and that needs to change.

In the 124th High Street area, Urban Diner has been serving food and drinks to customers for over 20 years, but they say in recent years it’s getting harder to do so.

“It’s no more fun to have a business here, that’s what it is — it’s no more fun,” said Cryille Koppert, chef and owner of Urban Diner and Partake.

“Trying to stay alive, that’s what we’re trying to do here, and that’s getting tougher and tougher.”

Koppert owns two restaurants located in High Street near 124th Street and 102nd Avenue. The owners say with all the construction in the area year after year, they’re seeing 40 per cent less traffic and it’s become harder to attract customers.

“In our business, there’s a lot of passion,” Koppert said.

“You don’t do it for the money, really. You want to make a living, but if you can’t make a living, it’s really hard.”

On Wednesday, the city unveiled a new four-year economic development strategy, the “Edmonton Advantage.”

One of the goals is to address the perception of Edmonton as “business-unfriendly.”

Koppert said it isn’t just a perception — he feels it’s real.

“Even coming and talking to us, or whatever, there’s nothing like that. City doesn’t do that — city’s just on its own and they like (you) to figure it out yourself,” said Koppert.

The city’s three strategic pillars in the new plan are: enabling a strong business environment, marketing the Edmonton Advantage, and driving investment.

The Edmonton Chamber of Commerce is encouraged by the plan and priorities put forward by city council, but notes it’s tough to please everyone.

“Overall, every business needs something different, and that’s what’s tricky about this economic action plan, is that it does need to address so many different things and so many different struggles and barriers are facing,” said Heather Thomson, vice-president of economy and engagement with the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce.

“We’re really excited to see this, and we’ve been hearing from our members, how do we grow as a business here in Edmonton? How do we make more money? How do we expand?

“This plan is a really important step.”

However, Thomson hoped to see a bigger commitment from the city to cleanliness and beautification around Edmonton.

“We know that when places feel clean, and they are clean, they are actually quite safer, and so this is something that we want to see. I think that would hit a lot of economic boxes if we were able to put some serious time and investment into this,” she said.

“When we look at different business environments across the globe, we see that this has a meaningful impact to the overall economic landscape.”

These priorities are all part of conversations that will be ongoing with the city over the next four years, and Koppert hopes his business is at the table, too.

“I’d like them to sit with us and talk to us and see what we can do and how can we make things better.”

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