The Republican Party’s disastrous performance in the U.S. midterm elections has injected some fragile hope into the Ontario business community, according to some business advocacy organizations eager to see Canada step into a strengthened position in its trade relationship with the U.S.

“(Optimism) is higher, certainly, than it was a year ago, despite all the challenges that we’ve been in,” said Daniel Tisch, the president and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, a non-profit group representing around 60,000 businesses.

“After the midterms and the indisputable weakening of (U.S. President) Donald Trump and his agenda, our strategic position has improved…modestly but meaningfully, because we are less vulnerable,” he said, describing the optimism as “very fragile right now.”

As the results of the U.S. midterm elections began to trickle in Tuesday night, it was clear the Democratic Party achieved a decisive victory, taking control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate in a rebuke of the Trump administration.

“It’s pretty clear that Trump’s approach to Canada has widespread opposition in the U.S.,” said Tisch.

An increased alignment has also emerged between the federal government, Ontario and the business community, he said, while much of the last decade saw those three pillars in a “gridlock.”

“We’re working together,” he said. “We’ve started to invest in our economy, we’ve diversified our trade relationships, you see really positive measures that are incentivizing businesses to invest in themselves.”

But economic uncertainty due to Trump’s tariff regime on Canada, first levelled less than two weeks after he was inaugurated, has led to upheaval for Ontario’s businesses that has required increased resilience, according to surveys of owners published since 2025 by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce.

The organization’s most recent data published Oct. 1 shows some increased optimism, even before the midterm results, amid continued worries about the trade war.

The survey of 851 businesses across Ontario showed that while 44 per cent lacked confidence in the economy, business confidence rose over the course of 2026, from 23 to 34 per cent.

Yet, the majority did expect economic uncertainty due to the trade war with the U.S. to continue to hurt their businesses. Fifty-seven per cent reported they expect tariffs, trade policies and economic uncertainty to negatively affect their investment or expansion plans.

As a result, business owners reported they were increasing prices, reducing trade with the U.S., expanding domestic sales and diversifying suppliers.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford expressed similar optimism about the midterm results earlier this week, telling media he was “doing cartwheels” when he saw the Democrats’ blue wave. But the premier also voiced caution, citing that it will be up to Prime Minister Mark Carney to continue to try to make a trade deal with the president.

The Ford government also watched closely as Ottawa released its fall budget on Thursday. It featured an additional $151 billion over five years in “supports” for Canadian households, businesses and other levels of government.

Ontario Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy said the government welcomed the budget as it provided “further tax relief for businesses,” stating that it aligned with “Ontario’s own focus on attracting investment and cutting taxes for workers and businesses.” He cited the province’s $8 billion Ontario Competitiveness Tax Cut and $1.1 billion small business tax cut as examples.

However, both the federal government and Ontario have been criticized for not providing enough support for small businesses amid the trade war.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business said Thursday’s federal budget is a “mega disappointment,” as small businesses with less than $1 million in annual sales do not qualify for any tariff support programs.

In the legislature Thursday, Ontario NDP MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam criticized the Ford government for allowing small businesses in Toronto to languish without protection from corporate landlords while they deal with what the opposition described as unfair lease terms, eviction threats and communities losing stalwart small businesses.

In response to Wong-Tam’s comments, Progressive Conservative MPP Doug Downey said the Ford government has cut “so many taxes” for businesses and removed bike lanes, which he said were hurting small businesses.

The Ontario Chamber of Commerce study, conducted in partnership with Leger, is based on a survey of 851 businesses across Ontario between July 27 and Aug. 17, 2026.  

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

U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that Stephen Miller was replacing Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff, mere days after Republicans lost control of Congress in the midterm elections.

Miller, long a key member of Trump’s inner circle, is a key architect of the administration’s hard-line immigration policies.

Wiles, a steely political operator and the first woman to serve in the post, was Trump’s longest-serving White House chief of staff and his longtime adviser.

https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2118778661243634138?a=IDGtP0RsNZS9kN_a1eg&s=20

A handful of remaining Senate and House races, still to be called by The Associated Press, will determine the strength of Democrats’ majority in Congress.

Democrats will hold at least 54 seats in the 100-member Senate next year, and as many as 56 depending on final results in Alaska and Mississippi — where contests remain narrow with votes still outstanding.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who is likely to return as majority leader next year, promised in an interview with the AP that Democrats will prevent the Republican president from installing a “right-winger” on the Supreme Court or “crappy nominees” elsewhere in the federal judiciary or in Trump’s Cabinet.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

TORONTO – Wayne Gretzky says he backs Canada’s decision to bar Russia from the upcoming world junior hockey championship in Alberta.

Prime Minister Mark Carney announced earlier this week Russian and Belarusian athletes will not be permitted to represent their countries on Canadian soil while the war in Ukraine continues.

The decision came after the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland ruled Russia must be reinstated to international hockey competition, starting with the world juniors.

Teams from Russia and Belarus have been banned since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Speaking at a Friday ceremony hosted by Upper Deck to rename the Hockey Hall of Fame’s resource centre in honour of his late father, Gretzky said he supports Carney’s position.

“Nobody likes war, right?” said the NHL’s all-time points leader, who has Ukrainian heritage. “We definitely don’t want to see this. We hope it ends. We wish it didn’t start. And I understand the stance the prime minister is taking, and good for him. He’s made that stance and he’s made it clear.

“I think a lot of the players and the people of Canada feel the same way.”

The world juniors are scheduled to run from Dec. 26 through Jan. 5 in Edmonton and Red Deer.

“While Russia and Belorussia (sic) are supporting this illegal, unjustified, horrific war in Ukraine, as long as that’s going on, there will be none of those athletes competing for their countries in Canada,” Carney told reporters Tuesday in Antigua at the Commonwealth Summit when asked if Russian players would be denied visas.

“So if you’re asking specifically about the world juniors, the Russians will not be there.”

The federal government said this week it would use its immigration powers to prevent Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from entering Canada to compete under their national symbols.

“This measure is not directed at the Russian and Belarusian people,” the government said in a statement. “Rather, it is intended to prevent the governments of Russia and Belarus from using international sporting events hosted in Canada as platforms for state representation, political legitimacy and propaganda.”

Entry would be assessed individually, the government added, while athletes competing as neutrals could still participate in international sporting events hosted by Canada.

Russian sports minister Mikhail Degtyarev said in an Oct. 30 statement that the CAS ruling was final.

He added his country would work with the International Ice Hockey Federation to secure its return to competition, starting with the world juniors.

A number of European hockey federations, meanwhile, including Sweden, Finland, Czechia and Latvia, have said their teams will not play against Russia.

Gretzky and Upper Deck — a trading card and memorabilia company — also announced a series of partnerships Friday.

The 65-year-old was asked what he thinks those might do to help his reputation among Canadians, which has taken a hit in recent years because of his close association with U.S. President Donald Trump.

“I can’t do anything about that,” Gretzky said with a laugh. “Your friends are your friends, right? People can have their own opinions. That’s what life is all about, and you just take it with a grain of salt. People are entitled to what they believe in and what their opinions are … as simple as that.

“My dad always told me, ‘You treat people how they treat you.’ And that’s how I live life.”

The only NHL player to ever reach 200 points in a season — he did it four times — Gretzky was also asked about the start to the current season by Connor McDavid.

The Edmonton Oilers captain has 44 points in 17 games, and is on pace to reach 217 in 2026-27. That would top Gretzky’s record of 215 points set in 1985-86.

“Remarkable,” said Gretzky, who won the Stanley Cup four times as Oilers captain. “What he’s doing for his hockey team, and for the game, and for the city of Edmonton, it’s unmatched right now. I think he’s on a mission to win a Stanley Cup. He wants it desperately, and that’s what you need out of your best player and out of your captain.

“You need that leadership that, you want to get to the next level, and he has that.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2026.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

Dolly Parton’s longtime manager moved Thursday to drop a complaint that accused the late singer’s nephew of sending threatening messages to Parton’s estate.

The manager, Danny Nozell, who runs She’s Alive, an entity founded to manage and protect Parton’s estate, had secured a temporary restraining order against Bryan Seaver and his security company, Squadron Augmented Protection Services, in September.

Nozell was seeking to turn the order into a permanent injunction against Seaver.

On Thursday, a very brief filing gave no reason why the complaint is being withdrawn, according to The Associated Press.

The filing reportedly only says that a proposed order was being drafted for the judge’s approval to dismiss the case without prejudice, meaning it can be refiled.

A court filing from Wednesday, viewed by The Associated Press, said that the two sides had reached an agreement, but didn’t share further details.

Global News has not independently viewed the documents.

The first hearing in the legal battle between Parton’s estate and Seaver was set for Tuesday.

In October, Seaver pushed back against claims that he sent threatening messages to his late aunt’s estate.

In a Tennessee court filing, viewed by The Associated Press, Seaver said that he was a close friend to Nozell before his aunt’s manager took out a restraining order accusing him of threatening to commit violence and destroy his late aunt’s legacy and business empire.

In an affidavit opposing the temporary order becoming permanent, Seaver said text messages Nozell cited as evidence against him were a “private conversation between two friends who were both frustrated, grieving and discussing strategy.”

The text messages were sent shortly before and after Parton’s Aug. 25 death.

Seaver reportedly said that he never sent threatening messages to any of Parton’s businesses, business partners or their employees.

In September, She’s Alive LLC terminated Seaver and Squadron Augmented Protection Services, alleging his “terrorizing conduct made their continued retention untenable.”

“Mr. Seaver began his campaign of threats, intimidation, and coercion a few weeks prior to Ms. Parton’s passing…. In writing, he vowed to ‘destroy the entire brand’ and also told her entertainment attorney: ‘I’m not an entertainment person. I’m a killer,'” the legal filing alleged.

In another alleged message, Seaver said that Nozell had been his longtime confidant and “best friend.”

“I trusted Danny,” Seaver wrote, according to The New York Times, “And that’s what those messages were, two friends and brothers commiserating on the people that have screwed Dolly over for many many years.”

She’s Alive LLC was previously granted a temporary restraining order against Seaver by Chancellor l’Ashea L. Myles, who cited Seaver’s “claimed access to weapons, experience with violence, and intention to retaliate.”

Seaver and his company had to refrain from entering any She’s Alive property or talking with or being within about 300 metres of She’s Alive employees and business partners. The order was also meant to keep Seaver from interfering with its business relationships.

On Aug. 25, Seaver announced Parton’s death in a video, saying, “I am representing the Parton and Owens family today, announcing the passing of my Aunt Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean. Sister, sis, Aunt Granny to one generation and Gigi to the next. This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago, before I fully absorbed it as a future reality.”

“As her head of security for more than two decades, a role my father Larry held before me, I have imagined the heaviness of this moment, but haven’t truly felt it until now. It is an honour, an honour that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness. But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly.”

“Our family and the team she has entrusted with her legacy will work diligently to ensure her spirit will live with us forever,” Seaver added.

View this post on Instagram

—With files from The Associated Press

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

Health Canada has approved Moderna’s combined influenza and COVID-19 vaccine as well its mRNA shot for seasonal influenza.

Canada’s top health agency says mFLUSIVA, an mRNA flu vaccine, as well as mCOFLU, a combination influenza and COVID-19 shot, can both now be used for adults 50 years of age and older.

In August, the mRNA flu shot was approved for use in the United States and in April, the combination jab was approved for use in Europe, but Canada is the first country to approve both, Moderna said in a statement.

“Health Canada’s authorizations of mFLUSIVA and mCOFLU today mark another important step in bringing the benefits of mRNA technology to seasonal respiratory vaccination. It’s not every day that a company gets two product approvals on the same day,” Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said in a statement.

It is unclear when the shots will be available for Canadians over 50 to get, but Moderna said it “will engage with Canadian health authorities and immunization partners as it advances plans for the future availability of mFLUSIVA and mCOFLU in Canada.”

The new flu shot and combination vaccine will not be part of the 2026-2027 immunization season, a spokesperson for Moderna told Global News.

According to experts, mRNA-based vaccines have the potential to be more effective than traditional vaccines.

Traditional flu vaccines use microbial protein or dead microbes to build protection against a disease. In contrast, mRNA vaccines give your cells a recipe they can use to produce proteins needed to fight the disease. They are typically considered fast-acting.

“After injection, the cells in your arm muscles pick up the mRNA, make the protein, and display it on the cell’s surface,” the Vanderbilt University Medical Center website says.

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization recommends that everyone six months of age and older get the non-mRNA flu shot that is available this year.

A higher-dose version of the flu vaccine is recommended for adults aged 65 and older because aging immune systems often need a bigger boost.

The committee also strongly advises COVID-19 vaccination for anyone 65 years of age and older and residents of long-term care, retirement homes or assisted living.

–with files from The Canadian Press

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

Environment Canada is warning that the first storm in a series of wet and windy weather is hitting B.C.’s coast on Friday.

A yellow rainfall warning is in effect for areas including the North Shore, Coquitlam, Maple Ridge and Howe Sound.

Heavy rain is expected to continue throughout the day, according to Environment Canada.

Thousands of BC Hydro customers are without power due to the blustery weather.

The hardest-hit areas include the Lower Mainland and Sunshine Coast, northern Vancouver Island and parts of southern Vancouver Island.

Passengers wanting to take BC Ferries on Friday also face cancellations due to high winds and rough seas.

Sailings between Horseshoe Bay and Departure Bay are cancelled into the early afternoon, along with sailings between Tsawwassen and Duke Point.

Customers are advised to check the BC Ferries website for the latest information on cancellations and delays.

Meanwhile, Parks Canada issued an extreme wave hazard advisory for beaches, shorelines, and coastal waters in and around Pacific Rim National Park Reserve from Nov. 6 to 8.

Wave heights are expected to reach up to seven metres on Friday and up to eight metres on Saturday and into Sunday, Parks Canada said.

Beaches can go from completely dry to several feet underwater in only seconds.

Also on Vancouver Island, the Village of Zeballos has issued an evacuation alert for some properties on Ferris Road, Pandora Crescent and Maquinna Avenue due to risk of a landslide. 

Residents in the affected areas should be ready to leave at a moment’s notice.

Global BC meteorologist Mark Madryga said Friday’s storm is the first in a series.

Another storm is set to move in later on Saturday night and then another wet stretch will return on Monday night through the remainder of next week, Madryga added.

“Total rainfall for the next week, forecast from various computer weather models, is between 250 and 600 millimetres on west Vancouver Island and from 100 to 300 millimetres in the Lower Mainland,” he said.

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

• Read more about how Budget 2026 is increasing the CDIC limit

Finance Minister Francois-Phillipe Champagne tabled the federal budget in Parliament on Thursday, proposing a major change to how your Registered Retirement Savings Plan, or RRSP, is managed in the years after you stop working.

Budget 2026 proposes an “RRSP-for-life,” which could even carry over until after a person’s death.

Here’s how it differs from the way your RRSP currently works.

Currently, retirement planning in Canada is split into two stages – the accumulation stage and the decumulation stage.

“You have the accumulation stage, which is the RRSP, where we contribute and we get a tax deduction against our income for the amount we contribute,” said Jamie Golombek, managing director of tax and estate planning with CIBC Private Wealth.

At age 71, Canadians with an RRSP face a choice.

They can either cash out of their RRSP before they turn 71, buy an annuity that guarantees them a fixed income or convert their RRSP into a Registered Retirement Income Fund, or RRIF.

They are then required to make minimum withdrawals from their RRIF.

In Budget 2026, the federal government proposed merging the core features of the RRSP and RRIF into one single “RRSP-for-life.”

“This would eliminate the need for individuals to convert their RRSP to a RRIF at age 71,” budget document said.

The proposal is “more of an administrative issue” than a tax change, Golombek said.

“The concept is basically you could just have one retirement vehicle that you have until the day you die or you’ll also may be allowed to name a successor,” he said.

Currently, Canadians cannot name a successor for an RRSP like they can for a TFSA. The budget proposes allowing Canadians to include a “successor holder” who can be a spouse or a common law partner.

“This could permit a RRSP to remain open until the death of the successor holder (i.e., the original holder’s surviving spouse or partner) and avoid the value of RRSP property being included in the income of the deceased,” the budget said.

Changing the system would save retirees a lot of paperwork and save banks the time the spend reaching out to their clients with RRSPs who are about to turn 71, Golombek said.

“Under the new system called ‘RRSP-for-life’, they’ll actually get rid of the entire RRIF concept,” he said.

He said, however, it is unclear whether existing RRIFs would be converted back to RRSP or if the change would apply to people turning 71 after the changes go into effect.

The group Conference for Advanced Life Underwriting (CALU), which has been calling on the federal government to make this change, said it was “pleased to see” the changes to the RRSP system, which they say will begin “modernizing the retirement income system.”

“However, this does not change the current requirement to make minimum withdrawals once the holder attains the age of 71,” the group, which represents professionals in the life insurance and financial advisory industries, said in a statement.

This would mean that while the RRIF wouldn’t exist, anyone over the age of 71 would have to make mandatory minimum withdrawals from their accounts.

The proposal also makes no changes to the age of contribution.

“(There are) no changes for how long you can contribute. You can only contribute to the end of the year you turn 71,” Golombek said.

For now, however, nothing changes since the budget only announces the government’s “intention” to bring in this change — the budget implementation bill will still need to be passed in the House of Commons then in the Senate, and specific regulations and technical details could change pending consultations that are taking place on the proposed changes.

If the changes go through as proposed, Canadians will still have three options on how to decumulate their savings.

“You could cash in your RRSP at 71 and pay tax, which almost nobody does,” Golombek said.

For most people, the choice will come down to choosing the RRSP-for-life or buying a registered annuity.

“If you want a regular, predictable, guaranteed amount of income every single year, you could choose the registered annuity route,” he said.

However, having the RRSP-for-life would mean your money stays invested, often in a combination of ETFs, mutual funds, stocks or bonds.

It would also give you more flexibility on how and when to withdraw your money.

“Most people want the flexibility to be able to (withdraw), if they need a large sum of money for healthcare or medical or travel or whatever,” he said.

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

A Holocaust survivor who was injured during a mass shooting at a beach in Sydney during a Hanukkah celebration last year has died.

Eva Geller, who was born in Romania, died on Thursday night in a Sydney hospital, Executive Council of Australian Jewry director Evan Zlatkis said, the Associated Press reported. She was 90 years old.

Geller was one of about 40 people who were injured when two gunmen opened fire on a group gathered at a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach on Dec. 14. Fifteen people were killed.

One of the gunmen, Sajid Akram, was shot dead by police at the scene. His son, Naveed Akram, 25, has been charged with 15 counts of murder, 43 counts of attempted murder and one count of committing a terrorist act.

Rabbi Aron Moss told the Associated Press that Geller had been in relatively good health until she was shot in the leg, but had been admitted to hospital on several occasions in recent weeks with surgical complications.

“She’s a proud mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. A beautiful, positive person who even in these difficult months maintained her positivity,” Moss told the AP on Geller’s family’s behalf, adding that she was told she would never walk again.

“Through sheer determination, she got back up and she did walk again,” he said, noting that walked with a cane after being shot in the leg.

New South Wales State Premier Chris Minns extended his best wishes to her family and loved ones, calling the news of her death “heartbreaking.”

“Almost a year on, we are still living with the pain and aftershock of that evil act. We will never forget Eva or any victim whose life was changed forever,” Minns added.

Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said families across the country still feel the impact of the attack.

“Eva should have been able to celebrate Chanukah in peace and safety and instead, her life was changed forever by an act of terror and antisemitism,” he said in a statement.

New South Wales Police is investigating whether Geller’s death will change the charges brought against Akram and are awaiting advice from the state coroner, Australian authorities told the Associated Press.

The alleged assailant has not yet entered a plea and is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 24, when prosecutors are expected to finalize the charges. He will face trial in the New South Wales Supreme Court.

Among the victims of the shooting were a 10-year-old girl, two rabbis, a husband and wife who died trying to stop one of the suspects, an 82-year-old grandmother and community volunteer, an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor who died shielding his wife, and a retired police detective.

— with files from the Associated Press

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

Actor and model Kimmarie Johnson, known for her appearances in Beverly Hills, 90210 and Dude, Where’s My Car, has died at the age of 50.

Johnson died on Nov. 4, after she experienced a “heart event” at her Los Angeles home, her niece Rhonda Scott told People and ABC News in a statement on Thursday.

The actor was taken to Cedars-Sinai Hospital and diagnosed with a “heart aneurysm condition,” according to Scott.

“She radiated a light so strong and bright,” Scott said. “People who came in contact with her felt nothing but positive energy. We will miss her tremendously and will continue to honor her life forever.”

Johnson’s official cause of death has not been confirmed.

An aneurysm is a bulge in the wall of an artery, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

The organization notes that aneurysms form when there’s a weak area in the artery wall and an untreated aneurysm can burst open, leading to internal bleeding.

Johnson was featured in a 1998 episode of Beverley Hills, 90210, where she played the character of Judy, according to her IMDb.

She also appeared in projects including Dude, Where’s My Car?, Shadow Fury, Wanda at Large, Legacy and The Summer of Massacre.

Before her acting career, she competed in the 1992 Miss Pennsylvania USA pageant, which she won.

She went on to compete in the 1993 Miss USA beauty pageant, where she finished in the top five.

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

A woman is facing charges after Winnipeg police officers found a man dead while responding to a domestic-related call.

When officers arrived at the home in the 400 block of Martin Avenue around 5:45 p.m. on Wednesday, they located Kyle Aaron Woodhouse, 32, who was deceased, the Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) said in a news release. It claimed officers were at the home responding to a domestic-related incident.

Woodhouse is a member of Sagkeeng First Nation who lived in the city.

Police arrested 28-year-old Andrea Evelyn Marie Twovoice in connection with his death, WPS said.

She was charged with manslaughter and is detained in custody.

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