Ahead of a weekend dedicated to showing gratitude, this is a story nearly 30 years in the making.

In the late 1990s, a family from central America travelled some 6,000 kilometres north, seeking a life-saving surgery for their young son.

They’ve now returned to say thank you to the community.

Baby Jose Moran Robles, born in Panama in 1996, has Down syndrome and was born with a life-threatening condition.

“He had a defect that was called atrioventricular septal defect,” lead surgeon Dr. Ivan Rebeyka told Global News in 2020.

Atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD) is a congenital heart condition from birth where there are holes in the walls between the heart’s chambers and abnormal formation of the valves.

“Basically, the central portion of the heart didn’t come together.”

Left untreated, over time AVSD stresses and can enlarge the heart, and may lead to pulmonary hypertension, heart rhythm abnormalities or heart failure.

When the life-saving surgery he needed was not available in Panama, the Robles family turned to Inclusion Alberta (formerly the Alberta Association for Community Living) for aid, after hearing it had helped another family near them.

The Edmonton organization advocates on behalf of children and adults with developmental disabilities.

“We received a call from the Robles family… I think he was about one year old at the time, asking if there was any way that we could help them bring their family, bring Jose, to Canada,” said Bev Ray in 2020. She worked as a family support advocate at the time of the surgery.

Through the generosity of Edmontonians, the Robles family was able to come to the city in 1998 when Jose was 14-months-old, and the surgery was a success.

Jose and the Robles stayed for a few more weeks while the 14-month-old recovered. They returned to Panama and haven’t been to Edmonton since then…until now.

“I’m grateful to my Lord to allow us to come back here to this country that gave Jose a new life,” Jose’s mother, Sadia Robles, said via an interpreter on Friday.

“We always wanted the people, the city, to know, to see that our fight from 29 years ago had good, positive results.”

Jose is now 30 and enjoys a full, healthy life spending time with his family, making art, horseback riding, dancing and drumming in a marching band.

A decade ago, his family told Global News that Jose has also represented Panama in the Para Central American Games.

“Given his conditions, he is very independent and has a lot of dreams and a lot of aspirations,” Sadia said.

The Robles family arrived in the city earlier this week.

They visited West Edmonton Mall, got a tour of the Ronald McDonald House where they stayed 28 years ago, and met with one of the doctors from Jose’s team.

“I was happy to see him, and I hugged him very warmly with a lot of love,” said Jose.

Bruce Uditsky was part of the Inclusion Alberta team, which at the time was named Alberta Association for Community Living, that helped bring the Robles to Edmonton in 1998.

“It’s literally amazing to see not just what Inclusion Alberta did at the time, but the entire city rallied around Jose and his family, and to see how he’s thriving, the good life that he’s living….To have contributed to that is actually a bit beyond my abilities to express,” said Uditsky, CEO of Meritus at Inclusion Alberta.

Though Uditsky says nearly 30 years later, there are still barriers for people with disabilities to get care.

“Relatively speaking, we’ve made a lot of progress. We still have some work to do so that people with intellectual, developmental disabilities can have equivalent access to healthcare irrespective of the nature of their disability.”

Global News spoke with the Robles’ in 2020 for an update on Jose and the rest of the family.

They told us how they have kept in contact with the people who helped bring them to Edmonton in 1998 and hoped to see them all again one day.

This trip made that possible; Sadia called it a ‘life goal’ for the family. The Robles say they will be forever grateful to the people of Edmonton for giving Jose a chance at life.

“Our main goal to come back here to this city is to say thank you and to let them know that in this life, everything can be possible,” Sadia said.

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

Another whale shipped out of Marineland has died at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.

The aquarium says Caspian, a 27-year-old female beluga, died on Wednesday despite efforts to save her.

It’s the sixth animal from the closed Niagara Falls, Ont., theme park to die after a massive relocation of whales and dolphins over the summer.

Four other belugas and one dolphin from Marineland have died since they were moved out of the former tourist attraction.

Shedd says Caspian had not been eating properly and blood samples showed abnormalities in her electrolyte levels. The park added that her blood had become “dangerously acidic.”

The aquarium says those findings helped the veterinary care team understand how sick the beluga was, but they did not establish a cause of death.

Shedd says Caspian was on life support for nearly four hours before she died.

Shedd recently performed necropsies on Peekachu and Rain, two other Marineland whales that died there, and concluded that they had chronic, pre-existing diseases.

Shedd and four other aquariums in the United States and Spain helped Marineland relocate all 30 of its belugas and four dolphins over the course of six weeks this summer.

Marineland had said it was running out of money and could no longer care for the last captive whales and dolphins in Canada.

A beluga named Jelly Bean and a dolphin named Echo died at Oceanografic Valencia in Spain after the move.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

A classic cocktail bar in Vancouver is closing after 47 years of being in business.

The Bayside Lounge has been a West End staple, supporting local musicians and artists and welcoming visitors from around the world.

“When I found out we were closing, firstly, just pure shock,” general manager Danica Walker told Global News.

“I think a lot of people thought this place would be here forever and it’s been devastating.”

A petition to save the lounge has been launched online, saying rising rental costs and redevelopment pressures are forcing the business to close.

Creator David Millington said the goal of the petition is to show the owner of the building that there is lots of community interest in keeping the Bayside open so they will reconsider the lease agreement.

In a social media post, lounge staff invite anyone to come for one last drink and make a memory before it closes.

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

Quebec premier-designate Paul St-Pierre Plamondon asked his team on Friday to stay mobilized as the party is set to form a minority government.

St-Pierre Plamondon and his fellow elected members of the Parti Québécois will be sworn in on Oct. 15, and his cabinet will be announced on Oct. 21.

St-Pierre Plamondon invited all of his party’s 127 candidates to a postelection meeting at a hotel in Drummondville, Que.

The goal of the meeting was to take stock of the latest campaign and to hear from both the winning and defeated candidates.

The PQ leader said he planned to take a collaborative approach to governing.

“Will this olive branch be accepted by the other parties? That’s not within our control,” he said.

“It also gives us the obligation to remain mobilized for an election campaign — not in the short term, but eventually.”

The average length of a minority government is between 18 and 24 months.

On Monday, the party won a minority mandate by winning 59 seats, compared to 40 for the Quebec Liberal Party, 19 for the Quebec Conservative Party, and nine for Québec solidaire.

The Coalition Avenir Québec was completely wiped off the map after failing to elect a single member.

There were questions on Friday about whether high-profile candidates Alex Boissonneault and Pascal Paradis could be assigned special tasks, after both were defeated in their ridings.

The party must also figure out the best way to represent the Quebec City region, where the party failed to win a seat.

François Gariépy, who was defeated in the Charlevoix—Côte-de-Beaupré riding northeast of the city, said he believed the party was punished for its refusal to commit to building a third road link between Quebec City and its south shore in its first term.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

An Alberta judge has rejected a court challenge to new rules mandating provincial political parties receive only bare bones information in voter lists from Elections Alberta.

The Opposition NDP challenged the rules in court after they were implemented on  last month by Premier Danielle Smith’s United Conservative Party government.

However, Court of King’s Bench Justice John Gill said in a written decision that Smith’s government has the right to do it and noted this is a stopgap solution until the government tables legislation this fall as it has said it plans to do.

“This is a temporary measure,” Gill wrote in his judgment, issued Thursday.

He also disagreed with NDP’s assertion that the new rules could undermine the integrity of the Oct. 19 provincial referendum on whether Alberta should look at leaving Canada, or harm the party’s ability to communicate with voters.

Gill, in his judgment, said nothing was stopping the NDP from using billboards or social media to communicate with voters, or from using the detailed version of the voter list it received last year.

The NDP had also argued in court that the government overstepped its authority by making the changes through regulation rather than bringing in legislation.

Gill said the government was acting within its authority, particularly in “preventing unauthorized use and disclosure of personal information of electors.”

The NDP was also worried that, without a complete voter list, their scrutineers could not properly oversee the referendum ballot count, but Gill said voter lists aren’t by law supposed to be used by scrutineers, anyway.

The government’s new policy instructs Elections Alberta to only provide political parties with the number of registered voters in each voting area and municipality.

Before, registered political parties could get far more information on each registered voter — first and last names, addresses, phone numbers and unique voter identification numbers.

The government has said the new policy responds to a major privacy breach over five months ago involving a separatist group.

The breach remains under investigation by Elections Alberta, RCMP and the provincial privacy watchdog.

On Friday, Smith criticized the NDP for going to court at all. A post on her social media said protecting voter information after a major privacy breach should be a non-partisan issue.

“This was a shameful display by the NDP,” it said.

Heth Wilson, executive director of the NDP, said the party won’t appeal the decision.

However, she said the government is “harming the ability of all parties to scrutinize the referendum and get people out to vote to save Canada.”

Wilson also said she takes issue with Smith trying to frame the NDP as being eager to risk Albertans’ private information considering it took Smith’s government months to take action after the breach and, to date, nobody involved has faced penalties.

“This (regulation) was only made after they lost the Calgary-Shaw byelection, and it’s only being done to help Danielle Smith’s separatist friends.”

The NDP’s request for a court order to have Elections Alberta provide the party with an updated copy of the detailed voter list despite the new regulation was also denied by Gill.

The party had requested an updated copy in August, and argued that Elections Alberta had time to provide it before the new rules took affect but inexplicably didn’t.

Gill said the timing of the request was meaningless, and that Elections Alberta must follow the rules of disclosure at the time it distributes copies of the list.

The NDP has said it requested an updated list because as many as 100,000 new voters are now in the province since it last received a copy in June 2025.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

A farmer. whose sheep were allegedly stolen at the end of September. welcomes the new RCMP investigation unit dedicated for livestock theft and fraud.

The cattle cop initiative was announced on Oct. 8 and is funded by the provincial government.

Frank Russo, a hobby farmer based in Balmoral, Man. said eight of his sheep were stolen.

“All I have in my mind now is their beautiful little faces and their babies. I was the shepherd. I was their protector. I didn’t do a good enough job because they were stolen. It breaks my heart,” said Russo. “It made me want to give up and say ‘I don’t even want to do this anymore because look at the pain that comes with it.'”

RCMP confirmed Russo’s case to Global News on Friday.

Manitoba Beef Producers said there also needs to be stricter inspections at auctions to confirm if an animal is being sold by its owner.

“There is no real inspection that happens at a drop-off sales facility in Manitoba right now,” said Carson Callum, CEO of the Manitoba Beef Producers.

There were 57 reported cases of cattle theft and fraud from 2021 to 2025, according to RCMP.

Watch the video above for the full story.

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

Ahead of the Thanksgiving weekend, B.C. politicians were on the campaign trail as time to get their message out winds down.

BC Conservative leader Lorne Doerkson made his pitch to the province’s seniors.

“So here’s where the NDP has left the people who built B.C., taxed more on less, squeezed out of their own homes and nowhere to go when they need care,” Doerkson said.

The Conservatives are promising to enact a series of measures, including reversing the NDP’s changes to the property-tax deferment program, building more long-term-care beds and support aging at home.

BC NDP leader David Eby was in Surrey to talk about health care.

“There’s a number of components to today’s announcement, but it’s all about getting you faster access to the care that you and your family need,” Eby said.

If re-elected, Eby is promising to open 20 new primary care clinics, fast-track international medical graduates living in B.C. and open training spaces for 1,000 more health-care workers.

CentreBC leader Elenore Sturko held her first rally of the campaign on Friday.

The party is running 36 candidates in the provincial election and Sturko promised more money to boost manufacturing.

“B.C. already has a fund for manufacturers,” she said.

“The Manufacturing Jobs Fund and CenterBC is promising; we will double it to $60 million a year.”

The BC Conservatives have also released an advertisement that focuses on presenting Doerkson as ready to lead the province.

“This election will ultimately become a referendum on the NDP as government and voters may be more content to go with the unknown than the known frustrations of the NDP,” said Stewart Prest, a political science lecturer with the Department of Political Science at the University of British Columbia.

The NDP continue to try to cast doubt on Doerkson’s credibility, including plans to reform ICBC.

“A lot of voters are thinking time for change, so the NDP have to convince those voters that change with the Conservatives is too risky,” strategy officer and podcast host Mike McDonald said.

Meanwhile, the BC Green Party promised to bring in free transit passes for youth under 25 and seniors over 65.

They also announced their plan to develop passenger rail and expand ferry services.

“B.C. has rail corridors, it has the capacity to run more ferries,” said BC Green Party leader Emily Lowan. “Yet due to consistent delays and unsustainable funding, these essential services have been neglected. The BC Greens will make sure communities, workers, and families from across B.C. can stay connected, through supporting a future for our rail corridors, building and maintaining ferries locally, and supporting the union workers we’ll need to connect B.C.”

The campaign enters the home stretch after the long weekend, with the debate on Wednesday in a close race that most observers believe is going to be an increasingly ferocious fight to the finish line.

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

The Alberta Court of Appeal has ruled the federal government’s Impact Assessment Act is still unconstitutional, following a second court challenge of the federal legislation.

The act, otherwise known as Bill C-69, was first passed by the Liberals under former prime minister Justin Trudeau to set out a process to review the environmental, economic, health and social effects of proposed projects like ports, mines and pipelines.

In a 4-1 decision issued Friday, the court said even though Ottawa modified the law after the Supreme Court struck down much of it in 2023, the new version still infringes on provincial jurisdiction.

The Court of Appeal found that, among other things, the act still gives Ottawa the power to stop a project in provincial jurisdiction if it has even the smallest impact on federal jurisdiction.

“While Parliament may have the power to create an impact assessment scheme that complements existing regulation in environmental matters, the (Impact Assessment Act) creates great uncertainty due to the potential for previously unpronounced standards to apply to designated projects,” the court wrote.

“This merely exacerbates the concern that a federal assessment scheme might enable the federal government, on the pretext of some narrow ground of federal jurisdiction, to conduct a far-ranging inquiry into matters that are exclusively within provincial jurisdiction.”

The court said while some of the changes Ottawa made to the previous version of the act weren’t constitutionally problematic, the law still gave Ottawa overly broad powers in areas of provincial jurisdiction.

“The decision maker may regulate the project causing the impacts through imposition of conditions and followup programs, or indefinite prohibitions on entire projects and matters within provincial jurisdiction rather than confining oversight to federal effects caused by the project,” the court wrote.

Ontario and Saskatchewan both backed Alberta’s legal challenge.

The Impact Assessment Act has been staunchly opposed by oil and gas industry players and critics such as federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.

Former Alberta premier Jason Kenney dubbed it the “no more pipelines act.”

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said on social media Friday that the ruling was “yet another big win for Alberta.”

“I’m calling on the federal government to accept this ruling, refrain from yet another appeal, and immediately work with Alberta and the other provinces to clean up this flawed Trudeau-era legislation once and for all so it no longer inhibits economic development in our country,” she said.

https://x.com/ABDanielleSmith/status/2108673922824806610

Friday’s ruling comes as Ottawa and Alberta are partnering on a new oil pipeline to the West Coast.

Earlier this month, the Pacific Link pipeline project became the first to receive a national interest designation under Ottawa’s new Building Canada Act.

And while the Building Canada Act gives Ottawa the power to skirt a dozen federal laws to help move hand-picked projects forward, critics like Poilievre have long called for the Impact Assessment Act to be repealed.

Through the newly tabled Bill C-39, Ottawa is trying to transfer the assessment process for pipeline and energy transmission projects from the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada to the Canada Energy Regulator.

The federal government has said it has been told by industry that the level of expertise on energy projects that existed at the Canada Energy Regulator couldn’t be found at the Impact Assessment Agency.

Ottawa has said the Canada Energy Regulator will still be bound by the provisions of the Impact Assessment Act — which the Alberta Court of Appeal now says is unconstitutional — when carrying out its reviews.

In a statement, the office of federal Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin said the government is reviewing the decision and considering next steps.

”To position Canada for long-term prosperity in a rapidly changing global economy, the Government of Canada is moving forward to build at a pace not seen in decades. The (Impact Assessment Act) is fundamental to the advancement of this work,” wrote press secretary Amy Falkner.

”The (Court of Appeal) opinion does not change our commitment to engage all provinces in the spirit of co-operative federalism.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 9, 2026.

— With files from Lauren Krugel in Calgary.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

The removal of a Saskatoon encampment earlier this week was upsetting, but necessary, a local outreach advocate said.

The reaction comes following the City of Saskatoon’s decision to remove the encampment on city-owned private property at 20th Street and Avenue K South on Thursday. In a news release that evening, the city said 120 people left the site.

Eighty tents were removed from the encampment, the City of Saskatoon added.

“It was very sad for us to see the encampments go down, but to be honest, they needed to. There has been a lot of violence,” Shirley Isbister, president of the Central Urban Métis Federation Inc. (CUMFI), told Global News.

“There was alcohol, drugs being moved in and that’s not a good environment for safety for the people in the encampments or for the people in the community.”

Following the cleanup of the encampment, CUMFI’s president said a large number of its residents arrived at the Saskatoon nonprofit and set up in its area.

Many of them set up close to the nearby railroad tracks, she said, adding two previous encampment residents sought shelter in the group’s Mobile Housing and Community Resource Centre Bus. The bus has Wi-Fi, as well as contact information for people to get housing.

“We have a lot of encampments here. And we have the bathrooms, and we have the showers but it’s also getting cold,” Isbister said, noting that those facilities are expected to close at the end of this month in anticipation of winter weather.

“That tells me that there’s a lot of people who aren’t ready to be housed yet,” she continued.

“People gather and they stay in the encampments because that’s where they’re happy.”

Isibister said the charity will continue providing support and resources, such as clothing and blankets, to people who reach out, including those who have established encampments around CUMFI.

Melissa Zimmer, president and founder of Bridge City Warmth, a volunteer group who distributes supplies to people who are homeless in Saskatoon said her group was visiting the encampment on 20th Street multiple times a day in recent weeks to hand out business cards.

She said Thursday’s takedown led to the group assisting in finding housing for five people.

“Since the encampment’s been taken down, we’ve had all kinds of calls, text messages, emails just looking for assistance with housing, and just we’re finding that there’s just so many barriers for those looking for housing,” Zimmer said.

On Thursday night, the nonprofit had a street patrol which observed many residents from the encampment who needed a hot meal or new supplies, she continued. Those living at the now-removed site are scattered across the city – including some who found spots in shelters before they filled.

“When we showed up last night at our street patrol, we left with nothing. People need stuff. They’re cold, they’re hungry, they’re tired,” Zimmer said.

Ahead of the winter, the group has put out a call for highly requested items, such as blankets and jackets.

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

The playoffs are still a few weeks away, but the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are already feeling the post-season pinch.

The Bombers (7-8) welcome the Calgary Stampeders (8-8) to Princess Auto Stadium Saturday for a Week 19 clash with serious implications on the West Division standings.

“I anticipate it being a fast, physical game with a lot of emotion and a lot of big plays,” Bombers veteran guard Patrick Neufeld said following Friday’s walk-through practice. “It’s going to be two teams with a tremendous amount of urgency.”

The Stampeders can clinch a playoff spot with a win, and while a victory for Winnipeg won’t be enough to punch their ticket, it would greatly improve their chances of earning a playoff berth. A loss for either team would severely damage any post-season aspirations.

The Bombers have lost two straight and three of their last four, most recently a demoralizing 37-10 defeat to the Montreal Alouettes in which Winnipeg managed just six first downs.

The return of quarterback Zach Collaros should provide a much-needed boost to a Winnipeg offence that has scored a CFL-low 33 offensive touchdowns. Collaros was sidelined with a head injury suffered in the Sept. 12 Banjo Bowl, with Dru Brown starting and going 0-2 in relief.

“It’s not a decision you make lightly,” said Collaros, who has a documented history of head and neck injuries. “I feel very comfortable with the decision that we made, that I ultimately made. I want to be out there with the guys who have been doing this for a long time, and I want to do it in front of our fans.”

Many fans are wondering if this might be the last game in Winnipeg for the future Hall of Famer, despite saying earlier this week he said he planned to play another year. Collaros is currently without a contract for next season.

Veteran receiver Nic Demski said Collaros’ presence will be felt beyond the playing field.

“He’s a true leader,” Demski said. “With his experience, how long he’s been in the league and how much he’s done for this organization, it’s more than helpful to have him in the huddle.”

The Stampeders were an extreme long shot to make the playoffs only a month ago. A three-game win streak, including last week’s critical victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders, has put them right back in the mix.

Calgary has been inconsistent on defence for most of the season, but their offensive attack is one of the league’s most prolific. The offence, led by quarterback Vernon Adams Jr., leads the league in average points per game (33) and total touchdowns (57).

This will be the third game between these two clubs, with the series currently split one game apiece.

The Bombers took the season opener on the road, defeating the Stampeders 30-28 with a walk-off field goal. The Stampeders returned the favour in Week 8, smashing the Bombers 52-30 in Winnipeg.

The winner Saturday will clinch the season series, which is the first tiebreaker in the standings.

“We have a ton of respect for Winnipeg and their veteran leadership, and they’re getting Zach back,” Stampeders coach Dave Dickenson said. “Our goal is to come in and play well. We understand it’ll probably be back and forth.”

Winnipeg has made the playoffs for nine straight seasons, including five consecutive Grey Cup appearances between 2019 and 2024. That run is in serious jeopardy if Winnipeg can’t get the job done this weekend — a reality everyone in the locker room acutely understands.

“Whatever it’s going to take, by any means, to go out there and find a way to win the game,” Bombers running back Brady Oliveira said. “Right now, the urgency is coming out here, and you just find a way to win.”

© 2026 The Canadian Press