British Columbia’s top doctor says the four passengers returning home from the hantavirus-hit cruise ship remain in a “critical period,” but stressed she would not call them “patients” as they are not considered infected.

Henry told reporters they will be monitoring the four passengers, ensuring they are cared for during the minimum isolation period of 21 days.

“We know as well the incubation period of this strain of the virus can be as long as six weeks, so we’re at actually a critical period,” she said. “We know the median incubation period is about 15 to 18 days, so we’re still in a period of time when we may see more cases arise.”

She added the four people had exposure to the virus but have shown no symptoms.

“So we treat them as contacts, we are hoping that none of them are infected and that none of them will develop disease,” she said. “But the incubation period, so the period between the time you were exposed and the time you might develop the disease is as long as six weeks, so we have to wait out that six weeks to make sure that nobody was infected.”

The four individuals were aboard the MV Hondius when the outbreak began, with eight cases and three deaths reported of the hantavirus.

The ship docked in Tenerife, Spain, on Sunday morning, and the four B.C. residents wore protective gear as they climbed the stairs of a plane bound for the Saguenay-Bagotville Airport, roughly two hours outside of Quebec City.

Global Affairs Canada says they will change planes for a flight to the West Coast. Officials declined to identify their destination in B.C.

There, Henry said the four Canadians would go through a health assessment by local public health officials before being transported directly to individual lodgings for them to isolate.

 

“At no point do we expect them to be in contact with the public during this arrival process or during their isolation period,” Henry said.

Oceanwide Expeditions, the ship’s owner, said there were four Canadians among the roughly 130 asymptomatic passengers.

The company says representatives from a number of groups, including the World Health Organization, screened passengers at the port.

According to Henry, the 21-day isolation period goes back to the last potential contact with somebody who had the virus, which is believed to be May 6.

Once this period ends, local public health officials will reassess the situation based and could extend the self-isolation period to a maximum of 42 days total since last potential exposure.

If any of the four individuals develop symptoms, Henry said there are detailed plans in place to be able to safely do assessments and testing.

She added, if necessary, the province has a specialized biocontainment unit treatment centre at Surrey Memorial Hospital that has been used in the past.

“I know they (the passengers) are undoubtedly looking forward to being back home in Canada where they can get the care and monitoring they need,” Henry said.

The Canadian Armed Forces is assisting Global Affairs Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada in repatriating the four Canadians, however, their assistance is limited to facilitating the transfer of the four people on a chartered return flight and their transfer from PHAC to provincial health authorities in B.C.

The virus originates in rodents, and the version on the cruise ship – the Andes virus – is the only one known to spread from human to human, though it’s not very contagious.

It’s why Henry stressed she recognized people’s concerns following the COVID-19 pandemic because it cannot transmit in the same way.

“It causes infections that are more deep in the lungs, it can cause the kidneys to fail and a number of other symptoms and it’s not spread as easily through coughing,” Henry said. “You have to have as we’ve found out from the people who’ve been dealing with this virus, and with all the hantoviruses, having very close contact with somebody who’s infected. Even that it’s still very rare that it’s transmitted from person to person.”

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

A 23-year-old man is dead after what police called a “physical altercation” outside of a Tim Hortons in Oshawa, Ont.

Police responded to a call about an armed person on Saturday at about 8:10 p.m. in the area of Simcoe Street North and Winchester Road East.

Two groups of men had engaged in a physical altercation outside of the Tim Hortons at 2700 Simcoe St. N., police said. During the fight, the 23-year-old victim suffered fatal injuries. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to Durham Regional Police Service, the suspect and several other men fled on foot south and east of the Tim Hortons.

Despite an extensive search, police say the suspects were not located. As a result, an increased police presence in the area should be expected as the investigation continues.

The incident is believed to be isolated, police said, and there are no concerns for public safety.

The homicide unit has taken over the investigation and ask anyone who was in the area between 7:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. who witnessed the incident, or who may have cell phone, dash-cam or surveillance footage or any other information to contact Det. Laura Middleton at 1-888-579-1520 ext. 5418.

The victim’s name is not being released at this time.

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

Police are asking for the public’s help finding two murder suspects from Ottawa who investigators believe could be hiding out in British Columbia.

Provincial police say the men are wanted in the death of Christo Allison Richards, an Ottawa man who was found with life-threatening injuries on April 12 in Last Duel Park in Perth, Ont., about 80 kilometres southwest of the nation’s capital.

OPP say the 34-year-old was rushed to a trauma centre but later died, and those accused in his death face second-degree murder charges.

Police believe one of their suspects, 34-year-old Joseph Madore, is currently in British Columbia and say he has connections to the Richmond, Abbotsford, Chilliwack and Terrace areas.

They say the second suspect, 28-year-old Brayton Kennedy, may be travelling with him in B.C. or could still be in the Ottawa area.

Police are asking anyone with information about the men’s wearbouts to come forward, but say not to approach the men if they see them.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

PARIS – Macklin Celebrini had a goal and three assists as Canada captured a 6-1 exhibition hockey win over France on Sunday.

The contest kicked off Canada’s pre-tournament action ahead of the 2026 world championship.

Celebrini, the San Jose Sharks star, was earlier named the Canadian team captain.

Gabriel Vilardi and Mark Scheifele, both of the Winnipeg Jets, had a goal and two assists apiece while John Tavares of the Toronto Maple Leafs added a goal and an assist.

Parker Wotherspoon of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Dylan Holloway of the St. Louis Blues had the other goals for Canada. Jet Greaves of the Columbus Blue Jackets stopped 24 shots.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 10, 2026.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

The snow is finally gone and the people of Saskatoon are enjoying the spring weather. To help kick off the season, the city is hosting its annual BYXE Week.

“BYXE Week is a city-wide cycling celebration sponsored by the City of Saskatoon and Saskatoon Cycles where we just encourage people to get out and enjoy Saskatoon by bike,” says Danae Balogun the city’s active transportation program manager.

This year’s events for BYXE Week (pronounced “bikes week”) include a Saskatoon bike passport adventure, bike tune-up tents and Bike to Work Day on Thursday, May 14.

To help cyclists get around the city this spring, Saskatoon Cycles’ communication manager Jason Hanson, shared his best-biking tips with Global News.

“If you are in traffic, there’s a key approach that we like to tell people which is see, be seen and be predictable.” Hason says. “If you go through them step by step, it’s trying to be alert and anticipating problems that you might run into and be proactive instead of reacting at the last second.”

It’s important for drivers and cyclists to remember how to interact on the road. Anyone riding a bike must follow the rules of the road, whilst anyone walking with a bike must be yielded to like a pedestrian. And just like cars, cycles also have to signal before making any turns.

If you’ve never tried cycling, Hanson says it is never to late to learn. “You’re never too old to learn how to ride a bike. We have actually had, in the last couple of years, a number of adult riders that have come to us and said, ‘we’ve never ridden a bike before, we really want to. Can you show us how?’ And we will make it happen.”

But no matter where you go, it is important to always wear your helmet.

Watch the video above to see Saskatoon cyclists in action. 

https://globalnews.ca/video/11719002/city-council-discusses-ammonia-levels-and-extending-bike-lanes-on-victoria-ave/

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

Iran has sent its response to the latest U.S. ceasefire proposal via Pakistani mediators and wants negotiations to focus on permanently ending the war, Iran’s state-run media said Sunday. Pakistan confirmed receiving it.

Iran seeks to end the war on all fronts, including in Lebanon, where Israel fights the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group, and to ensure the security of shipping, its state TV said. Washington’s latest proposal addressed a deal to end the war, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and roll back Iran’s nuclear program, an issue that Tehran would rather discuss later.

The White House had no immediate comment about Iran’s reply. President Donald Trump is giving diplomacy “every chance we possibly can before going back to hostilities,” the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, told ABC.

Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen or heard publicly since the war began, “issued new and decisive directives for the continuation of operations and the powerful confrontation with the enemies” while meeting with the head of the joint military command, the state broadcaster reported, with no details.

Ceasefire is tested by drones

Meanwhile, the fragile ceasefire was tested when a drone ignited a small fire on a ship off Qatar and the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait reported drones entering their airspace. The UAE blamed Iran. No casualties were reported, and no one immediately claimed responsibility.

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry called it a “dangerous and unacceptable escalation that threatens the security and safety of maritime trade routes and vital supplies in the region.”

Iran and armed allied groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon have used drones to carry out hundreds of strikes since the war began with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Feb. 28.

Iran says it’s on ‘full readiness’ to protect nuclear sites

Trump has reiterated threats to resume full-scale bombing if Iran does not accept an agreement to reopen the strait and roll back its nuclear program. Iran has largely blocked the strategic waterway that’s key to the global flow of oil, natural gas and fertilizer since the war began, rattling world markets.

The U.S. in turn has blockaded Iranian ports and on Friday struck two Iranian oil tankers it said were trying to breach the blockade. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard navy says any attack on Iranian oil tankers or commercial vessels would be met with a “heavy assault” on one of the U.S. bases in the region and enemy ships.

The American military said Sunday that it has turned back 61 commercial vessels and disabled four since the blockade began April 13.

Another sticking point in negotiations is Iran’s highly enriched uranium. The U.N. nuclear agency says Iran has more than 440 kilograms (970 pounds) of uranium that is enriched up to 60% purity, a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels.

In an interview with state media posted late Saturday, an Iranian military spokesperson said its forces were on “full readiness” to protect nuclear sites where uranium is stored.

“We considered it possible that they might intend to steal it through infiltration operations or heli-borne operations,” Brig. Gen. Akrami Nia told the IRNA news agency.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an excerpt of an interview with CBS scheduled to air later Sunday said the war isn’t over because the enriched uranium needs to be taken out of Iran. “Trump has said to me, ‘I want to go in there,’ and I think it can be done physically,” he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday that Moscow’s proposal to take enriched uranium from Iran to help negotiate a settlement remains on the table.

The majority of Iran’s highly enriched uranium is likely at its Isfahan nuclear complex, the International Atomic Energy Agency director-general told The Associated Press last month. The facility was bombarded by U.S.-Israeli airstrikes in the 12-day war last year and faced less intense attacks this year.

Pakistan oversaw face-to-face talks between the U.S. and Iran last month and continues to pursue mediation. In rare public comments, army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir said Islamabad remains committed to helping end the conflict. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif spoke by phone with his Qatari counterpart.

Drone attacks target Gulf Arab nations

The UAE’s Defense Ministry said it shot down two drones and blamed Iran.

In Kuwait, Defense Ministry spokesperson Brig. Gen. Saud Abdulaziz Al Otaibi said hostile drones entered Kuwait’s airspace and forces responded “in accordance with established procedures.” The ministry did not say where the drones came from.

Qatar’s Defense Ministry said a drone targeted a commercial ship coming from Abu Dhabi, setting a small fire that was extinguished. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center said the attack happened 23 nautical miles (43 kilometers) northeast of the capital, Doha. It gave no details about the ship’s owner or origin, and there was no claim of responsibility.

Several attacks against ships in the Persian Gulf have occurred over the past week, and a U.S. effort to “guide” ships through the strait was soon paused.

South Korea announced initial findings from a investigation that said two unidentified airborne objects struck the South Korean-operated vessel HMM NAMU about one minute apart while it was anchored in the Strait of Hormuz last week, causing an explosion and fire. A foreign ministry spokesperson said officials have yet to determine who was responsible.

—Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writers Munir Ahmed in Islamabad; Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel; Tong-hyung Kim in Seoul; Julia Frankel in Jerusalem; and Josh Boak in Washington contributed to this report.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

Former cabinet minister and Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith is suggesting he may challenge the results of a nomination contest for a provincial riding after he came up short in the vote.

The Ontario Liberals voted on Saturday to nominate Ahsanul Hafiz as their candidate for the yet-to-be announced byelection in Scarborough Southwest.

Hafiz, a local businessman in the riding and vice-chair of the federal Liberal Party, won by just 19 votes – a number Erskine-Smith confirmed to reporters after the results.

But in his own comments after the vote, Erskine-Smith signalled he might challenge the results though he wanted to speak with his team.

He told reporters that scrutineers during the vote told him they’d “never seen anything like it.” Asked what he meant, Erskine-Smith said he was told by some scrutineers that half the people at one table had ID issues.

“I would like to hear from every single person who was in that room on our team to understand what took place and what their feeling is and if there is a legitimate reason to challenge,” Erskine-Smith said.

Hafiz said he doesn’t want to focus too much on Erskine-Smith’s allegations, noting that the hallways were filled with people wearing his badges.

“So that is the clear evidence of who is the real winner,” he said, adding he thought the process was fair and that the Ontario Liberal Party did “an excellent job.”

Many eyes were on the nomination contest after Erskine-Smith announced he’d run.

He currently represents Beaches-East York, next door to Scarborough Southwest and ran for the provincial party’s leadership in 2023, losing Bonnie Crombie.

With the former federal cabinet minister planning to jump into the leadership race for the Ontario Liberals, winning a seat in the legislature would give him more visibility and allow him to challenge Premier Doug Ford head on.

As of Sunday, the leadership race only has two official contestants, Current MPP and former hospital president Lee Fairclough and former political staffer and strategist Dylan Marando. Others, including former federal cabinet minister Navdeep Bains, MPP Rob Cerjanec and housing advocate Eric Lombardi, are also exploring potential bids

Scarborough Southwest is the only provincial riding currently up for grabs.

Erskine-Smith also released a video on social media Friday showing him with Prime Minister Mark Carney, who said it “hurts” the Liberal MP would be leaving federal politics.

But he’s faced concerns from other candidates of trying to use their community as a springboard towards the leadership.

Qadira Jackson, who ran for the Liberals in Scarborough Southwest in last year’s provincial election, says she and another candidate have agreed to place each other second on their ranked ballots to help ensure the winning candidate is local.

“I don’t want my riding to be used as a tool,” Jackson said.

Scarborough Southwest became an empty seat earlier this year when then Ontario NDP deputy leader Doly Begum stepped down to run for the federal Liberals in one of two byelections in the province. Her departure was seen as a shocking move, having held such a high role in the provincial party.

Ford has not announced the timing for the provincial byelection, but it must be called by the summer.

—with files from The Canadian Press

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

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says finalizing an energy agreement with the federal government that includes a new West Coast oil pipeline could not only tamp down the separatist movement in her province, but also lead to more “accommodations” from Ottawa on other issues.

In an interview with David Akin that aired Sunday on The West Block, Smith said energy has been a major point of contention between the provincial and federal governments and gave Prime Minister Mark Carney “great credit” for pursuing a solution.

“I hope that we’ll be able to announce that we’ve come to an agreement very soon, and that will start paving the way to show Albertans that Canada can work,” she said.

“That’s what I think we have to do. We can’t just tell them, we have actually show them.”

But Smith made clear that “this isn’t the only issue” Alberta wants resolved.

The premier pointed to an upcoming referendum set for October that will ask Albertans to weigh in on immigration policy and other matters of federal jurisdiction.

She also noted that Mitch Sylvestre, the leader of the Alberta independence petition delivered to Elections Alberta last week, “is a gun shop owner” opposed to the federal firearms ban and buyback program for outlawed models that critics say include certain sports shooting rifles.

“We have to find a way to accommodate that Alberta sees the world a little bit differently,” the premier said.

“And I hope that the prime minister does that, because that will go a long way towards showing what cooperative federalism looks like in practice.”

Asked if getting a new pipeline approved will end the separatist urge in Alberta, Smith replied that “a lot gets solved when people have a well-paying job” and see services improved by increased government revenues from energy exports.

“There’s no question that’s a huge chunk — I think that (separatist urge) certainly comes down,” she said.

“I hope that what this does is, by starting with the hardest part first, I hope we can find other ways that we can find some accommodations.”

The overarching goal of pursuing these issues, Smith said, is to demonstrate that “there’s a different way for us to have more decentralized decision-making, to have different priorities in different regions,” while working together on “the big things.”

That approach would also help address separatist sentiment in Quebec, she added, and even solve the “Ottawa problem” faced by other provinces.

“I think Quebecers are just as frustrated with the attitude that has come out of Ottawa in the last 10 years (under former prime minister Justin Trudeau),” she said. “But there is a noticeable change. I don’t know if they feel the same way in their relationship with the prime minister, but I have seen that the prime minister has made a genuine effort.

“We have to heal this divide that we have. That’s what I’m working towards.”

Smith said after meeting with Carney in Ottawa last week that she’s hopeful a final agreement from last year’s memorandum of understanding on energy is reached in the “next number of days.”

She told Akin that her government was “on track” to get a pipeline application submitted to the federal Major Projects Office in June.

That application will include a number of proposed routes from the Alberta oilsands to the West Coast, she added — not all of which would be to northern British Columbia, an idea that has been opposed by the B.C. government and First Nations.

“We have five ports that we’re looking at,” she said, including twinning the Trans Mountain Pipeline route to Metro Vancouver.

“We want the best port. We want ones that are going to have the most buy-in from the local community and not have issues of congestion, navigation, and those kinds of difficulties as well.”

The main goal for Smith, she said, is to restore private sector confidence that a pipeline and other energy infrastructure can be built.

Asked if de-risking such a project could mean the province or Ottawa purchasing the new pipeline, similar to how the previous Liberal government bought TMX from Kinder Morgan, Smith said “no.”

She said the approach would more likely include the Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation, where the province underwrites loan guarantees for First Nations that take equity stakes in major projects.

“We’re prepared to put that on the table,” she said.

Smith also said the model used by LNG Canada, which is jointly owned by domestic and foreign energy companies that benefit from its exports, could be replicated for the new pipeline venture.

“We can’t have a country where the only major projects that get built is if they’re nationalized or if the government pays for them,” she said. “We have to get the private sector to have confidence again.”

Although Smith said she’s “grateful” for U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent approvals of pipeline permits that will expand export capacity from Alberta to the U.S., she said that’s not the only priority.

“I always felt like the very best opportunity that we have is to continue to shore up that relationship,” she said, adding she has been advocating for stronger Canada-U.S. energy ties “for some time.”

“But I think that from a unity point of view, opening new markets point of view, our best route is the one to the West Coast.”

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

The first plane carrying passengers from the hantavirus-hit cruise ship left Spain’s Canary Islands on Sunday for Madrid, where they will be taken to a military hospital.

Spanish nationals were the first to leave the MV Hondius, which remains anchored off Tenerife, the largest island in the Spanish archipelago off West Africa’s coast. The ship arrived hours earlier.

None of the more than 140 people on the Hondius has shown symptoms of the virus, Spain’s health ministry, the World Health Organization and cruise company Oceanwide Expeditions said.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus sought to reassure the public, repeating on Sunday that the risk for the general public from the outbreak remained low.

Even so, those disembarking and personnel working at the port of Granadilla in Tenerife wore protective gear during the evacuation process, including face masks, hazmat suits and respirators.

Spanish Health Minister Mónica García said that the operation was proceeding normally.

Passengers and some crew members from more than 20 nationalities on board will be evacuated throughout Sunday into Monday.

After reaching Madrid, those evacuated on the first plane will be under quarantine, Spanish health authorities say. Only the 14 Spanish nationals on board will quarantine in the country.

Authorities have said the passengers and crew members disembarking will be checked for symptoms, have no contact with the local population and will only be taken off the ship once evacuation flights are ready to fly them to their destinations. Tedros and Spain’s health and interior ministers are supervising the operation in Tenerife.

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday thanked the Canary Islands for allowing the arrival of the Hondius.

Hantavirus usually spreads when people inhale contaminated residue of rodent droppings and isn’t easily transmitted between people. But the Andes virus detected in the cruise ship outbreak may be able to spread between people in rare cases. Symptoms usually show between one and eight weeks after exposure.

Three people have died since the outbreak, and five passengers who left the ship are infected with hantavirus, which can cause life-threatening illness.

Passengers and crew members disembarking are leaving behind their luggage, and are allowed to take only a small bag with essential items, a cellphone, a charger, and documentation.

Some crew, as well as the body of a passenger who died on board, will remain on the ship, which will sail on to Rotterdam, Netherlands, where it will undergo disinfection, Spanish authorities said.

The expected sailing time to Rotterdam is around five days, the cruise company said.

Evacuation and quarantine plans

The U.S., the United Kingdom and the Netherlands will send planes to evacuate their citizens. Americans on board will be quarantined at a medical center in Nebraska.

Twenty-nine people will be on board the Dutch charter flight, including Dutch nationals and people of other nationalities, the Dutch Foreign Ministry said.

Five French passengers will be repatriated Sunday, and will be hospitalized for 72 hours for monitoring, after which they will quarantine at home for 45 days, France’s Foreign Ministry said.

U.K. passengers and crew will be hospitalized for observation once they are flown home, British authorities say.

Australia is sending a plane, expected to arrive on Monday, to evacuate its nationals and those from nearby countries such as New Zealand, García said. Its plane will be the last to leave Tenerife, she said.

Norway has sent an ambulance plane to Tenerife with personnel trained to transport patients with high-risk infections, its Directorate for Civil Protection told public broadcaster NRK.

The ambulance plane is owned by the European Union, but operated by Norway.

Countries monitor suspected cases

British Army medics have parachuted onto the remote South Atlantic territory of Tristan da Cunha, where one of the 221 residents has a suspected case of hantavirus.

The patient was a passenger on the MV Hondius and disembarked last month.

The U.K. defense ministry says a team of six paratroopers and two medical clinicians jumped Saturday from a Royal Air Force transport plane, which also dropped oxygen and medical equipment.

Tristan da Cunha is Britain’s most remote inhabited overseas territory, about 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometres) from the nearest inhabited island, St. Helena. The group of volcanic islands has no airstrip and is usually accessible only by boat on a six-day voyage from Cape Town, South Africa.

Meanwhile, a Spanish woman in the southeastern province of Alicante suspected of being infected tested negative for hantavirus, Spanish health authorities said Saturday.

The woman was a passenger on the same flight as the Dutch woman who died in Johannesburg after traveling on the cruise ship.

—Suman Naishadham reported from Madrid. Angela Charlton in Paris, Jill Lawless in London, and Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin, contributed to this report.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

A motorcycle rider is in hospital in Delta, B.C., following a collision with another vehicle that left his bike hanging from a traffic light.

The collision happened on Saturday in the 7100 block of Scott Road. Delta police said the call came in just before 3 p.m.

The motorcycle rider was hospitalized with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the other vehicle was not injured, police said.

According to police, Scott Road was closed between 72nd Avenue and 70th Avenue as emergency crews worked to remove the vehicles and debris from the roadway.

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