You wouldn’t have known the Winnipeg Sea Bears had lost three key players on their roster this week watching them on Thursday night at Canada Life Centre.

Four Sea Bears players had at least 14 points and Winnipeg won a playoff game for the first time in franchise history, defeating the Saskatoon Mamba 99-88 in the CEBL Western Conference Semifinal.

Leading the way was Jelani Watson-Gayle, who had 27 points off the bench, including six three-pointers.

Guard Xavier Moon, who has been dynamite in his short time with the Sea Bears, pitched in with 20 points and nine assists, while Isiah Osborne also played a key role, scoring 19 for Winnipeg.

Turnovers were a major factor in Thursday’s game, as the Mamba coughed it up 19 times compared to just two turnovers for the Sea Bears.

The win came after Winnipeg lost regulars Teddy Allen (injury), Emmanuel Akot and Jeremiah Tilmon Jr. (left team for other roster opportunities) this week.

Winnipeg now advances to Saturday afternoon’s Western Conference Final where they will take on the Vancouver Bandits who defeated the Edmonton Stingers 92-83 in the other West Semifinal on Thursday night.

That contest tips off just after 2:30 p.m.

In the Eastern Conference, the first-place Scarborough Shooting Stars, who went 20-4 during the regular season, were stunned 86-84 by the Niagara River Lions.

The River Lions, who have won back-to-back CEBL championships, will take on the Brampton Honey Badgers in the Eastern Conference Final, after Brampton edged the Ottawa BlackJacks 95-91.

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

TORONTO – Brady Lidster’s 11-yard field goal with 11 seconds remaining capped a wild fourth quarter and earned the Toronto Argonauts a 33-30 win over the Calgary Stampeders on Thursday night.

Lidster’s boot came after Toronto’s defence stopped Dedrick Mills on third-and-one, giving the offence the ball at its 54-yard line with 1:32 remaining. From there, the Argos moved to the Calgary four-yard line, setting up Lidster’s kick.

Toronto (4-4) earned the win before 16,1060 spectators in its first game this season at BMO Field, which hosted six World Cup matches. The Argos’ last home contest was a 47-29 loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Oct. 4, 2025, a span of 306 days

Calgary (4-5) had one last chance from its 47-yard line with three seconds remaining, but Toronto’s Benji Franklin intercepted Vernon Adams Jr.’s Hail Mary pass.

Adams had two interceptions in the contest, his first of the season. But Calgary’s defence forced five turnovers (four interceptions and a fumble recovery). Adrian Greene’s had a 67-yard pick-six.

Sam Hicks’ 40-yard TD run at 9:57 gave Toronto a 30-27 lead. But Jude McTamney’s 46-yard field goal made it 30-30.

Lidster’s 19-yard field goal at 1:42 cut Calgary’s lead to 24-23. But McTamney hit from 32 yards out at 4:46 to make it a four-point game.

Greene put Calgary ahead 24-20 with a 67-yard pick-six at 9:42 of the third. Greene stepped in front of Toronto’s Kevin Mital and had a clear path to the end zone. James Burnip’s 51-yard single at 2:40 put the Argos ahead 20-17.

Chad Kelly finished 30-of-43 passing for 349 yards with a touchdown and the four interceptions. The start was Kelly’s first at BMO Field since October 2024 as he missed all of last season recovering from a leg injury suffered during the 2024 East Division final in Montreal.

Kelly’s last regular-season home start was a 38-31 win over Ottawa on Oct. 19. Before Thursday, Kelly’s last appearance at BMO Field was Nov. 2, 2024 — a span of 642 days — when he threw for 358 yards and four TDs and ran for another in the Argos’ 58-38 East Division semifinal win over the Redblacks.

Hicks, with two, and Janarion Grant scored Toronto’s other touchdown. Lidster booted four field goals and two converts.

Quincy Vaughn and Adams Jr. had Calgary’s other touchdowns. McTamney added three field goals and three converts.

Lidster’s 52-yard field goal to end the second quarter staked Toronto to a 19-17 halftime advantage. It followed Adams’s six-yard run at 14:23 that put Calgary ahead 17-16.

But it was Grant who delivered the first half’s biggest play with a 64-yard punt return TD at 4:37 that put Toronto ahead 13-7 after the unsuccessful convert attempt. The return was Grant’s second of the season and 12th of his career, moving him into second all-time behind Hall of Famer Henry (Gizmo) Williams (26).

McTamney’s 27-yard boot cut Toronto’s lead to 13-10 at 9:30. But Lidster gave the Argos a 16-10 advantage with a 33-yard field goal at 12:40.

It was a sloppy first quarter with the two teams committing a combined four turnovers. Toronto had three (two interceptions, fumble) while Argo Tarvarus McFadden had an interception, Adams’s first.

Hicks pulled Toronto even with a five-yard TD catch at 9:11. It capped a four-play, 94-yard drive that was aided by an unnecessary roughness call on Calgary’s Kyle Wilson.

Vaughn opened the scoring with a one-yard run at 3:36. It came two plays after Damon Webb’s 45-yard return of Hicks’s fumble on Toronto’s first offensive play.

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

© 2026 The Canadian Press

The teen reportedly behind the wheel of a fiery Saskatoon crash on Idylwyld Drive in May is now awaiting sentencing.

Counsel’s arguments for sentencing wrapped up and brought to light more about the horrific injuries an 82-year-old man suffered in the crash.

The Crown pushed for a 10-month sentence in a secure facility, five months under community supervision, and 12 months of probation along with a no-contact order with the co-accused and complainants.

Crown counsel, Stephanie Varsanyi, argued it was a violent incident because of an assault prior to the car being stolen, and the serious harm caused to the driver.

Fola Adelugba, defence counsel, argued for time served, two years of probation, curfew, and say the teen will enter a treatment centre upon release.

Adelugba says his recent autism and opposition defiant disorder diagnoses contributed significantly to his actions that day.

The teen admitted to stealing a black Dodge SUV in Prince Albert before driving erratically towards Saskatoon.

While driving, the teen lost control on Idylwyld Drive near the Highway 16 overpass, crossed into oncoming traffic, and crashed into a ford transit van.

The 82-year-old man, Doug Bremner, who was driving the van, suffered severe burns from the ensuing fire and most of his clothing melting into his skin.

He also had a fractured femur, pelvis, and ribs, internal bleeding and organ damage, among other injuries.

He was airlifted to an Edmonton hospital in critical condition where he still remains.

Twenty-four-year-old, Kiefer Ballantyne, a passenger in the stolen vehicle, pleaded guilty to being in a stolen vehicle and was sentenced to time served.

A date for the 14-year-old’s sentencing is expected to be decided Friday.

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

Ontario Conservative MP Larry Brock is resigning as member of Parliament and is to return to his previous role as a prosecutor in southwestern Ontario.

Brock, the MP for Brantford-Brant South-Six Nations, said in a social media post Thursday he would officially resign his seat Sept. 18 to return to the “front lines of justice” at the Crown attorney’s office in Brantford, Ont.

First elected in 2021, Brock served as justice critic but was shuffled out of that position by Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre in June.

His departure also leaves another vacancy for the Conservatives and triggers a byelection in the southwestern Ontario riding.

He is the seventh MP to leave Poilievre’s caucus since the 2025 election, with four of them crossing the floor to the Liberals.

“My commitment to community safety hasn’t wavered one bit, and getting back into the courtroom means I can keep being tough on crime, making sure real justice happens right here at home,” he said in his social media post.

He said he was honoured to serve as justice critic, “given my commitment to reforming the criminal justice system, holding criminals accountable and restoring trust and confidence in our legal system.”

https://x.com/LarryBrockMP/status/2085532689361510905?s=20

In a social media post Thursday, Poilievre thanked Brock for “fighting to end liberal bail reform, for putting criminals behind bars, for restoring safety to our streets, and for supporting victims.”

Brock was a prosecutor for almost 19 years before running for federal politics.

He has been a prominent Conservative voice arguing that Liberal crime and justice measures do not go far enough. In September 2025, Brock said the Liberals’ promised bail reform legislation should adopt the provisions of the “jail not bail act” from the Conservatives.

The Opposition party proposed measures to make it harder for people to receive bail if they have been arrested for or charged with a violent offence in the previous 10 years.

https://x.com/PierrePoilievre/status/2085537083767095692?s=20

The riding of Brantford-Brant South-Six Nations has been Conservative since 2008, when Liberal incumbent Lloyd St. Amand lost the seat to Conservative Phil McColeman.

“I have full confidence that the team will keep delivering for this community for the years to come with the soon-to-be next Conservative MP for Brantford-Brant South,” Brock said.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

Okangan resident Kellie Mast knows that the most important thing is that she, her daughter and her grandson are safe, but she is now grappling with the loss of their home to the Bradley Creek wildfire.

They had just minutes to escape their property on the Benchland above Okanagan Lake when the wildfire tore through the property.

“I could see the flames literally coming up the rise, and there was just our small little municipal road there,” Mast said.

“So, we had almost no time. It was like get out.”

The family is now among the hundreds of people who have lost their home this wildfire season.

“I left with two bins of things from my desk, and my daughter left with a few of her kid’s clothes… like almost nothing, almost nothing.”

What is left behind is now little more than ash and charred debris.

“When we drove out, the flames were in our yard,” Mast said.

“They were already surrounding our house, and when we left out the driveway… there was flames on both sides.”

The Bradley Creek wildfire is now about 2,800 hectares and still burning out of control.

The BC Wildfire Service said there has not been any significant growth on the fire, but evacuation orders remain in place.

“There still are a lot of hazards that remain in the area after a wildfire has gone through an area,” Sarah Hall with the BC Wildfire Service said.

“So just ensuring that essentially the area is safe for the public to return is a top priority for us and those local authorities.”

Mast is critical about the evacuation process and access to support services.

“Dealing with the evacuation process that they’ve set up with emergency services has been less than ideal,” Mast said.

“We went through it in 2021, and it seemed like they were less prepared, not better prepared.”

Mast is now trying to find a place to stay and replace the basic necessities they need.

She said her grandson still asks to go home, but she doesn’t know when that will become a reality.

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

When wildfire flames where closing in, 90-year-old John Belleville was still at home.

The Desert Cove resident, who lives with dementia, hadn’t evacuated as the fire rapidly approached. His daughter, Shiloh, who lives in Vancouver, soon realized her father had been left behind and began desperately calling anyone she thought might be able to help.

Eventually, one of those calls reached Bob Tutush, a man she had never met.

Tutush drove to John’s home, where he spent time earning the senior’s trust before convincing him to leave. With flames visible nearby, the pair made it out safely and headed to the Kal Tire evacuation reception centre, hoping to find John somewhere to stay.

“He was a little reluctant. He told me he had to go to bed,” Tutush recalled. “I said, ‘John, no, there is a fire.’

“I ended up getting to the driveway, showing him the fire. We ended up getting his bag and into my truck.”

Instead, they were told there were no accommodations available.

“When we got to the end of the lineup we were told there was no place for him to stay,” Tutush said.

An old family friend was able to provide John with a bed for the night, but it was only a temporary solution. With Shiloh not able to travel to the Okanagan, Tutush made another unexpected offer.

The next morning, he drove John nearly 400 km to Vancouver so he could reunite with his daughter.

The long drive included quiet moments, light conversation and even a failed attempt at sharing beef jerky, a moment Tutush now laughs about. But behind the humour was a promise he had made to a worried daughter: to get her father home safely.

For Shiloh, the stranger who answered the phone became the person who carried her family through one of its most frightening moments.

What began as a desperate search for help during a wildfire evacuation ended with an emotional family reunion, and the start of a friendship. John is now safely back home with his daughter, while the man who rescued him is no longer just a stranger, but someone the Belleville family says they will never forget.

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

A Granville Street nightclub operator said he’s received conditional approval from the City of Vancouver for a Labour Day block party in the 1100-block of the entertainment district.

Cabana owner Dave Kershaw, who experienced his best two months in sales ever during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, said he hopes to welcome 5,000 people at the Granville DJ Festival on Sept. 7, the final day of the extended pedestrian zone.

Kershaw told Global News the event will be free, with options to purchase VIP tickets to get “ahead of the line”.

“A big 7,000 square foot outdoor party with DJs and fully licensed, featuring local food vendors and I’m getting every one of the bars and restaurants and clubs in this block involved,” Kershaw said Thursday. “So really, kind of a summer ender block party for Granville.”

On July 30, a salsa flash mob appeared outside the Luugat SRO or former Howard Johnson hotel at 1176 Granville Street, where one resident remains past the end of June B.C. government deadline for tenants to be relocated to alternative housing elsewhere.

“It’s not the craziness of FIFA but it’s been a definite shot in the arm and continued success for Granville,” Kershaw told Global News.

Post World Cup, the Granville pedestrian zone has seen its challenges with visible street disorder, and nowhere near the more than 100,000 people the city said FIFA brought on some days during the tournament.

“Our measurement of success was never expecting the same crowds as the FIFA level,” Downtown Van operations director Joshua Davidson said in an interview.

Downtown Van, which is receiving up to $1.25 million of the $4.75 million council approved to extend the Granville street party for seven weeks, said live music is a huge driver.

The non-profit organization that represents 8,000 business and property owners in Vancouver’s downtown core said it is also programming contests, giveaways and family-friendly activations to generate foot traffic.

“We know that the early mornings on Granville are still pretty quiet and parts of the afternoon,” Davidson told Global News. “We’re trying to fill it up as much as possible, spread things out throughout the day.”

In defending the cost to taxpayers, ABC Vancouver city councillor Peter Meiszner said there was overwhelming desire from Vancouverites to see the Granville pedestrian zone continue after FIFA, and ultimately become a permanent pedestrian street.

The seven-week extension, he said, is more expensive as barriers need to be brought in, and extra security is required to guard temporary installations overnight.

“Once we have a permanent pedestrian zone, we will have things like barriers that are in place permanently, we will have things like public art that’s in place permanently and that wouldn’t require ongoing police presence or security presence,” Meiszner said in an interview.

“Yes, it is expensive, but we need to spend the money in order to program the space to give people a reason to come.”

Meiszner said the city will use this as a test case for the long-term pedestrian vision for Granville Street – to see what works and what doesn’t, how it needs to be programmed and public safety requirements.

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

Two correctional officers died in the line of duty Thursday, according to Correctional Service of Canada.

The government organization said two officers and an offender were killed in an accident during a transfer from the Edmonton Institution for Women.

“Our colleagues who lost their lives in the line of duty served Canadians with professionalism, dedication, and courage,” the organization said in a post on social media.

“Their commitment to public safety and to CSC’s mission leaves a lasting legacy, and we will ensure their invaluable contributions to our country are never forgotten.”

The Union of Canadian Correctional Officers said in a post on social media that it is mourning the deaths.

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

After two decades of travelling together, Twyla Shannahan knew that when her husband Lawrence died, he’d want to be brought back home.

But at the airport she was told she’d have to put his ashes in her checked bag, and then that bag was lost.

When Lawrence died in February, Shannahan, who lived in northern Alberta, began planning a trip to take his ashes to Newfoundland, where he was originally from, to scatter them in the water. But instead she had to track down his ashes that ended up in Montreal.

“He was late for his own funeral,” she told Global News. “He was a jokester so he would be getting a complete chuckle out of all of this because he’s had quite the ordeal.”

Shannahan, however, was rather shaken.

She said she had all of the proper documentation to transport the ashes, but at Edmonton International Airport, she was told she’d have to put them in a checked bag.

“They said, ‘No, he has to get checked now,’ and I just said, ‘OK, I’m not really happy about this but please respect him and treat him gently,’” she said.

When Shannahan arrived in St. John’s, one of her bags was missing.

“Instantly, I couldn’t breathe. I wanted to be sick,” she said.

When Shannahan finally got the ashes back, she said Air Canada offered her a $200 voucher.

“I actually started laughing,” she said. “All of my stress and grief is worth $200 that you have to use within one year.”

Air Canada told Global News in a statement that cremated remains are accepted as carry-on “provided they meet applicable security requirements.”

“We regret that the customer’s checked baggage containing the cremated remains was delayed. We can confirm it has since been reunited with the customer,” Sean Davidson, an Air Canada spokesperson, said.

Shannahan said she wants to see airlines investigate their policies and procedures to ensure no one else finds themselves in the same position. Having worked in health and safety, she said Lawrence would find the lesson in the ordeal.

“Policies and procedures were his life,” she said. “And so you investigate them to make sure that this kind of hurt and this kind of injury or incident doesn’t happen again.”

Rules for transporting cremated remains

In a statement to Global News, a spokesperson for the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) said permission to fly with cremated remains depends on whether screening can be successfully completed.

“Although passengers may wish to bring cremated remains on the plane with them, cremated remains are a dense material that can be difficult to screen, with certain container materials adding complexity,” the spokesperson said, adding metal, stone or ceramic containers are more likely to generate alarms.

CATSA also said it recommends passengers consider “alternative transportation, such as shipping via cargo air services.”

“This can help avoid delays or distress at the screening checkpoint, particularly for larger quantities of cremated remains or when container materials may complicate screening,” the spokesperson said.

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

The Curator independently decides what topics and products we feature. When you purchase an item through our links, we may earn a commission. Promotions and products are subject to availability and retailer terms.

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