Why ramping up Canada's indoor farming capacity may prove 'difficult'

WATCH ABOVE: Ottawa unveils $3.2-billion National Food Security Strategy

Prime Minister Mark Carney launched Canada’s new National Food Strategy, aimed at bringing down the cost of groceries for Canadians and boosting domestic food production across Canada by growing produce year-round.

But some experts say expanding greenhouse production is easier said than done.

The federal government is planning to spend $750 million to “drastically expand year-round Canadian production of fruits and vegetables,” Carney said Thursday.

This includes scaling up production through greenhouses, vertical farms and other enclosed growing spaces.

“It’s already a big sector,” said Barry Prentice, professor of supply chain management at the University of Manitoba’s Asper School of Business.

In 2025, greenhouse area in Canada increased to 35.9 million square metres.

However, the greenhouses are “centred in Ontario, and around the Leamington area, in British Columbia, and some in Quebec,” Prentice said.

Ontario alone is home to nearly two-thirds (64.9 per cent) of the greenhouse area in Canada, followed by B.C. (17.4 per cent) and Quebec (10.4 per cent).

The federal government’s support for greenhouses, hydroponics and other controlled environment agriculture will build a “stronger, more self-sufficient food supply chain” for Canada, the Canadian Produce Marketing Association said.

The commitments in the National Food Strategy “represent the highest investment in the fresh produce sector in recent history,” CMPA president Ron Lemaire said.

The Canadian Federation of Agriculture lauded the strategy’s emphasis on “advancing controlled environment agriculture.”

The National Food Strategy makes a “sizable investment in greenhouse production,” said Michael Widener at the University of Toronto’s department of geography and planning.

“We’re so reliant on importing fruits and vegetables. Close to 90 per cent of our fruits come from outside of Canada and around 70 per cent of our vegetables. This would be a meaningful increase in what’s done domestically,” Widener said.

However, he added that it would prove very difficult to scale up production to the point where it would replace all imported produce, because building greenhouses at that scale would be too expensive.

“It’s more expensive. It is difficult to grow the large volume of fruits and vegetables that consumers want in the country through greenhouses,” he said.

Most greenhouses cost US$5 to US$35 ($7 to $49) per square foot, according to estimates from U.S. construction company CraftCamp.

In Canada, a typical small to medium-sized commercial greenhouse can be anywhere between 1,000 and 10,000 square feet, while a large-scale greenhouse can start from 10,000 square feet and run into several acres, according to Quebec-based greenhouse maker Harnois.

“It’s just easier to grow fruits and vegetables in an outdoor setting in climates that are where those foods are from than it is to sort of try to engineer it in a colder climate like Canada,” Widener said.

Growing produce year-round in Canada is also going to cost a lot more energy in Canada’s cold climate, Widener said.

“We’re going to have to actually shine the fake sunlight onto our plants, in a way that wouldn’t have to happen if it was grown in the southern U.S. or Mexico. It’s more energy-intensive, it’s more labour-intensive and our ability to do it across bigger plots of field is going to be limited,” he said.

Greenhouse production and sales in Canada have been growing consistently, data shows. In 2025, greenhouse sales increased to $6.5 billion, Statistics Canada said.

Tomatoes were the top-selling greenhouse crop in Canada, followed by cucumbers. Production has been growing for strawberries, lettuce and herbs as well.

However, Canada’s ability to grow more vegetables and fruits is “limited,” Prentice said.

“We can grow some strawberries in greenhouses, but the question is should we, given the cost of doing that? It does come down to the economics of this,” he said.

Some plants “just won’t do as well as others in the greenhouse environment,” Widener said, adding that Canadians should consider what’s in season when looking for fruits and vegetables in the grocery aisle to keep costs down.

“Perhaps it’s not reasonable for us to be thinking about having oranges year-round every winter. Because oranges in December just aren’t something that are going to be available to us here in Canada,” he said.

While greenhouses can help build a “resilient and robust food system” in Canada, “greenhouses won’t be the only solution,” Widener said.

Since nearly 40 per cent of Canada’s fresh fruits and vegetables come from the United States, the solution for Canada’s food insecurity might lie in diversifying trade relations, he added.

“If we really want to keep consuming things like strawberries or cherries or grapes year-round, we’re going to have to adjust the ways that we import those kinds of foods and think about different trading partners, maybe across South America, across the Pacific or Atlantic Oceans. But this strategy doesn’t really address that,” he said.

In the last year, Canada has inked several agreements with Asian countries, including deals on agricultural produce.

“Bananas are already really cheap, and we’re importing them from 10 different countries, Ecuador being one of the largest. You have to also remember that if we don’t import from countries, they don’t have any money to buy from us,” Prentice said.

“Trade works in two directions.”

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

Canada and France to deepen intelligence exchanges, Carney says in Paris

Prime Minister Mark Carney announced in a joint statement alongside French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Friday that Canada and France will deepen their defence and industrial co-operation through a new general security of information agreement.

Canada and France will deepen their defence and industrial co-operation through a new general security of information agreement, Prime Minister Mark Carney said while in Paris on Friday.

Carney made the announcement in a joint statement alongside French President Emmanuel Macron at the Palais de l’Elysée.

“Businesses in both of our countries are doing more together, in energy, defence, critical minerals and now in (artificial intelligence),” Carney said.

“What this means is an ability to exchange classified information between our defence, our space, our AI and our aerospace sectors.”

Macron said he and Carney are discussing trade, defence and security in a closed-door meeting, and he hailed Canada as a friend to Europe and France.

The meeting, which comes ahead of next week’s G7 summit, could be one of the last between the two world leaders. Macron’s second term in office is set to end next spring.

France, which is hosting the G7 this year, says the priorities for this year’s summit include addressing major geopolitical crises and G7 support for Ukraine.

Sen. Peter Boehm, who served as personal representative for prime ministers Stephen Harper and Justin Trudeau for six G7 summits, said Carney’s pre-summit visit with Macron offers an opportunity for the two leaders to strategize.

He added that Carney is expected to demonstrate “pragmatic diplomacy” at the international event, given how his Davos speech drew widespread international attention.

In that speech at the World Economic Forum in January, Carney said the world has entered a risky new age of great power rivalries and that Canada is working to expand non-U.S. trade in the face of U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war.

Boehm said the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains will be Macron’s tenth and final G7 summit as president.

Macron also said Friday that he and Carney are discussing how to protect children online, adding the two countries share the same objectives.

Earlier this year, French lawmakers approved a bill banning social media for children under 15. The idea of setting a minimum age for use of the platforms has gained momentum across Europe.

The Liberal government introduced its own online safety legislation this week. If passed, it would require social media companies to block access for kids under 16, though platforms will be able to obtain an exemption if they put sufficient safeguards in place.

Bill C-34, introduced Wednesday in the House of Commons, would also regulate the companies behind AI chatbots by imposing on them a duty to act responsibly. That includes measures to lower the risk of chatbots communicating harmful content and putting in place crisis intervention protocols for cases involving self-harm, suicide or violence.

Macron applauded the move on social media Thursday, saying, “Thanks for joining the movement.”

Looking ahead to the summit, Boehm said there’s always some carry-on elements from previous years.

“The discussions at Kananaskis on artificial intelligence, for example, and on the global economy will have an impact on the discussions at Évian as well,” he said.

A Canadian government official said this week there likely won’t be a comprehensive final communiqué from leaders at the end of the summit.

They predicted the assembled leaders will instead put out issue-specific statements throughout the event.

Boehm said the decision to publish several individual declarations, rather than one, is likely due to Trump.

“I think that’s a very big factor, because what’s the point of trying to get consensus when what you’re doing is watering down what you’ve got and then you’re not credible,” he said, adding that individual statements could address online harms, AI or various other global issues.

Boehm said the broader geopolitical scene will factor into talks at the summit, with a war still raging in the Middle East and with the world still grappling with the fallout from the Trump administration’s deep cuts to foreign aid.

France is Canada’s third-largest merchandise export market in the European Union and its fifth-largest source of foreign investment.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

Rodeo sued for $11.5M after 'Party Bus' bull jumps fence, injures 2

WATCH: Multiple people were hurt by a bull after the animal escaped an enclosed arena at the Sisters Rodeo in Oregon in June 2024.

Two spectators who say they were injured after a rodeo bull named Party Bus jumped a fence during a rodeo in Sisters, Ore., in 2024 are seeking a combined US$11.5 million in damages in two lawsuits, alleging they were hurt when it escaped into the crowd.

In video footage of the incident from June 2024, people are seen scrambling out of the bull’s path in June 2024. The animal is seen approaching one unsuspecting person in a red shirt, then bucks them twice into the air. Party Bus then tramples the person and a picnic table.

The incident occurred during the final portion of the bull-riding event at Sisters Rodeo while the crowd was singing Lee Greenwood’s God Bless the U.S.A.

In a newly filed lawsuit, viewed by Global News, Kristin Wert is suing the Sisters Rodeo, Corey and Lange Rodeo Co., and the Professional Cowboys Association for $2.3 million, claiming she suffered injuries to her left shoulder “including a proximal left humeral bone contusion with question of trabecular fracture.”

Wert also said she suffered a “significant intramedullary edema, a sprain of the left rotator interval with possible labral injury, posttraumatic tendinitis of the rotator cuff and thoracic outlet syndrome.”

She alleges that she was “standing in the concessions area of the premises when suddenly and through no fault of her own, she was violently attacked from behind, bucked into the air, and then trampled by Party Bus,” according to the court documents.

Wert claims that as a result of her injuries she suffered a “concussion causing persistent migraines, dizziness, and nausea, post-traumatic stress syndrome, emotional distress, and pain and suffering.”

“Plaintiff Kristin Wert has suffered, and will continue to suffer in the future, inconvenience and interference with her normal and usual activities as a result of her injuries caused by Party Bus,” the legal documents read.

Wert alleges that all parties were negligent and at fault in failing to maintain a safe environment for attendees of the rodeo by securing the arena area to prevent rodeo livestock from escaping and failing to keep rodeo livestock safely contained and under control in the rodeo arena.

She also alleges that all parties failed to ensure that the bull Party Bus was in a safe and healthy condition and in all respects suitable to be released into the arena at the Sisters Rodeo.

Wert’s husband, Andrew Wert, is also part of the lawsuit and claims he experienced emotional distress from witnessing the bull attacking and injuring his wife.

Global News has reached out to the Sisters Rodeo Association for comment, but has not received a response.

Corey & Lange Rodeo Co., which supplied the animal, reportedly denied liability in court filings, according to NBC affiliate KGW.

KWG also reports that Cory & Lange Rodeo Co. argues that the Sisters Rodeo Association bears primary responsibility for any injuries and damages.

In a second lawsuit, viewed by Global News, Allison Hickey is seeking $9.25 million against the same organizations and Flying Diamond Rodeo, claiming that Party Bus broke her arm and shoulder and caused injuries to her leg.

Hickey alleges that she was passing by the exterior fencing of the central arena along a spectator pathway intended for public use, when suddenly without any warning, Party Bus jumped over the fence, into the crowd of spectators and landed on top of her, according to the lawsuit.

“The impact and weight of the bull knocked her to the ground and crushed her right shoulder and right calf. Said incident caused Allison Hickey’s injuries and damages,” the lawsuit reads.

Hickey’s complaint also alleges that the Sisters Rodeo has monetized the incident, including marketing, advertising and sales of merchandise portraying what happened when Party Bus was on the loose.

She says the monetization of the incident has caused “ongoing trauma, embarrassment, and mental anguish.”

At the time of the incident, Hickey says she was a 26-year-old physical therapist, employed full-time and actively building her professional career, according to the lawsuit.

“As a result of the incident and injuries sustained, Allison Hickey’s career trajectory and future earnings were directly and substantially impacted,” the lawsuit alleges.

In June 2024, many onlookers shouted from the packed rodeo stands as they witnessed Party Bus buck and charge through the grounds.

The rodeo said the bull was subdued after it ran through the fairgrounds and into the livestock holding pens. There, livestock professionals secured the bull into a pen. Medical responders and local police were called to the scene and provided first aid.

“We wish the best to all affected,” the rodeo wrote in its statement in June 2024. “The safety of our fans is our highest priority and we appreciate their support.”

—with files from Global News

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

Halifax shipyard begins construction of Canada's first River-class destroyer

Irving Shipyard in Halifax officially began construction of the first of Canada’s 15 new River-class destroyers with a ceremony that brought together thousands of tradespeople and dignitaries Friday.

The keel-laying ceremony also recognized other milestones, such as the delivery and launch of the country’s final Arctic and offshore patrol ship.

“Fifteen years ago, the Government of Canada made a commitment to build ships in Canada, and here, we are finally at the culmination of the starting part of that journey,” said Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee, Royal Canadian Navy Commander.

The River-class destroyer has been an integral part of the National Shipbuilding Strategy since 2011. It’s the largest and most complex shipbuilding initiative in Canada and comes with a price tag between $56 and $60 billion.

Irving Shipbuilding was first selected as one of two principal shipyards for the strategy back in 2011, along with Seaspan Marine in Vancouver

The construction of the first three ships has been contracted out to Irving and has generated billions in labour income.

“It shows what is possible here in Canada — build at home, with our own tradespeople,” Irving Shipbuilding CEO Jim Irving said. “It’s good for Canada. This is what Canada needs to be doing.”

The 15 warships will replace the Iroquois destroyers and Halifax-class frigates as the country modernizes its defence fleet.

The Department of National Defence says the destroyers will be able to deliver decisive combat power while conducting counter-piracy and counter-terrorism operations.

“The River-class destroyers can have a radar that can see into space, missiles that can reach the edge of space, it’s going to have a full spectrum of capability,” said Topshee.

“So it will be part of integrated air and missile defence for Canada, so protecting ourselves from all the threats. It will still be a very capable anti-submarine warfare ship and whenever we need to contribute abroad.”

As part of the ceremony on Friday, a commemorative coin was welded into place in the ship’s hull as a symbol of good luck — a tradition that dates back to Roman times.

The first ship, HMCS Fraser, is expected to set sail in the early 2030s but the Royal Canadian Navy is hoping to expedite its construction.

“The world’s a pretty uncertain place right now,” said Topshee. “We’ve already retired the four destroyers that this is part of the replacement for. The faster we can get warships back out on the waters, the modern ships Canada needs, the better off we’re going to be.”

The federal government expects nine vessels by 2040, coming in small batch orders of several at a time. The full order of 15 destroyers is projected for completion by 2050.

— with a file from The Canadian Press

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

Online extremist groups exploiting, blackmailing youth: Winnipeg police

RELATED: Quebec man faces terrorism charges linked to 764 extremist networK

Children as young as preteens are being targeted by violent online extremist groups who want “the destruction of society,” according to the Winnipeg Police Service.

Young people are being targeted on social media and messaging platforms, such as Discord, Snapchat, TikTok and the e-gaming platform Steam. Online gaming spaces, including Roblox and Minecraft, as well as other sites frequented by children and teenagers, are also used as spaces for predators to find their young victims, police said.

Nihilist violent extremist groups, including the Com Network’s 764, MKY and O9A groups, as well as the True Crime Community (TCC), “are deliberately targeting vulnerable children and youth online. Their stated objective is not ideological change, but the destruction of society,” Const. Claude Chancy, a Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) public information officer, told reporters Friday.

Any kid willing to do what the predators tell them to is allowed to join, but some are more likely to be sought out.

Chancy said predators look for vulnerable kids who feel insecure and share those feelings online. Specifically, youth posting about body image issues, mental health struggles or being neurodivergent are targeted.

“Predators exploit these voluntary online disclosures by fabricating shared experiences to build false trust, then systematically introduce victims to increasingly violent and disturbing material, including child sexual abuse material, animal torture and gore, as part of a deliberate desensitization process,” the constable said.

The youth are eventually taken into private online spaces. Once alone, predators intensify the grooming to collect blackmail, Chancy said.

Those materials can include videos of the young person hurting themselves, their siblings or their pets. Children are also being asked to vandalize areas with hate-driven graffiti, police said.

Sometimes this abuse is livestreamed, Chancy added.

“Extortion here is not used for financial gain. It is a tool used to extract more material and ultimately push victims towards taking their own lives or the lives of others,” Chancy said.

Const. Andrea Lefort, the WPS expert in the field of violent extremism, said it is important to take the threats seriously as they are occurring everywhere, not just in Winnipeg.

“We are seeing acts of violence that are happening in real life that are originating in online spaces, sometimes involving people locally,” Lefort said.

Police said some Winnipeg kids have been victimized but did not provide further details on the ongoing investigations.

“We can’t arrest our way out of this problem,” Lefort said.

No specific gender is sought out more often, but what the predators ask for varies. Girls may be asked for intimate images, whereas boys are targeted for money, she said.

“It’s the thing that they hold over the kid’s head to force them to keep committing these acts that they don’t want to do,” Lefort continued.

Police say they have identified some signs to differentiate between typical teenage angst and the emotional turmoil of dealing with violence and online pressures.

“This isn’t just a child that’s maybe breaking curfew or that seems a little sad or a little bit down. We’re talking about children that are having a complete change in their behaviour,” Lefort said.

Parents might notice their child’s emotions intensify. Others may show an unusual desperation to reconnect to the web, where the extremist groups exist, she added.

Police said they will continue working with emergency services, school districts and the HSC Children’s Hospital to share information and work to stop the online abuse.

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

Overwhelmed N.S. food banks expect summer months to be especially challenging

Tough times for Nova Scotians are continuing amid the high cost of living, according to local food banks, and the summer months will bring unique challenges.

Feed Nova Scotia has experienced a 50 per cent increase in demand for its services since 2019.

“We’ve just never seen this level of need across the province.” said Ash Avery, executive director for Feed Nova Scotia.

Ash Avery is the executive director for Feed Nova Scotia.

Ash Avery is the executive director for Feed Nova Scotia.

Skye Bryden-Blom/Global News

The charity now has about 2,000 people accessing its network of food banks, shelters and meal programs each day.

“Between January and March, it was about 111,000 visits. So this is seven per cent more than this time last year,” said Avery.

And with summer on the horizon, the organization expects to have fewer resources as volunteers take vacation time. At the same time, families will be feeling the impact of the pause in the provincial school lunch program.

“(The school lunch program) really does help to support kids who are in families and households that are experiencing poverty or food insecurity,” said Avery.

She says while the one-time GST top-up this month was helpful, it’s not consistent enough to make a real difference.

“We just saw the groceries and essentials benefit that went out to Canadians — to some Canadians, I should say — and things like that are helpful, but they are sort of one-time investments while we need to see something that is more systemic and prolonged,” she said.

“We really want to see ourselves in a different place in the next few years. We want to those numbers come down of people who are having to go to food banks and access emergency support.”

Avery would like to see a renewed poverty reduction strategy for the province, pointing out that it’s been more than 15 years since the last one. That, she says, is the only way to understand as a province how to properly address poverty.

Brigitte MacInnes is Parker Street's Director of Donor Relations & Communications.

Brigitte MacInnes is Parker Street's director of donor relations and communications.

Skye Bryden-Blom/Global News

Halifax’s Parker Street Food and Furniture Bank is also feeling the increased demand, giving out about 100 food boxes a day.

“On the radar would be the rising cost of everything. The rising cost of fuel, the rising costs of groceries. Anytime that happens, it affects our families and affects the children in those families,” said Brigitte MacInnes, Parker Street director of donor relations and communications.

“So there’s a greater need within the community for a food bank and for the services we provide here.”

She echoes the sentiment that a seasonal uptick in demand is expected.

“Summertime means that the school food programs are over. So that means that there is increased pressure on budgets that may already be tight,” she said.

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

AJ McLean Talks Backstreet Boys’ Staying Power & Teaming Up with PAW Patrol

When AJ McLean looks back over his career with The Backstreet Boys, everything is in fast forward for him – from their first major award to where they are today: dropping a new single on the PAW Patrol soundtrack.

He says that over the years, bandmate Kevin Richardson has always said that they are, “aspiring to be, as he’s put it The Rolling Stones of Pop”. They still have a few more decades to go, but the boys have certainly put the work in.

Now, the plan is to bring in a whole new generation of BSB fandom with their new song, Bottle Up, on the PAW Patrol soundtrack. He says they already see up to four generations of fans coming to shows together, and this is a whole new way to connect young fans with their parents.

It’s something he can relate to himself. He says, “My daughters grew up with PAW Patrol, PAW Patrol was in my house for years, I became a fan,,,Marshall and Rubble are my top two favourite pups. You know, everyone loves Chase! ‘Cause he’s a leader! I had bulldogs when I was younger so that’s why Rubble is my favourite.”

There’s a pup for everyone, just like there’s a BSB for everyone too. It’s pop-meets-pups perfection.

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

'Super stoked': Granville Street Pedestrian Zone ready to welcome FIFA fans

Team Canada pride kicked off on Friday as fans headed to the Granville Street Pedestrian Zone to watch Canada’s first match against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The five-block stretch of Granville Street — Georgia Street to Davie Street — will be closed to cars and buses until July 19.

“We are super stoked, we are super excited to be here,” Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said on Friday morning.

“We’ve been talking about this for three and a half years now. And look, I think Vancouverites and basically the world, they’re going to wake up, they’re starting to wake up and they’re starting to feel the excitement in the city of Vancouver.”

The pedestrian zone includes additional seating, sanitation services and many things for fans to see and do.

Sim said they hope that businesses along the Granville Strip will benefit from more people coming to the area, watching the games and having a drink or a bite to eat.

“It’s so good to see that so many businesses that have been struggling — let’s call it what it is, they’ve been struggling with a whole bunch of issues down here — they’re starting to reap the benefits of their perseverance,” Sim added.

In April, Downtown Van released its 2026 State of Downtown report, stating that while Granville Street’s vacancy rate dropped to 24.9 per cent in January after hitting 29.4 per cent in 2025, it’s still higher than average and about one in four storefronts remain empty.

The Business Improvement Association (BIA) data also showed that on average, 50 per cent of all service calls for its Downtown Vancouver Community Safety Team occurred on Granville Street.

Calls increased across every category last year, with open drug use up 33 per cent and welfare checks rising by 26 per cent.

Vancouver police said up to 50 extra officers could be assigned to the city’s entertainment district on match days and on Friday and Saturday nights.

Sim said that this fan zone experience will inform the city and community groups moving forward.

“In council and at the City of Vancouver, we are looking at this as a test case,” he said.

“We are taking the data and all the learnings we get from the next 40 days and we are going to incorporate it into the next chapter that will be the Granville Entertainment District.

“We can see what the future holds and it looks pretty amazing and that’s what we are going to be pushing for going forward.”

The Granville Street Pedestrian Zone is ready to welcome FIFA World Cup fans.

The Granville Street Pedestrian Zone is ready to welcome FIFA World Cup fans.

Darya Zargar / Global News
The Granville Street Pedestrian Zone is ready to welcome FIFA World Cup fans.

The Granville Street Pedestrian Zone is ready to welcome FIFA World Cup fans.

Darya Zargar / Global News
Imagery at the Granville Street Pedestrian Fan Zone in Vancouver.

Imagery at the Granville Street Pedestrian Fan Zone in Vancouver.

Darya Zargar / Global News

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

Unique B.C. glass guitar found, seven years after being stolen

A B.C. glass glazier has made a functioning pure glass electric guitar. But after it was stolen from him in 2019, he found it in a pawn shop this year and bought it back. Squire Barnes reports.

The value of a guitar is usually brought by the sounds and melodies it can create.

For Stamati Charalambidis, it’s the guitar itself that brings the value, especially when it was made out of pure glass.

Charalambidis began sculpting in his late teenage years, but the idea to create a functioning glass guitar came from his friend.

In the beginning of Charalambidis’s journey with making the guitar, he would go to a guitar shop and share his thoughts and questions on how the project could be done.

Despite the many doubts he was faced with regarding the logistical aspect of this creation, he was able to pull through with trial and error.

One of the many challenges he encountered was getting the right balance of the guitar.

“With these, because the neck and the headstock have quite a bit more weight, it’s trying to find a good shape and length and strap points that would make it balanced,” said Charalambidis.

The delicate and fragile nature of glass made it extra difficult, Charalambidis explained, as one mistake is all that’s needed to completely restart the piece.

“With glass, it’s such an unforgiving material that there is no coming back from it,” he said.

After many months of hammering, polishing, and adjusting the guitar’s weight, the electric guitar was finally finished.

However, tragedy struck when it was stolen in 2019.

As time went on, Charalambidis forgot about the incident while simultaneously discontinuing making glass guitars.

Seven years after it was stolen, he got a phone call notifying him that the guitar was found in a pawn shop.

Charalambidis didn’t believe it at first, until he received a photo of the guitar, which reassured him that it was in fact the guitar he made.

Although the guitar did have scrapes and scratches, Charalambidis refused to polish it up as he believes, “that’s part of its journey.”

For Charalambidis, the lost years with his guitar are made up with the cool story he is now left with.

Finding his guitar seven years later.

-with files from Squire Barnes

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

No refunds after Toronto FIFA Fan Festival evacuated over lightning concerns

WATCH: Toronto's FIFA fan fest cancelled, subway disrupted on World Cup opening day.

Some Toronto FIFA Fan Festival attendees are expressing frustration after Thursday’s opening event was evacuated due to a risk of lightning, with organizers later confirming no refunds would be issued.

The evacuation came during the opening match festivities at Fort York and Bentway, where fans had gathered to watch Mexico take on South Africa as part of FIFA World Cup celebrations.

Jumana Hossain, who travelled from Mississauga and paid about $100 for two VIP tickets, said the weather conditions did not appear severe when attendees were told to leave.

“We were watching the game, I got my gin and tonic and then the sound system went off and they just told us there was an evacuation because of lightning,” she said in an interview.

“But there was never lightning. There was a drizzle for 10 minutes.”

Hossain said she understands organizers must prioritize safety but believes attendees should receive some form of compensation given the event ended early.

“It was disappointing,” she said, adding that people had come to watch the match from other countries as well. “We were next to people from states, Bosnia, Germany … they were shocked.”

In a statement to Global News, the City of Toronto confirmed no refunds would be provided.

“FIFA Fan Festival is a rain-or-shine event, and no refunds are available for ticket holders for the June 11 event,” said Russell Baker, the city’s director of media relations and issues management.

“We understand this news is disappointing and appreciate everyone’s understanding of the decision to cancel the event due to inclement weather. The safety of attendees, volunteers and staff remains our top priority.”

Information posted on the FIFA Fan Festival Toronto website states the event is a “rain or shine” event but notes that severe weather may affect operations and organizers would monitor conditions and provide updates accordingly.

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

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