Hockey coach Ernie 'Punch' McLean is shown in an undated handout photo. The British Columbia RCMP have confirmed that McLean, who was 93, has died in a crash. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ - Western Hockey League
Hockey fans and organizations across the country are mourning legendary coach Ernie “Punch” McLean, who has died in a crash in northern B.C. at the age of 93.
RCMP say investigators have confirmed McLean was the sole victim in a single-vehicle crash about 30 kilometres south of Dease Lake.
McLean coached 16 seasons in the Western Hockey League with the New Westminster Bruins and Estevan Bruins.
After six seasons in Estevan, McLean and his partner Bill Shinske moved the Bruins from Saskatchewan to B.C., where he navigated the New Westminster Bruins to four straight WHL championships from 1975 to 1978 and two Memorial Cup titles in 1977 and 1978.
He also coached the Estevan Bruins to a WHL title in 1968, which made him the only man to win five WHL titles as a coach.
The Vancouver Canucks are among those who took to social media to honour the coach, citing McLean’s record of four Memorial Cup appearances, two championships and a coach to more than 100 players in the NHL.
The post called him “a presence that can never be replaced.”
“Ernie ‘Punch’ McLean was one of a kind — a legend of the game who gave everything to this province and to the players lucky enough to call him coach,” the Canucks post said.
McLean coached 1,067 WHL games in total and also led Canada to a bronze medal at the 1979 world junior men’s hockey championship.
The Western Hockey League issued its own statement, extending its condolences on behalf of the WHL and its 23 member clubs to friends, family and all those who knew McLean.
The tragic news comes the same week the Ernie Punch McLean Foundation launched a campaign to build a permanent statue honouring McLean at Queens Park Arena in New Westminster.
McLean attended the news conference Wednesday when the campaign launched.
The RCMP said in a news release Friday that officers responded to a call by a local road maintenance worker around 12:15 p.m. on Friday, who reported finding the car down an embankment.
They said the cause of the crash is not yet known but their investigation suggests the man swerved and went off the road, where he was ejected from the vehicle.
Five candidates running to lead the BC Conservative Party are set to meet today for their final leadership debate after a divisive campaign.
Chad Hipolito/ CP
The five candidates running for the leadership of the Opposition B.C. Conservatives face each other today in their final debate, after a campaign dominated by disputes over their ideological credentials.
Iain Black, Caroline Elliott, Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Peter Milobar and Yuri Fulmer will share the stage in a Global TV studio in Burnaby, with the debate screening on the network’s Global BC 1 channel and other platforms.
The 90-minute debate that begins at 4:30 p.m. takes place on the day the party starts sending out ballots to more than 42,000 party members, with the winner being declared at a convention on May 30.
The first two debates last month revealed sharp disagreements about issues such as land acknowledgments, diversity polices, education, and what it means to be conservative.
But all five candidates agree they will repeal the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.
They also broadly agree on plans to revive the provincial economy through a combination of tax cuts, faster permitting and efficiencies.
Former leader John Rustad resigned on Dec. 4, with Trevor Halford acting as interim leader.
A two-year-old child is dead after being pulled from the Ottawa River during a major search operation Friday evening, police say.
Les Collines-de-l'Outaouais police
A two-year-old child has died after an extensive search and rescue operation near the Kichi Zibi Mikan Parkway on Friday evening, the Ottawa Police Service says.
Police said officers responded shortly before 7 p.m. to reports of a missing child in the area. When emergency crews arrived, the child could not be located.
A large search operation was launched involving neighbourhood officers, the marine dive team, tactical officers and the air support unit, along with assistance from the Gatineau Police Service.
About 40 minutes after the initial call, the child was spotted in the Ottawa River by the police air support unit. First responders brought the child ashore and began life-saving efforts before the child was taken to hospital. Police said the child was later pronounced dead.
Police said the force’s sexual assault and child abuse unit and the homicide unit are investigating, which is standard practice in cases involving the death of a young child.
Support services have been offered to the family and first responders involved, police said. The investigation remains ongoing.
New lab results confirm the safety of Greater Sudbury’s municipal water supply after a boil water advisory was lifted Friday.
Gino Donato/ CP
Additional testing has confirmed the safety of the municipal water supply in parts of Greater Sudbury, Ont., following a boil water advisory earlier this week.
Public Health Sudbury and Districts said Saturday that new test results from Public Health Ontario confirmed the water is safe to drink.
The boil water advisory was lifted Friday. It had been in place since Wednesday for residents in New Sudbury, Sudbury, parts of Garson and Falconbridge.
“The cause of the adverse samples is being investigated, and this boil water advisory is in effect as a precaution,” Burgess Hawkins, a manager in public health’s health protection division, said in the initial notice.
Public health officials said the extra testing was done as part of the investigation and out of caution.
Tamara Polo's life has been seriously limited after being hit by a car and unable to secure funding for spinal surgery.
Tamara Polo
Tamara Polo lived a full and busy life, balancing a successful career with raising three young children. But that all came to halt when she was hit as a pedestrian in a parking lot in September of 2023, seriously injuring her entire spine.
“As soon as I get upright and my spine is loaded with the weather of my head, I’m instantly ill and have to lay back down,” describes Polo. “I’m sitting on the sidelines of my three beautiful children’s and a husband’s life waiting for access to care.”
Polo’s search for medical care has been long and extensive. After exhausting her options in Canada and being told there was nothing that could be done to improve her quality of life, she expanded her search to include international options, going for consultations with neurosurgeons in Spain and the United States.
“I saw three doctors,” says Polo. “All three doctors conclusively said that every vertebra in my neck was damaged.”
Upright imaging available internationally allowed doctors to see the full extent of the damage to Polo’s spine while it was under pressure of her head and gravity and was diagnosed with cervical instability, a condition where there is significant movement between the vertebrae in the neck compromising spinal stability.
A diagnosis is not available in Canada because the vertical imaging technology is not offered north of the border.
Tamara Polo was a busy mom with a successful career before her accident in September 2023.
Tamara Polo
Initially, Polo underwent an occipitocervical fusion (C0-C2) to stabilize the skull and the first cervical vertebrae, crowdsourcing to cover the out of country costs. But she says it became clear shortly after that surgery that her injuries were far more extensive than originally thought. She learned she would need a complete reconstruction with rods and screws from her skull to upper back to stabilize her spine.
“For me to have a chance at being healthy for my children, to me, that is a medical necessity,” says Polo.
Polo applied for funding to cover the operation through the Out of Country Health Services Committee (OOCHSC), a program set up to evaluate applications eligible for insured coverage under the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan.
Polo’s application, and appeal, were both denied.
“The reason for denial is because I don’t meet the criteria,” explains Polo. “The criteria requires an in-country diagnosis, but the system itself is unable to produce the diagnosis.”
Tamara Polo spends 20 hours a day in bed and gets extremely ill if she sits up for any length of time.
Tamara Polo
Polo isn’t the only Albertan struggling to access funding through the program.
Samantha Lieskovsky is in the process of appealing an OOCHSC decision denying funding for treatment for her two-year-old daughter Myla’s rare vascular condition. Since sharing her story with Global News, Lieskovsky says she’s been overwhelmed with the number of Canadians reaching out with their own, similar stories.
“They are all around the same themes,” says Lieskovsky. “Barriers, delays, and policies that are not working to help families get care.”
Lieskovsky calls the eligibility criteria for OOCHSC funding restrictive and too limited in its scope, forcing families to take on added responsibilities at an already stressful time.
“(Families) are being forced to become advocates, and fundraisers, and voicing all of this when we should be able to just focus on the medical side of it.”
But experts say the committee is operating within its guidelines, and any changes have to come from the government.
“The members of the committee have the right to consult with specialists, but they are going to stay right in the middle of that lane and swim exactly where they have been told they are going to swim,” says Myles Leslie with the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy. “Which means you want to start talking to the people who set up the lanes.”
Leslie says conversations about what is and is not covered through the OOCHSC have to take into account Canada’s universal health care, and the confines of that system. However, Leslie adds it’s important for regulations to be able to adapt, especially when dealing with topics like health care that are rapidly evolving.
“When we start to have the political discussion about expanding the basket of services, the basket of things available to everybody, we’re going to have to make some choices about things that are not available to everybody,” explains Leslie.
The Ministry of Primary and Preventative Health Services says it “recognizes how difficult these situations are for patients and families, especially when they are facing extremely rare and complex conditions,” adding it takes “these concerns seriously and understands the importance of ensuring Albertans can access the care they need.”
The province says regulation of the out-of-country health services process was established nearly two decades ago.
A statement to Global News reads, in part, “since then, patient needs have grown more complex and medical treatments and technologies have advanced significantly. That is why we have launched a review of the program and are actively assessing whether changes are needed to better meet the needs of Albertans and reflect advancements in care.”
Tamara Polo hopes getting a full cervical fusion will allow her to return to her usual life.
Tamara Polo
But until those changes come, Polo is confined to her bed, missing milestones as her children grow up.
Her only option is to turn to friends and family for help, launching a GoFundMe to raise the money needed to travel to the United States for the life-changing surgery.
“When the criteria is so narrow and so restrictive that it leaves a mother in their bed with three children, it is definitely time for use to have a look at the criteria,” says Polo.
“Canadians do not own my health care, the government owns my health care.”
Hamilton Tiger Cats quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell (19) CFL East Final football game action against the Montreal Alouettes, in Hamilton, Ont., Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Peter Power
GAC
Training camp begins Sunday for the Toronto Argonauts and eight other CFL teams. Here’s a look at the other squads as they begin preparing for the 2026 regular season, which begins June 4 with the Montreal Alouettes visiting the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Montreal — The Alouettes landed backup quarterback Dustin Crum in free agency but released middle linebacker Darnell Sankey and defensive back Dionte Ruffin (both now with B.C.). Davis Alexander is 11-0 in the regular season but made just seven starts last season due to a hamstring ailment. The defence could use another big year from Canadian defensive lineman Issac Adeyemi-Berglund, who registered 11 sacks in 2025.
Ottawa — Ryan Dinwiddie enters his first season as head coach and general manager after leading Toronto to two Grey Cups over five seasons as head coach. The Redblacks were again active in free agency _ with Canadian linebacker A.J. Allen (Grey Cup champion Saskatchewan Roughriders), American receiver Ayden Eberhardt (B.C. Lions) and Canadian kicker Brett Lauther (free agent) among the newcomers. Dru Brown returns as the starter with veteran Jake Maier added in free agency as insurance.
Hamilton — Veteran Bo Levi Mitchell enters his fourth season with the Ticats and 14th in the CFL. He was named the East Division’s outstanding player the last two years. Canadian Tre Ford, who began last season as Edmonton’s starter, is Mitchell’s backup. Other new faces include linebacker Wynton McManis (Toronto) and receivers Kurleigh Gittens Jr. (Edmonton), Mario Alford (Saskatchewan) and Kearic Wheatfall (Winnipeg), with Alford also a standout returner.
Winnipeg — Canadian running back Brady Oliveira and starter Zach Collaros both return. American Tim White (Hamilton) should bolster a receiving corps that includes veteran Canadian Nic Demski. Ditto for newcomers Jarell Broxton (B.C.) and Jake Ceresna (Edmonton) helping the offensive and defensive lines, respectively. Quarterback Taylor Elgersma, the ’24 Hec Crighton Trophy winner at Laurier, signed in April after spending time in the NFL and UFL.
Saskatchewan — Many familiar faces from last year’s Grey Cup-winning team return but the Riders still have holes to fill with the departure of Alford, Allen, global defensive lineman Habakkuk Baldonado (Ottawa), American DL Malik Carney (Edmonton), Lauther (released), receivers Dohnte Meyers (NFL, Cincinnati) and Canadian Tommy Nield (Winnipeg). Veteran defensive lineman Micah Johnston retired to become the club’s defensive line coach.
Edmonton — Cody Fajardo, the ’23 Grey Cup MVP, begins the season as the starter after opening 2025 behind Ford. Fajardo finished second in the CFL in completion percentage (73.2 per cent). Running back Josh Rankin will be key figure offensively. Rankins rushed for 1,013 yards (5.3-yard average) and nine TDs in 2025 while adding 56 catches for 713 yards and four touchdowns. However, the Elks finished last overall in offensive points (21.9 per game) and second-last in passing (244 yards per game).
Calgary — The backup spot behind incumbent Vernon Adams Jr. is up for grabs with P.J. Walker’s retirement. Receiver Reggie Begelton is expected to return after missing most of last year with a knee injury. That’s good news for a receiving corps that will be without Dominique Rhymes (retired) and Canadian Damien Alford (NFL’s New Orleans Saints). Calgary’s defence also has some holes to fill with the departures of defensive lineman Jaylon Hutchings and linebacker Jacob Roberts (both with NFL’s Minnesota Vikings).
B.C. — The arrival of Darnell Sankey should add a tough, physical presence in the middle. Ayden Eberhardt (Ottawa) is gone but quarterback Nathan Rourke — CFL’s top Canadian and outstanding player last year — still has plenty of weapons at his disposal. Veteran Keon Hatcher Sr. anchors a receiving corps that also include Stanley Berryhill III and Canadians Justin McInnis and Jevon Cottoy. And then there’s running back James Butler (third in CFL rushing with 1,213 yards). But the loss of offensive lineman Broxton to Winnipeg will hurt up front.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 9, 2026.
WATCH: Prime Minister Mark Carney laid out a broad vision for Canada’s future at the Global Progress Action Summit in Toronto, focusing on housing, trade, artificial intelligence (AI) and economic sovereignty. Carney said Canada must “build again” by investing in affordable housing, reducing reliance on the United States, and expanding strategic industries amid ongoing tariff pressures. He also defended government spending cuts and promised a forthcoming national AI strategy focused on “safe and sovereign” technology that would benefit Canadians.
Political leaders and policy experts from around the world gathered in Toronto on Saturday for the 2026 Global Progress Action Summit.
The summit, co-hosted by Canada 2020 and the Center for American Progress Action Fund (CAPAF), is a day-long event focused on economic security, democracy and global co-operation, according to a release by the CAPAF.
It featured Prime Minister Mark Carney alongside several federal cabinet ministers, including Industry Minister Mélanie Joly, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand and Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne.
Former U.S. president Barack Obama was also in attendance.
Joly started off the summit Saturday morning, hosting a discussion with former U.S. transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg on rebuilding trust through economic security.
During the discussion, Joly spoke about the global impact of U.S. policies.
“What is going on in the U.S. doesn’t stay in the U.S.,” she said. “It has an impact across the world.”
“If the U.S. democracy is not working well, it has an impact on all democracies,” she added.
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand developed the idea during a panel on the ever-changing Canada-U.S. relations.
“Canadians and Americans on both sides of the border want to see our countries grow together for decades and decades to come,” Anand said.
“Trade diversification is a means of de-risking in this moment where there is a complete breakdown of the global trading order,” she said.
Speaking later in the day, Carney addressed Canada’s economic relationship with the United States amid ongoing tariffs on sectors including steel, aluminum and autos.
“We still have the best trade deal with the United States,” Carney said. “Over 85 per cent of our goods move tariff-free across the border.”
He said Canada remains open to “deeper integration” with the U.S., including what he described as a possible “Fortress North America” approach in select sectors.
However, Carney said Canada is also prepared to expand elsewhere if deeper integration is not possible.
“If that route is not ultimately possible, we will invest heavily in new markets and products,” he said. “We will reward those who build, buy and produce in Canada.”
Carney also spoke about artificial intelligence and Canada’s upcoming AI strategy, saying Canadians want technology that is “safe and sovereign” and creates economic opportunities while strengthening public services.
In closing remarks, Carney called for bold economic action amid global uncertainty.
“We have to take risks again,” he said. “Because in a crisis, fortune favors the bold.”
U.S. President Donald Trump did not attend the summit.
Other sessions throughout the day focused on foreign affairs, artificial intelligence, digital transformation and democratic institutions, according to the organizers.
Meanwhile, some supporters are saying the summit highlights international collaboration on shared economic and political challenges.
A Frontier Airlines plane struck and killed a pedestrian on a Denver airport runway, sparking an engine fire and forcing passengers to evacuate.
Canadian Press
A Frontier Airlines plane hit and killed a person walking on a runway of the Denver International Airport during takeoff, airport authorities said, sparking an engine fire and forcing passengers to evacuate.
The plane, on route from Denver to Los Angeles International Airport, “reported striking a pedestrian during takeoff at DEN at approximately 11:19 p.m. on Friday,” the airport’s official X account wrote.
A spokesperson for the airport said the victim, who jumped a perimeter fence, has died. They said the unidentified person was hit two minutes after entering the airport. The person is not believed to be an airport employee.
“We’re stopping on the runway,” the pilot tells the control tower according to the site ATC.com. “We just hit somebody. We have an engine fire.”
The pilot tells the air traffic controller they have “231 souls” on board and that and “individual was walking across the runway.”
The air traffic controller responds that they are “rolling the trucks now” before the pilot tells the tower they “have smoke in the aircraft. We are going to evacuate on the runway.”
Frontier Airlines said in a statement flight 4345 was the one involved in the collision and that “smoke was reported in the cabin and the pilots aborted takeoff.” It was not clear whether the smoke was linked to the crash with the person on the runway.
“The Airbus A321 was carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members,” the airline said. “We are investigating this incident and gathering more information in coordination with the airport and other safety authorities.”
Passengers were then evacuated via slides and the emergency crew bused them to the terminal. The airport spokesperson said 12 passengers suffered minor injuries and five were taken to local hospitals.
Denver Airport said the National Transportation Safety Board had been notified and that runway 17L, where the incident took place, will remain closed while an investigation is conducted. It is expected to open later today.
Ontario Liberals in Scarborough Southwest vote today on a byelection candidate as MP Nate Erskine-Smith eyes a possible leadership run.
Spencer Colby/ CP
Ontario Liberal members in the riding of Scarborough Southwest are set to select their candidate today for an upcoming byelection.
Nomination races don’t often generate a lot of attention outside the party, but today’s vote marks a clear first test for one leadership hopeful.
Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith, who currently represents the neighbouring riding of Beaches-East York, has made no secret of wanting to run a second time for the leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party.
He previously ran for that post in 2023 in a contest that ultimately saw him come second to Bonnie Crombie, but after she resigned earlier this year, the job is now vacant again.
Erskine-Smith says the upcoming byelection in Scarborough Southwest could allow him to try for a seat, but some of his fellow nomination contestants are bristling at what they see as a candidate trying to use their community as a springboard.
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.
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says Canada's ongoing work to secure the return of Ukrainian children abducted by Russian officials.
Sean Kilpatrick/ CP
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says Canada’s ongoing work to secure the return of Ukrainian children abducted by Russian officials shows how Ottawa is trying to work with a range of countries to advance practical, humanitarian goals.
In an interview ahead of a Monday conference in Brussels, Anand said Ottawa is focused on what it can achieve for Ukrainians, rather than whether Russia is currently committing an act of genocide.
“For me, the important question is, what are we doing here and now, what are we doing to bring Ukrainian children home,” she told The Canadian Press.
“The issues relating to terminology and the classification of the illegal and unjustifiable Russian invasion will be heard in the international court system. We all know that Russia’s actions are against international law — they’re reprehensible and we will do all we can to hold Russia to account.”
In 2024, the Trudeau government co-launched with Ukraine an international coalition of nations pushing for the return of Ukrainian children abducted during the war. Canada is co-hosting a Monday summit of that coalition in Brussels to take stock of those efforts.
Since March 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin and a senior Russian official have been subject to an International Criminal Court arrest warrant on charges of unlawful deportation and transfer of children.
Ukraine and its allies believe Russia has effectively abducted 20,000 children; about 2,000 of them have returned. Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab believes there are actually 35,000 Ukrainian children being forcibly held in Russia, the parts of Ukraine it occupies and Belarus.
Moscow has rejected these claims and at times has suggested children have been voluntarily brought to safety, particularly orphans. Russian officials have also repeatedly claimed Ukrainian culture does not exist, particularly in large areas of Ukraine where people speak Russian.
Despite Russia’s claims, human rights groups have documented cases of children being forcibly adopted into Russian families where they are made to reject Ukrainian culture. They report that some abducted children are militarily trained.
“When these children are stolen from their families, they undergo, in many cases, a process of indoctrination, where they’re forced to learn the Russian language, they’re forced to sing Russian songs, they’re forced to pray in the Russian language and take on the culture of the Russian people,” Anand said.
While the coalition has succeeded in reuniting some families, it faces challenges in identifying children and maintaining contact during an active conflict.
The coalition is meeting this week to look at how new funding can help with identifying and contacting these children, and to review efforts to gather evidence of possible crimes that could one day be prosecuted.
“Families are the bedrock of communities and strong communities ensure a strong country. And so this is absolutely central to, in my estimation, the work that Canada can do internationally,” Anand said.
Qatar has acted as an intermediary between Moscow and Kyiv to facilitate the return of children. The initiative has been supported by countries beyond Europe, including Chile and Argentina, whose governments have had vastly differently political views.
Anand said this is an example of the government’s “network diplomacy” approach of working with both its closest allies and newer partners to advance specific, shared goals.
Before the conference gets underway in Brussels, Anand will take part in the European Union’s foreign affairs council, which co-ordinates the bloc’s foreign policy, to discuss Ukraine. The council rarely involves non-European ministers in its deliberations, Anand noted.
“The magnitude of Canada’s effort stands strongly,” she said. “That’s, I believe, one of the reasons I’ve been asked and invited to attend the FAC.”
She will also meet with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte as part of her ongoing push to get the alliance to focus more on Arctic security.
Anand said she will also speak with her Belgian counterpart, Maxime Prévot, on broader Ukraine policy. She said this discussion will touch on Canada’s push to have Russian assets abroad seized and forfeited to support Ukraine’s war effort. Most of Russia’s central bank reserves abroad sit in Brussels-based Euroclear bank accounts.
European countries have so far only seized the interest earned by Russian accounts. Belgium has pushed back on the idea of forfeiting the actual funds, arguing it would expose the country to large risks and scare off investors.
After Brussels, Anand will head to Oman and Qatar to talk about both regional issues and Ukraine.
“Everywhere I go, I raise the importance of family reunification,” she said.
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