Prime Minister Mark Carney and his Philippine counterpart have concluded talks for a free-trade agreement, which is expected to be formally signed next year.

“A ship that stays in the harbour is safe, but that’s not what a ship is for. And it takes a leader to take the ship out of the harbour into choppy waters and reach a destination,” Carney told Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in Manila.

“In terms of our relationship, you’ve been able to do that.”

Carney and Marcos were meeting on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit.

Both leaders signed a document that formally ends negotiations for the Philippines-Canada Free Trade Agreement, which had started just over a year ago. Ottawa aims to have the actual deal signed next year.

The event took place Saturday in Manila’s time zone, which was Friday evening in Canada.

The ASEAN summit involves 20 heads of government, including guests from outside the region such as U.S. President Donald Trump and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Southeast Asia is one of the world’s fastest growing economic regions and the ASEAN bloc includes nearly 700 million people.

Canada is also pursuing a broader trade agreement with the ASEAN bloc, which includes the Philippines and 10 other countries such as Thailand.

Ottawa says trade between Canada and ASEAN countries amounted to $52.3 billion last year, a fifth larger than the previous year. The group is key to Carney’s goal of doubling exports to countries other than the U.S. by 2035.

Vina Nadjibulla, co-founder of the Centre for Strategic Statecraft, said the ASEAN summit — along with two others in the region this week — is a chance for Carney to reinforce the importance of Asia to Canadians.

“So much of his diplomacy over the last few months has been focused on Europe, understandably so. But we also need to remind everyone that Canada is a Pacific nation, we have an Indo-Pacific strategy, and the region is really critical to Canada’s prosperity,” she said.

Carney signed a trade deal with Indonesia last autumn. This summer, he signed a strategic partnership agreement with the Philippines. It called for more labour mobility and climate resilience projects between Canada and the Philippines, a country with more than 110 million people.

In 2025, bilateral merchandise trade between the two countries totalled $3.4 billion, with Canada exporting mineral ores, meat, cereals, fertilizers and aircraft, while importing cooking oils, leather and rubber products from the Philippines.

Canada and the Philippines have been in talks on a bilateral trade deal since 2015. Carney and Marcos restarted those efforts a year ago.

During consultations, corporations were broadly supportive of the deal to increase trade, but civil society raised concerns about the Philippines’ track record on the environment, labour and human rights.

That work stemmed from the Indo-Pacific strategy the government released four years ago.

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said a year ago that she had asked her officials to update the strategy to better align with Carney’s priorities, such as doubling non-U.S. exports by 2035 and making Canada an energy superpower.

Queen’s University professor Stéphanie Martel, who studies ASEAN and international diplomacy, said Carney has a narrower policy approach to the region than his predecessor Justin Trudeau, who she said tended to offer “lofty, general commitments.”

Carney has focused on strategic sectors, she said, particularly trade and military collaboration — such as naval exercises in the Taiwan Strait and efforts to help countries like the Philippines detect Chinese boats used in territorial disputes.

Canada also has appointed a defence attaché for the Indo-Pacific region who has one of the highest military ranks.

Martel said the trade and navy ships are welcome but they miss a key point.

“That’s not the way that ASEAN countries approach security,” she said. “These countries all have a very strong tradition, in government and in their military, to look at security in what they call a comprehensive way.”

Southeast Asian leaders see security as linked to climate change, regime stability through economic growth, and the involvement of women in military and security issues, she said.

That includes leaders of authoritarian states who see regime stability as a matter not just of protecting borders but also of having enough economic development to prevent widespread protests.

“I worry that this is getting sidelined to refocus on the most immediate, strategic sectors like AI and food and energy, and supply chains,” Martel said.

“This narrow, trade-focused, short-termist perspective … has been creating some issues when it comes to moving the whole relationship forward in a more comprehensive way.”

Nadjibulla said Canada’s challenge is to ensure it has enough partnerships in Asia that touch on defence-industry co-operation, digital trade, mobility and education.

“We need to do a lot more in not just exporting more to the region or doing trade with the region — but also becoming part of the production and supply chains in the region,” she said.

Federal officials who briefed reporters ahead of Carney’s trip noted Canada is selling the region more than just raw supplies for food. It’s also selling technology that boosts the protein content of lentils or improves the quality of pork.

Canada’s work in Asia has gone beyond trade deals toward crafting mechanisms to resolve trade conflicts on specific goods.

That effort might be put to the test later this month, with the Philippines pondering a ban on many pork imports. Carney said Thursday in French that he was “fighting for this industry.”

Canada exported about $279 million in pork products to the Philippines in 2024.

This weekend’s ASEAN summit comes as numerous countries in the region cope with heavy smoke from Indonesian wildfires linked to climate change and palm-oil extraction.

It also comes at a time of rising geopolitical and economic competition between the United States and China. Nadjibulla said that competition has been a factor in most ASEAN summits in recent years, particularly as it affects semiconductors, critical minerals and tariffs.

“Canada wants to be there as an alternative, as a partner that is similar to Japan, Australia, and others who give more options to ASEAN, so that they’re not stuck between these two superpowers,” she said.

Carney is also pushing to get Pacific Rim countries to trade more with the European Union, and is positioning Canada a bridge between larger markets that want to preserve the rules-based trading system being undercut by American and Chinese coercion.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

A Penticton woman is pleading with the public to help look for her missing father.

“Check your cameras, check your sheds, just please keep eyes out everywhere,” said an emotional Carmen Gee.

The disappearance of 72-year-old Penticton resident Lawrence Jerry McAnulty, who goes by Jerry, is especially concerning as the senior has dementia.

“With him having dementia, so many possibilities are running through my mind and everyone else’s,” Gee said.

Gee, along with other family members, are now scouring Penticton’s downtown area, which McAnulty was known to frequent on foot.

They are putting up posters, talking to operators of businesses McAnulty frequently visited and asking people if they have seen the missing man.

Police say McAnulty was seen the morning of Oct. 23 on security video in the lobby of his apartment building, just a few blocks from downtown.

Gee says she got a text from her dad the next day but nothing since.

“I had gone a little bit of time without contacting, which was not abnormal,” she said. “We would always check in here and there.”

However, after a wellness check at his apartment earlier this week showed no sign of him, McAnulty was reported missing.

Searches for seniors with dementia are not that uncommon.

Officials with Central Okanagan Search and Rescue (COSAR) say they get called out 10 to 15 times a year and in some cases, people have been found a long distance away.

“We had one subject leave Cottonwoods and was found in McKinley Landing, almost 18 kilometres away, ” said Ed Henczel, COSAR’s search manager.  “They are just like toddlers when they want to get going; they can go pretty fast.”

Gee is appealing to people on the outskirts of the city to also keep their eyes and ears open.

She says she’s not ruling out her dad potentially heading north to Oyama in Lake Country or Vernon, where he has deep roots.

Henczel says regular check-ins and tracking devices are important, especially at this time of year when the weather turns cold.

“If you could, you know, put on an AirTag on a piece of clothing or something or buy grandpa an iPhone that you can track,” Henczel said.

In McNulty’s case, numerous requests to ping his cell phone’s location have been unsuccessful.

Penticton RCMP say McNaulty has white hair and beard.

His family says he may be wearing a blue toque.

RCMP are urging anyone who may know of his whereabouts to contact them.

Gee says any sightings or information can also be directly sent to her at 250-551-7551.

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

Warning: Some of the details in this story are disturbing. Discretion is advised.

Chilliwack RCMP says it is investigating a disturbing incident involving the alleged physical assault of a girl that was filmed and has been circulated on social media.

Officers said that on Nov. 8, they received a report of an alleged assault that happened that evening involving a group of youths and a female victim.

Limited information was available at the time, but on Nov. 13, police said they received additional reports after videos of the incident began circulating online.

The video shows a girl approached from behind, slapped, pushed and kicked before she drops to her knees and was repeatedly hit by multiple youths. The victim can be heard saying “I’m sorry” as she lies on the ground.

Police are investigating and working with the Chilliwack School District; however, there is no indication the incident happened as part of a school activity or during school hours.

A man who identified himself to Global News as the father of one of the aggressors in the video said he was disgusted when he initially saw the video.

“I just, I don’t know, I couldn’t, that poor girl, I mean she, you know, she was terrified,” he said.

Global News is not identifying the father as that could identify his child.

“She’s sitting there saying sorry and she didn’t do anything wrong as she’s getting abused by a bunch of kids, right? Like, just, it’s horrifying.”

RCMP said investigators are working to identify the youths involved and are aware that names and allegations are being shared on social media, but those cannot be relied upon as evidence.

“This video is disturbing and has understandably raised concerns within our community,” Cpl. Carmen Kiener, spokesperson for the Upper Fraser Valley Regional Detachment said in a news release.

“We need anyone with first-hand information, who was present during the incident, or who can help identify those involved to contact police.”

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Chilliwack RCMP at 604-792-4611 and reference file #2026-50066.

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

The Alberta government is introducing a new royalty payment program it says will encourage new oilsands investment and increase production as the province pushes for a new pipeline to the West Coast.

The Oilsands Growth Program would offer companies a guaranteed 10-year royalty schedule for eligible new projects and expansions, beginning with a two per cent royalty rate for the first five years.

The rate would then increase by one percentage point annually until reaching six per cent. After the 10-year period, projects would return to Alberta’s existing royalty framework.

“It’s likely to grow more investment,” said Richard Masson, a former chief executive of the Alberta Petroleum Marketing Commission who was also director of oilsands policy at Alberta Energy in the mid-1990s.

“What they’ve done is make it less onerous for companies in the early years of a new project. When companies have invested hundreds of millions — or billions — of dollars, they’re really keen to start to get their cash back early.”

“It makes a big deal if they can pay less royalties in that front part of the life of a project.”

Premier Danielle Smith said the program is intended to encourage new operations, spur growth in the oilsands and eventually increase production to help supply the proposed Pacific Link pipeline.

“If this allows for more projects, more new investment and incremental projects to happen, then overall the pie gets bigger,” Masson said.

“For Alberta and for the economy in Canada generally, it can be a good thing.”

The existing system has, for decades, resulted in a provincial budget tied to what many have dubbed the “resource revenue rollercoaster.”

Oil companies pay royalties to the owner of the natural resource. In Alberta, the provincial government holds the mineral rights to more than 80 per cent of the oilsands lands.

Under the existing system, royalty rates vary, depending on the benchmark price of oil and whether a company has recovered the capital invested in a project.

During the pre-payout phase, companies pay between one and nine per cent of gross revenue depending on the price of West Texas Intermediate. The maximum rate takes effect when WTI reaches US$120 per barrel.

As of Friday afternoon, WTI was trading at about US$88 per barrel.

The Oilsands Growth Program would instead guarantee eligible companies a two per cent royalty rate for the first five years before gradually increasing the rate to six per cent.

The existing royalty framework would apply once the 10-year period ends.

The program would be available to new projects and expansions, and the government has set a deadline at the end of 2029.

“Since the program’s deadline is set for the end of 2029, it will incentivize companies to make meaningful multi-billion-dollar investments in the oilsands and begin construction before that date,” Smith said.

So is Alberta setting itself up for another oil boom?

“I absolutely think things are heating up,” Masson said.

“Fundamentally, the world wants our oil. And that’s the biggest driver.”

Masson said instability in other major oil producing nations — Russia with its invasion of Ukraine and the wars in the Middle East — make those regions an unreliable source of energy, and businesses want predictability.

“Asia is where the growth is and they’re looking for diversification. So that’s a driver for all the investment that’s going to come. Governments have now aligned themselves around that.”

Masson predicts the royalty changes, combined with the federal government’s productivity mega deduction announced in September, will be a success.

“All those things are working in concert to say, ‘Canada is going to be one of the best places to invest for oil and gas development,’” Masson said.

“I think we’re going to have 10 years of very, very solid growth.”

Masson said the potential cost to the province is difficult to determine because the program would apply to incremental projects, some of which may not be built without the incentive.

He said oil prices in the coming years would also influence how much energy companies would have paid under the existing royalty system.

“We expect to see over $20 billion of oilsands royalties paid this year — which is just a huge number.

“So this incremental investment approach could be a good thing because it allows those companies to go to their boards of directors and say, ‘It makes sense for me to take some of the cash that I’m generating right now and reinvest it to grow.'”

The announcement comes days before a deadline involving the proposed West Coast pipeline, with the provincial and federal governments and an oilsands alliance working to reach an agreement on reducing oilsands emissions as production expands.

“The people are working on it, we will get to a good outcome and I’m confident we will in the next little while,” federal Energy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson said.

The Alberta government says the Oilsands Growth Program will not change existing regulatory requirements.

New projects would still be required to meet environmental and Indigenous consultation requirements before they could receive approval.

With files from Jack Farrell, The Canadian Press

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

CALGARY – Ben Major will serve as the referee for the Grey Cup on Sunday.

The Montreal Alouettes and Edmonton Elks will meet in the CFL championship game at McMahon Stadium.

Major will work his ninth Grey Cup.

His crew will consist of umpire Kyle Mikulik (first Grey Cup); down judge Andrew Wakefield (fourth Grey Cup); line judge Dan Mulvihill (second Grey Cup); side judge Pierre Laporte (third Grey Cup); back judge Iain Cropper (second Grey Cup); and field judge Jason Maggio (eighth Grey Cup).

The backup referee is Tim Kroeker (eighth Grey Cup). Ritchie Miller (seventh Grey Cup), Walt Hawrysh (third Grey Cup) and Chris Donaldson (first Grey Cup) are the backup officials.

The off-field officiating team will be replay official Dave Foxcroft, video official Andy Fantuz and supervisor, officiating Boris Velcic.

CFL ATTENDANCE DOWN: CFL attendance was down somewhat in 2026.

An average of 22,578 fans attended regular-season games this year, down 1.6 per cent from 2025 (22,942). But the Toronto Argonauts played three of their home games in Regina, Winnipeg and Hamilton due to the World Cup. But the B.C. Lions saw a boost of 13.9 per cent in their attendance even though they played twice at Kelowna, B.C.

Saskatchewan, Edmonton, and Montreal were all up at the turnstiles.

But during his state of the league address Friday, CFL commissioner Stewart Johnston said game-day revenues increased by two per cent, the fourth straight year of growth. He added TV viewership in the 18- to 24-year-old demographic was up 16 per cent.

SPREAD THE WEALTH: The CFL hasn’t established its salary cap for 2027 but with the Toronto Argonauts signing quarterback Chad Kelly to a five-year extension worth over $1 million annually, the expectation is it will rise.

Trouble is, when the cap does increase, a large portion tends to go to quarterbacks. CFL commissioner Stewart Johnston would like to see everyone benefit.

“It’s my belief a rising ocean should raise all boats,” Johnston said during his state of the league address. “That should affect all players in our game.

“That should affect all operations teams at the club level, that, of course, deliver for our owners and ultimately give us the ability to invest in our communities.”

The CFL’s minimum salary is $70,000 and Johnston said discussions on possibly increasing that have been held with the CFL Players’ Association

“The minimums are outlined in the current CBA and the CBA expires at the end of 2028,” Johnston said. “We’ve had good discussions with the leadership at the CFLPA.

“All of us are aligned to try and figure out a way, whether it’s before the expiry of the current CBA or moving forward to increase or impact the minimum salaries.”

NEW PLAYOFF FORMAT: The CFL will adopt a new playoff format next year that will feature three rounds and eight of its nine teams making the post-season.

The first- and second-place teams in each division will play each other in divisional showdowns. The winners earn a bye to the semifinals and home-field advantage.

The losers will drop to a second round and host an elimination game. Meanwhile, the fifth- and sixth-place teams will host the seventh- and eighth-place squads for play-in contests.

The winners will advance to the second round against the divisional showdown losers.

The second-round winners will advance to the Grey Cup semifinals. The victorious squads of those contests will meet in the Grey Cup on Nov. 7 in Regina.

While the new format can result in a longer path to the Grey Cup for the last four teams, CFLPA executive director David Mackie likes the setup.

“We’ve got members that are very excited about it and some members that are indifferent but everyone is looking forward to 2027,” Mackie said during the CFLPA’s state of the league address Friday. “Ultimately it’s another opportunity to win a Grey Cup.

“That’s ultimately why these guys play the game, to win that final game and be here at this week.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2026.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she’ll be making phone calls to cajole officials in her United Conservative Party who are pushing back on her attempts to quell separatist activism in the ranks.

“This isn’t about free speech or reducing free speech,” Smith told reporters at an unrelated news conference Friday.

“Any (UCP) member is allowed to think or say whatever they want.

“However, if they are in a spokesperson role for our party, then the job is to make sure that they’re reflecting the policies and principles of our party.”

Smith’s comment comes as some UCP officials have refused to sign a new code of conduct stating they’ll publicly respect the results of last month’s referendum. About 75 per cent of voters said they want Alberta to stay in Canada and not hold a second, binding vote on separating.

The CBC reported earlier this week that all 87 UCP constituency association presidents were asked by the party’s executive director to sign the code of conduct by the end of Friday.

But in a response letter, 15 presidents say they won’t be signing the pledge.

They say the board doesn’t have the power to make a demand that amounts to being punished for holding a position on a political issue. They say it’s a matter of free speech.

Smith, asked what she plans to do in response, said she’ll “give them a call.”

“I am gonna talk to them. Because I think people need to understand that this is really about what political parties are for: political parties are designed to win elections,” she said.

“You have to have a team approach, when you’re talking about speaking for the party.”

The code of conduct for constituency presidents isn’t the UCP’s first attempt to dispel committed separatists from its ranks since the Oct. 19 referendum.

The party also announced that those seeking a board position at its upcoming annual general meeting have to sign a pledge saying they’ll honour the referendum result or risk being disqualified as a candidate.

The UCP also stripped party membership from Jeff Rath, one of the province’s most well-recognized separatist activists.

Rath served as a lawyer for the group that collected about 300,000 signatures on a petition calling for a binding separation vote.

The man who spearheaded the petition, Mitch Sylvestre, is one of the 15 UCP constituency association presidents who signed the letter opposing the code of conduct.

Dave Prisco, a spokesperson for the UCP, said the party would be working respectfully with constituency leaders, when asked Friday for comment on the letter.

“We will respect and honour the referendum results, and a strong Alberta within a united Canada is our position. We expect anyone in a leadership role to uphold that,” Prisco said in an email.

“Our focus remains on the priorities of Albertans.”

© 2026 The Canadian Press

A man who admitted to assaulting a tourist on Vancouver’s seawall last year has received a 16-month conditional sentence to be served in the community, followed by 12 months of probation.

On Nov. 10, Peterhans Nungu, 35, pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily harm in the April 15, 2025 attack on a woman visiting from Toronto.

Earlier this year, counsel for Nungu argued his client should be found not criminally responsible due to a mental disorder.

According to an Agreed Statement of Facts read in provincial court in June, the complainant, who posted about the incident in a series of TikTok videos, was walking back from Stanley Park to her hotel along the Coal Harbour seawall shortly after midnight, when a stranger approached and tried speaking to her.

The unknown man was the accused, Peterhans Nungu, said prosecutor Tyler MacLean.

Court heard the complainant was not comfortable speaking with Nungu, and did not respond.

“Nungu took offence and started to follow (her),” MacLean told the court. “Nungu began berating (her) and calling her names like bitch and slut.”

The complainant kept walking away from Nungu, who approached her from behind and threw her down to the ground.

She got up and walked away from Nungu as fast as she could, court heard, but he kept following her and yelling at her.

When the complainant started running and tried to call 911, Nungu caught up with her, grabbed her again, and threw her phone to the sidewalk, “smashing it and rendering it inoperable.”

Nungu, MacLean told the court, then grabbed the woman and threw her back on the ground.

“While (she) was on the ground, Nungu punched her with closed fists multiple times in the head and the face,” according to the Agreed Statement of Facts. “(The complainant) was screaming for help while trying to push and kick Nungu away.”

The woman managed to get up and run a short distance towards her hotel, court heard, before Nungu caught up with her and threw her hard onto the ground.

“(She) fell…and hit her head on a concrete planter,” said MacLean.

The complainant briefly lost consciousness and awoke to Mr. Nungu “tearing at her clothes”.

Court heard she continued screaming and trying to fight off Nungu until bystanders intervened, pulling him off and holding him until police arrived.

Once arrested, police noted there was blood on Nungu’s clothing.

According to the Agreed Statement of Facts, the complainant was taken to hospital and treated for several “immediately visible” injuries – including a golf ball-sized bruise on her upper right forehead, a golf ball-sized bump on her left cheek, lacerations to her nose and eyebrow, and cuts on her hands.

In the days following the assault, the complainant’s eye had swollen shut, Crown told the court.

While in custody, court heard Nungu was seen talking gibberish for about four minutes before police entered the interview room.

Once police arrived, Nungu provided “a coherent statement and admitted to police that he assaulted (the complainant) in the manner she alleged,” according to the Agreed Statement of Facts.

Nungu has apologized for his actions on April 15, 2025 and said he’s doing much better.

“I’m very sorry,” Nungu told Global News outside court on June 16. “That will never happen again.”

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

CALGARY – Tyrell Ford and Tyson Philpot won’t have much down time after playing in the Grey Cup game Sunday.

Ford will be looking to give the Edmonton Elks their first CFL title since 2015 while Philpot and the Montreal Alouettes will chase their second championship since 2023.

But both were among 20 CFL players invited to Football Canada’s first-ever professional national flag team camp in Chula Vista, Calif., from Nov. 29 to Dec. 5. The gathering is to educate the pro players on the rules and nuances of flag football.

Canada’s men’s and women’s flag teams both qualified for 2028 Los Angeles Games last year. The women punched their ticket by winning the world championship in Germany while the men were third in their event.

The Canadian men’s team is coached by Paul LaPolice, a longtime CFL coach. Flag Football will make its Olympic debut in Los Angeles. Both the CFL and NFL will allow their players to participate in the Games.

“Our goal was simple _ give CFL players the opportunity to pursue their dreams of representing their country,” CFL commissioner Stewart Johnston said. “Thanks to the collaboration of our clubs and the CFLPA, that opportunity now exists.

“This is a meaningful step for our players and for the growth of the game in Canada.”

Ford and Philpot both have twin brothers playing in the CFL _ Jalen Philpot is a receiver with the Calgary Stampeders while Tre Ford is a quarterback with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Both Fords and Philpots were selected to the camp.

Ford, who had a CFL-high seven interceptions this season, was one of nine defensive backs selected. The others were: Alonzo Addae (Ottawa); Cristophe Beaulieu (B.C.); Malcolm Bell (Hamilton); Tevaughn Campbell (Saskatchewan); Jackson Findlay (B.C.); Adrian Greene (Calgary); Ashton Miller-Melancon (Calgary); and Stavros Katsantonis (Hamilton).

Joining the Philpots at receiver are: Nic Demski (Winnipeg); Samuel Emilus (Saskatchewan); Justin McInnis (B.C.); Kevin Mital (Toronto); Kian Schaffer-Baker (Saskatchewan); and Keelan White (Ottawa).

Tyson Philpot led the CFL in catches (124), yards (1,809) and was tied with teammate Tyler Snead for most TDs (13). Philpot set single-season records for receptions and yards by a Canuck in being named the league’s top Canadian.

Nathan Rourke of the B.C. Lions and Taylor Elgersma of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers were the other quarterbacks selected.

David Mackie, executive director of the CFL Players’ Association, said the union fully supports its players taking to the flag game.

“I think it’s a fantastic opportunity for our membership,” he said. “But the key word is opportunity, they still have to earn their spot on the roster.

“It’s going to provide tremendous visibility for those members, the stars of the game, but the league as well. To have CFL players on the world stage at the Olympics would just be amazing for both the players and league.”

The CFL and its nine member teams have agreed on the players being available for national team participation. They’ve also come to terms with the CFLPA regarding insurance coverage and health benefits for all participating players while attending camp.

“Those players will be protected,” Mackie said. “If they were to get hurt they’ll be taken care of as if it was a CFL injury.

“The clubs are willing to take that risk.”

The Los Angeles Games will be held during the CFL regular season but Johnston doesn’t believe the league will halt play during the Olympics.

“Right now, there is no plan to pause our season,” he said. “We think our league and our teams are strong enough to play through the Olympics.

“The Olympic teams, let’s face it, they’re not large teams (10 total players) so this won’t be a huge portion of our players. We think with creative scheduling of our bye weeks we can mitigate the impact of some of our stars potentially missing some games.”

Union president Solomon Elimimian said CFL players participating in the L.A. Games will continue to be paid by their pro clubs.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2026.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

TORONTO – Mike Babcock was in a familiar place — one he hadn’t been for quite some time.

Centre ice at Scotiabank Arena. Whistle at the ready. Barking orders to his players.

“Are we playing here, boys, or no?” the Edmonton Oilers head coach shouted during one drill.

Babcock certainly has his team playing well 20 games into the season as he looks to help a high-octane roster led by superstar captain Connor McDavid over its championship hump.

The decorated and controversial bench boss is also back in Toronto, a place where he enjoyed success with a young Maple Leafs group before ultimately getting fired two months into his fifth season.

“Well, I loved it,” Babcock said Friday with his skates still on, not far where he used to hold press conferences. “I worked with real good people. I enjoyed the heck out of my first three years here. Worked with good hockey men, and it was enjoyable. I didn’t enjoy my last year-and-a-half as much, but that’s the business.”

The Saskatoon product — a Stanley Cup champion with the Detroit Red Wings who also led Canada to consecutive Olympic gold medals — signed an earthmoving eight-year contract worth US$50-million to coach Toronto in 2015.

The club finished last in his first season as it looked to secure the right to select Auston Matthews with the No. 1 pick at the 2016 NHL draft. The Maple Leafs made the playoffs the next three springs under Babcock, but were unable to advance past the first round, including a pair of Game 7 losses to the Boston Bruins.

Toronto started his fifth campaign a scuffling 9-10-4 before Babcock was fired Nov. 20, 2019, and replaced by Sheldon Keefe.

“We went from a situation where we were able to draft Auston and then the team got better,” said the 63-year-old, who went 173-133-45 with the Maple Leafs. “We made the playoffs. We set a franchise record for points. We didn’t have enough success in the playoffs, but that’s often what happens with young teams.

“And in the end, they gave me a five-year holiday, which I really enjoyed.”

Following his dismissal, there were rumblings about how Babcock treated young players — namely Mitch Marner — in Toronto.

He returned in 2023 as head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets, but resigned before ever stepping behind the bench after allegations surfaced that he violated players’ privacy by asking to see pictures on their cellphones.

Babcock was at peace if that had signalled the end of his NHL run, but Edmonton’s leadership group that includes McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman met with him in the wake of last season’s first-round playoff exit to see if there was a fit in the Alberta capital.

Things are humming along thus far.

The Oilers sit first in the Pacific Division and third in the overall standings with a 14-3-3 mark heading into Saturday’s date with the slumping Maple Leafs (8-11-2), who picked up a 7-2 victory in Edmonton on Oct. 24.

“(Babcock’s) come in and set a standard here that we strive to meet every day,” said McDavid, who leads the league with an outrageous 49 points through 20 games. “When we don’t, we hear about it, and that’s what we want. He’s come in and been great, honestly.

“Seems to care for the people around him, which is obviously important.”

Hyman got his NHL start in Toronto under Babcock after four years in the U.S. college ranks and another in the American Hockey League.

“You always grow as a person,” the winger said of his former and current coach. “Our record speaks for itself in the hockey department, but on the personal side of things, he’s been phenomenal. Guys have really enjoyed being around him, getting to know him.

“He’s brought in new life to the locker room. It’s been very positive.”

On an eye-popping 20-game point streak to start the season, McDavid said the entire staff has offered a different vibe and dynamic.

“A lot of juice,” said the centre. “At times we were missing that a little bit last year … it rubs off on the players, too. Definitely a good feeling right now.”

One that Babcock shares as he gets another crack at hockey glory after sitting down with McDavid and Co.

“I’m very thankful for those guys to come to see me,” he said. “I didn’t know I was going to have this much fun doing it. It’s been great and lots of laughs and I’m enjoying the guys. We’ve got a really good leadership group. We’ve got fun people. We’ve got good pros.

“They have fun and I’m having fun.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2026.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

Manitoba’s premier says the province may need to spend far less than previously thought on new power plants.

Wab Kinew says the Manitoba Public Utilities Board has concluded that one natural gas-fired turbine is needed for now, at a cost of about $1 billion.

The Crown corporation Manitoba Hydro has maintained that three turbines, costing $3 billion, are needed to meet peak demands within a few years.

The utilities board submitted its findings in a report to the government earlier this week, following lengthy hearings over the summer.

Kinew says Manitoba Hydro hasn’t seen the report yet, and he didn’t say when the government would make it public.

He says the news is good for both the province’s finances and the environment.

© 2026 The Canadian Press