Since it first opened in 1967, Beacon Hill pool has been a summer staple in the West Island community of Beaconsfield, Que.

The pool has welcomed generations of families — but for some members with reduced mobility, access can be a challenge.

“There are times when you wake up and your back is locked up with sciatica, a hernia, whatever, and it’s a lot more difficult to move around,” said Gilles Chalifour, a Beaconsfield resident. “I’ve had seasons where I missed the whole summer because of back problems.”

Now, a new aquatic addition is a game changer for people with reduced mobility.

The pool has recently completed a series of accessibility upgrades, including ramps, adapted washrooms and a pool lift to support a safe swim experience for those living with functional limitations.

The nearly $100,000 in upgrades was made possible with a combination of federal funding and a helping hand from the City of Beaconsfield.

“This was really an exercise in, if you build it, they will come,” said Dave Whipps, Beacon Hill Pool president. “We had a few members say, ‘Why did we spend all this money and effort on ramps, washrooms, lift,’ and it’s because we have no members who are mobility-reduced.”

Beaconsfield Mayor Martin St-Jean says the move to widen access is all about removing barriers and fostering inclusivity.

“It’s a wonderful community-driven initiative that’s in line with what the city wants to do, which is to make facilities inclusive and accessible,” said St-Jean.

The upgrades may seem simple, but for those who need them, they make a world of difference.

“I hope that they take this concept and extend it to all the pools in Beaconsfield, in fact, all the pools in the West Island,” said Chalifour.

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

Dauphin, Man., residents needing health care are feeling anxious about access to medical help, as the Dauphin Regional Health Centre closed this month due to a flooded basement.

“It creates so much anxiety, and if you have a medical emergency or anything you need done, you have to go find a way and that costs more money, which people don’t have,” said Alex Lytwyn, a disability advocate.

The nearest hospitals are over a 30-minute drive away — the Ste. Rose General Hospital and Grandview Hospital.

Premier Wab Kinew said he heard it would take nine to 12 months to repair, but said that’s not good enough.

Kinew said the province will throw “a ton of resources” to get it moving.

Watch the video above for the full story.

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

There’s sunshine after the storm in Kananaskis, Alta., as the landscape recovers from recent flooding.

The storm system that caused most of the damage peaked on the 28th of June. It resulted in evacuations, basement flooding and a bridge collapse.

A local group, the Friends of Kananaskis Country, have been monitoring the condition of trails in the area.

The recent sunny weather has dried out the better-irrigated trails, but the group’s executive director, Trevor Julian, says others aren’t quite there yet.

“Trails in areas that are prone to wetness, you know, bottom of valleys or trails that erode, there’s certainly more damage to them because so much water in a 24-hour period when those rains came in” said Julian.

A number of backcountry campground, trails and day use areas are still closed. A full update of trail re-openings can be found on the Alberta Parks advisory page.

Boundary Ranch in Kananaskis had dug trenches to protect itself against the rainfall and laid land bridges so its staff could move around safely.

Almost two weeks after the storm, the ranch is back in perfect condition.

Its owner, Rick Guinn, says it comes down to being prepared.

“A lot of it is preventable. I tried to get some guys to do stuff up at the bridge, before it washed out, as I did in 2013,” Guinn said. “They just can’t move fast enough.”

Guinn also says water mitigation is needed for infrastructure.

“Everybody used Traco’s now, they can get around,” Guinn said. “And down here at the bridge there from the 2013 flood for about 10 miles up the creek, there’s all this deadfall from the last flood that’s all dried out, waiting to float down the river. As soon as you get high water, it all comes down and plugs up the bridge.”

Boundary Ranch made it through the recent flooding in one piece. Road closures cost them two days of business, but they are back and hitting the trails that have already dried up.

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

Plans have been announced to close and relocate a Fraser Valley industrial plant that was purchased by an American company two years ago.

Cam Tran manufactures and repairs transformers, with BC Hydro being one of its biggest customers.

The Arkansas firm Central Moloney Inc. says it is consolidating its Canadian operations, meaning the loss of 43 B.C. jobs by the end of August.

The B.C. government now says it’s considering its options ahead of a meeting next week between Central Moloney Inc. and BC Hydro’s CEO.

“We have to make sure we have secure access to the transformers, which are a critical part of our system, but they are also creating jobs in B.C. and so I am concerned for the workers and concerned about how they are being treated,” B.C. Energy Minister Adrian Dix said.

Although it is closing its Chilliwack plant, Cam Tran says it will continue to operate five other facilities across Canada.

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

With at least two more tornadoes touching down in Alberta this week, the total number of tornadoes in the province so far this year rises t0 23 — making it an “exceptionally busy” tornado season, according to Dave Sills, director of the Northern Tornadoes Project, based out of Western University in London, Ont.

Across the three prairie provinces there have been 48 tornadoes so far this year.

“The annual average, based on a 30-year data set, is 34,” said Sills. “So we’re well ahead of the annual average.”

The months of June, July and August are the most active period for tornadoes in western Canada.

Despite the tornado that ripped through Dillberry Lake Provincial Park earlier this week, leaving a trail of destroyed camping trailers and cabins, ripped up trees and other damage in its wake, Sills said that so far, Alberta’s tornadoes haven’t been any more severe than normal.

“We’ve had tornado strengths going from the default EF0, so didn’t hit anything, but we assume it’s at least 90 km/h, to an EF2. That’s fairly typical of what we see every year,” Sills added.

“In Manitoba and Saskatchewan there have been two EF3 tornadoes, and that is a bit rare to have two tornadoes that are EF 3 in one season — and we’re only halfway through the season. Hopefully we won’t see more of those. When you get to EF3, you’re talking about houses being destroyed.”

Environment Canada uses the Enhanced Fujita Scale to measure the wind damage from a tornado.

It ranges from an EF0, with a wind speed between 90 and 130 km/h to an EF5 with a wind speed of 315 kilometres or more per hour.

Environment Canada meteorologist, Brian Proctor, told Global News that the reasons why there have been so many tornadoes this year are “a perfect concoction of ingredients.”

“If we think about the kind of spring we’ve had in this early part of summer across the southern part of the prairies, it has been really unsettled, is probably the best way to word it,” Proctor said.

In order for tornadoes to form, Proctor said four things need to happen.

“We need moisture, which we’ve got in abundance this year. We need instability, which we’ve had with the daytime heating across much of the prairies at times. We need wind shear aloft in the atmosphere, which has been really the controlling factor this year more than anything else. And we need a trigger – that could often be a little jet (stream) coming across Alberta, aloft in the atmosphere,” Proctor explained.

“So if we think often what we’ve had for much of this summer so far, we’ve have southeasterly winds at the surface and west to northwest winds a lot. So that rotation of the wind  as it goes up in the atmosphere supports rotating supercell thunderstorms. And with rotating super cell thunderstorms, that’s what we need to generate supercell tornadoes. And we’ve (had) that in abundance this year.”

Conversely, while Alberta has had more tornadoes than normal, we’ve also had fewer “big hail events” than normal, said Proctor.

He expects the rest of July to continue to be unsettled, and “potentially problematic.”

“And the other thing to remember in Alberta is our summer season usually starts a little bit later than it does in southern Manitoba and southeastern Saskatchewan and extends a little further into the growing season,” Proctor added.

“So while they’re sort of turning things off by early August, we often don’t turn things off to the middle of August, even maybe a little later.”

Proctor recommends people who live in tornado country should keep an eye to the sky — look for those big “cauliflower-like” clouds that are indicative of a very strong updraft and are what “typically cause the most dangerous situations.”

“Unless there’s a big change in the weather pattern, which I haven’t really seen in the long-term forecasts, I think we’re going to be expecting more tornadoes,” agrees Sills.

“So people better be tuned in, you know, to the weather and be watching for those Environment Canada alerts, the watches and warnings.”

And if you do hear a warning, take cover.

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

Despite wrangled-in noise exemption rules and concert curfews, complaints to the City of Calgary about the sound from Stampede-adjacent music tents are up so far this year.

According to the city, there were 186 noise-related complaints as of Thursday morning, up from 124 recorded over the same time period during last year’s Calgary Stampede.

Of those complaints, 124 were related to the Cowboys Music Festival, a total of 37 came from Badlands Music Festival, six from Whiskey Rose, and one from National Saloon, the city said. Eighteen complaints were related to other events in the city.

The increase in complaints came as a surprise to Michael Dettner-Owens, who lives near the Cowboys Music Festival. He told Global News this year has been “much, much better,” compared to last year’s “10 night nightmare.”

“Maybe the sound has been directed in a different direction,” he said. “That has surprised me quite a bit, but I also think it reflects the community and the neighbourhood because we’ve had enough. Last year was just collective suffering.”

According to the City of Calgary, peace officers are monitoring noise levels throughout the week and  conducting noise measurements from nearby residential areas to assess compliance noise exemption permit rules.

So far, just one ticket was issued to event organizers at Badlands Music Festival tent, but city officials rescinded it after a review.

“We are encouraged by the reduction in decibel levels over the past three nights; however, bass levels remain a challenge,” said Ryan Pleckaitis, the city’s Community Standards chief, in a statement.

“We will be monitoring this venue closely with the goal of achieving compliance through working with operators or through enforcement, if necessary.”

There was a noisy back and forth leading up to this year’s Calgary Stampede between festival organizers and the city’s mayor over noise exemption permits, which also saw Premier Danielle Smith and Conservative Party of Canada leader Pierre Poilievre roped in.

Those noise exemption rules allow a maximum of 75 dba prior to midnight, the same as last year’s levels, while maximum bass levels were reduced to 82 dbc.

All live concerts must also end at midnight, including on weekends, with outdoor speaker music allowed for a period following the concerts, according to the noise exception permits.

“The midnight cutoff has worked really well,” said Dettner-Owens. “We can actually go to bed at midnight or a little earlier.”

The noise exemption rules do not apply to any events on the Stampede grounds.

Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas told Global News on Friday that he’s heard “anecdotally” that there’s been improvement so far this year “when it comes to noise issues after midnight.”

“The Stampede is always going to be lively, it’s always going to be a little bit noisy for these 10 days,” Farkas said. “But focusing the entertainment to happen during the day and up to midnight, I think is the way we’ve been able to strike the right balance.”

The City of Calgary is unable to break down how many individuals are behind the complaints so far, but noted a comprehensive summary of the noise complaints will be released after the 10-day event as part of a review.

The next update on noise complaints is expected Sunday.

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

No Zach. No problem.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers won a second straight game without starting quarterback Zach Collaros as they picked up a 30-21 victory over the Toronto Argonauts on Friday at Princess Auto Stadium.

Making his first start with the Bombers since 2023, quarterback Dru Brown completed all but six of his passes in throwing for 339 yards, while Trey Vaval had a club record 129-yard missed field goal return touchdown and the Bombers won their second game in a row.

It was the Bombers first win on home field this season as they avoided their first three-game home losing streak since 2016.

Collaros missed the game with a neck injury after getting knocked out in the second quarter last week. Brown was recently acquired in a trade with the Ottawa RedBlacks after losing his starting job.

“It feels good,” said Brown. “I’m happy to be somewhere that I really enjoy and that my family loves, with guys that believe in me. It’s hard to kinda put it into words but I’m glad I could do my part tonight in executing the plan.”

Brown completed 25 of his 31 passes with one touchdown and one interception.

“I think he made it look easier than it really is,” said Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea. “He works his ass off. This isn’t luck. This isn’t, oh he’s been in the system. This is a guy who puts in a tremendous amount of time.”

Ontaria Wilson was their leading receiver after making 10 catches for 133 yards but also had a costly fumble. The Bombers had three turnovers in all.

It was the first time this season the Argos were held to under 30 points as Chad Kelly passed for 320 yards for Toronto.

“The back end played amazing,” said Willie Jefferson. “We let them score a couple times, miscommunication in the back end, which happens, especially with the loud crowd and things like that. But like I said, we are going to be better. We can do better.

“The defensive back end played a really good game. The linebackers closed on the check downs and things like that. The defensive line was getting after him.”

The Bombers were technically the road team after the Argos lost use of their stadium for the World Cup.

Tim White scored a first quarter touchdown for Winnipeg as they jumped out to a 13-0 lead.

Toronto’s Samuel Hicks and Tyler Kahmann scored the next two touchdowns as the Argos made it a one score game late in the third quarter.

Vaval fumbled a punt in the fourth quarter but immediately made up for his mistake by returning a missed field goal for a touchdown to give the Bombers a two TD lead.

Makai Polk had a 15-yard touchdown right before the three-minute warning to get within eight points. But a single point on a Bombers missed field goal was enough to secure the win for the blue and gold.

With 82 yards receiving, Nic Demski passed Perry Tuttle for sixth place on the Bombers all-time receiving list.

The Bombers improved to 3-2 and will now hit the road to the face the Ottawa RedBlacks next Sunday.

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

For Josef Buttigieg, owning and running a farm was not something he had planned for himself.

But, as he tells his story, he emphasizes that life works in unexpected ways.

Back in 2017, the University of Regina biology professor was setting foot in Saskatchewan to pursue his teaching job. Born in raised in Toronto, Buttigieg wanted a temporary escape from the fast-paced, busy city life.

He and his family found themselves in Lumsden, Sask., to explore making an investment.

“The farm was supposed to be an acreage,” says Buttigieg. “How some people have cottages, I wanted to have a farm because you can do much more with a farm than you can do with a lakeside acreage.”

The idea started small with just a few animals here and there. Holding a PhD in neurophysiology from Hamilton, Ont.’s McMaster University, the professor was getting a taste of the slow-paced life he was looking for.

But what was meant to be a temporary escape quickly became not so temporary anymore.

“Some people got wind that I had a farm said, ‘Hey can you raise some chickens?'” says Buttigieg. “One thing led to another.”

After securing the farm land in 2017, a year later Buttigieg opened the farm for people to come and do tours, starting with his daughter’s friends. He says the concept of doing the tours themselves was completely unplanned, like much of Buttigieg’s farm journey.

“I thought, ‘We’ll just do this for fun. Some gas money-slash-beer money on the side, this will be great,'” he explains. “They had fun and they told their friends. All of a sudden we got people knocking on the door saying, ‘Hey, can we come take a look at the place?'”

Buttigieg wasn’t sure if there was a market for farm tours. However, after seeing pools of positive feedback from the public after starting the tours, he quickly realized he was mistaken.

“All of a sudden we had people banging down the door for that,” he says.

Now, the farm has hundreds of people coming weekly for tours and over 300 animals including sheep, birds, rabbits, alpacas and dogs, just to name a few. The farm offers goods, petting zoo, hayrides, events and parties and more, all listed on their website.

Buttigieg also stresses the importance of accessibility and affordability on his farm. He ensures that they price their goods ethically and activities like the hay ride are wheelchair-friendly.

He says raising his children on the farm life is far from what he had grown up on, but hopes his children sustain an open, hard-working mind as they grow on the farm.

More information on what the farm has to offer can be found on Fenek Farm’s website and Buttigieg asks that for those planning a visit, come with an open mind.

“You never know what you’re going to find when you come out to the farm. You might see a baby being born, there might be a swarm running or you might see sheep running loose and dogs being worked,” says Buttigieg.

Sania Ali has more details in the video above.

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

A B.C. woman is calling on the federal government to stop funding the home of the federal opposition leader.

Carol Burman wants to put an end to the  75-year-old perk, so she’s launched a Commons petition calling on the government to stop funding Stornoway.

This is where the leader of the official Opposition lives.

“Currently in the G7, no other country provides funding or housing for the leader of the Opposition,” Burman told Global News.

 

The 9,500 square-foot, 19-room mansion was built in 1914, bought by a trust to house the Opposition leader in the 1950s, and sold to the federal government in the 70s.

Preston Manning initially refused to move in when he first became leader of the Opposition, calling it too extravagant, but politicians of all stripes, from Stephen Harper and Stephane Dion to Thomas Mulcair and now Pierre Poilievre, have called it home this century.

“I think we should maintain it as part of our heritage of Canada, as part of our democracy and I’m happy to see Pierre Poilievre living in Stornoway,” Scott Heatherington, president of the Rockcliffe Park Residents Association, said.

But it comes at a cost. A 2021 report found the average annual operating and maintenance costs for Stornoway were nearly $80,000 and it needed an investment of $1.25 million over a decade to address deferred maintenance.

Green Party leader Elizabeth May is sponsoring the online petition.

“I don’t think there’s any doubt that a citizen in Victoria — I’m proud to call her a constituent — Carol Burman, has sparked a national conversation,” May said.

It comes as plans to restore the prime minister’s official residence at 24 Sussex Dr. move ahead and a fundraising campaign is under way to raise $50 million to carry out the work.

Poilievre previously stated he is not impressed with that plan.

“I just think the last thing on our minds should be 24 Sussex Dr.,” he said.

But as Berman’s petition gains momentum, she says her quest is about prudence, not politics.

“The petition is asking that Canadian taxpayers no longer fund Stornoway, regardless of the occupant,” she said.

Once the petition is presented to parliament in the fall, the government will have 45 days to respond.

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

Canada’s Snowbirds will take to the skies over Moose Jaw, Sask., on Saturday for the Tutor jet’s final hometown performance before the fleet is retired from service.

In May, federal Defence Minister David McGuinty announced the aerial performers’ CT-114 Tutor jets are being replaced with CT-157 Siskin II, and the fleet is being temporarily grounded after this summer for the new planes’ procurement.

“This season is, quite frankly, pretty special. The best analogy I can find is watching your children go to university. One part of you is sad to see them leave, just like we’re going to be sad to see the Tutor leave,” said Lt.-Col. Guillaume Paquet, commanding officer of the Canadian Forces Snowbirds.

“The positive side is we’re going to get new airplanes.”

Paquet said being able to give back to the Moose Jaw community, who have supported the Snowbirds for 55 years, “is a privilege.”

Dan Dempsey was the commanding officer of the squadron in 1989 and 1990. He was a Snowbird in 1979 and 1980.

“The legacy of the Snowbirds is what they provide to the country (as) an inspiration and pride,” said Dempsey, who described the squad as “unifiers.”

“Nobody flies the Canadian flag better than the Snowbirds or, most importantly, to as many locations as the Snowbirds. And if we lose the Snowbirds, we lose the capacity to influence young boys and girls at a young age.”

He said he believes the Tutor jets are repairable, or at least can make it until the early 2030s, when Ottawa estimates the new aircraft will be ready for takeoff.

Former Moose Jaw mayor, and president of the city’s flying club, Roger Blager told Global News he’s optimistic for the Snowbirds’ future, even if the decision to ground them felt sudden.

“To have the final thing come down as quickly as it did, it was a shock,” Blager said, adding he’d heard rumblings in the community before the May announcement.

“There was some discussion that precipitated the actual announcement with McGuinty (having his) feet on the ground and making it official, but there was speculation that this would happen,” Blager said.

“People were thinking it was misinformation, but sure enough, it proved to be true. And this will have an impact on the community.”

Seeing the Snowbirds up above evokes feelings of national pride, he said.

“I don’t think I know anybody, whether that’s in private or military aviation, in Canada that the Snowbirds weren’t some kind of influence,” he said, describing the performers as “very important and inspirational” for Moose Jaw residents.

“I have absolute faith that they will come back, but most people around here don’t. There’s a lot of skepticism.”

The Snowbirds’ first performance in Moose Jaw was July 11, 1971. The team has been based at 15 Wing Moose Jaw ever since.

At the news conference announcing the temporary performance pause, McGuinty said the team will remain at that base when the new planes arrive in the early 2030s.

“The announcement came out and it was a little shocking for us here in Moose Jaw,” Melissa Maclean, a Moose Jaw resident and member of the Keep Them Flying movement, said. Her grandfather was also a pilot at the base at 15 Wing Moose Jaw, where she met with Global News.

Keep Them Flying is a campaign created by locals to keep the Snowbirds flying during the transition period between aircraft. The group is calling on concerned citizens to send a postcard or email to Prime Minister Mark Carney.

Maclean said the original plan was to distribute the postcards in the community, but as the word spread, more Canadians wanted to help.

More than 25,000 postcards have been distributed so far, she said.

“It’s just one of those things. When people see the Snowbirds, they think Canada. And across Canada that’s always been the way it is,” Maclean said, comparing the Royal Canadian Air Force performers to other iconic Canadian symbols – including maple syrup, beavers and poutine.

“Whether it’s an airshow or it’s a fly-past, when people look up, they see them. They’re easily recognizable. Not just in Canada, but around the world, and there’s an attachment to that. People get excited when they see (the Snowbirds).”

Tickets for the Tutor jets’ final hometown show in Moose Jaw sold out within minutes. The Snowbirds will complete their scheduled performances this summer before the aircraft are officially grounded.

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