WINNIPEG – Brady Oliveira doesn’t lack confidence, but even the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ star running back needed a moment to let the feeling sink in.

After all, few would have predicted the Bombers, with losses in three of their last four games, could defeat a Montreal Alouettes club at the top of the CFL standings and riding a seven-game win streak.

Winnipeg, backed by a total team effort, stunned the Alouettes 44-28 in front of a sold-out crowd at Princess Auto Stadium Friday night.

“We needed that one, man,” Oliveira said. “We’ve had some really tight games, games that haven’t gone our way. That’s going to be every team, but I just feel like we’ve been on the short end of it a little bit this year.”

With five losses through 10 games, including four at home, many were doubting the Bombers as legitimate Grey Cup contenders. Oliveira said a victory over the league’s hottest team should help build momentum for their upcoming back-to-back games with the rival Saskatchewan Roughriders.

“I would say it was our most complete game of the year,” Oliveira added. “We learned from the mistakes last week and throughout this entire season. Just proud of the guys.”

With the victory, the Bombers improved to 6-5. The win also keeps Winnipeg in a hotly contested West Division playoff race, now in third place ahead of the B.C. Lions (5-5) and just behind the second-place Saskatchewan Roughriders (6-4).

The Alouettes dropped to 9-2 but still have a healthy lead atop the East, four games up on the second-place Toronto Argonauts (5-5).

“We don’t call games losses; it’s a learning opportunity for us,” Alouettes head coach Jason Maas said. “It will be a hard ride home, we’ll all take it to heart.”

Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros made his third consecutive start since returning from a neck injury, finishing 26-for-32 passing for 324 yards and two touchdowns.

The Bombers recorded 447 net yards of offence, with Ontaria Wilson adding two receiving touchdowns to go with a pair of rushing majors from Bryce Perkins and one from Oliveira. Sergio Castillo rounded out the scoring with three field goals, hitting from 51, 43 and 20 yards.

Wilson led all receivers with 114 yards on nine receptions. Oliveira rushed 13 times for 84 yards.

Montreal quarterback Davis Alexander threw for 257 yards on 20-for-31 passing, along with three touchdowns to Tyler Snead and one to Tyson Philpot. It was Alexander’s first regular-season start against Winnipeg and just the second loss of his career (21-2).

Alexander, who briefly left the game with a lower-body injury, was not made available for interviews after the game.

“You respect every team and Winnipeg is a known team, especially the last few years,” Snead said. “You know what you’re going to get from them — they’re going to play fast, they’re going to play physical, and they’re going to be disciplined. They did all three of those things tonight.”

Montreal’s offence totalled a season-low 284 net yards and lost the turnover battle 3-1. Running back Travis Theis, who was averaging more than 100 rushing yards in the last six games and had a touchdown in seven of his last eight, was kept out of the end zone and limited to 31 yards on eight carries.

Like seasoned boxers, the two sides went punch for punch, with five touchdowns — totalling 35 points — in the first 20 minutes. The Bombers finished with five touchdowns, the Alouettes four.

“There are always things to correct, but we should enjoy this one tonight,” Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea said. “I do think we’ve got to keep going. You’ve got to have more. The other thing is if you’ve been listening, I’ve been saying that we’re close. We’re getting closer and closer and it’s down to the more finite details. And I think that tonight, the guys were pretty damn good.”

The Bombers held a slim 24-21 lead at halftime, but started to pull away as the second half wore on.

Winnipeg’s special teams forced a critical turnover to open the second half, blocking a punt deep in Montreal’s end. The next play, Perkins punched in his second TD to put the Bombers up 31-21.

“Huge,” Collaros said of the punt block. “Our special teams has been great all season long. Any time you can have a momentum swing like that, is massive.”

Another fumble recovery by Winnipeg set up a Castillo 43-yard field goal that put the Bombers up 34-21 through three quarters. He added a 20-yarder early in the fourth to increase the lead to 16 points.

Wilson’s second touchdown made it 44-21, with Snead adding his third score with just more than two minutes remaining.

UP NEXT

Alouettes: Host the B.C. Lions on Friday, Sept. 4.

Blue Bombers: Visit the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Sunday, Sept. 6.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 28, 2026.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

There was one offence that was dominant on Friday night in Winnipeg, and it wasn’t the league’s top-ranked unit from Montreal.

Instead, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers offence had its best game of the season, leading the Blue and Gold to a 44-28 win in front of a sold-out crowd at Princess Auto Stadium.

Coming into Friday, the Bombers averaged 345 yards per game, the third-lowest total in the league while the Alouettes 454.3 yards per game was the highest in the CFL.

But it was the Winnipeg offence looking unstoppable, picking up 450 yards, while the Winnipeg defence held the Alouettes to 284 yards, despite a four-touchdown performance from Alouettes QB Davis Alexander.

“We played some good football for an extended period of time,” said Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea. “I do think we got to keep going. It’s no good to have one. You gotta have more but they’ll certainly enjoy this one tonight.

“If you’ve been listening, I’ve been saying we’re close. We’re getting closer and getting closer and it’s down to the more finite details, you know. And I think that tonight the guys were pretty damn good.”

Bombers QB Zach Collaros turned back the clock after what’s been an up-and-down season for him, throwing for 324 yards and two touchdowns with receiver Ontaria Wilson catching both of those and recording 114 yards in helping end the Alouettes seven-game win streak.

“I thought we did a good job running the football, throwing the football,” said Collaros. “The receivers did a great job blocking on the edge. Montreal does a good job. They try to make you dunk it down, check it down.

“We did that pretty well tonight and I thought the receivers, credit to them for blocking on the edge cause they were giving us looks for it and obviously I think Tim (White) had quite a few yards on them but Tommy (Nield), and Nic (Demski), and Pokey (Wilson) out there blocking for those things to make those plays good.”

The Bombers only had to punt the ball twice the entire game. Oliveira also had another effective night, rushing for 106 yards on 16 carries.

It was just the second time this season the Alouettes were held to under 30 points, and it was a statement win for the Bombers after losing three of their last four.

“This is exactly what I envisioned from the off-season when we made all the signings,” said running back Brady Oliveira. “I felt like this is what we’ve always been capable of and unfortunately we just haven’t shown enough of it this season, but we showed it tonight and this is something we can build off of.”

The win moves the Bombers to 6-5 and into a tie with the Saskatchewan Roughriders for second place in the CFL’s West Division, while the Alouettes dropped to 9-2.

The teams went blow-for-blow in the first half with only three combined punts and more than 400 yards of offence combined.

Both teams picked up touchdowns in the first quarter, a one-yard sneak for Bombers QB Bryce Perkins on the game’s first possession, and a 13-yard touchdown catch from the CFL’s leading receiver Tyson Philpot.

The teams then doubled their touchdown totals in the second quarter with Oliveira and Wilson finding the endzone for Winnipeg and Tyler Snead catching two majors for the Als.

A Sergio Castillo 51-yard field goal was the only non-touchdown scoring play, and the Bombers led by three at the half, but it could have been more had Bombers receiver Tommy Nield not fumbled at the one-yard line in the last minute of the half.

The Bombers special teams came up clutch early in the third quarter as Tanner Cadwallader blocked a punt and it was recovered at the Montreal one-yard line. Perkins would punch in his second touchdown of the game a few plays later to put the Bombers up by 10.

Two Castillo field-goals gave the Bombers a 16-point lead for the second straight week, but unlike last week’s loss in Edmonton, Winnipeg wouldn’t relinquish it this time as Wilson added his second touchdown grab in the fourth quarter.

Snead would add this third receiving touchdown of the game in garbage time to make the final score a little more respectable.

Willie Jefferson became just the third player in CFL history to record 100 career pass knockdowns.

Bombers defensive back Deatrick Nichols missed the game with an ankle injury after being a game-time decision.

The Bombers next game goes in Regina next Sunday where they’ll take on the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Labour Day Classic.

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

A Brampton man found guilty of discharging a firearm while subject to three separate weapons prohibition orders in a deadly Moss Park shooting has been sentenced to 10 years, nine months in prison.

On May 22, Nathan Bell was acquitted of first-degree murder following a six-week jury trial.

The jury also found him not guilty of two counts of attempted murder and not guilty of a third count of attempted murder, but guilty of the lesser offence of discharging a firearm with intent to wound.

Bell subsequently pleaded guilty to three counts of violating weapons prohibition orders at his sentencing hearing.

In the early morning hours of Sept. 16, 2023, Bell, accompanied by his friend Richard Baker, travelled by Uber from Brampton to the area of Sherbourne and Dundas streets in Toronto. Once there, they were joined by Baker’s brother.

The three men then moved toward a bus stop where a group of people were gathered following a social event in a nearby park. Their socializing continued until 2:45 a.m., when gun violence erupted.

At trial, Bell testified that he was there to inquire whether anyone in the group of strangers at the bus stop could sell him marijuana. No one present testified to hearing Bell make such an inquiry.

“Exactly what preceded the violent altercation, and precipitated it, is not clear, but evidence suggests that there was an antagonistic verbal exchange,” Justice Philip Campbell wrote in his judgment, “about property or robbery or both.”

During the exchange, a man named Omer Gedo stood up and walked with a side-to-side “waddling gait” toward the three new arrivals. “There is evidence that he had an elongated object in his hand, and he would later be discovered to have a hatchet or small axe in the front pocket of the hoodie he was wearing,” Campbell wrote.

Baker and Gedo drew close to each other at a fence on the east side of the sidewalk. Moments later, gunfire erupted, sending people who had been gathered around the bus stop scattering. Video surveillance shown at trial captured the shooting over about 34 seconds.

Four people were shot, including Gedo, who was shot five times, two bystanders and a man named Kyle Provo, who was fatally wounded. Provo, 33, was shot once in the back of the head as he ran southward.

Bell, Baker and Baker’s brother fled.

Bell and Baker were arrested a week after the shooting. Each man was charged with first-degree murder in Provo’s death and three counts of attempted murder in the shootings of Gedo and the two other men.

Bell testified that he perceived Gedo as a serious threat to Baker when he witnessed a physical struggle between the two men and heard gunshots, which he believed had come from Gedo. Bell said he fired in self-defence.

Campbell called the shooting “a bloodbath” amid the “gunfire and the bedlam,” saying that, without direct insight into the jury’s reasoning, it was likely the jury rejected Bell’s claim of self-defence. The judge said it was more likely jurors concluded Bell shot Gedo with intent to wound him and doubted he formed the subjective intent to kill.

In handing down the sentence, Campbell noted that gun violence must be deterred, particularly in a case involving Bell, whose criminal history includes firearms and other weapons offences, robberies and assaults.

In 2017, Bell received a penitentiary sentence of 35 months, after receiving 31 months of credit for pretrial custody, for manslaughter. Campbell noted that at the time of the shooting, Bell had a criminal record that included 43 offences dating back to 2005.

“This late-night public shooting, in a crowded setting, by a man who carries an illegal firearm as a matter of routine, in defiance of the law and court orders, requires a stern sentence, at the upper bound of the appropriate range,” Campbell said.

After enhanced credit for time spent in pretrial custody, Bell has roughly six years and five months left to serve. He was also given a lifetime weapons prohibition order.

In his allocution, Campbell noted that Bell expressed remorse for the harm caused to the four victims of the bus stop shooting.

“Most pointedly, Mr. Bell said he knew he would ‘have to let the guns go’ and vowed that there would be ‘no more guns for me.’ It definitely is not worth it,” Campbell said.

Campbell told court that Bell, now 40, has a mother and sister who love him, extended family, a winning personality and an agile intelligence.

“He can be assisted in overcoming his history if he will accept help, though this is up to him and, at present, a matter of uncertainty. I would not want my reasons to be understood as sending Mr. Bell to prison with a judicial stamp of incorrigibility on him. There are enigmatic aspects to his history and character, and I find myself genuinely wondering what his future may hold,” Campbell said before Bell was led from the courtroom to begin serving his sentence.

A trial for Baker, Bell’s co-accused, is scheduled for next year.

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

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

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

The number of Canadian citizens and permanent residents unaccounted for since the Nepal flash flooding has risen to 32, including Coquitlam couple Sumit and Shubakshi Rawla.

Their daughter says they were on a guided pilgrimage in the region and haven’t been heard from since the morning of Aug. 26.

“We’ve been so worried,” Kenisha Rawla told Global News.

“Me and my sister personally have made over 200 phone calls to our parents just hoping that even for a moment if they get a second of signal they can contact us.”

The foreign affairs minister is urging caution as the search continues.

“Those 32 Canadians are unaccounted for but no Canadian deaths have been confirmed,” Anita Anand said on Friday.

The Rawlas were travelling with Port Moody residents Dhaval and Megha Shah, who also remain unaccounted for.

“They were somewhere in that location and the company lost contact with anybody at around 8:30 that morning,” Nikita Shah, relative of Megha and Dhaval Shah said on Thursday.

“So we don’t know where they have been since then.”

Thousands are still missing after the tragedy and at least 579 people are confirmed dead.

The scale of the destruction is visible at one Nepal’s main border crossings into China, where the area is buried in mud and debris.

“Further north, some of the communities are completely cut out,” Tamara Demuria, Corus International Chief Humanitarian Officer, said.

“We cant even get there to assess what’s left. The damage is way more severe.”

Ottawa is providing $5 million in humanitarian aid and sending five consular officials to Nepal.

But some want Canada to go further.

“We really want to really push the Canadian government to help by sending rescue teams because we know there’s so many Canadians there too, aside from our parents, and their families must be worried sick like we are,” Rawla said.

For families still waiting, there’s little to do but search for information and find strength in each other.

“Community support, emotional support, are what one should seek at times like this,” Gaurav Subedi with the Nepal Cultural Society of B.C. said.

“But miracles do happen.”

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

As Vancouver businesses continue to close during construction of the Broadway Subway Line, Canada’s housing minister, a former provincial NDP MLA who previously demanded the B.C. government compensate businesses affected by Canada Line work, says he will look into the issue.

Fable Diner and SportChek are just two of the most recent businesses to shutter along Broadway near Main Street.

The local business improvement association has been pleading for financial support, including low-interest loans or tax breaks, but so far, the B.C. government refuses to budge on its ‘no compensation’ policy.

In 2007, as an opposition NDP MLA, Gregor Robertson demanded the BC Liberals provide compensation for Cambie businesses impacted by Canada line construction.

“First and foremost, we’ve seen with major infrastructure projects going back to the Canada Line, when I was the MLA in Vancouver Fairview, having a lot of impact on local businesses, the construction destruction can have real consequences and it certainly did back then,” Gregor Robertson said.

“I’ll certainly look into what has happened in terms of the impacts on the ground and flag that with my fellow, our colleagues MP (Taleeb) Noormohamed in Vancouver Granville, where most of the activity is taking place. We want to be sure small businesses can get through construction when it’s disruptive like that.”

The federal government provides funding to business improvement associations in Toronto to support businesses affected by transit construction — by funding FedDev Ontario.

Robertson says he’ll look into whether b-c businesses could receive similar support through Pacific Economic Development Canada.

Neil Wyles, executive director of the Mount Pleasant Business Improvement Association, said small business owners are resilient and innovative, but after six years of construction and closures, it is unclear how much more they can take.

Wyles said business owners are not asking for a handout from the provincial government; they are asking for a hand-up, which could come in the form of programs, low-interest or no-interest loans, or a tax break.

“Something just to help them get to the other side of this,” he added.

“Our government just has their heads buried in the sand.”

The B.C. government has always held fast to the decision that there will be no compensation for small business owners affected by the Broadway Subway construction.

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

A Summerland, B.C., thrift store will permanently close its doors in December, after two difficult years in business and a summer tourism season disrupted by the Bald Range wildfire.

Owner Jules Zest says she was already considering closing Twisted Whiskers Café and Thrift Store before the fire, but the challenges of this summer helped make the decision easier.

“It was on the burner already. I was already thinking I needed to close,” Zest said.

Zest opened the store hoping to create a space where people could shop, socialize and make art.

“I really wanted this place where people could come and hang out and have friends and do art,” she said.

But keeping a small business going has been difficult. Zest says the summer season is particularly important because strong sales can help businesses get through the rest of the year.

“The summertime supports the rest of the year. If you don’t make money during the summer, you might not survive,” she said.

The wildfire came during that crucial period. Zest says she worried about her business while she was evacuated and expected people to return to Summerland once the immediate danger had passed.

“During the fires, everyone was saying how they will come and support Summerland. Now that the fires are over, no one is here,” she said.

Zest says many of her customers have traditionally come from outside the community, making tourism particularly important to her business.

“When I asked customers who shopped here over the last two years, it was almost always people not from Summerland,” she said.

Brett Ziegler, a volunteer at Twisted Whiskers and member of the Penticton and Wine Country Chamber of Commerce, says the store is not an isolated example.

“I have seen many businesses close, open, close, open, close. It’s a conundrum,” Ziegler said.

For Ziegler, asking people to shop local only matters if it leads to people actually supporting businesses.

“Hearing shop local support, it isn’t enough to say it. We need to figure out how we can do that more,” he said.

For shoppers, however, spending locally can be difficult when household budgets are tight. South Okanagan resident Michelle Raynier says being conscious of how much money she spends affects where she shops.

“People are very money conscious right now and that’s what I find hard about shopping local,” Raynier said.

Still, local leaders are encouraging people to spend their money in the community.

“It is summer, we are open, we have a beautiful area with lots to offer. We hope everyone can come out and support local,” said Amelia Boultbee, MLA for Penticton Summerland.

Twisted Whiskers will operate as a thrift store and café for the final time in September. Zest plans to run glass fusing workshops in October, November and December before permanently closing the business.

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

Three people have been charged after a Calgary man was allegedly robbed, kidnapped and forced into the trunk of his own vehicle before being abandoned near Balzac earlier this month.

Calgary police say the incident happened shortly after midnight on Aug. 18 in the northwest community of Livingston.

Investigators allege a 31-year-old man had parked in a lot in the 200 block of Lucas Boulevard N.W. and was walking his dog in a nearby park when he was approached by a man armed with a knife.

Police say a struggle ensued before two additional suspects arrived. The victim was allegedly forced into the trunk of his vehicle and driven to the outskirts of the city.

The man was later released along Wagon Wheel Crescent near Balzac, north of Calgary, while the suspects drove away in the stolen vehicle.

Police say the victim suffered minor injuries and was able to flag down a passing motorist, who contacted RCMP.

Later that day, Calgary police say they tracked the stolen vehicle to the northeast community of Rundle. Officers observed it leaving the city at a high rate of speed and, with assistance from the Calgary Police Service helicopter unit HAWCS and RCMP, followed it to Innisfail.

Police say the vehicle stopped in a parking lot, where RCMP officers arrested a woman believed to be driving and two male passengers. Two children were also in the vehicle at the time, police said.

A 25-year-old Calgary woman is charged with possession of stolen property over $5,000 and dangerous driving. She is scheduled to appear in court Sept. 18.

A 31-year-old Calgary man is charged with kidnapping, robbery, possession of a dangerous weapon, possession of an assault weapon and two counts of breaching conditions. He remains in custody and is scheduled to appear in court Sept. 16.

A 21-year-old man from Calgary is charged with kidnapping and robbery. He remains in custody and was scheduled to appear in court Friday.

Staff Sgt. Keith Shufelt said the alleged offences placed both the victim and the children in the vehicle at risk.

“This was a dangerous situation, not only for the victim who was kidnapped but the children who were in the back of a speeding car,” Shufelt said in a release.

Police say they are still seeking to identify a third suspect believed to have been involved in the kidnapping.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Calgary police or Crime Stoppers.

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

The City of Calgary has used artificial intelligence to determine the 50 riskiest intersections for pedestrians across the city, but it’s unclear what will be done to address the issue as just half are recommended for upgrades.

According to a report set to be presented at the city’s Community Development Committee meeting Tuesday, administration used the city’s AI platform to assess and assign a risk score to more than 17,000 intersections across Calgary.

Many of the locations don’t meet “conventional warrant” thresholds for upgrades like traffic signals, overhead flashers, or curb-bump outs, the report said, as that set of criteria is based on factors such as traffic volumes, pedestrian volumes, roadway geometry, and speed limits.

City administration compiled a list of the top 50 highest-risk pedestrian intersections identified by the AI platform that do not have existing traffic signals like rectangular rapid flashing beacons with risk scores ranging from 93.55 to 99.02.

The intersection of Martindale Boulevard and Martindale Gate N.E. topped the list, followed by Falshire Drive and Falton Drive N.E. with a score of 98.54.

Ward 5 Coun. Raj Dhaliwal told Global News he was surprised with the intersections that scored the highest risk ratings, with four of the intersections in the top 10 in his area.

“I was asking myself is there something missing from my assessment,” Dhaliwal said of the intersection in Martindale. “Every time I drive by there, I see less pedestrian traffic.”

Just 26 of the locations are recommended for pedestrian safety improvements which are estimated to cost approximately $6 million, the report said.

According to the report, administration could “proactively advance improvements” with additional funding rather than “waiting” for future traffic counts, collision history or studies to “justify intervention under traditional processes.”

Some on council have questions about how AI was used to determine those findings, including modelling, inputs and prompts.

“I’m all for data-driven decision making. This is empirical evidence that is telling me that these things need to be upgraded,” Dhaliwal said.

“But at the same time, I want to know why, how and what.”

The report notes there “may be public scrutiny” around the city’s use of AI, but adds all the recommended improvements were reviewed and validated through professional engineering judgment and technical assessment.

The city’s use of AI is “innovative,” said Alex Gaio, an associate principal at Leading Mobility, with the sheer amount of data administration would need to comb through.

“We have a lot of data, the city updates its hotspot map every 10 minutes,” he said. “So the volume that we get is overwhelming for people to deal with, and we’re racing against risk.”

Last year, 15 people were killed on city streets and so far this year six people have died; another 283 incidents involving pedestrians resulted in injuries.

“If we really care about the safety of our residents, pedestrian safety, motor vehicle safety… then let’s put our money where our mouth is,” Dhaliwal said.

Although committee is not being asked to make a financial commitment Tuesday, city administration said it could incorporate the pedestrian safety upgrades into the next four-year budget.

If city council was to approve additional funding during budget talks in November, the report said design work could begin in 2027, with shovels in the ground in 2028.

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

Coalition Avenir Québec Leader Christine Fréchette came under attack from her rivals on Friday, as taxes, parental leave and the U.S. trade war all took centre stage during the first full day of campaigning on the Quebec election trail.

Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon promised to reduce taxes for Quebec businesses by 20 per cent in his first term as premier if his party wins the Oct. 5 election.

St-Pierre Plamondon made his announcement at the site of the cancelled Northvolt electric battery plant, which he described as a symbol of the failure of the Coalition Avenir Québec government’s “economic interventionism.”

The Quebec government pledged up to $2.9 billion in financing for the project, including a $270-million investment in the Swedish parent company that was lost when it went bankrupt. Fréchette was energy minister when the project was scrapped.

“A PQ government will shut off the tap of subsidies to foreign multinationals and focus on Quebec (small and medium businesses),” he said at the site in McMasterville, east of Montreal.

Quebec Liberal Leader Charles Milliard focused on the ongoing trade war, and pledged to reduce the share of Quebec exports going to the United States by at least 15 per cent by diversifying its markets.

He made his announcement alongside candidate Madeleine Féquière, who served until recently as Canada’s Consul General in Chicago and who will run for a seat in the Laval area, north of Montreal.

Milliard brushed off the results of a new survey that indicates his party has lost ground, as well as a suggestion that the province’s federalists are turning to the Coalition Avenir Québec.

“Federalists would do well to remember that if one is serious about the issue of belonging to Canada — about helping Quebec grow within Canada — it takes a leader and a team that haven’t shied away from saying so,” he said.

He noted that several of the candidates flanking Fréchette “certainly aren’t the apostles of federalism,” in reference to several cabinet ministers who have previously refused to say how they would vote in an eventual sovereignty referendum.

His comments came after a Synopsis-La Presse survey showed the Parti Québécois and the CAQ running neck and neck, representing a significant rise in support for Fréchette’s party and a drop for the Liberals.

Fréchette, meanwhile, rolled out a promise to boost the Quebec parental insurance plan to offer an additional two weeks of leave for fathers as well as more flexibility and bereavement leave. Her proposed changes include allowing parents to transfer some of their leave to another involved adult, such as a grandparent.

She said the changes could be made without increasing premiums.

As she faced criticism from the other leaders, Fréchette was on the offensive herself, going to campaign south of Quebec City in the Bellechasse riding where Conservative Leader Éric Duhaime is running.

In Sherbrooke, Québec solidaire expanded on a promise to open a network of 15 public grocery stores, as part of a plan to lower the cost of food.

The Conservatives, campaigning in Quebec City, announced what Duhaime called a “historic” tax cut that would include raising the basic personal amount in Quebec’s income tax brackets from $18,952 to $35,242.

Duhaime also went after Fréchette, saying that “the real threat over the last eight years is the Fréchette threat” when asked if voters were turning to the CAQ leader amid the U.S. trade war.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 28, 2026.

© 2026 The Canadian Press