A B.C. mother and her daughter, who now live in Texas, have been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Edward Warner, his wife Tania and his seven-year-old step-daughter Ayla, who has autism, were coming back from a friend’s baby shower on Saturday when they went through an ICE checkpoint in Sarita, Texas.

“They asked for our identification, which we provided to them. I provided my driver’s licence. She provided her driver’s licence, work visa and her actual visa. Or passport, I’m sorry,” Warner told Global News.

He said they had been through the checkpoints before, which are permanently located on routes 77 and 281, and had never been asked for identification.

Tania and Ayla were born in Penticton, B.C., Warner is from Texas and they have lived together in Texas for five years.

“They brought Tania inside the building because they wanted to fingerprint her for more information and then about 15 minutes later, they came out and got Ayla and said they needed to fingerprint her for more information as well,” Warner said.

“Then, after about a 40- to 45-minute wait, they came back out and told me that they were not legal to be in the U.S. and that I was free to go.”

He said he has spoken with his wife and she and Ayla have now been moved to the Dilley Detention Centre in Dilley, Texas.

“Which gives them at least a bed to sleep on instead of the hard floor,” Warner said.

Previously, he said they were at the Ursula detention center in McAllen, where conditions were worse.

“They were sleeping on the floor using the floor masks to keep warm because all they had were those like tin space blanket things, and they said the food was terrible, the guards were awful, just the whole experience is gonna be very traumatic for the both of them,” Warner added.

He said that at least in the Dilley Detention Center, he can give Tania money on her commissary and they can speak on the phone.

“I spoke with our attorney this morning, actually, right before this call and she’s going to start getting the packets together to turn in and we just want to get everything moving along,” Warner said.

“Hopefully, we can get them out of there soon.”

Tania applied to immigration four years ago, but was denied because Warner is a registered sex offender in the state of Texas because of an incident when he was a teenager.

Warner said their lawyer found a way to self-sponsor and his name is not attached to any of his wife’s or stepdaughter’s documents.

Immigration lawyer and policy analyst Richard Kurland, who is based in Vancouver and not directly connected to the case, said that even if Canadians have their paperwork up to date, they are still in jeopardy in the U.S.

“For any reason, the American immigration system can question your documents,” he said.

“Until those questions are answered, you may find yourself in a detention centre.”

Kurland said that if an agent has a question about someone’s paperwork, even if it is perfectly in order, the agent needs time to resolve that question.

“What’s different is that in Canada, we don’t have immigration checks after you cross the border or get out of the airport,” he said.

“In America, because of the heightened sensitivity to immigration issues, they have introduced domestic immigration checks. So even though this family was not entering the United States from Mexico, but was travelling within the United States, they were subject to American immigration questioning, resulting in detention.”

Kurland said it’s not uncommon and an agent has the right to incarcerate someone and place them in immigration detention until the agent is satisfied that there is confirmation of valid immigration documents.

“It’s a heartache to see a seven-year-old autistic child needlessly detained in an immigration pen that has been known to cage children in detention, and PTSD as an outcome would not be uncommon for that child,” he added.

“We do not do this in Canada. We do not detain seven-year-old autistic kids in immigration detention without solid reasoning. If this family is correct, their immigration paperwork was 100 per cent-a-OK, someone’s got a lot of explaining to do on the American side.”

Warner said that later on Friday, he spoke to Tania on the phone and she said she was told she had overstayed her stay and that is why she is being held.

He disputes that because he says her case is still being processed and she has refused to sign a document that ICE gave her that would keep her in detention for another 20 days.

Warner does not know what implications that might have for his wife and stepdaughter’s detention.

In a statement to Global News, Global Affairs Canada said that “Global Affairs is aware of multiple cases of Canadians currently or previously in immigration-related detention in the U.S and has received requests for information and assistance from individuals and their family members.”

Warner just hopes his wife and stepdaughter are able to come home soon.

“I know they have beds now,” he said. “I know that there’s a little school in there and there’s some toys, other kids, stuff like that. So it’ll be all right for Ayla.”

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

Kim Lameront was diagnosed with functional neurological disorder (FND) following an injury during brain surgery. Months later, she still feels left in the dark.

“I wasn’t really told how to navigate this. It was very isolating,” she said. “There was a gap, and while I was in recreational therapy, I was asking my therapist what there is for support, and she said there is nothing.”

Recent studies are showing women are more likely to develop brain diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s, and not just because women live longer.

“There’s at least 45 per cent of the risk factors for dementia that we have some control over. And unfortunately, women tend to have less control over some of those things, and they’re more at risk for some of those, including things like depression,” said Dr. Allison Sekuler, Sandra Rotman Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience and Chief Scientist at Baycrest.

FND is also two to three times more commonly found in women.

“For a long time, it was sort of treated as, oh, this is just another thing that women are making up. And it is real. It’s just challenging to diagnose,” said Sekuler, talking about FND.

“It’s not something that you can see on a brain scan because the brain is functionally intact, but the wiring in the brain isn’t working as well.”

With little research and awareness out there, there is also a lack of support.

Lameront took matters into her own hands and created a support organization called Healing Horizons where people can access resources and coping strategies.

“When I was first diagnosed and researching, I found out that FND is actually one of the most common disorders that neurologists diagnose, but why doesn’t anybody know what FND is? So, the awareness needs to get out there.”

Whether it’s FND or Alzheimer’s, there are things people can do to help improve brain health, but if somebody thinks something is wrong, it’s best to get it checked out.

“I think we need to really get the word out about that and to make sure that women know, and men as well. If you feel something is wrong, get it checked out,” said Sekuler.

Watch above for more on FND and women’s brain health.

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

The Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) has welcomed a new member to their service — an agent, specially trained to find hidden electronic devices in order to bring predators to justice.

Except this employee isn’t a human being. Taffy is a golden retriever. She was trained at a special dog training school in Indianapolis.

Taffy will be serving with the Internet Child Exploitation unit (ICE) In her time in Saskatoon, she has already been on five missions. Staff Sgt. Tim Failler says that she is already proving her worth.

“In one of the searches I can say Taffy was able to locate a phone that we didn’t know was there, so that was very helpful,” said Failler, remarking on what he could speak about regarding Taffy’s help.

Taffy comes at no expense to the SPS. She is part of an initiative by a not-for-profit organization called Our Rescue, an organization that utilizes rescue dogs to support law enforcement operations.”

Taffy’s handler is Det. Byron Sommacal. He says her role is to search cluttered areas quickly, in settings that might take an officer hours otherwise.

“They’re used … to make sure we don’t miss anything,” said Sommacal, referring to the dogs’ role. “Their whole role is to be a quality check in case we as humans miss something.”

Unlike many other service dogs, Taffy can be used as an emotional support animal both for victims of crime and for the police force members themselves.

“Its been excellent having her here in the office; the type of work we do is difficult work. Especially when you’re dealing with child exploitation files, so having her around the office has been pleasant for investigators,” said Failler.

Being part of the Internet Child Exploitation unit means that Taffy will not just be serving in Saskatoon, but across all of Saskatchewan.

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

The woman who was arrested last October for reportedly giving three babies “skin-to-skin” contact in Surrey’s Memorial Hospital was granted $500 bail on Monday.

The 35-year-old secured her release on Tuesday.

Lindsey Susan Hirtreiter is facing three counts of assault following the incident on Oct. 28, 2025, in which she allegedly removed her shirt and held three infants, giving them skin-to-skin contact.

As part of her bail conditions, she was ordered to stay away from the victims and all NICUs in B.C. and to live at Glory House in Mission, which is an addiction recovery house.

Global News knocked on the door of the facility on Friday, which is run by Hope for Freedom Society, and was told Hirtreiter was not there, but they didn’t know where she was.

It turns out that Hirtreiter was arrested again on Friday, according to the BC Prosecution Service.

She was arrested under Section 512.3 of the Criminal Code, under which a justice may issue a warrant if there are reasonable grounds to believe that an accused has contravened or is about to contravene a release order.

Hirtreiter is now scheduled to appear in court on March 23.

However, questions remain about the response time from police on Oct. 28 when she allegedly slipped into the NICU at 6:55 a.m.

Hirtreiter was eventually escorted off hospital property by security, Surrey Police Service confirmed, but she was not arrested until a month later.

Surrey police confirmed they did receive a call from security at 9:15 a.m. on Oct. 28, but did not attend until 1 p.m. that day.

“She was not detained awaiting police, as can often be the case when security interacts with a possible offender,” Surrey police said in a statement to Global News.

“Instances where a subject/suspect is no longer on scene, will generally change the priority of the response (dependent on other factors such as potential injury to the victim, etc.).”

As a result, the file was downgraded and an officer responded after other higher-priority calls were attended to, police said.

They said they have reviewed the incident and instituted a process to better assess the nature of reported incidents involving security at Surrey Memorial Hospital.

Fraser Health did not provide any clarity on Friday on what happened between 6:55 a.m. and 9:15 a.m.

In November 2016, Hirtreiter was sentenced to two years probation for causing an animal to continue to be in distress in connection with a brutal attack on a black Labrador on Valentine’s Day 2015 in Surrey.

Surrey RCMP said that Ryder had been stabbed with scissors in the face and eye and beaten with a blunt object. There were also pieces of jewelry and other items put in his body.

Ryder survived the attack.

In a text exchange on Friday, owner Kassandra Allard said she is “furious and deeply distressed by what happened.”

Hirtreiter lists a Surrey address on her bail documents, but the family who lives there told Global News that they have never heard of her and were not aware of any recent basement tenants.

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

Watch the full broadcast of Global National with Dawna Friesen for Friday, March 20, 2026.

View more Global National videos here

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

TORONTO – Alexander Nikishin scored 41 seconds into overtime as the Carolina Hurricanes downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 on Friday.

Eric Robinson, on a penalty shot, K’Andre Miller and Jordan Staal had the other goals for Carolina (44-19-6). Brandon Bussi made 23 saves. Seth Jarvis and Sebastian Aho had two assists apiece.

John Tavares, William Nylander and Dakota Joshua replied for Toronto (29-28-13), which got 32 stops from Joseph Woll. Matias Maccelli added two assists.

Nikishin scored the winner in the extra period when he ripped a shot beyond Woll’s blocker.

The Metropolitan Division-leading Hurricanes entered Friday third in the NHL’s overall standings and first in the Eastern Conference.

The severely underperforming Maple Leafs, meanwhile, sat 26th out of 32 teams, second-last in the East and at the bottom of the Atlantic Division.

TAKEAWAYS

Hurricanes: Aho became the third player to hit at least 70 points in five seasons with the Hurricanes/Hartford Whalers. Ron Francis (11) and Eric Staal (seven) top the list.

Maple Leafs: Auston Matthews underwent surgery on his left MCL in New York on Thursday. Toronto’s captain was injured last week after taking a knee-on-knee hit from Anaheim Ducks defenceman Radko Gudas. The Maple Leafs said the recovery time for Matthews is expected to be 12 weeks.

KEY MOMENT

Robinson scored on a second-period penalty shot after being hooked on a breakaway by Maple Leafs defenceman Troy Stecher. The Carolina winger moved in on Woll as a sleepy Scotiabank Arena came to life, and fired his 12th goal of the campaign past the netminder’s glove.

KEY STAT

Benoit-Olivier Groulx picked up an assist on the opening goal to give him a point in three straight home games since joining Toronto. Five other players in the past 20 years have had a run of at least that length to start their time with the Original Six franchise: Eric Lindros (six games in 2005-06), Mike Van Ryn (five games in 2008-09), Ron Hainsey (four games in 2017-18), Michael Bunting (three games in 2021-22) and Nikita Zaitsev (three games in 2016-17).

UP NEXT

Maple Leafs: Visit the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.

Hurricanes: Visit the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 20, 2026.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

For Andrea Egotik, 2026 has been an exceptionally difficult year. In January, RCMP came to her Nunavut home to deliver heart-wrenching news. Her daughter had been killed.

“I wake up crying. I go to bed crying,” she said. “I just want my honey and my Ingu.”

In Andrea’s culture, Ingu means grandchild.

In late January, the body of Andrea’s 23-year-old daughter, Ayla Egotik-Learn, was found in her St. Albert apartment.

RCMP say she’d been dead since early December.

Her remains were only discovered after a property manager, conducting an eviction, reported a suspicious package inside the unit.

But even after combing the apartment, RCMP could not find Ayla’s nine-month old daughter, Braylee.

“My honey. She was so happy to finally be a mom. My Ingu was her world,” Andrea explained.

https://x.com/SarahRyanYEG/status/2035145055111979049?s=20

She said her daughter moved to St. Albert in 2024, after meeting a man named Christopher Beasley at work.

The pair were employed in the kitchen of a mining camp in Goose Lake, Nvt.

The couple’s relationship had domestic abuse issues, court records indicate.

Last July, Beasley pleaded guilty to assaulting Ayla between mid-February and at the end of April. He was sentenced to 18 months of probation.

He was also charged twice last year with threatening to kill Ayla, but both charges were later withdrawn.

RCMP say Ayla’s death was a case of domestic violence.

Thirty-three-year-old Beasley was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and indignity to a body.

“I never thought this would ever happen,” Andrea said.

“My honey never, ever told me that Christopher beat on her.”

Andrea adds nobody reported Ayla missing, because they were getting text messages from someone pretending to be Ayla — for more than a month after RCMP say she died.

She believes Beasley was sending those messages.

“I am so mad. I didn’t know it wasn’t my honey,” she explained.

“He was asking both Ross and I for money, and of course, we both sent it.”

Andrea sent Global News text messages from Christmas, and as recently as Jan. 15, showing someone impersonating Ayla.

https://x.com/SarahRyanYEG/status/2035146485449241048?s=20

RCMP declined to provide an update on the case.

Andrea just keeps hoping they’ll call and tell her they’ve found her Ingu.

“I had my daughter cremated, and it would only be right for Braylee to be with her mom.”

She knows that’s what her daughter would want.

“I’ve also had a dream of Ayla. She was standing alone,” she said, “and she cradled her arms and then unfolded her arms. She gestured, ‘Where?’ Like she was asking, where is her baby?”

A GoFundMe has been started to help cover urn and cremation costs, as well as flights from Nunavut to Edmonton.

Finding Braylee could help provide the closure their family needs.

“I want justice for both of them… They should still be here today.”

https://x.com/SarahRyanYEG/status/2035135853085798804?s=20

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

A fire chief of a Saskatchewan village, representing a group of volunteers that battled some of Saskatchewan’s destructive blazes last summer, says the province’s latest budget is not providing enough funding for proactive measures ahead of this year’s wildfire season.

“They’ve introduced the marshal service, but where’s the funding to increase the fire side of things?” Jim Arnold, fire chief of Candle Lake, told Global News.

In the province’s budget announced Wednesday, the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) will receive $138.5 million, up $19.6 million from the year before.

But for Arnold, who heads a group of around 21 volunteer firefighters, this amount is not enough.

“I would think it would be better if the SPSA were more proactive,” he said. “Doing things like fire breaks around communities, doing things like fuel management.”

In the budget, the province says last year’s wildfire season cost the government $392 million in extra expenses, accounting for the largest portion of the $970 million in over-budget spending.

Finance Minister Jim Reiter says last year’s wildfire season “was an anomaly,” adding that his government is optimistic it will not happen again.

“But if it does, we’ll respond accordingly,” Reiter said Friday at a luncheon with the Greater Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce.

“It’s not like if we need more money, we won’t spend it. We certainly did last year, and if it happens, we will again.”

When asked about proactive wildfire spending, Reiter pointed to an increase in the SPSA’s capital funding as part of a four-year commitment to purchase four repurposed water bombers, adding that one is expected to come onstream this year.

The SPSA unveiled its plans to purchase these airtankers back in April 2024.

The province is also doubling its volunteer first responders tax credit from $3,000 to $6,000.

While Arnold supports this, he says he wanted to see more support for volunteer fire departments dealing with rising equipment costs and the need to meet provincial regulations.

“The cost of a single fire engine is now a million dollars. You know, the cost to outfit one firefighter is pushing $5,000 now,” Arnold said.

The province is also putting $2 million towards replacing infrastructure in parks lost to wildfires.

While Arnold says he does not know how this year’s wildfire season will pan out, his volunteer department is preparing with additional funding from his village’s council.

“The bottom line is, we need help funding fire departments,” he said.

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

Members of Alberta’s South Asian community are applauding efforts to deport people linked to extortion networks targeting members of the community.

The extortions have resulted in dozens of threats, shootings and other crimes against members of the South Asian community in both Edmonton and Calgary, and have stoked fear in the community about who could be targeted next.

On Thursday, following a year-long investigation, Edmonton police announced they had identified more than 50 suspects and deported two people accused of being involved in the alleged crimes.

The investigation followed a similar one called “Project Gaslight” that wrapped up in 2024 with six arrests and a warrant for a seventh person.

“We understand the investigations take a long time but we appreciate it, and I think the community is kind of happy for the fact that eventually stuff is getting done,” said Nam Kular, a spokesperson for Edmonton’s Sikh community.

Edmonton police say the suspects they identified also have ties to extortions in Calgary, B.C. and Ontario.

Two people, identified by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) as Arshdeep Singh and Sukhnaaz Singh Sandhu, have been deported and CBSA said 70 more removal orders have been issued across the country.

In Calgary, where police said there have been at least 41 extortion attempts since the beginning of January 2025, including 17 shootings, investigators have referred the names of 45 people to Canada Border Services, which CPS said has also resulted in several removal orders being issued for suspects believed to be operating in the city.

In a statement to Global News, Calgary police said they too are working to strengthen their partnership with other law enforcement agencies nationwide, sharing information about offenders, in order to hold them accountable.

“Through this work, we have identified suspects and continue to pursue criminal charges,” added the statement.

Edmonton police said it appears the criminal organizations are targeting young, newly-arrived South Asian foreign workers and students to commit the crimes, prompting Chief Supt. Duncan Pound of the Lower Mainland RCMP to ask, “Could we enhance the welcome package for new arrivals to Canada to speak specifically to extortion issues?'”

Edmonton criminologist Dan Jones said the threat of deportation could make people reconsider getting involved in such crimes.

“I think what the police have done is basically shown that you’re not going to get away with this, regardless of what your involvement is,” said Jones.

“And I think that message in and of itself is a strong message. We know that sentencing and jail isn’t necessarily a deterrent, but maybe some of the other opportunities that they’re looking at — like, yeah, you won’t be to stay in the country if you are involved in these things — I think that becomes probably more of a deterrent than jail.”

However, despite the recent success police say they have had identifying those responsible, Jones doubts the problem has gone away.

“It’s like sticking your fingers in the dam, right? You stick a finger, you stick all 10, you stick your toes and it keeps leaking out,” said Jones.

“Something that people don’t think about is we have taken away criminal money by legalizing gambling, legalizing sports betting, legalizing horse off-track horse betting. Over the course of years we have legalized so many things that were criminal enterprises that they have to find new ways to make money and this is what they’re doing.”

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

Montana’s Brier champion Matt Dunstone and teammates Colton Lott and E.J. Harnden withdrew from the inaugural season of Rock League on Friday.

Tyler Tardi, who won Olympic gold as an alternate with Team Brad Jacobs last month at the Milan Cortina Games, has also pulled out, The Curling Group said in a statement.

Dunstone, Lott and Tardi elected to take time off after a busy season, while Harnden stepped away to spend more time with family, the statement said.

Dunstone, Lott and Harnden won the national championship earlier this month in St. John’s, N.L., and will represent Canada at the March 27-April 4 world men’s curling championship in Ogden, Utah.

Rock League is scheduled to hold a weeklong competition starting April 6 in Toronto.

Canada’s Mike McEwen, Switzerland’s Benoit Schwarz-van Berkel, Italy’s Amos Mosaner and American Colin Hufman will serve as replacements, the statement said. Sweden’s Linda Stenlund and Italy’s Mattia Giovanella were named spares.

© 2026 The Canadian Press