In another week or two, things will start to blow up when it comes to fourth quarter releases. Think of this New Music Friday as the calm before the storm.

Singles

1. Cage the Elephant, Dying in Reverse (Big Loud Rock)

CtE has gone slight psychy with this new single that (I assume) will eventually show up on a new album. Before that, though, this song is destined for a video game (EA SPORTS FC™ 27), which set for release on September 25. Lyrically, the song is about frontman Matt Shultz recovery from years spent in a dark space. The band is also going to perform at halftime for the NFL game in Munich on November 15.

 

2. Jesus Jones, Bad Zoo Rescue (Jesus Jones Recordings)

After ending a year-long hiatus a while back, Mike Edwards has reactivated Jesus Jones for both touring and recording. A new album entitled Twilight will be here on September 21, and this is the third advance single. And if you’re counting. this will be the first JJ album in eight years. Want to revisit 1990? Here you.

 

3. Slipknot, Arsenal (Atlantic)

Well, this is a surprise. Slipknot had been pretty cagey when it came to talking about new material, especially since the kerfuffle that say drummer Sid Wilson unsummarily dismissed. This is the first single (with a video directed by The Clown) in three years. Dance, Maggots, Dance!

4. Spiritbox, Mourning (Pale Chord/Rise Records)

Canada’s Spiritbox surprised fans this week with a new single, which is the first new music since their sophomore album. There’s definitely some evolution going on here. I wonder where things are headed?

 

5. The War on Drugs, Who’s That (Secretly Canadian)

Here’s another band that’s been AWAL. The is the first TWoD single in three years. The story is that this track was written by bandleader Adam Granduciel in about ten minutes “somewhere between first coffee and school drop off.” Hey, you can’t control when the songwriting muse hits.

Albums

1. Bloc Party, Anatomy of a Deep Romance (cOnTAGIOUS LTD / Virgin Music Group)

Let’s go back to the middle aughts when a new crop of British indie bands were on the rise. Bloc Party was definitely part of that cohort. This album, their seventh, is meant to be listened as laid out with no skipping. It’s a chronological account of the rise and fall of a relationship that needs to be consumed in order for maximum effect.

2. Brian Fallon & The Painkillers, Not Bad for New Jersey (Heart of Texas Records / Smith Music)

You may know Brian from his time with The Gaslight Anthem, the Springsteen-esque band from New Jersey. This is his fifth solo album features a long list of guest appearances, including Brandon Flowers of The Killers and Phil Collen of Def Leppard. That’ll show you the kind of respect he has amongst his peers.

3. The Proclaimers, You May Offend (Cooking Vinyl)

You mean the “500 Miles” twins? Yes. In fact, this is their 13th album.

 

The Tubs, Hard Life (Merge)

Finally, the third album from this Welsh band. They’re from Cardiff and grew up on the American college rock of the early 1980s (think REM and the like) as well as British folk rock. Fun fact: The group is part of a collective called Gob Nation, which is a bunch of different bands that swap members whenever the need arises.

Listen here.

© 2026 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

I’m sure you’ve heard someone use the phrase “Elvis has left the building” in some kind of humorous or ironic way, or maybe even as some kind of catchphrase. But what does it mean and where did the phrase come from?

Yes, the “Elvis” is Elvis Presley, and the phrase itself dates to December 1956, when Elvis appeared in front of an audience for a radio show called Louisiana Hayride at the Hirsch Memorial Coliseum in Shreveport. Elvis did his thing and then left the stage. But the crowd wanted more, and things started getting a little tense. People wouldn’t stop cheering, which made it impossible for the next act to perform.

To calm things down, concert promoter Horace Logan got on the mic and said, “All right, Elvis has left the building. I’ve told you absolutely straight up to this point. You know he has. He has left the building. He left the stage and went out the back with the policemen, and he is now gone from the building.” A portion of that plea is now an evergreen rock’n’roll meme.

How? Because Elvis heard about it and began using the phrase for all his shows.

© 2026 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

It’s an awkward thing to say.

But every Sept. 11, when the names of the 2,977 people killed in the terrorist attacks are read aloud at the World Trade Center site … I hear my name.

Michael J. Armstrong.

It’s a name I share, right down to the middle initial.

For more than two decades, I wondered about the other Michael Armstrong. Who was he? What was his life like? Who had he left behind?

Years ago, I came across something written by one of his sisters about the family’s efforts to keep Michael’s memory alive. They had created a foundation in his name. So, as I began putting together stories to mark 25 years since the attacks, I decided I wanted to help his family tell his story.

Even reaching out felt uncomfortable.

I knew the email would arrive in his sister’s inbox with one name attached to it: Michael Armstrong. I wondered what it would be like for her to see that name suddenly appear on her screen. And whether I had any right to ask her to open that door.

The response from Laura Armstrong was an immediate yes: “We look forward giving you a glimpse of just how special he was and how much he is missed!”

The ensuing back and forth turned into a visit to her home in Tappan, N.Y., last month.

The walls of Laura’s home are filled with family photos. Michael appears in many of them: Christmas mornings, Thanksgivings, St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, and one where he jumped on their father’s lap. He was goofing around after he as his sister Marian had bought Laura her first digital camera.

“He just had such a hearty laugh,” Laura said. “He laughed a lot.”

“He was just a warm kind of guy and he was great with kids,” Marian recalled.

Dozens of photos have been added to the walls in the 25 years since 9/11. Important events where Michael’s absence is impossible for the family to ignore.

“There are a lot of instances where we think that,” Laura said. “Where he should have been.”

Michael Armstrong was 34 years old and worked in electronic trading on Wall Street with the brokerage company Cantor Fitzgerald.

On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, Michael was at work on the 104th floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center, above the floors struck by American Airlines Flight 11.

After the building was hit, Michael tried to reach members of his family by telephone.

His sister Marion remembers that his final cellphone call was to their mother. The family’s copy of his phone statement showed the call lasted two minutes.

But his mother couldn’t make out his words.

All she heard was static.

The family has always hoped that while Michael couldn’t be heard, he could hear his mother’s voice.

For hours that morning, his sisters clung to possibilities.

Maybe he had been late for work. Maybe what they were hearing about the Twin Towers wasn’t as bad as it sounded. They didn’t turn on the television.

“I really thought he was going to be OK,” Laura recalled. “As crazy as it is.”

The next few weeks in Michael’s life were supposed to be special. He and his fiancée, Catherine Nolan, were set to be married on Oct. 6, 2001.

Instead, Michael’s wake was held on Sept. 23, 2001.

He almost wasn’t in the office on 9/11. He’d been at a funeral the day before and missed work. And later in the week, he was scheduled to be off again for his bachelor party.

“We often said, like, oh, you know, so many things,” Catherine recalled. “If he had only left a few days earlier, if he had a dentist appointment the next day.”

“So many days that week he would not have been there,” Marian said.

Those are the what-ifs that can follow a family for decades.

Catherine eventually married and had children. Her youngest son’s middle name is Michael. She also never really left the Armstrong family.

“I always joke that I’ve got the in-laws without the husband,” she said.

Michael’s brother is godfather to one of her children. His sisters remain part of her life. Twenty-five years later, Catherine is still Aunt Catherine to the next generation of Armstrongs.

There is a gravity to grieving — a force that focuses on the pain. The Armstrongs chose instead to help others in Michael’s name.

Within days of the attacks, they established a scholarship fund at Loyola School, where Michael had been a student and remained an active alumnus. In the months that followed, the family established the Michael J. Armstrong Memorial Foundation.

For nearly 25 years, they have held fundraising events and supported causes connected to Michael’s life, including scholarships at Loyola and athletics at Fordham University, where Michael was an enthusiastic basketball fan.

His sister describes it as a place to channel all the emotions that followed his death. It’s also ensured his story didn’t stop on Sept. 11, 2001.

The family’s effort to remember Michael now extends to people who never had the chance to meet him.

His niece, Keeley, says Michael is a normal household name in the family. He died when she was young, but it has never felt that way.

“It’s amazing how much you can know someone through stories,” Keeley said.

Those stories have given another generation a picture of an uncle they never knew: his enormous laugh, his sense of humour, his bear hugs and his habit of teasing his siblings.

But there is still sadness. The next generation of Armstrongs is now approaching the age that Michael was when he was killed.

“We’re now in that stage of life of people getting married,” Keeley said, with tears welling up. “I can’t imagine that you’re supposed to be going to a bachelor party on Thursday, and then this happens.”

But the Armstrongs also remember something else about those days: how people responded to their pain.

Catherine found herself part of a group no one would ever choose to join — women who, like her, lost their fiancées on 9/11.

They found each other in the aftermath. Twenty-five years later, they still get together every Sept. 11 for lunch.

The support came from all directions. There were countless acts of kindness the family remembers from those first days: people reaching out, showing up and trying to help.

It’s something they’ve carried forward through the foundation, the scholarships and the years spent helping others in Michael’s name.

“I can’t look back at that day without thinking about the kindness, the care everyone took with me,” Marian says. “People are so beautiful.”

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

The family of a B.C man killed in Ukraine is mourning his death.

“He paid the ultimate price for Canada and Ukraine,” said an emotional James Bourgeois, Jessy Bourgeois’ father.

The 46-year-old man was killed on Aug. 18 in the Donetsk region near the Russian border.

“They got hit by a drone attack, and Jesse was killed instantly,” said Bourgeois. “Another comrade was critically injured and died several days later.”

Bourgeois lived in Nanaimo, where he was introduced to the Ukrainian church.

His family says he quickly fell in love with the people and culture and eventually felt compelled to help defend the country.

“That’s where his heart laid,” said stepmom Dawn Bourgeois. “We didn’t understand it. We didn’t support it.”

Despite having no military experience, Jessy volunteered in November to fight alongside the Ukrainian Army.

He was working as a drone mechanic when he was killed.

“It’s one day at a time, and we try to find happiness every day. That’s all we can do,” Dawn said.

The Okanagan Falls couple says Jessy believed deeply in Ukraine and its efforts to fight for the country,

“He believed in what Ukraine was fighting for — for their freedom — and there was no talking him out of it,” James said.

Bourgeois leaves behind two children.

His family says they will grow up knowing their father was a hero.

“He was brave. He was brave for what he did,” James added.

The family’s grief comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visits Canada, seeking continued support for Ukraine’s fight against Russia.

James says Canada’s support remains important to him, particularly after his son’s death.

“My son lost his life for them,” he said. “I think as Canadians we got to keep backing them.”

Global Affairs Canada says it is aware of the death of a Canadian in Ukraine. The department says it does not keep a registry of Canadians who voluntarily travel to Ukraine to serve, or those who are injured or killed in the conflict.

However, the organization says it is aware of 35 Canadians who have died in Ukraine of all causes since the war began.

Jessy’s body is expected to be repatriated in the coming weeks with the help of the Ukrainian government.

For his family, the grief remains raw, but they find some comfort in knowing Bourgeois believed he was following his heart.

“I’m proud of what he did,” James said. “This was his calling. You look at his pictures, I sure don’t see any fear.”

Instead, he says, he sees determination to help a country in need.

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

One of Mosaic Stadium’s biggest shows will not have its typical, game-day shuttle service, the City of Regina said.

While regular transit will run as normal in Saskatchewan’s capital, shuttle service will not be available for Tuesday’s concert because of the timing, Regina Mayor Chad Bachynski said.

“Just due to the timing of the concert, it wouldn’t be possible for us to have that dedicated chartered service,” Bachynski continued.

He said 4 p.m., when the venue’s doors open, is too close to the end of the workday for the city to offer shuttles, adding that Regina decided against it to ensure regular transit riders’ trips home aren’t interrupted.

“It wouldn’t be possible for us to actually take buses offline for the concert,” the mayor said.

Dave Grohl and company will headline the first concert at the stadium in seven years, and the band’s show is almost sold out, Kyle Russell, vice president of operations and experience with REAL District, told Global News. A few last-minute tickets are still available.

The REAL District is not providing transportation services and is advising concertgoers to plan ahead.

“This is really going to be an exercise in planning for coming to and from the concert,” Russell said.

He pointed people to the REAL District website, where information on getting to and from the venue is available.

“Parking’s on sale for the Foo Fighters concert,” Russell said.

Passes can be purchased online.

“We do encourage fans to prepay for parking in advance because we do anticipate a sellout, but the campus is a big parking lot,” Russell said.

“It’s just going to be a really fun night, and we’re looking forward to people coming out here for a full night of great music.”

The Foo Fighters will be joined by Queens of the Stone Age and Mannequin Pussy. The first opening act is expected to hit the stage at Mosaic Stadium at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.

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

The new Vancouver Police Training Academy officially opened on Thursday in the Woodward’s building.

Forty recruits already began their studies at the facility, located at 351 Abbott St. in the Downtown Eastside, and the students are expected to start working in the city next June.

Another 40 recruits will begin their studies there in January.

“This state-of-the-art Academy represents a new chapter in the history of the VPD and, crucially, in how recruits are trained to become officers who will serve the unique and dynamic policing needs of Vancouver,” Vancouver Police Department (VPD) Chief Steve Rai said in a statement.

The Vancouver police last had its own training program in 1978.

The training academy spans 30,000 square feet over three floors and occupies the former London Drugs space.

“The Academy is a foundational addition to the Woodward’s building and to the Downtown Eastside community,” Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said in a statement.

“Greater police presence in the area is already showing a positive public safety impact with the addition of District 5 operations and will only continue to improve now the Academy is running.”

The City of Vancouver provided $4 million for the work, which included $2.8 million for the establishment of District 5 and $1.2 million for the academy. Additional costs are fully funded within the approved Vancouver police budget.

The academy features:

• A virtual reality room where recruits can work through a multitude of high-pressure policing scenarios, including crisis intervention and de-escalation, mental health, and strategic communications
• Two large classrooms and two smaller classrooms designed for active learning with smaller cohorts to enhance the instructor-to-recruit ratio
• A report-writing room where recruits hone administrative capabilities
• A dedicated police radio channel for communications training
• A gym that includes a turf floor section for training
• An athletic therapy space
• A massage, physiotherapy, and first aid room
• A cafeteria

The Vancouver police museum will also move into the Woodward’s building.

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

New Brunswick’s first provincewide school lunch program is now serving thousands of students with meals subsidized for every family, but days into the rollout, about one in five schools is still waiting for full service.

While school lunches existed before, they often varied by community.

Now, the province says the program is under one universal model that’s backed by $26 million in funding this year.

Meals cost $4 though Grade 8, and $5 in high school. The province will subsidize the remaining cost of each lunch, as well as provide a full subsidy for eligible families.

For Victoria McKenzie’s 11-year-old daughter, lunch is already bringing something new to the table.

“She’s been eating the $4 meals all week and she’s actually started eating a lot more variety. She’s then selecting some things I wouldn’t have pictured her choosing before,” said McKenzie, who is also the parent committee chair at Hanwell Park Academy, just outside Fredericton.

“One thing I really like about this program is that it’s going to be kind of invisible (as to) who’s having subsidized lunches, because they’re all going to be the same lunches.”

Pam Campbell, a retired educator, says that kind of support is necessary for families that may need financial assistance.

“Teachers every day, I saw them bringing food for children, putting it in a basket on the desk and (saying), ‘Help yourself if you get a little hungry,'” she said.

As of Thursday, about 80 per cent of schools have their programs up and running. Fifty-six school cafeterias are still working through issues such as equipment upgrades, installations, and inspections.

“A workforce shortage of folks like gas fitters, the electricians, the plumbers that need to do the installation of the fridges, the stove, and that kind of thing,” said Premier Susan Holt.

“So what we had imagined would be installation and inspection in the week before school started (but) we’ve seen delayed inspection, delayed delivery of equipment.

“We’re not going to stop doing this work until 100 per cent of the schools are supported and that’s happening right now.”

Food for All NB, a non-profit organization, says clear communication and family feedback will be key as the program evolves, particularly to keep quality and access consistent across schools.

“This is a significant undertaking in some cases where there might have been nothing,” said executive director Jill Van Horne.

“For sure there will be growing pains.”

The province says Grand Manan Community School is now the only one still searching for a food provider, and government is open to public recommendations.

Holt says she expects the remaining rollout to take a couple of weeks. In the meantime, contingency meals are being offered to students in need where full service isn’t ready.

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

Alberta’s premier is taking a hands-off approach to a First Nation defying her government by announcing it will offer safe haven for gender-affirming medical care.

“I don’t have any authority over the First Nation,” Smith told reporters at an event in Edmonton Thursday.

“I respect their sovereignty.”

Her comments came a day after Saddle Lake Cree Nation announced its plan. The nation says the plan is within their jurisdiction and that access to health care is a treaty right.

Alberta law prohibits doctors from prescribing puberty blockers or hormone therapy to transgender and gender diverse children under age 16.

Smith has said the law is about protecting children and their fertility while preserving choice.

Her United Conservative government has invoked the Charter’s notwithstanding clause to shield the law from court challenges.

On Wednesday, Saddle Lake Chief Dale Steinhauer called the UCP’s laws affecting transgender, gender diverse, and two-spirit people dehumanizing. She said the First Nation won’t stand by as children and families lose their rights.

“When one group’s rights are removed, we are all affected,” Steinhauer said.

The nation, northeast of Edmonton, said it’s working to attract clinicians to provide care on its land.

It has also started fundraising to develop its health law and defend it against potential legal challenges. Less than 24 hours after launching an online fundraiser, it was more than halfway to its goal of $60,000.

Steinhauer cited the medicine chest clause of Treaty 6, signed 150 years ago, which says the Crown will keep a medicine chest in the home of each federal government agent working on or near a reserve.

That is widely understood by First Nations to be a commitment to provide comprehensive health care. Indigenous leaders have criticized the Crown for failing to live up to the promise.

Steinhauer said under a law to be drafted by the First Nation, clinicians who provide gender-affirming care on reserve land would be exempt from sanctions by regulatory bodies.

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta regulates medical practice in the province, including by issuing practice permits to physicians.

Smith, when asked Thursday about the college’s role in regulating medical care on the First Nation, said she was unsure.

“It’s a First Nation, so they have sovereignty,” she said, deferring to the federal government on the issue.

The federal Crown-Indigenous Relations Ministry said Thursday they were unable to immediately respond to a request for comment.

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta was also unable to immediately provide a response.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

Saskatchewan’s police watchdog will not lay charges against an RCMP officer who broke a woman’s arm during her arrest.

On July 2, 2025, a 38-year-old woman was leaving Melfort Hospital against the advice of her medical team after a mental health stay. She was said to be wandering through the facility’s parking lot in a hospital gown, which prompted staff to call the police that afternoon, according to the Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT).

One of the two responding Melfort RCMP officers informed her she was being taken into custody in accordance with the Mental Health Services Act. At that point, SIRT said an altercation began between the two, which escalated after she knocked the officer’s hat off while running away.

“A confrontation occurred between the subject officer and the affected person (the woman), which culminated in a struggle on the ground. During that struggle, force was used on the affected person, which resulted in a fractured right humerus,” according to the team’s investigative summary.

SIRT members interviewed two police officers, including the arresting officer. They also spoke with the hospital staff member that called police, the person who took the woman to the hospital and a patient who witnessed the incident in the hospital parking lot, as well as the women herself.

The police watchdog said it consensually reviewed her medical records.

“Those records revealed that during the incident, the affected person (the woman) sustained a spiral distal fracture of the right humeral shaft and, upon admission to hospital, screened positive for various substances, including cocaine and methamphetamine,” SIRT’s report reads.

While the officer was within their rights to arrest her, the police watchdog concluded that excessive levels of force were used.

“When considering both the observable decrease in the affected person’s level of resistance, as evidenced by twice offering her hand, and the level of anger displayed by the subject officer through his words and demeanour, both the level of force and the motivation underlying the application of force appear to fall outside the legal protections provided to police,” SIRT said.

In a statement to Global News, Saskatchewan’s justice ministry said charges were not authorized because Public Prosecutions felt the officer’s charges could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt in court.

“Before proceeding with a case, Public Prosecutions must measure it against a higher standard than ‘reasonable ground to believe.’ There must be a reasonable likelihood of conviction and a criminal prosecution must be in the public interest,” the statement reads.

It said after the prosecution did not believe the charges could be proven to that extent, meaning there was no reasonable chance of conviction.

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

The federal government is spending $5 million to enhance HIV prevention and support services for people living with the condition.

Ottawa’s funds will increase access to self-testing kits and help communities facing an elevated number of cases by encouraging peer-based support work, said Doug Eyolfson, Member of Parliament for Winnipeg West.

“This is about making sure that where you live, your circumstances, or the barriers you face do not determine whether you can access the care you need. That is how we reduce new HIV transmissions. That is how we reduce stigma. And that is how we build a healthier, and more equitable Canada,” he told reporters, speaking on behalf of the federal Minister of Health Marjorie Michel.

The aim of the program, he said, is to connect people who do not know their HIV status to health care and any necessary services. An estimated 7,000 people are unaware of their positive HIV status in the country, according to a Public Health Agency of Canada news release.

“That means there are still too many people facing barriers to testing and treatment and care. Knowing your HIV status is an important first step,” Eyolfson added.

Investing in self-testing kits offers people a quick and simple way to check their HIV status, said Dr. Joss Reimer, Canada’s chief public health officer.

Two kits are currently approved for use in Canada. The INSTI self-test requires a finger prick, and the OraQuick test calls for an oral swab.

“Ensuring early diagnosis and connection to care is the intent of this new funding,” Reimer said.

“This investment helps to address stigma and the inequities that keep people away from care.”

Manitoba declared a public health emergency due to increased transmission of the virus in May over rates estimated to be three times higher than the rest of Canada. The province sought help from Ottawa address the sharp rise in cases.

Uzoma Asagwara, Manitoba’s provincial health minister welcomed the announcement.

“More HIV self-tests and more peer support are coming to communities across Canada. Obviously, I’m very biased (and) I’m thrilled that there’s a whole lot of those tests coming to Manitoba communities,” Asagwara said.

The federal support is expected to be particularly helpful for rural and remote communities.

“Here in Manitoba, we know that there are unique barriers beyond what we already know around HIV, geography being one of them. That’s why this investment is so important. It closes those gaps,” Asagwara said.

An estimated 70,900 people were living in Canada with HIV as of the end of 2024, according to the chief public health officer of Canada, who said that figure is continuing to rise. When the virus is effectively managed, it becomes undetectable, which then makes the virus untransmissible.

With files from The Canadian Press

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