We all know that music can be good for the mind, body, and soul, which is why researchers continue to look at how music can be used for treating all manner of maladies.

A recent study at UC Irvine took saliva samples from a choir before and after they performed a piece by Beethoven. They found that a specific antibody—something called secretory immunoglobulin A—increased by 240% by the simple act of singing. This antibody’s job is to coat your throat, airways, and gut with a coating designed to protect us against any kind of respiratory virus we may breathe in.

How? Singing stimulates the vagus nerve, which controls our “rest and digest” responses. Singing helps the nervous system calm down, reduces stress hormones, and boosts your immune system.

So maybe the next time you feel a cold coming on, you might want to spend some time singing.

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

Today, sampling is a common practice governed by a myriad of legalities and limited by only your imagination and the technology at our disposal. But back in the 1950s, there were no laws regarding sampling, and the technology was primitive. This did not stop two comedic songwriters, Bill Buchanan and Dickie Goodman, who created a mashup of spoken word and clips from songs of the day.

The skit—which is really what it was—was called “The Flying Saucers” and featured 18 song clips spliced in between cheesy and cringey setups. No one had ever done anything like this before, which meant that copyright laws weren’t equipped to deal with this new practice.

Music publishers tried to sue them, but all the cases were thrown out of court because it was ruled that “Flying Saucer” constituted a brand new recording. Buckman and Goodman went on to record a string of these records, all of which are, frankly, terrible, but they are important historically. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkOMmjLoz-M

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

A Whitchurch-Stouffville, Ont., man is accused of luring, trafficking and subjecting a girl to sexual abuse, according to York Regional Police.

On April 1, Peterborough Police Service began an investigation into a missing girl from the area. Officers say she had been spotted getting into a grey sedan.

Peterborough police identified the vehicle and contacted York police to assist, as it was believed the vehicle was in the Whitchurch-Stouffville area.

York police located the vehicle at a home the next day. Investigators entered, saying there was concern for the girl’s well-being.

The girl was safely located and a 47-year-old man was placed under arrest.

Two search warrants were executed at homes associated with the accused.

Christopher Conlon is facing charges related to child luring, human trafficking, as well as the making, possession and distribution of child sexual abuse and exploitation materials.

Officers say they believe there are more victims.

Const. Kevin Nebrija tells Global News it’s important for parents to keep the lines of communication open with their children and to teach them about safety on and offline.

“One thing is to look out for changes in behaviour,” he says. “So something as small as avoiding a family party or secluding themselves. Especially with their mobile device, maybe in their room. It’s something to look out for and could mean that they are talking to someone that you don’t know and someone that they might not know.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact police.

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

A planned highway toll for out-of-province drivers coming from Nova Scotia into New Brunswick is leading to plenty of controversy.

Business owners and local politicians in New Brunswick border communities say they are opposed to the plan and are worried what the financial implications will be.

“For everybody, they have to watch where they spend and they may decide not to travel at all or go in a different direction,” said Tom Trueman.

Trueman owns Trueman Blueberry Farms, a business in Aulac, N.B., known for its fresh blueberries and homemade ice cream.

He estimates about 35 per cent of his business comes from tourists and visitors from Nova Scotia. Not only that, but some of his employees make the journey across the border, too.

“It’s money out of people’s pockets. It will affect our staff. A number of our staff travel from Nova Scotia,” he said.

Premier Susan Holt’s government announced the toll in its provincial budget in March, estimating it would bring in $10.4 million annually once in place in 2028. The $4 toll would apply to out-of-province vehicles on the Trans-Canada Highway in Aulac, N.B.

The mayor or Tantramar, N.B., is also against the toll, saying it would hurt his community.

“We have a lot of people who live in Amherst (Nova Scotia) who come here for services and businesses that we operate here, we have a lot of Mount Allison students who live in Nova Scotia who come here,” said Mayor Andrew Black.

“So that’s the economic drivers and that would be a disappointment for our community.”

He also says consultations should have taken place, because no one from the provincial government reached out to him or his council prior to going public with the plan.

“Just decisions like that made without consultation or us at the table is really frustrating,” said Black.

In the weeks since the toll was proposed, vocal opponents have included Nova Scotia politicians, the Atlantic Chamber of Commerce, and the Canadian Trucking Alliance.

Even Prime Minister Mark Carney weighed in.

He told reporters last week in Ottawa that the plan went against his government’s efforts to remove domestic trade barriers.

“No, I’m not happy … with the intention of New Brunswick, and we’ll continue to discuss with them,” Carney said on April 23.

Holt has defended the toll, saying the revenue is necessary to support critical infrastructure and highlighting how New Brunswickers have to pay a toll to enter both Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island via the the Cobequid Pass and Confederation Bridge.

But Trueman questions who will ultilmately pay the price.

“I can’t imagine that there’s not an easier way to raise the $10 million that they are suggesting is their positive gain from the tolls. There must be another way to do that that isn’t as detrimental to the local businesses,” he said.

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

A German tourist has died after being bitten by a snake that slithered up his pants while watching a show in Egypt with two other members of his family, German police confirmed in a statement on Monday.

The 57-year-old man was in the audience at a snake-charming performance at a beach resort hotel in Hurghada,  on the Red Sea, when the incident occurred earlier this month.

The show was part of the entertainment program at a hotel complex and involved two snakes, “presumably cobras,” police said, “some of which were placed around the necks of audience members,” authorities added.

During the snake charmer’s performance, one of the snakes crawled into the man’s pants and bit him on the leg.

“He subsequently exhibited clear symptoms of poisoning and required resuscitation,” the police statement said.

He was taken to a local hospital, where he later died, it continued.

The investigation into the circumstances of the death is being conducted by the Memmingen Criminal Police Inspectorate under the direction of the Memmingen Public Prosecutor’s Office, police said.

The results of a toxicological examination are still pending.

The man, who has not been named by police, was from the Unterallgäu region of Bavaria in southeastern Germany and was vacationing with two family members, police said.

According to the World Health Organization, available data indicates that 4.5-5.4 million people are bitten by snakes annually. Of this, 1.8-2.7 million develop clinical illness, and 81,000 to 138,000 die from complications, it says.

High-risk groups include rural agricultural workers, herders, fishers, hunters, working children, people living in poorly constructed houses and those with limited access to education and health care, the organization’s website states.

In Canada, venomous snakes are rare, and bites are infrequent, with only one reported snakebite-related death in 2026, according to the online data platform World Population Review.

According to ScienceDirect and the Canadian Wildlife Federation, there are three endemic venomous snake species in Canada: the Western Rattlesnake, found in British Columbia’s Thompson Okanagan region; the Prairie Rattlesnake, found only in southwestern Saskatchewan and southern Alberta; and the Eastern Massasauga, found only in Ontario on the eastern shore of Georgian Bay, the northern Bruce Peninsula, a small area in the Niagara Peninsula and in the Windsor region.

In 2026 so far, India has the highest number of snakebite-related deaths, reporting 51,100 fatalities, followed by Pakistan, Nigeria and Bangladesh.

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

As the weather gets warmer, Bike Share Toronto riders are being warned to stay vigilant as fraudulent QR codes are being placed on some of its bikes.

In a social media post, the program said scammers have been placing fake QR code stickers over official ones, redirecting users to malicious websites.

“We’ve become aware of fraudulent QR codes being placed over the official QR codes on some of our bikes,” they said in a statement.

Although the program uses the QR codes for unlocking bikes, it does not accept any forms of payment through the QR codes.

BikeShare said they are urging all riders to unlock bikes only using its official app and in-app scanner.

The Toronto Police Service told Global News it is not aware of any reports linked to bike share bikes, but says it has seen similar scams involving parking meters in recent weeks.

At least three recent cases involved fake QR codes placed on parking meters.

Victims believed they were paying for parking, but were instead charged nearly $2,000, Toronto police said.

Investigators warn that the same tactic could be used in other public spaces.

Police advise people to inspect QR codes for signs of tampering, avoid scanning codes in public places when possible and never enter payment information unless the source is trusted.

They also recommend using official apps or websites instead of scanning QR codes.

“If you wouldn’t click it, don’t scan it,” police said.

BikeShare Toronto is asking users to report any suspicious QR codes to customer service.

Since the start of 2026, bike share has added 25 new stations and three station expansions, bringing 463 new docking points and nearly 500 new places to park and pick up bikes.

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

With spring in full swing, many are hopeful for the sun to keep shining. But for basketball fans in Kingston, Ont., the Sun they’re looking for is in Connecticut.

Limestone City native Aaliyah Edwards is getting set for her third season of professional basketball, her first full season with the Connecticut Sun of the WNBA.

The former Frontenac Secondary School standout was moved to the Sun before the trade deadline, after being seldom used by the team that drafted her sixth overall in 2024.

“It’s tough stuff that I had to go through that,” Edwards said from her hotel room in Toronto, where she is getting set to take on the Toronto Tempo in pre-season action.

“But at the same time, I’m grateful that I went through it so early on in my career.”

She adds that league veterans have encouraged her to keep her head up, as trades and team movement are far too common in professional sports.

But Edwards says she’s not dwelling on her turbulent sophomore season and is instead using it as motivation to keep progressing as a professional basketball player.

“I want my name to be thrown around the league, and I want to prove people wrong,” she said.

“Going to my third year, obviously, I’m going to be team first. But individually, I’ve been working really hard to kind of get back to what I do best, which is just to dominate.”

During her rookie season with the Mystics in 2024, Edwards averaged 7.6 points and 5.6 rebounds in 21.8 minutes per game. But her production dipped in 2025, averaging 5.4 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. However, that came in an average of seven fewer minutes per outing.

Heading into this season, Edwards says she’s been told by Sun management and coaches that she’ll be an integral part of the team in 2026.

“I’m really excited and just embracing that role and embracing just having that responsibility and accountability,” she said.

Part of the reason she’s caught the eyes of the Sun brass is her outstanding showing during Unrivalled, the off-season 3-on-3 league, where Edwards averaged a double-double.

“I was able to really show that and just perform and it really just gave me that, that joy of the sport again, after having such a tough season with a lot of adversity thrown my way.”

And although Edwards will be more heavily relied upon in 2026, she is hoping to use the season to be a mentee to league veteran, Britney Griner, who signed with Connecticut in the off-season. Griner is a 3-time Olympic Gold Medalist, as well as a former NCAA and WNBA champion.

The addition to the Sun caught her off-guard, but she’s excited at the opportunity to learn from one of the best to ever play in the WNBA.

“To kind of like pick her brain and to utilize her to help me be a better player is going to be great for me this summer,” Edwards said, before joking that it will be nice not to play against her.

“She to this day is one of the toughest people I’ve had to guard, just with her size and her mobility at six-eight, like that’s really unheard of in this league. So to have her on our side of the team wearing our jersey, we love to see it.”

Earlier this off-season, the WNBA announced the sale of the Sun to a group from Houston, who will relocate the long-standing club to the Lone Star State. It’s bittersweet for Edwards, as last season’s trade was a homecoming of sorts after spending her four years in the NCAA with the University of Connecticut Huskies.

While she admits it will be tough to leave her second home again, she’s excited for the opportunity to be part of the league’s return to the city that won the first four WNBA titles back-to-back from 1997 to 2000.

“It’s going to be great for us to relocate there. A lot of old fans are going to come out and support us, but we’re also going to get a lot of new fans,” Edwards said.

“That’s a great mix for me because, you know, you’re not only paving the way for the next generation, but you’re also respecting those that came before us.”

But before she gets a new postal code, Edwards has to focus on this season and the Sun’s first exhibition game — a game that happens to be her first professional game on home soil when Connecticut pays a visit to Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto against the expansion Tempo.

“Isn’t that crazy?” she remarked.

Edwards admits her phone has been busy ever since the league’s schedule was announced, with many friends and family reaching out in hopes of securing tickets to the game. She’s exhausted the number of tickets allotted to her by the league, and says that close relatives and former coaches will be in attendance for the exhibition matchup.

But the fact that tickets for the game are so hard to come by shows how far the league has come.

“You know, they’re not only playing games in Toronto, they’re playing in Vancouver. And Montreal, so they’re going across the country. So yeah, I’m just super proud that it’s finally come.

“Little girls can look up and see a pro team playing on their home soil. It’s even more of a motivator for them to continue to do that and play the sport that they love.”

Edwards and the Sun will return to Toronto on June 10th, for Connecticut’s only other visit to Canada this season.

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

WestJet flight attendants have filed a notice of dispute with the airline following more than seven months of negotiations in a process that — if unresolved — could ultimately lead to a strike or lockout.

The move comes less than two years after WestJet mechanics went on strike after labour talks failed, leading to hundreds of flight cancellations before the union and employer reached a deal.

On Monday, Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 8125 announced that it had issued a formal notice of dispute after failing to reach a new collective agreement since bargaining began in September 2025.

“Flight attendants are performing increasingly demanding work in a safety-sensitive environment, and we are some of the lowest paid in Canada,” Alia Hussain, president of CUPE 8125, said in a press release.

“The system that governs our compensation was built for a different time, and it no longer reflects the value of work being done today.

“Flight attendants have remained patient and professional throughout this process, but delays cannot continue.”

The union represents approximately 4,400 WestJet cabin personnel.

The press release states that there is a “growing gap” between “the work flight attendants are required to perform and the outdated system that determines how that work is compensated.”

“Flight attendants are responsible for passenger safety from the moment they report for duty, yet significant portions of that time are not fully compensated under the current system. On average, flight attendants work 35 hours every month unpaid,” the union said.

The union is also seeking “improvements to scheduling and basic working conditions that support a safe and sustainable operation.”

Hussain also stated in the press release that “we are looking for meaningful progress at the table on issues that affect our members and their ability to provide reliable service for our guests.”

WestJet stated to Global News that the airline “has been actively engaged in the bargaining process with CUPE” since September 2025.

“While we were surprised by the timing given the continuing progress at the table, conciliation is a common step in the labour negotiation process.”

The airline also added that “WestJet recognizes and values the critical role cabin crew play in ensuring the safety, comfort, and care of our guests on every flight and remains committed to a meaningful collective agreement that is also sustainable for WestJet’s future.”

 

The Canadian Transportation Agency also stated to Global News that it will “closely monitor the situation and provide further advice, if needed.”

Global News also contacted Transport Canada for comment.

Last week, WestJet cut six per cent of its flight capacity as the war in Iran causes the price of aviation fuel to soar.

“As fuel prices continue to rise, WestJet has adjusted some flying to align with demand and best manage associated fuel costs,” the airline said in a news release.

WestJet said it hasn’t eliminated any routes so far, but it is “evaluating its summer schedule” with an eye to possible cuts.

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

The Saskatoon Paramedic Association’s strike mandate will remain in place after it rejected the tentative agreement reached with its employer, according to a bargaining update from the union on Wednesday.

This move comes after more than two years of contract negotiations with its employer, Medavie Health Services West. It neared an end when the tentative deal was announced on April 15, but after the details of that potential agreement were shared with association members, it failed to pass a ratification vote.

“We do still hold our strike mandate, and have the ability and willingness to use it if necessary, a strike is not imminent at this time,” said Russell Grant, the association’s president.

A previous proposal was unanimously rejected in February. This back-and-forth between the groups began in March of 2024.

“We respect the decision of our membership and remain committed to securing a fair agreement that reflects the work and dedication of Saskatoon paramedics,” the association said in its update.

After failed negotiations in the past, including in February, the union did not take any job action.

Global News has reached out to the Medavie Health Services West for comment.

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

Health Canada approved the first generic version of brand-name semaglutide drugs like Ozempic on Tuesday, becoming the first G7 country to do so.

Manufactured by Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories in India, the injectable medication has been approved for once-a-week treatment of Type 2 diabetes in adults.

The generic semaglutide drug is sold under the brand name “Obeda” in India and was submitted for review to Health Canada in early 2024.

Health Canada stated in a press release that eight other submissions are currently under review for generic semaglutide.

Dr. Hertzel Gertstein, a professor in the medicine department at McMaster University and a diabetes physician, said that there is not much difference between name-brand and generic semaglutide drugs.

“When Health Canada approves a generic version of a drug, they go through a very rigorous process and ensure that the drug that they’re approving is as close to the original drug chemically as it can possibly be,” he said. 

“The fact that they’ve approved it should reassure most people that if they’re using one of these generic drugs, it should be a very similar, if not identical, effect as would be if they would take the original, copied drug.” 

According to Felix, a Canadian integrated health-care platform, the average cost of Ozempic injections can be between $200 and $450 per month, depending on each Canadian province.

The price of Mounjaro ranges between $300 and $550 per month in Canada.

Wegovy’s current list price is expected to cost $5,066 per patient per year, or roughly $400 per month.

According to the pricing structure of the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance, the first generic version of a medication typically costs 75 to 85 per cent less than the brand name.

Once a second generic version of a medication enters the market, the price for both typically drops to 50 per cent. When there are three or more generic products available in Canada, the cost typically decreases to about 35 per cent of the brand-name price.

Health Canada also said that many generic medications are 45 to 90 per cent cheaper than brand-name versions.

“The numbers I’ve heard are anywhere from like $40 to $80,” Dana Small, a neurology and neurosurgery professor at McGill University, said. “That’s a major decrease in cost.”

Small also stated that the lower price range for generic products is “great for the research community” for advancing research in other fields.

Gertstein said that the process of approving generic GLP-1 drugs into public drug plans can differ from each province, and it’s not yet clear whether generic semaglutide will be covered.

“Health Canada approves it for the country, but it might be that the Ministry of Health in Ontario approves that, will reimburse it for ODB. It’s not a matter of approving it, it will reimburse for ODB, whereas maybe in Manitoba they might not reimburse it,” he said.

“It just depends on each provincial review of whether they include it or don’t include it as part of their drug benefits for people who are eligible for the drug benefit program.”

Small also added that it makes sense economically to include generic GLP-1 drugs into insurance plans.

“I think it will overall benefit the health system with reducing costs related to obesity treatment, cardiovascular disease,” she said. “I think the cost-benefit analysis will come out that there is a net gain because of the prevention of all the chronic diseases in the hospital and care costs associated with that.”

However, Small also urged caution for those thinking of going on the drugs.

“It depends on each person, and once you start taking the drugs, you can lose a lot of weight. You can really improve glucose control. But the moment you stop taking it, everything goes back to the way it was,” she said. “So, it’s something that you need to stay on it in order to continue with the benefits.”

“It’s a long-term commitment.”  

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