A concept album is a record that has a narrative, theme, or story that links all the songs together in a unified way. Green Day’s American Idiot qualifies as such a record.

Dig into rock history, and you’ll find plenty more: The Wall by Pink Floyd, both Tommy and Quadrophenia by The Who, The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper, Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust, and My Chemical Romance and The Black Parade are all examples. But who was the first to release a concept album?

If we’re going to be honest, it was Frank Sinatra in 1955. That’s when he released In the Wee Small Hours, which features songs about that particular time of day. But hang on. We can also make a case for folksinger Woodie Guthrie.

He released a collection of songs entitled Dust Bowl Ballads, which featured accounts of Depression-era America. The year was 1940.

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

A park on Vancouver Island is closed after a bear attack on Friday morning.

B.C. Conservation Officers said that shortly before 10 a.m., a woman was hiking with her dogs off-leash in Stoney Hill Regional Park, east of Duncan.

Officers said the woman encountered a sow and a cub and the sow attacked the woman’s dogs. The woman intervened and received undisclosed injuries from the bear, the conservation service said. The dogs survived.

Conservation officers swept the area alongside RCMP officers but did not locate the bear.

In coordination with the Cowichan Valley Regional District, the park has been closed to ensure public safety.

The Conservation Service said it has been determined that the attack was defensive and there will be no effort to locate or capture the bears.

Warning signage has been placed in the area. Conservation officers will continue to monitor bear activity in the area.

The public is encouraged to familiarize themselves with precautions to minimize human-wildlife conflicts, including travelling in groups, leashing pets and carrying bear spray, the service said in a social media update.

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

Two men have now been charged in connection with the fatal shooting of a man inside a taxicab in Langley, B.C., in September 2025.

On Sept. 5, 2025, Langley RCMP were called to reports of a shooting near 200th Street and 53rd Avenue around 10:30 p.m.

Taran Pandher, 24, was a passenger inside a taxi and succumbed to his injuries at the scene.

Approximately 30 minutes later, police received reports of a vehicle fire in the 13250 block of 64A Avenue in Surrey. Investigators believed the vehicle was connected to the shooting.

IHIT’s Integrated Gang Homicide Team (IGHT) took over the case as the shooting was believed to be targeted and connected to the B.C. gang conflict.

On Aug. 14, 2026, IGHT investigators arrested 35-year-old Jared Douglas Polischuk and 29-year-old Luis Manuel Baez in relation to the homicide.

They were charged jointly with one count of conspiracy to commit the murder of Mr. Pandher.

“Gang homicides are among the most complex and high-risk investigations to manage,” Sgt. Freda Fong of IHIT said in a statement.

“IGHT investigators specialize in these types of investigations, which allows us to focus on the investigative avenues that are critical to building a case forward for charge assessment.

“While the laying of these charges is a significant development, our work is not over. Investigators believe other individuals were involved in this shooting, and we are committed to holding all who were involved accountable. Much work remains as we continue to pursue those responsible while supporting the prosecution process.”

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

Earlier this month, the Downtown Saskatoon Business Improvement District pitched the temporary removal of 25 benches in the downtown core to city council.

The goal of the removal was to lower “hot spots” linked to issues related to social disorder, such as concerns regarding safety, including stabbings and bear spray attacks, along with vandalism to the benches and local businesses and some using the benches as beds.

This pitch sparked a lot of debate among those at the city council meeting and online in Saskatoon groups on Facebook and Reddit. Some residents say removing the benches would help improve the issues, while others argue it is merely ignoring the greater problem at hand.

For one local woman, Lillith Rose, this proposal made her angry, saying she believes the city should help vulnerable people. While sharing her feelings about the proposal with her parents, Rose was told it takes only one small action to spark change.

With that, Rose decided to grab some supplies and clean the benches herself, calling it a peaceful protest against removing them.

“I’ve actually already had people on the street come and tell me, thank you, this is where I sleep. I feel much safer sleeping here now,” says Rose.

For her, this project is more than just a way to give back to the community.

“The number one reason I’m doing this is because I actually used to be homeless myself,” explains Rose. “And these benches, they used to be my bed, too. They matter to me a lot because when I see benches, I see myself, I see my family.”

After cleaning a few benches on her own, Rose shared photos of her work on a local community Facebook page. It wasn’t long before she began to receive an outpouring of supportive messages and people asking if they could help by volunteering their time and supplies.

“I’ve literally been crying for days because every morning I wake up to … hundreds of messages from people just like loving and supporting what I’m doing and all of that is what keeps me going, honestly,” shares Rose.

With other volunteers, Rose and her crew pick up garbage, wipe down benches and remove any graffiti.

“With more people and more help, I know that we can make this city a really, really clean and beautiful place for everyone and we can live in harmony,” says Rose.

To keep everyone safe during this process, Rose created a safety checklist for her volunteers. She also carries Narcan, bandages and feminine hygiene products for those who may require a helping hand.

“I let them know, like I really care about you guys and this is something very important to me,” says Rose.

Despite the ongoing debate about social issues downtown, Rose says several businesses have shown their support by donating supplies. As for the benches, the city is tabling the conversation until September 2027.

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

Alberta mayors are optimistic about the futures of their communities after a government deal to fund housing infrastructure.

The federal and provincial governments came together in Red Deer on July 29 to announce a new program to accelerate homebuilding, with the funding set aside being used to set up water and wastewater infrastructure for homes.

$510 million is being put up by Ottawa through the Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund, with Edmonton contributing roughly one-third of eligible project costs.

The province says that’s roughly $428 million in funding that can be unlocked.

“Anytime we’re investing in the base infrastructure that is required for to support housing, that is fabulous,” said Okotoks mayor Tanya Thorn.

The money is open to municipalities like Okotoks, a town of 33,000 people south of Calgary.

With this fund now open, Thorn says they hope to get back some money on a completed water line project.

“We didn’t actually receive federal funding or a substantial amount of federal funding for our water pipeline. So we just built a supplemental water pipeline to our community,” said Thorn. “So we will be going back on that looking for funding for that because we currently have debt financed about $50 million of that project.

Approximately 80 kilometres south, Airdrie mayor Heather Spearman is also pleased to see money being put up by the federal and provincial governments for infrastructure, especially with a few major projects underway.

“We are going to be fast tracking the build for a Southwest recreation facility for our community,” said Spearman. “For many people that doesn’t sound like a critical piece of infrastructure, but having the infrastructure in place to support something like that is so important.”

This build, as well as the city’s skating facility, are included in the city’s 10-year strategic plan, projects Spearman says are important to keep Airdrie growing and able to serve the needs of residents.

“We are also one of the largest communities in Western Canada without a hospital,” said Spearman.

During his stop in Red Deer to announce the bursary for water infrastructure, Prime Minister Mark Carney also announced he and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith are working on a deal to increase the pace of affordable housing construction.

It’s developments of this nature that has Spearman optimistic about what’s possible when all levels of government are investing in Western Canada.

“From a federal level, it is really exciting to see so much focus on Western Canada and the investments that they’re willing to make to help people feel comfortable here and to help create those bare bones infrastructures that need to be in place in order to accommodate the growth that’s happening,” said Spearman.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

A Quebec man who was acquitted in 2024 of a decades-old double murder has settled a lawsuit with Montreal and the provincial government.

Claude Paquin launched the Superior Court civil suit last year, alleging that police and justice system representatives knew for decades that his 1983 murder conviction was based on false evidence.

Paquin became a free man in 2024 after Quebec’s Crown prosecutor’s office declined to try him for a second time for the 1978 murders of Ronald Bourgouin and Sylvie Revah.

He served 18 years in detention and more than 23 years on parole under strict conditions before being liberated after the federal justice minister ordered a new trial.

The city and province said in a news release that they hoped the settlement would help Paquin turn the page on a difficult episode of his life.

The amount of the settlement was not disclosed.

“The Plaintiff holds the grim record for the longest unjustified deprivation of liberty ever documented in Quebec,” Paquin’s lawyers argued in court documents. “His story illustrates a Dantean judicial process — a series of grave, gross, and malicious state errors that imprisoned him for the better part of his adult life within an institutional grinder that was crushing, irreversible, and inescapable.”

The lawsuit notes that Paquin was 81 years old when he was acquitted, and therefore spent more than half his life deprived of freedom.

A lawyer for Projet Innocence Québec told The Canadian Press in 2024 that Paquin was acquitted based on evidence not presented at his trial, including that the informant who served as the main witness against Paquin changed his story and received money and favours in return for testimony.

The lawyer said there were also statements from another witness who testified Paquin was not involved, and questions about the handling of the crime scene.

The federal justice department ordered a new trial in 2024, concluding that a miscarriage of justice likely occurred.

“This determination is a result of the identification of new and significant information that was not submitted to the courts at the time of Mr. Paquin’s trial or appeal, calling into question the overall fairness of the process,” the department wrote at the time.

The lawsuit claims that the key informant against Paquin, Bernard Provençal, later admitted to having lied.

“Ultimately — and too late — the (Quebec Crown)’s key witness in the plaintiff’s case, the informant Provençal, finally admitted to having perjured himself in order to falsely implicate the plaintiff in a conspiracy with (Montreal police) officers, declaring that he himself was the person truly responsible for the offence,” read the lawsuit.

Paquin’s lawsuit says that for decades, police and prosecutors had enough evidence to secure his release but didn’t come forward.

“Behind bars, he lost everything: his son, his freedom, his years, his identity,” the lawsuit reads. “For 40 years, he endured imprisonment, violence, and humiliation, tirelessly refusing to confess to a crime he did not commit — at the cost of his very freedom.”

Because the lawsuit was settled, its claims were not tested in court, and the parties said they would not make further comment.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

The world is moving faster than ever — but for Calgary residents Laurie and Chris Softley, things have really slowed down lately.

“Nobody’s been able to tell us when it’s going to be fixed. Nobody,” Chris explained.

The Softleys returned home from vacation to their home in Calgary’s Dalhousie neighbourhood late in the evening of Aug. 3 and when they woke up the next morning, they realized their Wi-Fi wasn’t working.

“The first person I talked to said, ‘Let me see if I can reboot your boxes from here,'” Chris said. “I said, ‘You cannot reboot the boxes because there’s no wire going to our house.'”

The Softleys are one of hundreds of Calgary-area Telus customers who have been without cable, internet and phone service for more than a week, as the company says it’s dealing with a rash of copper theft incidents.

“In Ogden, cable cut damage is affecting home phone, internet, and TV services. In Kingsland and Bowness, home phone services are being affected,” a Telus spokesperson said in a statement.

“As the price of copper has risen, so has the instance of theft affecting numerous industries including telecom, construction, electricity, and natural gas.”

Telus says copper thefts have doubled in 2026 compared to just a year ago.

“While thieves are typically after copper cables, they often cut through nearby fibre cables during their acts of vandalism, disrupting critical services to even more customers.”

Roughly 1,600 Telus customers alone have been affected by the thefts this month, according to the company.

“(Telecommunications cables) are fairly easy to see, easy to access, because they need to be that way so the workers can get to them,” Calgary Police Sgt. Nick Wilsher said.

“This also affects all emergency communications. It impacts hospitals, it impacts agriculture as well… It can shut down whole irrigation systems, and then farmers lose crops.“

The Softleys are on day 11 with no internet at their home.

“There’s no excuse for that length of time to take to repair something in this day and age,” Chris said.

“We’ve got neighbours that work from home… what are they going to do?”

Chris and Laurie estimate they’ve spent more than 10 hours on the phone with the company’s customer service line and appear to be no closer to a resolution.

“Can we just please have our services back? That’s all we’re asking.”

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

All residents who were forced out of their homes due to the Quilpituk Creek wildfire, burning north of West Kelowna, B.C., were allowed to go home on Friday.

The evacuation orders for all properties from Cinnabar Creek to Westshore Estates have been downgraded to an evacuation alert, and the evacuation alerts for properties south of Cinnabar Creek in the Wilson’s Landing area have been lifted.

Residents were allowed to go back home in stages, entering on the south end of Westside Road from West Kelowna.

The north end of Westside Road remains closed and there will be no access past Westshore Estates, Central Okanagan Emergency Management said in a release.

Out of an abundance of caution, residents returning home are recommended to inspect their property and trees to assess any issues or damage before re-entry.

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

Markham’s inaugural hosting of Canada’s only IndyCar race is off to a bumpy start.

After fans waited for hours to see some action on the track Friday, IndyCar representatives said no cars will be hitting the newly resurfaced race course until Saturday at the earliest.

According to officials, Saturday’s schedule will be updated to include the events that were supposed to happen today.

Organizers have apologized to fans who came out to the Free Fan Friday event, a long-standing tradition of past races.

They say practice for the big race on Sunday will go ahead once the track is deemed safe.

This is Markham’s first time hosting IndyCar, which previously made its Canadian home on the Toronto waterfront for decades.

IndyCar and Markham announced their partnership last September. The temporary street circuit was built for the first time this week and runs between Kennedy Road, Enterprise Boulevard, the Unionville GO tracks and Highway 407.

–with files from The Canadian Press

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

A TTC worker is recovering after being stabbed near Bloor-Yonge station Friday morning.

Just after 8 a.m., police were called to the busy downtown intersection for reports of a stabbing.

Toronto paramedics transported the injured worker to hospital. Their injuries were determined to be non-life-threatening, and they are recuperating at home.

In a statement, TTC CEO Mandeep Lali said the incident happened while the employee was on break and called the attack “unprovoked.”

He added that employee safety is “paramount and incidents of violence against TTC workers in the line of duty are completely unacceptable.”

The suspect fled the scene and is still on the run.

Police describe the suspect as a male with a heavy build and a black beard. He was wearing a blue puffer vest, grey T-shirt, grey pants, a black baseball cap and black shoes at the time of the attack.

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