CALGARY – Two CFL teams on the ropes for different reasons seek traction Saturday at McMahon Stadium.

The Calgary Stampeders (5-8) are battling for their playoff lives while the visiting Ottawa Redblacks (0-12) just want their first win of 2026.

“They’re coming in desperate. We’re desperate,” Stampeders quarterback Vernon Adams Jr., said Friday. “They’re trying to find a win and we are too.”

Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson gets his first start for Ottawa this season. The 38-year-old replaced Jake Maier during last Saturday’s 26-23 loss in Toronto that ended with a 29-yard walk-off field goal by the Argonauts.

Bethel-Thompson moved the ball efficiently in completing 16 of 23 pass attempts for 192 yards and a touchdown pass.

“He played well and gave us a spark,” Redblacks coach and general manager Ryan Dinwiddie said. “That was what I was looking to do when I put him in the game. At this stage, Jake’s had a lot of opportunity. Let’s see what Mac’s got.

“We’ve got to get the football ran, we’ve got stop the run. We don’t have to be perfect on defence. We’ve got to be a little bit better than we were last week, create a few turnovers and offensively we’ve got to finish in the red zone. We’ve been right on the edge of scoring 30 about each game, but we got get in the 30 range to win this football game.”

The Redblacks have lost 18 consecutive games dating back to last season.

“We’re not happy with how the season’s gone and we very much want to win,” Bethel-Thompson said. “I’m proud of how this group continues to go to work and focuses on the process.

“Once that dam breaks, I think that out of this, you’ll see a lot of good players come out of it and play in the CFL for a long time. So we’re just trying to chop wood, carry water and do as best we can for that week of practice, and then give it our all Saturday and not worry about it, play one play at a time, let our talent show and see what the result is.”

The Stampeders struggled in a 53-16 loss to the Elks in Edmonton last Saturday when Calgary turned the ball over four times, the Elks blocked a punt in the Stampeders’ end zone for a touchdown and Josh Love replaced Adams at quarterback in the second half.

“I just want to be better, myself,” Adams said. “Play with more swagger, play more free, and whatever happens, just on to the next play. I’ve been playing a little tight these last few weeks.”

Calgary, which has lost four of its last five, led the league in average points per game in the first half of the season (39), but dropped below 30 in its last four.

“As an offence, we’ve got to stay on the field, give our defence a break and score some points,” Adams said,

Saturday’s game is the first of a home and home between the two clubs as the Stampeders visit the Redblacks next week.

“No way can our team look past anybody,” Stampeders head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson said. “We’re not playing our best football. Let’s make sure we play better. We understand that at a critical time of the year that we need wins and it has to start this week.”

Calgary’s leading rusher Dedrick Mills (hip), receiver Dejon Brissett (elbow) and interceptions leader Ben Labrosse (knee) won’t play Saturday.

Calgary cornerback Adrian Greene, a division all-star in 2025 with six picks, reclaimed the starting job from the injured Labrosse.

Deonta McMahon, a Grey Cup winner with the Argonauts in 2024, came off the practice roster to share rushing duties with Ludovick Choquette and returner Tyreik McAllister.

“It’s going to be running back by committee,” Dickenson said. “We’ll have all three guys play running back, and if someone has a hot hand or looks like they’re seeing it better than the other guys, certainly you lean on that guy.”

McMahon, whose last name isn’t pronounced like the stadium, but MACK-muh-HAWN, says he’s accustomed to hearing his name mispronounced in Calgary.

“I’ve been called it my entire life, so I don’t have a problem with it, honestly,” McMahon said Friday.

Stampeders veteran receiver Reggie Begelton, who played his first game Saturday in over a year, was listed as a game-time decision for Saturday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2026.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

Former BC Conservative caucus member Peter Milobar has now become the new leader of the CentreBC party.

A group of eight former BC Conservatives said on Friday that they are also joining CentreBC, which will become the third-largest in the B.C. legislature.

Milobar and six other recent Opposition Conservative defectors had said previously they would form their own party, but they will instead be joining CentreBC along with Eleanor Sturko, who was ejected from the Conservative caucus last year.

Mike Bernier says he’s stepping aside as leader of CentreBC to make way for Milobar, whose resignation from the Conservative caucus in August triggered an exodus.

“We are going to be hyper-focused on the economy of delivering affordability for British Columbians,” Milobar said.

“We’re going to be hyper-focused on health care and bringing that innovation and creative solutions into that sector so people can actually have a health care system they can rely on and cancer access they can really rely on.

“We’ll be hyper-focused around crime and safety in our streets to make sure people actually feel safe again. And that is what you’re seeing come together today.”

There is rampant speculation that B.C. Premier David Eby is going to call a snap election soon.

Two weeks ago, Eby said he was busy preparing for the fall session, but on Wednesday he raised speculation about a fall election.

“We have a one-vote majority, so we’re election-ready as the NDP,” Eby said.

“Elections BC should be election-ready.”

BC Conservative Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay says she has removed three party members from caucus.

This comes after a summer series of scandals that saw nine BC Conservative MLAs quit the party, many citing issues with Findlay’s leadership.

Milobar said on Friday that now is the time for British Columbians to realize there is a new party on the ballot, especially if Eby is thinking of calling a snap election.

“It is simply ridiculous what is going on, let alone that it’s at the same time as a municipal election with critical elections happening for mayor and councils in Vancouver, in Surrey, in Richmond, in Kamloops, across this province,” he said.

“It just shows how desperate this premier actually is because he doesn’t feel that he can stand on his own record, let alone actually have solutions over the next two years before the next scheduled election to bring BC back to its rightful place as the top.”

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

Text messages described as “flirtatious” between former Regina police chief Farooq Sheikh and a member of the Regina Board of Police Commissioners have been a key focus during four days of appeal proceedings.

Sheikh was fired in October 2025 after a months-long investigation by the province’s Public Complaints Commission into allegations of inappropriate conduct. The allegations were made by a member of the police board, who is being referred to as the complainant due to a publication ban.

Regina Mayor Chad Bachynski, who also sits on the police board, testified about how commissioners came to the conclusion that Sheikh’s conduct with the complainant was inappropriate.

Bachynski said he was shown the text messages in an investigation report in September 2025 and described his reaction as one of betrayal.

“This is not how the public would expect a chief of police to act,” Bachynski testified.

The mayor also described receiving what he called a “very frantic” phone call from Sheikh in mid-March, before the complaint was filed.

He said Sheikh described his relationship with the complainant during the call as being “like a sister to me.”

Bachynski testified that the call confused him at the time, but that he later viewed it different after the complaint was filed.

“I feel like I was being pre-manipulated to understand what may happen, which ultimately was a complaint being brought forward,” he said.

Additional texts reveal Sheikh sent text messages to two board members in December 2024, during a private in-camera meeting where board members were discussing his contract. Sheikh had been excluded from the meeting and testified he became impatient. The complainant responded to his messages while the meeting was underway. He admitted to this being an error and agreed it could erode trust of the board. He also acknowledged he did not disclose the messages to the board before they were later uncovered through the legal process.

When asked whether he agreed his actions were unethical or lacked transparency, he said, “I agree.”

“I made a couple of errors through frustration in my contract. I do accept that,” he testified.

Another issue examined during the proceedings stems from a February 2025 drug investigation in which the complainant was found to have a connection to one of the people charged.

The complainant subsequently resigned and was later removed from the board.

A recording of a Feb. 26, 2025 phone call between Sheikh and the complainant was also played during the hearing.

In the recording, Sheikh can be heard asking whether the call was being recorded and telling the complainant to delete text messages between them because he was concerned they could be misconstrued if someone else saw them.

When asked about Sheikh’s actions, Bachynski testified that it “speaks to the lack of trust and accountability to follow direction.”

“Ultimately we are the chief’s employer, when we lay direction, there is an expectation for that to be respected,” he said.

Sheikh testified to initially developing a relationship with the complainant to support them in their role as a new board member, and said it evolved from there.

Sheikh said he has since deleted their text messages. When asked whether he did so because of the complainant’s potential connection to the drug investigation, Sheikh said he did so because he was embarrassed by the messages, but maintains it had nothing to do with the investigation.

He also acknowledged some of the messages had sexual innuendo, and the pair communicated through third-party apps, including WhatsApp.

Sheikh testified that he should not have allowed the exchanges to develop as they did, but said his intent was limited to “flirtatious humour and banter” that was “all fun and cheeky.”

The appeal is expected to continue next week.

Hannah Sangster has more in the video above.

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

President Donald Trump said Friday he has a deal with Denmark to bolster the U.S. military presence in Greenland after months of threatening to take island by force from the NATO ally.

Trump in a social media post announcing the deal said the agreement “gives the United States permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland, completely addressing ALL of our many U.S. concerns.”

He added that with the agreement his administration would “immediately” begin the process of developing a larger military presence on the mineral-rich Danish territory.

The office of Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, said the deal will be signed by three governments next week during the United Nations General Assembly, but parliamentary action is still needed by the Danish and Greenland governments before it can be enforced.

In a statement she said “the agreement recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity” of Greenland and Denmark and upholds both people’s right “to self-determination.”

With his return to the White House last year, Trump called on Denmark to sell the island to the United States, while insisting that Greenland is crucial for U.S. security. He pointedly wouldn’t rule out taking the island by military force, even though Denmark is a NATO ally of the U.S.

Denmark and Greenland repeatedly said the island is not for sale and condemned reports of the U.S. gathering intelligence there. The U.S. push for Greenland is also opposed by Russia and much of Europe.

But Trump in his social media post Friday suggested an understanding may been reached that could bring an end to what was viewed as an existential crisis by Denmark.

“We look forward to working with the wonderful people of Denmark and Greenland toward a magnificent future with respect to this large, and highly strategic, parcel of land,” Trump said in his post. “We will be very protective of it!”

© 2026 The Canadian Press

Truckers across Canada are reporting paying more to fill up their tanks than ever before, and it’s driving up costs across the board for consumers.

Professional Material Relocation Specialist Don Taylor from Manitoba made a stop in Northern Ontario for diesel on Friday morning, paying nearly $1,500 to fill his tank.

“That’s the most I have ever put in,” explains Taylor. “Before that, the most I put in was at the beginning of COVID and it was just over the $1,000 mark. The fuel price is double what it used to be, it’s just getting right out of hand.”

These prices according to Taylor, will hit those who own their own trucks the worst, making it unaffordable for many to continue driving.

The factors leading to the skyrocketing fuel prices are worldwide. Oil refineries being destroyed as a result of the Russia-Ukraine war, and the uncertainty in the Strait of Hormuz are large contributors.

“It’s a world market, so if it’s not coming from Russia it’s got to come from some place which is bidding up the prices internationally.” says Supply Chain Management Professor Barry Prentice.

Part of the fuel shortage is a result of the temporary shutdown of Enbridge’s Line 5, a 30-inch-diameter pipeline that travels through Canada and U.S. states including Wisconsin and Michigan. The company says the stoppage was because of an unoccupied truck rolling into the pipe releasing natural gases. It’s since become operational again.

In response to that issue in particular, Transport Canada has allowed truckers to increase the number of driving and working hours in a cycle if they’re moving fuel products to places including gas bars. That new exemption is applied until the end of the month, and applies to all drivers heading through Manitoba, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario.

It’s something Prentice believes could benefit a system facing shortages, but likely won’t drop the cost of gas. Looking ahead, he doesn’t see impactful relief anytime soon.

“When it comes to diesel, we have to remember the whole world runs on diesel,” explains Prentice. “Jet airplanes, the railways, and the ships are using diesel, and the trucks. There’s a lot of pressure on that supply of diesel out there.”

When it comes to the everyday impacts on Manitoba consumers, higher transportation costs directly result in higher prices across the board.

“If a company used to charge say $1,000 to get a load of cheese from Montreal to Winnipeg and the fuel price goes up, they’re going to have to put up their shipping costs or else just going to go broke.” says Taylor.

Rising diesel prices are driving up prices beyond just the transportation aspect. For farmers across Manitoba, the majority of their fuel bill is diesel-oriented, with many pieces of equipment running through an entire tank in just a few days.

For G & G Farms President Curtis McRae, it’s just another hurdle on top of what’s been a challenging few months.

“Since we lost most of our crop due to the June storm, the only thing I can do to make this project float this year is to cut expenses. It’s tough to cut expenses when the fuel you’re going to need goes up. This year, fuel will definitely be worth more than what my job is worth.”

The city of Winnipeg also felt shortages in the fuel and average driver would use.

On Friday, multiple gas stations ran out of regular fuel, and were forced to sell higher grade for the same price.

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

Manitobans are preparing for dark winter mornings and brighter evenings this winter following Premier Wab Kinew’s announcement that the province will stay in permanent Daylight Saving Time.

Kinew made the announcement while speaking to 680 CJOB Thursday. The move means Manitoban clocks will not fall back in November, as the province permanently remains in its spring and summer time zone.

This will result in later sunrises and sunsets this winter. The decision to stick with Daylight Saving Time, and not permanent Standard Time, was made based on the results of a survey that found respondents preferred the summer time option over Standard Time.

“I think it’s a positive thing,” Scott McFayden, executive director at the Anxiety Disorders Association of Manitoba (ADAM), told Global News in an interview.

Committing to Daylight Standard Time will lead to fewer disruptions and more access to sunlight for people in the north, he said.

In Thompson, the sun will rise at 10:05 a.m. and set at 4:57 p.m. on the shortest day of the year, according to a Manitoba government report on the health implications of time policy.

“Access to sunlight, we know, has a positive benefit on mental health,” McFayden said.

“We live in a northern climate, there’s more instances of seasonal affective disorder with shorter (versus) longer days, and so, there is a connection between climate, access to sunlight and our mental health.”

Later sunsets may also help Manitobans get some sun in winter, he continued.

“If you walk out the door (after work) and there’s a little bit of sunlight, maybe you’ll actually go out and do something. It might be more difficult for people who start work really early in the morning. It will be dark an extra hour in the morning, but I think we’ll all adjust,” McFayden said.

Stopping the time change will also be beneficial for sleep, according to McFayden, who noted that regular, healthy sleep habits can help prevent anxiety from manifesting for some people.

The St. James-Assiniboia School Division (SJASD) said it is in the early stages of determining how the switch to Daylight Saving Time will impact school day routines, Jaime Siska, assistant superintendent of educational planning and policy for SJASD, told Global News in an email statement.

The sun is expected to rise at 9:24 a.m. in Winnipeg on the shortest day of the year in December, according to the Manitoba government.

Schools in the division start between 8:20 a.m. and 9 a.m., Siska said.

This means “most schools in the SJASD will start prior to dawn on this date.”

Division staff is in the process of ensuring students will arrive at well-lit schools as mornings become darker this winter. Staff is also ensuring that community bus stops and areas surrounding schools have enough street lighting to ensure students are safe, the statement added.

“(We are) exploring best practices in safety measures to support students and caregivers as they prepare for this change,” Siska said.

“We expect supervising staff to be especially vigilant at drop-offs, bus loading areas, and street crossings during the first week of permanent DST (Daylight Saving Time), and anticipate using our communication channels to reinforce important safety messaging to caregivers and students in the lead-up to and following this change.”

Siska said the school division will work to ensure “students continue to arrive safely to school each day regardless of the natural lighting conditions.”

In ending the time change, Manitoba is joining the likes of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Yukon and the Northwest Territories.

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

BC Conservative Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay says she has removed three party members from caucus.

“Effective immediately, Trevor Halford, Claire Rattée, and John Rustad will no longer serve as members of the Conservative Party of British Columbia Caucus,” Findlay said in a statement.

“With an election potentially on the horizon, our focus must be on British Columbians and defeating David Eby’s NDP government.

“The BC Conservative Party is the only free-enterprise team equipped with a fully funded campaign to take on the NDP, and we need everyone focused on building our movement and preparing to win.”

However, in a statement posted on X earlier Friday, Rattée said she is not going anywhere.

“With reports that a snap election is imminent, the BC Conservative Party must present a credible alternative and look like a government in waiting to make life better for the struggling people in our province,” she said.

“Since Ms. Findlay has become leader, nine MLAs have departed from our caucus citing serious concerns with her leadership. There have been allegations of offering paid positions to MLAs in return for them resigning their seats, senior staff becoming embroiled in scandals, and refusals to communicate with caucus members to fix these issues.”

Nine MLAs have left the BC Conservative Party since August.

On Thursday, allegations surfaced of a former director of the BC Conservative Party hiring a private investigator to look into 14 people, including party members and a Victoria-based journalist.

Rattée said she was one of the caucus members who was “targeted.”

“Worse, Ms. Findlay is now trying to further shrink our team by attempting to oust members of her own caucus, after nine MLAs left,” she added in her statement.

“Those team members are elected members of the BC Conservative Caucus. Ms. Findlay is not. She does not have the authority to remove any member of our caucus.”

Rustad and Halford have not spoken publicly about the announcement.

Findlay has not spoken on Friday, only issuing the statement, saying, “There’s no room for internal power struggles or vanity projects. If your priority is building the movement, and supporting the Conservative Party of B.C., you are welcome.

“Our priority is British Columbians.”

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

Two sudden deaths and a person found in serious medical distress over the last 24 hours have prompted a public safety warning from Halifax Regional Police.

Police say the Nova Scotia Medical Examiner’s Service is conducting autopsies to determine the cause of death in both incidents.

A release from police notes that while the investigations are in their early stages, “in the event” that the deaths are determined to be drug-related, police are warning people to be cautious.

Police point out illicit drugs may contain unknown substances, including highly potent opioids, which can increase the risk of overdose or death.

“If you see someone experiencing an overdose, call 911 immediately,” police add.

“If available, administer naloxone and follow emergency dispatcher instructions until help arrives.”

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

A New Brunswick member of Parliament is calling on the provincial government to reject a proposed artificial intelligence data centre in Saint John, warning that it could overwhelm the power grid.

Conservative MP John Williamson says the proposed AI centre will trigger electricity rate hikes for nearby residents.

Williamson says the public utility NB Power lacks the necessary capacity to handle the facility’s demand for 200 megawatts from the grid.

He laid out his opposition to Beacon Data Centers’ project in a letter to Liberal Premier Susan Holt.

The New Brunswick Southwest MP also criticized Holt for highlighting the data centre project at a major Toronto investment summit earlier this week, even though it hasn’t received provincial government approval.

The New Brunswick government says any new data centre must pay for the costs it creates and cannot lead to higher electricity rates.

Beacon AI says its project requires 390 megawatts of energy and that it could produce up to 190 megawatts on site.

Williamson said the company wasn’t interested in generating all of its own power.

“I met with them and I raised this and they balked,” he told The Canadian Press in an interview Friday, referencing a meeting he had with the company a several months ago.

That’s why, he said, he wants the province “playing hardball” with companies that want to build data centres so that ratepayers are shielded from major price hikes.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

A pulp mill that’s the backbone of a rural New Brunswick community’s local economy is facing a closure that will impact hundreds of workers.

AV Group NB Inc., a subsidiary of the India-based Aditya Birla Group, announced Thursday it would temporarily idle its AV Nackawic facility west of Fredericton around the end of October.

AV Group says about 350 workers will be out of work, and attributed the decision to “prevailing market conditions” and other challenges.

“Nackawic has been challenging for a number of years. This was not a flippant decision by any means,” said Mike Legere, AV Group’s director of government relations and communications.

“There is presently a surplus of dissolving-grade pulp on the marketplace, which compounds the problem in terms of trying to get a higher price realization, and really the price for it is stable, but is not at all keeping up with production costs.”

Nackawic-Millville Mayor Tim Fox says the news isn’t surprising since there was already a slowdown in wood deliveries to the mill last month.

“(We) started having some concerns in August when they stopped purchasing roundwood, so it’s not a huge shock, although we are disappointed that they took the decision they did,” he said.

The mayor added it’s an uneasy time for their community, and the province’s forestry industry at large.

“It’s no secret the global forest industry is not great right now. There is a lot of uncertainty, and that plays heavily into the decisions that were made,” Fox said.

Unifor, the union representing 228 of the 350 impacted workers, says it believes action could have been taken much sooner on the issue.

“It’s a sector that ought to have been planning for the future and modernizing what that would look like. Unfortunately, in this mill, that didn’t happen,” said Jennifer Murray, Unifor’s Atlantic regional director.

“There is no space to shut this mill down and think it is going to restart again.”

Natural Resources Minister John Herron issued a statement saying he was “disappointed and saddened” by the news. He called it a “difficult day for New Brunswick.”

“AV Nackawic is an important cornerstone in New Brunswick’s forest industry, in the local community, and to our province’s economy,” he wrote.

Premier Susan Holt wrote in a social media post that she and her team have been in contact with community leaders and Unifor, and are putting a support plan in place.

“Teams across government are working together to make sure people have access to the support they need, and we will share more in the coming days. Your government has your back,” she wrote.

— with a file from The Canadian Press

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