Last time, we looked at how metal has fractured into a million different genres, sub-genres, and sub-sub-genres.

For example, have you heard of “blackened crust?” This is a combination of an intense form of punk that’s been mated to black metal. Not for the timid. Drone doom is slow, low, and scary, occasionally punctuated by blood-curdling screams. I love this label: Heavy negative wizard metal. This brings together old-school British metal from the early 80s, power metal, black metal, and fantasy sci-fi.

There’s jazz metal, which is just like it sounds. Imagine lots of improvisation featuring heavy guitars, saxophones, and trumpets. Kawaii metal is a Japanese invention that brings together J-pop with aggressive guitar riffs. And if you’re looking to go back in time, there’s medieval metal, which not only features big guitars but also ancient instruments like a hurdy-gurdy, frame drums, and dudelsacks.

Ain’t music evolution wild?

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

Quebec’s new minority government made several promises to its English-speaking community, but anglophones say they’re approaching the new government with both optimism and skepticism.

The Parti Québécois (PQ) was elected to a minority government in Monday’s provincial election, just five seats shy of a majority, meaning it will have to work with opposition parties to pass legislation.

During the campaign, premier-designate Paul St-Pierre Plamondon stressed the importance of the anglophone community, defending their right to election documents in both official languages and suggesting changes to the province’s language law, Bill 96.

But Sylvia Martin-Laforge, director general of TALQ, which advocates for the province’s English-language communities, said they will be watching to see what actions Plamondon takes.

This includes whether will reverse a challenge by the government on whether English-speaking Quebecers can receive voter information in English and French.

“He had questioned the vallue of challenging bilingual voter information during the campaign, noting that was a fundamental right,” she said. “So that would be an important first message to the English-speaking community if he recognizes that voter information should be in both languages.”

Yet, she also said his stance on applying the Charter of the French Language to CEGEPs is “not good news.”

Martin-Laforge told Global News that education is important for the “vitality” of anglophones, and would like to hear more information on how the new government wants to handle education and if any restrictions could be in place for attending English-language schools.

Daniel Béland, the director of the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada, said Tuesday that the PQ won’t want to be “at war” with anglophones especially as many did not vote for them.

Statistics on how many anglophones voted for each party are not yet available, but several electoral districts with strong English-speaking communities primarily voted Liberal.

On the Island of Montreal, the Quebec Liberals (PLQ) took 19 of 27 seats with just two PQ MNAs elected.

“In a minority context, with two parties that are explicitly willing to defend the anglophone minority, and I will even add Quebec Solidaire to the Conservatives and the Liberals in a sense, I think that he (Plamondon) will have to be careful the way we move forward in terms of policies that will affect anglophones directly,” Béland said.

He added the PQ doesn’t want to appear “mean” to English-speaking communities just because the party supports independence, an issue many anglophones are against.

Early in the campaign, Plamondon promised to hold a referendum on Quebec independence – something he had promised even before the election began. But he said he wouldn’t hold one until after U.S. President Donald Trump leaves office in January 2029.

With a minority government, getting that referendum to a voting day would likely require additional support from at least one other party.

The Quebec Liberals and Conservatives (PCQ) have been staunch on their opposition to a referendum, but at least one party could lend support.

“There’s another party that’s been elected to the legislature that also supports a referendum and separation and that’s Quebec Solidaire,” said Nelson Wiseman, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Toronto. “So between the two of them, they have a majority. So, forgetting Donald Trump, they could act on it sooner, or if they want they can act on it later.”

He added being a minority government, there is the risk it could fall to a confidence vote before 2029 setting the stage for an election before a referendum is ever held.

A referendum question in Quebec can’t head to the public for a vote without moving through the National Assembly. The PQ won 59 seats in Monday’s vote, while the PLQ and PCQ received 40 and 19 respectively totaling 59 together. Quebec Solidaire won nine seats, meaning they could join with the PQ to support the referendum.

“The timing is problematic and also there is the Trump problem or issue,” Beland said. “So the PQ will have to break its promise and organize a referendum that’s already really unpopular among Quebecers before the deadline they had set for themselves.”

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

The British Columbia Conservatives plan to repeal the province’s no-fault auto insurance system, in a major policy proposal revealed by a leaked letter from the party’s interim leader to lawyers and insurance executives.

Lorne Doerkson says in the letter that if elected on Oct. 24, the Conservatives would bring in legislation to restore accident victims’ rights to sue, under a new “hybrid system” designed to keep rates affordable while protecting people hurt by reckless drivers.

Doerkson has told reporters that the policy is needed to allow people with serious injuries to be properly compensated to manage their post-accident lives.

The NDP government introduced the no-fault insurance system in 2021, that generally prevents car accident victims from suing, in response to what NDP Leader David Eby called a “financial dumpster fire” at ICBC with losses in the billions.

Eby now says the letter leaked by the union representing ICBC workers amounts to a “secret deal” between Conservatives and trial lawyers.

But Doerkson says no-fault insurance has been “very challenging” for the residents for multiple reasons.

“Obviously we have to provide affordable insurance coverage for all of our residents, but for those that have experienced catastrophic injury and potentially life-altering injury, this program has not supported them well,” he said at an unrelated news conference in Vancouver.

“And in so many cases, we need to improve that and we absolutely have to contemplate this insurance model.”

Doerkson said he had made “no promises” about the plan.

But in the Sept. 29 letter to the vice-president of the Insurance Bureau of Canada, and the presidents of the Law Society of B.C., the Trial Lawyers Association of B.C., and the Canadian Bar Association, he says new legislation would be passed within a year of the Conservatives being elected.

“Accident victims will get back their right to recover for their serious injuries, and government will get out of the legal profession’s business.” he says.

He says B.C. can look to Ontario, Alberta, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, P.E.I., and Newfoundland and Labrador, which “all have hybrid insurance models.

“We can learn from them and do better,” he adds.

The NDP says trial lawyers have been lobbying to end the no-fault system “that lowered car insurance rates for drivers and has kept them frozen for seven years.”

It describes the Trial Lawyers Association as “the organization representing personal injury lawyers who previously worked on ICBC cases.”

© 2026 The Canadian Press

Ontario has asked provincial police to look into student financial assistance payments at private career colleges after auditors identified “serious concerns” about possible criminal activity and “egregious” use of public money, the government said Tuesday.

Colleges and Universities Minister Nolan Quinn said the ministry launched targeted inspections of career colleges last year in response to growing concerns about Ontario Student Assistance Program usage and asked KPMG in August to begin an audit.

“While that work is ongoing, preliminary findings have identified serious concerns about the integrity of the OSAP system in the private post-secondary sector,” he wrote in a statement.

“These include common ownership, the involvement of immigration services firms and co-location between private career colleges and immigration recruitment or immigration services firms, inadequate student validation and verification of course enrolment and outcomes, and unusually high concentrations of OSAP applications submitted from the same geographic locations.”

As a result, the government notified the auditor general last week and referred the matter on Friday to the Ontario Provincial Police, Quinn wrote.

The Canadian Press reported on Friday that government officials who inspected three career colleges alleged in reports filed in court that they found evidence suggesting third parties were completing the coursework — sometimes entire courses in one day — and a few students who couldn’t name their school or program. Those schools deny most of the allegations made against them, and they have not been proven in court.

Quinn and the government have been under increasing pressure to explain what critics describe as a lack of oversight and inaction on unusually rapid OSAP growth at a small number of career colleges.

“It’s a colossal mess,” interim Liberal leader John Fraser said. “The minister should have taken responsibility today and resigned.”

Quinn earlier this year drastically reduced the amount of OSAP grants that students at universities and publicly funded colleges could receive, while restricting career college students to OSAP loans.

He cited “unsustainable” costs, but a freedom-of-information request by The Canadian Press showed that 95 per cent of the year-over-year growth in 2024-25 was due to career colleges.

A subsequent freedom-of-information request by The Canadian Press showed that most of that growth was concentrated among a small number of schools. Just seven career colleges accounted for about $385 million in OSAP grants in 2024-25, the same amount that went to students at all of Ontario’s publicly funded colleges.

Court records show that Career Colleges Ontario, an association representing the sector and the body that processes their students’ OSAP applications, has been warning the province about possible “suspicious” OSAP activity for years, dating back to January 2023.

A lot of the concerns have centred around asynchronous, online-only programs, Quinn said. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the province temporarily extended OSAP eligibility to students in online and/or asynchronous programs, then later made it permanent.

This fall, the government will introduce legislation to make online-only programs at private career colleges ineligible again for OSAP, Quinn said.

He denied that it was a mistake to make online-only programs eligible in the first place.

“There is a lot of value in having options for online learning,” he said at a press conference on Tuesday. “Unfortunately, this comes down to criminal nature, criminal allegations, and the bad actors, unfortunately, taking advantage of taxpayer dollars and students, for that matter.”

The government has also paused all OSAP payments for career college students while the audit is ongoing, meaning schools and students will not know if they qualify for financial aid for an undetermined amount of time, though the academic year is already well underway at many schools.

“Unfortunately, there will be some colleges that are not going to be able to survive through this,” Quinn said. “But understanding that we’re talking about egregious use of taxpayer dollars here, criminal allegations, and we need to take that very seriously.”

It has thrown the entire sector into uncertainty and unfairly penalizes students for the government’s mistakes, said NDP critic Peggy Sattler.

“Doug Ford and his government originally blamed students for their decision to cut OSAP support, but today they’ve finally admitted to the truth: the Ford government grossly mismanaged the system and is punishing every student in Ontario for their incompetence,” she wrote in a statement.

The government is talking to banks about options for low-interest, third-party loans for career college students in the interim, Quinn said.

Career Colleges Ontario said the approval delays are causing significant disruption for schools, which have to make operational decisions without clear information or timelines, and for students who don’t know if they can afford to start – or remain in – classes.

“We hope the government will introduce a policy that promptly addresses improper conduct and targets those who have acted wrongly,” the association wrote in a statement.

“Career Colleges Ontario was instrumental in bringing these concerns forward to the government in the first place, and it is not fair that students across the sector who have done nothing wrong are now being impacted as a result.”

The sector-wide delays are affecting not just schools that Career Colleges Ontario raised concerns about, but also schools such as Mothercraft, which has been offering early childhood education programs for decades and has a “stellar” compliance record, said executive director Michele Lupa.

“We’re still waiting to hear if we continue to be an eligible institution for OSAP,” Lupa said in an interview.

“So, needless to say, that’s a little concerning. We’re six weeks into the academic year, and we have students who are relying on OSAP to be able to carry out their studies. So they’re getting anxious, needless to say, and we are too.”

Mothercraft graduates about 125 new ECEs every year, and those graduates are especially critical at a time when the child-care sector is trying to expand under the national affordable child-care program, Lupa said.

Also in high demand at the moment are dental hygienists, and first-semester student Daliah Gardoque’s program at the Toronto College of Dental Hygiene and Auxiliaries is in OSAP limbo, too.

“It’s extremely stressful,” said Gardoque, who started an online petition asking the ministry to “urgently address the ongoing uncertainty.”

“I’m privileged enough to have a decent amount of savings, but that’s only to keep me afloat until the end of first semester. So after that, I wouldn’t really know what I’m going to do. But a lot of people are right now not focused on their exams just because they’re thinking like, ‘Is there any point?’ Because if OSAP doesn’t come in the next month, they might as well drop out.”

© 2026 The Canadian Press

A new report finds that economic pressures mean people are not only dining out less; they’re also being less generous when it comes to tipping.

And hospitality workers in Atlantic Canada say they’ve noticed it firsthand.

“I find tipping and business has been down. I think people just can’t afford it right now,” said Sam Molloy, the manager at Whiskey’s Lounge in Dartmouth, N.S.

A couple of streets over, the owner of Chanoey’s Pasta says the drop has been striking.

“We noticed a difference since last year that tipping culture has been really decreasing. We saw like a 50 to 60 per cent decrease on tipping,” said Catherine Paulino.

The report found 60 per cent of Atlantic Canada’s hospitality workers said their tips have decreased over the past two years.

Nationally, the figure was 67 per cent. Workers in Ontario were hardest hit, with 72 per cent of tipped workers reporting a decline.

Meanwhile, 43 per cent of respondents said they rely on tips to cover essential expenses such as rent and groceries. This reliance was highest in Atlantic Canada and British Columbia, at 51 per cent.

“The tips definitely help with trying to keep up with the cost and those expenses as well,” said Molloy.

The survey was conducted online by pollster Angus Reid on behalf of Actual, a Toronto-based company that offers automated tip management and payroll systems for businesses. The online survey sampled 506 Canadian adults who currently work in the hospitality industry.

Actual’s CEO, Afshin Mousavian, says the industry is in a “tipping recession,” and that’s leading to reduced income for workers.

“It’s important to understand that while consumers are frustrated that their bills have (an added) tip, those individuals, those employees, those businesses live in the same economy that everybody else does. So they’re also feeling the pinch,” said Mousavian.

The report also highlighted the importance of being transparent about how tips are divided.

Ninety per cent of respondents said they are aware of how tips are divided at their own workplace, with transparency being the strongest in Atlantic Canada at 96 per cent.

Last month, the province tabled amendments to the Labour Standards Code that included protections for workers’ tips and gratuities. The changes, which come into effect April 1, 2027, will “ensure tips and gratuities go to the people who earn them.”

No-tip policy

Some restaurants, however, are bucking the trend and eliminating tipping altogether.

The Bonfire in Halifax has a no-tip policy, and its co-owner says the approach is resonating with the community and has drawn a loyal customer base since opening last year.

“In place of tips, everyone gets paid $20 an hour and then half of the profits from the business gets split amongst the employees at the end of every pay period,” said Vincent Morley.

“We feel like the responsibility of paying our employees properly should be on us as business owners and not relying on the generosity of people as they come in the door.”

Restaurant industry organizations say they’re keeping an eye on this trend but don’t expect tipping to go away anytime soon.

“It’s a big part of our culture,” said Natasha Chestnut with the Restaurants Association of Nova Scotia.

“And we know that (the) majority of diners, they’re still more than happy to tip for dining out experiences.”

Still, those who work in restaurants say they understand why customers are tipping less, but are hoping for some relief nonetheless.

“Everything is expensive right now, so it takes a toll on everybody,” said Molloy.

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

Residents in the Tantallon and Hammonds Plains area of Halifax have been voicing concerns about access roads and emergency egress from the growing subdivisions ever since the devastating wildfires of 2023.

At the time, residents shared stories of being stuck in traffic trying to flee on Hammonds Plains Road, as the sky grew black with smoke.

The fire forced the evacuation of more than 16,000 people and ultimately destroyed over 150 structures.

Halifax Regional Municipality said this week that work will begin on the emergency exit from the community of Westwood Hills this month, and the municipality is also gathering public input on more connector roads.

It’s welcome news for Richard O’Fegan, the president of the Westwood Hills Residents Association.

“It’s good to see that some momentum has taken place. It’s good see some actions have taken place to support our commu-nity,” he said.

A staff report was commissioned by municipal councillors in the months after the 2023 wildfire, which recommended moving ahead with a new emergency-only connection between the Westwood Hills subdivision and nearby Highway 103.

But O’Fegan says he has reservations about the placement of the road, and the fact that it will remain locked by a gate when there isn’t an emergency.

“It’s difficult for the community to be 100 per cent behind the placement of this and understand the positive impacts it’ll have if we do face a situation similar to what we did in 2023,” he said.

As part of the egress project, connector roads between the subdivision and Upper Hammonds Plains as well as Highland Park North are also being considered. The proposed plan states the purpose of these roads “would be to improve access and egress in case of emergencies, as well as to increase transportation network connectivity between these three communities.”

O’Fegan says he feels the placement of the connector roads could cause problems later on.

“All roads pointing to Hammonds Plains doesn’t really seem like the most effective strategy when you’re talking about 880 homes and more, (you’re) talking about a long-term care facility, you’re talking about neighbouring subdivisions,” said O’Fegan.

Debbie Miller, a member of the neighbourhood group Pockwock Corridor SAFE, says residents want to know if there will be more roads heading in the other direction that lead to Highway 101.

“This isn’t enough. This is maybe step one, depending on what their goals are. If their goal is to have more development without better planning, then that’s not going to work,” she said.

Residents will have the opportunity to share their thoughts during in-person engagement sessions or take part in an online survey. 

The meetings will be held:

• Wednesday, Oct. 7 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Upper Hammonds Plains Community Centre, 711 Pockwock Road, Upper Hammonds Plains
• Thursday, Oct. 15 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Tantallon Public Library, 3646 Hammonds Plains Road, Upper Tantallon

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

Leading figures in the push for Alberta separation are celebrating the election of Quebec premier-designate Paul St-Pierre Plamondon.

Jeffrey Rath said Tuesday that St-Pierre Plamondon’s election victory could change the political dynamic of Canada, especially since the premier-designate has already shown his willingness to support Alberta’s separatist movement.

“For the first time in Canadian history, we have a government in Quebec that supports Alberta independence,” Rath said in an interview.

“That’s huge.”

St-Pierre Plamondon and the separatist Parti Québécois are set to form a minority government after Monday’s election in Quebec, which saw the governing Coalition Avenir Quebec wiped from the assembly.

The premier-designate has pledged to hold what would be Quebec’s third separation referendum, but he’s said it won’t happen until after U.S. President Donald Trump leaves office.

During a visit to Calgary last year, St-Pierre Plamondon said he would recognize an independent Alberta should the province vote to separate.

Rath said he had met with the Party Quebecois leader in Calgary. He said the pair, who are both lawyers, talked for three hours over dinner and have maintained contact since.

“I’ve gotten to know him relatively well over the last year. I think people are going to be very surprised at how well he governs,” Rath said.

Corey Morgan, an online commentator and separatist advertiser in the upcoming Alberta referendum, also said the premier-designate was an ally and that his victory bodes well for Alberta’s movement.

“I believe it’s in the interest of independence movements on both sides of the country to … maintain pressure and instability on the federal system,” Morgan said.

On Oct. 19 Albertans will vote on whether they want to remain in Canada or hold a second, binding vote on quitting Canada.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith called the vote earlier this year citing two competing petitions on either side of the separation debate that both received hundreds of thousands of signatures. Smith has said she supports Alberta staying in Canada and that she will vote accordingly.

Smith congratulated St-Pierre Plamondon on Monday in a social media post, saying she’s looking forward to working with his government.

“Our provinces and our country are stronger when we work together, stand united and build a stronger future for all Canadians,” Smith wrote.

Smith didn’t address the issue of separation in her congratulatory note, nor did Prime Minister Mark Carney in his own social media post.

Morgan said he thought the two leaders were ignoring the elephant in the room.

“People are kind of dodging that fact that, whether you like it or not, even if that wasn’t the prime driver in this provincial election, Quebec just elected an overtly separatist party to be their government,” he said.

“That’s significant, and that’s going to make a difference in policy in the next two to four years.”

Rath, a fierce critic of Smith for putting off a binding separation vote, also said he took inspiration from St-Pierre Plamondon’s path to victory.

The Party Quebecois saw much of its electoral support come from outside of Quebec’s two major cities and it managed to form government despite an overall vote share of about 28 per cent.

Rath said he thought something similar could happen in Alberta should Smith’s United Conservative Party fracture over the separation issue.

Smith has been adamant that her party, government and caucus are committed federalists, but in recent weeks the premier has seen calls for a leadership review come from two of her UCP constituency associations.

Rath said despite the premier’s assurances that the UCP isn’t a separatist party, he thinks rank-and-file members who want Alberta to go its own way represent a “supermajority” within the party.

“I think this is going to be really interesting for Alberta politics,” Rath said.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

Outgoing Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette has resigned as leader of the Coalition Avenir Québec.

Fréchette announced the news in Quebec City, one day after her party failed to win any seats in Monday’s provincial election.

The CAQ was in power for eight years in Quebec and held 79 seats in the provincial legislature before the election campaign began in August.

But the Parti Québécois capitalized on voters desire for change, winning enough seats in the election to form a minority government.

Fréchette said she would remain as premier until the premier-designate, PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, is sworn in.

Fréchette spent only a few months as premier, after replacing François Legault as leader of the CAQ in April.

Experts are divided on whether the CAQ can survive after being wiped off the political map following a vote that handed the sovereigntist Parti Québécois a minority government.

Université Laval political science professor Thierry Giasson says many Quebecers still believe in the CAQ’s “third way” between federalism and independence.

His colleague André Bodet agrees, saying the PQ was also expected to disappear after the last election.

But Université de Montréal political science professor Martin Papillon points out that the party, founded by former premier François Legault, does not have deep historical roots.

All three agree that Fréchette’s time in politics is likely over after she failed to win her riding.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 6, 2026.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

Starbucks is facing a consumer class action lawsuit over claims that its sugar-free protein drinks actually contain significant amounts of sugar.

The federal lawsuit filed late Friday in Seattle alleges that several protein drinks on Starbucks’ menu in the U.S. contain varying amounts of sugar even though the company labels them as not containing any.

“Starbucks sells eight beverages whose names begin with the words ‘Sugar-Free,’ even though they contain between 13 and 21 grams of sugar per venti-size serving,” the lawsuit states.

“No reasonable consumer would understand a beverage named ‘Sugar-Free’ to contain 13 to 21 grams of sugar per serving,” it continues.

On Monday, the menu on Starbucks’ U.S. website listed a 16-ounce (0.5-litre) Sugar-Free Caramel Protein Matcha with 16 grams of sugar and a 20-ounce (0.6-litre) version of the same drink with 21 grams of sugar. By comparison, one Reese’s cup contains 11 grams of sugar.

The class action lawsuit was filed by Hagens Berman on behalf of three individuals in California, New York and Washington who all bought Starbucks’ sugar-free protein drinks.

“Consumers avoid sugar for various reasons, whether that be general health, diabetes and blood glucose levels or other factors, and for many, a staunch mislabeling like this is significant,” Steve Berman, a co-founder and managing partner of the Seattle-headquartered firm, told the Associated Press.

The plaintiffs argue that Starbucks’ naming and marketing of the sugar-free drinks is “false, deceptive and unlawful.”

The filing also alleges that Starbucks fails to include an FDA-required disclaimer regarding the drinks’ calorie content.

The FDA requires such disclaimers because consumers believe that a beverage that is marketed as “Sugar-Free” is also likely to have reduced calories, the lawsuit says.

Starbucks, which was founded and is headquartered in Seattle, said the sugar in its protein drinks is in the protein milk it uses and there is no added sugar in the beverages, including the flavouring syrups.

On the coffee chain’s website Tuesday, the drinks were marketed as “sugar-free,” but the amount of sugar in each beverage was stated.

Its Iced Sugar-Free Vanilla Protein Latte is listed as containing nine grams of sugar and as containing 200 calories.

“We believe these claims have no merit,” a Starbucks spokesperson said Monday.

“Starbucks has consistently and clearly provided information about its protein beverages, sugar-free options, customization choices and nutritional content across product announcements, menus, marketing materials, Starbucks.com and the Starbucks app, and we intend to vigorously defend ourselves in this matter.”

The lawsuit comes weeks after the company announced it was closing 250 locations across North America.

It did not say which locations would close or how many were in Canada, but that some staff would be transferred to operational stores.

In May, Starbucks laid off 300 corporate employees and closed some underused U.S. offices. Last September, it closed 627 stores in North America and Europe and laid off 900 non-retail employees.

–with files from the Associated Press

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

The Manitoba government is opening up more than 100 new spaces for patients who require followup care after being discharged from hospital.

The province says, on average, there are approximately 600 patients in Manitoba hospitals who no longer require emergency care but are waiting for long-term treatment, housing or other community supports.

The new community spaces are expected to provide more appropriate support for when they are ready to leave a hospital.

Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara says health centres are seeing a growing number of patients who are better suited for alternative care options, which is placing pressure on emergency departments.

Spaces are being developed for people experiencing homelessness, transitioning out of mental health facilities and are living with complex cognitive, psychological or behavioural needs.

A mobile support team is also being developed to work with 25 patients in Winnipeg for up to a year.

© 2026 The Canadian Press