A Change of Command ceremony was held on July 22, marking the transfer of leadership from Brigadier-General Mark “Buck” Hickey to Col. Tim Woods.

Hickey, who commanded 4 Wing and CFB Cold Lake from July 2024 until July 2026, was promoted from colonel to brigadier-general on the morning of the ceremony.

“BGen Hickey’s major accomplishments while commander of 4 Wing include the opening of the 4 Wing Dependant Medical Clinic, initiation of the expansion of the MFRC Daycare facilities, and facilitating the consolidation of infrastructure projects at the national level to help prepare 4 Wing & CFB Cold Lake to accept the next generation of fighter aircraft,” said 2Lt Matt MacFarlane, acting Wing public affairs officer.

Hickey has since been posted to Hawaii, where MacFarlane said he will serve as the Canadian representative.

Woods arrived at 4 Wing with more than 4,500 hours of flight experience and an extensive background in fighter capability development.

He previously worked in Washington, D.C., on the next-generation fighter program and served in the Fighter Capability Office between 2020 and 2023.

He also completed a master’s degree in national security and strategy at the Australian Defence College in 2024 before serving as the Canadian Armed Forces’ first director of Special Access Programs.

As commander, Woods will be responsible for maintaining 4 Wing’s current operations, while preparing its personnel and infrastructure for the transition to the F-35.

His immediate priorities will include training, deploying and supporting tactical fighter forces for domestic and international operations, continuing preparations for the new aircraft and maintaining 4 Wing’s ability to deploy personnel and equipment from different locations.

The transition is expected to bring visible changes throughout the base and the surrounding region.

“The Lakeland community can expect to see an expansion of base infrastructure, new buildings, an increase of numbers of base personnel as 4 Wing expands; 4 Wings mission and operations will remain the same as the wing prepares to accept the next generation of fighter aircraft and to train, deploy, and support world-class tactical fighter forces in the defense of Canada and Canadians,” said MacFarlane.

Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul MLA and Alberta Military Liaison Scott Cyr attended the ceremony and described it as more than a transfer of command. Cyr said it reflected the continued evolution of one of Canada’s most strategically important military installations.

Cyr thanked Hickey for his leadership and credited him with helping position the wing for a period of substantial growth and modernization.

He also congratulated Woods and expressed confidence that his experience would serve 4 Wing’s members as they protect Canadian sovereignty and support international security.

According to Cyr, the transition to the F-35, along with investments in infrastructure, innovation, workforce development and strategic partnerships, could create new opportunities for communities, businesses and educational institutions across northeastern Alberta.

Cyr said he looks forward to working with Woods, Col. Laura Gagné and the rest of the base’s leadership to strengthen relationships among the Canadian Armed Forces, local communities, Indigenous partners, industry and government.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

Health Canada has authorized pharmaceutical company Moderna to move forward with a clinical trial for an mRNA vaccine targeting the Ebola virus strain currently fuelling an explosive outbreak abroad.

Canada is now the second country to authorize a Phase I clinical trial for a Bundibugyo virus vaccine candidate after the U.K., according to federal officials in a news release.

There is currently no licensed vaccine or treatment for Bundibugyo virus disease, the strain of Ebola disease that is responsible for the current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. There have been no cases of Ebola disease in Canada.

Participants in the authorized Phase I clinical trial will “be given a dose of the candidate vaccine and researchers will assess whether the participants’ immune system starts making antibodies to the Bundibugyo virus.”

They will not be injected with the virus itself, Health Canada says.

Following the completion of the trial, Moderna is required to “conduct additional clinical trial phases before it could seek approval from Health Canada for the vaccine.”

Eastern Congo’s remote Ituri province has experienced the fastest-growing outbreak of the disease, with 3,802 cases and 1,707 deaths being recorded as of Tuesday, according to the latest government update.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on May 17.

On May 28, the Canadian federal government announced it would provide $8 million in international assistance funding to support the outbreak.

As of May 27, the Canadian government requires travellers from Ebola-affected regions to self-isolate for 21 days, with immigration authorities temporarily suspending applications from the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan and Uganda, effective until Aug. 29.

All travellers are required to be assessed by border officials. Those who have symptoms will be transferred to hospital for further medical assessment.

Government officials stated on May 26 that on average, 350 people from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and South Sudan come to Canada each week.

The majority of passengers arrive in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver airports, with about 60 per cent of flights comprised of Canadians or permanent residents and 40 per cent foreign nationals.

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

Seven more whales are on the move from Marineland, headed to a new home at an aquarium in the United States.

Marineland says in a statement that it has begun the second phase of its whale relocation plan, just weeks after successfully transferring six belugas to Shedd Aquarium in Chicago and SeaWorld in San Antonio.

It says the whales getting shipped Monday – female belugas named Xena, Gemini, Skyla, Meeka, Eve, Neva and Calypso – are all going to SeaWorld’s San Antonio location.

The park says the health, safety and well-being of the whales remain its top priority throughout the journey.

One of Marineland’s advisers has called the series of moves, a process involving custom slings, dozens of people and ongoing international collaboration, “unprecedented.”

Marineland has been closed to the public since 2024 as it looks to sell the park and its sprawling property a short distance from the famous Horseshoe Falls at Niagara Falls, Ont.

The park has said it is running out of money and can no longer care for the whales.

The shuttered tourist attraction previously tried to ship its complement of belugas and dolphins to an aquarium in China, but the plan was blocked by the federal fisheries minister.

Not long after, Marineland captured international attention when it threatened to euthanize all of its belugas if it didn’t obtain emergency funding.

The park ended up striking a deal with a consortium of U.S. and Spanish aquariums, which worked out a plan to move the whales.

The first batch of whales was moved on July 20.

Before then, Marineland had 30 belugas and four dolphins, the largest complement of captive belugas in the world as well as Canada’s last remaining captive whales and dolphins.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

A synagogue in Saskatoon was egged and vandalized during a service last week, its rabbi said.

While attendees gathered for Shabbat service inside the Congregation Agudas Israel Synagogue, eggs were reportedly thrown at the building’s doors and windows, Rabbi Claudio Jodorkovsky said in a social media post Saturday.

According to the post, cars in its parking lot were also vandalized. It also said a child who was playing inside the place of worship “saw an attacker as he approached the main entrance.”

“It is difficult not to feel afraid after what we experienced this morning,” the post from Saturday reads.

“Hatred rarely begins with extreme violence. It starts with vandalism and intimidation, then grows, especially when there is no action taken or no condemnation. History has taught us that dismissing ‘minor’ expressions of hate lead to something far more dangerous,” it continued.

Local, provincial and federal leaders in Saskatoon must support the synagogue on McKinnon Avenue, as well as the broader Jewish-Canadian community, the post urged, and compared the alleged vandalism to “targeted attacks against Jewish-owned businesses in Toronto and Montreal.”

Saskatoon Mayor Cynthia Block described the egging as “deeply troubling” in a social media post shared on Tuesday.

“Acts that target people because of their faith undermine the values of respect, inclusion, and belonging that Saskatoon strives to uphold,” Block’s post said. “Saskatoon is strongest when we stand together in support of one another. We will not allow acts of hate or intimidation to define who we are as a community.”

Police in Saskatoon say they are not investigating the allegations yet.

“At this point, the Saskatoon Police Service has not received a report consistent with this information,” police wrote in an email statement to Global News Tuesday morning.

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

Calgary police have arrested and charged a 25-year-old Calgary man in connection with a weekend shooting at the Victoria Park/Stampede CTrain station.

Officers responded to the station around 8 p.m. on Saturday.

They discovered two people suffering from what appeared to be gunshot wounds, one of them on the CTrain platform and the other closer to the BMO Centre.

They were rushed to hospital, where one of them was listed in life-threatening condition and the other in stable condition.

However, both were later upgraded to stable.

Investigators said an argument between three men appears to have started on the Ctrain and when the train reached the station and the men got off, one of them produced a pistol and shot the two other men, then fled the scene.

However, police said the suspect was quickly taken into custody nearby.

He faces a total of seven charges:

• Two counts of aggravated assault.
• Two counts of discharging a firearm with intent.
• One count of possession of a firearm for a dangerous purpose.
• One count of possession of a weapon contrary to a prohibition order.
• One count of unauthorized possession of a prohibited weapon.

The accused has been ordered kept in custody until his next court appearance on Wednesday.

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

Big oil companies continue to book massive profits as fighting in Iran disrupts energy markets and sends oil and gasoline prices sharply higher.

Six of Europe’s largest oil companies posted combined first-quarter profits of US$22 billion, more than 40 per cent higher than last year.

Profits at BP, based in London, more than doubled to US$3.9 billion in the second quarter, the company said Tuesday.

And Saudi Aramco reported a 44 per cent year-on-year increase in second-quarter net profit that reached US$32.69 billion, driven by higher crude oil, refined products and chemicals prices.

The supercharged performances from big oil in Europe and the Middle East follow reports of enormous profits from the largest U.S. oil drillers last week.

As the conflict has dragged on, high oil prices have driven up the cost of gasoline, jet fuel and diesel, which has led to higher shipping costs. In the West, filling up the car or buying a plane ticket is costing consumers more. But the situation in parts of Asia are more dire because the region depends more heavily on fuel exported through the

Strait of Hormuz. Fuel supplies have run low in some countries, leading to rationing and sporadic closures of schools and government offices.

Despite oil prices falling to their lowest level in three weeks Tuesday, big U.S. energy companies drew the ire of President Donald Trump, who criticized them this week for their outsized profits.

Trump said he’s not happy with Chevron and Exxon Mobil, though energy prices skyrocketed only after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in late February, and the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed off to tanker traffic.

About 20 per cent of the world’s oil typically flows through the strait.

“They made too much money, too much money,” Trump said Monday. “They ought to give some of that back to the public, and they better cut the retail price.”

Exxon Mobil on Friday reported that its second quarter profits doubled to US$14.5 billion, boosted by record diesel production.

The oil giant, based in Spring, Texas, brought in US$116 billion in revenue, up 42 per cent.

Chevron, based in Houston, nearly quadrupled its profits to US$12 billion and revenue jumped 56 per cent to more than US$70 billion.

On Tuesday, the price of U.S. crude oil fell 5.4 per cent, or US$4.36, to US$75.98 per barrel.

The sharp decline followed comments by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who told CNBC that the U.S. and Iran “may have a deal today or tomorrow to open the Strait.”

Oil prices for U.S. crude are down from around US$92 a barrel in late July, but still more than 13 per cent higher than when the conflict with Iran started.

Brent crude, the international standard, fell 4.9 per cent to US$83.87 per barrel.

A resolution to the Iran conflict, which has lasted more than five months, could give oil shippers the ability to send vessels out of the Persian Gulf, where tankers of oil and other products have been trapped during the fighting.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

A municipality in Quebec’s Laurentians region has declared a local state of emergency after heavy rainfall left some roads impassable.

The town of L’Ascension says on social media that over a dozen roads are damaged or destroyed.

Residents of the town of about 900 people have shared photos showing landslides and sunken ground.

Residents are being urged to limit their travel to only what is strictly necessary and to avoid the affected areas.

Environment Canada says up to 75 mm of rain fell in the Upper Laurentians between Sunday and noon on Monday.

The mayor of nearby Ste-Adèle has offered to assist L’Ascension should the need arise.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

Police in Montreal have released photos of a suspect wanted in an attempted murder case that occurred in May and are asking the public for help in identifying them.

The attempted murder occurred on May 18 in the borough of Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles.

At approximately 9:15 p.m., police say they received a 911 call about a person injured by a sharp object at the intersection of Élie-Beauregard Avenue and Perras Boulevard.

When police arrived, a 49-year-old man was found conscious but suffering from injuries caused by a sharp object to his upper and lower body. He was then transported to hospital.

The circumstances surrounding what police are calling an armed assault remain unknown.

Three images of a suspect have been released. Police describe the suspect as between six feet and six feet five inches tall with dark, shoulder-length hair styled in dreadlocks. At the time of the incident, the suspect was wearing a black sweatshirt, black jogging pants and white shoes.

Anyone with information is asked to contact 911 or their local police station. They can also confidentially contact Info-Crime Montreal at 514-393-1133 or via the tip form.

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

WestJet says its guests are still being impacted by a one-day flight attendants’ strike, which ended after a tentative agreement between the airline and the union was reached.

Some passengers may be feeling the effects for several days, according to experts.

Multiple WestJet flights were cancelled, delayed or rescheduled in the days leading up to the labour action and during the strike itself, and the airline put an unknown number of its 737 aircraft into storage ahead of the job action.

Now that the strike has ended, WestJet says it’s working to normalize its operations, but that passengers should still check their flight status leading up to their departures.

“WestJet is resuming operations and entering the recovery phase following a labour disruption,” WestJet said Tuesday morning in a statement sent to Global News.

“Flights have begun to operate; however, the impacts of the disruption continue as the airline works to restore its network. Guests are encouraged to continue checking the status of their flights before heading to the airport.”

WestJet would not confirm to Global News how long it expects those strike-related impacts to last.

Data from aviation analytics company Cirium showed 16 WestJet flights scheduled for Tuesday had been cancelled, as of around 11 a.m. Eastern time. That comes after more than 300 flights were cancelled Monday, or around 62 per cent of those scheduled.

The union representing WestJet’s flight attendants, CUPE 8125, said in a statement Monday that workers are “returning to work,” and a response to a Global News request for an update sent Tuesday referred back to the same statement.

“WestJet Mainline flight attendants have reached a tentative agreement after strike action helped bring the parties to a resolution. With the strike now over, flight attendants will be returning to work,” CUPE said in a statement on Monday.

Although the strike lasted for one day, experts say the impacts are significant and will be felt for a while longer.

“WestJet’s reluctance to put a timeline on recovery tells the real story: restarting an airline is nothing like flipping a switch,” says John Gradek, lecturer and expert in aviation management at McGill University.

“To ride out the strike, aircraft and crews were repositioned across the country and overseas, and getting them back where the schedule needs them takes days, not hours.

“Realistically, we’re looking at Friday or Saturday before the network resembles normal, and a week to 10 days to fully clear the backlog — because this is peak summer, the flights still operating are already full, and there’s almost no room to reaccommodate people.”

With WestJet warning that passengers may still have their travel plans impacted — even after the strike ended — there still may be times when sudden changes to flight schedules will throw a wrench in things.

WestJet extended its flexible cancellation policy to include flights scheduled to leave up to and including Aug. 6, 2026. The temporary policy includes the ability for guests to make a one-time change or cancellation to their bookings with no fee.

“If you are scheduled to travel on or before Aug. 6, 2026, to provide greater flexibility and peace of mind, eligible WestJet, WestJet Vacations, Sunwing and Vacances WestJet Québec guests may make a one-time change or cancellation at no additional cost,” WestJet said in an online travel advisory.

“Changes must be made at least two hours prior to your original scheduled departure time. Additionally, if your flight has been disrupted and you no longer wish to travel, you can cancel your flight at any time.”

But if a passenger makes their own changes to air travel plans, they waive their rights according to government regulations — even if the air carrier cancels or changes their original flight.

Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR), set by the government of Canada and administered by the Canadian Transportation Agency, ensure travellers are given alternative travel arrangements or compensation where applicable, but the specifics depend on who is making the changes and when.

Under the terms of the rules, if WestJet makes a cancellation or schedule change as the result of a labour disruption, that is considered to be outside of the carrier’s control and triggers a specific set of rights that must be met for passengers depending on the circumstances.

If a flight is cancelled or delayed by three hours or more because of a strike, WestJet must provide clear information in a timely manner and passengers must be offered alternative travel arrangements. Those arrangements may also require the air carrier to provide meal vouchers and accommodations.

The APPR requires passengers be provided alternative travel arrangements within 48 hours of their original departure time — even with a competing airline if it’s more than nine hours. Nearby airports may also be required for rebooking if beyond the 48-hour window, and that’s all on top of potential compensation for inconvenience where applicable.

WestJet said last week if strike action leads to flight delays or cancellations, “impacted guests will be refunded or reaccommodated, as applicable.”

As required by the air passenger rights legislation, passengers “may be eligible for compensation if a cancellation results in a delay which causes you to arrive three or more hours late at your final destination.”

When the strike initially began, WestJet said in a statement that 250,000 guests over the August long weekend had their travel plans cancelled “with further flights to follow, depending on the duration of the work stoppage.”

Gradek estimates that the disruptions will have affected more than 300,000 travellers, including those impacted by pre-strike cancellations and “the days of recovery still ahead.”

“The airline has a 48-hour obligation to get those passengers to their destination, including by buying them seats on competitors,” he said.

“My advice to anyone caught in it: don’t cancel and rebook yourself, or you may forfeit that protection — wait for WestJet’s rebooking notice, but keep every receipt.”

– with a file from The Canadian Press

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

The federal government is advancing the process to designate a proposed oil pipeline to the West Coast as a “national interest” project.

Designating a project as being in national interest under the Building Canada Act allows the government to fast-track approvals and skirt some environmental laws.

A notice published in the Canada Gazette on Aug. 1 sets a Sept. 18 deadline to submit comments on the national interest designation.

The government’s notice says Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc will work with the Alberta and B.C. governments while consultations with Indigenous communities are underway.

The proposed pipeline is a central component of an energy agreement between the federal and Alberta governments.

The roughly 1,250-kilometre pipeline would carry upwards of one million barrels of crude oil from Bruderheim, Alta. to a port near Delta, B.C. for shipment to international markets.

© 2026 The Canadian Press