The Stadium Stairs program is a free drop-in run club that meets at Mosaic Stadium every Tuesday, rain or shine.

Popularity in the class has skyrocketed, so the city brought in a ticket system to ensure a safe and quality class for all.

With the recent addition of a registered stadium boot camp starting in July, so that even more folks can participate in running the stairs, it’s safe to say the program has built a definite sense of community.

It’s also not just the workout bringing people back — it’s where they get to do it.

“It’s, you know, a pillar of our community,” says the city’s fitness program specialist, Sophia Fornwald.

“A unique space, obviously a landmark in Regina. So to be in here, outside of special events, and get an intimate look at the space, it’s really neat.”

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

The federal government has announced a $40 million investment into Calgary’s home of contemporary art.

Federal Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister for Official Languages Marc Miller made the announcement on Friday, adding that he hopes the investment will strengthen relations.

“I won’t speak for Albertans, I’m from Montreal, but you know, I understand it. Coming from a province, Quebec, where the federal government is often seen as someone who doesn’t follow through on their promises,” Miller said.

“Part of the job here today, whether here or the job the prime minister is doing, is following through on our promises to make sure we are showing Canadians and Albertans that we’re reliable partners.”

Contemporary Calgary will receive the investment as part of its renovation and expansion of its Centennial Planetarium Transformation Project.

The investment is set to create the largest non-collecting contemporary art gallery in Western Canada. The construction plans include expanding the floor space by nearly 60 per cent, adding a new entrance, event spaces, a public art park, galleries and wings.

It will also add Canada’s first LED dome, and the only one dedicated to contemporary arts.

Last year, the Government of Alberta also pledged $40 million to Contemporary Calgary’s Capital Renovation and Expansion Project.

Tanya Fir, Alberta’s arts, culture and status of women minister, said, “Alberta’s investment, alongside now the federal government’s investment, represents our shared belief in Calgary’s cultural sector and the value that arts bring to our communities across the province of Alberta.”

Local artist, Simone Elizabeth Saunders, has had an exhibition at Contemporary Calgary. She says the investment is sure to inspire more artists.

“To have the opportunity to have a space to put us on the map globally is so exciting,” she said.

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

For Saskatoon-based Realtor Gregg Bamford, who has been in the business for more than two decades, clients are the core of his business.

But sometimes, he says, managing these relationships could prove difficult. That, he says, is why he was all in when his business partner, Caroline Gilmore, approached him last fall with an idea to streamline client communication processes.

“I basically vibe-coded the first version of the app and went to our Realtor team, so Greg included, and said, ‘Would this make it easier for you to be able to do your job?’ And that’s kind of where it grew from,” said Gilmore.

Gilmore says she built the first version of the app, called Rivra, entirely using artificial intelligence (AI), turning to large language models like ChatGPT to help her code it.

“We’ve gone in the last nine months from an idea to a production-grade app, which is going to go out to our first test users,” said Gilmore.

The two then pitched the idea to Co.Labs, a Saskatoon-based tech incubator that has supported over 250 startups in its nine years of operation.

The incubator’s program director says every supported startup is now using AI in some capacity, from creating minimum viable products to integrating more advanced products into its business operations.

“That could range all the way from using tools like OpenAI or Anthropic chat products, all the way to coding agents and tools that assist in very deeply technical parts of building a product,” said Graeme Jobe, program director of Co.Labs.

The incubator, which receives funding from both the federal and provincial governments, currently supports around 30 resident entrepreneurs.

Jobe notes that AI is reshaping the entrepreneurial landscape in the province, lowering the barrier to entry by letting founders build things “a lot faster at a lower cost.”

“I’m just really excited to see where that takes us and how AI can lower the barrier to entry for anybody out there who has a great idea or knows uniquely how to solve a problem,” he said.

Jay Maharaj’s sports management app TeamLinkt began at Co.Labs seven years ago. Since then, it has grown into a team of 30, moving beyond the Co.Labs workspace and serving around 600,000 users.

He says AI is changing how entrepreneurs spend their time.

“Now it’s less about product because product can be built much more efficiently and faster, and really understanding go-to-market, like how are you going to bring that product to customers in an efficient way,” he said.

But while AI is helping founders build faster, it is also lowering the bar for competitors — something that is not lost on Bamford.

“What we’re building, I think, is a great concept. But at the same time, other people could possibly beat us to the mark on that,” he said.

Despite this, Bamford says he owes a lot to AI and its ability to help scale his business so quickly.

“If we did it two years ago or three years ago, I don’t think that we would have been able to, because if you look at the user interface of what we actually built, it probably would have cost over $100,000 just to be able to just build that,” he said.

“Without AI, we wouldn’t be here today.”

The pair are beginning to beta-test their app and say they are targeting a launch date in the third quarter of this year.

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

Since 1898, Lethbridge Iron Works has brought its expertise to local and global markets.

However, recent economic threats have limited opportunities for the north Lethbridge business.

“With everything changing — the political landscape changing almost daily, we’re talking about CUSMA even, on top of the tariffs — people are putting projects on hold, manufacturers aren’t spending money,” said Lethbridge Iron Works president, Dylan Davies.

He says the uncertainty of everything has been the real concern, stopping natural growth with his American clients.

“Most of our customers in the U.S. have been told just to stay status quo through all this.”

In response to this need, the federal government is now spending several million dollars to help businesses like Lethbridge Iron Works expand to new markets.

The company has received $1 million through PrairiesCan, allowing them to purchase a new moulding machine.

“This machine is the most advanced moulding machine in our industry and it will, overall, increase our capacity by 17 per cent,” said Dan Reina, Lethbridge Iron Works senior controller.

Eleanor Olszewski, Canada’s minister of emergency management and community resilience, says the government needs to make sure businesses are equipped to handle the current trade conditions.

“We know that this is a time of global uncertainty. Our businesses are focused on what they can control,” she said.

In total, the Regional Tariff Response Initiative, a $1.5-billion program, is sending $9 million to southern Alberta for five projects in various industries.

“It’s to help businesses that are already adapting, already investing, already finding ways to compete in a changing economy,” said Olszewski.

Another business receiving federal funding is Triple M Housing, also located in Lethbridge.

“Thanks to this funding, Triple M Housing has been able to expand our ceiling build workstation, which has become the primary bottleneck in our assembly line when we build our modular homes,” said Sim Bains, vice-president of manufacturing at Triple M Housing.

In total, Olszewski says more than 200 jobs could be created between all of the projects.

These also include $1 million for the Oyen Regional Rail Company, $1 million for TCB Manufacturing and $1 million for Southland Trailers.

Southland will also receive $4 million for a second phase to their project, which is repayable.

“Southern Alberta’s economy is built year-round and it’s built by the efforts of businesses, workers and communities across this great region,” said Olszewski.

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

A colony of 92 Jamaican fruit bats are back in their renovated nocturnal wing at the Edmonton Valley Zoo.

“We installed a new back wall there, so it’s like a replica cave and what it does is it allows the entire back wall of that exhibit to be usable space for them,” Trevor Hickey explained, animal care crew lead at the zoo.

“The other major upgrade we did for them is the misting system. The original one was pretty loud and clanky and was due for an upgrade, so now they have one that’s fairly quiet.”

There’s also upgraded lighting which makes the bats easier to see and doesn’t interfere with their natural circadian rhythms.

The bats were relocated in February when the renovations started.

They’re a big colony — and staff don’t often get hands on them for check-ups.

“Each one got caught — the vets gave it a quick inspection, they looked at their teeth, listened to their hearts,” Hickey explained.

The zoo’s Jamaican fruit bat colony arrived from the Vancouver Aquarium in 2009.

“Super cool species,” Hickey said.

“They’re just little guys. They weigh maybe 20-25 grams and they’re pollinators and they’re seed dispersers so super important for the environment.”

The refreshed nocturnal wing reopens to the public on July 4.

“Bats are a much-maligned species, so being able to see them in a safe, more controlled environment allows people to get over those fears and maybe learn something about them,” Hickey said.

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

Hundreds in the south Edmonton communities of Duggan and Rideau Park have taken legal action they hope will restrict what can and cannot be built in their neighbourhoods.

They say current city infill policies have forced them to enter a restrictive covenant to limit infills in their communities.

“They don’t want one of these six, seven or eight or bigger multiplexes built in the neighbourhood,” said Greg Schmaltz, one of the people who organized the signing.

“Up until two days ago, we had 293 people that had registered and paid and so they’re expected either today or Sunday.”

The 20-year covenant sets constraints on any future redevelopment of properties that buy in. The limits include building a single-family home that could include either a basement suite, or a garden or garage suite. A height limit of eight metres and one parking spot per dwelling are also included in the covenant.

It also limits builds to duplexes with no additional units allowed. The changes would mean less infill, and a smaller pool of potential buyers if owners choose to sell. This is a concern for advocates of infill development.

“For communities to go straight to just using restrictive covenant in response to infill, we know that there are some long-term restrictions that can be associated with using those tools,” said Stephan Raitz, vice-president of policy and advocacy for BILD Edmonton Metro.

“What we’d really hope for is that community, industry, and the city are able to come together to make the infill process as positive as possible.”

Homeowners waiting in line to sign feel it is worth it, and say the cost of paying $210 is a small price to pay.

“The amount of parking, garbages, traffic on the street, it just disrupts a quiet neighbourhood. Duggan, Rideau Park, they’re all very quiet neighbourhoods and we don’t want these infills.” said Diane Pechler, who signed with her mother.

“These contractors are coming, they’re buying one, two, three, four houses in a row to build these big complexes and it’s just not right. It just seems like the people don’t have a say and we have to take legal action.”

Cathy Claughton has called the Duggan neighbourhood home for over 30 years. “We were talking in the lineup today about overnight suddenly next door to you, there’s an infill and it’s blocking your sunlight and the building is going on with nobody having any idea this was going to happen,” she said.

“Having these infills come in affects the quality of life and the whole issue is dividing neighbours, which I’m sure was never the intent but that is what’s happening and I find that really problematic.”

Global News reached out to Ward papstew councillor Michael Janz, but did not receive a response. Community members hope their actions get the attention of city hall in what continues to be a divisive issue.

“I just hope that people continue to reach out and that city hall starts working a little closer with the communities,” said Claughton.

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

Is it a project that will create “transformational wealth,” as Alberta Premier Danielle Smith claims, or one whose costs and commitments are so “onerous,” as some industry insiders fear, that it will likely never be built?

Those are two opposing views up for public debate on the heels of Thursday’s announcement by Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith that a proposal to build a new oil pipeline from Alberta to a deep water port on the south coast of B.C., has been submitted to the federal government’s Major Projects Office as a “project in the national interest.”

The pipeline, proposed to be built alongside the existing Trans Mountain pipeline, would pump over a million barrels of oil a day, to be exported by tanker to markets in Asia, according to Smith.

It would “unlock Alberta’s energy for the world,” said Carney, unlocking many billions of dollars worth of investment in Canada and create tens of thousands of jobs.

But despite the politicians’ effulgent optimism about the project being built — with the province hoping to have construction begin as early as 2027 and oil to begin flowing as soon as 2033 — many hurdles remain.

“So they’ve agreed on the route, but the outstanding issues that are still there and haven’t yet been resolved are: ‘Are they going to have actual customers? Are the major oil sands producer is going to commit to it — to ultimately produce the incremental oil, as much as a million barrels a day, to fill up this pipeline? Do they have the competitive conditions that are available to them to make those investments so they can take on the long-term commitment to use this pipeline?'” asks Dennis McConaghy, who is a retired Canadian energy executive and author of several books on the energy industry and climate policy.

The existing Trans Mountain expansion project cost taxpayers more than $34 billion by the time the pipeline began pumping oil in May 2024.

With the new pipeline expected to cost even more, Richard Masson, the former CEO of Alberta Petroleum Marketing Commission, questions whether producers will be willing to pay the tolls.

“My rough calculation says the toll might be 50 to 60 per cent higher than the existing Trans Mountain system,” said Masson, who points out that there are already three other pipeline expansions in the works.

“We have Trans Mountain expanding the existing pipeline (by) 300,000 barrels a day, Enbridge 400,000, barrels a day on its system, South Bow 500-plus-thousand barrels a day resurrecting the Keystone XL — so that’s over a million barrels a day right now. That is lower risk and probably quicker and cheaper than this big new proposal,” said Masson.

“There’s a lot of hurdles that remain. You’ve got to have an economic pipeline. Shippers need to sign up for it.  That’s a voluntary process through commercial negotiation and they don’t do 20-year commitments of 100,000 or 200,000 barrels a day unless they know they’ve got the supply to fill it and they know it’s competitive with their alternatives,” Masson added.

“And we won’t know about until the final route is selected, more engineering is done, all these things are put in place to allow the Trans Mountain Company to say, ‘Here’s the toll on this new system and it is competitive.'”

Another big hurdle that remains is the Pathways Project –finalization of an agreement between the governments of Canada, Alberta and the Oil Sands Alliance — which is made up of five major oil sands producers (Canadian Natural Resources Ltd., Cenovus Energy Inc., Imperial Oil Ltd., Suncor Energy Inc. and ConocoPhillips Canada) for construction of the world’s largest carbon capture and storage project that Smith claims “will make Alberta bitumen along among the lowest emission heavy oil globally.”

It would work like this: Pathways members would be responsible for installing carbon capture equipment at their own oilsands sites.

The carbon emissions would then be compressed into a liquid and pumped from more than a dozen oil sands sites, into a larger transportation artery and distribution line from Fort McMurray to a storage hub in the Cold Lake, Alta. region, where it would be injected and stored deep underground.

The cost of the project, with 400-plus kilometres of pipe, is estimated at $16.5 billion.

“It’s a very onerous expense,” said McConaghy,

“The interesting thing is, the producers that have to commit to the pipeline and to commit the investment to create the extra million barrels a day are the same ones who are the principals of Pathways. So are we in a scenario that Pathways could have come before the pipeline or is the pipeline just going to have to come first before Pathways is figured out,” questioned McConaghy.

The president of the Oil Sands Alliance was among those on hand for Thursday’s pipeline announcement. When asked about the status of an agreement on the Pathways Project, Kendall Dilling said the governments and Alliance have agreed on the “broad terms of the agreement. Now it’s really just a question of getting that papered and signed in the coming days — and then a lot of those details will be available.”

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

Environmental groups say they wanted to see a more concrete commitment to decarbonization in the proposal put forward for a pipeline to the B.C. coast backed by the Alberta and federal governments.

Representatives from both the Pembina Institute and Clean Prosperity said Friday the proposal should have included a solid commitment to finalizing the Pathways carbon capture project.

“I think it’s time to completely discount the notion that the Pathways project is an actual real project that’s going to contribute to emission reductions,” Chris Severson-Baker, the Pembina Institute’s executive director, said in an interview from Calgary.

“I actually think that the prime minister putting as much stock in it without putting any conditions on proponents to actually do it will finally expose it for what it is.”

The deal signed between Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith last year made a pipeline conditional on advancing carbon capture and storage.

The two leaders announced Thursday that they are close to finalizing an agreement with the Oil Sands Alliance on the construction of the Pathways project.

A media release issued by the federal government Thursday said the project is expected to cut emissions by 16 million tonnes annually once it’s fully operational.

Severson-Baker said that in order for a second pipeline to make sense along the existing Trans Mountain route, oil companies will have to dramatically increase production.

The cost of the new pipeline is estimated at between $35.2 billion and $43.7 billion.

The Alberta government is partnering with the federally owned Trans Mountain Corp and Calgary-based Pembina Pipeline has an initial 10 per cent stake in the project.

“The amount of risk that’s being taken on by taxpayers is enormous.

It’s really telling that no private proponent is interested after all the effort that the premier and the prime minister have put in to remove every single obstacle that there is,” Severson-Baker said.

“I think Canadians are also going to be wondering what is the plan to deal with greenhouse gases.

That concern is still there, the imperative to address climate change is still there, and Canada has no plan to achieve it.”

Michael Bernstein, Clean Prosperity CEO, said Thursday’s pipeline announcement offered “positive but modest climate action ambition.”

“I think that if the two parties are going to adapt the agreement to respond to circumstances as they did, to take on ownership of the pipeline – then I think there should be scope also to look at how to … strengthen the climate aspect of the deal too,” Bernstein said.

Both clean energy groups said they are encouraged by the agreement Carney announced Thursday with B.C. Premier David Eby to, among other things, expand clean electricity in the province.

“I think the announcement with B.C. has some really big potential in it in terms of having B.C. and the federal government to lead a conversation nationally about how to make carbon markets really work effectively,” Bernstein said.

Eby is opposed to the proposed pipeline but has said his government will not fight it in court.

The B.C. government under Premier John Horgan unsuccessfully challenged the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion in court when Eby was attorney general.

Duane Bratt, a political-science professor at Mount Royal University in Calgary, said that he sees the two Thursday announcements as Carney’s attempt to get both Eby and Smith on board for a nation-building project.

The agreements included Carney pledging to maintain the ban on oil tankers off the northern coast of British Columbia, a ban which has been roundly criticized by Alberta and federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, but which Eby and Coastal First Nations in B.C. had said must be maintained.

The B.C. agreement also includes funding for mining, forestry and other B.C. infrastructure.

“David Eby had been more receptive to a southern route than he ever had been to a northern route and then the extra money for tunnels and other infrastructure projects obviously didn’t hurt,” Bratt said.

Albertans are gearing up to vote this October on whether to hold a future referendum on separation from Canada.

Bratt said the pipeline announcement won’t sway hardcore separatists but could persuade those with softer grievances against the Justin Trudeau era.

Bratt said the public-private sponsorship model reflects the difficulties involved in getting major cross-jurisdictional projects built in Canada.

“Name me a company that would want to put $40 billion out there, right? Given what we have seen with Northern Gateway, Keystone, Energy East, Kinder Morgan, with Trans Mountain,” he said.

Bernstein said while he sees the potential benefits of having another West Coast pipeline, he would have preferred to see the private sector take a greater stake in the project.

He said if the global market wants more oil, Canada should use that as a way to support broader decarbonization efforts.

“When it comes to carbon pollution, it’s also true that that production is likely to have occurred elsewhere if it’s demanded by what is the global market. So we’d rather see those benefits come to Canada, and in so doing, that should create additional space to pursue decarbonization at the same time,” Bernstein said.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

Fresh details are emerging about how detectives from York Regional Police went about investigating wide-ranging allegations of corruption involving officers from the Toronto Police Service.

New details unsealed by an Ontario judge lay out how York Region officers were able to eavesdrop on suspects by bugging vehicles and intercepting calls, eventually leading to the arrests of seven current Toronto police officers and one retired officer, among others.

The investigation, dubbed Project South, began after the alleged attempted murder of a high-ranking employee at the Toronto South Detention Centre in June 2025.

The name of the jail guard, among many other details, is subject to a publication ban, although other revelations can now be made public.

A consortium of media outlets, including Global News, went to court seeking the release of information contained in documents comprising an Information to Obtain — or “ITO” for short. An ITO contains police observations presented to a judge in order to obtain a search warrant.

That document is almost 300 pages long and exhaustively details the investigators’ theory of how the suspected hit on the jail guard was allegedly orchestrated from within the Toronto South Detention Centre.

The vast majority of its contents, however, remain under a publication ban.

It details how police used listening devices and intercepted calls, among other measures, to piece together their central allegations that Toronto officers had connections to organized crime.

York Regional Police wrote in the document that their investigation “demonstrates a broader pattern of corruption, misuse of police authority, and facilitation of criminal activity.”

The investigation also draws connections to ex-Olympian and accused drug lord Ryan Wedding as well as a gun-for-hire network.

As part of the investigation, it is alleged that Const. Timothy Barnhardt and other Toronto police officers tapped into unauthorized information.

“In short, the investigation has uncovered a number of police officers who, at the request of their civilian associations, improperly accessed confidential police databases, retrieved sensitive information … and then disclosed that information,” York Regional Police alleged.

“Collectively, these matters demonstrate a broader pattern of corruption, misuse of police authority, and facilitation of criminal activity linked to the primary investigation.”

The ITO was written seeking permission for search warrants to comb through tablets, phones and other electronic devices belonging to various people, including Peel Regional Police officers and a corrections officer.

“Cellular and other personal devices are prevalent in our society, and I have reasonable grounds to believe, based on evidence outlined in this ITO, that the targets were using cell phones and other electronic devices in connection with the offences,” an excerpt of the document claimed.

The charges against Barnhardt, who remains in custody after twice being denied bail, and others have not been proven in court.

News organizations will be back in court seeking the release of more documents in the case on July 30.

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

The finance minister’s office is refusing to release data to back up recent claims by Prime Minister Mark Carney that Canada will substantially accelerate its defence spending.

“Our fiscal framework has already provisioned to achieve four per cent of GDP in total defence spending by the end of this decade, ahead of NATO’s timetable,” Carney told the CANSEC Defence conference in Ottawa in May, a claim he later repeated at a press conference in June.

After those comments, Global News asked Finance Minister Francois-Phillipe Champagne’s office for any data from Budget 2025 or the Spring Economic Statement to support the prime minister’s statements, but the office refused to do so.

A spokesperson for Champagne told Global News they were “not in a position to scoop forthcoming announcements,” and they would not provide any additional details beyond what the prime minister said.

Carney committed Canada to NATO’s new target of spending five per cent of GDP on defence by 2035 at last year’s NATO Summit in the Netherlands.

That spending is split into two categories: 3.5 per cent on traditional or “core” defence spending and 1.5 per cent on critical defence infrastructure, like ports and roads that have dual military use.

Carney claimed at the CANSEC Defence conference that Canada was already meeting the 1.5 per cent infrastructure threshold, something the finance minister’s office would also not provide data to support.

Former associate deputy finance minister Don Drummond, now a public policy professor at Queen’s University, told Global News the lack of transparency is the worst he has seen in his 49 years as an economist.

“They’re very good at waving their hands. They wave them very, very vigorously. It’s hard to keep track of what they’re saying,” Drummond said.

“I’ve never seen a case of less transparency over a budget thing, and it seems to be pretty simple. Just show us the number.”

Global News first asked the Prime Minister’s Office, finance minister’s office, and Department of Finance officials after the Spring Economic Statement was tabled in April to provide details on future defence spending plans, but none were given.

The only information provided at that time was that Canada spent $63 billion on defence in the 2025–26 fiscal year, enough to meet NATO’s previous spending target of two per cent of GDP that was committed to in 2014.

A Global News analysis of the Spring Economic Statement estimates Canada will need to spend a total of $163 billion on an annual basis to meet Carney’s commitment of four per cent of GDP by 2030.

Compared to the 2025 budget, Ottawa would be required to spend an additional $34.9 billion annually on core defence spending to hit the 2030 target, which is more than the federal government has budgeted for the Canada Child Benefit in any of the next five years.

The Parliamentary Budget Officer has also asked the Department of Defence for additional details about defence spending, but has yet to receive a response.

Three letters posted to the PBO’s website show requests to the Liberal government for that information, including on NATO targets, but the PBO website indicates that they have yet to receive it.

The PBO estimated in February that increasing core defence spending from two per cent of GDP to 3.5 per cent would require approximately $33.5 billion per year in additional cash expenditures over the next 10 years. The report said the additional spending will increase the budgetary deficit by $63.0 billion by the 2035-36 fiscal year.

Former parliamentary budget officer Kevin Page has previously told Global News that making defence spending a major priority, but not sharing the details, is a “failure” in transparency from the Liberals.

U.S. defence officials and Canadian military policy experts have also criticized the federal government for a lack of clarity around its defence spending plans, which a Pentagon official claimed are not “credible.”

At the time those criticisms were raised in May, a spokesperson for Defence Minister David McGuinty’s office responded by laying out a list of previous spending announcements, adding Canada would spend more than $82 billion over five years in Canadian Armed Forces capabilities.

Carney will travel to Ankara, Turkey, on Monday for the annual NATO leaders’ conference, before heading to Saudi Arabia to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.

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