Here’s a fact about playing vinyl records. Do they sound consistently good all the way through? In other words, does the music sound as good nearer to the outside of the record as it does as the tonearm moves closer to the centre label? No.

The outer grooves move faster under the stylus, meaning it has to wiggle less per rotational inch. That translates into less distortion. But as the tonearm approaches the centre of the record, the available space for grooves is less, creating what’s known as “inner groove distortion”—and there’s not much anyone can do about it, because this is an inherent limitation of vinyl.

It also explains why some acts put what they consider their best songs as tracks one, two or three on the side of an LP. They want them to have the best sonic quality.

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

The vinyl revival shows absolutely no sign of going away as LPs continue to outsell CDs and show double-digit growth year after year. Here are a couple of facts you may not know about vinyl.

First, it is a myth that coloured vinyl sounds inferior to plain black vinyl. In fact, black vinyl is actually coloured. Polyvinyl chloride, the material used to make records, is naturally transparent. To make it black, you need to add carbon. Today’s multi-coloured vinyl is made using dyes that don’t hurt anything and, in fact, are up to today’s best standards.

Yes, back in the day, coloured records could sound bad, but that’s when they were considered novelty items and didn’t receive the proper love when it came to mastering and pressing.

More next time.

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

Artificial intelligence is quickly becoming part of everyday life, from classrooms to corporate offices.

But as more people turn to AI, educators and workplace experts say a new problem is emerging: people are hiding their use and in turn not getting the education about AI they need.

Researchers call it AI guilt, The feeling that using AI is somehow cheating, even when it’s permitted or encouraged. That stigma, they say, is preventing the conversations needed to teach people how to use the technology safely and responsibly.

The concern isn’t just about ethics. For educators, it’s also about cognitive offloading, relying on AI to do the thinking instead of exercising your own brain.

“Am I concerned about cognitive offloading? I’d say that’s my number one concern with AI,” said educator David Williams.

He warns that students who let AI do their thinking risk undermining their own learning.

“Circumventing your own thinking like that does not support learning in any way at all,” Williams said.

In the workplace, new research from Employment Hero found 43 per cent of Canadian workers feel guilty using AI, 39 per cent believe it feels like cheating, and 34 per cent admit they hide their AI use from their employer.

Employment Hero Canada managing director Chris Pinkerton says that secrecy creates new challenges.

“Part of AI literacy is not just learning how the tool works, but it’s also starting to open a dialogue.” Pinkerton said

Some educators say they’ve shifted away from policing AI use and toward teaching students how to use it responsibly before entering the workforce.

Experts say AI isn’t going away. Their warning is that if schools and workplaces don’t normalize conversations about responsible AI use now, people may never receive the training they need to use the technology safely, and could become increasingly dependent on it instead.

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

Nearly 45 years after his death, Gilles Villeneuve continues to inspire generations of racing fans.

A new exhibition at Parc Jean-Drapeau offers an inside look at the life and career of the Quebec icon and the story behind his rise to Formula One fame.

“The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve has been named after him since 1982, so we wanted to have that story told to the public so that people understand why we have Gilles Villeneuve named on our sticker,” said Véronique Doucet, Parc Jean-Drapeau general manager.

Located just steps from the circuit that bears his name, the exhibition brings together family photographs, archival footage and memorabilia that trace Villeneuve’s path from a young racer in Quebec to one of Formula One’s most celebrated drivers.

“Sometimes you see exhibits that talk about my dad, and sometimes they have the Ferraris and other items from Formula One, but less so items like the Formula Atlantics, or the suits or the helmets that he wore back in the day, and how he came to be a driver,” said Melanie Villeneuve, Gilles Villeneuve’s daughter.

Earlier this year, Quebec officially designated Gilles Villeneuve a historic figure, recognizing not only his accomplishments on the track, but also the lasting mark he left on the province’s sporting history.

And while fans remember the victories and the fearless driving, his daughter says this exhibition also reconnects her with the father she remembers.

“All the photography that you see here is from the family archive,” she said. “And so it allowed me to go back to sources that I hadn’t seen in a while. When I see his long hair, his almost hippie kind of look, it throws me back to a different context — a different era.”

The exhibition will open Thursday and continue into late December.

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

Numerous properties have been flooded during what is shaping up to be a soggy summer and at the TELUS World of Science Edmonton (TWOSE), the damage is so extensive it will be closed for the next four months.

As a result, much of the staff at the space and science centre in northwest Edmonton are now out of work while repairs are underway to clean up what is, essentially, a biohazard site.

On Wednesday afternoon, two little ones and their moms could be seen trying to check out TWOSE, but instead had to settle for playing outside and will for the next while.

“As we got here, we saw the sign, and now my little guy’s disappointed,” said Natasha Barriffe.

They learned the centre will now be closed until late into the fall, at the earliest.

The facility initially announced a temporary closure on Saturday, after it was hit hard by a powerful storm on Friday evening.

Water backed up through sewers, sinks and even water fountains, said TWOSE president and CEO Constance Scarlett.

“Very quickly, our main floor was completely covered in water. Anyone’s that visited the science centre will know we have a very big building, so to say that within 20-30 minutes the entire main floor was filled with water is pretty astounding,” said Scarlett.

When restoration teams went in to clean up the water and survey the impact, they found as they kept searching and opening up walls, more damage kept turning up.

That ranged from the lobby, displays and exhibits to the ceilings, walls and elevator shafts.

Based on how the water entered the building and the design of the facility’s piping systems, the affected areas are being treated as having Category 3 water contamination.

Category 3 water damage, also known as black water, involves highly contaminated water containing hazardous agents like raw sewage, toxic chemicals, and disease-causing bacteria.

Because it poses severe health risks, TWOSE said access is restricted to authorized remediation workers wearing the personal protective equipment (PPE) who know how to follow the proper safety protocols.

TWOSE says the level of contamination will require flooring, cabinetry, drywall, and other building materials to be removed and replaced, so mold and other issues don’t appear.

“We should expect the science centre to be closed until November of this year. We are working with those teams to see if we can accelerate that process at all,” said Scarlett.

While the current planning estimate extends into November, TWOSE said it is also looking into ways it could partially reopening earlier in the fall. However, no reopening date has been confirmed.

The closure means that nearly 150 of the centre’s staff will be temporarily laid off.

“If we can’t be open to the public, then we ultimately have no revenue coming into our organization. As a result of that, we have made the very difficult decision to lay off 68 per cent of our workforce,” Scarlett said.

The facility said its working with Civic Service Union 52 on a letter of understanding to establish a clear process for the temporary layoffs and future recall of employees as operations resume.

“This is the most difficult decision we have faced during an already devastating week,” Scarlett said.

“The temporary layoffs are not a reflection of the extraordinary people affected. They are a direct result of the building closure and the interruption of most of our onsite programs and operations.”

For those who already booked something at the centre this summer, TWOSE says they will be contacted about cancellations, rebookings and refunds.

These families say they’ll make do, but it will be difficult to replace the fun they have at TELUS World of Science.

“It’s really disappointing, especially for my little guy because he loves science and there’s not much outlets to explore those things,” said Barriffe.

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

The Winnipeg Jets and forward Cole Perfetti have avoided an ugly arbitration hearing.

Just days before they were set to go in front of an arbitrator, the Jets signed the restricted free agent forward to a new contract.

Perfetti is getting a massive raise as the new pact will see him make an average of $6 million per season for the next five years. The 24-year-old almost doubled his salary after earning $3.25 million the past two seasons.

Perfetti had 12 goals and 20 assists in 68 games last season as his numbers dipped slightly after scoring 19 goals and 18 goals in each of the previous seasons, respectively.

The arbitration hearing was originally scheduled for Monday. Perfetii will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the deal.

Perfetti was their final restricted free agent from last year’s roster, but prospect Tyrel Bauer is still an RFA.

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

Another First Nation is questioning millions in alleged withdrawals from a trust overseen by Alberta separatist lawyer Jeffrey Rath and his professional corporation, court documents obtained by Global News reveal.

The allegations from Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation emerged from material disclosed in a separate court battle between Rath and Tallcree First Nation. That case led a provincial judge on Friday to grant an interim Mareva order against Rath and Jeffrey R.W. Rath Professional Corporation, which operates as Rath & Company. The judge found reasonable grounds to believe assets could be moved or dissipated before judgment.

A Mareva order, also known as a freezing order, is an extraordinary pre-judgment remedy that prevents a defendant from transferring, hiding, or liquidating assets before a case is decided, allowing the collection of any eventual financial award.

During a hearing on the matter on Wednesday, Justice John Gill extended the Mareva order until Aug. 11 and granted a receivership order, putting an independent court officer in control of assets and records so the “missing” trust money can be traced and protected.

Referring to the Tallcree and Sturgeon Lake cases, Gill said, “This raises a concern about a pattern of behaviour by the respondents and the potential intermingling of trust assets.”

A co-founder of the Alberta Prosperity Project, Rath is a leading voice in the separatist movement and has long represented First Nations in landmark treaty settlements.

Rath now faces escalating, simultaneous legal challenges from two First Nations, each alleging that his firm charged trust fees they were never told about and withheld financial records that should have been disclosed earlier.

Those cases come on top of eight other First Nations that have been involved in court or Law Society proceedings against Rath, a Global News investigation found.

Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation has now raised concerns about $12 million in withdrawals from the Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation Trust, including more than $11 million paid to Rath & Company as administrative fees and another $575,000 tied to legal expenses, according to an affidavit filed on Tuesday by Chief Sheldon Sunshine. The trust distributed the settlement funds to beneficiaries and held the minors’ shares until they reached adulthood. Rath’s firm was the fund’s sole trustee.

Rath has not responded to the allegations.

The latest fight is tied to a long-running legal battle between Sturgeon Lake and Rath, and follows a February 2025 Alberta Court of Appeal ruling that upheld an order that Rath could not enforce the 20 per cent contract behind his $28.6-million fee from the nation’s Treaty 8 settlement.

The Nation has also been fighting to remove Rath as the sole trustee of the trust, alleging incorrect payouts, difficulty obtaining information, rude treatment by Rath & Company staff, and incomplete financial statements.

The allegations from Tallcree and Sturgeon Lake have not been proven in court.

Like Tallcree, Sturgeon Lake alleges it has been unable to obtain financial statements for its trust. The last financial statement it received covered 2021. Subsequent years produced only “financial summaries” for 2022 and 2023, despite multiple requests, court documents allege.

It was through material filed in the Tallcree court case on Monday that Sturgeon Lake learned auditors were questioning $12 million in withdrawals from its own trust paid to Rath & Company, according to Chief Sunshine’s affidavit.

Sturgeon Lake’s lawyers received the Mareva injunction order as well as four letters from Tallcree’s lawyers, revealing questions from financial auditors Doane Grant Thornton to Rath about the trust withdrawals.

They zeroed in on four withdrawals: two from Jan. 23, 2024, for $9.8 million and $1.67 million paid to Rath & Company as administrative fees, and two 2023 withdrawals for almost $500,000 and $75,000 described by Rath as legal expenses for trust management.

According to correspondence with auditors in the court documents, Rath states that the $11.47 million was a retroactive administrative fee charge for 2017 to 2024 — based on a review of administrative fees charged by similar trusts, which he says were “well within the range” of those fees — and permitted by the trust agreement.

Sunshine argues Rath’s corporation drafted the trust agreement.

In a December 2024 email to Grant Thornton, Rath says external legal expenses were necessary to pay law firms such as Parlee McLaws and Reynolds Mirth.

But when Rath provided invoices, the auditors noted, both firms described their services as reviewing the retainer agreement between Sturgeon Lake and Rath & Company — the same lawsuit that Sturgeon Lake had brought against him.

Separate court documents obtained by Global News indicate that Parlee McLaws sued Rath in 2024 for around $140,000, claiming that Rath and his company had failed to respond to repeated requests to pay invoices for legal services they had carried out for him, dating back to November 2021. Three months later, the case was dropped. Global News was unable to determine why.

When Grant Thornton asked for an arm’s-length legal opinion on whether the withdrawals qualified as administration costs and other reasonable expenses under the terms of the trust agreement, Rath refused, saying his own reading was sufficient, according to letters from Rath to the auditors included in Sunshine’s affidavit.

When the auditors pushed back, saying this was insufficient audit evidence, Rath continued to disagree. He labelled the request out of scope and unnecessary and threatened to terminate them if they did not complete the audit without it, according to correspondence included in Chief Sunshine’s affidavit.

“At this stage, we feel it is incumbent on you to meet your responsibilities and complete the Audit without any further delay and without the need for an outside legal opinion,” Rath allegedly wrote.

“[…] If you do not agree to complete the Audit on the terms we have outlined – consider this letter as our Notice of your Termination as Auditor of the Trust and our expectation of your confidentiality under the Audit Engagement Agreement.”

Sturgeon Lake says it is still awaiting news about the $28.5 million fee. Rath is allowed to seek a fair and reasonable fee, but Chief Sunshine says no review date has been set. In May, the Nation filed an application to have the money paid into court.

Rath, however, had previously indicated that he no longer has most of the money. Court records from 2022 indicated that litigation funders had advanced Rath $10 million for the Sturgeon Lake case and he repaid them $23.3 million after settlement funds were received. Sturgeon Lake has no records of that payment or funding agreement, documents indicate.

In his affidavit, Sunshine — whose council met urgently on Monday evening to discuss the audit letters —is “deeply concerned” about the revelations.

“ claims to be a treaty expert and helping all these First Nations, yet … looking back on our court cases and our dealings with him, it was more taking advantage of the situation,” he told Global News in June.

In his affidavit, he said he worries “many children will never see that money from the settlement and that our Nation will never see any return of the disallowed contingency fee following the eventual review.”

The Sturgeon Lake case parallels the dispute between Rath and Tallcree First Nation.

After courts cut his 20-per cent fee on Tallcree’s $57.6 million settlement, Rath’s corporation was ordered to refund $8.5 million to the trust. Court filings later alleged Rath PC charged more than $6 million to the same trust in 2024, and bank records showed an $8.5 million cheque from a trust account payable to “Jeffrey R.W. Rath Professional.”

In his defence against Tallcree’s latest claims, Rath denies wrongdoing and says audited financial statements identify all fees and costs charged to the trust and that all money coming in and out was disclosed in accordance with the trust agreement. The trust agreement provision gives the trustee broad powers, including moving trust property within Canada and “charg for services performed by them, including the services of acting as Trustee.”

Rath did not oppose the extension of the Mareva order on Wednesday.

In his reasons for granting the extension of the order, Gill said there was a strong prima facie case that Rath had made “improper payments out of the trust” and that he personally had assisted “in a breach of fiduciary duty.”

Referring specifically to the $8.5 million cheque taken from the Tallcree trust, he said it was “made in direct contravention of the orders of Justice Lee and the Court of Appeal.”

“There is also a real risk that the respondents have been actively taking steps, and will continue to take steps, to frustrate the process of locating the missing money,” Gill said.

With files from Adam MacVicar and Ken MacGillivray.

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

The family of a B.C. boy living with a rare and life-threatening condition is pleading with the province to fund out-of-country treatments.

Natasha Hepburn’s nine-year-old son, Nathan, has been diagnosed with brain arteriovenous malformation (AVM), which is a rare and life-threatening condition in which abnormal blood vessels in the brain can rupture without warning.

“It’s like a leaky pipe. It is only gonna leak and leak and leak before it bursts,” she told Global News. “I’m just pleading with the government to please allow my child a chance to complete his treatment before a preventable tragedy occurs.”

After exhausting all treatment options in Canada, Hepburn found a leading specialist in Germany.

In March, the province denied the out-of-country funding request, but Hepburn and Nathan were able to go to Germany anyway thanks to an online fundraiser, which covered the cost of the $70,000 procedure.

Nathan continues to receive community support and the online fundraiser has grown enough to pay for the second treatment, which is scheduled in August.

But funding for subsequent treatments – which could be two to four – remains in limbo.

“I can’t sleep at night knowing treatment may be delayed because of funding,” Hepburn said. “It’s unconscionable to allow a child to suffer when an effective treatment exists, and he could be cured.”

Immediately after the March procedure, Nathan suffered temporary paralysis on his left side.

He was able to recover quickly and his condition has noticeably improved, according to his mother.

“It’s already working. His headaches have reduced. He’s falling less,” she said.

Nathan is being treated by Dr. Rene Chapot, an interventional neurologist from Alfred Krupp Krankenhaus Centre in Essen, Germany.

Dr. Chapot said he has performed nearly 1,000 procedures through the vein and has about 200 AVM patients.

He said the risks associated with the procedures outweigh the risk of leaving the AVM untreated.

“It’s about life and death,” Chapot said. “If we wait for too long, we see that the AVM aspirates all surrounding vessels, and he is at an age where we see AVM grow.”

Nathan’s neurosurgical teams at BC Children’s Hospital support the treatment in Germany.

His local mayor, the BC Nurses’ Union, Canadian Health Coalition, Canadian Organization for Rare Disorders and BC Health Critic Anna Kindy have all written letters of support urging funding.

“Nathan exemplifies the case, for me, of somebody with a rare disease that’s accessed everything available in Canada, and it’s failed,” Kindy told Global News. “There is treatment outside our borders that is actually successful and if we have a strong universal healthcare system, we need to also take care of the people with rare diseases.”

The health ministry confirms it is undergoing a Stage 2 review of the case and will notify the family once a decision has been made.

“When reviewing requests for out-of-country funding, the Ministry relies on the clinical expertise, recommendations, and supporting documentation provided by the patient’s treating specialists under established funding criteria,” it said in an emailed statement.

It previously rejected the request, citing it does not grant funding for medical care that is “unproven, experimental, or in the early stages of development.”

But Kindy said it is incorrect to categorize Dr. Chapot’s treatment as experimental.

“This is proven treatment. But because it’s difficult, there’s only a handful of people worldwide that are able to do it,” she said.

With no timeline for when a funding decision is made, Hepburn is growing increasingly concerned about the “ticking time bomb” in Nathan’s brain.

“I am worried that a preventable tragedy will occur, and then there’s going back,” she said.

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

Multinational engineering company Siemens is expanding its presence in Saskatoon, adding office space and hiring over 100 new workers over the next two years.

The expansion will add 10,000 square feet to the company’s research and development hub at Innovation Saskatchewan’s research and technology park right next door to the University of Saskatchewan and will support its electronic design automation (EDA) operations, which is the software that designs electronic chips that power devices such as smartphones and vehicles.

The head of Siemens Canada says the expansion will help the industry keep up with rapid developments in artificial intelligence, which continues to boom.

“It’s going from 1.1 trillion to 1.5 trillion by 2030, and chips are getting everywhere. So we do see that this global centre of confidence here in Saskatoon is growing,” said Faisal Kazi, president and CEO of Siemens Canada.

“It’s allowing chip manufacturers to design, test and verify chip design in the virtual world before they even build it and that dramatically reduces the time to market.”

Siemens will now occupy 45,000 square feet in the city, with the expansion to bring its total number of workers from 300 to 400.

The company says the new positions will mainly consist of software developers and customer application experts and will be looking to graduates of the University of Saskatchewan’s engineering, computer science, physics and math programs to fill the roles.

“It’s really an opportunity for people who are from Saskatchewan, who grew up in Saskatchewan, to not go and leave to work at another place, but they can have very rewarding careers right here in Saskatchewan,” said Amit Gupta, Siemens EDA senior vice-president, adding that around 80 per cent of the company’s hires are graduates from the University of Saskatchewan.

Gupta knows first-hand what it takes to scale a business in Saskatchewan, having founded chip design software company Solido in 2005, which was later acquired by Siemens in 2017. At the time, he says the company had around 50 employees, calling the rapid growth his “made-in-Saskatchewan” story.

“When Siemens acquired us, they didn’t just absorb our technology and move us to a traditional tech hub; they recognized that our success was deeply rooted in the ecosystem that we built right here, and they doubled down on Saskatchewan,” Gupta said at a press conference and ribbon-cutting in Siemens’ office Wednesday.

“This is a major achievement for the team in this very room. The work that they do every day impacts the future of technology that we’re all experiencing.”

As Saskatchewan continues to grapple with retention issues across industries, with students and workers leaving after their education or training, Premier Scott Moe says the expansion will help address the issue.

“We’ll continue to work alongside Siemens EDA and the rest of the industry and the University of Saskatchewan, U of R, Sask. Polytechnic, on how we can continue to ensure that we have a trained career workforce for the future in this industry,” said Moe.

The announcement also comes over a month after Ottawa released its national strategy on AI, centred around scaling and securing the sector, with six “pillars” of focus.

While Saskatchewan does not have its own AI strategy, Moe is also not committing to one yet. However, he says the topic is likely to be discussed at next week’s first ministers meeting in Charlottetown.

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

One resident is still living in a Granville Street single-room occupancy hotel, despite the government promising to have everyone out by June 30.

The NDP government and BC Housing confirmed on Wednesday that one resident is still living at the Luugat.

On July 1, three residents were living there.

At that time, the B.C. government said in an email update that, as of June 29, there were three people residing at the Luugat, all of whom had either accepted or had pending offers.

The provincial government has said that throughout the process of clearing out the hotel, no one would be evicted if there was no place for them to go.

“We’re working to find the right fit of housing,” Housing Minister Christine Boyle told Global News.

“What we want is for the new housing to be successful so we don’t see people out on the street, and that’s the detailed work that staff engage in one-on-one with tenants, where they’ve been successful with nearly 80 tenants from the building.”

Ryan Donnelly, the remaining resident of the Luugat, told Global News that the room that has been offered to him is a nice size and he wants to get away from the conditions of the current building, but he’s still not sure the move is the right one for him.

Boyle said there are two people still staffing the Luugat, but said the ministry doesn’t have a figure as to how much it’s costing to keep the SRO open for one person.

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