The Thursday news briefing: An at-a-glance survey of some top stories

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TRUDEAU AGREES KHADR SETTLEMENT IS TROUBLING: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he shares the concerns of Canadians who object to reports of the government’s multi-million-dollar settlement with Omar Khadr. But Trudeau says if the government hadn’t settled with the former Guantanamo Bay inmate, it would have cost as much as $40 million to put an end to the case. Khadr had filed a $20-million lawsuit against the government for violating his charter rights, and has received an out-of-court settlement reportedly worth $10.5 million. Khadr says his jailers threatened him with rape and kept him in isolation, and once used him as a human mop to wipe up urine.

Nighttime construction on Hwy 3 in Lethbridge starts April 17

Apr 17, 2025

SASHA launches #BuyABed fundraiser to support vulnerable Lethbridge residents

Apr 04, 2025

$20K grants available: TELUS STORYHIVE Pan-Asian Edition opens applications April 1

Mar 18, 2025

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JULIE PAYETTE TO BE NEXT GOVERNOR GENERAL: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says former astronaut Julie Payette has spent her life dedicated to discovery and dreaming big. Trudeau announced Thursday that Payette will be Canada’s 29th Governor General. He made the announcement on Parliament Hill after praising current Gov. Gen. David Johnston and his wife, Sharon. Payette says it’s a very great honour for her and for her family as well as for her friends and colleagues around the country — on the planet — and even a few outside the planet.

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FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT CARTER TREATED FOR DEHYDRATION: Health authorities in Winnipeg say former U.S. president Jimmy Carter is doing well after being treated for dehydration while volunteering with a home-building charity in Manitoba. A spokesman for Habitat for Humanity in Winnipeg said Carter, who is now 92, received medical attention as a precaution. Habitat for Humanity is building 150 homes across Canada this year to mark the country’s sesquicentennial. Carter was diagnosed with melanoma in 2015 and was treated with successfully with immunotherapy.

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LARGE PART OF B.C. INTERIOR OFF LIMITS DUE TO FIRES: A large swath of central British Columbia’s backcountry has been closed for travel, camping and other recreational use in an effort to protect public safety and prevent any more forest fires. The Ministry of Forests Lands and Natural Resource Operations announced the entire Cariboo fire centre, 103,000 square kilometres in size, has been closed to backcountry users as a safety precaution, allowing crews to focus on firefighting. Kevin Skrepnek, chief information officer for the BC Wildfire Service, says improved smoke conditions over the last 24 hours have permitted a more accurate size 1,110-square kilometres of timber, bush and grassland has been charred since April 1.

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SUPREME COURT WON’T HEAR OLAND APPEAL: The Supreme Court of Canada has dismissed the application for appeals in the second-degree murder case of Dennis Oland, accused of killing his multi-millionaire father, Richard Oland. Oland was convicted of second-degree murder in 2015 and was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 10 years. However, he was released on bail last October when the New Brunswick Court of Appeal ordered a new trial, citing an error in the trial judge’s instructions to the jury. The Crown wanted the Supreme Court of Canada to restore Dennis Oland’s conviction, while his lawyers asked the court for an acquittal.

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EX-WORKERS FUME OUTSIDE SEARS COURT HEARING: Dozens of former Sears Canada employees packed a Toronto courtroom Thursday to hear the retailer ask for approval to kick-start the process of putting itself up for sale while it is under creditor protection. Zobedida Maharaj said outside court she had worked at Sears Canada for 28 years before she was laid off at the end of March when her store was closed. The senior manager of operations and merchandise said she was initially told she would get eight weeks of severance and benefits but was cut off June 22 when the company secured temporary court protection from creditors.

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TRANSALTA APPOINTS RONA AMBROSE TO BOARD: Former interim federal Conservative leader Rona Ambrose did not have to wait long to get a job outside politics. TransAlta Corp. is appointing the former interim Conservative leader to the power company’s board of directors. Ambrose was first elected to the House of Commons in 2004 and officially resigned her seat earlier this month. She is currently a fellow at the Wilson Centre Canada Institute in Washington, D.C., focusing on key Canada-U.S. bilateral trade and competitiveness issues.

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QUADRUPLE HOMICIDE IN CALGARY: Police say a man found dead west of Calgary was the owner of the burned-out car found earlier this week with three bodies inside. Police had been searching for 26-year-old Hanock Afowerk after Monday’s grisly discovery and said they were concerned for his safety. All three of the victims found inside Afowerk’s CAR have now been identified by authorities. Police say Cody Pfeiffer, who was 25, and sisters Glynnis Fox, 36, and Tiffany Ear, 39, may have been at the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong people and gotten caught up in a targeted attack against Afowerk.

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TRUMP, MACRON SET ASIDE DIFFERENCES: U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron set aside lingering differences on climate change during their meeting in France on Thursday, asserting that it shouldn’t prevent them from working together toward a post-war roadmap for Syria and to enhance Mideast security. Standing alongside Macron at a news conference, Trump said the two nations have “occasional disagreements,” but that would not disrupt a friendship that dates back to the American Revolution. He remained non-committal about the United States eventually rejoining the global climate agreement.

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The Canadian Press