In the news today: Federal leaders spar over platforms, bells toll for Pope Francis

Polls suggest the Liberals are ahead of the Conservatives, with the majority of respondents to a Leger survey saying they think Carney will win.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, meanwhile, is seeing support for his party dwindle, with the Green Party falling below them.

Bells toll as Pope Francis’ body is transferred to St. Peter’s Basilica for 3 days of public viewing

The bells of St. Peter’s tolled Wednesday as the body of Pope Francis was transferred from the Vatican hotel where he lived to the basilica, escorted by a procession of solemn cardinals and Swiss Guards through the same piazza where he had greeted the faithful from his popemobile just days before in what became his final good-bye.

Pallbearers carried the simple wooden coffin on their shoulders through the Vatican’s archway gates, out into St. Peter’s Square and into the basilica, the cardinals in their scarlet cassocks and the Swiss Guards in their golden and blue uniforms processing slowly behind.

Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who is running the Vatican temporarily until a new pope is elected, led the procession, with clouds of incense preceding him as the church choir began chanting the Litany of Saints hymn.

Spring, icy snow bring danger to B.C. backcountry

Spring is a dangerous time to head into British Columbia’s backcountry, outdoor experts warn, as sun and warm daytime temperatures melt snowpack that can become hard and treacherously slippery as it freezes again overnight.

Doug Pope, search manager with North Shore Rescue based in North Vancouver, B.C., said spring is “probably the most dangerous time of year” in the mountains.

The case of a 28-year-old woman who died after slipping and falling in the Mount Seymour backcountry last weekend underscores the springtime risks, and how quickly an adventure in the mountains can turn into tragedy.

The woman and her friend had hiked up to Mount Seymour’s Pump Peak area on the afternoon of April 18, when the snow was soft, and the pair camped overnight.

By morning, the snow had hardened, said Pope, who was part of a team who escorted an emergency room doctor to the site where the woman was later found.

Hikers scramble as popular B.C. trail is shut

Trish Fougner still remembers the taste of the beer she enjoyed after completing the 47-kilometre Juan de Fuca Trail on Vancouver Island two years ago.

“Like I had never had a beer in my life, which is not true,” Fougner said.

But now the resident of Victoria is among hikers with a sour taste in their mouth after the British Columbia government announced that the trail, one of Canada’s most popular wilderness hikes, would be closed for the summer so crews can repair damage caused by fall and winter storms.

“It’s sad,” said Fougner, calling the closure “a loss to the hiking community.” But she also can see the government’s side.

“It’s understandable because we live on the West Coast, where storms can happen and we have to take care of our parks too and make sure they are safe, for one thing, and that we can keep them for generations to come.”

Decades later, DDT in N.B. fish at unsafe levels

More than 50 years after it was last used in New Brunswick, new research shows the insecticide DDT is still found in “alarming” rates in trout in the province’s lakes, potentially posing a danger to other wildlife and humans that eat the fish.

Josh Kurek, associate professor in Mount Allison University’s department of geography and environment, said in an interview Tuesday that DDT was sprayed over more than half of the province’s forests between 1952 and 1968.

“New Brunswick ran arguably one of the largest aerial spray programs of DDT ever undertaken on planet Earth,” said Kurek, lead author of a study published in the journal PLOS One this week

The insecticide was used to control spruce budworm, which mainly feeds on balsam fir and white spruce, and is a natural pest found in the province’s forests.

Hockey players’ sex assault trial set to begin

The sexual assault trial of five former members of Canada’s world junior hockey team is expected to begin today in London, Ont.

Dillon Dube, Carter Hart, Michael McLeod, Cal Foote, and Alex Formenton have pleaded not guilty to sexual assault.

McLeod has also pleaded not guilty to an additional charge of being a party to the offence of sexual assault.

A jury of 14, plus two alternates, was selected yesterday, comprising a majority of women, and the trial is expected to begin on Wednesday, lasting approximately eight weeks.

NHL fans travel to U.S. with mixed feelings

Mark Jarry has cut as many American goods as possible from his personal spending.

The middle-aged man from the South Shore of Montreal also stopped taking regular trips south of the Canadian border after U.S. President Donald Trump was elected to a second term and threatened to make Canada the 51st state.

That changed when Jarry’s beloved Montreal Canadiens entered the NHL playoffs.

Jarry and fellow dyed-in-the-wool fan Gabriel Borduas flew to Washington for Game 1 of the Canadiens’ first-round series against the Capitals on Monday.

“We came here because it’s the Canadiens,” said Jarry in French while decked in a Canadiens jersey at Capital One Arena. “At a certain point, the heart wins over reason.”

Montreal is one of five Canadian teams competing in the playoffs this spring, joining Toronto, Ottawa, Winnipeg and Edmonton.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 23, 2025

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

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In the news today: Federal leaders spar over platforms, bells toll for Pope Francis

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