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Alberta PremierDanielle Smithis making apipelinepitch directly to British Columbians.

Smith told Global News that Canada needs to take advantage of this moment of national unity to respond to U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats.

“When you look at the potential for a million barrels a day at today’s prices, that’s about 20 billion dollars worth of value,” Smith toldFocus BC.

“It doesn’t just go to Alberta, it benefits all Canadians.”

Smith is leaning on the Team Canada approach but does acknowledge that there still need to be work to address Indigenous concerns.

“We hear the environmental concerns and that is why it is good to have Indigenous partners so we can reroute the route, and deal with issues on the ground,” she said.

“I know a few things need to be modified, but we can get to yes.”

There is still no proponent for the pipeline project but the previous iteration of a pipeline to the coast destroyed the relationship with then Alberta Premier Alison Redford and then B.C. Premier Christy Clark.

Smith said the difference this time is the vision to export the material out of Prince Rupert, rather than Kitimat, where navigating tankers is harder.

“Let’s go to a port that is already shipping goods, that is ice-free year-round,” she added.

B.C. Energy Minister Adrian Dix says the province is opposed to the new pipeline and instead, Alberta should focus on building out the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion, which already cost taxpayers more than $34 billion.

“We still need to get some work to get value for that pipeline,” Dix said.

“We have been supportive of that now that taxpayers have paid for it. The idea that taxpayers would subsidize a project that has no proponent makes no sense to us.”

Watch the full interview with Smith below.

Saskatchewan’s health ministry is reporting first responders have seen 54 overdoses including four deaths in Regina within the last week.

Both Regina and Saskatoon are seeing drugs with high levels of fentanyl as well as benzodiazepines and xylazine, which are drugs that naloxone won’t work on.

Harm reduction workers in both cities are saying the overdose numbers reported are actually much higher and the situation isn’t improving.

Katherine Ludwig has the full details in the video above.

A Conservative MLA calls for the head of Interior Health to resign, it comes with CEO Susan Brown set to retire in 6 months. And celebrating the return of pianos in the park.

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As wildfire evacuees in Saskatchewan begin returning home, many are still facing delays in receiving promised financial assistance.

Some evacuees report having no support, with issues ranging from unfulfilled hotel accommodations to the absence of food vouchers.

Premier Scott Moe had previously promised $500 to every evacuee over the age of 18, plus reimbursements for the days they were displaced.

However, as of now, there is still no clear timeline on when these funds will be available.

The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) says they are working to distribute the money, retroactive to the date of the evacuation orders, with up to $200 per day available.

For the full story, watch the video above.

Albertans who want to continue to protect themselves from the COVID-19 virus will have to pay out of pocket for it, the province announced late Friday afternoon.

Since December 2020, the federal government had been looking after procuring and buying the vaccines,which the Public Health Agency of Canada said was unique to the COVID-19 pandemiccompared to other routine immunization programs — which are paid for by provinces and territories.

This year, the COVID-19 vaccine procurement process shifted from a federal role to provincial and territorial procurement process  ahead of the fall 2025 respiratory virus season, to align it with other how other immunizations are delivered for diseases that are endemic around the world, such as the flu.

As a result of the federal change, the Alberta government is passing the cost onto most Albertans who want to be immunized.

Health-care advocates slammed the province’s move.

“Public health decisions should be made based on the best medical evidence available, something sorely lacking in this vaccination strategy. Instead we have a government more interested in pandering to anti-vaccine rhetoric than they are in doing their job to protect the public and our health care system from preventable disease” said Chris Gallaway, executive director of Friends of Medicare.

“The fact this announcement was put out quietly, late on a Friday afternoon, shows a government who’s hoping the majority of Albertans don’t notice these policy changes and the new costs soon to be coming their way.”

The opposition NDP echoed the sentiment of the Friends of Medicare.

“It’s cruel for the UCP government to put further financial burdens on Albertans who want to protect their health and their loved ones and not get COVID,” said Sarah Hoffman, the NDP shadow minister of health.

““It’s dangerous, it’s callous, it’s anti-science, and it’s anti-public health.”

The vaccines will still be covered by the province for select groups of high-risk individuals such as seniors, people who live in congregate living, those with underlying medical conditions or are immunocompromised, and Albertans who require social support such as AISH or are homeless.

In addition to adding a fee, in most cases the COVID-19 vaccine will only be available through public health clinics and pharmacies will no longer be administering the vaccine.

While the province said work is underway to determine what the final cost will be per vaccine, it noted the U.S. Center for Disease Control estimates a cost of $110 per vaccine dose.

“The cost to taxpayers for the COVID-19 vaccine should not exceed $49 million, much of which will be offset through cost recovery in phases 3 and 4,” the province said in its news release, explaining the COVID-19 vaccine program will be rolled out in four phases, beginning with the highest-risk groups and gradually expanding to include more Albertans over time.

Phase 1:Provincially-funded vaccines will be available free to residents of seniors supportive living accommodations and home care clients.Phase 2:Provincially-funded COVID-19 vaccines will be available free for Albertans six months and older with underlying medical conditions or compromised immune systems, or in congregate living accommodations, and Albertans on social programs (i.e. AISH, income supports, and individuals experiencing homelessness).Phase 3:COVID-19 vaccine will be available to all Albertans 65 years and older, who will be required to cover the full costs of the vaccine.Phase 4:All other Albertans, who will be required to pay the full cost.

In making the announcement on Friday, the government pointed out the U.S. Federal Drug Administration in the United States — which is headed by longtime anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — recently stopped recommending routine COVID-19 vaccines for pregnant women and healthy children.

However, following that announcement, the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada saidCOVID-19 vaccination“remains safe and strongly recommended” duringpregnancyand while breastfeeding.

In January, the UCP government releaseda controversial report that called on the province to halt the use of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The report was commissioned shortly after Premier Danielle Smith swept to power in late 2022, promising to redress the COVID-19 grievances of her supporters.

However,critics lambasted the report calling it a “a sad document — that lacks significant credibility.”

Instead of encouraging Albertans to be vaccinated, the UCP government advises people to talk to their doctor about “the best course for their needs.”

“If the government was serious about tackling vaccine waste they would get serious about public health, public education and promoting the benefits of a variety of vaccines,” said Gallaway.

Friends of Medicare said Alberta’s low vaccination rates have brought an increase in the prevalence of other avoidable infectious diseases like influenza and RSV.

“This year, Alberta has seen our highest influenza death rates since 2009 and we continue to set historic new records for measles cases in Alberta.”

As of Friday, there were 879 lab-confirmed measles cases in the province.

“We surpassed the 1985 peak of 843 cases of measles in the province with 868 cases. Think of that: the highest numbers seen in 50 years,” Alberta Medical Association president Dr. Shelley Duggan said in a memo on Friday to members.

“Immunization is the only way to prevent further unnecessary life-threatening illness and further instability for acute care.”

The province said starting Aug. 11, eligible Albertans will be able to signal their intent to receive the COVID-19 and influenza vaccines by pre-ordering through the Alberta Vaccine Booking System.

After that, they’ll get a text or email reminder to book their immunization appointment in early October.

When Albertans book their immunization appointment for fall/winter 2025-26, the province said they can also pre-order their vaccine for 2026-27.

The province said in the 2023-24 respiratory virus season, a total of just over one million COVID-19 vaccines — 54 per cent of Alberta’s order that year — went unused.

Now that the province is paying to procure vaccines, it said it’s important to better determine how many vaccines are needed to support efforts to minimize waste and control costs.

“Based on the Center for Disease Control costing estimates of $110 per vaccine dose, this means that about $135-million worth of vaccines were never used and were discarded,” the province’s news release said.

“If the UCP government was really interested in eliminating waste and protecting the health of Albertans it would be promoting vaccines,” Hoffman said in her statement.

“That way the supply would get used and we would keep ourselves and our loved ones safe.”

For the 2025-26 season, the Alberta government said about 485,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been ordered.

Estimated budget costs for the 2025-26 season are approximately $2 million for RSV and $19 million for influenza, Primary and Preventative Health Services (previously Alberta Health) said.

Alberta still covers the cost ofalmost all other routine immunizationssuch as the ones that protect against influenza, measles, mumps, rubella, polio, tetanus, chickenpox, pertussis (whooping cough), HPV and meningitis. It also covers RSV shots for seniors.

Albertans already pay out of pocket for some some vaccines such as those recommended for travel purposes, such as the Twinrix vaccine for hepatitis A and B, and the shingles (Shingrix) vaccine.

Charges laid in a devastating crash. What investigators believe the accused had taken before getting behind the wheel and reaction from one of the survivors. How weather conditions are helping crews on the Dryden Creek wildfire. And the slowing real estate market and how some sellers may need a reality check.

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Most deep-sea divers will spend a lifetime underwater without finding treasure at the bottom of the sea.

Not so for B.C. couple Cailin Lindsay and Maxwel Hohn, whose recent diving expedition included a treasure chest, a gold ring — and the promise of a lifetime of love.

It was the culmination of an elaborate marriage proposal Hohn, an Emmy award-winning underwater cinematographer, told Global News he spent the better part of a year and a half planning.

“I knew it had to be somewhere that was very grand, it had to be like an epic kind of proposal, but I also had to catch her off guard by surprise, so I decided to do it in Galapagos,” he explained.

“I’d told her that I’d never proposed to her underwater, so she didn’t really have this in the back of her head thinking that this would be the trip that would happen.”

The road to Galapagos was a long and winding one.

Lindsay and Hohn both grew up on the Sunshine Coast, and while both of them are lifelong divers, they never actually met until about eight years ago.

Hohn already knew Lindsay’s father through the diving industry, and during a chance encounter her brother dropped her name while “playing cupid a little bit.”

“Maxwel kind of went, ‘Wait a minute, your dad never mentioned anything about having a daughter,’ so he reached out,” she said.

The pair connected in Mexico, where, true to form, their first date was under the sea — a dive with schools of jackfish and bull sharks.

“We’re both very adventurous people, and you know it’s kind of been one big adventure from the get-go between the two of us, we had our first adventure dive date, and it’s kind of never slowed down from there,” Lindsay said.

“When I saw her on the first dive and her skill set underwater, I was like, yep, she’s the one,” Hohn added.

It was only several years later, after the pair started working together on Hohn’s wildlife cinematography business, that he decided it was time to take the plunge.

It was a major operation, involving the help of multiple friends and an Ecuadorian company called Galaxy Expeditions to plan out the elaborate scene.

“The hardest thing was trying to keep it a secret, because I have all these people I’m collaborating with to try and plan this event, and they’re texting me, so I’m having to keep my phone very secretive from her,” he said. “And as most people know, doing that in front of your spouse is quite tricky.”

At one point, the ring even fell out of Hohn’s bag as they were unpacking it onto the boat — but Lindsay never got wise.

As the clock ticked down to the big moment, Hohn said he got so nervous about whether it would work that he almost got cold flippers and called the whole thing off.

“But I had all these people committed to kind of helping me, you know that we had this treasure chest already hidden, so the ring was already underwater. I had four people who had these big laminated signs to say, ‘Will you marry me?’ They were hiding in this place behind a rock,”he chuckled.

More nerve-wracking, when they got to the seafloor, Hohn said he began to question whether he could remember exactly where they’d stashed the ring.

His friends had told him it was placed right next to a big turtle.

“Of course, you know, with wildlife, nature, and things like that, turtles don’t stay in one spot, they move around, but sure enough, when we got there, this giant turtle was pretty much sitting next to the chest and guarding it, which was pretty special,” he said.

“Cailin noticed the turtle right away, and she went to go see it and check it out, and it kind of revealed the chest was behind it.”

Lindsay said she was initially hesitant to open the chest, explaining she thought “it’s not ours to open,” but Hohn insisted.

“But Maxwel insisted I open it, so I finally opened the lid and sure enough, there’s photos of us, there was a message in a bottle, and the ring,” she said.

“I was absolutely in shock from that point onwards … my mask started filling up with tears and I had to keep clearing it throughout the dive.”

The pair have yet to come up for air enough to start planning their wedding.

But they say it’s a safe bet it will happen above sea level.

The B.C. Conservation Officer Service says it had to kill a black bear after the sow seriously injured a woman in her Maple Ridge backyard.

The attack happened Thursday night at a home near 222 Street and Abernathy Way.

Conservation officers say the bear swiped the woman on the side of the face, leaving her with serious facial lacerations.

The woman was treated in hospital and is recovering.

Conservation officers are now trying to locate the bear’s two cubs.

Anyone who sees the orphaned animals is asked to call the B.C. Report All Poachers and Polluters (RAPP) line at1-877-952-7277

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Whether you’re drifting lazily under the sun or turning your backyardpoolinto the ultimatesummerhangout, one thing’s for sure: no pool day is complete without the perfect floatie. From glittery unicorns to retro loungers and shaded canopies, this season’s inflatables are made for serious splashing and stylish lounging. So grab yourSPF, queue up the poolside playlist and get ready to float your way through summer. Ahead, eight of the best pool floaties that make every dip feel like a vacation.

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Canada is set to host leaders from the world’s largest economies for the annualG7 summitbeginning Sunday, and the stakes could not be higher.

U.S. PresidentDonald Trump’smulti-front trade war has countries scrambling to get their tariffs lowered. Ceasefires have failed to stick in Gaza and Ukraine. Allies are collectively focused on boosting their defences to counter China, Russia and other threat actors. And the rise of artificial intelligence has opened up opportunities and risks on multiple fronts.

For Prime MinisterMark Carney, it will mark his most high-profile stage yet as he seeks to both normalize relations with Trump and reposition Canada as an important ally.

Here’s what to expect over the course of the summit.

The last time Canada hosted the G7 leader’s summit was in 2018, and it quickly saw tensions flare.

Trump’s clashes with then-prime minister Justin Trudeau and other leaders over trade led to the U.S. not endorsing the official G7 communique, and France’s foreign minister dubbed the summit the “G6 plus one.”

A repeat of that spectacle would be a “nightmare scenario” for both Canada and the alliance, Allen Sens, a political science professor at the University of British Columbia, said in an email.

Since returning to office this year, Trump has only doubled down on actions that fuelled the discord at that earlier summit: imposing sweeping tariffs on allies, reversing or reducing climate change action, and reopening dialogue with Russia.

Yet the scale of Trump’s trade wars this time means leaders will likely be clamouring for their own deals on tariffs and other issues beyond the official G7 communique — including Canada.

The summit will mark the first time Carney and Trump will be face-to-face since their White House meeting in May.

Pete Hoekstra, the U.S. ambassador to Canada, said Wednesdaythe two leaders see the gathering as an “inflection point” in their direct negotiations toward a potential new deal.

“They’re both going to be at the same place, they’re both going to be in Canada, and there’d be lots of questions if there isn’t something that is announced,” he said at an event in Ottawa.

“Until it happens, it’s still a possibility.”

Carney last week announced what he said were Canada’s prioritiesfor discussions at the G7 summit, all of which are aimed at “building stronger economies.”

The Prime Minister’s Office said Ottawa’s top priority will be strengthening global peace and security, which includes countering foreign interference and transnational crime, as well as improving responses to wildfires.

Canada will focus on spurring economic growth by improving energy security, fortifying supply chains for critical minerals and accelerating the use of artificial intelligence.

Lastly, Canada will discuss creating jobs by securing partnerships to open new markets and generate large infrastructure investments.

G7 finance ministers and central bank governors who gathered in Banff last month ahead of the leaders’ summitagreed to cooperateon pursuing economic growth, ensuring price stability and certainty, tackling financial crime, and supporting Ukraine.

“I would consider any communique that contains any substantive collective agreements on major issues to be a triumph, with a bland document the most likely outcome,” Sens told Global News.

David Perry, president of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, told Global News that Trump’s influence will likely mean past issues of agreement — including shared initiatives on the environment and “equity, diversity, and inclusion” — will either be less prominent or reduced altogether.

Yet he still believes agreements can be struck among the allies on issues of shared importance that go beyond the tensions Trump’s tariffs have caused — particularly on energy security and artificial intelligence.

The PMO said discussions will also include securing peace in Ukraine and other global conflicts, as well as “a forward-looking agenda that engages partners beyond the G7.”

Other world leaders whose countries are not part of the G7 but who will attend the summit are the heads of Mexico, Brazil, South Korea, Australia, South Africa and Ukraine.

The attendance of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum will mark the first time North American leaders will be together since Trump’s trade wars threatened the Canada-United States-Mexico agreement on free trade (CUSMA) that’s up for review next year.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he will ensure talks at the summit and other high-level gatherings in the weeks ahead don’t lead to “hollow” agreements on the war in his country.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also attendat Carney’s invitation, a move that has attracted criticism from diaspora groups in Canada — includingmembers of Carney’s Liberal caucus.

Modi’s government has been accused of being involved in violence and intimidation against Sikh activists and politicians in Canada, including the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia in 2023.

Carney’s government also invited Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salmanto the summit, Global News has learned, but the Saudi leader has not yet publicly accepted the invitation.

NDP foreign affairs critic Heather McPherson accused the government of turning the summit into a “showcase of tyrants” with the invitations of bin Salman and Modi during question period on Tuesday.

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand responded that the G7 is “a critical forum for global leaders to have productive and frank discussions.”

Vina Nadjibulla, vice-president of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, said Trump’s election and the growing threat environment requires a “different approach” to diplomatic relations, which is on display under Carney.

The invitation to Modi was particularly necessary, she said, given the size of India’s economy and strategic importance. She added that restoring the relationship with India could lead to further cooperation on the issue of transnational violence and foreign interference.

“I think we need to recognize that in today’s more dangerous world, we need to be able to engage and have high-level talks with counties with whom we have serious disagreements,” she told Global News.

“Diplomacy is not a favour to our friends — it’s a tool to advance our interests and protect our values.”

Perry said Canada will have its work cut out in chairing the G7, but agreed the timing was good that the responsibility came up this year, with Trump’s trade war still in its early stages.

“You do get to have a role in shaping things, and you do get to find yourself at a table that you arranged, literally, for a discussion that you helped set the agenda of, with the leaders of … most of the major economies in the world, including the president of the United States,” he said.

“It’s a pretty unique role and opportunity for Canada.”

He suggested the summit will also be a pivotal test for Carney as prime minister — not just in the relationship with Trump, but with the other leaders at that table.

“If the Prime Minister of Canada can’t make good use of time with six world leaders and an opportunity of Canadian creation, he probably should be considering other lines of work,” he said.