Canada

Shirtless skiers in shorts ventured onto southern Ontario ski hills for a final day on the slopes Friday 14 as temperatures reached 26 C in the only one hill remained open for the final day of the season

The excise tax on alcohol was set to increase by 6,3% starting April 1, which would have been the largest hike in over 40 years, but it was instead temporarily capped at 2% after the outcry from microbrewers and distillers

PM’s wife Sophie Trudeau took US First Lady Jill Biden to the curling rink on her first trip to Ottawa, then to the National Gallery of Canada to take in an exhibit of works by female Canadian artists

Prime Minister Trudeau said he will appoint a special rapporteur to investigate China's alleged interference in the 2021 elections

Two First Nations have reached an agreement with Ontario to build a road to potential mining sites in the Ring of Fire area, about 500 km north of Thunder Bay, thought to be rich in critical minerals for electric vehicle batteries

Vancouver 17-year-old Tyson Venegas stunned judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie on the first episode of American Idol's 21st season; his outstanding performance was awarded a rare Platinum Ticket which grants him straight access to Hollywood

Universities are preparing for the return of Chinese students for the spring semester, as Beijing decided their qualifications wouldn’t be recognized in the job market; immigration data suggests tens of thousands may have returned home during the pandemic

The federal government is prepared to spend $196,1 billion on health care over the next decade, including $46.2 billion in new spending on top of funds already budgeted, announced Prime Minister Trudeau at the awaited Feb 7 meeting with local governments

PM Trudeau will host a first ministers' meeting in Ottawa on Feb 7th as his government looks to finalize a deal on health-care funding with the provinces, who have been demanding a meeting to press him for a multibillion-dollar increase to the funding

Home prices likely won't drop much further due to the country's ongoing shortage of new homes, even as rising interest rates curb some demand in the market, according to the deputy chief economist for the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

Restaurants and the food industry debut new takeout ware and packaging amid phase-in of federal single-use plastics ban that aims at removing many single-use plastics from the market gradually until 2025

Storm in Canada has left tens of thousands in the dark through Christmas, more have been stranded by poor travel conditions or flight cancellation and two Ontario regions have declared state of emergency

The average rent surpassed $2.000 for the first time ever in November, up 12,4% over November 2021 far outpacing Canada's inflation rate of 6,9%; the figure covers all types of housing from bachelor apartments to detached homes