Canada's National Observer
@nationalobserver.com
Canada's National Observer (CNO) delivers vital reporting on the defining crisis of our time: climate change. Through rigorous investigation and compelling storytelling, we expose the forces shaping Canada's climate future.
RCMP Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald said the shooter was known to police, who had seized firearms from Jesse Van Rooselaar's family home under the Criminal Code “a couple years ago” but that the firearms were later returned.
RCMP say guns were previously seized from Tumbler Ridge shooter’s home, but returned
Six victims were located dead at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, while two family members were found dead in a home, according to the RCMP. The suspect was found dead at the school from what appeared ...
www.nationalobserver.com
February 11, 2026 at 9:14 PM
RCMP Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald said the shooter was known to police, who had seized firearms from Jesse Van Rooselaar's family home under the Criminal Code “a couple years ago” but that the firearms were later returned.
Reposted by Canada's National Observer
Grâce à une entente entre @ledevoir.com et le @nationalobserver.com, mes textes (et d'autres) sont désormais traduits en anglais et disponibles d'un océan à l'autre! Inversement, certains articles du National Observer seront désormais traduits et publiés dans les pages du Devoir.
Canada's Navy commander calls for a base in French-speaking territory
In an interview, Vice Admiral Angus Topshee told Le Devoir that a naval presence in French Canada may boost recruitment efforts among francophones — and that Canada needs more ships to defend its coas...
www.nationalobserver.com
February 11, 2026 at 4:59 PM
Grâce à une entente entre @ledevoir.com et le @nationalobserver.com, mes textes (et d'autres) sont désormais traduits en anglais et disponibles d'un océan à l'autre! Inversement, certains articles du National Observer seront désormais traduits et publiés dans les pages du Devoir.
We have removed our story about today's school shooting in Tumbler Ridge from behind the paywall. Updates will be coming here:
RCMP say 10 dead in school shooting in Tumbler Ridge, BC
Six victims were located dead at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, while another died on the scene, according to the RCMP. The suspect was found dead at the school from what appeared to be a self-inflic...
www.nationalobserver.com
February 11, 2026 at 2:43 AM
We have removed our story about today's school shooting in Tumbler Ridge from behind the paywall. Updates will be coming here:
RCMP say seven people are dead in a school shooting in Tumbler Ridge, BC, where a suspect has also been found deceased with that is believed to be a self-inflicted injury.
Eight dead in school shooting in Tumbler Ridge, BC, police say
Police said in an earlier statement that the "original suspect" was believed to be dead, but officers were working to determine whether a second suspect is involved.
www.nationalobserver.com
February 11, 2026 at 2:12 AM
RCMP say seven people are dead in a school shooting in Tumbler Ridge, BC, where a suspect has also been found deceased with that is believed to be a self-inflicted injury.
Toronto council has passed its 2026 budget under strong mayor rules, which includes a 2.2% property tax increase.
On the climate front: $1.48 billion from the city to transit, an expansion of the free AC unit program and more.
On the climate front: $1.48 billion from the city to transit, an expansion of the free AC unit program and more.
Toronto approves budget, 2.2 per cent property tax hike
Mayor Olivia Chow frames the 2026 plan as an affordability budget, but its has investments where climate and affordability intersect, such as in transit and retrofits.
www.nationalobserver.com
February 10, 2026 at 11:31 PM
Toronto council has passed its 2026 budget under strong mayor rules, which includes a 2.2% property tax increase.
On the climate front: $1.48 billion from the city to transit, an expansion of the free AC unit program and more.
On the climate front: $1.48 billion from the city to transit, an expansion of the free AC unit program and more.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Ford said Trump’s claims that the United States should own at least half of the bridge and it was built with “virtually no US content" are “fiction,” arguing the project is too important to both economies to be derailed.
Ford says Gordie Howe bridge will open despite ‘fiction’ from Trump
Ontario Premier Doug Ford says the Gordie Howe International Bridge between Windsor and Detroit will open as planned, brushing off US President Donald Trump’s threat to block the project as political ...
www.nationalobserver.com
February 10, 2026 at 5:53 PM
Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Ford said Trump’s claims that the United States should own at least half of the bridge and it was built with “virtually no US content" are “fiction,” arguing the project is too important to both economies to be derailed.
Correction: We deleted an earlier post about the Gordie Howe bridge connecting Michigan and Ontario. The bridge, paid for by Canada, will be jointly owned.
Another part of the post said Trump warned Canada that China would ban hockey. (That part, oddly enough, is accurate, in that he did say that.)
Another part of the post said Trump warned Canada that China would ban hockey. (That part, oddly enough, is accurate, in that he did say that.)
Trump claims US should own 'at least one half' of bridge from Ontario to Michigan
The government of Canada website says it's funding the entire project, which will be publicly owned by both Canada and Michigan.
www.nationalobserver.com
February 10, 2026 at 12:07 AM
Correction: We deleted an earlier post about the Gordie Howe bridge connecting Michigan and Ontario. The bridge, paid for by Canada, will be jointly owned.
Another part of the post said Trump warned Canada that China would ban hockey. (That part, oddly enough, is accurate, in that he did say that.)
Another part of the post said Trump warned Canada that China would ban hockey. (That part, oddly enough, is accurate, in that he did say that.)
“Mulroney, for all his faults, really was an environmentalist — even if much of that impetus was cottagers in Ontario and Quebec,” said Dimitry Anastakis, a professor at the University of Toronto.
Carney could take a page from Mulroney to drive auto sector change
We don’t have to look too far back in our history to find excellent examples of Canadian politicians forcing industry to adopt new technology primarily out of concern for the environment. Who made tho...
www.nationalobserver.com
February 9, 2026 at 6:39 PM
“Mulroney, for all his faults, really was an environmentalist — even if much of that impetus was cottagers in Ontario and Quebec,” said Dimitry Anastakis, a professor at the University of Toronto.
Reposted by Canada's National Observer
As the Region of Waterloo struggles with a growing water shortage, recent council meetings have been dominated by debate over provincial water-taking permits in the region. for @nationalobserver.com www.nationalobserver.com/2026/02/06/n...
Waterloo councillors push Ford government over water permits
The Ford government is under pressure from municipalities, political opposition and local advocates to pause commercial water-taking permits after the Region of Waterloo hit a water capacity limit so ...
www.nationalobserver.com
February 9, 2026 at 5:49 PM
As the Region of Waterloo struggles with a growing water shortage, recent council meetings have been dominated by debate over provincial water-taking permits in the region. for @nationalobserver.com www.nationalobserver.com/2026/02/06/n...
The first-ever offshore wind power supply deal between Canada and the US has been agreed by leaders of Nova Scotia and Massachusetts, potentially opening a key route to market for future electricity production from projects in the Canadian Maritimes.
Nova Scotia and Massachusetts reach trailblazing agreement on offshore wind supply
A memorandum of understanding between the province and state covers cross-border market coordination, grid integration and collaboration on ports, supply chains and employment and aims to boost invest...
www.nationalobserver.com
February 6, 2026 at 6:35 PM
The first-ever offshore wind power supply deal between Canada and the US has been agreed by leaders of Nova Scotia and Massachusetts, potentially opening a key route to market for future electricity production from projects in the Canadian Maritimes.
Another year, another record high for Canadian oil and gas production. At some point, the oil and gas industry and its various proxies might want to face up to the fact that Liberal governments are actually good for their business, @maxfawcett.bsky.social writes.
Justin Trudeau never killed the oil and gas industry
The former prime minister's supposed hostility towards Alberta's defining industry is an article of faith among Canadian Conservatives. The facts tell a much different story.
www.nationalobserver.com
February 6, 2026 at 6:34 PM
Another year, another record high for Canadian oil and gas production. At some point, the oil and gas industry and its various proxies might want to face up to the fact that Liberal governments are actually good for their business, @maxfawcett.bsky.social writes.
In a statement to Canada’s National Observer, an ICE spokesperson said the vehicles will be used “to keep officers and the public safe” during what the agency described as “high-risk lawful immigration enforcement activities.”
This is the first time the agency has confirmed the contract.
This is the first time the agency has confirmed the contract.
ICE confirms armoured vehicle contract with Ontario company as Ford seeks distance
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has confirmed it will buy armoured vehicles made by a Brampton-based defence manufacturer to support its enforcement operations, as pressure mounts on Prem...
www.nationalobserver.com
February 6, 2026 at 12:06 AM
In a statement to Canada’s National Observer, an ICE spokesperson said the vehicles will be used “to keep officers and the public safe” during what the agency described as “high-risk lawful immigration enforcement activities.”
This is the first time the agency has confirmed the contract.
This is the first time the agency has confirmed the contract.
PM Carney's new auto strategy dropped Feb. 5.
Out: the EV availability standard (which would have required 100% EV sales by 2035)
In: a $2.3B EV rebate program and more stringent tailpipe emissions regs (aiming for 75 percent EV adoption rate by 2035)
Out: the EV availability standard (which would have required 100% EV sales by 2035)
In: a $2.3B EV rebate program and more stringent tailpipe emissions regs (aiming for 75 percent EV adoption rate by 2035)
Carney replaces EV sales mandate with rebates
Prime Minister Mark Carney is doing away with the EV availability standard, promising to replace it with more stringent tailpipe regulations and rebates to encourage Canadians to buy EVs.
www.nationalobserver.com
February 5, 2026 at 5:55 PM
PM Carney's new auto strategy dropped Feb. 5.
Out: the EV availability standard (which would have required 100% EV sales by 2035)
In: a $2.3B EV rebate program and more stringent tailpipe emissions regs (aiming for 75 percent EV adoption rate by 2035)
Out: the EV availability standard (which would have required 100% EV sales by 2035)
In: a $2.3B EV rebate program and more stringent tailpipe emissions regs (aiming for 75 percent EV adoption rate by 2035)
Reposted by Canada's National Observer
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is zeroing in on one horrific court case to demand Canada give her a say in the way Canada appoints higher court judges. This is cheap politicking that risks undermining trust in Canadian courts. www.nationalobserver.com/2026/02/05/o...
Hands off the judiciary, Premier Smith
Zeroing in on one horrific court case to demand Canada make a wholesale change in the way it appoints higher court judges is cheap politicking that ignores reforms to the bail system already in the wo...
www.nationalobserver.com
February 5, 2026 at 2:00 PM
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is zeroing in on one horrific court case to demand Canada give her a say in the way Canada appoints higher court judges. This is cheap politicking that risks undermining trust in Canadian courts. www.nationalobserver.com/2026/02/05/o...
NEW: Five months out from Vancouver's first FIFA World Cup game, two progressive city councillors want the city to pre-emptively boot US Immigration and Customs Enforcement — ICE — off the pitch.
Vancouver councillors push for World Cup to ban ICE agents
Five months out from Vancouver's first FIFA World Cup game — and as the presence of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency at the upcoming Olympics has stirred protests in Italy — two progr...
www.nationalobserver.com
February 4, 2026 at 12:38 AM
NEW: Five months out from Vancouver's first FIFA World Cup game, two progressive city councillors want the city to pre-emptively boot US Immigration and Customs Enforcement — ICE — off the pitch.
A survey by the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) shows Canadians overwhelmingly love winter sports and many want fossil fuel companies removed from Olympic sponsorship because of climate change concerns.
Canadian athletes and fans want fossil fuel sponsors out of the Olympics, poll finds
As Canada’s teams, sponsored in part by Petro-Canada, prepare to head to Italy for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan–Cortina, Podborski is among thousands of Canadians surveyed who argue the Games sho...
www.nationalobserver.com
February 3, 2026 at 5:56 PM
A survey by the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) shows Canadians overwhelmingly love winter sports and many want fossil fuel companies removed from Olympic sponsorship because of climate change concerns.
In @arnokopecky.bsky.social's final dispatch from the Conservative convention, he looks forward at what the party's wholehearted embrace means for its future, and that of our democracy.
Where do the Conservatives go from here?
It’s a problem for Canadians that the Conservatives are going all-in on a candidate with no appeal to a majority of the country, writes Arno Kopecky — one-party rule is anathema to democracy, and not ...
www.nationalobserver.com
February 3, 2026 at 5:56 PM
In @arnokopecky.bsky.social's final dispatch from the Conservative convention, he looks forward at what the party's wholehearted embrace means for its future, and that of our democracy.
"’Backwards’ was my first thought," said Cathy Holtslander, director of research and policy at the National Farmers Union. "Obviously, they made these cuts without knowing what they were doing."
Feds slashed farm research. An internal email suggests they don't know what Canada's losing
Senior officials at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) did not know how their decision to close three research stations on the Prairies would impact the department's research program when they an...
www.nationalobserver.com
February 2, 2026 at 5:31 PM
"’Backwards’ was my first thought," said Cathy Holtslander, director of research and policy at the National Farmers Union. "Obviously, they made these cuts without knowing what they were doing."
On their Facebook page, the organizers of Building Caledon Together claim, “We’ve got regular jobs, one goes to school full-time, families, and a shared love for Caledon. We’ve chosen to stay anonymous for now. Not because there’s anything shady.”
Anonymous 'grassroots' community group in Ontario traced back to political operative
Building Caledon Together is framed to boost public support for development projects — but it appears to be part of a much larger operation, a Canada's National Observer investigation reveals.
www.nationalobserver.com
February 2, 2026 at 5:29 PM
On their Facebook page, the organizers of Building Caledon Together claim, “We’ve got regular jobs, one goes to school full-time, families, and a shared love for Caledon. We’ve chosen to stay anonymous for now. Not because there’s anything shady.”
Reposted by Canada's National Observer
My latest investigation is out. In the town of Caledon, Ont., political operatives thought they could create an anonymous, untraceable "citizen-led grassroots" campaign. But they forgot to scrub the image metadata.
www.nationalobserver.com/2026/02/02/i...
www.nationalobserver.com/2026/02/02/i...
Anonymous 'grassroots' community group in Ontario traced back to political operative
Building Caledon Together is framed to boost public support for development projects — but it appears to be part of a much larger operation, a Canada's National Observer investigation reveals.
www.nationalobserver.com
February 2, 2026 at 2:55 PM
My latest investigation is out. In the town of Caledon, Ont., political operatives thought they could create an anonymous, untraceable "citizen-led grassroots" campaign. But they forgot to scrub the image metadata.
www.nationalobserver.com/2026/02/02/i...
www.nationalobserver.com/2026/02/02/i...
Reposted by Canada's National Observer
Beautifully, catastrophically absurd.
CNO's @arnokopecky.bsky.social is on the ground at the Conservative Party convention in Calgary. And although he was barred from entering, he has been hanging out with the delegates and influencers crowding outside. They have had a lot to say — and a lot more than what's been happening onstage.
The sad predictability of the CPC Convention
None of what Arno Kopecky saw from Conservatives speaking on the first night of the party's Calgary convention was any more surprising than the strange disconnect from reality he encountered among att...
www.nationalobserver.com
January 30, 2026 at 10:36 PM
Beautifully, catastrophically absurd.
CNO's @arnokopecky.bsky.social is on the ground at the Conservative Party convention in Calgary. And although he was barred from entering, he has been hanging out with the delegates and influencers crowding outside. They have had a lot to say — and a lot more than what's been happening onstage.
The sad predictability of the CPC Convention
None of what Arno Kopecky saw from Conservatives speaking on the first night of the party's Calgary convention was any more surprising than the strange disconnect from reality he encountered among att...
www.nationalobserver.com
January 30, 2026 at 9:44 PM
CNO's @arnokopecky.bsky.social is on the ground at the Conservative Party convention in Calgary. And although he was barred from entering, he has been hanging out with the delegates and influencers crowding outside. They have had a lot to say — and a lot more than what's been happening onstage.
The National Post, The Rebel and Juno News attacked Coastal First Nations earlier this month after Mark Carney met with them over his pipeline deal. Now, after a BC Conservative leadership hopeful echoed those talking points, they've hit back.
Coastal First Nations hit back after pundits and politicians challenge its legitimacy in pipeline debate
Coastal First Nations push back against claims questioning their legitimacy, accusing political critics of spreading disinformation as disagreements escalate over the proposed BC coast pipeline.
www.nationalobserver.com
January 30, 2026 at 12:52 AM
The National Post, The Rebel and Juno News attacked Coastal First Nations earlier this month after Mark Carney met with them over his pipeline deal. Now, after a BC Conservative leadership hopeful echoed those talking points, they've hit back.
Reposted by Canada's National Observer
This is who the separatists are. Huge thanks to my colleague @arnokopecky.bsky.social for getting that on the record. #abpoli
www.nationalobserver.com/2026/01/29/n...
www.nationalobserver.com/2026/01/29/n...
'They're trying to replace us': the conspiracy theories driving the man behind Alberta separatism
Mitch Sylvestre says the Canadian government is criminal, he has fears of a communist takeover and he's 'cured of federalism.' Arno Kopecky spoke with him about the allegations of coordination with US...
www.nationalobserver.com
January 30, 2026 at 12:45 AM
This is who the separatists are. Huge thanks to my colleague @arnokopecky.bsky.social for getting that on the record. #abpoli
www.nationalobserver.com/2026/01/29/n...
www.nationalobserver.com/2026/01/29/n...
The ideas animating the man behind Alberta's separatism petition range from the pedestrian — "attacks" on Alberta's oil sector from Ottawa — to the fringe and beyond. Speaking with him this morning, @arnokopecky.bsky.social drew out several startling admissions.
'They're trying to replace us': the conspiracy theories driving the man behind Alberta separatism
Mitch Sylvestre says the Canadian government is criminal, he has fears of a communist takeover and he's 'cured of federalism.' Arno Kopecky spoke with him about the allegations of coordination with US...
www.nationalobserver.com
January 30, 2026 at 12:18 AM
The ideas animating the man behind Alberta's separatism petition range from the pedestrian — "attacks" on Alberta's oil sector from Ottawa — to the fringe and beyond. Speaking with him this morning, @arnokopecky.bsky.social drew out several startling admissions.