National News

VANCOUVER — Four children under the age of 10 who had streptococcal infections have died since mid-December, in what the BC Centre for Disease Control says is part of a surge in such infections.

MONTREAL — A Montreal billionaire accused of paying underage girls for sex is in poor health and must be compelled to testify before a class-action lawsuit against him is authorized, the lawyer behind the case argued Thursday.

OTTAWA — Settlement agencies are preparing for the arrival of tens of thousands of Ukrainians before the end-of-March deadline for those fleeing the Russian invasion to enter Canada on emergency visas.

OTTAWA — Israel's envoy to Canada is joining calls for the federal Liberals to clearly state Ottawa's position as the International Court of Justice considers an allegation that his country is committinggenocide against Palestinians.

OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre took aim at the mayors of Quebec’s two largest cities on Thursday, calling the local leaders "incompetent" and accusing them of blocking construction projects.

Quebec Premier François Legault is asking Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to slow the influx of asylum seekers entering his province, which he said is nearing a "breaking point.

OTTAWA — The three provinces most dependent on heating oil account for almost nine in 10 of the households that have applied for a federal grant to replace an oil furnace with an electric heat pump.

SAINT JOHN, N.B. — Two men recently acquitted of a 1983 murder for which they served lengthy prison terms say they appreciate the prime minister taking an interest in their case.

MONTREAL — Organizations representing workers in the Quebec justice system called on the provincial government Thursday to increase security at courthouses. The letter released by 10 groups is in response to a knife attack on Jan.

HALIFAX — A 22-year-old Nova Scotia man has been charged with lighting a fire last May that grew to become one of the largest wildfires in the province's history. The Barrington Lake fire southwest of Shelburne, N.S.