Beyond Local

Elections Canada said early estimates show more than 1.3 million voters cast their ballot in-person on the first day of advance polls on Friday, which is more than what was recorded during the 2019 election.

The overland evacuees are in addition to the 3,700 Canadians, Afghan refugees, and other nationals who were airlifted by Canada out of Afghanistan before American troops completed a frenzied withdrawal from the country at the end of August.

Organizers said they want to take a stand against what they call "tyrannical measures and government overreach," adding that they are not encouraging nurses to walk out on their shifts or abandon patients. 

The latest forecast models indicate the hurricane will transition to a post-tropical storm, but it could retain much of its strength as it dumps up to 50 millimetres of rain on eastern Newfoundland.

Qatari envoy Mutlaq bin Majed al-Qahtani said another 200 passengers will leave Afghanistan today. A diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said foreigners, including Americans, will depart in the next couple of days.

The five leaders frequently talked over one another. Leaders on the receiving end of accusations or loaded questions from rivals were often given no chance to respond.

Dr. Verna Yiu, the president and CEO of Alberta Health Services, says there may be 200 potential patients that could be moved into continuing care in the next week or two.

This week’s French- and English-language debates come as opinion polls suggest the Liberals and Conservatives are stuck in a tight two-way race, with the NDP and Bloc poised to determine which of the two main parties emerges victorious.

"The revised proposal from [Alberta Health Services] is a long-term contract for nurses, with a wage freeze for the first three years and a modest wage increase in the fourth and fifth years," Finance Minister Travis Toews said in a statement Wednesday.

The mayors called for better leadership from Kenney’s government, and consistency in the rules. “Failure to extend masking requirements to schools and post-secondary institutions further perpetuates division between Albertans (and) creates more uncertainty for students, staff, and faculty,” wrote the mayors.