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Kate Palmer of Royal Canadian Legion Branch 34 in Orillia received the Palm Leaf, the Legion's highest volunteer honour, and veteran Paul Connell received the Ontario Veterans Award for Community Service Excellence.

Record heat and widespread wildfires have struck parts of the Southern Hemisphere in early 2026, with temperatures near 50°C reported in Australia and fires reported in South America and South Africa.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel signed accession to U.S. President Donald Trump's "Board of Peace," and the board will hold its first meeting on Feb. 19 in Washington to discuss Gaza reconstruction.

Canada's foreign minister Anita Anand urged NATO to make the newly launched Arctic Sentry initiative permanent at the Arctic 360 conference in Toronto, while NATO said the initiative will coordinate allied activity in the Far North and be headquartered at its military command in Norfolk, Va.

Authorities say nine people died in a shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School; a 12-year-old identified as Maya Edmonds was airlifted to BC Children's Hospital and is reported in critical but stable condition.

The U.S. House passed a largely symbolic measure to overturn tariffs President Trump imposed on Canada, with six Republicans joining Democrats; the measure lacks the two-thirds majority needed to override a presidential veto.

The House will vote on Rep. Gregory Meeks's resolution to end the national emergency that underpins 35% tariffs on many Canadian goods, after a procedural hurdle was defeated and the vote was cleared for Wednesday.

Hearings in Saskatoon are under way for NexGen’s Rook I uranium mine before the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, which has 120 days after the hearing concludes to decide whether to grant a licence.

On Feb. 8, Elon Musk announced via X that SpaceX will prioritize creating a self-sustaining city on the Moon, citing shorter timelines and faster launch cadence; he said Mars development is being deferred but not abandoned.

Festival du Voyageur runs through Feb. 20 in Whittier Park and nearby venues, celebrating 57 years of francophone, Métis and First Nations culture with music, food and art.

Canada's first Inuit-led university has announced a campus location in the north. Officials say many Inuit students now must relocate to southern regions for post-secondary studies, and the Nunavik school board sponsored 189 students enrolled outside Nunavik for 2024–2025.

The 24-hour respite site at Toronto's Better Living Centre will stop new admissions by mid-February and conclude operations by March 15 to accommodate spring bookings tied to World Cup 2026; city officials say current residents will be offered alternative shelter spaces.

A party-commissioned report says the Journal de Montréal’s published texts were assembled by cutting and pasting and the review found no evidence of wrongdoing; UPAC and the National Assembly ethics probe are continuing.

A partnership between the province of British Columbia and five First Nations is developing a Forest Landscape plan for the 1.2-million-hectare Kootenay Lake Timber Supply Area, and the project is in early planning with public input encouraged.

The six-episode HBO spinoff A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms adapts George R.R. Martin’s novella to tell a smaller, more intimate story about hedge knight Ser Duncan and his squire Egg. The piece contrasts this gentle, comedic-drama tone with the franchise’s earlier, larger-scale entries and notes the show focuses on personal moral dilemmas rather than sweeping political spectacle.

Neesha Hothi of Maple Ridge has been appointed executive director of the Vancouver International Bhangra Celebration Society, the organization behind 5X Fest, and brings more than 20 years promoting South Asian arts and culture in Canada.

The Langley Advance Times community calendar lists events across Langley for mid-February, including theatre performances, park walks, library Valentine programs and local music and dance gatherings.

Police identified an 18-year-old as the shooter in the Tumbler Ridge high school attack, and sources say the youth had recent psychiatric treatment; eight people were killed and about 25 were injured.

Air Canada ordered eight Airbus A350-1000s, with rights to buy eight more, and says deliveries will begin in the second half of 2030; the airline states the A350‑1000 is about 25% more fuel efficient than older aircraft.

President Trump met privately with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; Trump said no definitive agreement was reached and urged continued negotiations with Iran.

Lawmakers voted 66 to 49 to approve Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s Cabinet after a snap Dec. 28 election, and Parliament also selected Albulena Haxhiu as speaker.

The M.D. of Lesser Slave River council voted to donate $1,000 to Heartland Training and Support Hub for farm safety presentations in Smith and Slave Lake schools, following a $500 contribution in 2024.

Nathalie Provost says returning to the school weeks after the 1989 École Polytechnique attack helped her reclaim a sense of safety; she shared those reflections as Canadians reacted to a recent school shooting in Tumbler Ridge that left nine people dead.

An international team reports a genetic mutation that can produce the antibody linked to rare vaccine-induced blood clots (VITT), and reversing that mutation removed clotting potential in lab tests; the study appears in the New England Journal of Medicine.

A volunteer-run Sussex Middle School drama program is mounting Honk! Jr. with 53 students and volunteers, performing Feb. 18–20 and Feb. 23, and organizers plan to take the hour-long junior production to the provincial drama festival in Fredericton in May.

The Anishinabek Nation says proposed changes to Ontario's Permit to Take Water program would let some projects avoid new permits, environmental review and meaningful consultation; Ontario's environment ministry says permit renewals for the same water-taking can be processed under a streamlined approach while applications and Duty to Consult requirements are reviewed.

The Junior Firefighters Program in Eganville will return in the second semester after a restructuring; exact class dates are to be determined, Fire Chief Darryl Wagner told council.

Attorney General Pam Bondi testified for more than five hours before the House Judiciary Committee about the Justice Department's release of Jeffrey Epstein case files, and lawmakers raised concerns that redactions left victims' sensitive information exposed.

Officials in Vaudreuil-Soulanges urged Quebec to exempt Quebec Experience Program (PEQ) applicants from reapplying under the Skilled Worker Selection Program, citing local labour shortages as a new hospital is planned to open in 2028.

The UCLA Black Alumni Association will hold its biennial Winston C. Doby Legacy Scholarship Gala on March 7 at the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown; Mayor Karen Bass will deliver the keynote and proceeds support scholarships for tuition, housing and books.