In the news today: Flight attendant strike set to continue

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed…

Flight attendant strike set to continue

It could be another chaotic day for travellers as a labour dispute continues between Air Canada and the union representing its flight attendants.

Flight attendants with the Montreal-based airline represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees are expected to remain on the picket lines today as a battle against a federal return-to-work order continues.

CUPE says it filed a challenge in Federal Court on Sunday against an order by the Canada Industrial Relations Board that said more than 10,000 flight attendants had to return to work as of 2 p.m. ET that afternoon.

The dispute has garnered negative attention from labour groups across Canada who are criticizing the Liberal government’s decision to order flight attendants back to work.

A statement from the Canadian Labour Congress late Sunday evening said the “heads of Canada’s unions” met in an emergency session to stand behind Air Canada’s flight attendants.

Here’s what else we’re watching…

Voters to choose new MP in Alberta byelection

Voters head to the polls today in a rural Alberta byelection that’s getting an unusual level of national attention.

Battle River—Crowfoot was left vacant when Conservative Damien Kurek stepped down shortly after the spring election to make way for his party’s leader, Pierre Poilievre, to run for a seat.

Poilievre lost in the April election after being elected in the Ottawa-area riding of Carleton seven straight times.

The byelection is for one of the safest Conservative seats in the country, and the Tory leader is widely expected to win by a large margin.

More than 200 people are running against Poilievre, most of whom are part of a protest movement called the Longest Ballot Committee.

As a result of the record number of people in the running, Elections Canada says voters will need to write in the name of their preferred candidate by hand on a modified ballot.

Carney, Ford meeting in Ottawa today

Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ontario Premier Doug Ford are meeting in Ottawa today.

A federal government official says there likely won’t be an announcement coming out of the meeting between the two leaders.

Carney and Ford are expected to discuss affordability, housing and crime, the official says.

The official says the meeting is meant to be “casual” but offers a good opportunity for the two to touch base ahead of the fall sittings of the House of Commons and the provincial legislature.

The premier is in Ottawa today for the Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference, which runs until Wednesday.

Landmines won’t protect Europe from Russia: expert

An expert who has disposed of bombs in some of the world’s most dangerous places says European governments pinning their security hopes on landmines are turning to an ineffective tool that will only spread misery and hunger.

“It’s an outdated technology that can quite quickly be rendered useless,” said Gary Toombs, a senior explosive disposal technician with the charity Humanity and Inclusion.

Anti-landmine advocates are urging Canada to step up efforts to convince European countries to remain in the 1997 Ottawa Treaty, which Canada brokered to end the use of anti-personnel landmines around the world.

The treaty led most of the world’s countries to ban the use of such weapons and mobilized funding to clear unexploded landmines from former war zones in places like Vietnam.

This spring, six countries bordering Russia announced plans to leave the Ottawa Treaty. Ukraine, Finland, Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have argued that the threat posed by Russia justifies the possible use of landmines to thwart or slow ground incursions.

Alberta to power some jails with solar energy

Alberta’s government is looking to power some of its jails with solar energy.

The province says it’s planning to build solar installations at five of its 10 correctional facilities, with early energy cost savings estimated at $1 million per year.

“The solar installations are expected to offset approximately 80 per cent of the energy used at each site,” Michael Kwas, press secretary for Infrastructure Minister Martin Long, said in an email.

A procurement document published by the province, which lists future projects with approved construction funding, says the government’s budget for the solar proposal is anywhere from $10 million to $50 million.

Like the savings, the budget figure is also preliminary, Kwas said. A more exact estimate would be determined later as planning progresses.

While the ministry didn’t say which jails have been chosen, Kwas said two are in the Edmonton area and three are around Calgary.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 18, 2025.

The Canadian Press