Murray Wood: A star-crossed leader is beset by floor-crossing MPs
Murray Wood says Pierre Poilievre has suffered some bad timing in his career as Conservative leader, but the question is...
Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed…
Canadians awaiting flights home as U.S. oil blockade causes energy shortage in Cuba
Canadians in Cuba are waiting for flights home as an energy crisis worsens in the nation amid a U.S. oil blockade.
Major Canadian airlines have already suspended service to Cuba, including Air Canada and WestJet.
All three airlines have confirmed they plan to bring travellers back home to Canada.
Calgary-based WestJet says its decision to wind down winter operations will affect WestJet, Sunwing Vacations, WestJet Vacations, and Vacances WestJet Quebec.
The Trump administration is cutting Cuba off from using traditional fuel sources in an effort to put pressure on the island nation off the coast of Florida, which has long been under strict economic sanctions imposed by the U.S. government.
Trump threatens to block opening of Windsor-Detroit bridge
U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening not to allow a new bridge linking Windsor, Ont., and Detroit to open, arguing that the United States should first be compensated.
Trump said in a social media post Monday that the U.S. will “immediately” start negotiations over the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which is set to open early this year after delays.
He said the U.S. should own “at least one half of this asset.”
In his post, Trump said Canada has treated the United States “very unfairly” for decades.
The government of Canada website says it’s funding the entire project, which will be publicly owned by both Canada and Michigan.
Conservatives to propose changing the rules for non-citizens convicted of crimes
The Conservatives are planning to introduce a motion today to bar non-citizens convicted of serious crimes from making refugee claims.
The motion also calls on the government to prevent asylum claims from people whose cases are still working their way through the courts.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said on social media Monday non-citizens who commit serious crimes “must be forced to leave our country.”
British Columbia Premier David Eby and several big city mayors have also pushed Ottawa to close what they call loopholes around asylum claims following a significant rise in extortion violence in his province and many others.
Canadian oilpatch expected to keep bulking up through mergers and acquisitions
Oilpatch advisers are expecting the wave of consolidation to continue after last year’s string of blockbuster Canadian deals, but whether foreign buyers are ready to jump into the fray remains an open question.
Companies have seen the merit in bulking up through mergers and acquisitions as oil prices hover around the lacklustre US$60 per barrel mark, shareholders demand better returns through dividends and buybacks and uncertainty continues to cloud the ability for producers to sell their output in lucrative global markets, said Grant Zawalsky, senior partner and vice-chair at law firm Burnet, Duckworth and Palmer LLP in Calgary.
Zawalsky worked on three major energy transactions last year: the bidding war for MEG Energy Inc. in which Cenovus Energy Inc. emerged victorious; Whitecap Resources Inc.’s $15-billion combination with Veren Inc. and Ovintiv Inc.’s $3.8-billion acquisition of NuVista Energy Ltd.
BD&P as a whole was involved in eight of the 10 biggest energy producer transactions last year. Deals were done largely among domestic players, with Ovintiv somewhat of an exception. It’s headquartered in Denver, but its stock trades on the TSX and it has a substantial Canadian presence, having formerly been known as Encana and based in Calgary.
Parents urge province to create standard of care for Ontario students with diabetes
One of Susan Simpson’s scariest moments as a parent came when her diabetic preteen daughter’s blood sugar became dangerously low while on a tree planting field trip and neither she, nor any classmates, nor teachers had a snack that would prevent a health emergency.
Simpson, who monitors her child’s blood sugar levels from her laptop or phone, was close to calling 911 but managed to get a teacher on the phone and they rounded up the whole class, got on the bus and drove to a gas station so her daughter could get a source of sugar.
Simpson and other parents whose children have Type 1 diabetes are urging the Ministry of Education to create a provincewide standard of care for diabetes in schools, so it doesn’t vary from classroom to classroom, school to school, or board to board.
Ontario has a policy stating that all school boards should develop and maintain policies to support students with asthma, diabetes, epilepsy and who are at risk for anaphylaxis.
A spokesperson for Education Minister Paul Calandra said the ministry is currently reviewing that policy.
Poulin injured in Canada women’s win over Czechia; Oldham wins slopestyle bronze
Julia Gosling scored twice as Canada defeated Czechia 5-1 in women’s hockey play on Day 3 of the Milan Cortina Olympics.
However, the win came at a cost as captain Marie-Philip Poulin exited in the first period and did not return for the final 40 minutes with an apparent knee injury. Poulin was checked by Kristyna Kaltounkova midway through the opening frame and skated off, favouring her right knee.
Meanwhile, earlier in the day, freestyle skier Megan Oldham survived a nasty crash on her second run to deliver Canada’s second medal at the Games, winning bronze in women’s slopestyle in a gutsy performance.
Oldham, from Parry Sound, Ont., had entered the final run in third spot at Livigno Snow Park and solidified her podium position with her best score of 76.46.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 10, 2026.
The Canadian Press
