In the news today: Diversifying Canada’s economy, Refugee health, Fort Mac wildfire

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

Bank of Canada head ‘encouraged’ by Ottawa’s efforts to diversify economy

Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says he’s “encouraged” by the federal government’s efforts to diversify the economy and protect it against increasingly common shocks to global trade.

Macklem warned this week that energy price spikes from the Middle East conflict and lingering uncertainty around U.S. trade upheaval are the two major risks on the minds of officials at the central bank.

He told The Canadian Press that there are steps Canada can take to insulate the economy against disruptions like these in the future, including diversifying to new export markets and cutting regulatory tape to attract international investment.

But he says he’s encouraged by efforts from the federal government over the past year to tackle longstanding weaknesses in the economy and says it will now come down to execution.

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‘Denial of care’: Doctors worry about refugees as payment requirements take effect

Refugees now have to pay out of pocket for part of their drug prescriptions, mental health counselling, dental services, vision care and health equipment — including wheelchairs — as changes to a federal program take effect.

For decades, Canada’s Interim Federal Health Program has provided complete health coverage to refugees and refugee claimants until they are eligible for provincial health plans and benefits.

But starting today, they must pay $4 for every prescription and 30 per cent of the cost of supplemental health products and services.

More than a dozen medical, nursing, social work and refugee organizations have warned that refugees can’t afford those co-payments and their physical and mental health will suffer, adding the changes will end up costing the health-care system.

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Quebec’s minimum wage is now $16.60 per hour

The minimum wage in Quebec is now $16.60 per hour.

The government announced the $0.50 per hour increase last January, a 3.11 per cent raise for some 258,900 workers in Quebec.

Quebec’s minimum wage falls in the middle of that of other Canadian provinces and territories.

Alberta has the lowest minimum wage at $15 an hour, while Nunavut has the highest at $19.75. Ontario’s minimum wage is set to increase to $17.95 in October.

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‘Who we are’: Albertans remember Fort McMurray wildfire 10 years later

Sunday marks 10 years since a wildfire known as The Beast entered the Alberta oil city of Fort McMurray.

About 90-thousand people were forced out of the Wood Buffalo region, where 25-hundred homes were damaged or levelled, and nearly 59-hundred square kilometres of boreal forest burned.

Stumps of burned trees are still visible throughout town, but some positives also came out of the disaster.

The Insurance Board of Canada says the fire increased insurance literacy, including the importance of building homes with materials suitable to the environment, and provinces, including Alberta, now maintain wildfire dashboards.

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Megan Thee Stallion ‘brought so much joy’ to set of Netflix’s ‘Roommates,’ says director Chandler Levack

For Canadian director Chandler Levack, filming her new Netflix movie “Roommates” was filled with surreal moments — from Adam Sandler blasting Run DMC on set to casting the heirs of Hollywood royalty, plus Megan Thee Stallion flying in for a one-day shoot.

The “Hot Girl Summer” rapper, born Megan Pete, joined a cast that Levack said was filled with incredible young actors, which included Adam Sandler’s daughter, Sadie, as the lead.

“Roommates” follows Sadie Sandler’s character Devon as she leaves for college and needs to find a perfect roommate. Enter Celeste, played by Chloe East, the popular girl everyone wants to be friends with. The two hit it off and move in together, only for audiences to find out Celeste is not the best friend Devon was looking for.

In the film, audiences initially have rose-coloured glasses on for Billy Bryk’s character Michael as Sadie Sandler’s Devon falls for him, but those glasses are quickly ripped off.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 1, 2026.

The Canadian Press