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• 'Canada dry': Climatologist Dave Phillips foresees hot, dry summer countrywide

  The hot, dry conditions that are fuelling wildfires countrywide are just the beginning of what summer could look like in Canada this year, according to Environment Canada senior climatologist Dave Phillips.

  

• Dr. Horacio Arruda returns as new assistant deputy health minister

  The man in the spotlight during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec, Dr. Horacio Arruda, has been appointed assistant deputy minister at the Ministry of Health and Social Services.

  

• Hundreds of American firefighters arrive in Canada to help battle wildfires

  Hundreds of American firefighters have recently arrived in Canada to help battle wildfires and more are on the way, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Wednesday.

• Woman, 55, dies after vehicle strikes 2 pedestrians in Cote-des-Neiges; second pedestrian seriously injured

  A pedestrian has died after she and a fellow pedestrian were both hit by a vehicle Wednesday afternoon in Montreal's Cote-des-Neiges neighbourhood.

• More police visibility in Laval this summer in effort to combat gun violence

  The Laval police department (SPL) promises to step up its fight against gun-related violence in the next few months. In a Thursday press release, the SPL said its coordinated project, called Paradoxe, will mobilize its officers to combat gun violence this summer, a season described as a pivotal moment in the year.

• Smog warnings lifted, but not in Abitibi and Nord-du-Quebec

  Smog warnings have been lifted in places like Montreal and Gatineau, but the skies are still smoky in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue and Nord-du-Québec regions, the areas most affected by ongoing wildfires.

• Here's how major cities in Canada and the U.S. look blanketed by wildfire smoke

  Photos show smoke-filled skies in cities across Canada and the U.S. as air quality warnings were issued in wake of the hundreds of wildfires from Quebec and Ontario.

• These 23 municipalities are taking Quebec to court over Bill 96

  The coalition of 23 Quebec municipalities are challenging the French-language law (Bill 96) on the following points: contracts and communication, the obligation to adopt resolution to maintain bilingual status, illegal searches and seizures, government grants and the obligation to discipline employees.

• 'This is worrying': Lachine Hospital ER to remain closed overnight until end of September

  The McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) announced last April its decision to reopen the Lachine Hospital emergency unit 24/7, but the public will now have to wait until the end of September to benefit from the new service. In a memo sent to staff this week, the MUHC announced that the Lachine ER will remain closed at night until September. According to confirmation obtained from management, the measure, which began on Feb. 14, will run until Sept. 25.

• Cree leader fears Quebec's new French-language law will complicate relief during natural disasters

  With wildfires affecting every community in her nation, Grand Chief and Chairperson of the Cree Nation Mandy Gull-Masty said she hopes the Quebec government takes a look at how the changes to the French-Language Charter will affect communication and logistics with the 11 communities spanning around 400,000 square kilometres of the Eeyou Istchee (Cree territory).

• Police to beef up presence in Montreal's Gay Village as merchants, visitors raise safety concerns

  The city says it's increasing police presence around Place Emilie-Gamelin and the nearby Gay Village amid growing complaints about a decline in safety and quality of life in the historic neighbourhood.

• More evacuations in Quebec as record-breaking fires continue to burn

  Quebec's wildfire season, which has forced thousands from their homes and left other communities on high alert, is the worst on record, officials said Wednesday,

• Smog warning lifts in Montreal, air quality expected to improve overnight

  A smog warning for Greater Montreal, triggered by a record-number of raging forest fires, ended Wednesday afternoon. Environment Canada still considers air quality in the region as "high risk." It expects conditions to improve throughout the day, bringing air quality to "low risk" by Thursday.

• Conservative leader says French-language law makes Quebec a 'laughingstock'

  In an interview on CJAD 800 Radio, Quebec Conservative Party leader Eric Duhaime said the new measures in place related to Quebec's ammendments to the French Language Charter have made Quebec a 'laughingstock' and that phone and website messages are 'offensive.'

• Amber Alert lifted after child found 'safe and sound' in Quebec: police

  Quebec provincial police have lifted an Amber Alert for a one-year-old girl who was allegedly abducted earlier Wednesday after reporting the toddler was found 'safe and sound' in the Saint-Hyacinthe area.

• Montreal SPCA defends tenant being evicted for having a pet

  On Wednesday, the Montreal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) filed a writ of intervention with the housing tribunal (TAL) to plead in favour of two tenants opposing the clause in their lease prohibiting them from owning animals in their dwelling.

• Coroner's inquest ordered into deaths of two Charlevoix firefighters

  Quebec's chief coroner, Pascale Descary has ordered a public inquest into the two volunteer firefighters who died after falling into the water following the overflow of the Rivière du Gouffre in Charlevoix last month.

• Canadians want revenge on Bernardo, but that's not how prison works: ex-official

  One of the architects of the law that governs Canada's prison system says it's understandable people want revenge on convicted killer and serial rapist Paul Bernardo, but that's not what the prison system is designed for.