National News

MONTREAL — The abrupt departure of Quebec’s public health director last week was further evidence of the rocky road being navigated by the country's chief medical officers as the Omicron wave pushes the pandemic fight toward a third year.

OTTAWA — A YouTuber who gives investment tips helped fund the escape of 170 Afghans from the Taliban to Canada.

OTTAWA — Canada's foreign affairs minister is heading to Ukraine amid mounting fears of a Russian invasion. Melanie Joly is to depart Sunday for Kyiv on a weeklong trip that will include stops in Paris and Brussels.

TORONTO — No winning ticket was sold for the $17 million jackpot in Friday's Lotto Max draw. The jackpot for the next draw on Jan. 18 will be an estimated $22 million. The Canadian Press

IQALUIT, Nunavut — Iqaluit resident Kinguatsiaq Kinguatsiaq says he smelled fuel in his water a couple of days ago but assumed it must be something else. "I figured I was wrong because I thought the situation had been resolved," he said.

A look at the latest COVID-19 news in Canada: — Some Ontario school boards say classes could be cancelled with very little notice if they don't have enough teachers available due to high rates of COVID-19.

Montreal police say a 17-year-old boy is dead following a shooting Thursday evening in the city's Plateau-Mont-Royal borough.

Quebec's seniors minister told a coroner's inquest on Friday she was confident at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic that long-term care homes knew how to manage outbreaks.

OTTAWA — When news of the first cases of COVID-19 began cropping up in Canada in early 2020, Linda Silas was one of the first to ring alarm bells about the lack of proper personal protective equipment for health workers.

OTTAWA — The head of the RCMP officers' union says it's time for a basic look at how the national police force can best serve communities across the country.