National News

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau unveiled a new $1.5-billion housing fund Thursday that he billed as helping non-profit organizations acquire more rental units across Canada and ensure they remain affordable.

MONTREAL — A music festival in northwestern Quebec has been cancelled after a local band accused organizers of rescinding an invitation to perform because of its criticism of an arsenic-emitting copper smelter in the region.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — A global forest study says Canadian wildfires last year were "entirely" to blame for a worldwide surge in tree losses.

EDMONTON — Last year's record wildfires in Alberta destroyed habitat for threatened species and will change the makeup of the province's forests for decades to come, says a new report.

VANCOUVER — Police in West Vancouver say a “joyride” by a 13-year-old in a Lamborghini set off a single-vehicle crash that resulted in a total writeoff by the insurance company.

ZEBALLOS, B.C. — Plans are now underway to airlift a stranded killer whale calf out of a remote tidal lagoon off northern Vancouver Island in an effort to reunite the young orca with its extended family.

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today...

MONTREAL — Evan Zucker has been on a cross-continent journey from San Diego, chasing clear skies ahead of Monday's total solar eclipse.

OTTAWA — A Manitoba MP is trying to create an alert system to notify the public when Indigenous women go missing — an endeavour she hopes will lead to fewer deaths and more safe reunions with loved ones.

OTTAWA — Brussels is playing host to foreign ministers from 32 countries this week to mark 75 years since the formation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.