Sarah Mitton’s gold medal in women’s shot put on Wednesday highlighted Canada’s five-gold medal haul at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England on Wednesday. The Brooklyn, N.S., native, managed a 19.03-metre throw to edge Jamaica’s Danniel Thomas-Dodd by just 0.05. New Zealand’s Maddison-Lee Wesche grabbed the bronze medal. “The goal from the beginning was …

After four years of work, 10 new inclusive playgrounds are now open around Calgary — and the city says they’re designed to cater to as many diverse needs and abilities as possible. The playgrounds are the result of a partnership between the City of Calgary, Parks Foundation and the Government …

Fire officials are investigating the cause of a south Vancouver blaze Wednesday evening that damaged three residential buildings, created a giant plume of black smoke visible from as far away as the North Shore, and forced the evacuation of more than 10 people. The three-alarm fire started sometime around 5 p.m., the city’s …

Three of the five candidates vying to become the next leader of the Conservative Party of Canada took part in the race’s final debate Wednesday evening in Ottawa in what proved to be a courteous, sparks-free affair — aside from the barbs aimed at those not in attendance.  The bilingual …

The plight of an Ottawa ice cream shop that saw its fledgling wholesale operation abruptly shut down last week is reigniting debate around the province’s dairy rules and whether they unfairly freeze out small businesses. Owner Marlene Haley was working at Merry Dairy last week when an officer from the Ontario Ministry of …

An emotional Brittney Griner apologized for her actions as her drug possession trial drew to a close Thursday in Russia, and a prosecutor urged that the American basketball star be convicted and sentenced to 9-½ years in prison in a case that reached the highest levels of U.S.-Russia diplomacy. With a …

Fernando Caballero misses the way he used to be: happy-go-lucky, the life of the party and the protector of his family. The 67-year-old was active and enjoyed rollerblading in the summer, ice skating in the winter and dancing all year round. But now, he uses a cane or walker to get …

The last of Calgary’s original model of bus traps could be gone in the next year or so. The traps — essentially a pit dug into a road that prevents anything but a transit bus from passing through — have been a fixture in Calgary since the 1970s. The City of Calgary …

Some businesses in a northern B.C. town are being impacted by the closure of the only local taxi service provider three months ago. In May, Paddy Hirshfield and Patrick Hibbitts said they would close Bulkley Valley Taxi as the market in Smithers — roughly halfway between Prince George and Prince Rupert, and home …

The Ottawa Police Service says it’s not charging a man connected to what Canada’s defence minister recently called a “desecration” of the city’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Last week, footage circulated on social media of a July 24 nighttime incident in which an American flag was draped over the tomb, …