Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne said Canada will not pay a reported US$1-billion membership fee to join Donald Trump's 'Board of Peace', and a final decision on joining has not yet been made.
A $145,000 public art installation of five boulder-like 'balloons' was installed at Dundas Driving Park in 2022 and has prompted local debate. It also inspired a biweekly free broadsheet called the Granite Balloon, started by Austin Strutt.
City councillors report Ontario now has about 85,000 people experiencing homelessness, a 50% rise since 2021, and note Toronto moved over 4,300 people from shelters into permanent homes last year while asking for sustained federal and provincial investment.
Miami Cyber has partnered with AllegiantVETS to offer federal SkillBridge On-the-Job Training and this week welcomed its first participant, U.S. Coast Guard veteran Max Merkley, as a Cybersecurity & Technology Operations Intern.
Prime Minister Mark Carney is reported to be at the World Economic Forum in Davos following visits to China and Qatar where the article says he made deals.
A Studenthaus survey found McMaster and Western students in Ontario report higher housing satisfaction, with median rents of $875 and $950 respectively, and about 78–80% receiving family financial support.
A Research Co. poll of 1,002 U.S. adults conducted Jan. 13–15, 2026 found 17% would prefer Canada become a U.S. territory (10%) or the 51st state (7%), while about two-thirds said they prefer Canadian independence.
RCMP say they were called to a domestic disturbance in Neqotkuk First Nation, encountered a man reportedly armed, and an officer shot him; the Serious Incident Response Team is investigating. Family members identified the man as Bronson Paul and remember him as a loving father and nephew.
Strong winds in Gaza caused walls to collapse onto tents, killing at least four people, and officials said a 1-year-old boy died of hypothermia amid cold winter conditions.
Israeli crews started demolishing the Jerusalem headquarters of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, after Israel banned the agency from operating last year and accused it of links to Hamas, which the agency denies.
