Farmworker advocates, environmental organizations and public health groups have taken the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to court over its approval of a new pesticide containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), arguing the regulator failed to follow its own cancer risk assessment standards and underestimated potential threats to human health. On December 30, 2025, Farmworker Justice, Pesticide Action & Agroecology Network North America, and the Center for Food Safety filed a legal challenge in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, seeking to overturn the EPA’s approval of five pesticide products containing the fungicide cyclobutrifluram. The contested approvals, granted by the Environmental…
Author: Sam Allcock
Sam Allcock
Sam Allcock is a business correspondent for Wire Service Canada, reporting on corporate developments, market trends, and economic news with clarity and accuracy. With over a decade of experience in journalism, he has covered stories ranging from financial results and trade agreements to emerging innovations, offering readers both local insight and global context. Known for his balanced and engaging reporting style, Sam is committed to delivering reliable, relevant, and timely business news that helps audiences make informed decisions.
Moscow’s transport authority ended 2025 with a comprehensive modernization of its ticketing system, marking a pivotal year in the city’s push toward digital fare payments, domestically produced infrastructure and more inclusive passenger services. From January through December, Moscow Transport implemented a large-scale upgrade program across the capital’s transit network. The initiative focused on three core priorities: replacing legacy equipment with Russian-made technology, expanding biometric payment options, and introducing virtual solutions for students and other privileged passenger categories. The most significant development was the full rollout of biometric fare payment across the rapid transit system. By the end of the year,…
SURREY, B.C. — Health and road safety officials in Metro Vancouver are urging drivers and pedestrians to take extra precautions this winter as colder temperatures, reduced daylight and icy conditions contribute to a sharp increase in pedestrian-involved collisions across the Lower Mainland. In a public service announcement issued Tuesday, Fraser Health warned that winter months consistently bring higher risks on local roads, particularly for people walking near busy intersections and arterial routes. “The number of motor vehicle crashes involving pedestrians in the winter months drastically increases compared to the summer months in the Lower Mainland,” said Dr. Emily Newhouse, Fraser…
CALGARY — As Canada’s bobsleigh team enters a critical Olympic year, Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton is turning the camera inward with the launch of Redemption Run, a three-part documentary series that chronicles the rebuilding of the national bobsleigh program after a period of upheaval both on and off the ice. The series, which begins streaming Friday, Jan. 23 on CBC Gem, offers an unfiltered look at the pressures of high-performance sport and the organizational reset that followed cultural challenges within the program. The documentary will also air on CBC TV on Sunday, Feb. 1 at 7 p.m. (7:30 NT), with back-to-back…
WHITBY, Ont. — The Ontario government is committing more than $26 million to expand training capacity in the long-term care sector, a move aimed at addressing persistent staffing pressures while allowing students to study and work closer to home. The funding, announced Tuesday by the Ontario Ministry of Long-Term Care, will support the training of nearly 3,000 new frontline workers, including personal support workers (PSWs) and registered practical nurses (RPNs), while also providing new professional development opportunities for staff already working in long-term care homes. “Our government continues to make historic investments to train more staff in long-term care,” said…
Wacken Metal Battle Canada has announced the cities, dates and early lineup details for its 2026 national competition, setting the stage for a cross-country series of live music battles that will send one independent Canadian metal band to perform at Germany’s Wacken Open Air, one of the world’s largest and most influential heavy metal festivals. The 2026 edition of the competition will feature qualifying rounds and regional finals in multiple Canadian markets, including Vancouver, Vancouver Island, the Okanagan, Edmonton, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City. The national final is scheduled to take place in Montreal on May 9, 2026, where…
The Ontario government has postponed a scheduled coroner’s inquest into the death of Raymond Alliman, delaying proceedings that were set to begin on Jan. 5, 2026, and leaving uncertainty around when the public hearing will now take place. In a brief notice issued Monday, the Ministry of the Solicitor General confirmed that the presiding officer overseeing the case directed that the inquest be postponed. The inquest had been scheduled to begin the same day. No explanation for the delay was provided, and the ministry did not indicate how long the postponement is expected to last. “Further information will follow when…
The United States dairy industry has secured continued tariff-free access to the Colombian market after Colombian authorities formally dismissed a trade investigation into U.S. milk powder imports, a decision welcomed by industry groups as a significant affirmation of existing trade commitments. The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) and the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) said the Colombian government terminated a Subsidies and Countervailing Measures investigation after determining the case lacked merit. The probe, launched in 2024, alleged that U.S. milk powder exports were unfairly subsidized and caused harm to Colombian dairy producers. Colombian officials concluded that those claims could not…
Canada’s Cynthia Appiah charged into the New Year with a confidence-boosting result on the international bobsleigh circuit, capturing a silver medal in the women’s monobob event at a World Cup stop in Winterberg, Germany, on Saturday. The podium finish marked Appiah’s first monobob medal of the current World Cup season and her eighth career World Cup podium in the discipline. Racing on the technically demanding 15-corner Winterberg track, the 35-year-old Torontonian posted a combined two-run time of 1:58.53, finishing just fractions of a second behind Germany’s Laura Nolte. “This feels amazing. It feels like a huge weight has been lifted…
The City of Prince Albert is advising residents and local businesses to plan ahead for a temporary disruption to in-person financial services at City Hall, as the Financial Services front counter will be closed for a full day to accommodate scheduled software maintenance. According to a notice issued by the city, the Financial Services counter on the main floor of City Hall will be closed all day on Tuesday, January 6, 2026. The closure will affect a wide range of routine municipal transactions, including tax payments, utility bills and business-related services that many residents and companies rely on for day-to-day…