Beyond Local

OTTAWA — The Trudeau Liberals are eyeing changes to the law governing public service hiring to help make federal departments and agencies more diverse.

JASPER, Alta. — The Jasper Park Lodge has been booked out from the end of February until the end of April, but hotel management isn't disclosing who will be staying at the well-known Rocky Mountain retreat during the nine-week block.

EDMONTON — Members of Alberta Premier Jason Kenney’s caucus have refused an Opposition NDP bid to make public details of Alberta’s $7.5-billion investment in the failed Keystone XL pipeline project.

CALGARY — Canadian exports of crude oil by rail jumped 87 per cent in November as oil production rose in Western Canada amid limited pipeline capacity for heavy crude.

CALGARY — The head of the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters says he expects "tough sledding" ahead for his members after U.S. President Joe Biden ordered more stringent Buy American rules for government spending.

EDMONTON — Critics are asking why Alberta Environment has been sitting on years worth of data about pollution from coal mines while the government considers a dramatic expansion of the industry.

OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole says it's not appropriate for former governor general Julie Payette to receive the customary benefits afforded to those who've left the post.

EDMONTON — Some Alberta rivers and streams have already been heavily contaminated by coal mining, unreported government data suggests .

CORNER BROOK, N.L. — A 24-year-old man from Fort McMurray, Alta., is facing numerous charges including failing to self-isolate, following a traffic stop early this morning in Corner Brook, N.L.

TORONTO — The federal government has approved an Ottawa company's made-in-Canada rapid COVID-19 test, Health Canada confirmed Saturday as the nation's top doctor warned the virus's impact on the health-care system showed no signs of abating.