Beyond Local

NEMASKA, QUE. — As Freddy Jolly’s pickup truck travels the dusty roads through the spruce forests outside Nemaska, Que., the one radio station fades in and out, and Jolly fills the gaps between country ballads with conversation.

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) — Pope Francis was backed by the ceremonial head of the Anglican Communion and top Presbyterian minister in calling for gays to be welcomed by their churches as he again decried laws that criminalize homosexuality as unjust.

BEIJING (AP) — China on Monday accused the United States of indiscriminate use of force in shooting down a suspected Chinese spy balloon , saying it “seriously impacted and damaged both sides’ efforts and progress in stabilizing Sino-U.S. relations.

OTTAWA — A former Liberal MP is seeking the dismissal of two criminal charges connected to his time in office.

OTTAWA — A new study says Canada's justice system features "significant and pervasive" barriers for transgender people who encounter legal issues.

EDMONTON — Alberta’s high court is being asked to overturn a review board decision relating to the stabbing deaths of five young people at a Calgary house party on the grounds the former provincial justice minister interfered.

LETHBRIDGE, Alta. — A Crown prosecutor told court that a Calgary pastor accused of encouraging truckers to keep blocking a Canada-U.S. border crossing meant to fan the flames with his visit.

A Calgary woman is suing the Alberta government over regulations that would prevent her from obtaining hydromorphone, a potent opioid she takes three times a day to treat her severe opioid use disorder.

EDMONTON — As Alberta's Law Society seeks to defend rules that require members to take a course on Indigenous issues, experts say such measures are common elsewhere in Canada and are well-grounded in legal rationale.

CALGARY — The Calgary Real Estate Board says January's new listings fell to a level not seen since the last 90s as home sales declined 40 per cent from the year before.