National News

RICHMOND, B.C. — Mounties in Richmond, British Columbia, weren't playing around when they recovered a large haul of stolen Lego and plush toys that they say illuminates "dark corners of the retail theft sector.

QUEBEC — A retired Quebec judge who had been facing a second murder trial in his wife's 2009 shooting death pleaded guilty to manslaughter Thursday and walked free after spending a few hours in detention.

OTTAWA — Canada has reduced the number of diplomats at its embassy in Haiti to less than half its normal cadre, citing an increasingly unpredictable security situation in the Caribbean country.

COQUITLAM, B.C. — The man accused of stabbing three people at a festival in Vancouver's Chinatown had a history of "sudden" violence but a report says he showed no signs of deteriorating mental health as he left a psychiatric hospital that day.

MONTREAL — Documents made public by an insolvency trustee show Montreal comedy festival Just for Laughs and affiliated companies owe millions of dollars in unpaid debts beyond what was included in a court filing last week. Groupe Juste pour rire inc.

OTTAWA — Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland has pledged that the government will meet its fiscal targets in the upcoming federal budget, but economists say achieving that goal will be challenging as the deficit tracks higher.

Health Canada and Best Buy are recalling five types of Insignia-brand air fryers because they are a potential fire or burn hazard.

WINNIPEG — The Supreme Court of Canada has decided not to hear an appeal by several churches that fought Manitoba's COVID-19 restrictions.

OTTAWA — Longtime Conservative member of Parliament Ed Fast says he will retire from politics as of the next federal election. Fast, who represents a riding in Abbotsford, B.C., has been an MP for more than 18 years.

CALGARY — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pushed back Wednesday on growing demands from premiers to dump the planned April 1 hike to the consumer carbon levy, saying leaders must tackle both affordability and climate change.