In the news today: MPs plan Taiwan trip, B.C. hantavirus recovery, Energy show begins

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed …

MPs plan official Taiwan visit as Beijing blasts ‘hurtful’ trips, bars New Zealanders

A Liberal MP says she and her parliamentary colleagues will visit Taiwan this fall, despite a warning from China’s ambassador that such visits are “hurtful” to relations with Beijing.

Judy Sgro chairs the Canada-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group and says both Liberal and Conservative MPs will be part of a delegation to the self-governing island in October.

In April, China’s ambassador said the Carney government’s efforts to boost ties with Beijing could suffer if MPs visit Taiwan, since such trips hint at official ties with the island’s government.

Sgro says it’s important to support Taiwan since it’s a democracy in a region where governments are curtailing freedoms, and MPs can make these trips regardless of whether Prime Minister Mark Carney approves.

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The hantavirus-stricken cruise ship MV Hondius is seen at anchor after arriving at the port of Granadilla in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, on Sunday, May 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

B.C. health officials say Canadian who tested positive for hantavirus has recovered

British Columbia health officials say the Canadian who fell ill with hantavirus on a cruise ship stricken with an outbreak earlier this spring has recovered.

A statement from the Office of the Provincial Health Officer says the resident of the Yukon was discharged from hospital late last week.

It says the three other Canadians who have been isolating since last month are being monitored in their 42-day quarantine and are not showing any symptoms.

Officials previously said the four Canadians may have been exposed to the virus aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship in the south Atlantic sometime after April 1.

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Delegates look on as a robot welds pipe during a demonstration at the Global Energy Show in Calgary on Tuesday, June 10, 2025.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Global Energy Show to kick off with natural resources minister, Alberta premier

The Global Energy Show kicks off today in Calgary with an address from the federal natural resources minister, followed by sessions featuring a diverse slate of political and corporate leaders from Canada and abroad.

Along with Tim Hodgson’s speech on “building an energy superpower,” Day 1 of the three-day conference is set to include discussions with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and B.C. Energy Minister Adrian Dix.

The Alberta government is aiming to file an application by July 1 to the federal major projects office for a new bitumen pipeline to the northwest coast, which so far has no private-sector backer.

The annual trade show and conference is expected to draw 30,000 attendees, many from overseas, and takes place as ongoing strife in the Middle East rattles energy markets and the federal government looks to bolster Canada’s status as a reliable global energy supplier.

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The former Orangedale train station in Orangedale, N.S., now a railway museum, and the dormant Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia Railway are seen in this handout photo on May 14, 2025.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout-Zachary Taylor. (Mandatory Credit)

Cape Breton business leaders dream of reviving dormant rail line. Can the math work?

The railway to Sydney, N.S., hasn’t seen a freight train in more than a decade, but local business people aren’t giving up on the service’s revival. 

CN Rail bought a stake in the Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia Railway in 2023, but the company says it’s not planning to restart trains to Sydney unless a business case emerges. 

Studies have shown local businesses are interested in shipping products — namely Alberta oil, Saskatchewan potash and local mining products — by train, but there’s not enough goods to make the service break even. 

Nova Scotia Public Works Minister Fred Tilley said the government would listen to a business proposal, but none has come forward.

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Pedestrians pass around the Old Toronto beaver sculpture, near the St. Lawrence Market, in Toronto, Friday, June 5, 2025.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Giordano Ciampini

Beaver sculptures welcome tourists in downtown Toronto ahead of World Cup

Brightly-coloured beaver statues with soccer balls under their paws are grabbing the attention of passersby in Old Town Toronto. 

These four-foot-tall sculptures are part of an artistic scavenger hunt running as Canada’s largest city prepares to host six World Cup soccer matches.

Al Smith, executive director of the Old Town Toronto Business Improvement Area, says there are a total of 51 beaver statues in areas near St. Lawrence Market and the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Each statue has a QR code linking viewers to a scavenger hunt sign-up, where participants can earn points by completing challenges and have a chance to win gift cards to local businesses.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 9, 2026.

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