In the news today: Public service transit, Canada aids Congo, Montreal plays Carolina

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

Feds working with City of Ottawa to ease public service transit woes: memo

An internal memo reveals that officials managing the federal government’s return-to-office plans are concerned about the ability of Ottawa’s troubled municipal transit system to actually get employees to their workplaces.

Privy Council Clerk Michael Sabia and Isabelle Mondou, the deputy clerk, met with Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe on Feb. 19 to discuss the city’s readiness to support an increased on-site presence across the federal public service.

The mayor’s director of communications says the meeting focused on how the city could help the effort succeed and addressed public transit, the road network, parking and the availability of office space.

In early February, the federal government announced back-to-office plans for executives and employees eligible for hybrid work, and since May 4, executives have been required to work in the office five days a week.

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Workers load World Health Organization (WHO) emergency supplies onto a United Nations plane in Nairobi, Kenya, Wednesday, May 20, 2026, headed for Congo to combat the Ebola outbreak in Ituri province. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)

Canadian aid workers heading to Congo as part of Ebola outbreak response

Canadian aid workers, including those from the Canadian Red Cross, are heading to the Democratic Republic of Congo, where hundreds of people have likely been infected with a rare and deadly type of Ebola. 

Their work will involve contact tracing, psychological support and helping people get to treatment centres.

The response from Canada’s international aid workers comes as one person in Ontario who recently returned from East Africa was undergoing testing for Ebola.

The World Health Organization said Wednesday there are almost 600 suspected cases and 139 suspected deaths, though officials believe the scale of the spread is much larger.

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FILE — Air France planes are parked on the tarmac at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, in Roissy, near Paris, May 17, 2019. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, File)

Air France flight diverted to Montreal amid U.S. Ebola travel restrictions

An Air France flight bound for the United States was diverted to Montreal due to American flight restrictions tied to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Online plane tracker FlightAware shows the plane was en route from Paris to Detroit when it landed at Trudeau International Airport on Wednesday.

Air France says a passenger was denied entry into the U.S. due to new regulations that travellers from certain countries, including the Congo, can enter only through Washington.

Health officials are on alert as a deadly outbreak of a rare type of Ebola called Bundibugyo ravages the Congo and neighbouring Uganda.

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Premier Danielle Smith and Social Services Minister Jason Nixon, right, with Matt Jones, minister of hospital and surgical health services, speak to the media at the Legislature in Edmonton, on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Amber Bracken

Alberta’s Smith set to shuffle cabinet, high-profile ministries in play

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is expected to announce changes to her cabinet today in Calgary.

The premier has not shared details about who may be on the move, either in or out of her government.

But at least two key ministries are up for grabs after Finance Minister Nate Horner and Hospitals Minister Matt Jones both announced they were stepping down after deciding not to seek re-election in 2027.

Rumours have swirled that Jason Nixon, who currently serves as the minister of social services, could step in as finance minister, but Smith wouldn’t confirm or deny the rumour last week.

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Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes (75) looks on during the first period in Game 7 of a second-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series against the Buffalo Sabres Monday, May 18, 2026, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

Canadiens visit rested Hurricanes for Game 1 of Eastern Conference final

The Montreal Canadiens are on the road once again, this time for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final.

Montreal will take on the Carolina Hurricanes tonight, looking to make their first Stanley Cup final appearance since 2021. 

The Canadiens are coming off back-to-back seven-game series wins against Tampa Bay and Buffalo, finishing off the latter on Monday.

Meanwhile, the Hurricanes are in their second straight conference final but have not made it to the Cup final since winning it all in 2006.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 21, 2026.

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