Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed…
Deadline looms as Trump’s 50 per cent tariffs set to kick in just after midnight
U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest tariff threat on $28 billion worth of Canadian goods is set to take effect just after midnight, unless officials are able to finalize a trade agreement.
In July, Trump said he would impose a new 50 per cent tariff on a wide range of Canadians goods in retaliation for Canada’s booze bans, auto tariffs and quotas on tariff-free access for U.S. dairy.
They were set to come into effect just after midnight Wednesday, but that deadline was pushed back until Saturday to allow time to turn the agreed-upon deal into a legal agreement.
Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Canada’s chief negotiator Janice Charette have met with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in Washington several times to hammer out the deal.
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Minister of Justice Sean Fraser arrives to a caucus meeting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, March 25, 2026.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Statistics and federal policy on crime have changed, but the politics remain the same
Some pollsters say it will take time for public opinion to catch up to statistics showing crime is falling in Canada.
David Coletto, CEO of Abacus Data, says the perception of crime can last longer than reality, so even with Statistics Canada data showing falling crime rates, many Canadians aren’t yet believing it.
In July, Statistics Canada said both the rates and severity of reported crime were down almost across the board in 2025.
The federal Conservative Party maintains nothing has changed, pointing to statistics which suggest crime has increased since the Liberals and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau were elected in 2015.
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Canada’s national monument for LGBTQ+ people, called Thunderhead, is seen in Ottawa on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026, a day ahead of its opening ceremony.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Patrick Doyle
National monument marking LGBTQ+ persecution opens this morning in Ottawa
Canada’s national monument for LGBTQ+ people officially opens this morning in Ottawa, and victims of state persecution hope it will be a place to learn, grieve and celebrate.
The monument, called Thunderhead, is the result of a lawsuit brought by members of the military and public service who were fired on suspicion they were part of a gender or sexual minority, in what many call a purge.
The federal government fired roughly 9,000 people during the Cold War, according to LGBT Purge Fund director Michelle Douglas, who was discharged from the military due to homosexuality in the 1980s.
She will join Governor-General Louise Arbour this morning alongside dignitaries and prominent Canadians who identify as LGBTQ+ to officially unveil the monument.
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David Erland, left, and Faye More pose for a photo outside the house where Erland and his partner live in Port Hope, Ont., on Tuesday, June 30, 2026.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sharif Hassan
Port Hope’s radioactive past fuels pushback against proposed nuclear reactor
The Ontario government’s plan to build what could become one of the world’s largest nuclear power plants in Port Hope has drawn mixed reactions in the community east of Toronto.
Though the announcement was welcomed by some, it shocked a generation of Port Hope residents old enough to have lived through or learned of the community’s fraught history with the nuclear industry.
Port Hope is still cleaning up low-level radioactive waste after a uranium refinery plant dumped contaminated soil, rocks and building materials across the town through much of the 20th century.
Residents who have lived through the long cycle of testing, remediation and restoration say they are opposing the new reactor on behalf of future generations.
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Search and Rescue Alberta and Alberta/BC Cave Rescue members along with Canmore Fire Rescue prepare to rescue a caver trapped in Rat’s Nest Cave, in Canmore, Alta., in this Aug. 15, 2026 handout photo.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout – Search and Rescue Alberta (Mandatory Credit)
Rescuers use new tech to save caver trapped vertically in Alberta’s ‘Psych Squeeze’
A caver has been rescued after being trapped vertically underground at the Rat’s Nest Cave in Canmore, Alta., in an operation that deployed volunteer-built underground radio technology for the first time.
Search and Rescue Alberta says the man became pinned in a tight spot known as the “Psych Squeeze” around 11:30 a.m. on Saturday.
The Alberta/BC Cave Rescue team was called in, and hammer drills were used to remove rock, with the caver eased out in a process measured in “inches per hour.”
Search and Rescue Alberta says the man was freed around 10 p.m., and he finally emerged from the cave around midnight, after an operation involving 13 cave rescuers, 10 firefighters and two Kananaskis Mountain rescue members.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 21, 2026.
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
