Daily News Curation - 2025-12-20

Curated 27 items from disability, accessibility, and social policy sources.

1. Death of dog after avian influenza exposure in Alberta marks second such case in Canada

<p>A dog in Alberta died in November after being exposed to highly pathogenic avian influenza. It’s the second confirmed fatal case of avian flu in a domestic dog in Canada, with the first being reported in Ontario in 2023.</p> 📍 Source Score: 23.00

2. Windsor launching chatbot pilot project as more cities experiment with AI

<p>Windsor’s chatbot comes online as more municipal government’s across Canada adopt AI tools to become more efficient and reduce costs while unions voice fears about potential job cuts and data security. </p> 📍 Source Score: 21.90

3. Canada’s Reece Howden wins back-to-back World Cup ski cross gold

<img src=’https://i.cbc.ca/ais/28ee232a-4b17-4321-9da2-dec0d199da29,1766236551321/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C96%2C2942%2C1654%29%3BResize%3D%28620%29’ alt=’A men’s skier raises his arms and ski poles over his head in celebration.’ width=’620’ height=’349’ title=’Canada’s Reece Howden, shown in this file photo, picked up yet another World Cup ski cross gold medal on Saturday in Innichen, Italy. The Canadian has now won 20 World Cup races over his career.’/><p>Reese Howden won gold at a ski cross event in Innichen, Italy, on Saturday for his second consecutive gold-medal result on the World Cup circuit.</p> 📍 Source Score: 18.50

4. Alberta Next panel recommends referendums on immigration, leaving Canada Pension Plan

<p>An Alberta panel aimed at finding ways the province can strengthen its autonomy has offered up seven recommendations, including options for referendum topics. </p> 📍 Source Score: 14.00

5. BC Housing directed to investigate accused killer’s presence at SRO

The province has directed BC Housing to investigate how an accused killer, wanted on a Canada-wide warrant, was able to shelter in a single-room occupancy building in Vancouver. 📍 Source Score: 11.50

6. Manitoba Government Releases Local Journalism Report

📍 Source Score: 12.00

7. Ranking Four Winds’ Pils Pack, which features some of Canada’s best breweries

The pack includes drinks from breweries across the country. 📍 Source Score: 9.50

8. On the Top Chef Canada finale, Alex Kim came second—but his story came first

The Five Sails culinary director made a splash on the show. 📍 Source Score: 9.50

9. Canada promised new parks and nature protection. Has that shifted with Carney in power?

📍 Source Score: 9.50

10. Kelowna parent speaks out about speeding in school zones, dozens of tickets issued

‘It almost feels like until a kid gets seriously injured, it’s not going to get handled the way it should be,’ said a concerned Kelowna mother. 📍 Source Score: 7.50

11. Vancouver Folk Music Festival announces appointment of a new executive director

“My goal is to carry forward its legacy as a vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable cultural hub.” 📍 Source Score: 7.50

12. Straight, No Chaser: Kabir Sehgal is an average guy who loves weird rabbit holes

Get the best of Vancouver in your inbox, every Tuesday and Thursday. 

📍 Source Score: 9.00

13. Akwesasne parents outraged after photos circulate of ‘time out box’ in school

<p>Photos of a wooden box, allegedly used for student “time outs” at an elementary school in Akwesasne, drew shock and anger from parents this week and have prompted an investigation by the school district.</p> 📍 Source Score: 6.30

14. Gas outage in northern Ontario town cuts heat to hundreds of residents’ homes amid freezing weather

<p>Amid a temperature of –26 C factoring in the wind chill, homes in Cochenour, Ont., were left with no heat after a natural gas outage was reported around 8 a.m. CT on Friday. Here’s what one resident wants to see change before the next outage occurs.</p> 📍 Source Score: 9.00

15. Judge grants bail to Quebec man as 1994 murder conviction under review

Daniel Jolivet’s case is being examined by a federal panel for a possible miscarriage of justice. 📍 Source Score: 7.50

16. Province Releases 2025 Fall Conditions Report

📍 Source Score: 5.80

17. WATCH: Global Okanagan News at 5:30 p.m. – Dec. 19

Watch the online news edition of Global Okanagan at 5:30 p.m. 📍 Source Score: 5.80

18. Group loses latest court battle to halt tree removal at Vancouver’s Stanley Park

<img src=’https://i.cbc.ca/ais/1.7149065,1753037311000/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C3840%2C2160%29%3BResize%3D%28620%29’ alt=’An overhead shot of several trees on the forest floor.’ width=’620’ height=’349’ title=’The Vancouver Park Board’s plans to remove 160,000 trees killed by a looper moth infestation in Stanley Park, including these pictured in December, is facing growing pushback from advocates for the iconic park. Trees cut down near Prospect Point in Vancouver’s Stanley Park. Taken Dec. 18, 2023.’/><p>A group trying to save thousands of trees from being cut down in Vancouver’s famed Stanley Park has lost another legal battle. But a court decision this week found that the City of Vancouver didn’t follow its own rules when contracting a firm to clear a large swath of the urban forest.</p> 📍 Source Score: 4.00

19. Measles Update #54

📍 Source Score: 4.50

20. At the end of the fall session, Alberta’s NDP goes on the offensive

📍 Source Score: 4.50

21. Toronto man charged with terrorism, funding ISIS and attempted kidnappings

<p>A 26-year-old man from Toronto has been arrested on terrorism charges, police announced on Friday, as well as charges for two attempted kidnappings in the Greater Toronto Area.</p> 📍 Source Score: 4.50

22. Employer Prosecuted for Workplace Incident

📍 Source Score: 2.00

23. Paraplegic engineer becomes the first wheelchair user to blast into space

A paraplegic German engineer fulfilled a lifelong dream Saturday, floating in space after launching aboard a Blue Origin rocket, calling it the “coolest” experience of her life. 📍 Source Score: 2.00

24. Saskatoon-based company planning Indigenous-led multi-corridor project

Saskatoon-based Pisim Power is proposing an Indigenous-led project through the northern part of the Prairie provinces with equity participation in mind. 📍 Source Score: 2.00

25. Sign of the times: Facing an uncertain future, the Penthouse looks back

As development pressures mount, Danny Filippone reflects on the club’s legacy, its community roots, and the memories that continue to shape Vancouver culture. 📍 Source Score: 3.00

26. ‘I wouldn’t say they look good’: B.C. town combats complaints about tree stumps with festive decor

<img src=’https://i.cbc.ca/ais/eedc0e32-b800-42d5-a88a-825099891bba,1766000953308/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C125%2C2400%2C1350%29%3BResize%3D%28620%29’ alt=’A tree stump with colourful lights and a santa hat on a town street’ width=’620’ height=’349’ title=’The Town of Creston in B.C.’s Southern Interior got a little creative this winter, using tree stumps to bring a little holiday cheer to the community.’/><p>The initial decoration of a couple of ‘eyesore’ tree stumps in Creston, B.C. by an anonymous source, leads town staff on a holiday–season decorating mission to spruce up the remaining stumps. While reactions to the initiative are mixed, the festive stumps have certainly become a talking point in the normally quiet southeastern B.C., mountain town. </p> 📍 Source Score: 3.00

27. A holiday wine guide for people you love, tolerate, and need to impress

Who they are determines what you pour. 📍 Source Score: 1.30