Fry and Sim face off in Vancouver, but other mayoral candidates reject spoiler label
VANCOUVER -- Vancouver mayoral candidates Ken Sim and Pete Fry view each other as their main rival in the battle for City Hall.
Marissa Birnie
While National Newswatch does not keep an archive of external articles for longer than 6 months, we do keep all articles written by contributors who post directly to our site. Here you will find all of the contributed and linked external articles from Marissa Birnie.
Overlapping local, provincial elections in B.C. causing confusion: candidates
Cori Ramsay, a candidate for city council in Prince George, B.C., says a voter told her they can't wait to cast a ballot for her on Oct. 24. The voter would surely be disappointed, as Ramsay's election is a week earlier, on Oct. 17.
Fact File: Misleading headlines claim Canadian woman received MAID because she lost ability to cook
This week, media headlines and social media posts claimed a Canadian woman was approved for medical assistance in dying because she lost her ability to cook. The claim stems from an opinion article written by two Canadian psychiatrists who recount the woman's story. But the article's co-author says the woman had an underlying condition that meant she qualified for MAID...
Fact File: Gardasil vaccine safe and effective against HPV, experts say
A resurfaced video shows Robert F. Kennedy Jr., now U.S. health secretary, claiming children who receive the HPV vaccine Gardasil are more likely to die from the vaccine than from cervical cancer. He also says the vaccine's data is unreliable because it was not tested against a placebo. But experts say Kennedy's claims are false, and that the evidence supports...
NDP's David Eby says some Conservatives want B.C. to be 'American protectorate'
New Democrat Leader David Eby says some members of the British Columbia Conservative Opposition have a vision of B.C. as a protectorate of the United States, and the party's leader isn't doing enough to rein them in.
Eby pauses B.C.'s sales tax expansion, unveils $90M in business aid for trade war
VANCOUVER -- British Columbia Premier David Eby says the province is pausing a planned expansion of the provincial sales tax, introducing a $90-million support package for businesses, and directing BC Ferries to build future vessels in the province in response to the trade war with the United States.
B.C. Conservative Leader Findlay says recording doesn't show criminal offence
B.C. Conservative Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay says suggestions that a recording shows she illegally offered jobs to legislators, in exchange for resigning so she could stand in a byelection, are "preposterous."
Two former B.C. Conservatives plan to form new party, steer clear of CentreBC
There are plans for a new party in the British Columbia legislature as politicians return this fall, with two MLAs who recently defected from the provincial Conservatives saying they want to provide an option for frustrated voters.
Mother of B.C. cyberbullying victim Amanda Todd welcomes federal online safety bill
The mother of a British Columbia teen who died by suicide after being relentlessly tormented by a cyberbully says proposed federal legislation tackling online safety would have helped her daughter and will help save lives.
Fact File: Revisiting Trump's false claims about the Gordie Howe bridge
The Gordie Howe International Bridge connecting Ontario and Michigan is set to open, months after U.S. President Donald Trump vowed to block it.
Fact File: Bogus FIFA websites feed World Cup ticket scams
Websites claiming to offer FIFA World Cup tickets and hotel packages are appearing online ahead of the tournament's June 11 kickoff. The websites use FIFA logos and branding, similar URLs, and identical looking login pages to pass as legitimate. But the sites are scams, meant to trick users into buying tickets that don't exist or giving up personal information.
Fact File: No evidence Vancouver busing out homeless ahead of World Cup
VANCOUVER -- Rumours have spread on social media that homeless people from Vancouver were being bused out of town in an attempt to "clean up" ahead of the FIFA World Cup that begins next month. But Vancouver denies the claims, and several British Columbia cities that were supposedly on the receiving end say there is no evidence to support the...
Fact File: False, misleading claims about hantavirus shared online amid cruise ship outbreak
As the Canadians connected to an outbreak of hantavirus on the MV Hondius cruise ship isolate in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario, rumours and misinformation about the virus are spreading online. Here's a look at some of the claims.
B.C. nurses vote for strike, as union boss raises prospect of dispute amid World Cup
VANCOUVER -- Members of British Columbia's nurses union have voted overwhelmingly to strike, with union president Adriane Gear raising the prospect of a dispute while "the whole world is watching us" during the FIFA World Cup that begins next month.
Owner says Gary the African serval will suffer under B.C. exotic cat ban
LANGLEY -- As he curls up on a couch beside his owner, it's easy to forget Gary the cat is in fact Gary the serval, a wild predator native to Africa.
Owner of Gary, the African serval, says animal will suffer under B.C. exotic cat ban
The owner of a serval cat says British Columbia's exotic cat ban, placing new rules on permits and enclosures, could negatively impact his cat's quality of life.
Fact File: Clip of Carney saying he would use emergency powers against Alberta separatists doctored
Claims that Prime Minister Mark Carney said he would invoke the Emergencies Act to quash Alberta independence appeared online last week. It was said Carney made the comments while addressing steelworkers at a March 29 event in Hamilton, Ont. A video from Hamilton in which Carney is seemingly heard referring to the use of emergency powers in fact uses spliced...
Fact File: No evidence Carney threatened emergency powers against Alberta separatists
Claims that Prime Minister Mark Carney said he would invoke the Emergencies Act to quash Alberta independence appeared online last week. It was said Carney made the comments while addressing steelworkers at a March 29 event in Hamilton, Ont. A video from Hamilton in which Carney is seemingly heard referring to the use of emergency powers in fact uses spliced...
Clip of Carney saying he would use emergency powers against Alberta separatists is doctored
Claims that Prime Minister Mark Carney said he would invoke the Emergencies Act to quash Alberta independence appeared online last week. It was said Carney made the comments while addressing steelworkers at a March 29 event in Hamilton, Ont. A video from Hamilton in which Carney is seemingly heard referring to the use of emergency powers in fact uses spliced...
Grand Chief Stewart Phillip says 'heartsick' MLA wife doesn't support DRIPA pause
VANCOUVER -- A First Nations leader whose wife is a B.C. government legislator says she doesn't support Premier David Eby's plan to suspend parts of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, and is "heartsick" over the issue.
Grand Chief Stewart Phillip says 'heartsick' MLA wife doesn't support DRIPA
VANCOUVER -- A First Nations leader whose wife is a B.C. government legislator says she doesn't support Premier David Eby's plan to suspend parts of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, and is "heartsick" over the issue.
University study finds few improvements to at-risk species in B.C.
VANCOUVER -- As spring blooms in British Columbia, the brilliant orange-and black pattern of a monarch butterfly's wing and the distinctive cream cap on a black male bobolink songbird are a rare sight.
Registration of U.S. nurses in B.C. soars amid recruitment push
This summer, Alex Alvarez will pack her belongings and make the 3,500-kilometre trek with her husband, young son and Boston Terrier from Anchorage, Alaska, to Nanaimo, B.C. -- a city she's never visited -- to work as a registered nurse.
Fact File: Photos of Justin Trudeau and Katy Perry on Grammys red carpet are fake
On Sunday, photos appeared online that seemed to show former prime minister Justin Trudeau and his partner Katy Perry on the red carpet at the Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles. The photos are fake. The Getty Images watermark on the photos does not match the real logo of the photo supplier, and the credited photographer does not seem to...
B.C. says AI and data centre projects must compete for power in new selection process
British Columbia's government is launching a competitive selection process for artificial intelligence and data centre projects that would see companies fight over a set amount of power.
ICE wants to buy Pattison building in Virginia to use for 'holding and processing'
VANCOUVER -- The United States Department of Homeland Security is planning to buy a building owned by the property arm of Vancouver-based conglomerate Jim Pattison Group to use as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement "processing facility."
Fact File: Trump makes false claim about Greenland's 'two dogsled' defence capacity
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed Denmark's military presence in Greenland consists of "two dogsleds." While Denmark does have a special dogsled unit that operates in remote areas of Greenland, it is one part of a larger Arctic presence. Denmark has increased its military capabilities in the Arctic in recent months amid Trump's threat to take control of Greenland...
Fact File: Carney's NATO comments misconstrued online as declaration of war
Multiple social media posts in the past week claimed that Prime Minister Mark Carney had said Canada would "go to war" with the United States if it attempted a forceful takeover of Greenland. Some of the posts cited comments Carney made at a press conference in Beijing last week as the source for their claims. However, Carney's comments did not...
Fact File: Maduro's capture reignites election conspiracy involving ex-Canadian firm
The Jan. 3 capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife during a brazen military raid by the United States stunned the world and left Venezuelans in Canada feeling mixed emotions.
Fact File: X's AI chatbot claims Carney isn't PM, Russian video set in Toronto
The artificial intelligence chatbot Grok made several errors over the past few weeks when asked to verify information on the X platform. In one instance, it miscaptioned video of a 2021 altercation involving hospital workers in Russia as taking place in Toronto a year earlier. In the other, it claimed multiple times Mark Carney "has never been Prime Minister."
Fact File: No 'plan' to 'euthanize' 15 million Canadians with MAID
Podcast clips recently shared on social media claim that Health Canada plans to save money by "euthanizing" 15 million Canadians.
Fact File: Claims government built fake homes for photo op misleading
In September, the public announcement of the federal government's Build Canada Homes agency sparked social media posts claiming a fake construction site with fake homes was used as a backdrop for the news conference, and that the project's $13 billion budget meant each of the planned 4,000 homes would cost upwards of $3 million.
Fact File: Will citizenship markers on Alberta ID stop non-citizens from voting?
Last week, the government of Alberta said it plans to add mandatory citizenship markers to driver's licences and other forms of identification. Premier Danielle Smith said the move would "ensure that only eligible citizens cast ballots."
Fact File: No evidence behind rumours FIFA moving World Cup games from U.S. to Canada
In July and August, online rumours suggested organizers of the 2026 FIFA World Cup planned to relocate games from the United States to Canada amid U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. While some advocacy groups urged FIFA to ask the U.S. government to reverse its recent immigration measures, FIFA did not commit to doing so, nor did it move any...
Fact Check: 'I'm very much alive,' says byelection candidate alleged to have died
An online conspiracy theory recently claimed that a candidate on the ballot in the federal byelection in Alberta's Battle River-Crowfoot riding had died in February. The source for the claim was an obituary for an unrelated woman with the same name. The real candidate told The Canadian Press that Elections Canada verified her identity before putting her name on the...