National News

ABBOTSFORD — Thrift stores can be a treasure trove of unusual finds, but a discovery in a donation bin at an Abbotsford, B.C., store set off a police and bomb squad response.

SASKATOON — Before a mass killer died of a cocaine overdose in police custody, he asked officers arresting him how many people he had killed in the stabbing rampage in Saskatchewan, an inquest heard Tuesday.

VICTORIA — British Columbia Premier David Eby has officially apologized in the Victoria legislature to members of the Doukhobor religious community, including children who were forcibly taken from their parents more than 70 years ago.

The Heiltsuk Nation claims the federal fisheries minister's decision to close the commercial harvest of herring spawn-on-kelp in the nation's territory was an infringement of its Aboriginal rights.

MONTREAL — The arrest of 22 people allegedly tied to a war between criminal groups in Quebec City and the eastern part of the province should ease some of the bloodletting, kidnapping and arson in recent months, organized crime experts said Tuesday.

OTTAWA — A Liberal government bill that would ban replacement workers from being used during strikes and lockouts at federally regulated workplaces is moving ahead after the House of Commons unanimously backed it Tuesday.

EDMONTON — Alberta's health minister is questioning the need for a national pharmacare plan, saying the province already has a comprehensive program for seniors, as well as for those who have low incomes and receive disability benefits.

MONTREAL — Proposed Quebec regulations that would require more French markings on consumer products will lead to fewer choices and higher costs for things such as home appliances, according to an industry group and a Montreal lawyer.

OTTAWA — Federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller says he doesn't think Quebec wants to have serious discussions about the costs and social consequences of the influx of asylum seekers.

OTTAWA — The union representing front-line Mounties is urging the RCMP to move beyond "patchwork solutions" to ensure the mental health of officers amid concerns they face increasing risks to their well-being.