Parts of southern Saskatchewan were under a severe thunderstorm warning on Friday, including Regina.

While the warning was brief, the rain continued to fall, with several parts of the province receiving significant rainfall.

The City of Regina, while not receiving quite as much rain as other parts of the province, still had to deal with some flooded streets.

RCMP are seeking the public’s help in what they are calling a suspicious death investigation, after a female passenger died while travelling on Highway 39 near Weyburn, Sask.

Just after 8 p.m. on Friday, officers received a report of a person who was seriously injured in an SUV travelling on Highway 39 about three kilometres northwest of Weyburn, according to a release from the Saskatchewan RCMP on Saturday.

Investigation determined that two women were travelling together in a black Ford Explorer on Highway 39 towards Weyburn, police said.

According to police, a loud crack indicated that someone had discharged a firearm, which struck the vehicle and injured the passenger, a 44-year-old woman from Weyburn. The woman died at the scene and officers determined she had been shot.

RCMP are considering her death suspicious and said the victim’s family has been notified.

The Saskatchewan Major Crimes Unit is now investigating.

The driver of the SUV, a woman also from Weyburn, is not considered a suspect and is not in police custody, according to RCMP.

Ashley St. Germaine of the RCMP Major Crimes Branch said she understands the incident may cause concern for locals and those who travel in the area. RCMP are asking anyone with information to contact them, noting that investigation indicates the incident may be random in nature.

“At this point, we are asking the public to think back to last night and if you were driving on Highway #39 or northwest of Weyburn around 8 p.m., please report any suspicious people, vehicles or activity to police. If you saw a black Ford Explorer around that time, please contact police with any information. Was someone target practicing in the area? Was another vehicle driving erratically on that road?” she said in the release.

During a media availability on Saturday, RCMP reiterated the need for public assistance but noted there were no other related reports.

“At this time, no other reports of suspicious activity or people have been reported to the Weyburn RCMP that would be considered connected to this incident,” St. Germaine said.

RCMP is asking the public to remain vigilant as investigation is ongoing.

“The public can expect to see an increased police presence in the Weyburn area as this investigation continues,” St. Germaine said.

“We don’t believe that there’s any increased risk to the public. Should something change in that risk assessment changes, we will notify the public immediately,” she added.

Late Friday evening, Saskatchewan RCMP advised of an increased police presence on Highway 39 due to an ongoing investigation and asked people to avoid the areas. The highway was closed and has since been reopened.

Hours after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, FBI Director Kash Patel declared online that “the subject” in the killing was in custody. The shooter was not. The two men who had been detained were quickly released, and Utah officials acknowledged that the gunman remained at large.

The false assurance was more than a slip. It spotlighted the high-stakes uncertainty surrounding Patel’s leadership of the bureau when its credibility -- and his own -- are under extraordinary pressure.

Patel now approaches congressional oversight hearings this coming week facing not just questions about that investigation but broader doubts about whether he can stabilize a federal law enforcement agency fragmented by political fights and internal upheaval.

Democrats are poised to press Patel on a purge of senior executives that has prompted a lawsuit, his pursuit of President Donald Trump’s grievances long after the Russia investigation ended, and a realignment of resources that has prioritized the fight against illegal immigration and street crime even though the agency has for decades been defined by its work on complicated threats like counterintelligence and public corruption.

That’s in addition to questions about the handling of files from the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking case, the addition of a co-deputy director to serve alongside Dan Bongino, and the use of polygraphs on some agents in recent months to identify sources of leaks. Republicans, meanwhile, are likely to rally to his defense or redirect the spotlight toward the bureau’s critics.

The hearings will offer Patel his most consequential stage yet, and perhaps the clearest test of whether he can convince the country that the FBI, under his watch, can avoid compounding its mistakes in a time of political violence and deepening distrust.

“Because of the skepticism that some members of the Senate have had and still have, it’s extremely important that he perform very well at these oversight hearings” on Tuesday and Wednesday, said Gregory Brower, a former FBI executive who served as its top congressional affairs official.

The FBI declined to comment about Patel’s coming testimony to the committee.

He claimed the subject was `in custody’

Kirk’s killing was always going to be a closely scrutinized investigation, not only because it was the latest burst of political violence inside the United States but also because of Kirk’s friendships with Trump, Patel and other administration figures and allies.

While agents from Salt Lake City investigated, Patel’s account on the social media platform X posted that “the subject for the horrific shooting today that took the life of Charlie Kirk is now in custody.” Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said at a near-contemporaneous news conference that “Whoever did this, we will find you,” suggesting authorities were still searching. Patel soon after posted that the person in custody had been released.

“That does not deliver the message that you want the public to hear,” said Chris O’Leary, a retired FBI counterterrorism executive. “It had the opposite effect. People start to wonder what is going on. This looks like the Keystone Cops and it continues to get worse.”

The next day, a scheduled afternoon news conference was canceled for “rapid developments” as Patel and Bongino flew to Utah. It was held instead in the evening. Patel appeared but did not speak.

As the search stretched on for over a day, Patel angrily vented to FBI personnel Thursday about what he perceived as a failure to keep him informed, including that he was not quickly shown a photograph of the suspected shooter. That’s according to two people familiar with the matter who were not authorized to discuss it by name and spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press. The New York Times earlier reported details of the call.

Asked about the scrutiny of his performance, the FBI issued a statement saying that it had worked with local law enforcement to bring the suspected shooter, Tyler Robinson, to justice and “will continue to be transparent with the American people.”

Patel’s overall response did not go unnoticed in conservative circles. One prominent strategist, Christopher Rufo, posted on X that it was “time for Republicans to assess whether Kash Patel is the right man to run the FBI.”

Patel, at a news conference Friday and again on social media Saturday, touted his oversight of the investigation, highlighting his decision to publicize photographs of Robinson as a key break in the investigation. Robinson’s father recognized him from the photos, setting off a chain of events that resulted in the son turning himself in.

Patel received support Saturday from Trump. He reposted on X a post from a Fox News Channel journalist who said she had spoken with Trump and that the president had said that Patel and the FBI “have done a great job.”

Then there’s the personnel purge

On the same day Kirk was killed, Patel faced a separate problem: a lawsuit from three FBI senior executives fired in an August purge that wiped away decades of institutional experience and that they characterized as a Trump administration retribution campaign.

Among them was Brian Driscoll, who as acting FBI director in the early days of the Trump administration resisted Justice Department demands for names of agents who investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol. Driscoll alleged in the lawsuit that he was let go following a clash with Patel over administration demands to fire an FBI pilot who had been wrongly identified on social media as the case agent in the classified documents investigation of Trump.

The lawsuit quotes Patel as having told Driscoll his job depended on firing people the White House wanted gone. The FBI has declined to comment on the lawsuit.

The other plaintiffs are Spencer Evans, a former top agent in Las Vegas whose termination letter cited a “lack of reasonableness and overzealousness” in implementing COVID-19 policies while serving as a human resources official -- a claim his lawyers call false -- and Steve Jensen, who helped oversee FBI investigations into the Jan. 6. Capitol riot.

The upheaval continues a trend that began even before Patel took over, when more than a half-dozen of the bureau’s most senior executives were forced out under a Justice Department rationale that they could not be “trusted” to implement Trump’s agenda.

There’s since been significant turnover in leadership at the FBI’s 55 field offices. Some left because of promotions and planned retirements, but others because of ultimatums to accept new assignments or resign. The head of the Salt Lake City office, an experienced counterterrorism investigator, was pushed out of her position weeks before Kirk was killed at a Utah college, said people familiar with the move.

In July, an agent based in Norfolk, Virginia, Michael Feinberg, authored a first-person account saying he was told to brace for a demotion and a polygraph exam because of his friendship with Peter Strzok , a lead FBI agent in the investigation into ties between Russia and Trump’s 2016 campaign fired over derogatory text messages sent about Trump. Feinberg resigned instead.

FBI’s priorities shift under Patel

Patel arrived at the FBI having been a sharp critic of its leadership, including for investigations into Trump that he says politicized the institution. Under Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi, the FBI and Justice Department have become entangled in their own politically fraught inquiries, such as one into New York Attorney General Letitia James.

He’s moved quickly to remake the bureau, with the FBI and Justice Department working to investigate one of the Republican president’s chief grievances -- the years-old Trump-Russia investigation. Trump has routinely called that probe, which did not establish a criminal conspiracy between Russia and Trump’s campaign, a “hoax” and “witch hunt.”

The Justice Department appeared to confirm in an unusual statement that it was investigating former FBI Director James Comey and former CIA Director John Brennan, pivotal players in the Russia saga listed by Patel in a book he authored as “members of the Executive Branch Deep State,” but did not say for what. Bondi has directed that evidence be presented to a grand jury, and agents and prosecutors have begun requesting information and interviews from former officials related to the investigation, according to multiple people familiar with the outreach.

Critics of the fresh Russia inquiry consider it a transparent attempt to turn the page from the fierce backlash the FBI and Justice Department endured from elements of Trump’s base following their July announcement that they would not be releasing any additional documents from the Epstein investigation.

Patel has meanwhile elevated the fight against street crime, drug trafficking and illegal immigration to the top of the FBI’s agenda, in alignment with Trump’s agenda.

The FBI has been key to the federal government’s takeover of the Washington police department, participating with partner agencies in arrests for crimes, like drunken driving, not historically thought of as central FBI priorities.

The bureau makes no apologies for aggressive policing in American cities the Trump administration contends have been consumed by crime. Patel and Bongino have been promoting the number of arrests involving federal law enforcement in an initiative they dub Operation Summer Heat. Patel says the thousands of cumulative arrests, many of them immigration-related, are “what happens when you let good cops be good cops.”

But some are concerned the street crime focus could draw attention from the sophisticated public corruption and national security threats for which the bureau has long been primarily, if not solely, responsible for investigating. In one example, a federal corruption squad in Washington was disbanded this past spring.

“One of the big problems that I see is that the investigative programs that have been hurt the most this year are the ones that really only the FBI does, or the FBI does better than anybody else,” said Matt DeSarno, who retired in 2022 as head of the Dallas field office.

Ten people were arrested during an anti-immigration demonstration after clashes with counter-demonstrators in Toronto on Saturday evening, police said.

Police said in a post on X that one man was arrested for assault at the protest. Nine others were also arrested, but police have not disclosed the nature of the charges.

Around noon, protesters with the “Canada First Rally” gathered at Christie Pits Park to “Stop mass immigration. Start mass deportations. Remigration is necessary,” according to a social media poster for the event by the rally’s organizers.

However, hundreds of pro-immigration demonstrators also gathered at the location to oppose the anti-immigration protest, chanting, “You will never get your way. Immigrants are here to stay.”

The two groups clashed a short time later, when some anti-immigration protesters reached the park and encountered a larger group of counter-demonstrators.

Meanwhile, Ward 11 Coun. Dianne Saxe called the initial protest a “hate demonstration” in a social media post last month.

“This rally does not represent what we stand for as a city or as Canadians,” Saxe said in her statement.

“I am also appalled at the absurdity of these individuals choosing Christie Pits Park, with its history of standing against hate.”

She added that the counter-demonstrations show that the “spirit of opposition to nativism, jingoism and racism remains a vibrant part of our ward.”

Saxe was among the pro-immigration demonstrators at the protest, according to another social media post.

“This is our home, and in Toronto, this is how we stand up for those wishing to spread division and hate,” she said.

Toronto police said they were aware of the protest and counter-protests taking place at the park in a statement posted around noon.

Protesters were seen carrying Canadian flags and marching from Christie Pits through Bloor St. W., continuing through the city’s west end into downtown. Officers lined the route to block portions of the road.

Most counter-demonstrators, however, remained at the park, with only a handful following the protesting group.

The demonstration followed a protest in London, U.K., organized by far-right activist Tommy Robinson, which gathered more than 110,000 people on Saturday.

Police said they intend to provide additional details on the arrests in a forthcoming news release.

A march in a Niagara park by a self-described “men’s nationalist club” over the Labour Day weekend is raising concerns about the growth of extremist groups in Canada.

The event appears to have taken place on Aug. 30. in Queenston Heights Park in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Images posted to social media that day show members of the Second Sons marching up to Brock’s Monument in the park as bystanders watch.

The participants are seen dressed in black shirts and white bandana-like face coverings, carrying flags and chanting. Some carry the red ensign flag – a symbol that has been used in white nationalist demonstrations in Canada over the past few years, according to experts – as they take part in the military-style demonstration.

A separate video posted by the group online in the days after shows an unmasked man making a speech to the participants at the monument, saluting Brock and praising him as a Canadian hero.

The person in the video appears to be the group’s president, Jeremy MacKenzie, based on comparison with some of his more recent video posts.

MacKenzie adds that today, he sees Canada as being “pillaged.”

In the speech, he angrily rails against politicians and bureaucrats “pandering” to outsider interests and says they “cannot even tell you what a Canadian is” as the edited video cuts to a slowed-down clip of three visible-minority men passing by. He also lashes out against the idea that anyone can become Canadian.

Niagara Regional Police said officers responded to a nuisance call at the monument at around 7 p.m. on Aug. 30 and determined that a group had left the scene before they arrived. However no crimes were reported and the identity of the group was not known, police said.

In a statement, Niagara Parks said neither they nor the Niagara Parks Police Service were aware of the event as they did not receive any complaints.

“The group did not have a permit or permission from Niagara Parks nor the Niagara Parks Police Service to gather in this way at Queenston Heights Park,” the statement read.

It added that Niagara Parks and Niagara Parks Police Service “do not condone the actions of the Second Sons, nor the beliefs that the group represents.”

‘Hate has no place in Niagara’

In a statement provided to CP24 Wednesday, Niagara-on-the-Lake Mayor Gary Zalepa said hate has “no place” in the town.

“On behalf of myself, my fellow Council Members, and the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, I want to make it clear that this group’s message is not supported or condoned, and this type of hate has no place in our Town,” Zalepa wrote. “The Town does not tolerate any form of racism, hate, or discrimination.”

In a post on X about the event several days later, area MPP Wayne Gates called it “horrifying.”

His office said he was not available for an interview, but referred to the rest of his post.

“Let’s be crystal clear - hate has no place in Niagara or anywhere in Canada. I completely condemn this ugly display of hatred in our community,” Gates wrote. “Niagara is for everyone.”

MP Tony Baldinelli, who represents the area federally, did not return a request for comment.

In the statement provided on Wednesday, Zalepa also sought to reassure concerned residents.

“To our residents, especially those who may feel targeted or hurt by this demonstration, know that you are respected and fundamental to the fabric of our community. This recent rally does not reflect our ethics or the inclusive, welcoming environment we are committed to fostering,” he wrote

“Council and Staff remain committed to safety, fairness, and respect for all residents, ensuring that our Town reflects a resilient, vibrant and welcoming community that residents expect and deserve.”

The Second Sons did not respond to a request for comment on the criticism via their website.

‘Concerning’: Groups on the rise

While officials condemned the demonstration, experts say such groups are gaining momentum in Canada and that the public should be paying attention.

“I think we do need to worry,” said Prof. Barbara Perry, director of the Centre on Hate, Bias and Extremism at Ontario Tech University.

“We are seeing a growth in obviously, numbers associated with that group, but I think we’re also seeing more visibility and vocal presence of these sorts of groups.”

Perry, an expert in extremist movements in Canada, said the messaging from some Canadian extremist groups has grown bolder recently.

She points out that when MacKenzie founded another group, Diagolon, his tone was more humorous and he maintained that he was joking in some of his commentary.

“This is much more in your face. His narratives here have a much more serious, much more aggressive tone. So I think that’s worrying as well,” Perry said.

In particular, the group has become clearer that the end goal is to “overturn the current order, the current government in particular,” she added. “So yeah, I think very, very worrying.”

According to the Canadian Anti-Hate Network (CAHN), which tracks far-right and extremist groups in Canada, Diagolon is a loose network of people with neo-fascist, militant views. It emerged from a group of online streamers called “The Plaid Army,” which has been accused of spouting racist and antisemitic views, CAHN says. MacKenzie, a military veteran, has also been identified by CAHN as the leader of the group.

The U.S. State Department has referred to Diagolon as a far-right “extremist” group. The group was also identified in a June 2022 House of Commons report as an IMVE group – standing for Ideologically motivated violent extremism.

Growing appeal

While far right and white nationalist groups have grown bolder recently, Perry said they have gone through cycles over the past few years.

Around 2017-2019, their activity manifested as demonstrations around border crossings during a crisis around irregular border crossings.

“We saw a lot of activity, then it died down for a little bit, and then emerged again in the context of COVID and the convoys,” Perry recalled. “And you know, they sort of never went away; they just went a little quieter, if you will. And now this is the next, next sort of surge.”

Around 2015, she says, far right groups started using mixed martial arts and other physical activities to recruit young men.

More recently these activities have “morphed” into more formalized all-male “active clubs” that encourage their members to get fit so as to be prepared for battle.

“They’re hyper-masculine – toxically masculine, if you will – all-male clubs, and their intent is very similar,” Perry said. “I think they’re much more explicit about defining themselves as nationalists and preparing themselves for battle, keeping themselves pure and in good shape, so that they’re ready to rumble.”

There are efforts in particular, to recruit people with military and policing backgrounds because the groups want to foster militarism and discipline, according to Perry. However the Second Sons state on its website that active members of the police or military cannot join “as it would be detrimental to club cohesion and unity to invite potential agents of the state into our home.”

Education key

As for what’s fuelling the growing appeal of these groups, Perry points, in part, to the difficult economic circumstances many people are facing.

She points out that many Canadian industries that are currently being threatened – such as steel, aluminum and the auto sector – are male-dominated industries, a situation extremists can exploit.

Perry said extremist leaders are “very good at manipulating” the fears of men who “feel like they’ve lost the capacity take on that traditional role of provider and feel like they’ve lost their privilege.”

While there is no easy solution, she maintains that the problem should be treated as a public health issue at all levels of government, with a particular focus on education.

“The people who are losing their jobs because of the impact of tariffs are exactly those who will be vulnerable to this sort of messaging,” she says. “So how do we prepare them for that? How does the labour movement prepare their membership for this form of recruitment? How do they engage them in those conversations. It really has to happen at all levels, but I think awareness and education is really the first step.”

Spot chosen for symbolism

In terms of the group’s choice of Brock’s Monument for their demonstration, Perry said it was likely chosen for its military significance and association with early Canada.

The imposing 56-metre monument is one of the largest of its kind in Canada, according to the federal government, which owns the site. It was erected in 1853 on the site of a key battle in the War of 1812, during which Sir Isaac Brock was killed while leading the defeat of invading American forces.

“His efforts leading up to this battle led to his immediate immortalization as a founding hero of Upper Canada,” according to a recent government release announcing an impending $1.1 million facelift to repair the monument.

According to Friends of Fort George, which helps administer the site, the monument draws some 20,000 visitors each year.

The group pointed out that the monument has become a symbol of the sacrifices of all those who fought in the battle, including British redcoats, Canadian Militiamen, the Coloured Corps, and Haudenosaunee warriors under the command of John Norton and John Brant.

“Brock‘s Monument was paid for through public subscriptions, with the largest percentage of funding per capita coming from Indigenous nations that fought alongside Brock in the early part of the War of 1812,” Friends of Fort George said.

“Brock’s Monument is a deeply rooted national symbol that showcases one of Canada’s notable founding moments, and a Hero associated with that pivotal patriotic victory.”

Parks Canada was not able to provide a statement on the Second Sons’ use of the monument for their demonstration by publication.

U.S. President Donald Trump asked NATO countries – including Canada – to impose steep tariffs on China as a pressure tactic to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.

The president posted the letter, addressed to “ALL NATO NATIONS AND, THE WORLD,” on Truth Social Saturday. He said he’s ready to do “major” sanctions on Russia and called for alliance-wide levies on China between 50-100 per cent. The tariffs would be removed after the war concludes, Trump added.

“China has a strong control, and even grip, over Russia, and these powerful Tariffs will break that grip,” he wrote.

In a statement to CTV News, a spokesperson for the finance minister said the G7 remains united in pressuring Russia over its war in Ukraine.

“Yesterday’s meeting of G7 finance ministers was productive and saw progress on several fronts, including on the more strategic use of Russian assets to support Ukraine’s defence and the need to strengthen sanctions on Russia,” the spokesperson said.

“There is still work to be done, but all our G7 partners agree that we can and must do more to stop Russia’s war machinery. More discussions and steps – that build on yesterday’s progress and exert maximal pressure on Russia – will come in the weeks ahead.”

Canada’s trade war with China

Canada is already in the throes of a trade war with China.

Ottawa imposed a 100 per cent tariff on Chinese electric vehicles last year, with a commitment to review it in 12 months. Canada has also imposed a 25 per cent tax on certain steel and aluminum imports, and another 25 per cent duty on steel imports from all non-U.S. countries that contain steel melted and poured in China.

China has put tariffs on Canadian canola. Prime Minister Mark Carney said Friday his officials had a constructive meeting with their Chinese counterparts on canola imports, which face a 75.8 per cent preliminary import tariff.

China is the world’s largest importer of canola.

A survey by Nanos Research released earlier this week found more than six in 10 Canadians support removing the tax on Chinese-made EVs with the hope that China would drop its canola tariffs. Support was strongest among respondents in the Prairies, where the bulk of canola is grown.

“We asked Canadians whether they think trade with China should increase, decrease, or stay the same,” said the firm’s founder, Nik Nanos. He says people have warmed up to the idea of a commercial relationship compared to just a few years ago.

“You can see back in 2020 and 2022, at the heat of the two Michaels, the Huawei stuff, all that kind of kerfuffle; very few Canadians actually wanted to increase trade with China,” he explained, estimating that just one in 20 Canadians wanted to boost trade at the time.

“It’s now jumped to 36 per cent,” he said, adding that Trump’s hostility towards Canada may have contributed to the shift.

‘Canada doesn’t have a say’

However, Trump’s letter puts Canada in a pinch, according to Royal Military College and Queens University professor Christian Leuprecht.

In his read, Trump wants the NATO allies in the European Union to take a harder stance against Russian oil, and Canada’s position as a non-EU member may put it in an awkward spot when pursuing its own interests in China.

“The Ukraine conflict is much more important to European NATO partners than it is to the United States,” Leuprecht told CTV News. “Trump is saying to Europe, ‘you’re going to have to pick a side if you want us on board, and to do your bidding.’”

The EU is negotiating a plan to phase out imports of Russian oil and gas by January 2028, with a ban on short-term contracts kicking in from next year. Reuters reported Friday that U.S. energy secretary Chris Wright said he believed the EU could phase out Russian oil and gas within 12 months by replacing it with American fuel.

Canada in turn finds itself caught in the middle, according to Leuprecht. Trump’s demands on NATO make it more difficult for Ottawa to strike its own economic path with China.

“This is the problem when we underinvest in instruments of statecraft and foreign policy,“ Leuprecht said.

“What Canadians are seeing upfront and personal is the inability of Canada to shape the environment, that Canada doesn’t have a say. Canada simply has to react.”

However, in an interview with CTV Question Period that aired last Sunday, European Parliament president Roberta Metsola suggested there is an emerging European market for Canadian oil and gas as the EU divests from Russian energy.

When host Vassy Kapelos asked her whether there is, in her view, a customer in Europe for Canada’s conventional energy exports, Metsola said: “Yes.”

“We have pivoted over the last years,” she said, referring to the EU’s move away from Russian oil.

“We need to find alternative sources.”

Canada’s money laundering watchdog has fined the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA) nearly $1.2 million for non-compliance with anti-money laundering regulations.

According to the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC), SIGA, which operates seven casinos in Saskatchewan, failed to meet its obligations under the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act.

FINTRAC says SIGA failed to submit suspicious transaction reports, failed to report suspicious transactions with the prescribed information, and failed to develop and apply written compliance policies and procedures.

According to FINTRAC, the penalty totalling $1,175,000 was imposed on Aug. 28.

“FINTRAC works with businesses to help them understand and comply with their obligations under the Act. We are also firm in ensuring that businesses continue to do their part and we will take appropriate actions when they are needed,” said Sarah Paquet, director and chief executive officer of FINTRAC.

FINTRAC says as Canada’s financial intelligence unit and anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing supervisor, it ensures businesses comply with anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing regulations.

The agency says it has imposed more than 150 penalties since 2008, including 23 notices of violation totalling over $25 million in 2024-25.

In a statement issued Friday afternoon, SIGA says the penalty is only for administrative reporting requirements and says there are no financial crimes at any of its properties.

“There is no money laundering, terrorist financing, or other financial crimes at SIGA’s properties. FINTRAC is the organization responsible for monitoring and investigating financial transactions to detect and prevent money laundering, terrorist financing, and other financial crimes,” the statement read.

It says it does not agree with the violations found by FINTRAC and will be appealing it, along with the penalties assessed to federal court.

A Saskatchewan pastry chef has recently returned from the Philippines after competing in a catering business contest.

Growing up with a passion for culinary art, Emma Compton of Regina said she always wanted to become a chef.

“I’ve loved baking my entire life. I took a lot of classes at Miller High School, and I was really inspired there,” she sh

ared.

Early in her career, the culinary artist and owner of Emma’s Cakes & Patisserie recently took her skills for tasty treats abroad, participating in the SMX Culinary 2025 in Manila, Philippines.

Competing against the country’s top caterers, Compton served as the head pastry chef for her friend’s catering business, Richgold Weddings, where she took part in plating more than 1,000 desserts of panna cotta and macaron with Philippine flavours.

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We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your understanding as we work to improve our services.

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The EVO Radio & EVO Media Corporation Team