National News

TAMPA, Fla. — The Montreal Canadiens' return to the NHL's biggest stage didn't go as planned.

OTTAWA — The Conservative Party of Canada is positioning itself as the defender of Canada Day, as more communities decide to skip celebrations out of respect for First Nations discovering unmarked burial sites at former residential schools.

EDMONTON — Family members of a woman who was killed in a hotel room say the pain they continue to feel a decade after her death is unspeakable.

The latest news on COVID-19 developments in Canada (all times eastern): 6:55 p.m. The Northwest Territories is no longer requiring masks to be worn in public places in Yellowknife and three other communities.

VANCOUVER — Environment Canada warns the torrid heat wave that has settled over much of Western Canada won't lift for days, although parts of British Columbia and Yukon could see some relief sooner. Heat warnings were posted across B.C.

GITWANGAK, B.C. — The Mounties say they are investigating a suspicious fire at an abandoned church in northwestern British Columbia.

SIKSIKA FIRST NATION, ALBERTA — Police are investigating a fire at a Roman Catholic church in an Indigenous community east of Calgary. RCMP say officers were called to the Siksika First Nation Catholic Church shortly after midnight.

YELLOWKNIFE — The government of the Northwest Territories says it will cover the cost to repair or replace homes damaged by spring flooding.

Forestry experts hope clear, blue skies hold over Western Canada as unprecedented hot weather pushes wildfire risks to levels just as record-breaking.

OTTAWA — A vaccine study in the United Kingdom reports that getting a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine four weeks after a dose of Oxford-AstraZeneca produced a much stronger immune response than two doses of AstraZeneca.