Indigenous News

TORONTO — An Ontario judge has struck down sections of the province's panhandling law as unconstitutional, including parts that ban asking people for money while intoxicated or while they are waiting to use an ATM.

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau unveiled a new $1.5-billion housing fund Thursday that he billed as helping non-profit organizations acquire more rental units across Canada and ensure they remain affordable.

TORONTO — Ontario's regulated internet gaming market has been live now for two years, and it is attracting increasing activity from the province's online gamblers, a new study suggests, with blackjack and basketball among the favourite wagers.

MONTREAL — A music festival in northwestern Quebec has been cancelled after a local band accused organizers of rescinding an invitation to perform because of its criticism of an arsenic-emitting copper smelter in the region.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — A global forest study says Canadian wildfires last year were "entirely" to blame for a worldwide surge in tree losses.

EDMONTON — Last year's record wildfires in Alberta destroyed habitat for threatened species and will change the makeup of the province's forests for decades to come, says a new report.

CHARLESTON, S.C. — Canada's Leylah Fernandez was eliminated from the Charleston Open tennis tournament following a 6-4, 6-4 loss to American Sloane Stephens on Thursday.

MONTREAL — CF Montreal loaned defender Robert Thorkelsson to second-division Norwegian club Kongsvinger IL Toppfotball on Thursday. Thorkelsson's loan goes until Aug. 1. The Norwegian side has the option to acquire him on a permanent transfer.

TORONTO — Canadian regulators have cleared crypto-trading platform Coinbase to do business in the country as a restricted dealer. Coinbase says it means they're the first international and largest cryptocurrency exchange to be registered in Canada.

UTICA, N.Y. — Canada's extra day of rest to start the women's world hockey championship will be needed in a tight turnaround between its first two games. Canada, which wasn't among the six countries kicking off the tournament Wednesday in Utica, N.Y.