In the news today: Advance polls open in Alberta byelection

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed…

Advance polls open in Alberta byelection

Advance polls in a historic federal byelection for Alberta’s Battle River-Crowfoot open today.

For the first time ever, Elections Canada says voters must fill out a blank ballot.

The agency lists a record 214 candidates running in the rural riding, with voting day on Aug. 18.

The majority are part of the Longest Ballot Committee, a protest group calling for various changes to Canada’s electoral system.

Prime Minister Mark Carney called the byelection in June after Conservative Damien Kurek, who handily won the seat in the April general election, stepped down so Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre could run.

Poilievre lost his long-held Ottawa seat of Carleton.

Here’s what else we’re watching…

Canada’s Mboko tops Osaka to win NBO title

She’s a rising star, a fighter — and now, a champion.

Victoria Mboko did it again on Thursday night, rallying back through the pain of a wrist injury to defeat four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 in the National Bank Open final, capping a fairy tale run that fans across Canada won’t soon forget.

The 18-year-old Canadian tennis sensation dropped to her knees after Osaka fired a shot into the net as a raucous packed house burst into cheers around IGA Stadium’s centre court.

Mboko ran to hug her family and coaches in the courtside box after gutting out another thrilling comeback to claim her first career WTA title — at a 1000-level event, no less.

She became the third Canadian to win the hometown tournament in the Open Era, joining Bianca Andreescu (2019) and Faye Urban (1969), and the first to do so in Montreal.

Air Canada, flight attendant union to resume talks

Air Canada and the union representing 10,000 of its flight attendants are set to resume talks today in an attempt to avoid a strike that could potentially begin in one week.

The Air Canada component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees says the two sides planned to return to the bargaining table Friday after its members voted 99.7 per cent in favour of a strike mandate.

The vote, which wrapped up on Tuesday, means flight attendants can potentially walk off the job as soon as Aug. 16 at 12:01 a.m. with at least 72 hours’ notice provided.

The airline says it is not yet considering flight cancellations or postponements as it is focused on reaching a deal before then, while cautioning that a strike mandate vote is “a normal step in the negotiation process.”

CUPE says it is also optimistic it can avoid a work stoppage, but it first wants to see how Air Canada responds to its proposals for higher wages and the elimination of unpaid labour.

Carney to make military announcement in Trenton

Prime Minister Mark Carney heads to Trenton, Ont., today, where he is expected to make an announcement related to the Canadian Armed Forces.

On Thursday, Carney told reporters that he planned to spend the day with the Canadian Armed Forces “building security and defence.”

While in Trenton, Carney will also tour a military facility.

Canada and its NATO allies agreed at their annual summit in June to substantially hike their members’ defence spending target to five per cent of annual GDP by 2035.

NATO members agreed on a plan to invest 3.5 per cent of their national GDP in core defence needs — like jets and other hardware — and another 1.5 per cent in related areas, such as infrastructure and cybersecurity.

Statistics Canada set to publish July jobs figures

Statistics Canada is set to publish new jobs data for July this morning.

A Reuters poll of economists expect the economy added 13,500 jobs last month but that the unemployment rate ticked back up to seven per cent.

June’s jobs report showed an unexpected gain of 83,000 positions.

So far, tariff-sensitive sectors such as manufacturing have largely shed jobs while employers in some other industries continue to expand their payrolls.

The Bank of Canada will be watching the jobs figures carefully after the central bank held its benchmark interest rate steady at 2.75 per cent last week for a third consecutive decision.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 8, 2025.

The Canadian Press