In the news today: WestJet strike notice, Calgary boy found dead, B.C. fire losses

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

WestJet flight attendants’ union serves airline 72-hour strike notice

WestJet flight attendants could go on strike as early as this Sunday.

The union representing 4,400 cabin crew said early Thursday it has issued 72-hour strike notice — an action that was quickly followed by the airline giving 72-hour notice of a lockout.

Union officials say the two sides remain far apart on key issues such as ground pay, while the air carrier says it is still actively negotiating to reach a deal.

Unless an agreement is reached, some flights could start to be grounded by Friday.

WestJet has been allowing passengers with flights scheduled any time between July 30 and Aug. 4 to make a one-time change or cancel it with no fee.

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Autism network calls for revamped alert systems after Calgary boy found dead

A non-profit representing Canadians with autism says better emergency alert systems for missing vulnerable people are needed after the death of a Calgary boy.

Police found the body of 11-year-old Parker on Wednesday afternoon in a labyrinth of water pipes under the city, nearly two weeks after he was first reported missing from a northside day home.

The search also raised questions from groups such as the National Autism Network about how to alert the public when vulnerable children disappear.

It says emergency alert systems and first-responder training need “urgent change” for vulnerable children and their families.

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Trial of man accused of killing his nine-year-old daughter set to continue today

The trial of a man accused of killing his nine-year-old daughter last summer during a trip to Upstate New York is scheduled to continue today.

Luciano Frattolin is charged with second-degree murder and concealment of a human corpse in the death of Melina Frattolin, who lived with her mother in Montreal.

On Wednesday, the jury heard testimony from two investigators who challenged the version of events presented by Frattolin, who claimed his daughter had been abducted by suspects who drove off in a white van.

The prosecution also presented more details on the events that led to the recovery of Melina’s body in a marsh in a wooded area near Ticonderoga, N.Y.

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Burned chimney all that remains of woman’s home after wildfire near Clinton, B.C.

A resident from British Columbia’s Cariboo region says there’s nothing left around her property on Six Mile Lake other than her burnt-out chimney stack and her neighbour’s propane tank.

Carol Senzeni says she got the news by watching the neighbour’s video posted to Facebook, days after she escaped from the home on Friday with her two cats and anything she could throw in her vehicle.

Senzeni, whose home is 10 kilometres away from the village of Clinton, says she watched the flames as they neared her home, sending large plumes of smoke into the sky.

Senzeni, who has found refuge north at 108 Mile Ranch, says the experience was “daunting” and “scary,” adding that her homesick cats have been “keeping me up at night crying.”

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Hope fading for rescue in southwestern Japan quake as death toll climbs to 23

The Kumamoto prefectural government says the powerful earthquake that hit southwestern Japan earlier this week has now killed at least 23 people.

The magnitude 7.1 earthquake on Tuesday set off an explosion at a mall, toppled a factory chimney and flattened homes in the Kumamoto area on Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu.

Time was running out to find survivors as rescuers continued to work, with the total number of those missing unclear.

The prefectural government said the quake left at least 63 people injured, five of them seriously.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2026.

The Canadian Press