In the news today: Carney meets Starmer, high fuel costs, Canadians win Oscars

The war in Iran has disrupted global supply chains and is driving up oil prices as exports in the Persian Gulf are interrupted.

Carney has said that despite beginning a vacation following this trip, which also included a visit to Norway, he will remain in close contact with his staff as volatility in the Middle East continues.

Small businesses say high fuel costs from war in Middle East ‘pretty hard to swallow’

Small businesses are feeling the pinch of rising gas prices stemming from the war in the Middle East.

The conflict has blocked one of the key waterways through which millions of barrels of oil are transported and has driven up fuel costs in the process.

Dan Kelly, president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, says it’s been hard for small businesses to stomach the increases because they don’t have the massive cash reserves or customer networks their larger counterparts often do.

Murray Frame says he’s worried for his aviation parts and fuel supply business in Alberta, as people may cut down on flying if prices get too high.

Advocates worry Toronto’s AIDS memorial may fade away with city’s renovation plans

Advocates in Toronto are pushing for a redesign of a local AIDS memorial as the city begins to finalize plans for its renovation.

The AIDS memorial at Barbara Hall Park consists of 14 pillars with plaques listing the names of hundreds of Canadians who have died, and advocates say the site has long been neglected.

The city presented three renovation proposals last September to renovate the park, but Breklyn Bertozzi with the Canadian AIDS Society says they do little to incorporate the community’s history.

She says the society has endorsed the Echoes project, a grassroots design for the memorial created by a member of the community and supported by dozens of AIDS organizations.

Teen who set girl on fire at Saskatoon high school to be sentenced

A teenager who set a former friend on fire at their Saskatoon high school almost two years ago is scheduled to be sentenced today.

Court heard the friendship had spiralled into obsession and threats before the offender doused the victim with lighter fluid and set her ablaze in a hallway at Evan Hardy Collegiate in September 2024.

Court heard the fire left the girl’s hair “crispy” and that teachers used scissors to cut her melted backpack from her clothes.

The victim wrote in a victim impact statement that she had to re-learn how to sit up and walk, and is now afraid of large crowds.

Both Crown and defence lawyers have recommended the maximum youth sentence of three years.

‘We’re taking over’: Canadian animators win big at Oscars, call on streaming giants to fund local arts

It was a big night for Canadian animators at the Oscars.

Montreal filmmakers Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski took home the award for best animated short for their stop-motion fable “The Girl Who Cried Pearls.”

Szczerbowski said the win is a testament to the value of Canada’s cultural funding system for supporting the arts, as the short was funded by the National Film Board of Canada.

Korean-Canadian filmmaker Maggie Kang won best animated feature for “KPop Demon Hunters,” which she wrote and co-directed with Chris Appelhans.

Lavis said backstage that all the Canadian winners, including the Canadian craftspeople behind Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein,” celebrated together, toasting to homegrown filmmaking.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 16, 2026.

The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

In the news today: Carney meets Starmer, high fuel costs, Canadians win Oscars

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