National News

OTTAWA — It's been just over three years since Veterans Affairs Canada released a strategy to tackle its 23,000 backlogged benefits applications, and that file has landed on the desk of a new minister for the first time.

OTTAWA — Stefania Giesbrecht was hoping that by the time she finished her studies, she could move back to her community of Saugeen First Nation.

Yukon's energy minister says Canada's push for more green energy and a net-zero electricity grid should spark renewed interest in connecting the territory's power to British Columbia.

WEST KELOWNA — Homes were ablaze on Friday in West Kelowna, B.C., with firefighters locked in a pitched battle against a rampaging wildfire that helped trigger a provincewide state of emergency.

There was no winning ticket sold in Friday's Lotto Max $18 million draw. The jackpot for the next draw on Aug. 22 will be an estimated $23 million. The Canadian Press

WEST KELOWNA, B.C. — Thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate from West Kelowna and the Westbank First Nation due to the nearby MacDougall Creek wildfire, which has destroyed a significant number of properties.

YELLOWKNIFE — More than 19,000 people left Yellowknife in less than 48 hours as one of the largest firefighting mobilizations in the history of the Northwest Territories continued to protect the city from an encroaching wildfire.

YELLOWKNIFE — Thousands of people have fled the Northwest Territories' capital and some neighbouring communities under the threat of encroaching wildfires. Here are the latest developments (all times are MT): 7:50 p.m.

KELOWNA, B.C. — A state of emergency has been declared in British Columbia, as threatening wildfires force thousands to evacuate from homes in the Okanagan in the southern Interior and elsewhere. Here are the latest developments on the B.C.

WEST KELOWNA, B.C. — Here's what some people are saying about the unfolding wildfire disaster in the Okanagan, where the McDougall Creek fire has forced thousands of people to evacuate from West Kelowna.