U.S. Vice President JD Vance’s security detail had an Ohio river’s water level raised last weekend to accommodate a kayaking trip he and his family took to celebrate his 41st birthday. The U.S. Secret Service said it requested the increased waterflow for the Little Miami River, first reported by The Guardian, to ensure motorized watercraft and emergency personnel “could operate safely” while protecting the Republican vice president, whose home is in Cincinnati. But critics immediately blasted the action as a sign of the vice president’s entitlement, particularly given the Trump administration’s focus on slashing government spending. Richard W. Painter, who served as chief White House ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush, said on X that “it’s outrageous for the Army corps of engineers to spend taxpayer money to increase water flow in a river so @VP can go canoeing when budget cuts to the National Park Service have severely impacted family vacations for everyone else.” The Corps of Engineers declined to address any financial impact of raising the river. Spokesman Gene Pawlik said the agency’s Louisville District temporarily increased outflows from the Caesar Creek Lake in southwest Ohio into the Little Miami “to support safe navigation of U.S. Secret Service personnel.” He said the move met operational criteria and fell within normal practice. “It was determined that the operations would not adversely affect downstream or upstream water levels,” he said in a statement. “Downstream stakeholders were notified in advance of the slight outflow increase, which occurred August 1, 2025.” Vance’s birthday was on Aug. 2. #ctvnews #news

Canada will boost the salaries of its soldiers in order to recruit new and retain current members. Bonuses are also being offered to soldiers who are deployed to fight natural disasters that occur in Canada or are assigned to Arctic missions. The federal government says these changes are needed to reflect current global challenges. The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) is still short 12,200 soldiers of operational force. Sailors, privates and aviators will get a 20 per cent increase in pay. For a private, that equates to an additional $723 each month and translates into $52,044 annually. Reservists will receive a smaller pay increase of 13 per cent. #ctvnews #news

Immigration lawyers are sounding off alarms over Canada’s decision to strong-arm people into choosing either male or female when applying for, or renewing their Nexus travel cards, raising potential constitutional challenges. The decision means non-binary or transgender Canadians crossing the border into the U.S. can no longer choose the X gender marker. This move comes on the heels of U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order, which states that the U.S. government will only recognize the male and female sex, terminating any U.S. passports and identity documents issued with an X gender marker. But according to Luke Reimer, a spokesperson for the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), Nexus card holders who had their card issued before the executive order took effect will not be impacted and their membership will remain valid without any change. “New applicants and existing members renewing their membership are able to apply using a passport with the ‘X’ gender identifier, however they will be required to select ‘male’ or ‘female’ for the purposes of their NEXUS membership,” Reimer said in a statement to CTVNews.ca. Joycna Kang from Battista Migration Law Group, based out of Toronto, calls the move “cowardly.” “It’s dictating the complete erasure of non-binary identities from a Canadian legal perspective, and it also raises constitutionality concerns,” Kang told CTVNews.ca on Tuesday. #ctvnews #news

Home security video captured a feisty little Pomeranian fearlessly chasing a black bear out of a Vancouver home after it ate the dog’s food. #ctvnews #news #britishcolumbia

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says U.S. President Donald Trump is likely the most disliked politician Canadians can think of, inside the country or out, as he plows ahead with new tariffs in his trade war. Ford pulled no punches when asked in an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer Thursday what the general impression of Trump is in Canada. “He’s probably the most disliked politician in the world in Canada because he’s attacked his closest family member, and that’s the way we look on it,” Ford said. Going a step further he said most U.S. lawmakers he speaks with feel the same way. “When I talk to the governors and senators and congresspeople, even Republicans totally disagree (with Trump), but they’re too scared to come out and say anything because the president will go after them,” Ford said, noting there a are a handful of standout senators who are exceptions. His latest comments come as Canada grapples with a new 35 per cent tariff imposed by Trump last week on goods not covered by the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). Ford met with Prime Minister Mark Carney and the other premiers Wednesday to discuss their response to the latest trade actions. #ctvnews #news #carney #usa #donaldtrump

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre takes aim at Prime Minister Carney and the Liberal government while detailing a plan to decrease U.S. reliance. #ctvnews #news #poilievre #carney

A British Columbia man says he was stunned after his security camera captured something 'unlike anything he had ever seen'. #ctvnews #news

Rare pyrocumulous clouds which formed over a Snow Lake wildfire are posing a significant risk to firefighting efforts, officials say. #ctvnews #news

Five U.S. soldiers were hospitalized after a shooting at the Army’s Fort Stewart on Wednesday, which put the installation, about 30 miles southwest of Savannah, and at least six schools into lockdown. Each of the soldiers was shot, according to a post on the verified Facebook page for Fort Stewart and the associated Hunter Army Airfield. The extent of their injuries was unclear, but all were taken to Winn Army Community Hospital. The suspect is an Army sergeant, according to a law enforcement official. He is alive and in custody. The suspect – who has not been publicly identified – was apprehended at 11:35 a.m., nearly 40 minutes after Fort Stewart went into lockdown as shots were fired in the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team area, the Facebook post said. There is no active threat to the community, and the shooting is under investigation, the post said. Wednesday’s incident is the latest example of an American community affected by gun violence — this time at a military installation that is part of a combined post home to more than 10,000 people, including soldiers, their families and Army civilian employees, according to a website for Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield. Fort Stewart trains and deploys active and reserve Army units and is home to the 3rd Infantry Division. Together, Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield – located in Savannah itself – employ more than 25,000 people. The shooting is among more than 260 mass shootings that have occurred in the U.S. so far in 2025, according to the Gun Violence Archive. Recent incidents include shootings at a Midtown Manhattan skyscraper on Park Avenue and a neighborhood bar in rural Montana. #ctvnews #news #usa

A 90-year-old Ottawa woman is speaking out after becoming the victim of a distraction theft. “I looked at my hand and my ring was gone,” said Terry Thompson. Thompson was having a smoke outside the Ogilvie Villa retirement home on Sunday and says she was approached by a woman who told her she wanted to give her her grandmother’s jewelry and forcefully put it on her. #ctvnews

Seattle Kraken mascot Buoy was chased by charging bear while filming promotional content for the team in Alaska. #ctvnews #news

Carney pledges billions to protect lumber from tariffs @yourmorningctv #ctvnews #news #carney

A manhunt is underway in cottage country after three people were found dead in a Bracebridge home. Police are speaking for the first time as a 29-year-old suspect wanted for murder remains at large. #ctvnews #news #manhunt

Claire’s Holdings LLC says it’s filed for bankruptcy protection in the U.S. and will soon follow suit in Canada. The accessories and cosmetics retailer says it will make a filing with the Ontario Superior Court under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act. Claire’s stores in North America will remain open as it embarks on the process, which it says will help monetize its assets and allow it to explore strategic alternatives for the business. Claire’s CEO Chris Cramer positioned the decision to file for creditor protection as difficult but necessary. He says the company made the move because of increased competition, consumer spending trends and the ongoing shift away from brick-and-mortar retail. Claire’s was founded in 1974 and has more than 2,750 Claire’s stores in 17 countries throughout North America and Europe. It is known for selling jewelry, cosmetics, accessories to girls between the ages of three and 18. #ctvnews #news #claires

Hiroshima on Wednesday marked the 80th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the western Japanese city, with many aging survivors expressing frustration about the growing support of global leaders for nuclear weapons as a deterrence. With the number of survivors rapidly declining and their average age now exceeding 86, the anniversary is considered the last milestone event for many of them. “There will be nobody left to pass on this sad and painful experience in 10 years or 20 years,” Minoru Suzuto, a 94-year-old survivor, said after he kneeled down to pray at the cenotaph. “That’s why I want to share (my story) as much as I can.” The bombing of Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, destroyed the city and killed 140,000 people. A second bomb dropped three days later on Nagasaki killed 70,000. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, ending World War II and Japan’s nearly half-century of aggression in Asia. #ctvnews #news #japan

Air Canada flight attendants have voted 99.7 per cent in favor of strike action if necessary, their union said on Tuesday, in a move that could allow them to walk off the job as early as this month. The Canadian Union of Public Employees said in a statement it could give a 72-hour strike notice as early as August 16, after negotiators hit an impasse with the airline in July. Such a vote is required for legal job action, but does not necessarily mean the flight attendants will go on strike. The union represents over 10,000 flight attendants at Air Canada and its leisure service, Air Canada Rouge. “Flight attendants have had a chance to weigh in and tell the company it’s time to get serious about negotiating,” said Wesley Lesosky, president of the Air Canada Component of CUPE, in a statement. Flight attendants in Canada and the U.S. are asking for higher wages and compensation for all their time worked, challenging contracts that pay for time in the air but not when they arrive before boarding. Air Canada said the issue of ground time is being discussed with the union as part of a conversation about overall compensation. Canada’s largest carrier said in a statement that it is eager to resume discussions which the union had suspended during the vote. Montreal-based Air Canada said it is determined to “reach a fair and equitable collective agreement that recognizes the contributions of its flight attendants and supports the competitiveness and long-term growth of the company.” #ctvnews #news