Good morning. Advance voting is under way in the Alberta referendum, and several former premiers bridged the partisan divide to promote a federalist message. More on that below, along with Pope Leo’s cancer diagnosis and Joshua Kutryk’s first impression of space.
A man leaves an advance polling station in Calgary on Tuesday as referendum voting begins.Todd Korol/Reuters
TOP STORIES
Ex-premiers band together in Alberta
Four of Alberta’s former premiers, including Rachel Notley and Jason Kenney, are setting aside partisan differences and urging the province’s voters to reject separatism and “choose Canada” in next Monday’s referendum.
The alliance: Notley shared a stage in Edmonton with Kenney, her long-time political foe, to form a unified front against the threat of separatism. And she has written an op-ed with former conservative premiers Ed Stelmach and Alison Redford, expected to be published this week, that will implore voters to dismiss Danielle Smith’s immigration proposals.
The vote: Electors have started casting their referendum ballots. Advance polls opened yesterday and hundreds of thousands of people have already submitted votes by mail.
Quoted: “When you’re in a position of power – when you’ve been elected to lead a province – you learn that your job is to govern in the best interests of the majority of Albertans,” Notley told The Globe in an interview, in reference to the referendum’s questions on how the province treats new immigrants. “We know that new Canadians have always contributed to our province. That is part of the formula of our province’s success.”
In depth: The prospect of leaving Canada dominates headlines, but there are nine other questions related to immigration and constitutional issues on the ballot.
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People pay their respects to the victims of the shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., in February.Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press
Alleged Tumbler Ridge accomplice won’t be released
The Washington State resident accused of conspiring with and aiding the mass shooter in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., will remain in custody pending further court appearances, a U.S. District Court judge ruled in Seattle.
The details: A criminal complaint document appears to show that James Cody Bryant, who goes by Melody, was in communication with the shooter on the day of the attack in the B.C. mining town. Bryant’s lawyer contended that the complaint describes his client at times attempting to dissuade the shooter, and argued there were conditions that could allow Bryant to be safely released.
Cyclists gather for a protest against the Ontario government's planned removal of a stretch of bike lane along Bloor Street West, in Toronto on Tuesday.Sammy Kogan/The Globe and Mail
Battle over Toronto bike lanes intensifies
Cyclists asked the Supreme Court of Canada to overturn a ruling that allowed Doug Ford’s Ontario government to proceed with a law ordering the removal of bike lanes along three major roads – Bloor Street, University Avenue and Yonge Street.
The latest: The court generally takes months to decide if it will hear an appeal – far too late to influence the province’s immediate plans. The government aimed to start removing a 1.2-kilometre section of the Bloor bike lane last night, while cyclists assembled in protest.
Foreign ministers urge Abbas to hold elections soon
Canada and three Western allies that recognized the state of Palestine last year pressed Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to reverse his postponement of legislative council and presidential elections to next September.
The background: Abbas blamed Israel and the security situation in the territories for delaying the votes. Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand and her counterparts in the U.K., France and Australia noted it has been five years since elections planned for 2021 were postponed.
The editorial board’s view: Canada’s message to the Palestinian Authority: Stop, before we say stop again.
The Take
Advanced consent is a challenging issue. Many members of the greying population desperately want the right to end their lives, especially if they have dementia. Anti-choice activists make outrageous claims about the culling of the elderly. But one thing MAID proponents and opponents agree on is that combining advanced consent and MAID-SUMC in a single piece of legislation is problematic. The upshot will likely be more study and indecision.
Creating barriers to MAID for people with mental illness is discrimination, pure and simple, health columnist André Picard writes.
The Shot
Lieutenant-Commander Brody Samaha, a 'shooter' who helps oversee the launch of aircraft from the USS George Washington's catapults, walks on the flight deck of the carrier in the Arabian Sea.Ed Ou/Reuters
Canadian photojournalist Ed Ou took a rare visit to an American warship – the aircraft carrier USS George Washington, a floating city of around 5,000 personnel – that is central to the Iran war.
The Wrap
What else we’re following
At home: The Haitian-Canadian novelist Thélyson Orélien strongly denied using AI to write C’était ça ou mourir, his bestselling new release, but apologized for plagiarizing material early in his career.
Abroad: Pope Leo XIV was diagnosed with lung cancer and underwent surgery in Rome to remove a small, localized nodule.
Explained: What to know about Unreliable Boyfriend, former deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland’s memoir about tussling with the Trump administration.
In Guelph: Robert Munsch’s memory is failing him, but to residents of his Ontario hometown, encounters with the children’s author preserve his artistic legacy.
In orbit: Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk described his “exhilarating” and “violent” departure from Earth during his first conversation with reporters from the International Space Station.
In conversation: The psychologist Adam Grant, an expert in human relationships, thinks skipping small talk helps build meaningful connections.
In for a penny: Boots is an iconic pharmacy brand, but challenges await the Weston family as the grocery moguls take ownership of the British chain.
In the street: Prince William closed a famous thoroughfare, The Mall leading to Buckingham Palace, to play cricket with stars of the sport and promote his Earthshot climate award.