In the news today: Tax exemptions, Alberta tribute hockey game, Super Bowl highlights

By Canadian Press on February 9, 2026.

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

Conservatives call for tax relief for GM worker severance packages

The Opposition Conservatives are calling on the federal Liberal government to exempt taxes on severance pay for more than a thousand laid-off GM workers in Ingersoll, Ont.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, along with other MPs of his party, wrote a letter Sunday to Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne calling for the tax relief.

Poilievre argues taxes on GM’s lump-sum severance payments could deprive out-of-work employees of “tens of thousands of dollars” at a time when they still need to pay their mortgages and grocery bills.

The letter comes ahead of the start of tax season, and days after Prime Minister Mark Carney unveiled a strategy for the automotive sector that he says will drive investment and retool the electric-vehicle sector.

‘They were brothers’: Players, families remember 3 who died in Alberta highway crash

The small southern Alberta town of Stavely hosted a crowded benefit game on Sunday night in honour of the three junior hockey players who died last week in a highway crash.

The Southern Alberta Mustangs beat the Stavely Spurs Alumni team 9-6 in a game meant to pay tribute to 18-year-olds JJ Wright and Cameron Casorso, and 17-year-old Caden Fine from the U-S.

All three were killed on their way to practice last Monday when their car collided with a semi truck hauling gravel.

Daniel Fine, Caden’s father, says he’s touched the Mustangs are working to bring players down to his son’s home in Alabama for a memorial service.

Support for the team has stretched beyond continents, with the billet family for all three players also sending support to the driver of the truck involved in the collision.

Five things to know about Halifax’s proposed new transit plan

Buses are running late, routes are overcrowded and new vehicles need to be ordered as Halifax Transit looks to implement a $70-million service revamp — its first major attempt at shaking up the system in a decade.

A report to be delivered to the city’s transportation standing committee on Monday includes a new “core service plan” which proposes changes to 37 per cent of transit routes.

The proposal, which will still need a green light from the regional council before moving ahead, comes as city hall and the provincial government struggle to alleviate worsening traffic snarls.

TomTom, a navigation technology company, recently ranked Halifax as the third-most congested city in Canada, behind Vancouver and Toronto but ahead of Montreal.

Seahawks ride their ‘Dark Side’ defense to a Super Bowl title, pounding the Patriots 29-13

The Seattle Seahawks won the NFL franchise’s second Super Bowl on Sunday, thanks in part to their ‘Dark Side’ defence.

The Hawks pummelled New England Patriots’ quarterback Drake Maye in their 29-13 victory at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

Seattle’s defence helped Sam Darnold become the first quarterback in the 2018 draft class to win a Super Bowl.

Running back Kenneth Walker III ran for 135 yards and kicker Jason Myers set a Super Bowl record by making all five of his field-goal attempts.

Walker was also selected as the game’s MVP.

Canadian women look for another win in hockey; slopestyle skiers search for medal

Canada’s women’s hockey team will look to pick up a second straight win, while slopestyle skiers Meghan Oldham and Naomi Urness look to bring Canada its second medal of the Milan Cortina Olympics on Day 3.

Canada will take on Czechia today in its second preliminary round game after defeating Switzerland 4-0 on Saturday, and will get ready to face the United States Tuesday.

Oldham of Parry Sound, Ont., and Urness of Mont-Tremblant, Que., take to the course at Livigno Snow Park in the women’s slopestyle final.

Figure skating continues today, with Canada having three tandems in competition when the ice dance event opens with the rhythm event.