Canada slips into technical recession, economy stalls | CTV National News at 5:30 for May 29, 2026

Added: 2026-05-30

[00:00:06]Hello and thanks for joining us. Here's what's happening right now. The Canadian who pedled poison online pleads guilty to abetting suicide.

[00:00:15]>> This week has been a lot of mixed emotions.

[00:00:19]>> Reaction from victim's families. The message they're now sharing.

[00:00:24]We are committed to growing this relationship responsibly.

[00:00:29]What a rare visit from Beijing could mean for relations.

[00:00:33]>> These are not hypotheticals. These are pretty uh serious detailed numbers.

[00:00:38]>> Plus, what it will cost Vancouver to host the World Cup and how much it could make.

[00:00:48]>> CTV National News with Heather Buts. I'm Marcia McMillan in today for Heather.

[00:00:54]The Ontario man at the heart of an international murder investigation pleaded guilty to 14 charges of aiding and abetting suicide today. As a result, murder charges against Kenneth Law were withdrawn by the crown. Law was accused of selling deadly substances online to people at risk of self harm, some of whom went on to take their own lives.

[00:01:16]CTV's John Woodward has been following the case, and he joins us now with the very latest. John.

[00:01:24]Marcia, prosecutors read the names of upwards of 80 people who died here in Canada in the UK, describing how they died after consuming products from Kenneth Law, who marketed them on websites and also profited from them.

[00:01:39]>> Heavy for Kim Proser, the mother of Ashton Proser Blake, who was headed to university in Toronto before he died by suicide at 19 years old.

[00:01:47]>> I carry forward his legacy in my heart and my soul. Proser among dozens of families coming to New Market Courthouse to hear the guilty plea of Kenneth Law who arrived in an OP transport truck as media from around the world watched. Law was a trained engineer and former chef at an upscale Toronto hotel. But he also had a side business selling a meat preservative that in high doses is deadly. A product he marketed under a pseudonym on websites aimed at suicidal people. CTV News has tracked $150 deaths around the world tied to those products.

[00:02:21]The youngest just 16 years old. Court heard his income from the sales near $300,000 using sales and payment platforms of Shopify and PayPal. The most recent death in January.

[00:02:36]>> The father of an 18-year-old who died, Jenia Bedoya Lopez said he hopes the judge sends a message to stop anyone considering selling the product. Thanks to his guilty p, law avoids a murder conviction and won't do life in prison.

[00:02:48]It emerged that British authorities won't charge him there either. Proer is not pushing for a stiff sentence, just hoping the trauma Law's actions caused can stop.

[00:02:56]>> Every day, uh, I walk with him in my heart in everything that I do. My passion, my drive, my everything is walking with my son. Some of these suicide websites marketed Law's products as a painless way to die. But the facts read out in court show that that is not true. Some of the people called 911 complaining of pain and vomiting, wishing that they had not taken the substance and didn't want to die, but by the time they've consumed the product, it was too late. Marcia, >> CTV's John Woodward in New Market, Ontario. Thank you, John. The conflict in the Middle East once again appears it could be a step closer to a resolution.

[00:03:35]President Trump posted today that he would hold a meeting with adviserss at the White House to make a final decision over a deal to extend the ceasefire with Iran. He says an agreement would need to include Iran giving up nuclear ambitions and opening the straight of Hormuz. In a separate post, Trump also wrote that the US blockade of ships traveling through the strait would now be lifted.

[00:03:59]China's foreign affairs minister is in Ottawa today, beginning a three-day visit that includes meetings with Prime Minister Mark Carney and Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand. It's the first visit of its kind in a decade, and it's already sparked protests on Parliament Hill. CTV's Abigail Bean now with more on what the visit means for Canada's foreign policy. Abigail, Marcia, both Canada and China are talking about a shift in relations with increased trade as a goal.

[00:04:30]China's foreign minister welcomed by the prime minister as well as his Canadian counterpart Anita Anand.

[00:04:39]>> Wang Yi spoke of record high engagement with Anand and a relationship between the two nations that has turned around now growing and improving with major economic and trade concerns as he says properly addressed.

[00:04:53]We are committed to growing this relationship responsibly with a goal of increasing exports to China by 50% by 2030 while safeguarding Canada's economic and national security interests and values. There would need to be some clarity about what are those guard rails, what kind of investment from China is welcome in what sectors and where we would actually continue to hold the red line.

[00:05:23]>> The opposition leader asked if he believed Mark Carney would raise issues of human rights abuses.

[00:05:28]>> Of course not.

[00:05:30]He won't do anything to make um Beijing unhappy. A former Canadian diplomat in Beijing who has met Wang Yi more than once over the decades believes human rights will be discussed and that China is likely to raise Taiwan.

[00:05:44]>> We do have to reflect our values in these discussions and from my experience particularly behind closed doors. It's possible necessary in my view to speak frankly to Chinese leaders about our own concerns and I guarantee you they will speak frankly about theirs. The prime minister will head back to China for the second time later this year for the Apex summit. While this visit by the foreign minister could set the stage for a visit to Canada by President Xi. China watchers say to look towards the end of this year when the president has plans to visit the United States. Marcia >> Abigail, thank you for that. Meanwhile, China is condemning a Canadian Navy vessel passing through the Taiwan Strait. China says it firmly opposes attempts by other countries to undermine its sovereignty and security, quote, under the pretext of freedom of navigation. The National Defense Department says the HMC of Charlotte Town, seen here in file video, conducted a routine transit through the straight last Friday and Saturday. The strait separates mainland China from Taiwan.

[00:06:49]China, meanwhile, claims sovereignty over the democratically governed Taiwan and the crucial sea passage despite Taipei rejecting those Chinese claims.

[00:07:00]The Canadian economy has slipped into a technical recession according to new data from Statistics Canada. Economic growth stalled in the first quarter of this year and real gross domestic product was slightly negative on an annualized basis. The agency mainly blames higher imports of gold and a weak month of March for Canada's resource extraction industries like mining, oil, gas, and forestry dragging down economic activity. Real GDP has now declined for two consecutive quarters, which means the definition of a technical recession, a term the opposition leader disagrees with.

[00:07:39]>> That is not technical. It is real. This is a fullblown Liberal recession.

[00:07:46]>> Canada has now posted negative real GDP growth in three of the last four quarters. The finance minister told the House of Commons he remains confident about the Canadian economy. A provincewide day of action is taking place in Alberta today, organized by the Alberta Federation of Labor. Organizers are calling it the Fight Back Now campaign to push back against a number of the United Conservative Party's policies. CTV's Kathy Lee was at one of the rallies with more on what the protesters are demanding. Kathy Marcia, this is one of three rallies taking place in Calgary today. And the people here have a long list of concerns from health care to education to public services to Alberta separation.

[00:08:29]Thousands of people in more than a dozen communities across the province are taking part in the Alberta Federation of Labor's Day of Protest. A labor relations expert says it's unusual to see this many people rally around such a broad range of issues. A sign of growing frustration among some Albertans. Many people CTV News spoke with say they're unhappy with the direction of Alberta and want the government focused on everyday issues. One, another thing that affects us here in this community is them blaming the immigrants for their mismanagement of of money. These people here definitely had enough.

[00:09:05]>> What I don't comprehend is they seem to think independence is supposed to fix, but I don't know what it's supposed to fix. I'm not really a protest kind of person, but I've kind of just hit that that limit that I felt I had to do something to get rid of this government.

[00:09:24]>> While Alberta's separation debate has dominated political headlines in recent weeks, some protesters say it's distracting from issues they believe are more immediate. The Alberta Federation of Labor argues the province's planned referendum is divisive and is shifting attention away from those concerns. The province pushed back in a statement saying that it is taking action on a number of items like job creation, health care, and education while pointing to strong economic growth and record investment in public services.

[00:09:56]Marcia Kathy Lee in Calgary. Kathy, thank you for that. Warm weather and snow melt have led to rising river levels near B. The province of Alberta has issued a flood watch for the Bow River near Lake Louise. Some low-lying areas are already seeing some flooding and there may be some temporary closures of trails and other areas. The conditions are expected to last all weekend and into Monday. Meanwhile, a very different scene on Nova Scotia's Cape Betton Island. Yes, these pictures are from today. A very rare May 29th snowfall. It's caused by a ridge in the jetream. Part of the same weather pattern that has led to scorching heat in the prairies. A massive fire erupted in a residential neighborhood in Saskatoon today. Flames could be seen tearing through the roofs of homes as emergency crews battled the fast-moving fire. Firefighters arrived to thick, heavy black smoke with one home fully engulfed. Saskatoon Fire says everyone was safely evacuated. No injuries have been reported. In Vancouver today, the question hanging over the cost of the FIFA World Cup was finally answered. The updated budget has been released. The province will spend more to host the event, but says it will also get more money back in the long run. A report this month already pegged the total cost to Canada, including Toronto, at more than1 billion dollars. BC Bureau Chief Andrew Johnson joins us to break it down. Andrew, what's it going to cost?

[00:11:26]>> Marcia, it was asked at every news conference for months, what's the updated budget? How much more will taxpayers have to bear? Well, now we have the new figures and bringing the World Cup to Vancouver will cost more than $100 million per match.

[00:11:43]Hosting seven World Cup games inside Vancouver's BC Place will cost more or less depending how you look at the math.

[00:11:51]And the province says it's leading the tournament in transparency. There's no jurisdiction that's hosting a World Cup right now that is releasing the detailed information that is being released by the province of British Columbia.

[00:12:03]>> A year ago, it estimated FIFA could cost British Columbombians up to $624 million. Today, the figure is $729 million, an increase of more than $100 million.

[00:12:15]But projected revenue and cost recovery estimates are also higher, projected at 478 million last year. today 615.

[00:12:25]The bottom line, the province says overall net hosting costs have dropped by more than 30 million and are now estimated at 114 million >> thanks to disciplined planning, strong financial oversight, and higher projected revenues.

[00:12:40]>> The biggest revenue generator so far has been a 2.5% tax on all visitors to Vancouver booking short-term accommodation that will remain in effect until 2030. Over the next five years, BC says it will score a billion dollars more in spin-off tourism. Sports economist Mosha Lander believes the benefit is being overstated and the losses from tourists and locals avoiding the city during FIFA ignored.

[00:13:08]>> I don't want to be around that chaos. I want to be able to enjoy Vancouver in all of its beauty where it's not overcrowded with soccer hooligans. So, you know what? I'm going to Colona instead. A final answer to the economic question of is it all worth it likely won't come for years. It all starts in exactly two weeks when the home team will hit the field in Toronto for the first World Cup game ever played in Canada. Marcia, >> thanks Andrew. Coming up, a catastrophic failure to launch.

[00:13:36]>> There's severe damage at the launch site.

[00:13:39]>> What may have caused a rocket to explode into a fireball?

[00:13:46]Plus, a soaring stunt. Why this voter is chasing more waterfalls.

[00:13:56]The head of the World Health Organization is in the Democratic Republic of Congo's capital for a firstirhand look at the battle against a deadly Ebola virus outbreak.

[00:14:06]I came here to show that they're not alone and that we are here to to support and we understand their pain, but we also understand that they have the energy and all that it needs uh to stop this.

[00:14:22]>> The region has been stricken by a rare type of Ebola that has no approved treatment or vaccine. In some areas, doctors have resorted to wearing expired masks due to equipment shortages. The WH says 238 suspected deaths and more than 1,000 suspected cases have been reported.

[00:14:43]Romanian officials say a Russian drone that was part of an overnight attack on Ukraine crossed the border into Romania and struck an apartment building. They say two people were injured. Romania, a NATO member, has called the drones flight a serious violation of international law and called on NATO to speed up the transfer of anti- drone capabilities to its military. Romania has reported several instances of drone fragments landing in its territory since the war started in 2022, but this is the first time people have been injured. A spectacular failure to launch this morning in Florida where a Blue Origin rocket exploded into a massive fireball during a test. Blue Origin says the explosive incident happened during an engine firing test. Officials say no one was injured. It's a setback though for the aerospace company owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos after NASA announced on Tuesday that Blue Origin had won a contract connected to a construction of a 20 billion moon base.

[00:15:55]Uhhuh. Quite a ride for a man called Dusty and his boat named Dent. Dusty Fzen took his boat off Lundick Falls about two hours south of Calgary. It's a 30 meter drop, but the pair looked to have sailed much further after flying off the edge. It's not Frieza's first stunt, and he hopes one day to turn these into fundraisers to help clean up the oceans. He's planning more of these jumps, including Niagara Falls. Still ahead, unveiling Team Canada, potential surprises and snubs for the World Cup roster.

[00:16:32]It's officially must-win time for the Montreal Canadians tonight.

[00:16:37]>> Watched by Evans. ACROSS SCORES Sebastian Aaho.

[00:16:41]>> That was the first of four goals for the Hurricanes on Wednesday. They went on to blank the Habs and take a three games to one lead as the series now moves back to North Carolina. If Montreal is eliminated, it will be another year without a Canadian team hoisting the cup, which hasn't happened since the Havs raised Lord Stanley in 1993.

[00:17:04]It is a big day for soccer. Today, soccer fans will find out who is in and who is out of team Canada. Head coach Jesse March is unveiling the 26 men who will represent Canada at the upcoming FIFA World Cup. CTV's Heather Wright is outside Toronto Stadium with more on the exciting announcement. Heather, what have you got?

[00:17:25]>> Well, Marcia, we have a good idea of who is going to be part of team Canada when the World Cup kicks off here in Toronto two weeks from today. As you mentioned, coach Jesse March, he had 32 uh players named to the training camp roster that took place this week in Charlotte, North Carolina. He'll be cutting six names from that roster when they submit the final roster to FIFA by Monday. We do know who the three goalkeepers will be for this tournament. Maxim Crapo, Owen Goodman, and Dne Stlair. Who's going to get the starting job? That is a big question. And another big question is the health of some of the key players, namely Alfonso Davies. He has been out with a hamstring injury since May 6.

[00:18:06]Coach Marsh said it is likely they get him back at some point during this tournament, though his participation in game one remains a big question mark.

[00:18:15]But look, this is arguably the strongest team that Canada will send to a World Cup. They've only participated in two World Cups prior to this one, looking to make history with their first ever World Cup win with this tournament that kicks off June 12th here in Toronto. Marcia, >> it's coming up. Thank you, Heather.

[00:18:34]With just two weeks to go until the World Cup, Team Canada is taking shape and hoping for the return of some key key players lost to injury. One of them is star defender Moyes Bombido. CTV's chief anchor and senior editor Omar Sachadina asked him some rapidfire questions about life on and off the pitch.

[00:18:59]Fast, aggressive, and powerful.

[00:19:07]Moyes Bombido is one of Canada's fastest rising soccer stars.

[00:19:13]Pushed into the game as a young boy in Montreal by parents who wanted to focus their overly energetic son.

[00:19:20]>> I was breaking everything. I was running everywhere.

[00:19:23]>> So, they were just trying to exhaust you basically.

[00:19:25]>> Exactly. Yeah, exactly.

[00:19:27]>> Instead, it ignited a new passion Bido showcased to the world at the 2024 Copa America, where he took on the challenging task of defending one of the greatest players of all time in Canada's opening match against Argentina. What's it like to defend against Messi?

[00:19:45]>> It's it's a nightmare cuz uh you know, when he gets the ball, that's when everything can happen. He's analyzing. He's looking, scanning everything that's surrounding him. And as soon as he gets the ball, then the magic happens because he already pictured everything.

[00:20:06]>> And a giveway.

[00:20:06]>> Bomb's second half tackle of the Argentine captain drew racist abuse and attacks on social media. But it was his responses of resolve after that drew even wider support which surged even higher after this moment >> when he stepped up and calmly put away a penalty during the quarterfinal shootout against Venezuela >> is in pain concern but perhaps his test was breaking his leg in a match for his French club niece last October. over >> made me think and it just made me feel grateful for for what I what I had in general just in terms of being able to to go to the bathroom and and do what I have to do there, take a shower by myself and just being on my own and feeling like uh you know I'm I'm free but when you're injured it's it's a total like you're you're dependable.

[00:21:05]>> He was sidelined for months to focus on his recovery along the way. The boy who couldn't sit still also picked up another talent off the pitch.

[00:21:17]>> Who's your favorite?

[00:21:18]>> I play I can play uh Una Matina.

[00:21:23]Okay.

[00:21:23]>> I play Van Go.

[00:21:25]>> I forgot who the artist is. I play >> I love one of my favorite songs.

[00:21:31]>> Yeah. So great.

[00:21:33]>> Also great. He says being at the World Cup.

[00:21:37]>> Your own personal families from Kenshasa. from Kenshasa and now playing for Canada in a few months time.

[00:21:44]>> What will that experience be like to play on home soil for this country?

[00:21:51]It's it's it's a great great great feeling just because uh my mom you know she she sacrificed a lot just to come into Canada a country that welcome her as uh she was one of their own you know I feel like it's it's a great feeling proud feeling and I just can't wait to to do so in a in a great way. Omar Sachina, CTV News Toronto.

[00:22:19]>> And that is our newscast for this Friday. Thanks for joining us. I'm Marcia McMillan. See you later tonight on CTV National News.