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WestJet and Air Transat passengers push back after airlines wrongly tell them they can’t record disputes

Passenger Jingan Huang says a routine WestJet check-in at Edmonton International Airport last August turned into a confrontation when agents reissued boarding passes for a later flight without explaining why. Huang pulled out his phone to record the exchange so he could include it with a compensation claim. A WestJet agent warned he would call police if Huang didn’t stop recording and later told him, “You’re not flying today,” after Huang refused.

When Huang’s 73-year-old father tried to film, an agent allegedly reached for his phone and struck him in the eye, leaving it red and swollen. The Canadian Civil Liberties Association called the footage disturbing and noted that recording such interactions is legal in Canada.

WestJet declined an on-camera interview. In a statement the airline said the incident was “promptly investigated,” apologized to the guests and promised “internal follow up,” but declined to say what that follow-up entailed, citing privacy laws around personnel matters.

Read more from CBC Go Public’s Erica Johnson and Ana Komnenic.

Illegal nicotine pouches still on sale in corner stores across Canada

A CBC News hidden-camera investigation found that nicotine pouches banned from retail are still being sold in convenience stores in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal and Halifax — often in fruity flavours and high doses.

In August 2024, the federal government limited nicotine-pouch sales to pharmacies amid concerns about their appeal to non-smokers and youth. Health Canada regulates these products as natural health products for adults 18 and older; the only authorized over-the-counter brand is Zonnic (Imperial Tobacco Canada), limited to four-milligram pouches in mint or menthol.

But reporters were able to buy packs resembling Zyn, a popular U.S. brand from Philip Morris International, in flavours and strengths as high as 15 mg. Online sellers in Canada also offered unauthorized brands, flavours and doses with promises of fast, discreet delivery. CBC News could not verify whether the pouches purchased in stores were genuine.

“If you take a highly addictive drug like nicotine and you wrap it up and sell it in lovely flavours with lovely branding … kids are going to buy it and they’re going to use it,” said David Hammond, a professor at the University of Waterloo’s school of public health sciences.

Rothmans, Benson & Hedges, Philip Morris International’s local subsidiary, said the products are being sold by unauthorized parties and that it works with law enforcement to stop illicit trade, supporting government efforts.

Read more from CBC’s Idil Mussa, Albert Leung and Britnei Bilhete.

Ottawa homeowners say they lost $381K after hiring contractor for kitchen renovation

Katy Alp and her husband, Kaveh Afshar-Zanjani, say a 2023 renovation by Giuseppe “Joey” Peloso’s Magnolia Design & Build cost them dearly. They paid $117,064.80 for a kitchen demolition and renovation that ran from March to October 2024. About six weeks after the work was completed, a sink supply-line connection failed while the couple was away, flooding their kitchen and leaving about three inches of water across the basement.

They estimate damages at $381,979.02 in an August 2025 civil claim, plus punitive damages — covering their payment to Magnolia, the cost of hiring other contractors to remediate and redo the work, lost belongings and temporary housing while repairs were done.

Multiple lawsuits have been launched against Peloso and Magnolia in recent years, including claims by customers, subcontractors, investors, a tenant and two foreign entities: the Embassy of Niger and the Republic of Austria.

Peloso declined an interview. Through Ottawa PR firm Syntax Strategic, he said he takes clients’ concerns seriously and that disputes, while regrettable, can arise in a busy renovation business with many trades and custom materials.

Read more from CBC’s Priscilla Ki Sun Hwang and Nicole Williams.

What else is going on?

– Retiree warns others after losing $3K to crypto fraud using an AI-generated video of the prime minister — a fake interview tricked a senior into investing in a fraudulent site.
– Montreal-area paramedics fear a new dispatch system is putting patients at risk; Urgences-santé says glitches are part of “growing pains.”
– The EU is moving to ban kidfluencers; experts say Canada needs laws for children who are online influencers.
– Food prices could rise in 2026, with beef expected to lead increases that will push up the cost of other meats.
– Experts say reducing ultra-processed food intake will require rethinking the “food environment,” including store layouts and labels.

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This article was adapted from an original report published on cbc.ca. All rights belong to the original publisher.