A trip to the world championship will be on the line when the 2026 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Championship gets under way Saturday at the Cloverdale Curling Club in Surrey, B.C.

Twenty-eight teams from across the country — including 14 Member Association champions — will be competing for not only the top prize of $20,000, but the right to represent Canada at the 2027 World Mixed Doubles Championship.

The rest of the field, apart from the provincial/territorial champions, qualified from through the Canadian Mixed Doubles Rankings (CMDR).

Action kicks off with a pair of draws Saturday (all times Pacific), at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m., followed by three days of draws beginning at 10 a.m., 1 p.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.

The 28 teams are divided into four pools of seven, with the pools formed based on the CMDR as of Feb. 18.

Each team will play six games within its respective round-robin pool, with the final round-robin draw set for Wednesday, March 25, at 4 p.m.

The four pool winners will be seeded directly into the playoff quarterfinals, scheduled for March 26 at 7 p.m.

The next eight best round-robin win-loss records will earn berths in the playoff qualification round, which is scheduled for March 26 at 1 p.m.

The semifinals will take place March 27 at 9:30 a.m., followed by the gold-medal game at 1 p.m.

The winning team will earn the opportunity to represent Canada at the 2027 World Mixed Doubles Championship (location to be announced). World Curling has confirmed that beginning with the 2027 event, the World Mixed Doubles Championship will take place in early January, moving from its existing late April slot.

The pairing of Kadriana Lott and Colton Lott from Gimli, Man., who won the 2025 Canadian Mixed Doubles Championship, will represent Canada at the 2026 ACE & Company World Mixed Doubles Championship April 25-May 2 in Geneva, Switzerland.

Team Lott/Lott won’t be playing in the 2026 Canadian Mixed Doubles Championship, as Colton Lott will be part of Team Matt Dunstone representing Canada at the 2026 LGT World Men’s Curling Championship, which begins March 27 in Ogden, Utah.

But there will be no shortage of other star power competing in Surrey, including the two-time Canadian champion Chestermere, Alta., duo of Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant, who represented Canada in mixed doubles curling at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina, Italy. Gallant also won gold playing second for Brad Jacobs’ Canadian men’s four-player team.

Also in the field, and in the same pool as Peterman and Gallant, is Olympic bronze-medallist Rachel Homan of Beaumont, Alta., who’s playing with Brendan Bottcher of Edmonton. Peterman and Gallant defeated Homan and Bottcher in the final of the 2025 Canadian Mixed Doubles Trials to earn the right to play at the Olympics.

The rematch is scheduled for March 25 at 4 p.m.

Also in the field are the 2023 Canadian champions Jennifer Jones and Brent Laing from Barrie, Ont.

There are two entries from the host province. Newly crowned provincial champions Sarah Loken and Cody Tanaka (Victoria/Delta) are in the field, along with Courtney Woo and Daniel Wenzek and Daniel Wenzek (Langley/Cloverdale), who qualified through the CMDR.

Live streaming of the 2026 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Championship will be available on Curling Canada’s YouTube channel.

Live scores and standings will be available by .

For the schedule and team lineups, go to the official event website: www.curling.ca/2026mixeddoubles/

for ticket information for the 2026 Canadian Mixed Doubles Championship.

A certain resident of South Surrey, B.C., is making friends and fans on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border for a reason that doesn’t generally make people happy — he crosses the international boundary frequently and flagrantly, with no regard for customs officials or paperwork.

That’s because Louis — full name Louis Vuitton, like the handbag — is a grey tabby cat. Described by owner Deb Tate as “a rescue kitty” and also “extremely friendly,” Louis lives in a home on Zero Avenue. As the name suggests, Zero Avenue sits right against the 49th parallel, with nothing but a narrow drainage ditch separating it from Peace Arch Historic State Park in Washington on the other side.

Tate recently told CBC’s As It Happens: “To someone who’s not familiar with the neighbourhood, it would appear to be a completely unchecked access point. But it is heavily watched. There are border guards sitting on the other edge of the park in the United States to either send people back, or ticket them, or fine them, I’m not sure what exactly the consequences are.”

None of which troubles Louis, who not only enters the United States frequently, he even engages in cross-border hunting.

“He has been known to bring home a treat or two from his adventures,” Tate told the broadcaster. “We’ve received … snakes and mice and squirrels.”

U.S. media (though fortunately not U.S. border patrols) have taken note, with an ABC News segment mentioning the cat’s returning to Canada without declaring his prey, adding: “Good food on our side, relaxing meals on the other side.”

Another segment on NBC spoke to local residents in South Surrey but noted the cat “has no interest in a TV interview.” And CTV News mentioned the cat’s “paws-port” as well as his birthday. He turns six on Canada Day.

Meanwhile, an Instagram user in Washington State with the handle @pnwdaily360 has made friends with Louis, which he pronounces in the south-of-the-border way as “Lewis.” The cat makes frequent appearances in his social media feed.

Organizers say 4-day Ramadan Fest B.C. offers space for reflection amid conflicts in the Middle East

Ramadan Fest B.C., which organizers say is the largest night market of its kind in Canada, returned to Surrey for its second year, drawing thousands of visitors to the Cloverdale Agriplex for four nights of food, shopping and community gatherings.

The festival opened Thursday and runs through Sunday with organizers expecting nearly 50,000 attendees over the four-day event.

It takes place during Ramadan, a sacred month in Islam when observers abstain from food, drink and other pleasures during daylight hours, but at night, they often gather with loved ones to feast and pray. Gifts are often exchanged during Ramadan, and Muslims make a point of donating to charity during this time.

For many attendees, the evening market offers a place to gather after breaking the daily fast.

"It's all about giving back. It's all about breaking bread together and being one community," said Yosof Hakimi with Salaam Events, one of the organizers.

Hakimi said the festival has grown significantly since its debut last year and now features more than 100 vendors, including about 20 food stalls serving cuisines from around the world.

But he says the event is about more than food and shopping.

WATCH | 1st Ramadan Fest B.C. observed last year:

"At this stage in the world there are so many problems everywhere," Hakimi said, referring to ongoing tensions and conflict in the Middle East involving Iran, Israel and the United States.

"It's a month of Ramadan that kind of grounds people and brings everybody together."

Fatima Dedovic, one of the attendees, said the atmosphere of the event reflects the values Ramadan encourages.

"When you're in a multi-ethnic setting, everybody’s equal," she said. "We're all humans, doesn't matter which country you're from, we should know that we're all equal and have the same path."

Organizers say the event has also drawn many non-Muslim visitors curious to learn more about Ramadan and Islamic culture.

For vendors, the festival is also a chance to share their heritage with the wider community.

Maysa Omoor, who travelled from Calgary to sell Palestinian embroidered clothing and accessories, said events like this help showcase traditions that might otherwise be unfamiliar to many Canadians.

Among the many offerings such as prayer mats, hijabs and books are checkered scarfs known as Palestinian keffiyeh, which she says represents the country's identity and its symbol of resistance against oppression.

"This is the second year for me to come here and it's a very great opportunity for me to meet people to show our culture, our heritage to people here in Surrey and Vancouver," she said.

Others see the market as a chance to launch or grow small businesses.

Mehveen Qureshi and Zaid Sayeed, founders of Surrey-based Mezos Fragrances, say the event gives them exposure as they build their young company.

WATCH | Ramadan, a time for reflection and community:

Their perfumes blend scents commonly found in the Middle East such as oud with lighter North American fragrances.

"That's basically our fusion, so you get the best of both worlds," said Qureshi. "You get the fresh, you get the floral, but you also get the leather, musk."

Qureshi said they hope their business reflects the spirit of community that Ramadan encourages.

"When you're trying to build something, it's about building together," she said. "We just want peace for everyone."

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and ends with the celebration of Eid al-Fitr, a holiday marking the breaking of the fast. This year, the holy month is expected to conclude around March 19.

A Surrey, B.C., massage therapist had his licence suspended after failing to adhere to conditions that were imposed after a sexual misconduct complaint.

A regulatory college found Arthur DeLuis failed to abide by an interim order that was imposed on Dec. 30, 2024, leading to his practice being suspended on Monday.

The College of Complementary Health Professionals said in a notice this week that the "urgent, protective, and temporary measure" of suspending DeLuis's practice comes as a discipline committee looks into the complaint.

According to the college, a female patient had complained about DeLuis's conduct, and it imposed conditions after a disciplinary panel found there was a "prima facie case of the allegations that ... [DeLuis] engaged in sexual misconduct."

In December 2024, the college's interim order stated that any female patient of DeLuis should remain fully clothed from the waist down, and DeLuis should prominently post that fact on his online booking form and inside his treatment room and clinic.

DeLuis was also told to provide the college with his full calendar by 6 p.m. every Friday, including all patients' names and contact information.

The college also said his practice would be subject to random on-site audits.

Now, more than a year later, the college says that routine monitoring revealed DeLuis failed to comply with those conditions — though it noted that there were no new complaints of misconduct while they were in effect.

It also found that DeLuis changed his practice location from his clinic to his Surrey home without notifying the college.

"The [disciplinary panel] found that the updated information, particularly the non-compliance with the [interim order], demonstrates that more stringent action is required to sufficiently address the risk to the public," the college's latest decision reads.

The Surrey School District says it has experienced a decline in student enrolment that resulted in a $17-million decrease in provincial funding.

The district said it had about 871 fewer students this school year than in 2024-25, a trend that is anticipated to continue.

Terry Allen, vice-chair of the Surrey school board, said they're expecting a decrease of more than 800 students per year for the next three years.

"It's very, very unusual," he told CBC’s The Early Edition. "In fact, [it's] probably the first time I've seen it in over 20 years that we've had declining enrolment."

The biggest issue with the enrolment drop is that fewer students means less funding from the province, Allen said.

"We're funded on a per-pupil basis," he said. "If that trend continues, then it becomes more and more difficult to balance your budget."

In 2023, the district said it was growing at a rate of . That rate slowed in 2024-25 to an increase of 1,400 students, but didn't begin to decrease until this school year.

In a news release announcing the approval of an amended 2025-26 budget, Allen said the decline in enrolment is "driven largely by external factors such as federal immigration changes, reduced temporary foreign worker permits and families relocating."

He said the school district's projections are based on population growth estimates from the city.

According to , Surrey is looking at an increase of about 14,000 residents in 2026. That’s compared to an increase of about 26,000 people from 2024 to 2025, and 45,000 people from 2023 to 2024.

A city spokesperson said they hope to have updated information after the next census this year.

The local teachers association criticized a lack of funding for the district last year when multiple schools , forcing students to share worksheets or use scrap paper for schoolwork.

The district made massive cuts last year, including to and educational assistant staffing, saving the district $16 million.

In September, the board announced it had a $33-million surplus, money which would be used for computer upgrades and a rainy day fund.

But Allen said that rainy day fund won’t be enough to keep the district going if their budget is continuously cut due to fewer students enrolling.

"It's a difficult situation the board's been put into, but hopefully we're going to able to navigate through it at the end of the day without any layoffs," he said.

LISTEN | How enrolment could affect the budget: