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CALGARY — Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the province has stepped in to pay an outstanding $25,000 bill to a hotel where a social services agency dispatched patients in post-hospital recovery.

TORONTO — Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid have grown closer off the ice. The star centres sometimes skate together in the summer and now share the same agent. They also possess unique perspectives on what the other deals with as a face of the NHL.

VANCOUVER — The surging Vancouver Whitecaps are trying to strike a delicate balance.

The international body that regulates shipping has approved new environmental protections for the Canadian Arctic expected to reduce emissions that hasten the melting of Arctic sea ice.

The numbers favour the Canadian men in Saturday's high-stakes Copa America qualifier with Trinidad and Tobago in Frisco, Texas. Canada is ranked 50th in the world, compared to No. 96 for Trinidad.

TORONTO — Some of the most active companies traded Fridayon the Toronto Stock Exchange: Toronto Stock Exchange (21,984.08, down 103.18): Canopy Growth Corp. (TSX:WEED). Health care. Up $4.32, or 70.13 per cent, to $10.48 on 15.1 million shares.

In naming his roster for a crucial Copa America qualifier against No. 96 Trinidad and Tobago, interim coach Mauro Biello said the 50th-ranked Canadian men needed a "cultural reset.

Canada's main stock index took a breather Friday, closing down more than 100 points a day after setting a new all-time closing high. The S&P/TSX composite index closed down 103.18 points at 21,984.08. On Thursday, it closed at 22,087.

OTTAWA — The Ottawa Senators signed forward Stephen Halliday to a two-year, entry-level contract Friday. The deal will start in the 2024-25 season.

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — A fisherman who led protests this week that shut down the Newfoundland and Labrador legislature says he has reached a deal with the government to make it easier for harvesters to earn a living.