Kenneth Law now faces 14 counts in Ontario of first-degree murder and 14 counts of counselling and aiding suicide

Prosecutors in Canada have upgraded murder charges against the man who allegedly mailed “suicide kits” and is allegedly linked to more than 100 deaths in several countries.

Kenneth Law, who is due to appear in court on Thursday, now faces 14 counts in Ontario of first-degree murder and 14 counts of counselling and aiding suicide in the province. Canada’s criminal code punishes anyone who “counsels or abets” a person to die by suicide with a sentence of up to 14 years in prison. The victims range in age from 16 to 36.

In Canada, Crisis Services Canada can be contacted at any time on 1.833.456.4566, or via text on 45645 from 4pm-12am ET. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org

Thieves haul off taxidermy animal from resort hotel in northern Alberta that had previously lost two stuffed raccoons

As temperatures in western Canada recently plunged to -30C, most residents retreated indoors to wait out the blistering cold snap. But one group of thieves saw opportunity.

On one of the coldest nights of the winter, they gained access to a hotel north of Edmonton, where security patrols had been cancelled because of the weather.

Survivors taken to hospital after aircraft carrying group of heli-skiers went down in rugged backcountry on Monday afternoon

Three people have been killed and four others left in critical condition after a helicopter carrying a group of skiers crashed in the Canadian province of British Columbia.

The downed aircraft was one of three helicopters carrying heli-skiers into the rugged backcountry, when it went down around at about 4.15pm PT on Monday, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said in a statement.