Category: National News

• 10-Year Health-Care Plan Proposed – According to sources, the Federal Liberals will propose a 10-year health-care funding deal and a reform of the health-care system when Justin Trudeau meets with the premiers in Ottawa on Tuesday. The proposal will see new money flow to the provinces for health care as soon as the next budget. (CBC News)
• Alberta Law Society Keeps Continuing Education Rule – The Law Society of Alberta rejected a motion to suspend the group’s ability to require members to undertake continuing education. The vote was a response to a petition from 51 lawyers who opposed a five-part course on Indigenous history and culture. (Global News)
• Deadly Earthquake Strikes Turkey – Almost 4,000 people have been killed after two powerful earthquakes struck Turkey and Syria within the space of 12 hours. The first quake struck as people slept and measured magnitude 7.8 while the second large quake measured 7.7 magnitude. (The Guardian)
• Another Balloon Over Latin America – Beijing has confirmed that a balloon flying over Latin America is Chinese, two days after the United States shot down a similar device that American officials described as a spy balloon. China is upset that the U.S. shot down the balloon as they insisted it was a weather surveillance aircraft that had veered off course. (Aljazeera)

• Ford Wants Bail Reform – Ontario Premier Doug Ford along with other premiers have asked the federal government to initiate bail reform, including creating a reverse onus on bail for people accused of certain firearm offences. The push for bail reform comes following the killing of OPP Const. Greg Pierzchala, whose alleged killer was on bail for assault and weapons charges. (CP24)
• New Ontario Healthcare Plan – Ontario has released a new health-care plan aimed at shortening wait times and localizing access to care across the province. The three broad pillars of the plan include The Right Care in the Right Place, Faster Access to Care and Hiring More Health Care Workers. (CTV News)
• Spy Balloon Above U.S. – A suspected Chinese spy balloon has been flying over the United States but officials have advised against shooting it down for fear the debris could pose a safety threat. Washington has been tracking the balloon since it entered U.S. airspace a couple of days ago as it is operating above civilian air traffic but below outer space. (Reuters)
• Democrat Removed From Committee Post – Republicans have ousted Democrat Ilhan Omar from her House Foreign Affairs Committee post over her past comments about Israel. Republicans said the move sent a strong statement against antisemitism but is also a sign of escalating tensions in the US Congress. (BBC)

• U.S. Wants Dispute Panel Over Canadian Dairy Imports – The United States is seeking a second trade dispute settlement panel over Canada’s dairy import quotas, stating that Canada was still not meeting obligations to open its market to American producers. The U.S. Trade Representative’s office believes that Canada is unfairly using a market-share approach for determining quota allocations. (Reuters)
• New Standards Released For LTC Homes – After heartbreaking cases of abuse and a pandemic that left thousands of residents dead, new national standards have been introduced for Canada’s long-term-care homes. However, the new standards are voluntary and critics say they won’t be effective unless LTC homes adopt all of them without exceptions. (CBC News)
• Temperatures Plummet In Ontario – By Friday, Toronto will see some of the coldest daytime high temperatures that has occurred in about three years. The overnight low Friday into Saturday morning could reach the coldest air in the city since 2016, as the high for Friday is -14 C with overnight temperatures of -20 C. (City News)
• COVID Remains A Health Emergency – After speculation that the World Health Organization may downgrade the threat of COVID, the organization is keeping the COVID classification as a public health emergency. However, the WHO Director-General said the world is in the best position it has been in to beat back COVID. (ABC News)

• WHO Could End COVID-19 Emergency Declaration – On Monday, World Health Organization director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus will decide whether COVID-19 should continue to be declared a “public health emergency of international concern”. However, whether the declaration remains or is ended, it will not effect Canada’s response to COVID-19. (CP24)
• More Police For Toronto Transit – Toronto police will increase their presence on the TTC starting immediately as a direct response to public safety concerns over violence and criminal acts on the transit system. As well, off-duty police officers will be used in an overtime capacity throughout the day and into the evening to patrol the TTC. (City News)
• More Snow For Ontario – Ontario will feel the full force of winter in the coming days as additional rounds of snow and colder air descend on the province. Locally, Niagara could see 5-10 cm of snow through Sunday. (Weather Network)

• Canada May Give Tanks To Ukraine – Canada is considering contributing four Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine according to CBC News. The government could announce the donation of tanks as early as Thursday as the tanks are seen as an important weapon to combat Russia forces. (CBC News)
• More Potential Graves Found – A First Nation in British Columbia has announced the discovery of at least 66 new potential graves on the grounds of the former St. Joseph’s Mission Residential School. The school was in operation from 1886 to 1981 and was run by Catholic missionaries and then later the federal government. (CTV News)
• Trudeau Swarmed By Protesters – Justin Trudeau was swarmed by a small but vocal group of demonstrators in Hamilton where the Liberal cabinet retreat is taking place. Security and police pushed away the demonstrators as they hurled insults at the Prime Minister, calling him a “tyrant” and demanding his resignation. (Global News)
• Man Dies From Being Beaten By Police – An autopsy indicates that a black man who died after being stopped by police for reckless driving in Tennessee was severely beaten. The Memphis Police Department has fired five officers, all of them black, following the death of Tyre Nichols. (BBC)