Federal government
B.C. welcomes federal housing dollars, but co-ops disappointed by timeline
$1 billion in funding has been promised for affordable housing across Canada. How much will B.C. get? B.C. leaders say although they welcome Ottawa’s affordable housing funding pledge, they worry it will amount to few projects over the next four years, while co-op housing advocates say they’re disappointed by the plan’s lack of urgency. On Tuesday, Ottawa pledged $1 billion for non-profit, co-op, and public housing providers to build more than 7,000 new homes by 2028. “The billion dollars they’ve said that’s going to be additional for building affordable housing isRead more
Palestinians in the GTA appeal to federal government to help loved ones flee Gaza
More than 4,300 people have been killed in Gaza, according to Hamas-run Health Ministry A group of Palestinians living in the GTA are appealing to the federal government to bring family members living in Gaza to Canada faster than standard immigration policies allow. Milton local and permanent resident Abdallah Alhamadni says they’re hoping Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will create a humanitarian pathway for Palestinians fleeing from the Israel-Hamas war, similar to those implemented for people escaping violence in places like Syria and Ukraine. “I have a great hope, it’s not impossible to do that,”Read more
Federal government’s plans to implement N.S. mass shooting report still up in the air
Ottawa, N.S. set up watchdog to monitor progress on Mass Casualty Commission recommendations Two months after a commission investigating the worst mass shooting in Canadian history made sweeping calls to reform the RCMP and improve community safety, it’s still not clear how many of its recommendations the federal government will adopt. On March 30, the heads of the Mass Casualty Commission released a final report with 130 recommendations over more than 3,000 pages. The commission was struck to investigate the deaths of 22 people at the hands of a gunmanRead more
Federal government proposes stricter bail system in new bill
Proposed law would make it harder for those accused of certain crimes to get released on bail The federal government is proposing changes to the country’s bail system that would make it harder for those accused of certain offences to be released on bail. Bill C-48 would amend the Criminal Code so that those charged with a serious violent offence involving a weapon — one with a maximum penalty of ten years’ imprisonment — who were convicted of a similar offence within the last five years will face a reverse onus to get bail. “Reverse onus” means the accused wouldRead more