Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today…
No update on border crossing for Canadians in Gaza
Canadians trapped in the Gaza Strip who were previously told they could be allowed out over the weekend will have to wait longer for escape from the besieged Palestinian territory.
The Rafah border crossing into Egypt remained closed over the weekend amid escalating attacks from Israel and Global Affairs Canada says it has no information on when it will reopen.
The crossing is the only exit point for foreign nationals who wish to leave the Palestinian territory, which has been under constant bombardment since the Israeli army launched retaliatory attacks for the brutal Oct. 7 incursion by Hamas.
Health care, energy costs on premiers agenda
Health care and the effect of carbon pricing measures on the rising cost of living across Canada are slated to take centre stage at today’s meeting of the country’s premiers and territorial leaders in Halifax.
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston says health care is the main formal agenda item at the latest Council of the Federation meeting and he hopes talks will produce innovative ideas that can help provinces address the problems plaguing the health system.
The focus on the cost of fuel comes after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced last month a three-year pause on carbon pricing for home fuel oil for the 10 jurisdictions where federal fuel charges apply.
Here’s what else we’re watching …
Family in Gaza mulls if and how to stay together
Omar Mansour says his family has been wrestling with one major question since the start of the latest Israel-Hamas war — would it be better to face death together or apart?
A day after Hamas’ deadly October 7th incursion into Israel that sparked the latest conflict, Mansour’s parents, brothers and sisters gathered at a home in the Gaza Strip to discuss their options.
With Mansour listening on the phone from Vancouver, where he now lives, the family debated whether it would be best to split up or stick together as bombs rained down around them.
They ultimately tried both — two sisters initially travelled south before someone got injured and they returned to the family home.
The Mansours have stayed together since then, but have had to relocate several times as air strikes intensify in the Gaza Strip.
Quebec public sector worker strike begins
Hundreds of thousands of Quebec public sector workers are off the job today in the first of a series of one-day strikes.
Schools, health care facilities and social services will all be disrupted as four unions representing a “common front” of some 420,000 workers go on strike to protest the province’s latest contract offer.
The unions are promising a historic fight to preserve their purchasing power during a time of high inflation.
Ontario eyeing ban on workplace misconduct NDAs
Ontario is considering banning the use of non-disclosure agreements in cases of workplace sexual harassment, misconduct or violence.
Labour Minister David Piccini is set to announce consultations on the issue today, as he discusses his ministry’s next piece of legislation.
Piccini says that non-disclosure agreements should never be used to silence victims or to sidestep accountability.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2023.
PORT ALBERNI, B.C. – RCMP say the body of a second person has been found inside their vehicle after a road washed away amid pouring rain on the west coast of Vancouver Island.
Police say two vehicles went into the Sarita River when Bamfield Road washed out on Saturday as an atmospheric river hammered southern B.C.
The body of the other driver was found Sunday.
More coming.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
The B.C. Greens say Sonia Furstenau will be staying on as party leader, despite losing her seat in the legislature in Saturday’s provincial election.
The party says in a statement that its two newly elected MLAs, Jeremy Valeriote and Rob Botterell, support Furstenau’s leadership as they “navigate the prospect of having the balance of power in the legislature.”
Neither the NDP led by Premier David Eby nor the B.C. Conservatives led by John Rustad secured a majority in the election, with two recounts set to take place from Oct. 26 to 28.
Eby says in a news conference that while the election outcome is uncertain, it’s “very likely” that the NDP would need the support of others to pass legislation.
He says he reached out to Furstenau on election night to congratulate her on the Greens’ showing.
But he says the Green party has told the NDP they are “not ready yet” for a conversation about a minority government deal.
The Conservatives went from taking less than two per cent of the vote in 2020 to being elected or leading in 45 ridings, two short of a majority and only one behind the NDP.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2024.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Toronto FC captain Jonathan Osorio is making a difference, 4,175 kilometres away from home.
The 32-year-old Canadian international midfielder, whose parents hail from Colombia, has been working with the Canadian Colombian Children’s Organization, a charity whose goal is to help disadvantaged youth in the South American country.
Osorio has worked behind the scenes, with no fanfare.
Until now, with his benevolence resulting in becoming Toronto FC’s nominee for the Audi Goals Drive Progress Impact Award, which honours an MLS player “who showed outstanding dedication to charitable efforts and serving the community” during the 2024 season.”
Other nominees include Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Sebastian Berhalter and CF Montreal goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois.
The winner will be announced in late November.
The Canadian Colombian Children’s Organization (CCCO) is run entirely by volunteers like Monica Figueredo and Claudia Soler. Founded in 1991, it received charitable status in 2005.
The charity currently has four projects on the go: two in Medellin and one each in Armenia and Barranquilla.
They include a school, a home for young girls whose parents are addicted to drugs, after-school and weekend programs for children in a disadvantaged neighbourhood, and nutrition and education help for underprivileged youth.
The organization heard about Osorio and was put in contact with him via an intermediary, which led to a lunch meeting. Osorio did his due diligence and soon got back to the charity with his decision.
“It was something that I wanted to be a part of right away,” said Osorio, whose lone regret is that he didn’t get involved sooner.
“I’m fortunate now that to help more now that I could have back then,” he added. “The timing actually worked out for everybody. For the last three years I have donated to their cause and we’ve built a couple of (football) fields in different cities over there in the schools.”
His father visited one of the sites in Armenia close to his hometown.
“He said it was amazing, the kids, how grateful they are to be able to play on any pitch, really,” said Osorio. “But to be playing on a new pitch, they’re just so grateful and so humble.
“It really makes it worth it being part of this organization.”
The collaboration has also made Osorio take stock.
“We’re very fortunate here in Canada, I think, for the most part. Kids get to go to school and have a roof over their head and things like that. In Colombia, it’s not really the same case. My father and his family grew up in tough conditions, so giving back is like giving back to my father.”
Osorio’s help has been a godsend to the charity.
“We were so surprised with how willing he was,” said Soler.
The TFC skipper has helped pay for a football field in Armenia as well as an ambitious sports complex under construction in Barranquilla.
“It’s been great for them,” Figueredo said of the pitch in Armenia. “Because when they go to school, now they have a proper place to train.”
Osorio has also sent videos encouraging the kids to stay active — as well as shipping soccer balls and signed jerseys their way.
“They know more about Jonathan than the other players in Colombia,” Figueredo said. “That’s the funny part. Even though he’s far away, they’ve connected with him.”
“They feel that they have a future, that they can do more,” she added. “Seeing that was really, really great.”
The kids also followed Osorio through the 2022 World Cup and this summer’s Copa America.
Back home, Osorio has also attended the charity’s annual golf tournament, helping raise funds.
A Toronto native, he has long donated four tickets for every TFC home game to the Hospital for Sick Children.
Vancouver’s Berhalter was nominated for his involvement in the Whitecaps’ partnership with B.C. Children’s Hospital while Montreal’s Sirois was chosen for his work with the Montreal Impact Foundation.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
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