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Canada’s Military Project in Latvia Gets a Boost
The federal government is spending more than $273 million to secure new military equipment for the Canadian-led NATO battle group in Latvia.
This includes $227. 5 million for a short-range air defence formula from Saab Canada Inc. , aimed at combating planes, helicopters and drones, and another $46 million for anti-drone equipment.
Defence Minister Bill Blair said it was the first time the Canadian Armed Forces would have air defence capability since 2012.
It says the device is being procured “urgently” and is expected to be delivered later this year.
Blair made the announcement in Brussels, where he will attend a meeting of NATO defence ministers, and noted Canada’s unwavering stance on the military alliance.
Trudeau adds to caution over Rafah offensive
An Israeli army offensive in the densely populated Gaza Strip, where around 1. 5 million Palestinians have sought safe haven, would be “catastrophic,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said late Wednesday.
He told a meeting with the prime ministers of Australia and New Zealand that the effect of such an incursion into Rafah would be “devastating” given the already dire humanitarian situation.
“We urge the Israeli government not to go down this path. There is simply no other position for civilians to go through,” he said.
“A foreign consensus is developing. Israel will have to pay attention to its friends and it will have to pay attention to the foreign community.
“Coverage of civilians is paramount and a requirement of foreign humanitarian law. Palestinian civilians will be forced to pay the price for defeating Hamas. “
This is followed by similar warnings from the United States, other Western allies and the United Nations. U. S. President Joe Biden said earlier this week that Israel should not launch a potential military operation in Rafah without a “credible” plan to ensure the protection of civilians.
VCH Leaves Intake Site in B. C. community
Vancouver Coastal Health says it’s no longer a self-sustaining supervised intake in Richmond, B. C.
The decision was announced late Wednesday in a statement from VCH, which said that based on the latest public health data, such a facility would not be the most appropriate service for people at risk of overdose in the community.
He noted that Richmond’s local fitness area reports a low rate of drug poisoning deaths, adding that those numbers are slowly decreasing.
The press release goes on to recommend that independent sites work best in communities where there is a high concentration of other at-risk people, as other people won’t be too far away from downloading those services.
The plan update also comes days after what was discussed at the Richmond City Council. After two days of heated debate, the council voted 7-2 to explore the option of building such a site for other people with addictions in the city.
Winter continues to lash Newfoundland and Nova Scotia
A dangerous winter persists across most of Newfoundland’s east coast.
Environment Canada’s winter typhoon warnings remain in effect from the Burin Peninsula in the south to Notre Dame Bay in the north.
Snowstorm-like conditions are expected, with up to 60 centimeters of snow and wind gusts of up to kilometers per hour in coastal areas.
Meanwhile, warnings and situations affect the northern tip of Nova Scotia.
While the ferocity is expected to be the same as in Newfoundland, snow or snow gusts will most likely persist on Cape Breton Island until later in the day.
Safety Committee to Release Report on Helicopter Crash
The Transportation Safety Board is expected to take into account a series of recommendations today following its investigation into a fatal reversal of fate of a helicopter in Nunavut.
The helicopter crashed in 2021 while surveying polar bear populations on Griffith Island, about 20 miles southwest of Resolute Bay, Nevada.
Two members of the team and a biologist were killed.
The RCMP, the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre founded in Trenton, Ontario, and the Canadian Rangers responded to the twist of fate.
A three-person search and rescue team from Resolute Bay discovered the wreckage of the plane, which was destroyed in a fire that followed the crash.
There are no survivors.
Prince Harry and Meghan at the Invictus Games camp in British Columbia
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, are back in Whistler, B. C. , this morning for the Invictus Games camp.
The Games will be the first to include alpine skiing, Nordic skiing, skeleton skiing and wheelchair curling; They will also host indoor rowing, sitting volleyball, swimming, wheelchair rugby and wheelchair basketball, as before.
The prince, who founded the Games for wounded or ill military personnel and veterans about a decade ago, met with athletes on Whistler Mountain on Wednesday, some of whom were contemplating winter sports for the first time.
The Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 will host approximately 500 competitions from 23 countries from February 8-16, 2025.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published on February 15, 2024.
The Canadian Press
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