Canada nowhere near target of planting 2B trees by 2030
Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 20 Apr, 2023 10:15 AM
Canada's environment commissioner says the country is nowhere near to meeting its goal of planting two-billion trees by 2030.
The Liberals first made the massive tree-planting promise during the 2019 federal election campaign and followed through with a 10-year 3.2-billion-dollar budget for it in 2020.
However, an audit of the first two years of planting says it appears the government isn't on track to get even four per cent of the promised trees in the ground by the end of 2030.
The board warned such conditions could persist as inflation remains stubbornly high and further interest rates are expected, encouraging people to forego home purchases over the holidays.
Their meeting came just a few days after B.C.'s coroner released the overdose death toll for October of 179 people, saying the illicit drug supply has created an environment where everyone who uses substances is at risk.
20 year old Kartik Saini was killed when his cycle was hit by a pick-up truck and dragged at the intersection of Yonge Street and St. Clair Avenue in midtown Toronto. The driver was charged on Thursday with careless driving and violating traffic signs.
A dusting of snow, no more than five centimetres, is expected in Fraser Valley, Howe Sound, Sunshine Coast, southern Gulf Islands and Metro Vancouver., potentially creating challenges for the afternoon commute, but Environment Canada predicts "significantly less" impact than Tuesday night's storm.
The LifePlus program charges clients an annual fee of $4,650 in the first year and $3,650 in subsequent years, promising 24-7 physician care as well as services like dietitians and chiropractors.
In the course of the probe, they say they confiscated 22 firearms and more than 13 kilograms of illegal drugs, while also making several arrests. Police say on Wednesday, the Public Prosecution Service of Canada approved 41 charges against four men.