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.
Conservative and NDP members of the House of Commons health committee hammered the minister with questions about a timeline, a benchmark, or a set of conditions that would trigger an end to vaccine requirements for travellers and federal employees.
The province expanded eligibility Monday for the rapid antigen tests, which are intended for future use in case of illness and should not be picked up by anyone with symptoms of an active infection. Eligible individuals can pick up one kit of five tests every 28 days by showing their personal health number.
Videos of the charter flight shared on social media showed unmasked passengers in close proximity singing and dancing in the aisle and on seats as some clutched bottles of liquor, snapped selfies and vaped.
Police say Connor Russell McDonald, 21, has been charged with arson causing property damage and disregard for human life, mischief to property endangering life, mischief to property, and possession of incendiary material.
There are 271 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 and 49 are in intensive care. In the past 72 hours, eight new deaths have been reported, for an overall total of 2,974.