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.
International Trade Minister Mary Ng announced Canada's intention in a statement released by her office on Monday, that disclosed her Sunday telephone call with a Taiwanese minister. She said the island represented a key trade and investment partner as Canada tries to diversify its trade relations in the Indo-Pacific.
Children in Alberta and British Columbia returned to the classroom Monday as surging COVID-19 cases threatened to overwhelm hospitals in several provinces and prompted the United States to advise its citizens to "avoid travel" to Canada.
Lululemon Athletica Inc. is lowering its fourth-quarter earnings estimates as the Omicron variant curbs the retailer's sales. The Vancouver-based company says it now expects its net revenue and earnings to be on the low end of previously announced ranges.
BC Ferries says a combination of the fast-spreading Omicron COVID-19 variant, a global shortage of mariners, severe weather and the flu season has the potential to disrupt ferry service over the next few months. The company says in a statement that the problem may hit inter-island routes hardest.
There are 34,551 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 243,953 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 431 individuals are in hospital and 95 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.
The victim has been identified as 41-year-old Ryan Lajeunesse from Abbotsford. Mr. Lajeunesse is known to police. Initial belief is that this was not a random incident. IHIT has processed the scene and is working in partnership with AbbyPD, the AbbyPD Forensic Identification Section (FIS), and the BC Coroners Service.