Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his government will announce new measures today to bring family members of Canadians trapped in the besieged Gaza Strip to safety. Gaza became a battlefield after Hamas launched an attack on Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 Israeli civilians and military members.
The Liberals are stressing that Hamas needs to surrender to Israel, after the militant group praised Ottawa for calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the group can no longer have a role in governing Gaza or in creating a Palestinian state living in peace alongside Israel.
The federal government says it will give Toronto nearly half a billion dollars in housing funding. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the announcement in Toronto this morning, saying the city will receive $471 million from the federal Housing Accelerator Fund.
The man who extorted and bullied British Columbia teenager Amanda Todd into suicide has had his 13-year sentence from a Canadian court converted to a six-year prison term in Europe. An Amsterdam court handed Aydin Coban the six-year sentence on Thursday, which is the maximum allowed under Dutch law and is longer than the 4 1/2 years prosecutors recommended to the court in July.
Police in British Columbia say a woman faces more than a dozen charges related to an alleged human trafficking scheme involving sexual exploitation of people under 18. Langley RCMP say Jennifer Lynn Stephens faces 14 criminal charges for her alleged role in a human trafficking and pimping operation, including forcible confinement, assault with a weapon, uttering threats, and benefiting and advertising sexual services.
BC Ferries says it’s adding more than 152 sailings between Metro Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland for people travelling over holidays. The additional sailings begin today and will operate until New Year’s Day with 112 extra sailings added along the Swartz Bay-Tsawwassen route.