In a bold move to shape its demographic landscape, Canada is gearing up to welcome a significant influx of immigrants, with the government's announced targets aiming to bring in 485,000 new permanent residents in 2024, escalating to 500,000 in 2025, and maintaining that level in 2026. This strategic push is propelled by the twin engines of economic growth and a compassionate response to global humanitarian crises.
British Columbia is moving to restrict the use of cellphones in schools as part of measures Premier David Eby says will help protect young people from online threats. Eby said the government will also launch a service to remove intimate images from the internet and "pursue predators," as well as introduce legislation to hold social media companies accountable for harms they have caused.
Immigration Minister Marc Miller said at a cabinet retreat in Montreal on Monday that the number of new visas handed out this year will be capped at 364,000, a 35 per cent decrease from the nearly 560,000 issued last year. The number for 2025 will be set after an assessment of the situation later this year.
Weather officials are warning residents in British Columbia's South Coast region of another atmospheric river system that could bring storms and elevate flood risks starting Saturday. Environment and Climate Change Canada says the region is expected to see periods of heavy rain combined with melting mountain snow until Wednesday.
The centre says there have now been four flu-related deaths in children under 10 during the current respiratory illness season. It says flu-related deaths refer to those where influenza was a contributing factor but not necessarily the primary cause of death.
Vancouver resident Robert Ford was heading to a yoga class Sunday morning when he smelled an odour he likened to "semi-burnt fuel." As a member of council at his Kitsilano apartment building, he said he decided to check the boiler room, but it smelled fine.