In the news today: Trudeau denounces protest outside Mount Sinai hospital

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today…

Protest outside Mount Sinai Hospital ‘reprehensible’ show of antisemitism: Trudeau

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is denouncing a protest outside a Toronto hospital as a “reprehensible” display of antisemitism as police say they are investigating several incidents that took place during the demonstration.

The prime minister says in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he “strongly” condemns Monday’s protest outside Mount Sinai Hospital.

He says hospitals are “places for treatment and care, not protests and intimidation.”

The hospital, located in downtown Toronto, was founded by the Jewish community.

Bell CEO, other execs called to committee to testify over recent job cuts

Bell Canada’s CEO and a handful of other executives have been called to Parliament on February 29th.

The call comes after the company announced last week it would be laying off 48-hundred positions, ending multiple television newscasts and selling off 45 of its 103 radio stations.

The company blamed its cuts on the federal government and the Canadian Radio-television Commission.

Here’s what else we’re watching …

Opinions split on MAID for mental illness: poll

A new survey by the Leger polling firm suggests fewer than half of Canadians feel that medical assistance in dying should be available to people whose sole underlying condition is a mental illness.

Only 42 per cent of Canadians think those people should be eligible.

That’s according to an online survey taken last weekend.

The rest of respondents are split between those who oppose the move and those who say they don’t know.

Spy service tracks evolution of ‘Freedom’ movement

The loosely knit collective that vocally opposed COVID-19 health measures has morphed into a movement waging a broader fight against perceived government overreach.

That’s according to a newly released assessment from Canada’s spy agency.

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service says the movement’s wider concerns include opposition to the L-G-B-T-Q-plus community and international organizations like the World Economic Forum.

The Canadian Press used the Access to Information Act to obtain the April 2023 CSIS brief and related assessments of what the spy service calls ideologically motivated violent extremism.

Better organ donor data on the way this year: CIHI

A long-awaited national reporting system on organ donation and transplantation is expected to be in place by the end of the year.

Canadian Institute for Health Information spokeswoman Nicole de Guia says part of the aim is to identify missed opportunities from deceased patients who were not referred to provincial organ donation organizations.

Better data collection was a major goal of the Organ Donation and Transplantation Collaborative, or O-D-T-C, which was convened by Health Canada six years ago.

It involves all provinces and territories except Quebec and strives to boost organ donation and transplantation rates.

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle in Whistler, B.C.

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle plan to spend Valentine’s Day in Whistler, B.C., this year to attend a training camp one year ahead of the 2025 Invictus Games.

Prince Harry is the founder of the Games for wounded, injured or sick service personnel and veterans.

The purpose of this week’s training camp is to support nations taking part in the Games to build year-round adaptive sports programs.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are scheduled to join the participants during some of the events at the camp today and Thursday in Whistler and on Friday in Vancouver.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 14, 2024.

The Canadian Press