In the news today: Canada-led NATO mission gets boost, BC safe-use site off the table

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

Canadian military mission in Latvia gets boost

The federal government is spending more than $273 million to acquire new military equipment for NATO’s Canada-led battle group in Latvia.

That includes $227.5 million for a short-range air defence system from Saab Canada Inc., intended to defend against fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and drones, and another $46 million for counter-drone equipment.

Defence Minister Bill Blair says it’s the first time that the Canadian Armed Forces will have an air defence capability since 2012.

He says the equipment is being acquired on an “urgent basis” and is expected to be delivered later this year.

Blair made the announcement in Brussels, where he is attending a meeting of NATO defence ministers — and where he’s signalling Canada’s steadfast support for the military alliance.

Trudeau adds voice to international warning over Rafah offensive

An Israeli military offensive into the densely populated area where some 1.5 million Palestinians have taken refuge in the Gaza Strip would be “catastrophic,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said late Wednesday.

He said in a joint statement with the prime ministers of Australia and New Zealand that the impact of such an incursion into Rafah would be “devastating” given the already-dire humanitarian situation.

“We urge the Israeli government not to go down this path. There is simply nowhere else for civilians to go,” the statement said.

“There is growing international consensus. Israel must listen to its friends and it must listen to the international community.

“The protection of civilians is paramount and a requirement under international humanitarian law. Palestinian civilians cannot be made to pay the price of defeating Hamas.”

The statement follows similar warnings from the United States, other Western allies and the United Nations. U.S. President Joe Biden said earlier this week that Israel must not move ahead with a prospective military operation in Rafah without a “credible” plan to keep civilians safe.

VCH drops safe consumption site in BC community

Vancouver Coastal Health says it is no longer considering a stand-alone supervised consumption in Richmond, British Columbia.

The decision was announced late Wednesday in a statement from VCH, which said that, based on the latest Public Health data, such a facility would not be the most appropriate service for those at risk of overdose in the community.

It noted that the Richmond Local Health Area is reporting a comparatively low rate of drug toxicity deaths, adding that those numbers are slowly coming down.

The media release went on to suggest that stand-alone sites work best in communities where there is a significant concentration of people at-risk, since people will not travel far for these services.

The change in plans also comes days after the matter was discussed at Richmond City Hall. Following two days of heated debate, council voted 7-2 in favour of exploring the possibility of establishing such a site for people with addictions in the city.

Winter weather continues to whip Nfld, Nova Scotia

Hazardous winter conditions are continuing along much of Newfoundland’s eastern coastline.

Environment Canada’s winter storm warnings remain in effect from the Burin Peninsula in the south to Notre Dame Bay in the north.

The forecasts call for blizzard-like conditions, with up to 60 centimetres of snow and wind gusts topping out along the coastal areas at 110 kilometres per hour.

Meanwhile, similar warnings and conditions are hitting the northern tip of Nova Scotia.

Although the ferocity is not expected to be the same as in Newfoundland, snow or snow squalls will likely continue across Cape Breton Island until later in the day.

Safety board to release helicopter crash report

The Transportation Safety Board is expected to issue a series of recommendations today following its investigation into a deadly helicopter crash in Nunavut.

The helicopter went down in 2021 on a trip to survey polar bear populations on Griffith Island, about 20 kilometres southwest of Resolute Bay, Nvt.

Two crew members and a wildlife biologist were killed.

RCMP, the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre based in Trenton, Ont., and the Canadian Rangers responded to the crash.

A three-person search-and-rescue team from Resolute Bay found the wreckage of the plane, which was destroyed in a post-crash fire.

There were no survivors.

Prince Harry, Meghan at B.C. Invictus Games camp

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, are back in Whistler, B.C., this morning at the Invictus Games training camp.

The Games will be the first to feature alpine skiing, nordic skiing, skeleton and wheelchair curling, but it will also host indoor rowing, sitting volleyball, swimming, wheelchair rugby and wheelchair basketball events as it has previously.

The prince, who founded the Games for wounded, injured or sick service personnel and veterans about a decade ago, met with athletes on Whistler mountain Wednesday, some of whom were trying the winter sports for the first time.

Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 will host about 500 competitors from 23 nations from Feb. 8 to 16, 2025.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 15, 2024

The Canadian Press