Conservatives target supervised consumption sites, NDP promises rent control
CBC
A Conservative government would ban any new supervised consumption sites from opening, while also making it harder for existing sites to operate, as leader Pierre Poilievre provided in greater detail Sunday his approach, if elected, to a form of harm reduction he has repeatedly condemned.
Poilievre was in New Westminster, B.C., to announce his government would respond instead with $1 billion to develop new recovery options, such as detox facilities, treatment centres and sweat lodges. He suggested 50,000 people would be helped through the plan.
He said Canada needs a different approach to recovery than the use of supervised consumption sites, which he has decried as "drug dens" responsible for the current addiction crisis.
His government would ban supervised consumption sites from being located within 500 metres of schools, daycares, playgrounds, parks or seniors' homes, he pledged.
Poilievre also said he'd suspend the approval of new supervised consumption sites until "clear evidence demonstrates they support recovery," according to a statement from the party. It is unclear what evidence the party would rely on, however, as Poilievre has disagreed with harm-reduction advocates who say there's proof these facilities have saved lives.
The Conservatives would also end the temporary exemption to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act that authorized supervised consumption sites to open without requiring approval from the provincial government.
However, Poilievre stopped short of saying all facilities would be shut down. Last summer, Poilievre vowed to remove all federal funding for prescribed alternative drug programs and divert that money into drug treatment.
On Sunday, he said existing sites that aren't close to schools, parks and other community-gathering places can continue to operate, so long as they follow new oversight rules.
They'd be required to check the health cards of all users and have licensed medical staff on-site at all times. The facilities must have a focus on connecting users with treatment and the support of nearby businesses and first responders. They'd also have to adhere to cleanliness standards and ensure the removal of needles in surrounding areas.
Each facility would be subject to an annual review. Any centre that fails to meet these standards would have 30 days to comply or be shut down.
Meanwhile, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh was in Halifax to announce a government under his leadership would only provide federal home-building money to cities and towns that have strict rent controls, leader Jagmeet Singh promised on Sunday.
He said he has no qualms wading into rent control, a matter of provincial jurisdiction, because the housing shortage is a "national crisis."
"I could look for excuses all day long," Singh said from a city where the median rent of the oldest apartments increased by more than 40 per cent in the last four years.
"I think a leader is not one who looks for excuses, it's someone who looks for solutions.… We can absolutely find ways to protect people at the federal level."
Have you ever tried to stack bottle caps?
When Aiden O’Halloran was in Grade 6, he was getting 80s on his math tests, learning fractions, angles and double-digit addition, and keeping up with his class with targeted support.
Nicole Wiercinski says being able to move into her own home in time for the holidays “feels like a dream come true.”
A group of five Liberal MPs and a lone NDP parliamentarian are planning to spend three days in Israel and the occupied West Bank, at a time of heightened tensions between Ottawa and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
A commercial real estate developer well known for his philanthropic work, along with a ratepayers group and a local refugee shelter, are floating a plan to transform 10 vacant houses in a tony north Toronto neighbourhood into temporary homes for low income families.
Heavy snowfall is set to continue in the London region through Sunday, with some areas expected to receive upwards of 40 centimetres in total by the time the system moves out.
A staple of Water Street is closing its doors in downtown St. John's.
Cool temperatures and sufficient snowfall have combined to helped some Maritime ski hills add a few extra days of business to this year's season.
A Winnipeg-based rabbi says the local Jewish community must stand together in the wake of a deadly attack on a Hanukkah celebration in Australia on Sunday.
More than half of Alberta adults say they would support eliminating provincial funding for private schools if the issue went to a referendum, a recent survey suggests.
The receding of floodwaters in Abbotsford, B.C., has led officials to reopen Highway 1 and downgrade some evacuation orders, though more rain is expected across the Fraser Valley and other parts of the province.
When she flew home to Edmonton from Mexico this month, Mahala Swisterski says she and her husband breathed a sigh of relief as they boarded the plane.
Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc says the door is open for American officials to restart trade talks with Canada, but the next time for direct engagement on trade will likely be when the North American free trade agreement begins its review process next month.