Trudeau condemns Russian missile attack on Kyiv hospital ahead of NATO summit
By: Kelly Geraldine Malone
WASHINGTON, D.C. (CP) – A major Russian missile attack struck a large children’s hospital in Kyiv Monday just as the ongoing war in Ukraine is set to be the major topic of conversation at the NATO leaders’ summit this week in Washington, D.C.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau immediately condemned the attack as he arrived in the U.S. capital Monday morning.
“This is abhorrent,” he said in a statement.
“Striking a children’s hospital — and the innocent children inside — cannot be justified.”
The missile that struck Okhmatdyt children’s hospital was part of a daytime barrage targeting five Ukrainian cities. Officials said at least 31 people were killed and 154 injured, including at least seven children at the hospital.
Trudeau said Canada’s commitment to Ukraine remains as strong as ever. He is expected to send a message to NATO members during the leaders’ summit to bolster support for ongoing military aid for Ukraine.
Drivers arrested after bus crash leaves tens of thousands without power near Montreal
LONGUEUIL, QUE. (CP) – The two drivers involved in a bus crash that caused a major power outage on Montreal’s South Shore on Saturday have been arrested.
Police in Longueuil, Que., confirmed late Sunday that they had arrested the two drivers.
Some 88,000 Hydro-Québec clients lost power after a bus, which was carrying volunteer firefighters from the Montérégie region, collided with a car before hitting a transmission tower at about 9:45 p.m. Saturday.
Police say the bus driver, who is a man in his 60s, is facing a charge of dangerous driving causing injuries.
The woman driving the car will face a charge of impaired driving.
Police said that two people on the bus and one person in the car were injured in the crash.
Power has since been restored to the South Shore.
1 arrest, McGill University windows smashed in pro-Palestinian protest
MONTREAL (CP) – One person was arrested during a pro-Palestinian protest at McGill University on Friday night after Montreal police and city workers dismantled a pro-Palestinian encampment at Victoria Square in the financial district earlier in the day.
City police say protesters gathered at around 8 p.m. at Place Jean-Riopelle and marched roughly one kilometre north toward McGill University’s downtown campus where a separate encampment has been in place since late April. Campus protesters have been demanding the university cut ties with Israel as its war with Hamas continues to rage.
Police spokesperson Véronique Dubuc says a 66-year-old man was arrested for breaking windows at a McGill administration building and assaulting a campus security guard.
She says police used tear gas to disperse the protesters and two officers suffered minor injuries during the police operation, which concluded at around 11 p.m.
In bid to win over dentists, Ottawa changes billing for dental care plan
OTTAWA (CP) – Health Minister Mark Holland says dentists and other oral-health providers no longer need to sign up with the government to provide care to patients who are covered under the national dental care plan.
The change is part of the government’s latest bid to win over dentists who have been reluctant to join the program for uninsured low- and middle-income Canadians.
Holland announced the change at a press conference in Nova Scotia, after weeks of tension with dental associations across the country.
Last month the minister suggested dental associations were actively seeking problems with the program.
The government has processed nearly 250,000 dental claims for seniors enrolled in the program since the coverage launched in May.
The government recently expanded eligibility, and has so far received applications from roughly 10,000 people with disabilities and 25,000 children.
Joly to meet with new British counterpart after political seachange in the U.K.
OTTAWA (CP) – Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly is expected to meet with her new British counterpart for the first time since the Labour Party took power in the United Kingdom last week.
Joly is in London for her meeting with David Lammy, who was recently appointed Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs.
The massive shift in the political landscape in Britain last week saw the Conservative government ousted after 14 years in power.
The change has revived some hopes in Canada for a free-trade deal with the U.K., and Joly’s office expects her conversation with Lammy to include ways to “deepen bilateral relations” between the countries.
The two also plan to exchange views on transatlantic security, support for Ukraine and the war in the Middle East.
B.C. woman faces terrorism charges for travelling to Syria to join ISIS in 2015
VANCOUVER (CP) – Mounties in British Columbia say they have charged a 51-year-old woman with two terrorism-related offences after she reportedly travelled to Syria in 2015 to join ISIS.
They say Kimberly Polman was repatriated to Canada in October 2022 and placed on a series of bail conditions as they investigated the allegations.
Police say she has been subject to a Terrorism Peace Bond — a protection order made by a provincial court when it decides there are reasonable grounds someone may commit a terrorism offence — since Nov. 7, 2023.
Mounties say the Pacific Region RCMP Federal Policing Integrated National Security Enforcement Team arrested and charged the Squamish resident on Friday.
Polman now faces one count of leaving Canada to participate in activity of a terrorist group and one count of participating in activity with a terrorist group.
Her next court appearance is scheduled to take place on Aug. 2 in Vancouver Provincial Court.
