Canada to send $10 million to help with earthquake relief in Turkey and Syria

Local

CTV News: Ottawa’s LRT service was temporarily stopped downtown on Tuesday due to a water leak in the Rideau Station tunnel.

Although trains continued to run up the line, they did not stop at Rideau Station for the duration of the leak. Emergency crews were fast to fix the problem, with service being restored roughly 30 minutes after the alarm went off.

Commuters were redirected to R1 buses for the duration of the emergency with staff on sight to assist people with their commutes.

National

The Globe and Mail: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Tuesday that he is pledging a funding increase of $46.2 billion over the next 10 years toward Canada’s Healthcare system. This increase would bring the total Healthcare spending from the federal government to $196.1 billion.

The prime Minister’s announcement has been met with praise from most of the premiers of the country, although some Indigenous leaders have expressed concern that they have not been properly consulted.

The funding would come with some stipulations, such as $25 billion over 10 years would have to be dedicated to shared priorities such as family care and investments in mental health.

International

Global News: As rescue efforts continue at a diligent pace in Turkey and Syria after series of earthquakes devastated the two countries, Ottawa has pledged $10 million in assistance as part of an international aid package.

For now, search and rescue teams are working around the clock, while the death toll in Turkey now exceeds 3,500 people and is expected to rise, with 22,000 injuries. Syria has reported over 1,600 deaths and 3,600 injuries.

Search and rescue teams from all over the world are heading to help the areas impacted by the earthquakes. The Canadian government is still considering sending their disaster response team to assist with rescue operations and medical aid.