Supreme Court of Canada upholds federal government’s Indigenous child welfare law
Local
CTV: The City of Belleville has declared a state of local emergency on Feb. 8 due to the, “growing addiction, mental health, and homelessness crisis.”
On Wednesday, the Belleville Police Service told Newstalk 580 CFRA there were 17 overdose cases in 24 hours in the downtown area and 13 of them were in a span of an hour and a half.
Police asked civilians to try to not travel downtown to allow response crews to save people with quick haste.
Mayor Neil Ellis said, “We need serious action and support from senior level government to deal with this crisis and until we begin to see meaningful discussions on how to address the matter, I fear nothing will change.”
“That is why we are calling on the province and federal government for support. I urge our local municipal partners facing the same issues to do the same,” he said.
All roads are now open.
National
CBC: The Supreme Court of Canada sided with the federal government on the Trudeau government’s Indigenous child welfare law being constitutional.
Quebec appealed claiming Indigenous Peoples’ jurisdiction over child and family services.
Bill C-92 became law in 2019, An Act Respecting First Nations, Metis, Inuit Children Youth and Families. This law declares Indigenous people have jurisdiction over their child and family services but also requires national minimum standards of care.
“The act as a whole is constitutionally valid,” the court concluded.
International
CBC: A volcano erupted for the third time since December on Thursday in southwestern Iceland.
It forced the people in the Blue Lagoon Spa, one of Iceland’s biggest tourist attractions, to evacuate.
The eruption began at 1 a.m. ET along a three-kilometre fissure northeast of Mount Skylingarfell, said Icelandic Meteorological Office.
Several communities on the Reykjanes Peninsula were cut off from heat and hot water after lava engulfed the supply pipeline.
The volcano calmed down by mid-afternoon, but lava continued to spew from parts of the fissure, said the Met Office.
