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    • Manitoba, Saskatchewan raise concerns about expanding eligibility for assisted dying

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    OTTAWA -

    Canada's Health Minister Mark Holland says some provinces will stand opposed to expanding medical assistance in dying for ideological reasons, but the government wants to ensure a majority feel ready.

    Holland recently acknowledged provinces have expressed fears that the country may not be ready for the change to take effect in March.

    The governments of Manitoba and Saskatchewan say they are concerned about the potential risks of allowing Canadians to seek medical assistance in dying solely on the basis of a mental illness.

    Holland said there is a need to make sure the right number of professionals have been trained, and to hear from provinces about whether their systems are ready, though he said some provinces will have "ideological objections."

    The federal Liberal government passed legislation last year to delay the expansion for 12 months, and will soon have to decide whether to do so a second time.

    Liberal ministers say they are waiting to hear next week from a parliamentary committee that held hearings last fall about whether Canada is ready for the expansion. The witnesses who appeared offered a range of opinions, giving parliamentarians an up-close look at the divisions that persist within the legal and medical communities.

    Providers currently trained to administer medically assisted deaths say they are ready and that guidelines and practice standards have been developed. People with mental illness should also be able to access the same care as those with debilitating physical conditions, advocates argue.

    Others aren't so sure.

    A group of law professors from across Canada has urged the government to take its time, insisting there is nothing in federal law forcing it to take urgent action.

    Some psychiatrists, too, have lingering questions: how to determine if someone with a mental disorder is likely to get better, for instance, or what happens if someone is living in poverty and unable to access mental health care.

    The Manitoba government says it shares the concerns of clinical experts and other provinces.

    "We agree with those calling for further consideration and consultation to ensure appropriate clinical standards and safeguards are in place to protect vulnerable Canadians," a spokesperson wrote in a statement.

    Saskatchewan says it cannot commit to following the expansion "without carefully considering the risk that this may pose to people suffering from mental illness."

    "Saskatchewan remains concerned with both the pace and scope of the federal government's proposed expansion," said spokesman Matthew Glover.

    Tim McLeod, Saskatchewan's mental health and addictions minister, raised the issue during a roundtable meeting with the federal government last year, Glover added.

    Officials in B.C. and P.E.I. declined to comment, citing ongoing talks with Health Canada.

    Newfoundland and Labrador said in a statement that the province is working with health care regulators to prepare for the upcoming change. The Ontario and Alberta governments did not respond by deadline.

    Quebec passed a law in June excluding adults from accessing a medically assisted death solely for a mental disorder.

    Speaking to reporters on Thursday in Ottawa, Holland said the government wants to ensure the proper systems are in place when it comes to training and evaluations.

    "You're never going to get to a point where everybody agrees that it's ready," Holland said. "But you do need to make sure that preponderance of reasonable opinion is in that direction."

    Broadening the criteria is not designed to capture individuals who are having suicidal thoughts or dealing with mental health issues.

    "This is for long, long standing mental illnesses where people have suffered over an extremely long period of time where everything has been tried and exhausted."

    "That's the intention so we need to make sure the system can manifest that intention."

    This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 25, 2024.

    IN DEPTH

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    opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike

    When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.

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    Canada

    • A group of Cape Breton firefighters are apologizing after four people showed up at a Halloween dance dressed in what appeared to be Ku Klux Klan costumes.

    • Marred by several delays, the trial of alleged human traffickers Lauriston and Amber Maloney is underway Monday in a Bradford courtroom, with both entering a not guilty plea.

    • Montreal's mayor says a welcome sign depicting a woman wearing a veil that adorns a lobby at city hall will be taken down in the name of secularism.

    • A major amusement park is part of Ontario's grand vision to turn the Niagara region into Las Vegas north, but Marineland may not fit the bill, the provincial tourism minister says.

    • Epcor says it has removed more than 20,000 goldfish from an Edmonton stormwater pond.

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    Local Spotlight

    Epcor says it has removed more than 20,000 goldfish from an Edmonton stormwater pond.

    Witches and warlocks have been flocking to New Brunswick waterways this month, as a new Halloween tradition ripples across the province.

    New Brunswicker Jillea Godin鈥檚 elaborate cosplay pieces attract thousands to her online accounts, as well as requests from celebrities for their own pieces.

    A new resident at a Manitoba animal rescue has waddled her way into people's hearts.

    Hundreds of people ran to the music of German composer and pianist Beethoven Wednesday night in a unique race in Halifax.

    He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

    A meteor lit up our region's sky last night 鈥 with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.

    Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.

    A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.

    • BREAKING

      BREAKING

      The count of absentee ballots in B.C.鈥檚 nail-biting 2024 provincial election has put the NDP ahead of the Conservatives in the Surrey-Guildford riding.

    • Police with the British Columbia Highway Patrol have arrested a 28-year-old man after 73 kilograms of cocaine were allegedly found inside a vehicle near the resort city of Revelstoke.

    • More than a week after a man was set to return from his hiking trip in northern B.C., police have released more information in hopes of advancing the missing person鈥檚 case.

    • New home sales in the Greater Toronto Area remained sluggish last month, but a new report suggests that the market is now primed for buyers following four consecutive interest rate cuts.

    • Peel Regional Police say investigators have arrested five suspects and seized dozens of guns and illegal devices used to convert firearms into automatic weapons.

    • RCMP say a Medicine Hat man was killed in a collision between an SUV and a motorcycle in southeast Alberta on Sunday evening.

    • Calgary鈥檚 Mission Bridge will be closed to motorists for several months as city crews complete rehabilitation work.

    • Shania Twain is coming to Calgary to help kick off Stampede. The Grammy-award-winning singer will be playing the Saddledome on July 5, 2025, to mark the start of 鈥淭he Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.鈥

    • Grief counsellors are at Perth and District Collegiate Institute in Perth, Ont. today, as family, friends and the community mourn the death of 15-year-old Reese Stanzel.

    • Suspended Ottawa lawyer James Bowie has been ordered to pay $235,000 in damages to a former client after he repeatedly suggested she pay for his legal services with oral sex and released personal details about her online after the allegations were reported by 愛污传媒 Ottawa.

    • Firefighters are fighting a fire that has engulfed a barn in rural west Ottawa on Monday afternoon.

    • Montreal's mayor says a welcome sign depicting a woman wearing a veil that adorns a lobby at city hall will be taken down in the name of secularism.

    • The National Director of Youth Protection, Catherine Lemay, resigned at the request of the minister responsible for social services, Lionel Carmant, after institutional scandals.

    • Another Liberal MNA, D茅sir茅e McGraw, has joined her colleagues Elisabeth Prass and Fr茅d茅ric Beauchemin in dissent on the issue of funding for religious schools following their party's about-face.

    • Epcor says it has removed more than 20,000 goldfish from an Edmonton stormwater pond.

    • Police are looking for help identifying an armed robber in a costume.

    • A warrant has been issued for an Edmonton man in connection with a $2.3 million drug bust earlier this month.

    • A group of Cape Breton firefighters are apologizing after four people showed up at a Halloween dance dressed in what appeared to be Ku Klux Klan costumes.

    • The Saint John Police Force is asking for the public鈥檚 help in locating a man wanted on a Canada-wide warrant in connection with a shooting incident in the city over the weekend.

    • Nearly a month earlier than last year, we have our first snowfall warning of the season issued in the Maritimes.

    • Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew has honoured first responders for their actions following a fiery bus crash on the Trans-Canada Highway last year that killed 17 people.

    • Three youths were arrested after a senior was shot in the head with a BB gun early Monday morning.

    • Advocates say new data showing record food bank usage across Canada marks a somber milestone, while the Manitoba organization helping to feed those in need said they are being pushed to the brink by the unprecedented demand.

    • Candidates across Saskatchewan have made their final pitches to potential voters as the 2024 campaign comes to a close and election day arrives.

    • With multiple polls suggesting a tight race to the finish for Saskatchewan's major political parties 鈥 here are the ridings where some extra attention may be required.

    • Election day has arrived in Saskatchewan. With it, the last wave of voters prepare to cast their ballots and decide who will form government in the province.

    • What role does ideology play in the sentencing of the man who pleaded guilty to four charges in an attack at the University of Waterloo?

    • The Guelph Police Service is planning to dedicate more resources to ensuring public safety in the city鈥檚 downtown area as part of an ongoing initiative.

    • Police say just before 5 p.m. Friday, the suspects went to an address near Dawson Road and Shelldale Crescent and banged on the door.

    • Candidates across Saskatchewan have made their final pitches to potential voters as the 2024 campaign comes to a close and election day arrives.

    • With multiple polls suggesting a tight race to the finish for Saskatchewan's major political parties 鈥 here are the ridings where some extra attention may be required.

    • A construction worker who was robbed, shot and left for dead last week remains in a Saskatoon hospital awaiting more surgeries.

    • WATCH LIVE

      WATCH LIVE

      Ontario Premier Doug Ford in Sudbury on Monday afternoon to make an infrastructure funding announcement at a wastewater facility.

    • Two people were busted in Nipissing First Nation trying to use fake money to buy machinery, Anishinabek Police Service says.

    • A home in Londesborough has been severely damaged following an early morning fire. Central Huron fire crews were called to the home on Sarah Street around 5:30 a.m.

    • London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) and St. Joseph鈥檚 hospitals are reintroducing masking guidelines. Starting Thursday, patients at both hospitals with a fever or respiratory symptoms will be required to wear a mask except in inpatient rooms.

    • Two men are wanted by the Sarnia Police Service, part of a residential armed robbery investigation.

    • Marred by several delays, the trial of alleged human traffickers Lauriston and Amber Maloney is underway Monday in a Bradford courtroom, with both entering a not guilty plea.

    • Huntsville OPP and the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) are conducting a homicide investigation after three individuals were found dead in a Huntsville neighbourhood Friday evening.

    • Emergency crews battled a house fire in Huntsville that claimed the life of one pet on Monday.

    • Windsor police officers are asking for the public鈥檚 help to identify two suspects related to the death of a 69-year-old man in south-central Windsor.

    • A man is facing several charges after a five-hour standoff with Windsor police over the weekend.

    • BREAKING

      BREAKING

      The count of absentee ballots in B.C.鈥檚 nail-biting 2024 provincial election has put the NDP ahead of the Conservatives in the Surrey-Guildford riding.

    • Police with the British Columbia Highway Patrol have arrested a 28-year-old man after 73 kilograms of cocaine were allegedly found inside a vehicle near the resort city of Revelstoke.

    • A minor earthquake shook off the coast of B.C. Monday morning, which registered at a magnitude of 4.1, according to federal officials.

    • More than two years after Alannah Brown and Douglas Barker were found dead north of Penticton, police are asking for help identifying a vehicle they believe was associated with the crime.

    • Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.

    • A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.

    • RCMP say a Medicine Hat man was killed in a collision between an SUV and a motorcycle in southeast Alberta on Sunday evening.

    • A tentative agreement has been reached between the City of Lethbridge and more than 900 employees belonging to CUPE Local 70.

    • The Hurricanes will be happy to be back home in Lethbridge Saturday night after losing their third in a row on the road Friday night, a 4-1 decision to the Broncos in Swift Current.

    • One person has been charged after police in the Sault received a report of someone asleep at the wheel last weekend in a parking lot on Bay Street.

    • Ontario Provincial Police say three people have been charged with arson following a fire at a Sioux Lookout apartment building Friday night.

    • Last week, tariffs surrounding Chinese steel and aluminum products went into effect and stakeholders in northern Ontario and abroad say it's good news.

    N.L.

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