It's Friday and CTV News has 5 things you need to know before kicking off your weekend: The U.S. government's appeal to continue a ban on people entering the country has been rejected; Canada's top soldier will look into a tax break loss for Canadian troops in Kuwait; both coasts of Canada are experiencing a nasty dose of winter weather; a Manitoba community has been reassured about the refugees fleeing the U.S. to their town; and a Toronto toddler can soon afford a life-changing surgery.
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1. Ban rejected: U.S. President Donald Trump's controversial ban on residents of seven Muslim-majority countries hit a setback Thursday after an appeals court ruled against reinstating the ban. Trump vowed, via Twitter, to see the opponents of his ban in court.
2. Tax-break investigation: Canada's defence minister says the country's top soldier will look into the loss of a tax break for soldiers serving at a base in Kuwait. The troops were told their duties weren't dangerous enough for them to qualify for the tax break worth $1,500 and $1,800 a month.
3. Winter blast: Both coasts of Canada are feeling the pressure from winter. Atlantic Canada is bracing for its second big winter storm in the past three days, forecast to bring up to 40 centimetres of snow to the area, while highways out of Vancouver, B.C. were shut down to all traffic after freezing rain and snow.
4. Reassurance given over asylum-seekers: The leader of Emerson, Man. says he and his community feel reassured about the response to an uptick of asylum seekers arriving in the community. Roughly 61 refugee claimants have crossed the rural border into the community of 700 since January.
5. Madison Ambos: A three-year-old Toronto girl who suffers from a form of cerebral palsy is close to a goal of having her costly surgery covered after family, friends and strangers started a fundraiser. The surgery is not offered in Canada and costs $140,000 in the U.S.
