Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
The aid group working to help the 2.3 million Palestinians facing what the UN has deemed a humanitarian crisis in Gaza says it may "be forced" to shut down operations by the end of February due to numerous countries pulling their support.
A total of 16 countries, including Canada, have pulled funding from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in the wake of allegations that 12 staff members may have played a role in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in Israel that killed 1,200 and saw roughly 250 people taken hostage.
“If funding remains suspended, we will most likely be forced to shut down our operations by end of February not only in Gaza but also across the region,” UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement Thursday.
The organization, which has more than 13,000 staff members, approximately 3,000 of which are actively working in Gaza, says it has been the "backbone" of the humanitarian effort in Gaza during Israel’s brutal military campaign in the Gaza Strip. More than 26,000 people have been killed in Gaza over the past four months, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.
Some human rights experts have warned that stripping UNRWA of funding during a humanitarian crisis could have dire consequences for the civilians in Gaza who rely on its aid.
On Jan. 26, Lazzarini announced that the organization had fired several employees and launched an investigation after receiving information from Israeli authorities alleging that they played a role in the Oct. 7 attack, stating that “anyone who betrays the fundamental values of the United Nations also betrays those whom we serve in Gaza, across the region and elsewhere around the world.”
In the wake of this probe, the U.S. suspended funding to the UNRWA and Canada ordered a temporary pause on “any additional funding” for the UN aid group. Over the next few days, more countries pulled their funding, including the U.K., Italy, Australia and Finland, among others.
Canada’s International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen said on Jan. 26 that Canada would channel humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza through other agencies until the investigation is complete.
“Canada is taking these reports extremely seriously and is engaging closely with UNRWA and other donors on this issue," he said in a statement.
Canada announced another $40 million in aid to other organizations working in Gaza on Tuesday, including the World Food Program, UNICEF and the World Health Organization.
Still, some worry that pulling funding from the UN group specifically leaves Palestinian civilians at risk.
More than 1.7 million Palestinians have been displaced by the fighting in Gaza, according to an estimate from the UN. Civilians fleeing south due to Israeli evacuation orders have found shelter mostly in UNRWA-run schools, shelters and refugee camps, the organization said.
Pulling funds from this organization, which has been operating in Gaza for nearly 75 years and runs the vast majority of the humanitarian infrastructure in the region, sharply increases the risk of famine as Palestinians in Gaza struggle to find food, water and shelter amid constant aerial bombardment, an expert said.
"Without these funds, famine might be inevitable in the next few weeks," Michael Fakhri, UN special rapporteur on the right to food, told CTV News Channel on Monday.
"I'm not sure why the alleged actions of 12 employees has led to such a massive retaliation against all Gazans and Palestinian refugees. The response, in the midst of a humanitarian crisis, has been to defund the most effective and primary source of aid. That makes no sense."
Other experts, including a former ambassador to the UN and a Canadian foreign affairs critic, have expressed similar concerns since the federal government's decision was announced.
The UNRWA provides services for Palestinian refugees not just in Gaza, but also in the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
“It’s difficult to imagine that Gazans will survive this crisis without UNRWA,” Thomas White, director of UNRWA affairs in Gaza and UN deputy humanitarian co-ordinator, said in the Thursday statement.
Israel has called for more donors to suspend funding, accusing UNRWA of having ties to Islamist militants in Gaza and stating that it should be should be replaced with other agencies.
Amnesty International has urged states to resume funding UNRWA, stating that while allegations against individual staff must be investigated, “the alleged actions of a few individuals must not be used as a pretext for cutting off life-saving assistance in what could amount to collective punishment.”
The human rights organization also pointed out that this decision comes in the wake of the International Court of Justice’s ruling that Israel needs to implement measures to prevent the genocide of the Palestinian people in Gaza, which included a requirement to ensure humanitarian aid is delivered.
“It is disgraceful that instead of heeding the ICJ’s ruling, and the court’s finding that the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is at serious risk of deteriorating further, key states, including the United States, Canada, the UK, Germany, Australia, and France have cut off funding to the main provider of aid for civilians in Gaza,” Agnes Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, said in a statement Monday.
Many countries, including the U.K., U.S. and Canada, have stated that their suspension of funds for UNRWA is temporary, pending the results of the investigation into the specific staff members who stand accused.
The concern of critics is that even a temporary pause could have devastating impacts on the Palestinian population, and that other agencies may not have the capability to pick up the slack.
“Palestinian civilians in Gaza, including children, people with disabilities, and those who are pregnant, rely heavily on UNRWA services and have nothing to do with the allegations against individual employees,” Akshaya Kumar, crisis advocacy director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement Wednesday decrying the funding pause.
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
A group of SaskPower workers recently received special recognition at the legislature – for their efforts in repairing one of Saskatchewan's largest power plants after it was knocked offline for months following a serious flood last summer.
A police officer on Montreal's South Shore anonymously donated a kidney that wound up drastically changing the life of a schoolteacher living on dialysis.
Since 1932, Montreal's Henri Henri has been filled to the brim with every possible kind of hat, from newsboy caps to feathered fedoras.
Police in Oak Bay, B.C., had to close a stretch of road Sunday to help an elephant seal named Emerson get safely back into the water.
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.