A Toronto woman says she's devastated after seven members of her family were killed in the massive earthquake that hit parts of Syria and Turkey earlier this week.Aya Hammoud, who came to Canada as a refugee in 2017, says her grandfather, his wife, her four cousins and their mother died when the quake destroyed their apartment building in the Syrian city of Harem, near the country's border with Turkey.Hammoud, 24, says rescue teams have recovered the bodies of her grandfather and his wife, but the bodies of her cousins, who were all under the age of 13, and their mother remain under the rubble

Immigration Minister Sean Fraser says Canada may fast-track applications to come to Canada from people in the earthquake zones of Turkey and Syria.Two major earthquakes rocked southwestern Turkey and northwestern Syria in a matter of hours on Monday, destroying thousands of buildings.The confirmed death toll keeps rising, with more than 19,000 people killed and at least another 64,000 injured.Tens of thousands more are homeless in the middle of winter and struggling to access food, water and shelter.Fraser says his department is trying to understand the effect on applicants already in Canada's

Humanitarian groups that have been supporting Ukrainian refugees are calling on Ottawa to extend a special immigration program that allows people fleeing Ukraine to temporarily live, work and study in Canada.The program provides Ukrainians and their families with a visa to stay in Canada for up to three years while they figure out their next steps, but applications are due to close on March 31.As of Jan. 29, more than 150,000 Ukrainians have arrived in Canada since the Russian invasion of their country last year.Four organizations that represent Canadian volunteers, hosts and sponsors have wri

The Pentagon says the Chinese balloon shot down off the South Carolina coast was part of a large surveillance program that China has been conducting for ``several years.''The Pentagon press secretary says when similar balloons passed over U.S. territory on four occasions during the Trump and Bidenadministrations, the U.S. did not immediately identify them as Chinese surveillance balloons.It was only ``subsequent intelligence analysis'' that allowed the U.S. to confirm they were part of a Chinese spying effort and learn ``a lot more'' about the program.The spokesman, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, refus

British Columbia's minister of post-secondary education says she is undergoing chemotherapy after a scan revealed cancer had returned.Selina Robinson told the B.C. legislature that she got the news on Jan. 27.Robinson, who was replaced as the finance minister in December, says she is ``confident'' that she will be fine, but it was hard to tell her father and children that she has cancer again.Robinson has previously shared her 2006 diagnosis about a ``rare form of intestinal cancer'' in a post on social media.The member of the legislature for Coquitlam-Maillardville says she's undergoing a ``f

Donations are pouring into a Vancouver warehouse for those affected by Monday's devastating earthquake in Turkey, but a volunteer organizer says the country could most benefit from professional search and rescue teams."The next 72 hours is crucial," said Cansoy Gurocak, who was one of dozens of volunteers dealing with donations of food, clothing, tents, sleeping bags, diapers and other goods in a fundraising event that was quickly co-ordinated by the Canadian Turkish Educational and Cultural Foundation.Both Turkey and Syria were rocked Monday by the massive quake, setting off international aid

The Alberta government is moving ahead with a plan that would give oil and gas companies a tax break for meeting their legal obligations to clean up old well sites, inviting a select group of landowner organizations to a meeting to discuss a pilot project.On Thursday, Alberta Energy Minister Peter Guthrie is scheduled to host those groups to discuss "a concept for a royalty credit program to incent accelerated oil and gas site closure," indicates a government document that outlines the proposed pilot program, obtained by The Canadian Press.That pilot program, previously known as RStar and now

Ottawa's city council has approved a motion to reopen the street in front of Parliament Hill to traffic a year after it was closed off following the "Freedom Convoy" protests.Wellington Street, which was blocked by demonstrators during the weeks-long convoy protests last winter, will reopen no earlier than March 1.The city's transportation committee voted in favour of the same motion last month, and it was brought to the city council this morning for final approval.Councillors also voted to put in new infrastructure, including a temporary bike lane, and to explore closures of the street for su

Police say two children are dead, twelve injured and eight taken to hospital after a city bus crashed into a daycare north of Montreal. Laval police spokesperson Erika Landry says the 51-year-old bus driver has been arrested and charged with homicide and dangerous driving.Prime Minster Justin Trudeau expressed grief over the incident and said that Ottawa would be available as and when needed.