After 18 years of marriage Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie are separating.

The Prime Minister’s office made the announcement today. In the statement, the PMO says both have signed a legal separation agreement.

It went on to say the pair are focused on raising their kids in a safe, loving, environment and Canadians can expect to see the family often together.

On her Instagram page Sophie Grégoire Trudeau says the decision came after many meaningful and difficult conversations.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Sophie Grégoire Trudeau (@sophiegregoiretrudeau)

The pair married in 2005 and have three children.

***With files from Wendy Gray

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The federal government has introduced long-awaited amendments to Canada’s bail system.  

Justice Minister David Lametti tabled Bill C-48 in Parliament on Tuesday.  

If passed, the bill would amend the Criminal Code to create a reverse onus provision for a variety of offences, which the country’s 13 premiers and territorial leaders have been calling on for months.  

Those include repeat offenders, specific firearm offences, and intimate partner violence. 

The bill would also require the court to consider if an accused person has any previous convictions involving violence and to include in the record a statement that the safety and security of the community was considered. 

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The spread of COVID-19 is no longer a global public health emergency.

The World Health Organization made the declaration earlier Friday.  The W-H-O Director said it is with great hope that he declares COVID-19 over as a global health emergency.

He says globally the pandemic has been on a downward trend with population immunity increasing through vaccination and infection, mortality rates declining, and the pressure on health care easing.

But officials warn while the health emergency is over there is still a health threat out there as they expect the virus to continue to transmit.

The global health emergency was first declared in January of 2020 and officially deemed a pandemic in March of the same year.

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Applications are open for this year’s round of Canada Post Community Foundation grants. 

They are open to Canadian charities, schools and community organizations that provide programming for children and youth, up to age 21.

According to the foundation, applications for the grants, which range in value up to $25,000, will be accepted from all communities across the country with a focus on local grassroots initiatives. Those include literacy and language programs, youth outreach services, programs supporting Indigenous youth and well as gender diversity programs and many others.

In addition, the foundation also offers up to four $50,000-Signature Grants, one of which is the Indigenous Truth and Reconciliation Signature Grant introduced last year and awarded to an organization supporting educational initiatives for children and youth that increase the understanding of Indigenous culture and foster meaningful conversations in the spirit of Reconciliation.  

The deadline to submit applications is March 9 at noon Eastern Time, with recipients to be announced this August.

You can learn more about the grants or submit your own application by clicking here.

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All COVID-19 travel restrictions will be lifted in Canada on the first of October.

The easing of border measures includes the use of the ArriveCan app, which will no longer be necessary to get into the country.  Travellers, regardless of citizenship, will no longer need to provide proof of vaccination, undergo pre-or on arrival testing and health checks, quarantine on arrival, or report if they have signs or symptoms of COVID-19.

Masking has also been lifted for travel on trains or planes.  This also includes people on cruise ships.

The federal government, while still recommending the use of masks while travelling, says the decision was made to drop all travel restrictions because modelling shows the country has moved past the Omicron waves of the virus as well as lower hospitalization and death rates.

***With files from Wendy Gray

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Health Canada has greenlit a booster shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for use in kids 5 to 11 years old. 

Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam says the National Advisory Committee on Immunization has authorized a ten microgram dose of Pfizer’s Comirnaty vaccine. 

Tam says the agency recommends children in the age group who have an underlying medical condition that places them at a higher risk of severe illness, including children who are immunocompromised, should be offered the first booster dose at least six months after completion of a primary series.

For all other kids in that age group, Tam says NACI recommends they “may be” offered the shot also six months after the first two. 

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