Canada
Ontario Premier Doug Ford will call a snap provincial election on Wednesday. Ford, who assumed office in 2018, aims to maintain and strengthen power in the Legislative Assembly while running on a populist response to counteract U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement to impose 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods. The government will run under the caretaker convention from when the election is called until the new government is sworn in. This means that the government should avoid the appearance of using ministerial offices for political purposes.
World
Over 300,000 residents of Gaza travelling to the north crossed the so-called Netzarim Corridor by foot on al-Rashid Street. Gaza correspondents say residents returned to devastation. They had already spent two nights in the street and were scheduled to be let in around 7 p.m. local time. Meanwhile, the U.S. and Lebanon had announced an extension of the ceasefire until Feb. 18, as Israel has failed to withdraw from the southern parts of Gaza, killing 22 people. According to Qatar, Hamas has agreed to release four hostages this week.
Monday marked the 80th year since the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp. Nearly 60 survivors attended the site in southern Poland, just over one-quarter of the amount present at the 75th anniversary. Over one million people were murdered within the confines of the camp between 1941 and 1945.
Local
Although COVID-19, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), and measles cases are now under control, the rate of influenza cases is rapidly increasing. The provincial influenza positivity rate currently stands at 15 per cent. Emergency rooms in the Montreal region are overflowing as hospital occupancy rates are sitting at 145 per cent this past week, and a 9.2 per cent increase over the last year. The best method of protection against the virus is vaccination.
