Evening Update: Two children dead, driver arrested after bus crashes into Quebec daycare

Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:

Two children are dead and a 51-year-old man has been charged with homicide and dangerous driving after a city bus drove into the Garderie Educative Ste-Rose daycare in Laval, Que., this morning. Six more children are in hospital with injuries that are not considered life-threatening, according to Laval police.

The suspect, an employee of the Société de transport de Laval, has been arrested. The circumstances of the crash and any motive remains unknown, Erika Landry, a spokesperson for the police service, said in a press conference.

Aerial news footage from the scene showed a city bus that had smashed through the front of the daycare, which is located at the end of a driveway off a cul-de-sac. Laval police said they received a 911 call at about 8:30 a.m. One adult was sent to hospital with nervous shock but no other adults were injured in the crash, police said.

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Zelensky tells U.K. lawmakers ‘freedom will win,’ pushes for warplanes

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pushed for fighter jets to ensure his country’s victory over Russia in a dramatic speech before the U.K. Parliament today.

The embattled leader’s surprise visit to Britain in a bid for more advanced weapons comes as Ukraine braces for an expected Russian offensive and hatches its own plans to retake land held by Moscow’s forces.

At a joint news conference at a British army base, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said fighter jets were “part of the conversation” about aid to Ukraine.

In war-torn Ukraine, 238 “verified” cultural sites – churches, monuments, libraries, museums, historic buildings – were destroyed or damaged between the start of the invasion and Feb. 1 this year and the future restoration bill is climbing relentlessly, though some sites are beyond repair.

Conservatives would honour Trudeau’s health care offer, Pierre Poilievre says

Pierre Poilievre says a future Conservative government would maintain the proposed health spending levels announced this week by the Liberal government but said he can’t immediately commit to adding more funding.

Speaking with reporters Wednesday ahead of a caucus meeting on Parliament Hill, Poilievre claimed that the Liberals were unable to spend more on health because the government has wasted billions in less important areas such as outside consultants. He pointed out that under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the size of the federal debt has doubled, yet problems in health care remain.

Meanwhile, Ontario’s Health Minister Sylvia Jones says there is “no doubt” the province will accept new health care funding from the federal government, even as she expressed concerns about a lack of long-term investment in the deal.

• Konrad Yakabuski: Trudeau offers a Band-Aid for our bleeding health care system
• Campbell Clark: A health proposal that doesn’t rise as high as its rhetoric
• Shannon Proudfoot: Why the health care funding decision matters, quite personally, to all Canadians

Erdogan defends earthquake response as Turkey, Syria deaths near 12,000

With hope of finding survivors fading, stretched rescue teams in Turkey and Syria searched today for signs of life in the rubble of thousands of buildings toppled by the world’s deadliest earthquake in more than a decade. The confirmed death toll approached 12,000.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the especially hard-hit Hatay province, where more than 3,300 people died and entire neighbourhoods were destroyed. Residents there have criticized the government’s response, saying rescuers were slow to arrive.

Erdogan, who faces a tough battle for re-election in May, acknowledged “shortcomings” in the response to Monday’s 7.8 magnitude quake but said the winter weather had been a factor. The earthquake destroyed the runway in Hatay’s airport, further disrupting the response.

• Canadian humanitarian aid workers en route to Turkey
• Latest updates on Turkey and Syria’s earthquake, and how you can help

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ALSO ON OUR RADAR

BoC considered holding interest rates steady last month: The central bank’s governing council raised interest rates again last month to “insure” against inflation, but they also announced a pause to further rate hikes after seeing enough “green shoots” to suggest price pressures are easing, according to a summary of rate decision deliberations, published for the first time today.

• When might prices come down?: Here’s a look at how high inflation is right now, who’s feeling the pinch, and when Canadians can expect inflation to come down.

UN experts warn a million Tibetan children face ‘forced assimilation’: A panel of United Nations experts warned that about a million Tibetan children have been forcibly placed in Chinese residential schools designed to strip them of their language and culture.

Officer never explained stop to Tyre Nichols, documents show: The officer who pulled Nichols from his car before police fatally beat him never explained why he was being stopped, newly released documents show, and emerging reports from Memphis residents suggest that was common.

City auditor criticizes Ottawa police over handling of trucker convoy protests: The city’s auditor general says police intelligence sharing with the city about last year’s do-called Freedom Convoy was insufficient and affected the ability to plan for the protests.

Netflix Canada to begin notifying subscribers as it cracks down on password sharing: The streaming giant says it will begin notifying Canadian users today by e-mail about limitations on who can access their account outside their household.

MARKET WATCH

U.S. stocks ended down on Wednesday, paring most of the previous session’s strong gains, with tech-focused shares leading the way lower. The TSX also ended with a modest loss, with a mixed performance registered across sectors.

The S&P/TSX composite index was down 45.46 points or 0.22 per cent at 20,679.54.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 207.68 points or 0.61 per cent at 33,949.01. The S&P 500 index was down 46.14 points, or 1.1 per cent, at 4,117.86, while the Nasdaq composite was down 203.27 points, or 1.7 per cent, at 11,910.52.

The Canadian dollar traded for 74.47 cents US compared with 74.43 cents US on Tuesday.

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TALKING POINTS

Biden shines in State of the Union, but the GOP could benefit as well

“Though Mr. Biden looked stiffened as he slowly entered the chamber, old Joe at the podium was a man in command: energetic, bold and surprisingly quick-witted.” – Lawrence Martin

The concept of CanCon is pure folly. That’s the problem at the heart of Bill C-11

“Some have pointed to the absurdity of a national government claiming the power to regulate the global internet. Others have listed the bill’s probable violations of international trade law, not to say net neutrality.” – Andrew Coyne

Soaring housing costs are turning cities into citadels for the rich

“It used to be that cities wanted to emulate San Francisco and the wonders of Silicon Valley. The Bay Area has instead become a warning.” – The Editorial Board

LIVING BETTER

What to buy the ones you love this Valentine’s Day

From custom, personalized art prints immortalizing a cherished memory, to cookbooks with perfect meals for two, this guide has plenty of suggestions for thoughtful and useful Valentine’s Day gifts for the one you love.

TODAY’S LONG READ

Winter books preview: 28 fiction and non-fiction reads to cozy up with

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Prince Harry’s Spare has been dominating book headlines of late, but there are plenty of others worthy of your attention this season. In fiction, there’s a new epic novel from Salman Rushdie, a promising new Canadian voice in Kai Thomas and the resurgence of an admired older one in Thomas Wharton, plus intriguing new international voices such as Chetna Maroo, Tom Crewe and Charmaine Craig.

In non-fiction, there are promising titles about black holes, agoraphobia, the history of psychology as well as travelogues and a slew of nonroyal biographies and memoirs. See the full list of books to read to get you through to spring.

Evening Update is written by Prajakta Dhopade. If you’d like to receive this newsletter by e-mail every weekday evening, go here to sign up. If you have any feedback, send us a note.