Six stories in the news today, March 7

Six stories in the news for Tuesday, March 7:

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REPORT GIVES HEFT TO FEDERAL HEALTH ARGUMENT 

A report from the Mental Health Commission says more money for child and youth services would boost Canada’s economy and patient health. The commission, which bills its findings as a tool to help provincial and territorial decision-makers, says more than 7.5 million Canadians face mental health issues, with a price tag of $50 billion a year — or nearly 14 hundred dollars a person.

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Rustlers Volleyball

Crusaders' Bell excited for next chapter with Lakeland College

A few moments ago

Nothing but Net

Vikings' standouts ready for national stage with Team Saskatchewan

2h ago

health care

RBC Foundation gifts $7,500 to assist in training La Ronge nurses

3h ago

CHINESE SEEK CANADIAN REAL ESTATE FOR EDUCATION: STUDY

The top reason why foreign buyers from China want to get into the Canadian housing market is education, not investment, according to data from a popular global real estate listings website. Figures released today by the Chinese website Juwai.com in partnership with Sotheby’s International Realty Canada found that schooling was the primary motivation for potential Chinese homebuyers who viewed Canadian property listings.

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RIGHTS, CYBERSECURITY TO BE PART OF CHINESE TRADE STUDY 

The federal government wants Canadians to air their concerns about China’s human rights record as part of consultations on a possible free trade deal. Exploratory talks towards a deal were announced during last fall’s meeting in Ottawa between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and China’s visiting premier Li Keqiang.

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MPS TO DEBATE, VOTE ON GENETIC TESTING BILL 

After intense lobbying from insurance companies, health charities, some provinces and the justice minister herself, the fate of a controversial genetic testing bill is now in the hands of Parliament. The proposed Genetic Non-Discrimination Act, also known as Bill S-201, is back up for debate today and could come to a final vote.

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TEACHER CHANGED WITH SEX CRIMES DUE IN COURT 

An eastern Ontario teacher facing dozens of charges related to sex crimes against minors is set to appear in a Belleville, Ont., court today, where she is expected to enter a plea. The female teacher was charged with 42 offences after an investigation into allegations involving young people between the ages of 12 and 15 in Tweed, Ont.

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STUDY SAYS NO FIRM ESTIMATE ON COSTS TO RAISE FAMILY IN CANADA

A study says Ottawa doesn’t have a bead on just how much it costs to raise a child in Canada, prompting some experts to wonder if politics and ideology are trumping evidence when it comes to making decisions on social policy. The paper, sponsored by the anti-poverty group Campaign 2000, says governments need a better way of measuring cost to ensure family benefits and anti-poverty initiatives are of help to those who need it the most.

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ALSO IN THE NEWS TODAY:

— New Democrat MP Niki Ashton holds a news conference in Ottawa regarding the future of the party.

— Protest will be held in Halifax over the acquittal of a taxi driver charged with sexually assaulting an intoxicated woman in his cab.

— Statistics Canada releases the Canadian international merchandise trade for January.

— The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs will express concerns about the inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women.

— Martin Luther King III will give a speech at a leadership conference in Lethbridge, Alta.

The Canadian Press