Yasmine Ghania

Reporter Ottawa English

About Yasmine Ghania

Yasmine Ghania is a freelance journalist based in Ottawa. As of Dec. 2, 2020 she is covering federal policy for Vancouver and B.C. thanks to a grant from the Local Journalism Initiative and the Government of Canada.

33 Articles

Bill banning plastic exports passes through committee

A bill proposing to ban exports of non-recyclable plastic waste from Canada to foreign countries narrowly passed through a parliamentary committee Wednesday.

Alberta Energy Minister Sonya Savage speaks to a crowd in Calgary on June 11, 2019. Photo by Louie Villanueva

Shuttering Line 5 would be a big mistake, energy ministers warn

Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan energy ministers warned a House of Commons committee examining Canada-U.S. relations Tuesday that the shutdown would have a “devastating impact” on the provinces.

Canadians voice demands as environmental bill moves closer to becoming law

Environmental activist Beze Gray of the Aamjiwnaang First Nation worries that the government data collected will be too broad and not fully encompassing of what their community has experienced.

Tories, Bloc likely to reject environmental racism bill

Bill C-230 would require the federal government to collect data on locations affected by environmental hazards, and to examine their connections to race, socioeconomic status and health.

Feds invest over $130M for Canada-Africa climate fund

The African Development Bank Group, which is operating the climate fund, will receive the money from Canada at the end of the month, according to Global Affairs Canada. The fund is set to last for 30 years and will go towards supporting energy-efficient projects, scaling up renewable energy and developing green infrastructure and sustainable cities.

Race Against Climate Change

Proposed bill banning plastic waste exports misses ‘heart of the problem,’ MPs told

Bill C-204 seeks to halt only the export of plastic waste labelled “for final disposal,” however environmental groups note Canadian plastic is often mislabelled as recyclable and gets shipped to countries that lack the proper infrastructure to effectively recycle mixed or contaminated plastic waste.

MPs should give farmers a carbon tax ‘break,’ parliamentary committee told

The agriculture committee kicked off its study of Bill C-206, which aims to amend the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act to add propane and natural gas to the list of farm fuels exempt from the federal carbon tax.

MPs back Bloc motion to boost seniors benefits in upcoming budget

In a 183-147 vote held Monday afternoon, the Bloc Québécois motion was supported by Bloc, NDP and Conservative MPs, however Liberals voted against it.

Feds invest $2.75B to buy thousands of zero-emission buses

The grant is supposed to cover the upfront costs of buying 5,000 buses over the next five years. The Canada Infrastructure Bank has also committed $1.5 billion as part of its three-year, $10-billion growth plan specifically for zero-emission buses and related infrastructure.

Ottawa funds opioid-dispensing machines after record month for overdose deaths

The federal government announced nearly $3.5 million in funding for the MySafe project, an initiative that provides people medical-grade opioids through a biometric vending machine.