Admins
Early signs suggest fall COVID-19 wave starting in Canada — before updated boosters are available
Positive tests, hospitalizations creeping up as drugmakers seek new vaccine approvals There are early signals Canada is already entering a fall COVID-19 wave, while updated booster shots likely remain weeks away. Earlier this week, the Public Health Agency of Canada said fluctuations in virus activity across the country could be an “early sign” of increased infections. The percentage of COVID tests coming back positive, for example, had been gradually declining since the spring, but started going up again over the last month — most recently hitting nearly nine per cent. Hospitalizations increasedRead more
Different cities, different wildfires: How 2 Canadian cities are fighting back
Firelines, sprinklers and water bombers: geography and weather play a role in how crews attack fires Powerful wildfires are bearing down on Kelowna, B.C., and Yellowknife, but the two cities have different challenges, constraints and resources as firefighters take them on. Weather, topography, water access and forest conditions are all influencing officials’ strategies to fight the flames in each location. In Yellowknife’s case, fires have been burning near the territorial capital for weeks — since late June, according to the Natural Resources Canada. A fire west of the city expanded and moved closer to theRead more
Canada’s women’s rugby 7s team welcomes Aussie push ahead of Olympic qualifier
Series of exhibitions against top-ranked opponent provides growth in many areas Canada’s women’s rugby sevens team opted for the school of hard knocks ahead of this weekend’s Olympic qualifying tournament in Langford, B.C. And not the usual ones associated with a physical sport. What the team received from a series of exhibitions this summer against top-ranked Australia were lessons in tactics and play the organization believes will only help Canada in the long run. “We’re really just striving to improve from our performance last year, and playing against the bestRead more
1,200 homes on prime farmland: What’s known about the plan to develop the Greenbelt in Pickering, Ont.
Developer says ‘various housing types’ part of 1st phase of development on Duffins Rouge Agricultural Preserve The battle over the future of the largest chunk of land the province removed from the protected Greenbelt in December has intensified in the last week, ever since Ontario’s auditor general revealed how a small group of developers influenced the process. As many as 30,000 housing units could be built on the Duffins Rouge Agricultural Preserve (DRAP) in north Pickering in the coming years, according to a city staff report from May 2023, on farmland that was supposed to beRead more
Montreal’s Pride parade draws record numbers in day of celebration Social Sharing Facebook Twitter Email Reddit LinkedIn
Around 15,500 people marched in the parade, says organizer Thousands of people marched and cheered down Montreal’s René-Lévesque Boulevard Sunday afternoon in what has become the largest Pride parade organized by Fierté Montréal to date. Around 15,500 people took part in the parade representing 192 different groups and community organizations, according to Simon Gamache, the executive director of Fierté Montréal. Parade participants waved colourful flags and blared music along a 2.9-kilometre route that began at Dorchester Square and stretched into the heart of Montreal’s Gay Village. Among the crowd was Matthew Xanthoudakis, whoRead more
COVID keeps evolving, but so does our immunity. Are we now at a ‘stalemate’ with this virus?
New study shows 3/4 of Canadians have antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 After billions of global COVID-19 infections, millions of deaths, and countless lives upended by long-lasting health impacts, we’ve finally hit a point in this pandemic where SARS-CoV-2 isn’t the fearsome pathogen it used to be. Once thought to kill up to 20 per cent of those infected in the early days of 2020, COVID’s destructive potential is now being throttled by widespread immunity and regularly-updated vaccines. Even so, this ever-evolving virus is with us to stay. It still causes rolling waves ofRead more
Hundreds denied rent supplement after N.S. quietly changed eligibility rules
To qualify, applicants now have to spend at least 50% of their pre-tax income on housing, up from 30% Brian Dauphinee is being renovicted from his $637-a-month Halifax studio apartment at the end of August, and is about to anxiously wade into the city’s increasingly expensive rental market. But the 69-year-old, who lives on a pension, will do so without the help of a rent supplement. He’s one of hundreds of people who have been denied financial aid in recent months under a change made to the joint provincial-federal program.Read more
Canada’s top court refuses appeal from B.C. churches protesting COVID-19 restrictions
Decision marks end of legal road for faith leaders 2½ years after they first challenged limits on gatherings Canada’s highest court will not hear an appeal that challenged limits on religious gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic, marking a significant endorsement for British Columbia’s provincial health officer and the end of the legal road for the faith leaders involved. The Supreme Court of Canada refused to hear the case from churches in B.C.’s Fraser Valley that argued public health rules violated their Charter rights by banning indoor religious services during the height of the pandemic. “We areRead more
Police body cameras aren’t always bad news for accused, lawyers say
More New Brunswick officers will be wearing cameras when interacting with the public As body cameras for police become permanent in some New Brunswick communities, the new technology has become a mainstay in court proceedings — sometimes to the benefit of the accused and sometimes to their detriment. Last week, the Fredericton Police Force announced its six-year pilot program with body cameras was successful, and it equipped all of its front-line officers with the technology. The Saint John Police Force plans a full rollout this summer. RCMP began testing body cameras this spring inRead more
Parents say Canadian scouts learning ‘resiliency’ as storm forces jamboree to move in South Korea Social Sharing
Jamboree to move from site in Buan, with activities expected to continue in Seoul, Scouts Canada says Canadian parents with children at an international scout jamboree in South Korea say despite multiple weather and climate related hiccups threatening to call down the event, they’re happy their children are getting the chance to stay abroad. The first week of the World Scout Jamboree in Buan was marked by extreme heat, resulting in hundreds of participants being treated for heat-related ailments and thousands of British and American scouts moving offsite. The Canadian contingent elected to stay. But onRead more