HealthCBCPublic Health now questioning 'validity' of New Brunswick's mystery brain disease
Public health officials in New Brunswick have "significant reason" to question the validity of a mystery brain disease they had earlier said affected dozens of people in the province, the province's health minister said on Wednesday. That comes nearly eight months after the province raised red flags about a neurological illness that had affected a cluster of 48 people, including some as young as 18, primarily in the Moncton and Acadian Peninsula regions. Reported symptoms ranged from balance iss
NewsThe Canadian PressJudge in Prince Andrew suit says key document can be secret
NEW YORK (AP) — A 2008 settlement agreement that a lawyer for Prince Andrew says would protect him against claims that he sexually abused an American when she was 17 can remain secret, a New York judge ruled Wednesday. U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan made the ruling in a brief order released a day after Andrew's lawyer asked that the document remain sealed when he files arguments explaining why he thinks the judge should throw out the lawsuit. Attorney Andrew Brettler said he wanted to inclu
ScienceCBCThis researcher loves bats so much she wants to live with them
For wildlife enthusiast Erin Baerwald, bats aren't spooky animals to be scared of during Halloween — instead, they're adorable creatures that she wants to live with. The biology professor at the University of Northern British Columbia in Prince George leads a team of researchers studying the migratory behaviour of North American bats. So she's naturally excited that it's International Bat Week, an annual event created to raise awareness about conservation of the animals. When she moved to the ci
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Ontario’s top court hears 1492 Land Back Lane appeal
Did Skyler Williams get a fair shake in court? That was the legal question debated at Ontario Court of Appeal in Toronto over the course of a three-hour hearing on Tuesday. Williams is the spokesperson for 1492 Land Back Lane, the Indigenous-led occupation of a since-cancelled Caledonia subdivision. The Six Nations man is the only named defendant in a pair of injunctions issued by Superior Court in Cayuga that bar all road barricades in Haldimand County and limit access to the 25-acre site on Mc
HealthCBCSports, social gathering led to major spread of COVID-19 last month, OPH says
A lack of testing, vaccinations, physical distancing and masks all contributed to the spread of COVID-19 following an outdoor sporting event and social gathering in September, Ottawa Public Health (OPH) says. According to a graphic shared on Twitter Wednesday 37 people tested positive by the end of September as a result of not following public health protocols, and that number will likely continue to rise, according to OPH. "With vaccination & early testing these numbers could have been reduced,
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Bank of Canada warns of prolonged inflation
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says inflation will remain higher for longer, largely driven by global supply-chain problems, which could pose a challenge for households. He says also says an interest rate hike may be coming sooner than expected and that the bank is ending a key stimulus program known as quantitative easing, or QE.
EntertainmentThe Canadian PressReview: Horror movie ‘Antlers’ is too dull and dreary
There’s nothing quite like a decaying industrial town in the middle of a chilly, grey-skied fall to set an immediately gloomy mood in a film. Not that Scott Cooper’s “ Antlers ” needs any help in that department as it already deals with child abuse (sexual and psychological), poverty, bullying, hunger, sickness, generational trauma, environmental degradation and ancient native superstitions. Might as well just set it somewhere appropriately dreary as well, right? No one seems to ever smile in th
HealthReutersExclusive-Moderna COVID-19 shot could start being used in children, teens 'within weeks,' CEO says
Moderna Inc's COVID-19 vaccine could start to be used in children and teens in the United States within weeks, its chief executive said in an interview ahead of the Reuters Total Health conference, which will run virtually from Nov. 15-18. Moderna CEO Staphane Bancel said based on dialogue with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, he believes his company's COVID-19 vaccine will be authorized for 12- to 17-year-olds in the next few weeks. Moderna plans to apply for separate U.S. regulatory clearance in children ages 6 through 11 "very soon," Bancel said, adding that he is hopeful that age group could start receiving Moderna's shots by the end of this year.
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Sisters in Spirit Vigil pays homage to missing and murdered Indigenous women
In Canada, Indigenous women and girls face a higher risk of violence and homicide than non-Indigenous women and girls. Recognizing this, Napi Friendship Association in Pincher Creek hosted its Sisters in Spirit walk on Oct. 4 to honour the lives of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls and two-spirit people. Staff and participants started their walk at Napi and travelled about one kilometre to the town’s multipurpose facility. Once at their destination, they heard from several guest sp
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Horton fire chief helps put out barn fire on his farm
Renfrew – Horton Township Fire Chief Allan Cole is known for his easy-going demeanor and sense of humour and it certainly came in handy as he watched volunteer members under his command arrive at his farm to assist him in putting out a fire in a century-old barn. It was just another quiet Friday afternoon on the Garden of Eden Road in the township when shortly after 3 p.m. when Chief Cole, the sixth generation of Coles who have called the farm their home for more than a century, was doing some c
NewsThe Canadian PressUS-China tensions evident as Biden heads to twin summits
WASHINGTON (AP) — For nine months under President Joe Biden, the U.S. has pursued a diplomatic strategy that could be characterized as about China, without China. On security, trade, climate and COVID-19, the Biden White House has tried to reorient the focus of the U.S. and its allies toward the strategic challenges posed by a rising China — all while there has been little direct engagement between the two rivals. The president is now preparing for a pair of global summits where he again won't b
NewsThe Canadian PressWeather junkies turn to Florida hurricane blogger for info
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — As a recent hurricane lashed the Louisiana coast, nervous excitement churned inside Florida-based, self-proclaimed weather geek turned storm chaser Mike Boylan. The winds howled as he started up his white pickup truck and ventured away from the relative safety of a car wash northwest of New Orleans where he’d ridden out the early hours of Hurricane Ida in late August. “I drove down this one road and, holy cow, the trees started falling,” Boylan, 48, recounted. The sl
HealthCBCWindsor-Essex health unit encouraging COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy, breastfeeding
The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit is encouraging those who are pregnant or breastfeeding to get their COVID-19 vaccines. Dr. Shanker Nesathurai, acting medical officer of health, said getting vaccinated is safe and reduces the risk posed by the virus. "COVID-19 has a significant adverse consequence to pregnant mothers and to the newborn infant," he said. The rate of vaccination is lower than the general population, according to Nesathurai, who said it was in the ballpark of 50 per cent locall
NewsThe Canadian PressNew Brunswick public sector workers set to strike after contract talks abruptly end
FREDERICTON — Thousands of public sector workers in New Brunswick are set to go on strike after CUPE officials say the government abruptly walked away from contract talks Tuesday night, but Premier Blaine Higgs says he's prepared to order them back to work. The union served notice earlier this month that its 22,000 members in 10 locals had voted 94 per cent in favour of a strike to back demands for higher wages. The union members work in various sectors such as health care, education and public
NewsThe Canadian PressWHO: Europe had most COVID-19 cases, deaths over last week
GENEVA (AP) — Europe stood out as the only major region worldwide to report an increase in both coronavirus cases and deaths over the last week, with double-digit percentage increases in each, the U.N. health agency said Wednesday. The World Health Organization said new COVID-19 cases in its 53-country European region, which stretches as far east as former Soviet republics in Central Asia, recorded an 18% increase in COVID-19 cases over the last week — a fourth straight weekly increase for the a
NewsThe Canadian PressResearchers worry about Census' gap in 2020 survey data
Researchers are worried about coronavirus-related disruptions to one of the U.S. Census Bureau's most important surveys about how Americans live, saying a gap in the 2020 data will make it more difficult to understand the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and measure year-to-year changes. The Census Bureau released a report Wednesday detailing its decision to release the 2020 American Community Survey 1-year estimates only in an experimental format with a warning that it may not meet the agency’s
NewsReutersSingapore probes unusual surge in COVID-19 cases after record
SINGAPORE (Reuters) -Singapore is looking into an "unusual surge" of 5,324 new infections of COVID-19, the city-state's health ministry said, its highest such figure since the beginning of the pandemic, as beds in intensive care units fill up. "The infection numbers are unusually high today, mostly due to many COVID-positive cases detected by the testing laboratories within a few hours in the afternoon," the health ministry said in a statement. "The Ministry of Health is looking into this unusual surge in cases within a relatively short window, and closely monitoring the trends for the next few days," it added in Wednesday's statement.
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Whitewater favours policy but vaccines not mandatory
Whitewater Region – Council has voted in favour of a vaccination policy for employees, volunteers, contractors and council – but it was not a unanimous decision. After a long discussion last Tuesday night, and in a recorded vote requested by Councillor Daryl McLaughlin, six council members voted in favour of bringing in a policy -- himself, Mayor Mike Moore, Reeve Cathy Regier and Councillors Charlene Jackson, Neil Nicholson and Dave Mackay, while Councillor Chris Olmstead, who at first said he
NewsThe Canadian PressUS says Assange could go to Australian prison if convicted
LONDON (AP) — U.S. authorities launched a new battle on Wednesday to make Julian Assange face American justice, telling British judges that if they agree to extradite the WikiLeaks founder on espionage charges, he could serve any U.S. prison sentence he receives in his native Australia. In January, a lower U.K. court refused a U.S. request to extradite Assange over WikiLeaks’ publication of secret American military documents a decade ago. District Judge Vanessa Baraitser ruled that Assange, who
NewsThe Canadian Press'Atmospheric river' drenches drought-stricken California
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A powerful atmospheric river storm that swept through California set rainfall records and helped douse wildfires. But it remained to be seen how much of a dent it made in the state's drought. The weather system weakened as it moved south but still dropped enough rain Monday evening to cause mudslides that closed roads in the San Bernardino Mountains northeast of Los Angeles. The atmospheric river storm, a long and wide plume of moisture pulled in from the Pacific, came ashor
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NAW accepts steep cost to replace outdated tanker for FD
Eganville -- North Algona Wilberforce (NAW) council will spend roughly $440,000 to replace Rankin’s current fire tanker that lost accreditation in 2018. All five members of council voted in favour of the motion, based on the recommendation from Fire Chief Kevin Champ. The North Algona Wilberforce Fire Department is a volunteer department that provides fire protection and prevention services to residents and visitors across the township. At the October 19th council meeting, Chief Champ explained
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Cariboo-area First Nation works with mining company to ensure expansion of B.C. mine
QUESNEL, B.C. — The British Columbia government says it has implemented mining permit changes requested jointly by a Cariboo-region First Nation and a mining firm, clearing the way for expansion of an underground gold mine near Quesnel. A statement from the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation says expansion of the Bonanza Ledge Underground Mine shows how environmental, social and governance goals can move ahead through mining partnerships between industry and First Nations. The r
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Racism at IRCC could determine who gets in
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) employees remain skeptical of the measures in place to tackle racism at their workplace, according to a new report. The “experiences of racism at IRCC include microaggressions, biases in hiring and promotion as well as biases in the delivery of IRCCs programs, policies and client service,” the report states. Sabreena Ghaffar-Siddiqui, a steering committee member for the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA), said the report’s findings
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DA: 'No one' ruled out in movie shooting probe
Investigators say there was “some complacency” in how weapons were handled on a movie set where Alec Baldwin accidentally shot and killed a cinematographer and wounded another person. (Oct. 27)
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Feds to have answer 'in coming days' whether or not they’ll appeal ruling in First Nations children’s case
Following the first cabinet meeting of the new Liberal minority government, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada David Lametti told reporters that the federal government will have an answer "in the coming days" regarding whether or not they’ll appeal a decision by the Federal Court to pay out billions of dollars in the human rights case involving First Nations children. The battle dates back to 2007, when the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society (Caring Society) and the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) filed a complaint under the Canadian Human Rights Act.
