Chris Boucher: 'I’ve learned a lot these past few games'

Toronto Raptors center Chris Boucher is aiming to become a steady member of the Raptors rotation and he discusses what he needs to develop more consistency.

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  • Guyana says Venezuela detained two fishing vessels in its waters

    Guyana said late on Saturday that a Venezuelan navy vessel detained two vessels that were fishing in Guyana's exclusive economic zone, the latest dispute in a long-running border conflict between the two South American nations. Caracas says much of eastern Guyana is its own territory, a claim that is rejected by Georgetown. The conflict has flared up in recent years as Guyana has started developing oil reserves near the disputed area.

  • Trump administration had no coronavirus vaccine distribution plan: White House

    There was no distribution plan for the coronavirus vaccine set up by the Trump administration as the virus raged in its last months in office, new President Joe Biden's chief of staff, Ron Klain, said on Sunday. "The process to distribute the vaccine, particularly outside of nursing homes and hospitals out into the community as a whole, did not really exist when we came into the White House," Klain said on NBC's "Meet the Press." Biden, a Democrat who took over from Republican President Donald Trump on Wednesday, has promised a fierce fight against the pandemic that killed 400,000 people in the United States under Trump’s watch.

  • COVID-19 in Sask.: Province distributes last of vaccine stock, reports 260 new cases, 3 deaths

    Saskatchewan has no more COVID-19 vaccines left to distribute as the remaining 642 doses were administered on Saturday. The province said it reached 101 per cent capacity of doses administered and recorded an overage due to "efficiencies" in drawing extra doses from vials of vaccines received. There were 148 doses administered in Saskatoon, 261 in the Northwest and 233 in the Southeast zones. Sunday's update said there were 260 new cases of COVID-19 in Saskatchewan, bringing the provincial total to 22,177 cases. The new cases were reported as follows: Saskatoon, 72. Northwest, 52. Regina, 42. Far Northwest, 26. South East, 17. North Central, 14. Central East, 11. Northeast, nine. Central West, six. South Central, four. Far Northeast, three. Southwest, one. Far North Central, one. Two new cases required residence information. There were 3,251 active cases of COVID-19 in the province as of Sunday, when 168 new recoveries were announced. Three new deaths were reported in Sunday's update, one in a person in their 60s in the Far Northeast zone and two in Regina — a person in their 60s and a person 80 or above died after testing positive for COVID-19. As of Sunday there were 196 people in hospital. Of them, 164 were in inpatient care and 32 people were in intensive care. The updated seven-day daily average is 272, or 22.5 new cases per 100,000 population. There were 2,684 COVID-19 tests processed in Saskatchewan on Saturday.

  • New leaders named at US-funded international broadcasters

    WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Sunday installed new heads of three federally funded international broadcasters after abruptly firing Donald Trump-appointees at the U.S. Agency for Global Media. Kelu Chao, the acting CEO of the agency, made the announcement after dismissing the previous directors of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks late Friday, just a month after they had been named to the posts. Daisy Sindelar will be acting head of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, replacing Ted Lipien until a permanent president is named. Bay Fang will return to her post as Radio Free Asia president, replacing Stephen Yates. Kelley Sullivan will become acting Middle East Broadcasting Networks president, replacing Victoria Coates. “I have great faith in these leaders in ensuring the highest standards of independent, objective, and professional journalism,” Chao said. The moves follow the forced resignation of Trump’s hand-picked agency head, Michael Pack, only two hours after Joe Biden took office as president on Wednesday. The director of the Voice of America and his deputy were soon removed and the chief of the Office of Cuba Broadcasting stepped down. Pack had been accused by Democrats and others of trying to turn VOA and the other networks into pro-Trump propaganda machines. Chao on Sunday also announced new corporate board directors for the three broadcasters, replacing the board directors named by Pack just days before his departure. The new directors are Karen Kornbluh, ambassador to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development under President Barack Obama, who will serve as chair; Ryan Crocker, who was an ambassador to Iraq, Syria and other countries; and PR executive Michael Kempner. “Now more than ever, U.S. international media must serve as an accurate, reliable source of news and information in places where illuminating truth is needed the most," Kornbluh said. The Associated Press

  • Too soon to know if Canada's COVID-19 case decline will continue, Tam says

    MONTREAL — Canada's chief public health officer says it's still too soon to know whether the recent downward trend in new COVID-19 cases will continue. Dr. Theresa Tam says there's been an improvement in the COVID-19 numbers in B.C., Alberta, Ontario and Quebec but the disease is regaining steam elsewhere. She says it appears local health measures may be starting to pay off, but it's not clear whether they're strong and broad enough to continue to sustain progress. Some long-standing virus hot spots have made headway in lowering the number of new cases in recent weeks, but are still fighting outbreaks and flare-ups as they race to vaccinate vulnerable communities. The federal public safety minister announced today that the Canadian Armed Forces will support vaccine efforts in 32 First Nations communities in northern Ontario. Quebec, meanwhile, reported a fifth straight decline in the number of hospitalizations as the health minister urged citizens to keep following health measures. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan 24, 2021 The Canadian Press

  • 'We can't wait:' Biden administration fights for $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief plan

    Officials in President Joe Biden's administration tried to head off Republican concerns that his $1.9 trillion pandemic relief proposal was too expensive on a Sunday call with Republican and Democratic lawmakers, some of whom pushed for a smaller plan targeting vaccine distribution. "It seems premature to be considering a package of this size and scope," said Republican Senator Susan Collins, who was on the call with Brian Deese, director of the White House's National Economic Council, and other top Biden aides.

  • Canadian speedskater Heather McLean just misses out on winning World Cup bronze medal

    HEERENVEEN, NETHERLANDS — Winnipeg's Heather McLean was fourth in a World Cup long-track speedskating event Sunday.McLean posted a time of 37.522 seconds in a women's 500-metre race, finishing just 0.11 seconds from winning a bronze medal. McLean won bronze Saturday over 500 metres.She also finished 11th in the 1,000-metre race Sunday.Ottawa’s Isabelle Weidemann was fifth in the women's 3,000-metre race in 3:59.437. Laurent Dubreuil, of Levis, Que., was 15th in a men's 500-metre race. His original racing counterpart, Russian Ruslan Murashov, lost control and slid into Dubreuil’s outside lane, forcing the Canadian to slow down and swerve to avoid a collision.Dubreuil was permitted a solo re-skate after but settled for the 15th-place finish. He was ninth in the 1,000-metre race (1:08.880).Toronto’s Jordan Belchos was seventh in the men's 5,000-metre race (6:18.054) while Calgary’s Gilmore Junio was ninth in the men’s 500 (34.816).This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 24, 2021 The Canadian Press

  • Un fort potentiel archéologique à Varenne

    En novembre, les archéologues de la coopérative Artefactuel ont eu l’opportunité unique de faire des fouilles sur un site pour le moins exceptionnel, celui de l’ancien Moulin Brodeur à Varennes. Alors qu’il cherchaient les vestiges enfouis le long du chemin de la Côte-Bissonnette, nos chercheurs de trésors ont en effet pu déterrer des souvenirs du passé dans un secteur ayant subi peu de perturbations au gré des époques. « Ça n’est pas comme travailler dans le Vieux-Montréal par exemple, explique Luce Archambault d’Artefactuel, ou en plein cœur de Varennes. Ce sont des endroits où les perturbations modernes sont venues altérer l’intégrité du contexte archéologique. Alors que sur le chemin de la Côte-Bissonnette, nous nous sommes retrouvés sur un site où il n’y a pas eu de construction, d’ajout de service. Quand on parle d’un lieu qui a conservé son intégrité, c’est en fait comme si les habitants avaient quitté et simplement abandonné leur maison. » Selon l’archéologue, les différents bâtiments répertoriés auraient tout simplement sombré dans la décrépitude, laissant à la nature le loisir de reprendre le dessus. « À peine avons-nous entrepris d’excaver la végétation que nous sommes tombés sur des vestiges des fondations des maisons du moulin en pierre, relate Mme Archambault. Il n'y a presque pas eu d'accumulation de remblais. C'est ce qui a fait vraiment la particularité du site. Ça reste des contextes de découvertes et de recherches qui sont quand même assez rarissimes au Québec. » Si le site de La Saline non loin de là a permis quelques trouvailles, les chercheurs ont plutôt concentré leurs fouilles sur la zone plus riche du Moulin Brodeur et les bâtiments environnants. « Plusieurs familles y ont habité, ajoute Luce Archambault. L'archéologie nous a apporté vraiment des données plus pointues sur le mode de vie des occupants. Par exemple, dans la résidence que nous avons fouillée, nous avons trouvé beaucoup d'artefacts qu'on va appeler "de contexte domestique". On a des objets de la vie de tous les jours. Des fourchettes toujours dans leur bol, des jouets pour enfants et une cinquantaine d’aiguilles à coudre. Dans un endroit que nous supposons être la cuisine, il y avait une concentration de restants de table, de résidus d’objets utilisés au quotidien qui ne sont pas toujours décrits dans les récits historiques et les documents d’archives. L’archéologie nous permet de mettre en couleur ce passé noir et blanc qu’on voit sur papier. » Avec le développement industriel anticipé dans le secteur, ce site qui aurait pu être perdu n’eût été de l’initiative du président de la Société d’histoire de Varennes, Jacques Dalpé. Ce dernier a mis la puce à l’oreille de l’administration municipale à propos du potentiel archéologique du terrain appartenant aux entreprises Greenfield Global et Éthanol Cellulosique Varennes. Selon Mme Archambault, d’autres sites intéressants pourraient par ailleurs se trouver sur le territoire varennois. « Je ne pense pas me tromper en affirmant que Varennes a un fort potentiel de découverte pour son patrimoine archéologique. On parle du chemin de la Côte-Bissonnette, mais il y a plusieurs autres endroits où il y aurait la possibilité de découvrir plein de choses sur l'histoire de la Ville. Il ne faudrait pas perdre les informations avant que tout soit détruit. »    Steve Martin, Initiative de journalisme local, La Relève

  • Central African Republic alleged rebel handed to intl court

    THE HAGUE, Netherlands — An alleged rebel commander from Central African Republic has been detained and turned over to the International Criminal Court by authorities in the troubled African nation, on charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes in the capital, Bangui, in 2013. The court announced the surrender of Mahamat Said Abdel Kani, of the Seleka rebel group, on Sunday night. He was detained on a warrant issued by the court under seal in January 2019. Fighting raged in Bangui in 2013 between the predominantly Muslim Seleka rebels, who seized power from then-President Francois Bozize, and a mainly Christian militia called the anti-Balaka. The violence left thousands dead and displaced hundreds of thousands more. The Hague-based court already has detained two alleged commanders of the anti-Balaka, Alfred Yekatom and Patrice-Edouard Ngaïssona, whose trial is scheduled to start next month. Said is the first suspect detained from the Seleka side of the conflict. A judge at the court who issued the arrest warrant found “reasonable grounds to believe that, from at least March 2013 until at least January 2014, a widespread and systematic attack was conducted by members of the Seleka against the civilian population and those perceived to be collectively responsible for, complicit with or supportive of the former Bozizé government and, later, of the Anti-Balaka," the court said in a statement. Said is charged with crimes including torture, persecution and enforced disappearances. The court's chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, welcomed the arrest. “As I have previously stated, my office will relentlessly pursue justice for the victims of atrocity crimes in the Central African Republic. Today is another manifestation of that commitment,” she said. The detention came with Central African Republic again in turmoil. On Friday, the government declared a 15-day nationwide state of emergency as a coalition of armed groups seeks to overthrow the newly reelected President Faustin-Archange Touadera. Mike Corder, The Associated Press

  • Salt and vinegar sausage, anyone? Meet Conception Bay North's Nigerian-born butcher

    Jonathan Omiachi is getting ready for a move, one he hopes will help grow his small butcher business based in Victoria, N.L., a rural community near Carbonear on the Avalon Peninsula. He's moving Omiachi Meat Shop to a bigger space, right next to his current location, and plans to hire help to ramp up production. Omiachi was born and raised in Nigeria, studied business administration in Malaysia, and then made his way to Newfoundland for the one thing people on the Rock like to complain about the most: the weather. "I love the cold," he told CBC Radio's On The Go. "I was reading on the coldest place in Canada, and it did come up that Newfoundland was cold — not the coldest, but cold. And for me, I don't like heat at all. So I decided to choose Newfoundland." Omiachi continued his business studies in St. John's, and eventually got married and moved with his wife to Victoria, where he got the perfect job for a man who hates the heat. "I did work for the Department of Transportation and Works driving the snowplow. It was really good. Everyone will look at me and be like, 'He's a black man from Nigeria and he's driving a truck where there was never a plow in Nigeria.' I said, 'You know what? You've got to start from somewhere,'" he laughed. The one everyone is really, really talking about is the salt and vinegar sausages. - Jonathan Omiachi In Nigeria, Omiachi was responsible for killing and butchering the animals his family raised for food. At one point they had 300 hens, and it was his job to take care of them. "I did all the butchering myself, and then we plucked them by hand.… Over the year we eat the chicken, and we have the beef, and we have the goat, and we have the sheep, and all that." 'Everyone loves local' Now he is concentrating on growing Omiachi Meat Shop in Victoria, which he started after noticing a lack of options for people to buy locally raised meat. "In Newfoundland here, most of the products are coming from the mainland," he said. "I decided, 'You know what? I'll give it a chance,' because everyone loves local, everyone likes to support local. Even though I'm not from Newfoundland … I'm here for a while now so I am also a local." He learned how to use a meat saw, a tool he didn't have growing up, and how to present meat for the public. He's also taken his love of cooking — he had a hard time deciding between opening a restaurant or a meat shop — and created products that have become popular with his customers. "I do salami, baloney, pepperoni, meatballs. I do have different flavours in sausages. The one everyone is really, really talking about is the salt and vinegar sausages. I'm the only one so far making salt and vinegar sausages. And I do also have sour cream and onion sausages and hamburger patties as well." Omiachi hopes to be open in his new space in February. He also plans to expand his business in St. John's. He already loads up a trailer and makes a trip into the city every couple of weeks with preorders for customers in the area. Once he's up and running in his new building, Omiachi said, he'll be able to produce more product, and bring extra to sell to people passing by. He hopes to set up at the St. John's Farmers Market as well. Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador

  • Why Biden's immigration plan may be risky for Democrats

    WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is confronting the political risk that comes with grand ambition. As one of his first acts, Biden offered a sweeping immigration overhaul last week that would provide a path to U.S. citizenship for the estimated 11 million people who are in the United States illegally. It would also codify provisions wiping out some of President Donald Trump's signature hard-line policies, including trying to end existing, protected legal status for many immigrants brought to the U.S. as children and crackdowns on asylum rules. It's precisely the type of measure that many Latino activists have longed for, particularly after the tough approach of the Trump era. But it must compete with Biden's other marquee legislative goals, including a $1.9 trillion plan to combat the coronavirus, an infrastructure package that promotes green energy initiatives and a “public option” to expand health insurance. In the best of circumstances, enacting such a broad range of legislation would be difficult. But in a narrowly divided Congress, it could be impossible. And that has Latinos, the nation's fastest growing voting bloc, worried that Biden and congressional leaders could cut deals that weaken the finished product too much — or fail to pass anything at all. “This cannot be a situation where simply a visionary bill — a message bill — gets sent to Congress and nothing happens with it,” said Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, which advocates for low-income immigrants. “There’s an expectation that they will deliver and that there is a mandate now for Biden to be unapologetically pro-immigrant and have a political imperative to do so, and the Democrats do as well.” If Latinos ultimately feel betrayed, the political consequences for Democrats could be long-lasting. The 2020 election provided several warning signs that, despite Democratic efforts to build a multiracial coalition, Latino support could be at risk. Biden already was viewed skeptically by some Latino activists for his association with former President Barack Obama, who was called the “deporter in chief” for the record number of immigrants who were removed from the country during his administration. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont defeated Biden in last year's Nevada caucuses and California primary, which served as early barometers of the Latino vote. In his race against Trump, Biden won the support of 63% of Latino voters compared with Trump's 35%, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 110,000 voters nationwide. But Trump narrowed the margin somewhat in some swing states such as Nevada and also got a bump from Latino men, 39% of whom backed him compared with 33% of Latino women. Biden became the first Democratic presidential candidate since 1996 to carry Arizona, in part because of strong grassroots backing from Mexican American groups opposed to strict GOP immigration policies going back decades. But he lost Florida by underperforming in its largest Hispanic county, Miami-Dade, where the Trump campaign's anti-socialism message resonated with Cuban- and some Venezuelan Americans. Biden also fell short in Texas even though running mate Kamala Harris devoted valuable, late campaign time there. The ticket lost some sparsely populated but heavily Mexican American counties along the Mexican border, where law enforcement agencies are major employers and the GOP's zero-tolerance immigration policy resonated. There were more warning signs for House Democrats, who lost four California seats and two in South Florida while failing to pick up any in Texas. Booming Hispanic populations reflected in new U.S. census figures may see Texas and Florida gain congressional districts before 2022's midterm elections, which could make correcting the problem all the more pressing for Democrats. The urgency isn't lost on Biden. He privately spent months telling immigration advocates that major overhauls would be at the top of his to-do list. As vice-president, he watched while the Obama administration used larger congressional majorities to speed passage of a financial crisis stimulus bill and its signature health care law while letting an immigration overhaul languish. “It means so much to us to have a new president propose bold, visionary immigration reform on Day 1. Not Day 2. Not Day 3. Not a year later,” said New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez, his chamber's lead sponsor of the Biden package. Menendez was part of a bipartisan immigration plan championed by the “Gang of Eight” senators that collapsed in 2013. Obama then resorted to executive action to offer legal status to millions of young immigrants. President George W. Bush also pushed an immigration package — with an eye toward boosting Latino support for Republicans before the 2008 election — only to see it fail in Congress. Menendez acknowledged that the latest bill will have to find at least 10 Republican senators' support to clear the 60-vote hurdle to reach the floor, and that he's “under no illusions" how difficult that will be. Former Rep. Carlos Curbelo, a moderate Republican from Florida, said Biden may find some GOP support but probably will have to settle for far less than what’s in his original proposal. “Many Republicans are worried about primary challenges,” Curbelo said, adding that Trump and his supporters’ championing of immigration crackdowns means there's “political peril there for Republicans.” But he also said Democrats could alienate some of their own base by appearing to prioritize the needs of people in the country illegally over those of struggling U.S. citizens and thus “appearing to overreach from the perspective of swing and independent voters.” Indeed, Democrats haven't always universally lined up behind an immigration overhaul, arguing that it could lead to an influx of cheap labour that hurts U.S. workers. Some of the party's senators joined Republicans in sinking Bush's bill. Still, Latinos haven't forgotten past immigration failures and have often blamed Democrats more than Republicans. Chuck Roca, head of Nuestro PAC, which spent $4 million on ads boosting Biden in Arizona, said that while Hispanics have traditionally tended to support Democrats, he has begun to see trends in the past decade where more are registering as independent or without party affiliation. Those voters can still be won back, he said, but only if Latinos see real change on major issues such as immigration “even if it's piecemeal.” “They have to get something done if they want to start to turn around the loss of Latino voters,” said Rocha, who headed Latino voter outreach for Sanders’ presidential campaign. “They have to do everything in their power now to get Latinos back.” ___ Associated Press writer Alan Fram contributed to this report. Will Weissert, The Associated Press

  • Minnesota Whitecaps overcome four-goal deficit for 6-5 shootout win over Toronto Six

    LAKE PLACID, N.Y. — Jonna Curtis and Hayley Mack scored in the shootout to earn the Minnesota Whitecaps a come-front-behind 6-5 win over the Toronto Six in National Women's Hockey League action Sunday. Minnesota (2-0) trailed 5-1 during the second period. Mikyla Grant-Mentis had the lone shootout goal for Toronto (0-1-1). Mack, Sydney Baldwin, Haylea Schmid, Audra Richards and Meaghan Pezon scored in regulation time for Minnesota. Breanne Wilson-Bennett scored twice for Toronto. Grant-Mentis, Lindsay Eastwood and Emily Fluke had the other goals. Eastwood opened the scoring at 8:03 of the first period on the man advantage. Grant made it a 2-0 contest at 10:06 before Wilson-Bennett added another power-play goal at 14:16. Baldwin replied on the power play at 17:36 for Minnesota but Wilson-Bennett restored Toronto's three-goal lead with another power-play goal at 7:29 of the second. Fluke made it 5-1 at 18:59 before Schmid and Mack scored 49 seconds apart before the end of the period to cut Toronto's advantage to 5-3. Richards made it 5-4 with a short-handed goal at 13:00 of the third period before Pezon tied the contest on the power play at 14:24. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 24, 2021. The Canadian Press

  • Canadian bobsleigh teams just miss out on medals at World Cup event

    KONIGSSEE, Germany — Canadians Christine De Bruin and Sara Villani just missed capturing a medal Sunday in a women's two-man World Cup bobsleigh event. De Bruin, of Stony Plain, Alta., and Villani, of Norval, Ont., posted a time of one minute 42.27 seconds. That left them just .10 seconds out of third behind Americans Elana Meyers Taylor and Sylvia Hoffman. Germans Kim Kalicki and Ann-Christin Strack finished first in 1:41.71, ahead of compatriots Stephanie Schneider and Tamara Seer (1:41.96). Alysia Rissling and Dawn Richardson Wilson, both of Edmonton, were eighth (1:42.42) while Melissa Lotholz, of Barrhead, Alta., and Toronto's Erica Voss were 15th (1:43.25). Justin Kripps, of Summerland, B.C., was fifth in the four-man event in 1:38.21. His crew included Ryan Sommer of White Rock, B.C., Cam Stones of Whitby, Ont., and Saskatoon's Ben Coakwell. Calgary's Chris Spring finished eighth in 1:38.44. His crew included Toronto's Chris Patrician and Mike Evelyn and Mark Mlakar, both of Ottawa. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 24, 2021. The Canadian Press

  • Health unit probes whether COVID-19 variant behind 2nd Ontario long-term care home outbreak

    The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit is investigating whether an outbreak at a long-term care home in the town of Bradford West Gwillimbury is due to the variant first detected in the United Kingdom. At a news conference on Sunday, the health unit said a person linked to the Bradford Valley Care Community has tested positive for the variant. This person has had close contact with another person who is a part of the outbreak at that home, it said. Dr. Charles Gardner, medical officer of health for the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, said the Public Health Ontario Laboratory told the health unit about the positive case late Saturday. "Given this situation, we are working together in partnership with the residence to implement additional measures to contain the spread while pursuing the necessary tests to determine if it is the U.K. variant of COVID-19 that is the cause of this outbreak," Gardner said in a new release. The health unit said it is investigating "all other connections" to the person who tested positive. Gardner said the person worked in a retail setting in Simcoe County that offered curbside pickup, and two COVID-19 cases are linked to this setting. The news comes after the health unit said the variant is behind a deadly outbreak at Roberta Place Long Term Care in Barrie, Ont., on Saturday. Genome sequencing on six COVID-19 samples from the home have been identified as the highly contagious variant. An outbreak at Roberta Place, first declared on Jan. 8, has resulted in the deaths of 40 residents and one essential caregiver as of Sunday. There are 127 resident and 86 staff cases of COVID-19 at Roberta Place. Six residents are also in hospital with COVID-19. The outbreak at Bradford Valley Care Community, meanwhile, was declared on Jan. 14. As of Sunday, six residents out of 230 and three staff out of 260 have tested positive for COVID-19. The health unit said more testing will be done to determine whether the outbreak is due to the variant. It added that the outbreak is "well under control at this time with a relatively low case count," but the possibility that it may be due to the variant must be assessed and managed. Dr. Andrea Moser, chief medical officer for Sienna Senior Living, which owns and operates the facility, said in a news release on Sunday that staff members at the home are working to contain the outbreak. "We are being extremely vigilant in our monitoring for signs and symptoms of COVID-19 and are taking all of the necessary steps to protect the safety of our residents and team members," Moser said. "We are working proactively with public health and community partners, as fighting the virus will require everyone's expertise and teamwork." Staff at home implementing measures to control outbreak Moser said case and contact measures are being undertaken, including: Extending the length of isolation for cases and close contacts. More readily identifying close contacts. Quarantining all household contacts of confirmed or probable cases as quickly as possible. The health unit said its staff vaccinated most of the residents in Bradford Valley Care Community on Jan. 15 as a protective measure against COVID-19. As of Jan. 16, all residents of long-term care homes in Simcoe Muskoka have been offered their first dose of immunization against COVID-19, the health unit added. Moser said about 60 per cent of staff members and 96 per cent of residents at Bradford Valley Care Community have received the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. "We appreciate all the efforts from our partners in the community with the rollout of the vaccine and will continue working closely with them as additional doses are available for deployment," she said.

  • Edmundston volunteer 'angels' help neighbours under lockdown

    Gertrude Michaud says the presence of a guardian angel from the community "saved her life." For more than a month, the Edmundston senior relied on a volunteer for her only social contact under tight COVID-19 restrictions. Michaud, 76, is a retired Spanish and English teacher who has lived alone since her partner died three years ago. Life during the first lockdown was challenging. "Mentally, emotionally, psychologically, it gets really, really bad sometimes especially if you can't see your family," she said. A group of Edmundston volunteers, named "Les anges bienveillants" or caring angels, has stepped up to help vulnerable neighbours during the pandemic. They've delivered groceries and kept in touch with people living alone. Now, as the region begins a second lockdown, the group is expanding to more acts of kindness and preparing for growing calls for help. Michaud's "angel" would go grocery shopping for her and pick up other essentials. Then they would talk from a distance through the screen door. "I'd open the little window a crack and we'd talk for a while," she said. "It's good talking to people on the phone, but it's not the same as having a live person there." Acts of kindness When the pandemic started, Pierre Thibault realized many seniors would have trouble getting essentials. He decided to post on Facebook asking if people would be willing to lend a hand. The response in the comments was overwhelming. With a large group of about 35 people, the Les anges bienveillants has expanded beyond grocery deliveries. The team began pairing volunteers with people living alone to talk over the phone. They received donations from local businesses to buy gifts for them. Each time there's a snowfall, Thibault and some volunteers will head to the Edmundston Regional Hospital to clean snow off the cars of healh-care workers before the night shift ends. It's an act of appreciation for those on the front lines of COVID-19. "I'm really, really happy that I was able to get all those volunteers together," he said. Thibault said his team has benefited from the project nearly as much as the clients. Many people who lost their jobs because of the pandemic found a renewed sense of purpose through giving back. "I remember a lady saying: 'Pierre, this saved me,'" he said. Some clients have given donations to the angels, which were used to make two $500 gifts to non-profit organizations in Edmundston. The success of the project has caught the attention of other municipalities looking to replicate it. 'Lifeline' for seniors Michaud said the angels have been a "lifeline" and give her comfort during the second lockdown. "They help us stay human, realize we're still alive and we're still part of the community even though we can't go out and speak to the rest of the community and touch them and stay hello," she said. Samantha Mayhew has been volunteering with the project since April. She goes shopping for vulnerable people at the local grocery store, and said people are relieved to have some certainty during a time of many unknowns. "When I saw the smile on the first lady's face, my first customer's face, I thought to myself, 'Wow, I have to continue doing this,'" she said. One of Mayhew's delivery clients is her former English teacher, who she chats with from outside the house. Orders slowed down over the summer as the situation improved, but some volunteers continued to help throughout the year. The project has delivered about 250-300 total grocery lists. "Especially our senior citizens, our most vulnerable citizens are afraid again and they don't want to get sick," Mayhew said. "So I'm hearing they do need our help again and we're just glad that we're able to be there for them."

  • A close friend and ally doesn’t just rip up approval like that’: Kenney on cancelled Keystone XL

    On ‘The West Block’ Premier of Alberta Jason Kenney says U.S. President Joe Biden’s move to axe the Keystone XL pipeline is a show of ‘disrespect’ to Canada.

  • House sending Trump impeachment to Senate, GOP opposes trial

    WASHINGTON — As the House prepares to bring the impeachment charge against Donald Trump to the Senate for trial, a growing number of Republican senators say they are opposed to the proceeding, dimming the chances that former president will be convicted on the charge that he incited a siege of the U.S. Capitol. House Democrats will carry the sole impeachment charge of “incitement of insurrection” across the Capitol late Monday evening, a rare and ceremonial walk to the Senate by the prosecutors who will argue their case. They are hoping that strong Republican denunciations of Trump after the Jan. 6 riot will translate into a conviction and a separate vote to bar Trump from holding office again. But instead, GOP passions appear to have cooled since the insurrection. Now that Trump's presidency is over, Republican senators who will serve as jurors in the trial are rallying to his legal defence, as they did during his first impeachment trial last year. “I think the trial is stupid, I think it’s counterproductive,” said Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.. He said that "the first chance I get to vote to end this trial, I’ll do it” because he believes it would be bad for the country and further inflame partisan divisions. Trump is the first former president to face impeachment trial, and it will test his grip on the Republican Party as well as the legacy of his tenure, which came to a close as a mob of loyal supporters heeded his rally cry by storming the Capitol and trying to overturn Joe Biden's election. The proceedings will also force Democrats, who have a full sweep of party control of the White House and Congress, to balance their promise to hold the former president accountable while also rushing to deliver on Biden's priorities. Arguments in the Senate trial will begin the week of Feb. 8. Leaders in both parties agreed to the short delay to give Trump's team and House prosecutors time to prepare and the Senate the chance to confirm some of Biden’s Cabinet nominees. Democrats say the extra days will allow for more evidence to come out about the rioting by Trump supporters, while Republicans hope to craft a unified defence for Trump. Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., said in an interview with The Associated Press on Sunday that he hopes that evolving clarity on the details of what happened Jan. 6 “will make it clearer to my colleagues and the American people that we need some accountability.” Coons questioned how his colleagues who were in the Capitol that day could see the insurrection as anything other than a “stunning violation” of tradition of peaceful transfers of power. “It is a critical moment in American history and we have to look at it and look at it hard,” Coons said. An early vote to dismiss the trial probably would not succeed, given that Democrats now control the Senate. Still, the mounting Republican opposition indicates that many GOP senators would eventually vote to acquit Trump. Democrats would need the support of 17 Republicans — a high bar — to convict him. When the House impeached Trump on Jan. 13, exactly one week after the siege, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said he didn’t believe the Senate had the constitutional authority to convict Trump after he had left office. On Sunday, Cotton said “the more I talk to other Republican senators, the more they’re beginning to line up” behind that argument. “I think a lot of Americans are going to think it’s strange that the Senate is spending its time trying to convict and remove from office a man who left office a week ago,” Cotton said. Democrats reject that argument, pointing to a 1876 impeachment of a secretary of war who had already resigned and to opinions by many legal scholars. Democrats also say that a reckoning of the first invasion of the Capitol since the War of 1812, perpetrated by rioters egged on by a president who told them to “fight like hell” against election results that were being counted at the time, is necessary so the country can move forward and ensure such a siege never happens again. A few GOP senators have agreed with Democrats, though not close to the number that will be needed to convict Trump. Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, said he believes there is a “preponderance of opinion” that an impeachment trial is appropriate after someone leaves office. “I believe that what is being alleged and what we saw, which is incitement to insurrection, is an impeachable offence,” Romney said. “If not, what is?” But Romney, the lone Republican to vote to convict Trump when the Senate acquitted the then-president in last year’s trial, appears to be an outlier. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, said he believes a trial is a “moot point” after a president's term is over, “and I think it’s one that they would have a very difficult time in trying to get done within the Senate.” On Friday, GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a close Trump ally who has been helping him build a legal team, urged the Senate to reject the idea of a post-presidency trial — potentially with a vote to dismiss the charge — and suggested Republicans will scrutinize whether Trump’s words on Jan. 6 were legally “incitement.” Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who said last week that Trump “provoked” his supporters before the riot, has not said how he will vote or argued any legal strategies. The Kentucky senator has told his GOP colleagues that it will be a vote of conscience. One of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s nine impeachment managers said Trump’s encouragement of his loyalists before the riot was "an extraordinarily heinous presidential crime." Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Pennsylvania., said "I mean, think back. It was just two-and-a-half weeks ago that the president assembled a mob on the Ellipse of the White House. He incited them with his words. And then he lit the match.” Trump’s supporters invaded the Capitol and interrupted the electoral count as he falsely claimed there was massive fraud in the election and that it was stolen by Biden. Trump’s claims were roundly rejected in the courts, including by judges appointed by Trump, and by state election officials. Rubio and Romney were on “Fox News Sunday,” Cotton appeared on Fox News Channel's “Sunday Morning Futures” and Romney also was on CNN's “State of the Union,” as was Dean. Rounds was interviewed on NBC's “Meet the Press.” ___ Associated Press writer Hope Yen contributed to this report. Mary Clare Jalonick And Lisa Mascaro, The Associated Press

  • Suter scores first 3 NHL goals as Blackhawks beat Red Wings

    CHICAGO — Pius Suter scored his first three NHL goals, Kevin Lankinen made 25 saves and the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Detroit Red Wings 6-2 on Sunday for their second straight win. Connor Murphy and Mattias Janmark each had a goal and an assist as Chicago swept its two-game set with Detroit after beginning the season with four straight losses in Florida. Phillipp Kurashev also scored, and Patrick Kane had two assists. Lankinen was solid once again after he made 30 stops while earning his first career win in Friday night's 4-1 victory against the Red Wings. He was tested on a Dylan Larkin drive early in the second period, but he got over to make the stop at the right post. Tyler Bertuzzi scored twice for Detroit, and Jonathan Bernier made 29 saves. The Red Wings lost for the third time in their past four games. Chicago got off to a fast start behind the 24-year-old Suter, a Swiss forward who agreed to a one-year contract in July. He sent a rebound into a wide-open net 4:42 into the first period, and then added a power-play goal off a nice pass by Janmark. Chicago went 1 for 2 with the man advantage to move to 8 for 19 on the year. It has scored at least one power-play goal in its first six games for the first time since it opened the 1990-91 season with an 11-game run. Detroit got one back when Bertuzzi redirected a Larkin shot past Lankinen during a 5-on-3 power play 41 seconds into the second. But Murphy responded for Chicago, making it 3-1 when he sent a wrist shot through traffic with 2:42 left in the period. After Bertuzzi's power-play goal trimmed Chicago's lead to 4-2 in the third, Suter sent a wide-open shot from the left circle under Bernier’s glove with 7:32 left. WHAT'S NEXT Red Wings: Visit the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night. Blackhawks: Visit Nashville for two straight games against the Predators beginning on Tuesday night. ___ Jay Cohen can be reached at https://twitter.com/jcohenap ___ More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports Jay Cohen, The Associated Press

  • Support pours in for Sask. chief medical officer after protest outside his home

    Regina police have confirmed a small protest took place outside the home of Saskatchewan's chief medical health officer Dr. Saqib Shahab on Saturday. In a news release, police said they arrived at the residence shortly after 2:30 p.m. CST. "Police monitored the situation and conducted an investigation until the protesters departed at approximately 3:30 p.m. Police will review the information gathered to determine if further action is required," the release reads, in part. Premier Scott Moe condemned the group's actions calling the protest "unacceptable, sickening and wrong." Moe said the Regina Police Service and the RCMP are both involved to make sure Shahab and his family are safe. He said the government is looking into long-term security options to protect Shahab and his relatives. Alec Couros, a professor of educational technology and media at the University of Regina, said the protest took things to a personal level against Shahab and called it "incredibly disturbing." How did it come to this Couros said at this point, it's bigger than Dr. Shahab, but everything starts small. "This has been coming for a long time. This is related to QAnon, this is related to anti-masker protests that have happened. This is also related to the leadership or the lack thereof of our provincial system, our government, to provide clear and direct and concise information for the last ten months," he said. "If you fail to provide that direct and clear and concise information, you're somewhat responsible for what happens and what grows and is nurtured in that vacuum." There was much confusion in the beginning of the pandemic — and responsibility for that doesn't lie solely with the provincial government in Saskatchewan. Couros said inconsistent messages and what he called weak leadership at the World Health Organization contributed too. But once international advice became clearer, Saskatchewan didn't necessarily follow suit. Confusing messaging and inconsistent modelling of good pandemic behaviour can sow doubt in people who already distrust the government and media. The situation can become dire, Couros said. Protestors are 'idiots': Moe In his response to the protest, Premier Scott Moe used the word "idiots" to describe the people there. Couros said that shame or ridicule doesn't often work if you want people to engage in a dialogue with you and change their mind. "You can think of the parallel of, for those people who are trying to get loved ones out of a cult for instance, they try to leave some sort of connection, leave a door open," he said. "When you outright ridicule people, there's even less of a chance for these people to reconcile and to come closer to the truth." Other reaction There was a real outpouring of support for Shahab after the protest on Twitter. Several people condemned the protest and some used the hashtag #IStandWithShahab.

  • Two people in their 60s dead after fire at Peterborough, Ont., home

    PETERBOROUGH, Ont. — A man and a woman in their 60s have died after a weekend house fire in Peterborough, Ont. A news release from Peterborough Police Service says officers and fire services attended the home on Gillespie Avenue early Saturday morning. Officials say a 69-year-old woman and a 65-year-old man are dead. Police are working with fire services and the Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office to determine the cause of the blaze. The area was closed for most of Saturday for the investigation, but has since been re-opened. The Canadian Press