Charlie Montoyo offers injury updates on George Springer & Nate Pearson

Toronto Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo discusses the successful offseasons of a few Blue Jays and updates the Opening Day status of George Springer.

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  • Freeland's 1st budget could be one of the most significant in decades. Here's how to watch and listen

    Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will deliver her first federal budget on Monday — Canada's first in two years. The budget will map out Canada's path toward economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and account for record levels of emergency spending intended to offset the impact of the crisis. Freeland will lay out more than $2 billion for a national child-care program while keeping the federal deficit for the past year under $400 billion, CBC News reported Sunday. The budget will also acknowledge that pandemic financial supports must continue to flow as parts of the country enter a third wave of the public health emergency. The finance minister is also expected to unveil details of Ottawa's three-year stimulus plan, valued between $70 billion and $100 billion, which will launch when life begins to return to normal. Here's how you can keep up with the day's events. Television CBC News special coverage starts Monday afternoon on CBC News Network and livestreamed on cbcnews.ca, CBC Gem, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. From 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET, tune into the Power & Politics pre-budget show hosted by Vassy Kapelos. Stay on for CBC's budget special, hosted by chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET. Follow the rest of CBC's budget coverage with Power & Politics from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET. Online There will be full coverage and analysis of the budget on cbcnews.ca. Watch coverage on cbcnews.ca, the CBC News app and CBC Gem beginning at 3 p.m. ET. There will be a live stream on the main cbcnews.ca page, and continued analysis and reaction throughout the day. Radio and podcasts CBC Radio will provide full budget coverage from Susan Bonner, the host of The World at Six, and Chris Hall, CBC's national affairs editor and host of The House. Coverage begins at 4 p.m. and ends at 5 p.m. ET. Tune in for wide-ranging analysis from economist Armine Yalnizyan and Goldy Hyder, president of the Business Council of Canada. Federal opposition parties will offer their reaction, along with politicians across the country, including Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey and Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi. Hear from interest groups such as Child Care Now, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, the International Institute for Sustainable Development and the Canadian Mental Health Association. On Tuesday morning, listen to CBC's daily news podcast Front Burner for a deep dive into the most relevant parts of this year's budget with host Jayme Poisson, who will also be joined by Power & Politics host Vassy Kapelos. The episode will be available at 6 a.m. ET wherever you get your podcasts.

  • Ontario sees 4,447 new COVID-19 cases as admissions to ICUs top 750

    Ontario reported another 4,447 cases of COVID-19 and 19 more deaths of people with the illness on Monday, while the number of hospitalizations topped 2,200. It's the sixth straight day of more than 4,000 new infections in the province. They come as labs completed 42,873 tests for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and logged a positivity rate of 10.5 per cent — the highest recorded since in Ontario since the beginning of the pandemic. There are 2,202 people with COVID-19 in hospitals, according to the Ministry of Health. Of those, 755 are being treated for COVID-related critical illnesses in intensive care units. A total of 516 patients require a ventilator to breathe. All three figures are new pandemic highs for Ontario. Health officials warned last week that admissions to hospitals and ICUs are expected to continue to rise for the next several weeks, as they are lagging indicators to the explosive growth in cases this month. Meanwhile, up to 60 patients from the Toronto area are expected to be transferred to Windsor this week to help with the crush of patients from the third COVID-19 wave, according to an internal memo from London Middlesex Primary Care. Another 40 are heading to the London area. WATCH | Ontario doctors prepare to use triage protocol:. Public health units collectively administered just 66,897 doses of vaccines Sunday, the fewest in two weeks. As of last evening, some 346,005 people in the province had received both doses. Ontario has given out 3,904,778, or about 80 per cent, of the 4,852,885 total doses of vaccines it has received thus far. Provincial health officials said early last week that public health units have combined capacity to administer up to 150,000 shots per day. Then during a news conference Friday, Ontario's Chief Medical of Health Dr. David Williams repeatedly said the province could be doing up to 500,000 shots daily, though it is unclear how he arrived at that figure, as no government official had cited it publicly before. CBC Toronto has reached out to the government for clarification on the discrepancy between the numbers. Meanwhile, Williams confirmed Monday morning that starting Tuesday, Ontario will begin offering the AstraZeneca vaccine to adults aged 40 and older. The vaccine had previously been limited to those 55 and up. Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Quebec have also said they would lower age requirements for the vaccine. About 1,400 pharmacies throughout the province are offering the AstraZeneca vaccine, as well as some primary care physicians in six public health units. In some provincially-designated hot spots, those under 40 have been able to get their first doses of vaccine. York Region announced Monday those 35 and older in five high-priority communities (L4L, L6A, L4K, L4J and L3S postal code areas) are now eligible. The new cases reported Monday include: 1,229 in Toronto 926 in Peel Region 577 in York Region 233 in Ottawa 227 in Hamilton 205 in Durham Region 203 in Niagara Region 169 in Halton Region 114 in Simcoe Muskoka The seven-day average of daily cases rose slightly to 4,348 — a 59 per cent increase from two weeks ago, Associate Medical Officer of Health Dr. Barbara Yaffe said Monday. Seventy-one people have died with the virus since Friday alone. The 19 additional deaths in today's update pushed the official toll to 7,735. The seven-day average of deaths stands at 24. New COVID-19 measures face backlash Students across Ontario returned to the virtual classroom Monday morning as school buildings remain shuttered following the spring break. The provincial government announced the move to remote learning early last week as it dealt with a surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. It also announced a suite of new measures meant to curb the spread of COVID-19, including limiting interprovincial travel. Checkpoints are set up at interprovincial border crossings and only those coming into Ontario for work, medical care, transportation of goods and exercising Indigenous treaty rights are allowed through. The province held firm to that measure over the weekend, despite walking back other public health rules that were announced at the same time Friday. Premier Doug Ford on Saturday reversed his decision to shutter playgrounds, following a swift backlash from parents and public health experts alike. They said the move was unlikely to curb the spread of COVID-19, as evidence suggests most transmission happens indoors. WATCH | Director of Ontario's COVID-19 science table disappointed with new measures: The government did, however, keep in place a number of controversial limitations on outdoor activities. In an interview with CBC News Network today, the director of Ontario's COVID-19 science advisory table said the restrictions were the "opposite" of what the group of experts recommended to cabinet. Dr. Peter Jüni, who is also a professor of medicine and epidemiology at the University of Toronto, said the new round of measures failed to address the root causes driving the growth in cases in Ontario. "Right now we have a pandemic that is focused on essential workers and their families," he said. "We need to pay people in an uncomplicated and efficient manner to stay home." The science table and other health experts have repeatedly called for Ford and his cabinet to institute a provincially-run paid sick leave program. The federal counterpart, the Canadian Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB), is "too complicated, not enough and the help comes too late," Jüni said. Ford government votes against essential workers motion Ford and Ontario Minister of Labour Monte McNaughton have urged Ontarians to rely on the federal program, saying the province wants to avoid duplication. And during question period at the legislature today, House Leader Paul Calandra said the province expects the federal government to improve the CRSB in today's budget, including paid time off for vaccinations. The Ontario government voted against a series of Opposition motions aimed at supporting essential workers Monday, including one that sought to create a provincial paid sick-leave program. NDP Leader Andrea Horwath presented the motions — which required unanimous consent of the legislature to pass — during a session Monday morning. A frustrated Jüni said that "political considerations" are behind the government's refusal to take the science table's advice. "I don't think we can be any clearer: this is not a problem at the sending end, it's a problem at the receiving end. We need to stop having political considerations guide this pandemic [response]," he told host Heather Hiscox. "This does not work. It hasn't worked in the past, it won't work now. It hasn't worked in other jurisdictions and it wont work in Ontario." Advisory table 'deeply concerned' about new measures On Monday, the Ontario COVID-19 Bioethics Table issued a statement saying it was "deeply concerned" about the enhanced enforcement measures outlined in the province's stay-at-home order, saying they will "disproportionately harm" racialized and marginalized people. "The enforcement measures fail to adequately address the root causes of transmission of COVID-19 in Ontario," the statement said. The table said it commends the extension of the stay-at-home order, but urged Ontario to "implement evidence-informed public health measures grounded in public health ethics." "Provision of provincially mandated paid sick leave is one such measure that is urgently needed," it said. On Saturday the province also quickly rescinded new powers given to police officers, saying officers will no longer be able to stop any pedestrian or driver during the stay-at-home order to request their home address and their reason for being out of the house. Instead, police must have "reason to suspect" that a person is out to participate in an organized public event or social gathering before stopping them. Speaking to reporters today, Solicitor General Sylvia Jones said that despite the public outcry and condemnation from legal experts that the powers generated, the details were "very clearly laid out." Jones said the government initially decided to enact the new powers because the science table recommended limiting mobility. "We've all seen those photographs of people who continue to basically ignore the advice of the science table and the stay-at-home. And the intention was always to ensure those large public gatherings were stopped and didn't continue because it puts everyone else at risk," she said. Speaking in Parliament on Monday, Bill Blair, minister of public safety and emergency preparedness, said the move was a violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. "Mr. Speaker, we had just this weekend in Ontario an extraordinary example where the police were offered the authorities to violate the charter," Blair said. "And unanimously, they stood up to that and said no. And so I want to acknowledge that leadership and assure the member we remain committed to upholding all of the rights and freedoms that are available to all Canadians throughout the country.

  • Emotions show as call to prayer broadcast during second Ramadan in lockdown

    EDMONTON — Moona Khan says every time she hears the call for prayer playing from the speakers at her mosque, her heart sings and she's happy the tradition is finally being accepted in Canada. The woman from Edmonton says the call, known as the "Athaan" or "Azaan," is usually recited in Muslim countries five times a day and invites congregants to not only pray, but to join their community in goodness. "To be able to hear it live like that ... it goes deep within my soul. You really (feel) like you belong, like you know your traditions are now being accepted and being celebrated here," Khan says. The Azaan is usually prohibited under city noise bylaws. But about 40 mosques in Edmonton, some in Calgary and at least one in Mississauga, Ont., have brought the tradition to Canada for the month of Ramadan. They have been allowed by their municipalities to play the call at sunset, the time when Muslims across the world take their first food and water after fasting from dawn to dusk. Muslims also mark Ramadan with almsgiving and spiritual reflection on compassion. Large gatherings are a feature of the holy month. Family and friends come together to cook, eat and stand shoulder to shoulder to pray. That can't happen this year because of COVID-19, but playing the Azaan can help boost morale, says Khan, who is also a board member with the Muslim Association of Canada's Islamic School in Edmonton. Yasin Cetin, a community outreach and engagement adviser for the association, agrees broadcasting the Azaan is exactly what Canadian-Muslims need to celebrate a second Ramadan in lockdown. "The challenge is that we miss the communal connection," Cetin said while sitting outside the centre's Rahma Mosque, west of Edmonton, an hour before sunset. He says he even misses what used to annoy him about Ramadan: finding a parking spot on a busy night of prayers or waiting in line to fill up a plate with food only to learn that someone took all the chicken from the biryani. "Who would've thought?" he says with a laugh. This is the second year mosques in Edmonton are broadcasting the call for prayer, but Cetin says it's not the last. The city has given permission to continue in future years, which he says has made this Ramadan more peaceful for Muslims. "The second time around, knowing that this is a part of an inclusive policy, there's an extra level of comfort in being an Edmontonian." The Muslim association checked with the city to see if there were any noise or general complaints. There weren't. At Rahma Mosque, community members gather every night with masks to observe as a volunteer rolls a portable speaker and mic to the front entrance of the building and sings serenely. The incantation echoes across the community for about two minutes. "It's hard to explain the significance of this," Cetin says. "But looking at last year, we had a number of elders who've never heard the Athaan broadcasting like this since leaving their home countries. They were here listening to that ... for the first time in decades and it was an emotional moment for a lot of them." Many were moved to tears while sharing with their Canadian children and grandchildren what they never thought they would experience again. Then they came inside the mosque and prayed standing two metres apart. Bilal Moumad, 14, was the first person to recite the Azaan at Rahma Mosque. "I just want to make sure there are kids out there that are inspired to recite," Moumad said. "Some kids are shy and I want to bring that power to them. It's peaceful." Khan said she pulled up in her car with her family just as Moumad was reciting on the first day of Ramadan last week. "It was surreal for myself and my mom and my husband, because it's something we had never heard in Canada. "To be able to share that with my children was really special." This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 19, 2021 ___ This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship. Fakiha Baig, The Canadian Press

  • Singapore says makes biggest cannabis seizure in 25 years

    Singapore's anti-narcotics agency said on Monday it made its biggest seizure of cannabis in 25 years in a bust last week in the city-state, which has some of the world's toughest narcotics laws including capital punishment. The Central Narcotics Bureau seized about 23.7 kg (52.25 lb)of cannabis and 16.5 kg of heroin, as well as crystal methamphetamine and ecstasy tablets, it said in a statement. The cannabis haul was the largest since 1996 and the heroin seizure the biggest since 2001.

  • Sale of Chinese painting shows art value rising in pandemic

    HONG KONG — A Chinese painting from 1924 is expected to fetch at least $45 million in an auction in Hong Kong, as collectors' appetite for art continues to rise even amid economic uncertainty brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. The painting by influential Chinese modern artist Xu Beihong depicts a slave hiding in a cave and a lion. It is based thematically from ancient Roman mythology and Aesop’s Fables, according to Christie’s auction house, which unveiled the painting Monday. Xu frequently uses the lion in his work to exemplify his faith in the rise of the Chinese nation. The lion in the painting is wounded, but remains dignified, righteous and proud – a symbol of the Chinese spirit, the auction house said. The “Slave and Lion” painting is considered a groundbreaking work that inspired Xu’s later paintings and one of the most important oil paintings in Chinese art history. “Xu Beihong himself is one of the most important modern artist in China who has influenced generations of painters and artists,” said Francis Belin, President of Christie’s in Asia Pacific. “That kind of work and that kind of size, and that kind of prestige, does not come to the market very often.” The painting is estimated to fetch between $45 million to $58 million in a single-lot auction on May 24. Belin said there is a diverse appetite for modern and contemporary masterpieces and the market is expected to remain strong. Last year, a 700-year-old Chinese painted scroll titled “Five Drunken Princes Returning on Horseback” from the Yuan Dynasty fetched $41.8 million at a Sotheby’s auction in Hong Kong. Katie Tam, The Associated Press

  • B.C. to implement roadside checks to limit non-essential travel

    B.C. Premier John Horgan said Monday that measures will be introduced Friday under the Emergency Program Act to limit people from travelling outside of their health authority for non-essential reasons.

  • Analysis: Beijing huddles with friends, seeks to fracture U.S.-led 'clique'

    China is shoring up ties with autocratic partners like Russia and Iran, as well as economically dependent regional countries, while using sanctions and threats to try to fracture the alliances the United States is building against it. Worryingly for Beijing, diplomats and analysts say, the Biden administration has got other democracies to toughen up to a rising, more globally assertive China on human rights and regional security issues like the disputed South China Sea. "China has always resolutely opposed the U.S. side engaging in bloc politics along ideological lines, and ganging up to form anti-China cliques," the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement to Reuters.

  • 'Doug Ford is the worst premier in Ontario history': Opposition, COVID-19 medical experts blast province's leader after whirlwind of restrictions, retractions

    It was a whirlwind weekend for Doug Ford after an announcement of controversial new COVID-19 lockdown measures led to a rollback of several aspects of the announcement less than 24 hours later. On Monday Ontario's Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, Christine Elliott, said that limiting mobility was the guiding principle for last week's announcement. "The changes we made were based on the medical advice that we received from Dr. [David] Williams and the public heath measures table...and we were advised that we need to limit mobility to stop the transmission of the COVID variants in Ontario," Elliott said.

  • The latest numbers on COVID-19 in Canada for Monday, Apr. 19, 2021

    The latest numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Canada as of 4:00 a.m. ET on Monday April 19, 2021. There are 1,121,498 confirmed cases in Canada. Canada: 1,121,498 confirmed cases (87,925 active, 1,009,950 resolved, 23,623 deaths).*The total case count includes 13 confirmed cases among repatriated travellers. There were 7,593 new cases Sunday. The rate of active cases is 231.35 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 59,023 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 8,432. There were 32 new reported deaths Sunday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 294 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is 42. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.11 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 62.16 per 100,000 people. There have been 29,907,670 tests completed. Newfoundland and Labrador: 1,043 confirmed cases (26 active, 1,011 resolved, six deaths). There was one new case Sunday. The rate of active cases is 4.98 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there has been 14 new case. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is two. There have been no deaths reported over the past week. The overall death rate is 1.15 per 100,000 people. There have been 234,141 tests completed. Prince Edward Island: 170 confirmed cases (10 active, 160 resolved, zero deaths). There were three new cases Sunday. The rate of active cases is 6.26 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of eight new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is one. There have been no deaths reported over the past week. The overall death rate is zero per 100,000 people. There have been 134,704 tests completed. Nova Scotia: 1,807 confirmed cases (49 active, 1,691 resolved, 67 deaths). There were seven new cases Sunday. The rate of active cases is five per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 39 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is six. There were zero new reported deaths Sunday. Over the past seven days there has been one new reported death. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is zero. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.01 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 6.84 per 100,000 people. There have been 464,263 tests completed. New Brunswick: 1,788 confirmed cases (154 active, 1,601 resolved, 33 deaths). There were 10 new cases Sunday. The rate of active cases is 19.71 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 66 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is nine. There have been no deaths reported over the past week. The overall death rate is 4.22 per 100,000 people. There have been 283,622 tests completed. Quebec: 336,952 confirmed cases (13,449 active, 312,701 resolved, 10,802 deaths). There were 1,344 new cases Sunday. The rate of active cases is 156.85 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 10,569 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 1,510. There were nine new reported deaths Sunday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 60 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is nine. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.1 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 125.98 per 100,000 people. There have been 7,813,292 tests completed. Ontario: 416,995 confirmed cases (41,588 active, 367,691 resolved, 7,716 deaths). There were 4,250 new cases Sunday. The rate of active cases is 282.26 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 30,387 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 4,341. There were 18 new reported deaths Sunday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 164 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is 23. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.16 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 52.37 per 100,000 people. There have been 13,328,247 tests completed. Manitoba: 36,159 confirmed cases (1,688 active, 33,512 resolved, 959 deaths). There were 170 new cases Sunday. The rate of active cases is 122.38 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 946 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 135. There was one new reported death Sunday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 10 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is one. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.1 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 69.53 per 100,000 people. There have been 626,901 tests completed. Saskatchewan: 38,160 confirmed cases (2,742 active, 34,953 resolved, 465 deaths). There were 289 new cases Sunday. The rate of active cases is 232.63 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 1,856 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 265. There was one new reported death Sunday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 11 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is two. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.13 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 39.45 per 100,000 people. There have been 723,594 tests completed. Alberta: 170,795 confirmed cases (17,935 active, 150,820 resolved, 2,040 deaths). There were 1,516 new cases Sunday. The rate of active cases is 405.6 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 9,893 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 1,413. There were three new reported deaths Sunday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 27 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is four. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.09 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 46.13 per 100,000 people. There have been 3,913,177 tests completed. British Columbia: 117,080 confirmed cases (10,259 active, 105,291 resolved, 1,530 deaths). There were zero new cases Sunday. The rate of active cases is 199.29 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 5,221 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 746. There were zero new reported deaths Sunday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 21 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is three. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.06 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 29.72 per 100,000 people. There have been 2,349,763 tests completed. Yukon: 76 confirmed cases (two active, 73 resolved, one deaths). There were zero new cases Sunday. The rate of active cases is 4.76 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of two new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is zero. There have been no deaths reported over the past week. The overall death rate is 2.38 per 100,000 people. There have been 8,740 tests completed. Northwest Territories: 43 confirmed cases (one active, 42 resolved, zero deaths). There were zero new cases Sunday. The rate of active cases is 2.21 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of zero new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is zero. There have been no deaths reported over the past week. The overall death rate is zero per 100,000 people. There have been 16,904 tests completed. Nunavut: 417 confirmed cases (22 active, 391 resolved, four deaths). There were three new cases Sunday. The rate of active cases is 55.9 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 22 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is three. There have been no deaths reported over the past week. The overall death rate is 10.16 per 100,000 people. There have been 10,246 tests completed. This report was automatically generated by The Canadian Press Digital Data Desk and was first published April 19, 2021. The Canadian Press

  • 'We need to buy more time': P.E.I. tightens border for at least next 4 weeks

    Seasonal residents from outside Atlantic Canada will not be allowed to travel to P.E.I. until at least May 17, even if they had already been granted approval to enter the province, Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Heather Morrison said in a previously unscheduled news conference Monday. Morrison made the announcement as she detailed stricter new border measures to limit the importation and spread of COVID-19, and confirmed three new cases of the illness on Prince Edward Island. "We need to buy more time," she said. For the next four weeks, she said, the province is pausing non-resident travel to the province from outside Atlantic Canada. Morrison also advised Island residents to avoid non-essential travel off P.E.I., and said the timeline for the reopening of the Atlantic bubble, scheduled for May 3, would be re-examined in the coming days. More than 7,000 approved to date in 2021 Applications for permanent relocation to P.E.I. for work or school will continue to be processed, Morrison told reporters. However, people in that situation will need a negative pre-departure test within 72 hours of arrival, and will be tested three times during their two weeks of isolation. People intending to move to P.E.I. without a job or post-secondary admission in place will have to wait for things to open up again. Applications for travel to P.E.I. for compassionate reasons will continue to be processed and approved with the same restrictions in place, Morrison said. To give context, Morrison's office later told CBC News that 7,153 people had been approved for travel to P.E.I. so far in 2021. Of those, 115 will be notified by the end of this week that they must now defer their arrival until at least May 17. Rotational workers and commercial truckers who are residents of P.E.I. but travel outside Atlantic Canada will now need to isolate until their first negative test even if they have been vaccinated. Workers from other places who are coming to P.E.I. will need to show a negative COVID-19 result from no more than 72 hours before their arrival on the Island The news comes after P.E.I. reported three new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, and eight in the last week. At least four of the recent travel-related cases are the highly transmissible B117 variant, Morrison said. Details on off-Island help to come Premier Dennis King was also at the briefing, and addressed the request from Ontario to help with human resources. He said the province will do whatever it can to help, being mindful that P.E.I. does not have an abundance of resources to offer. The premier said would be very easy "to revert to a protectionist instinct… or an us-versus-them mentality," but instead urged citizens of the province to "revert to the instincts of kindness and generosity." Two patients with COVID-19 are now being cared for at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown.(Rick Gibbs/CBC) He added: "I know Canadians from other provinces would help if it was Prince Edward Island asking." He promised more details later in the day on health care help that could be available, noting that some P.E.I. health care workers have expressed interest in travelling to Ontario to assist. P.E.I. has now had 173 cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began. Thirteen remain active. There have been no deaths. The first hospitalization due to the illness was confirmed on Friday, in a person aged between 40 and 49 with a recent history of travel outside Atlantic Canada. On Sunday, a news release announced three more cases, including a young child who needed hospital treatment. As well, the release said the person hospitalized earlier was now in intensive care. Morrison cited privacy rules as she declined to give an update on the two patients' condition on Monday. More from CBC P.E.I.

  • Federal government expecting 1M vaccine doses this week after Moderna delays delivery

    OTTAWA — Canada will have to wait a little longer for a promised influx of COVID-19 vaccines. The federal government says it expects about 1 million shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to arrive this week, as the two pharmaceutical firms continue delivering doses on a regular schedule. Ottawa had planned to take delivery of about 1.2 million doses from Moderna as well, but that was before government officials revealed last week that the shipment would be both delayed and scaled back. The government has blamed a backlog in quality-assurance testing for the reduction, which will cut the number of doses Canada can expect this month in half and postpone their delivery by at least a week. Ottawa is not expecting any deliveries of the Oxford-AstraZeneca or Johnson and Johnson vaccines over the next seven days. The federal government says it nonetheless remains confident that all adults will be fully vaccinated by the end of September, with several companies promising to speed up their deliveries in the coming months and Pfizer promising additional doses to help compensate for the Moderna shortfall. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 19, 2021. The Canadian Press

  • Czechs exclude Rosatom from nuclear tender after dispute with Russia

    PRAGUE (Reuters) -The Czech government will not invite Russia's Rosatom to take part in security assessments before a planned tender for a new unit at the Dukovany nuclear power plant, Industry Minister Karel Havlicek said on Monday. The decision, which effectively excludes Russia from the multi-billion dollar tender, was announced two days after Prague expelled 18 Russian embassy staff, saying it suspected Russian intelligence was involved in explosions at an ammunition depot in 2014. Russia has dismissed the accusation as absurd.

  • Judge issues publication ban in Hay River murder trial

    Details of a murder trial involving a Hay River, N.W.T., man will remain under a publication ban for at least the next 10 months, an N.W.T. Supreme Court Justice ordered Monday. Justice Andrew Mahar ordered the ban at the beginning of James George Thomas's first-degree murder and robbery trial. Thomas is one of four cousins who were charged in connection with 25-year-old Alex Norwegian's death in December 2017. Two have already been sentenced after pleading guilty to less serious charges. Another, Levi Cayen, is scheduled to be tried by jury on the same charges as Thomas next February. Thomas appeared in court Monday wearing a long-sleeved white shirt with a buzz cut as a handful of Norwegian's relatives sat in attendance at what's expected to be a five-week trial. But details about what will happen over those weeks will remain closed to the public. That's because Crown prosecutor Duane Praught asked Mahar for a publication ban on Thomas' trial to run until the end of Cayen's jury trial. Mahar said given the "grave concerns" of potentially tainting the jury pool in Cayen's trial, he had no choice but to grant the publication ban. Mahar also issued a more restrictive order sealing some autopsy photos presented as evidence. The publication ban in Thomas' trial is more restrictive than previous ones issued during the sentencing of Sasha Cayen and Tyler Cayen, who pleaded guilty to lesser charges in connection with Norwegian's death. At the time of those sentencings, the judge ordered publication bans on the evidence presented, but delayed the bans from coming into effect until four months before the trials of Thomas and Cayen.

  • What you need to know about COVID-19 in Ottawa on Monday, April 19

    Recent developments: What's the latest? Ottawa Public Health (OPH) is reporting 203 new COVID-19 cases Monday and no deaths. There are 131 residents with COVID-19 in hospital, a new record that more than doubles the record before this third wave. A record 34 of those patients are in an ICU. Ontario is drawing precariously close to the point its intensive care doctors won't have enough ICU beds to offer patients that need life-saving care. Police have started checking drivers at the Ontario-Quebec border to make sure they're coming for essential reasons, causing long lines in places during the morning commute. The federal budget should be released at 4 p.m. ET, with CBC's live digital and television coverage starting an hour earlier. How many cases are there? The region is in a record-breaking third wave of the pandemic that includes more dangerous coronavirus variants, pushing hospitals past their limits. As of Monday, 22,038 Ottawa residents have tested positive for COVID-19. There are 3,412 known active cases, 18,144 resolved cases and 482 deaths. Public health officials have reported more than 40,300 COVID-19 cases across eastern Ontario and western Quebec, including more than 33,400 resolved cases. Elsewhere in eastern Ontario, 163 people have died. In western Quebec, the death toll is 185. Akwesasne has had nearly 600 residents test positive, evenly split between its northern and southern sections. Kitigan Zibi has had 27 cases. Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory has had 11, with one death. CBC Ottawa is profiling those who've died of COVID-19. If you'd like to share your loved one's story, please get in touch. What can I do? Eastern Ontario: Ontario is under a stay-at-home order that has been extended until at least May 20. People can only leave home for essential reasons such as getting groceries, seeking health care and exercising. They're asked to only leave their immediate area or province if absolutely necessary. The vast majority of gatherings are prohibited, with exceptions that include people who live together, those who live alone and pair up with one other household, and small religious services. Police checkpoints are now in effect at border crossings between Ontario and Quebec and officers in Ontario have the power to stop and question people if they believe they've gathered illegally. WATCH | The life-or-death decisions Ontario doctors may soon face: Most non-essential businesses can only offer curbside pickup. Access to malls is restricted and big-box stores can only sell essential items. Gyms and personal care services are closed, while restaurants are only available for takeout and delivery. Ontario has indefinitely moved to online learning. Daycares remain open for now. Local health units and communities can also set their own rules, as Prince Edward County's is doing around travel and Kingston is doing for Breakwater Park. Western Quebec Premier François Legault has said the situation is critical in Gatineau and is asking people there to only leave home when it's essential. Schools, gyms, theatres, personal care services and non-essential businesses are closed until Sunday in the Outaouais. Private gatherings are banned, except for a person who lives alone seeing one other household. Distanced outdoor exercise is allowed in groups up to eight people and masks are no longer mandatory if doing so. WATCH | Long waits at some Ontario-Quebec border crossings: The curfew is from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. People there are asked to only have close contact with people they live with, be masked and distanced for all other in-person contact and only leave their immediate area for essential reasons — under threat of a fine if they go to a yellow or green zone. WATCH | What's expected in the federal budget: Distancing and isolating The novel coronavirus primarily spreads through droplets that can hang in the air. People can be contagious without symptoms, even after getting a vaccine. Coronavirus variants of concern are more contagious and are spreading quickly. This means it is important to take precautions now and in the future like staying home while sick — and getting help with costs if needed — keeping hands and surfaces clean and maintaining distance from anyone you don't live with, even with a mask on. WATCH | Doctors advocate for more essential worker support: Masks, preferably ones that fit snugly and have three layers, are mandatory in indoor public settings in Ontario and Quebec. OPH says residents should wear masks outside their homes whenever possible. OC Transpo riders get on board a bus last summer during the COVID-19 pandemic. There has been a surge in COVID-19 cases amongst employees, prompting the union to call for better measures to protect operators and maintenance workers. (Andrew Lee/CBC) Health Canada recommends older adults and people with underlying medical conditions and/or weakened immune systems get help with errands. Anyone with COVID-19 symptoms should self-isolate, as should those who've been ordered to do so by their public health unit. The length varies in Quebec and Ontario. People have to show proof of a recent negative COVID-19 test to enter Canada by land without a fine and have to pay for their stay in a quarantine hotel if entering by air. WATCH | The federal budget hopes of the Ottawa airport: Vaccines Four COVID-19 vaccines have been deemed safe and approved in Canada. Canada's task force said first doses offer such strong protection that people can wait up to four months to get a second. More than 560,000 doses have been given out in the Ottawa-Gatineau region since mid-December, including about 260,000 doses to Ottawa residents and about 103,000 in western Quebec. Eastern Ontario Ontario is now in Phase 2 of its vaccine rollout, with the first doses during Phase 1 generally going to care home residents and health-care workers. All health units in eastern Ontario are now vaccinating people age 60 and older at their clinics. It's 55 and over in Renfrew County. People can book appointments online or over the phone at 1-833-943-3900. People who are 40 or are turning age 40 this year can contact participating pharmacies for a vaccine appointment. Phase 2 now includes people with underlying health conditions, followed by essential workers who can't work from home in May. Phase 3 should involve vaccinating anyone older than 16 starting in July. WATCH | Transit union pushing for access to vaccine: Local health units have some flexibility in the larger framework, so check their websites for details. The province has opened up appointments for people age 50 to 54 in Ottawa's K1T, K1V and K2V "hot spot" postal codes. Separately, some Ottawans in priority neighbourhoods age 50 and up can check their eligibility online and make an appointment through the city for a pop-up clinic. Indigenous people over age 16 in Ottawa can make an appointment the same way. Western Quebec Quebec also started by vaccinating people in care homes and health-care workers. The vaccination plan now covers people age 55 and older, along with local essential workers and people with chronic illnesses. People age 55 to 79 can line up in their vehicles to get a ticket for a walk-up appointment at Gatineau's Palais des Congrès. It is considering lowering its AstraZeneca age limit. Officials expect everyone who wants a shot to be able to get one by by Fête nationale on June 24. People who qualify can make an appointment online or over the phone. Pharmacists there have started giving shots with appointments through the province, not individual pharmacies. Symptoms and testing COVID-19 can range from a cold-like illness to a severe lung infection, with common symptoms including fever, a cough, vomiting and loss of taste or smell. Children tend to have an upset stomach and/or a rash. If you have severe symptoms, call 911. Mental health can also be affected by the pandemic, and resources are available to help. In eastern Ontario: Anyone seeking a test should book an appointment. Check with your area's health unit for clinic locations and hours. Ontario recommends only getting tested if you have symptoms, if you've been told to by your health unit or the province, or if you fit certain other criteria. People without symptoms but who are part of the province's targeted testing strategy can make an appointment at select pharmacies. Travellers who need a test have very few local options to pay for one. In western Quebec: Tests are strongly recommended for people with symptoms and their contacts. Outaouais residents can make an appointment and check wait times online. Call 1-877-644-4545 with questions, including if walk-in testing is available nearby. First Nations, Inuit and Métis: First Nations, Inuit and Métis people, or someone travelling to work in a remote Indigenous community, are eligible for a test in Ontario. Akwesasne has a COVID-19 test site by appointment only and a curfew of 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. Anyone returning to the community on the Canadian side of the international border who's been farther than 160 kilometres away — or visited Montreal — for non-essential reasons is asked to self-isolate for 14 days. People in Pikwakanagan can book a COVID-19 test by calling 613-625-1175. Anyone in Tyendinaga who's interested in a test can call 613-967-3603 and in Kitigan Zibi, 819-449-5593. Inuit in Ottawa can call the Akausivik Inuit Family Health Team at 613-740-0999 for service, including testing and vaccines, in Inuktitut or English on weekdays. For more information

  • New Zealand says 'uncomfortable' with expanding Five Eyes

    New Zealand said it is "uncomfortable" with expanding the role of the Five Eyes, a post-war intelligence grouping which also includes the United States, Britain, Australia and Canada, recently criticised by China. China is New Zealand's largest trading partner, and Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta said in a speech that New Zealand sought a predictable diplomatic relationship. New Zealand will find it necessary to speak out on issues where it does not agree with China, including developments in Hong Kong and the treatment of Uyghurs in Xinjiang, she said in a speech on Monday to the government-funded New Zealand China Council.

  • Radical Islamist party frees 11 Pakistani police hostages

    LAHORE, Pakistan — An outlawed Pakistani Islamist political group freed 11 police a day after taking them hostage in the eastern city of Lahore amid violent clashes with security forces, the country’s interior minister said Monday. Supporters of the hard-line Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan party attacked a police station near their rallying point Sunday and took the police officers hostage. The group is protesting the arrest of their leader, Saad Rizvi, and pressuring Prime Minister Imran Khan to expel France's ambassador over the publication in France of controversial cartoons depicting Islam's Prophet Muhammad. Initially, police said the protesting Islamists held five police hostage. But in a video message, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad said Rizvi's supporters in fact had taken 11 police hostage. They were freed after a successful first round of talks with the government, which released a photo it said showed the officers had been tortured. In televised remarks Monday, Khan promised he would work with other Muslim countries to stop the publication of content deemed blasphemous to Islam in the future. But he said it was unfortunate that political and religious parties exploit Islam at the expense of their own countries. The West, he said, would not mind if Pakistanis continue their infighting. In a televised address later Khan defended his decision not to expel the French envoy, saying it could affect Pakistan's trade ties with the European Union. The tensions originated with last year's remarks by France's president who defended as a freedom of speech issue the publication of caricatures of Islam's Prophet by a satirical newspaper, drawing condemnation from across the Muslim world. Ahmad, Pakistan's interior minister, said demonstrators since last Monday had blocked roads and highways in 192 places, but security forces cleared their 191 sit-ins in recent days. He said he hoped the last trouble spot in Lahore, where Rizvi's supporters were still rallying, would soon be cleared as talks between Rizvi's representatives and the Punjab government proceed. Ahmad's comments came hours after police and paramilitary troops swung batons, fired tear gas and used guns to crack down on demonstrators, killing three Islamists and injuring dozens of others. Authorities say they responded to Rizvi's supporters' attack on the police station and capture of the 11 police officers, including Deputy Superintendent Umar Farooq Baluch. Upon the hostages' release, the government made public a group photo of the former captives with bandages on their heads, hands and arms. According to the police, the kidnapped officers were tortured by Rizvi's men. Angered over Sunday's police operation against Rizvi's party, Islamists called for a strike, which drew a partial response Monday. Tensions have been high in Pakistan since last week when Rizvi's supporters paralyzed normal life in various parts of the country by blocking highways and clashing with police, which left four officers dead. At least six demonstrators have also died in the violence, prompting the government to order media outlets not to give any coverage to Rizvi's outlawed party. Media representatives have denounced government censorship of news coverage. Rizvi was arrested April 12, a day after he asked the government to honour what he said was its commitment made in February to his party to expel by April 20 the French envoy over the publication of images of Islam’s Prophet. The government has said it only committed to discussing the matter in Parliament. Rizvi's party supports the country’s controversial blasphemy laws and has a history of staging violent rallies to influence the government. ___ Ahmed reported from Islamabad. Babar Dogar And Munir Ahmed, The Associated Press

  • Woman with dementia locked into 10-year home-heating contract — with a $15K lien on her property

    When Matt Fuchs needed money to hire a home-care worker for his 82-year-old mother, who has dementia, he figured getting a line of credit based on the equity in her house would be easy. After all, the home was mostly paid off. Instead, the application was denied over a $12,500 lien on the property for home heating and cooling equipment. Fuchs says he and his mother knew nothing about it. The lien was later increased to more than $15,000. Fuchs says the lien was put there after a company called Nationwide Home Comfort showed up at Mercedes Chacin de Fuchs's door in 2017 and convinced her to sign a 10-year rental contract for a furnace and air conditioner. "They came in and convinced somebody that has cognitive issues that they needed something they didn't need," Fuchs told Go Public. He says his mom, who also has Parkinson's disease, told him the salesperson said the company was part of a provincial environmental program that saves homeowners money. "She was duped. No doubt," Fuchs told Go Public. "Later, when I found out that this was a widespread problem across Canada, I got even more disgusted." Tens of thousands of Canadians are locked into similar "unconscionable" deals, says paralegal John Robinson, who fights such contracts in court, including that of Fuchs and his mom. How it works, according to Robinson, is an HVAC company sells the contracts, mostly to seniors, people with disabilities or those with English as a second language. Then a different company buys that contract and starts collecting the monthly payments — providing "financing." That way, Robinson says, the financing company can say it had nothing to do with how the contracts were signed. Those companies then slap liens on the property for the equipment, usually right away, that often aren't discovered by the homeowners until they go to sell or refinance, he says. In tiny print and written in legalese, Chacin de Fuchs's contract says the company has "the right to register a security interest" on the property and that the owner waives the right to get a copy of the registration. (Wendy Martinez/CBC) Robinson says land title departments in some cities allow companies to register security interests, or liens, without informing homeowners. The HVAC companies "don't [inform owners] because if they did, no one would agree to these agreements. No one would sign them," Robinson said. It's a convoluted web of companies, he says, that often make a lot of money off the backs of the most vulnerable. Less than a month after Chacin de Fuchs signed, her contract was taken over by a financing company called Home Trust, which slapped a $12,500 lien on the property. A year later, in November 2018, the contract was sold to Crown Crest Capital, which replaced the first lien with its own security interest for more than $15,000. Few answers Getting answers from some of the companies is tough. Go Public found a lot of their websites are shut down, the phone numbers are out of service, and the emails bounce back. Home Trust didn't reply to Go Public's repeated requests for comment. Nationwide Home Comfort is no longer operating, according to its former director Roman Berson, who now heads up two other HVAC companies. WATCH | Woman with dementia locked into 10-year home-heating contract: He says any claim of misrepresentation by the salesperson is "completely false" — Berson says Chacin de Fuchs invited the representative into her home by booking an appointment and that their vehicle was clearly marked with the Nationwide logo. He says all Nationwide's contracts now belong to Crown Crest Capital and another company. Crown Crest Capital, owned by Simply Group — a major player in the HVAC industry — said in an email to Go Public it has "worked so hard to counter bad practices" in the industry and has supported consumer protection reforms. "Sometimes, customers facing financial challenges try to renege on their commitments after years of complaint-free leasing by claiming to have been misled at the time they signed up," wrote vice president of customer experience Tasleemah Ladak. The Fuchs family is suing the companies involved. Matt Fuchs says he discovered the $15,000 lien on his mom's home years after she signed the contract. (Tina MacKenzie/CBC) In its statement of defence, Crown Crest Capital denies all allegations, saying it is only the financial institution that took on the contract after it was signed. In her email, Ladak also says less than 0.01 per cent of its accounts end up in litigation. The company would not say how many customers it has. Ladak also said Crown Crest Capital does not have any liens on properties but instead registers "interest in the leased equipment" so future homeowners know the equipment won't automatically become theirs. Robinson calls that last point "semantics" saying, "it makes no difference what you call it, everyone knows what a lien is … it's the same thing." Crown Crest Capital also says it regrets the Fuchs sued before reaching out to the company directly. Another family, Joddy Prevost and his wife Cherie Prevost of Tillsonburg, Ont., found liens of almost $17,000 on his dad's property after Norm Prevost passed away in November 2019. He'd signed the contract two years earlier, when he was 73. Joddy Prevost, right, and his wife, Cherie, say they had no choice but to pay out thousands of dollars on a contract his dad signed but didn't understand.(Mark Bochsler/CBC) "It was Ontario Energy Savings that was on all the papers, but when we called … they said, 'No, we just installed, you need to call whoever you purchased it from,'" Cherie said. They were finally told the contract was owned by Utilebill, another major player in the industry. Utilebill wanted $21,000 to buy the contract out, so Joddy hired a lawyer to negotiate with the company, ultimately paying $15,600. The couple says they felt they had no choice but to pay. Neither Ontario Energy Savings nor Utilebill responded to Go Public's questions. Fix is failing Robinson, the paralegal, says such liens hold consumers hostage because people who sell or refinance their homes have no choice but to pay out the contract if they want to remove the lien. Consumer protection agencies across the country have received over 2,000 complaints about HVAC contracts in the last five years. Paralegal John Robinson says governments need to do a lot more to protect consumers against certain home heating and cooling companies.(Stephane Richer/CBC) Ontario has laid the most charges, 1,235, against HVAC companies under its Consumer Protection Act, but its convictions are low, just five since 2017. The province has a "consumer beware list" where the public can search for details on all charges laid against businesses and owners. Cases involving these contracts have been flooding the courts, with consumers suing the companies over the contracts and vice versa, says Robinson. He says the business — mostly led by just a few multimillion-dollar companies — is so lucrative it's worth it for the companies to fight in court or pay consumer protection fines. In 2017 and 2018, Alberta and Ontario banned these kinds of door-to-door sales and required more transparency with the contracts. Manitoba is set to follow, but Robinson says bans are just a small "Band-Aid" for a big problem. Matt Fuchs is suing all the companies involved in the HVAC contract and the resulting liens on his mother's home.(Tina MacKenzie/CBC) He says the changes did nothing for the tens of thousands of Canadians still stuck with contracts and says some companies have learned to work around the rules — by soliciting new customers over the phone and under false pretenses, to get to the doorstep and say they were invited by the homeowner. The rules also fail to address liens. "Stop that and you'll solve the problem, because then they have no incentive … There's no monetary incentive," Robinson said. The Fuchses' case is now winding its way slowly, because of the pandemic, through the courts. Robinson was able to negotiate a temporary removal of the lien with Home Trust — before Crown Crest Capital took over the contract — so the family could secure the line of credit and get the home care his mother needs. The lien was then put back on. Submit your story ideas Go Public is an investigative news segment on CBC-TV, radio and the web. We tell your stories, shed light on wrongdoing and hold the powers that be accountable. If you have a story in the public interest, or if you're an insider with information, contact GoPublic@cbc.ca with your name, contact information and a brief summary. All emails are confidential until you decide to Go Public. Read more stories by Go Public.

  • World can bring pandemic under control within months - WHO chief

    The world can bring the global COVID-19 pandemic under control in the coming months provided it distributes the necessary resources fairly, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) told a news briefing on Monday. Global climate change activist Greta Thunberg, joining the briefing as a virtual guest from Sweden, took a swipe at "vaccine nationalism" and said it was unethical that rich countries were prioritising their younger citizens for vaccination ahead of vulnerable groups in developing countries. "We have the tools to bring this pandemic under control in a matter of months, if we apply them consistently and equitably," said the head of WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

  • South Korea looks to ban internet file-sharing with North Korea

    South Korea's government on Monday said it had proposed a law to require its citizens to get official permission before using the internet to exchange digital material such as movies, music, scanned books, or artwork with anyone in North Korea. If approved by parliament, the measure would be the first major amendment to South Korea's Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Act in three decades and is part of its recent efforts to improve relations with North Korea. That law already regulates physical goods sent into or out of North Korea, and the proposed changes would add digital content, Lee Jong-joo, a spokeswoman for South Korea's unification ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs, told a briefing.

  • As ICUs fill up, doctors confront grim choice of who gets life-saving care

    Hospitals are shifting critically ill patients around, looking for any empty bed. Nurses and doctors are putting in exhaustion-defying amounts of overtime. Some provinces are opening new intensive care unit capacity. But it may not be enough to stave off a point no one wants to reach in the pandemic — when only a handful of ICU beds remain but a greater number of patients need those spots. That point is drawing perilously close in Ontario and possibly parts of Saskatchewan, even as some other provinces don't have a single hospitalized COVID-19 patient. It means some of the hardest decisions health-care providers ever face will have to be made: who gets potentially life-saving care and who doesn't. "There are people who could be saved by critical care who aren't going to get it," said Dr. James Downar, a palliative and critical-care physician in Ottawa who co-wrote Ontario's ICU protocol for when that awful moment strikes. He hopes the protocol won't be needed. "It's a difficult, difficult job to make such a call ... and I hope it doesn't happen." Decisions about how to ration life-saving care are never easy, Downar said — and this one has been not only arduous but controversial. Bioethicists and human rights groups have raised concerns that Ontario's protocol discriminates against people with disabilities. Downar says any protocol is better than none, which could leave decisions vulnerable to doctors' unconscious biases — or an even cruder determination: first come, first served. Level 1 triage could come in weeks Ontario's protocol is a work in progress and hasn't officially been published, but the latest 32-page draft to be widely circulated among doctors looks like this: Two physicians will independently assess any patient needing an ICU bed for their "short-term mortality risk" or STMR — their likelihood of death within 12 months. At the lowest level of triage, Level 1, anyone with short-term mortality risk greater than 80 per cent is de-prioritized for an ICU bed. If the COVID-19 situation worsens and triage moves to Level 2, anyone with an STMR over 50 per cent is "not prioritized for critical care." If ICUs get even more strained and go to Level 3, only people with a less than 30 per cent risk of dying within the next year would be prioritized for a spot. Level 1 triage might be reached within Ontario in the next two weeks if current trends continue. Quebec has a similar ICU protocol in place, inspired by Ontario's, that also contemplates bands of mortality risk at 80, 50 and 30 per cent. Withdrawal of care would need government approval An even more drastic scenario, contemplated but not yet a possibility, is that doctors could take people off life support to free up ICU space for someone deemed to have a higher chance of survival. For that to happen, the provincial government would have to enact new regulations. That hasn't happened yet, but one Ottawa woman says she already worries critical-care physicians are under increasing pressure from having to treat so many ICU patients. Nadine Tabbara, left, poses with her father, Souheil Tabbara, 74, who entered the ICU at Ottawa Hospital on Feb. 1 with severe COVID-19. (Submitted by Tabbara family) Nadine Tabbara said her 74-year-old father, Souheil, contracted COVID-19 and was admitted to the Ottawa Hospital intensive care ward Feb. 1 and put on a ventilator. He can't speak or move his limbs. Tabbara said doctors told her they want to withdraw life support because he is not getting better, but she worries the worsening COVID situation might be affecting his care. "The ICU is full and the doctors are overwhelmed," she said. "And I think they may be rushing to decisions like this." The hospital told the family its decision was medically motivated and it would have recommended the same approach even without COVID-19. "Hospital capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic has not influenced access to critical care at all and does not influence decisions on moving to palliative care," Ottawa Hospital said in a statement. "The decision to move patients from critical care to palliative care is one that no health-care worker takes lightly." WATCH | Doctors prepare to possibly triage ICU care: Protocol violates human rights, groups allege One major problem with the province's ICU decision-making protocol, a number of human rights groups and bioethics experts say, is that it risks only deepening inequities in health care. Some of the more fiercely contested criteria for mortality risk, to be used in assessing critically ill COVID-19 patients with cancer or seniors suffering from a condition known as "frailty," consider things like whether a patient is "capable of only limited self-care" or can dress, bathe, eat or walk without assistance, and whether they can handle their finances or go shopping. Lawyer David Lepofsky calls Ontario's ICU triage plan 'raging, cruel disability discrimination, by doctors who say this is science and government that won't even answer.'(Simon Dingley/CBC) "The only way to describe this is as raging, cruel disability discrimination, by doctors who say this is science and government that won't even answer," said lawyer and disability rights activist David Lepofsky, chair of the AODA Alliance, which has been campaigning to reform the Ontario ICU protocol since an early version emerged last spring. "It explicitly makes having a disability count against you, and that is flagrantly contrary to the human rights code and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms." Pandemic made 'exponentially scarier' Lepofsky said doctors' decisions on who lives and who dies won't be subject to appeal, which denies patients and their families a fundamental right. "If we had the death penalty, you'd have right to trial and due process," he said. Vivia Kay Kieswetter, a seminary student at Trinity College in Toronto and advocate for people with disabilities who has an autoimmune disorder, said reading Ontario's ICU triage protocol has made the pandemic "exponentially scarier" for her. "This is something that has been a source of additional stress and anxiety for those with disabilities over the course of this pandemic," she said. Six of the bioethicists on the panel that helped draft the protocol published a dissent last week. They say the protocol doesn't properly recognize that people with disabilities, Indigenous patients or people of colour could disproportionately be scored at a higher short-term mortality risk because of pre-existing inequities in society that weigh on their health "well before people are brought to the doors of an ICU." "Judgments about mortality risk in the short or long term, functional status or clinical frailty scores compounds health inequities by failing to ... [consider] social disadvantage," the dissenting bioethicists wrote. 'Absolutely not ... based on disability' Ottawa's Downar, one of the numerous doctors and ethicists behind the drafting of the protocols, replies that no one is being discriminated against based on a disability. Rather, the triage protocols try to save the most lives possible, he said, by prioritizing scarce ICU resources on patients who are most likely to survive. The criteria that reference dressing or bathing oneself or going shopping, Downar said, do so only for patients with certain underlying conditions — in this case, cancer or frailty syndrome — who fall critically ill with COVID-19. And that's because those kinds of assessments have been shown in research studies to be strong predictors of whether people with those underlying conditions will survive in the ICU, he said. Dr. James Downar, who co-wrote Ontario's ICU triage protocol, acknowledges it may have disproportionate effects on some groups. But he says it's better than having no protocol and leaving it up to chance or vulnerable to doctors' unconscious biases.(Ottawa Hospital Research Institute/The Canadian Press) "People with literally the same disabilities could have totally different mortality risks and thus would be treated very differently. So it's absolutely not a triage based on disability," Downar said. Protocols in both Ontario and Quebec have explicit language that doctors are not to rely on someone's disability in assessing their mortality risk. A frailty syndrome assessment is excluded, for instance, for people with "long-term disabilities (e.g. cerebral palsy), learning disabilities or autism." Still, Downar acknowledged that the effect of using short-term mortality risk to triage patients for ICU care "is going to necessarily affect some demographic groups more than others." "What we lack is a way to correct for it that would be fair, objective and that everybody would agree on. It's not that we haven't looked.... But so far we have yet to see one that would be fair."