COVID-19 : bilan du 20 décembre

The Canadian Press
AP source: Lawmakers threatened ahead of impeachment trial
WASHINGTON — Federal law enforcement officials are examining a number of threats aimed at members of Congress as the second trial of former President Donald Trump nears, including ominous chatter about killing legislators or attacking them outside of the U.S. Capitol, a U.S. official told The Associated Press. The threats, and concerns that armed protesters could return to sack the Capitol anew, have prompted the U.S. Capitol Police and other federal law enforcement to insist thousands of National Guard troops remain in Washington as the Senate moves forward with plans for Trump's trial, the official said. The shocking insurrection at the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob prompted federal officials to rethink security in and around its landmarks, resulting in an unprecedented lockdown for Biden's inauguration. Though the event went off without any problems and armed protests around the country did not materialize, the threats to lawmakers ahead of Trump's trial exemplified the continued potential for danger. Similar to those intercepted by investigators ahead of Biden’s inauguration, the threats that law enforcement agents are tracking vary in specificity and credibility, said the official, who had been briefed on the matter. Mainly posted online and in chat groups, the messages have included plots to attack members of Congress during travel to and from the Capitol complex during the trial, according to the official. The official was not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation publicly and spoke Sunday to the AP on condition of anonymity. Law enforcement officials are already starting to plan for the possibility of armed protesters returning to the nation's capital when Trump’s Senate trial on a charge of inciting a violent insurrection begins the week of Feb. 8. It would be the first impeachment trial of a former U.S. president. Though much of the security apparatus around Washington set up after the Jan. 6 riot and ahead of Biden’s inauguration — it included scores of military checkpoints and hundreds of additional law enforcement personnel — is no longer in place, about 7,000 members of the National Guard will remain to assist federal law enforcement, officials said. Gen. Dan Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, said Monday that about 13,000 Guard members are still deployed in D.C., and that their numbers would shrink to 7,000 by the end of this week. John Whitley, the acting secretary of the Army, told a Pentagon news conference that this number is based on requests for assistance from the Capitol Police, the Park Police, the Secret Service and the Metropolitan Police Department. Whitley said the number is to drop to 5,000 by mid-March. Thousands of Trump’s supporters descended on the Capitol on Jan. 6 as Congress met to certify Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential race. More than 800 are believed to have made their way into the Capitol during the violent siege, pushing past overwhelmed police officers. The Capitol police said they planned for a free speech protest, not a riot, and were caught off guard despite intelligence suggesting the rally would descend into a riot. Five people died in the melee, including a Capitol police officer who was struck in the head with a fire extinguisher. At least five people facing federal charges have suggested they believed they were taking orders from Trump when they marched on Capitol Hill to challenge the certification of Biden’s election victory. But now those comments, captured in interviews with reporters and federal agents, are likely to take centre stage as Democrats lay out their case. More than 130 people have been charged by federal prosecutors for their roles in the riot. In recent weeks, others have been arrested after posting threats against members of Congress. They include a Proud Boys supporter who authorities said threatened to deploy “three cars full of armed patriots” to Washington, threatened harm against Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., and who is accused of stockpiling military-style combat knives and more than 1,000 rifle rounds in his New York home. A Texas man was arrested this week for taking part in the riot at the Capitol and for posting violent threats, including a call to assassinate Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y ___ Associated Press writer Lolita C. Baldor contributed to this report. Michael Balsamo, The Associated Press
13 hours ago
Local Journalism Initiative
Ice pulled from Thornbury arena
The Town of the Blue Mountains (TBM) has made the decision to pull the ice out of the Beaver Valley Community Centre (BVCC) arena for the remainder of the season. “The ice at the BVCC will be removed for the 2020/21 season. This was a difficult decision for staff to make as we know how important local arenas are to the community,” said Ryan Gibbons, director of community services for TBM. “However, the driving force behind the decision was the extension of the provincial shutdown and the unknown of what a re-opening would look like and when that may happen,” he continued. BVCC was originally closed on March 16 when TBM declared a state of emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ice surface, which is usually open to the public near the end of September, was installed at the beginning of November. The facility had been available for use by local minor league teams and the Beaver Valley Skating Club with a number of new COVID-19 protocols. Throughout this time the rink was not open to the public or to private rentals. The arena was open from Nov. 2 to the first province-wide shutdown on Dec. 26. Gibbons explained once the ice has been removed, the town does not intend to re-install the ice surface until next season. “Staff will not be re-installing the ice if the shutdown restrictions are lifted. Instead, the focus will shift onto the upcoming 2021/22 ice season while working with the Grey Bruce Public Health Unit and user groups to ensure all protocols are put in place for a safe re-opening in the fall,” Gibbons added. Jennifer Golletz, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, CollingwoodToday.ca
18 hours ago
CBC
Meet Washiiyeh Jeannotte, a 9-year-old hockey player with sharp stickhandling skills
Washiiyeh Jeannotte spends a lot of time on the ice and is hoping to inspire other Indigenous youth by providing a glimpse into his backyard rink practices via TikTok. "I've been playing hockey since I was four years old and I love taking slap shots," said the nine-year-old hockey player and member of the Algonquins of Barriere Lake, about 300 kilometres northwest of Montreal. Washiiyeh is also a big fan of "the Michigan goal," the lacrosse-style move made by Canadian hockey player Mike Legg while playing for the University of Michigan in a 1996 NCAA tournament. "It's been improved since then. A lot of NHLers have done it now; a lot of these guys had little kids want to try it, and I think this little guy has perfected it," said Washiiyeh's father, Andrew Jeannotte, who put together the slick-looking vid. A video of the young hockey player practising the move on TikTok had garnered over 22,000 views as of Monday morning. Washiiyeh couldn't practise or play with his AA atom team as a result of the pandemic, so the family made a backyard rink. Washiiyeh and his brother spend their mornings on the ice before school and then again after school. It's set up with outdoor lights so that afternoon practices can extend well into the night. "Every day after school, they've been doing videos and practising hockey, since they had no access to the arenas for the local rinks," said his mother, Nicole Ratt. "To be able for him to go outside and practise the sport he loves, it's been great." Hockey plays a big role in the family. "It's important for a lot of reasons. It keeps us busy, keeps us motivated," said Andrew Jeannotte. "I believe for a lot of First Nations kids, they know the link between hockey and the tradition. The first people to make hockey sticks were Mi'kmaw people. There's a huge link between the sport and the rich history of the Indigenous people in Canada." Washiiyeh's name means "loudest thunder" in Algonquin, inspired by retired Inuk NHL player Jordin Tootoo's Inuktitut name. The two got to meet when Barriere Lake invited Tootoo to speak at a youth gathering in 2019. Andrew said Washiiyeh has been on a tear ever since. "When you look at Barriere Lake and where we live, it is extremely isolated. So with hockey, most of the kids have not been able to play whatsoever," said Andrew. "That's why it's so important for us to get [the rink] going and make sure that they're skating all the time to keep them busy and keep them motivated."
18 hours ago
Local Journalism Initiative
A part of history to be torn down
The arena, built-in 1972, has been a fixture in the community for almost as long as Fox Creek was incorporated as a town. Within the arena, walls remain the many memories for parents who’ve watched their children play hockey since they were little and could keep their balance on skates to playing adult hockey. It will be exciting to see what's in store for the future space, while for others, it will be a sad moment as another part of the towns’ history disappears. The arena hadn’t seen any activity since 2017/18 when building inspectors discovered the presence of asbestos in the arena’s foundation. Although the air quality was tested and deemed safe, the inspector brought further safety issues, which ultimately led to the building being unsafe for public use without first doing significant renovations. As the town has a new multiplex, including the Pembina arena, the administration felt it was not economically beneficial to do the old building repairs and opted to explore other viable avenues to utilize the existing space. As it turned out, on July 30, 2020, the Government of Alberta announced a Municipal Stimulus Program (MSP) for municipalities, which would aid in supporting capital infrastructure projects and help contribute to local economic recovery and job creations. The Alberta Government set aside $500 million in grant money distributed to those Alberta municipalities that applied before October 1, 2020, and met the program objectives specified. The application reviews went relatively quick, and just last week, the Town of Fox Creek received notification for grant approval for $307,727 by the Alberta Government. To maintain funding eligibility, the Town of Fox Creek must begin construction in 2021, as well it can’t create operational funding costs for the province or result in municipal tax increases. The MSP grant money will be used to remove the Derald Palmer Arena and the lot repurposed into a space that the community can enjoy. In a media release, Mayor Hailes stated, “The Town of Fox Creek would like to express our sincere appreciation to the Provincial Government and MLA Todd Loewen for the Municipal Stimulus Grant to repurpose the Derald Palmer Memorial Arena site. It will be bittersweet to see removing a building that has been so much a part of our history. We look forward to the opportunities that this will provide for our community." The planning and preparation for removing the arena will occur once conditions allow. Vicki Winger, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Whitecourt Press
18 hours ago
The Canadian Press
Wilkerson's 'Caste' among finalists for book critics awards
NEW YORK — Isabel Wilkerson's “Caste,” an acclaimed biography of Malcolm X and fiction by Martin Amis and the late Randall Kenan are among this year's finalists for National Book Critics Circle prizes. The critics circle announced five nominees in each of six competitive categories Sunday, and seven finalists for an award for best first book. The Feminist Press, whose founder Florence Howe died last year, will receive a lifetime achievement award and has a nominee for criticism: Cristina Rivera Garza's, “Grieving: Dispatches from a Wounded Country.” New Republic critic Jo Livingston received a citation for Excellence in Reviewing. Winners will be announced March 25. This year's nominees are the first under new leadership at the NBCC after many of its board members departed in 2020 amid a dispute over how to respond to the summer's Black Lives Matters protests. Among those stepping down was NBCC president Laurie Hertzel, senior books editor for the Minneapolis Star Tribune. She was replaced by David Varno, Publishers Weekly's fiction reviews editor. In the NBCC's fiction award category, Amis was nominated for his autobiographical novel “Inside Story” and Kenan, who died in 2020, for the story collection “If I Had Two Wings.” The other finalists were Maggie O’Farrell's “Hamnet,” Souvankham Thammavongsa's “How to Pronounce Knife” and Bryan Washington's “Memorial.” Wilkerson's “Caste,” her widely read exploration of American racism; was a nonfiction finalist. The others were Walter Johnson's “The Broken Heart of America: St, Louis and the Violent History of the United States,” James Shapiro's “Shakespeare in a Divided America,” Sarah Smarsh's “She Come By It Natural: Dolly Parton and the Women Who Lived Her Songs” and Tom Zoellner's “Island on Fire: The Revolt That Ended Slavery in the British Empire.” Biography nominees included “The Dead are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X," co-written by Tamara Payne and her father, the late journalist Les Payne, and winner last fall of the National Book Award. The other finalists were Amy Stanley's “Stranger in the Shogun’s City: A Japanese Woman and Her World,” Zachary D. Carter's “The Price of Peace: Money, Democracy, and the Life of John Maynard Keynes," Heather Clark's “Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath” and Maggie Doherty's “The Equivalents: A Story of Art, Female Friendship, and Liberation in the 1960s.” In poetry, the nominees were Victoria Chang's “Obit,” Francine J. Harris' “Here Is The Sweet Hand,” Amaud Jamaul Johnson's “Imperial Liquor,” Chris Nealon's “The Shore” and Danez Smith's “Homie.” The autobiography finalists were Cathy Park Hong's “Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning,” Shayla Lawson's “This Is Major: Notes on Diana Ross, Dark Girls, and Being Dope,” Riva Lehrer's “Golem Girl,” Wayétu Moore's “The Dragons, The Giant, The Women” and Alia Volz's “Home Baked: My Mom, Marijuana, and the Stoning of San Francisco.” Beside's Garza's “Grieving,” criticism nominees were Vivian Gornick's “Unfinished Business: Notes of a Chronic Re-Reader,” Nicole Fleetwood's “Marking Time." Namwali Serpell's “Stranger Faces” and Wendy A. Woloson's “Crap: A History of Cheap Stuff in America.” Three of last year's most talked about first novels, Raven Leilani's “Lustre,” Megha Majumdar's “A Burning” and Douglas Stuart's “Shuggie Bain," are nominees for the John Leonard Prize for best first book, fiction or nonfiction. The other finalists are Kerri Arsenault's “Mill Town,” Karla Cornejo Villavicencio's “The Undocumented Americans,” Brandon Taylor's “Real Life” and “C Pam Zhang's ”How Much of These Hills Is Gold." The Leonard award is named for the late literary critic, who helped found the NBCC in 1974. Hillel Italie, The Associated Press
18 hours ago
Local Journalism Initiative
Alberta kicked after already being down
During Biden’s election campaign, he made no qualms about nixing the proposed pipeline and vowed to keep Alberta’s “dirty” fossil fuels from entering the country if he gets elected. Right from day one, Biden’s been advocating for a cleaner environment without risks of spills and ground contamination caused by potential line breaks. On our side of the border, to push the pipeline through and boost the economy, the Alberta Government contributed a $1.5 billion equity investment to the construction of the KXL pipeline in 2020 and agreed to another $6 billion loan guarantee in 2021. TC Energy purchased the pipe. Construction began last spring, employing thousands of Albertans for the stretch that would have gone from the Hardisty terminal to the Saskatchewan border just past Oyen. After receiving U.S. President Biden’s announcement and having their permit revoked, TC Energy halted operations so they can review Biden's decision, assess its implications and re-evaluate. It's a massive setback for everyone involved as 200 kilometres of the pipeline is already laid on the U.S and Canadian sides of the border. The remainder of the pipe is being stockpiled in pipe yards along the pipeline route. TC Energy announced its disappointment in Biden’s decision to revoke the permit. In a news release, TC Energy states, “The action would directly lead to the layoff of thousands of union workers and negatively impact ground-breaking industry commitments to use new renewable energy as well as historic equity partnerships with Indigenous communities.” The Keystone XL pipeline is undoubtedly the most controversial project that’s divided our countries. For over a decade, the proposed pipeline has caused tension politically and amongst various activist groups and citizens in the United States. The project has ricocheted back and forth like a ping-pong ball trying to get off the ground since 2008. The energy company has spent ten years jumping through regulatory hoops, in and out of court due to land and environmental conflicts on the U.S side, only to have President Biden shut it down with the stroke of a pen. History shows in 2010, the National Energy Board originally approved the application for the Keystone XL Pipeline. The U.S State Department released a draft environmental impact statement saying the pipeline would have limited effects on the environment. In 2012, the proposed pipeline was met with much resistance from various groups. Tensions mounted as the energy company announced it wouldn’t require presidential permission to begin construction since it did not cross the U.S / Canada border. However, in 2015, former President Barrack Obama killed the proposal. Jumping forward to 2017, President Trump approved the pipeline after being elected into the White House and signed the presidential order to proceed with the Keystone XL Pipeline. A U.S federal judge stepped in and blocked the pipeline's construction one year later. Then again, in 2019, President Trump issued a new presidential permit to expedite the construction of the XL pipeline. Construction finally commenced in April 2020 despite backlash from Indigenous groups and environmentalists in the States. With another presidential election behind us came the announcement to shut the project down once again. Just like that, within a matter of hours after Biden’s inauguration, the project, which was to have employed thousands of people for the next several years and generate $30 billion in tax and royalty revenues for Albertans, is done. It’s going to be a political waiting game as the pressure is placed on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to discuss the pipeline’s future with President Biden and hope to come to an amicable decision to not divide our countries further than what they are now. Vicki Winger, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Whitecourt Press
18 hours ago
The Canadian Press
US Supreme Court won't take up Sheldon Silver's case
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court declined Monday to take up the case of former New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who is serving a 6 1/2-year prison sentence after being convicted in a corruption case. The high court's decision not to hear Silver's appeal is another sharp blow to the Manhattan Democrat, who was once one of the three most powerful state officials. Silver was ousted as speaker in 2015 and was convicted later that year. His original conviction was overturned on appeal, but he was convicted again in 2018. Part of that conviction was then tossed out on another appeal, leading to yet another sentencing in July. Silver, 76, began serving his sentence in August. In the part of the case that survived the appeal process, Silver was convicted in a scheme that involved favours and business traded between two real estate developers and a law firm. Silver supported legislation that benefited the developers. The developers then referred certain tax business to a law firm that paid Silver fees. Two justices, Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas, said they would have heard Silver's case. Earlier this month, The New York Times reported that President Donald Trump was considering clemency for Silver, but ultimately no pardon or sentence reduction was granted. Silver has been serving time at the federal prison in Otisville, about 80 miles (130 kilometres) from New York City. Before his conviction, Silver was a giant in New York politics. First elected to the Assembly in 1977, he became speaker in 1994, holding that position for more than two decades. For nearly half that time, during the administration of Republican Gov. George Pataki, he was the most powerful Democrat in the state. Silver's lawyers had asked the court to consider allowing him to serve his sentence at home because of the risk of contracting COVID-19 and dying in prison. But District Judge Valerie Caproni said issuing a sentence without prison time was inappropriate because Silver was guilty of “corruption, pure and simple.” The Associated Press
18 hours ago
Global News
Canada marks 1-year anniversary of first COVID-19 case
One year ago today – the first cast of what would become known as COVID-19 was confirmed in Canada. The patient was a man who had recently travelled from Wuhan, China. Travis Dhanraj looks back at the last year
17 hours ago
The Canadian Press
Priestman includes six uncapped players in her first roster as Canada soccer coach
Bev Priestman has named six uncapped players in her first roster as coach of the Canadian women's team. The 34-year-old Priestman, who took over the team in November after Kenneth Heiner-Moller stepped down to take a coaching job in his native Denmark, has named a 29-player squad for a two-week camp ahead of next month's SheBelieves Cup in Orlando. The roster will be reduced to 23 for the four-team tournament, scheduled for Feb. 18-24 at Exploria Stadium The Canadian women, tied for eighth with Brazil in the FIFA rankings, are taking part with the top-ranked U.S., No. 10 Japan and Brazil. Potential debutantes includes goalkeeper Rylee Foster (Liverpool FC), defenders Bianca St-Georges (Chicago Red Stars) and Jade Rose (Super REX Ontario), midfielders Samantha Chang (University of South Carolina) and Jordyn Listro (Orlando Pride), and forward Evelyne Viens (Paris FC). Rose, who turns 18 on Feb. 12, has attended two senior camps but has yet to earn a cap. All but Viens worked with Priestman in her previous role as Canadian youth coach. It's the first time Canada Soccer has summoned Viens, a prolific goal-scorer at the University of South Florida who is currently on loan to Paris FC from Sky Blue FC of the NWSL. Veterans include captain Christine Sinclair (296 caps), Diana Matheson (206 caps), Sophie Schmidt (199 caps), and Desiree Scott (157 caps). Goalkeeper Erin McLeod (118 caps) earns her first call-up since returning from injury in 2019. The 37-year-old Sinclair goes into the Florida tournament with a world-record 186 international goals to her credit. “The pre-competition camp is designed to provide any players not in season with the chance to get in valuable preparation heading into the SheBelieves Cup,” Priestman said in a statement. “It also provides us with an opportunity to see where players are ahead of selecting our final 23-player roster for the SheBelieves Cup." Priestman has a good handle on Canada's young talent. From 2013 to 2018, she helped develop talent for the Canadian women's program and served as an assistant coach under John Herdman, whom she had also worked with in New Zealand. She left in August 2018 to return home, serving as Phil Neville's No. 2 with the English women's team and English youth coach. Eleven of the players on the Canadian camp roster are currently with teams in Europe with five playing in England, five in France and one in Sweden. There are 11 players from the NWSL, five from U.S. colleges and two from the developmental Super REX Ontario program. The Canadian women have not played since March 10, when they wrapped up play at a tournament in France with a 2-2 tie with Brazil. A Canadian camp scheduled for England in October was called off on the advice of medical experts due to the pandemic. All four teams at the SheBelieves Cup have qualified for the Tokyo Games with Canada finishing runner-up to the Americans at the CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Championship last February. And all four made the knockout phase of the 2019 World Cup in France. The U.S. won the tournament while Canada, Brazil and Japan were eliminated in the round of 16. The defending champion Americans have won the SheBelieves Cup three times. France won in 2017 and England in 2019. CANADA Goalkeepers: Rylee Foster, Liverpool FC (England); Stephanie Labbe, FC Rosengard (Sweden); Erin McLeod, Orlando Pride (NWSL); Kailen Sheridan, Sky Blue FC (NWSL). Defenders: Kadeisha Buchanan, Olympique Lyonnais (France); Vanessa Gilles, FC Girondins de Bordeaux (France); Jade Rose, Super REX Ontario; Shelina Zadorsky, Tottenham Hotspur (England); Gabrielle Carle, Florida State University; Allysha Chapman, Houston Dash (NWSL); Ashley Lawrence, Paris Saint-Germain (France); Bianca St-Georges, Chicago Red Stars (NWSL); Jayde Riviere, University of Michigan. Midfielders: Samantha Chang, University of South Carolina; Jessie Fleming, Chelsea FC (England); Julia Grosso, University of Texas; Jordyn Listro|, Orlando Pride (NWSL); Diana Matheson, FC Kansas City (NWSL); Quinn, OL Reign FC (NWSL); Sophie Schmidt, Houston Dash (NWSL); Desiree Scott, FC Kansas City (NWSL). Forwards: Janine Beckie, Manchester City (England); Jordyn Huitema, Paris Saint-Germain; Adriana Leon, West Ham United (England); Nichelle Prince, Houston Dash (NWSL); Deanne Rose, University of Florida; Christine Sinclair, Portland Thorns; Olivia Smith, Super REX Ontario; Evelyne Viens, Paris FC (France). --- Follow @NeilMDavidson on Twitter This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan, 25, 2021 Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
18 hours ago
Local Journalism Initiative
Evidence of cougar in the area
Common animals in the area are moose, deer, black bear and the mighty grizzly bear. Over the past few years, cougars have also made their presence known. These wild animals all thrive in the dense forest surrounding Fox Creek. Not only do the forests provide great shelter, but the natural cycle of the food chain is what keeps them here. It depends where these animals sit on the food chain and if they are the predator or the prey that keeps them here. Sightings of cougars in the area is a sign of a healthy ecosystem. For centuries humans have lived alongside wildlife, and as we continue building and encroaching into their territory, there will be more encounters. More often than not, all wildlife is afraid of humans, just as we fear them. The wildlife common to this area, such as moose and deer, are more docile towards humans and know they are prey; therefore typically run in the opposite direction. The grizzly bear and cougar are predators and sit at the top of the food chain. Despite their status and known as the hunters, they won't show signs of aggression towards humans unless provoked. As the cougar is the newest animal to venture close to town, people need to understand them better and learn to respect them to live amongst them. Studies done by Wildlife Societies indicate the cougar population is on the rise in Alberta as the deer population has increased. Cougars are found in habitats suitable for white-tailed and mule deer as that's the preferred prey. The forested areas surrounding Fox Creek are prime locations for the big cat as it offers an abundance of places to make a den, and the trees provide excellent camouflage while they stalk its prey. There has been evidence of a cougar on the biking trails, but the elusive creature has not been physically spotted. Wildlife experts indicate it's rare to see one as they are "masters of camouflage" and can hide beneath a spruce tree while you walk by and never know it. Cougars are loners and will call it home if satisfied with an area due to sufficient food, shelter, and water. The home range territory can cover an area of about 300 square kilometres. Due to the coverage size, that may be why some residents have only spotted the occasional traces in passing. Once the cougar has established its home range or personal territory, it will defend and mark the area, discouraging other cougars from entering. As it's confirmed, there is a cougar somewhere around the trail system; while you are out walking or biking, watch for other signs indicating its boundary. They may leave claw marks on trees near the territory edges or leave piles of leaves, pine needles, and dirt that's covered over with urine and feces. As big and scary as these majestic creatures seem, human encounters are rare because they are so elusive. A few safety tips from Alberta Fish and Wildlife should come across a cougar; first off, do not run or scream. Walk away slowly and never turn your back to the cougar. Under normal circumstances, they will not attack unless they are threatened, or you've backed them into a corner with leaving them no escape route. Of the human attacks reported, most of those are children or adults jogging or hiking alone. As children are small and have a high-pitched voice, they are portrayed as easy prey to the cougar. As a preventative safety measure, if you're out with children, keep them between the adults and don't let them run ahead or lag. Another big one is dogs. As evidence of a cougar was spotted on the trails, it may be best to leave them at home as they can attract the cougar due to them being easy prey or keep them on a short leash. If you've found yourself too close to the animal and its grooming and only taking momentary glances as you, that's your cue to back away slowly and leave the area. However, if it's staring intently and begins hissing, that's when it becomes a real threat. Prepare to stand your ground, show the cougar you are not prey. Make yourself as big as possible, which can be done by opening your coat and waving your arms. If that fails, fight back using fists, sticks or anything handy to hit it in the face and eyes. The goal is to remain standing and don't stop fighting. As mentioned, a cougar's home range is around 300 square kilometres, a large area for one animal. Don't let this deter you from getting out on the trails for fresh air and exercise. Be prepared before going out is all. Carry bear spray, a whistle or bells and avoid plugging in your headset or earpieces for music so you can stay in tune with your surroundings. Travel in pairs or a group, pick up a stick if you're walking or a noisemaker if you're out on the bike. If you do come across the cougar or evidence it's in the area, don't hesitate to advise the Fox Creek Fish and Wildlife office. Vicki Winger, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Whitecourt Press
18 hours ago
CBC
2nd doses of Moderna vaccine headed to Windsor-Essex LTC homes as province changes Pfizer plan
Residents in Windsor-Essex long-term care homes will receive their second doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine this week, while shortages of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine due to supply issues mean a major change to the province's overall plan for vaccine rollout Theresa Marentette, CEO and chief nursing officer of the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, said the unit will be starting the next wave of vaccinations on Thursday using its existing supply of the Moderna vaccine. It expects another shipment to arrive the week of Feb. 1. The vaccine is one of two approved for use in Canada. Both require a second dose in order to be effective against the virus that causes COVID-19. Shipments of the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine are seeing significant delays, prompting Windsor Regional Hospital (WRH) to stop administering first shots and delay second doses. In a news release Monday, the hospital said it is forced to delay second doses by 42 days rather than the 28 day window that was initially recommended. But according to Canada's National Advisory Committee on Immunization, the increase is expected to provide "similarly high protection" as seen with the 28 day period. By Monday, WRH said it will have vaccinated about 7,091 people with first doses, 2,154 of them with second doses. At this time, the hospital said it is about 10 per cent shy of vaccinating some individuals listed under the province's phase 1 priority grouping, including long-term care and retirement home staff, congregate care staff, essential caregivers, higher risk local Indigenous populations and Windsor-Essex hospital staff. This suggests that nearly 5,000 people will have to wait longer than expected to get the second shot. These local delays are the result of a cancelled Pfizer-BioNTech shipment that was expected in Canada on Monday and a 50 per cent drop in supply for deliveries in the next four weeks. The provincial COVID-19 vaccine distribution task force announced Monday that due to the Pfizer-BioNtech shortages, vaccinations will be delayed for health-care workers and essential caregivers to focus on other priority groups such as long-term care residents. The health unit reported 68 new cases of the virus on Monday, the fifth time this month that daily case counts have dipped below 100. The sources of the majority of new infections are under investigation, while three cases are linked to outbreaks, one was community acquired and another is a close contact of a confirmed case. One additional death was reported, a woman in her 90s who was a resident of a long-term care home. There are 107 COVID-19 patients in hospital, with 16 in intensive care. Active cases declining The number of active infections has declined by more than 1,100 since last Monday. Given the lower cases counts, current contact management efforts are going well and staff are reaching people in a timely manner, Marentette said. "We do have good resources, I feel, to continue to address the new cases that we receive," she said. "We also know that overall testing is down a little bit in our area as well, so we want to make sure that we are ready for any cases ... that come our way." Despite the recent decline in cases, there are still 52 outbreaks active in the region, including six between Windsor Regional Hospital and Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare. Outbreaks remain active at two Assisted Living Southwestern Ontario locations. Outbreaks are active at 25 workplaces: Seven in Leamington's agricultural sector. Five in Kingsville's agricultural sector. Six in Windsor's health care and social assistance sector. One in Lakeshore's health care and social assistance sector. One in Kingsville's health care and social assistance sector. One in Windsor's manufacturing sector. One in a retail setting in Windsor. One in a retail setting in Essex. One in a retail setting in Lakeshore. One in a transportation and warehousing setting in Windsor. There are 19 active outbreaks at long-term care and retirement facilities: Heron Terrace in Windsor with one resident case and one staff case. Chartwell Leamington in Leamington with two resident cases and one staff case. Regency Park in Windsor with seven resident cases and seven staff cases. Chartwell Royal Marquis, with one resident case and one staff case. Harrowood Senior Community Living in Harrow, with six resident cases and two staff cases. Devonshire Retirement Residence in Windsor, with 44 resident cases and six staff cases. Chartwell Royal Oak in Kingsville, with two staff cases. Rosewood Erie Glen in Leamington, with 38 resident cases and seven staff cases. Leamington Mennonite Home with seven staff cases. Augustine Villas in Kingsville, with 64 resident and 18 staff cases. Sunrise Assisted Living of Windsor, with 15 resident cases and eight staff cases. Huron Lodge in Windsor, with 47 resident cases and 25 staff cases. Sun Parlor Home in Leamington with two resident cases and 13 staff cases. Banwell Gardens Care Centre in Windsor, with 115 resident cases and 64 staff cases. The Shoreview at Riverside in Windsor, with 30 resident cases and 16 staff cases. Extendicare Tecumseh, with 90 resident cases and 57 staff cases. Berkshire Care Centre in Windsor, with 99 resident and 61 staff cases. The Village at St. Clair in Windsor, with 163 resident cases and 136 staff cases. Village of Aspen Lake in Tecumseh, with 64 resident cases and 32 staff cases. COVID-19 in Sarnia-Lambton and Chatham-Kent In Lambton County, 11 new cases were reported on Monday. Chatham-Kent, which does not release new data over the weekend, saw an increase of 42 cases.
18 hours ago
The Canadian Press
Biden replaces White House doctor with longtime physician
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has brought back Dr. Kevin O'Connor as his physician, replacing President Donald Trump's doctor with the one who oversaw his care when he was vice-president. The White House confirmed that Dr. Sean Conley, the Navy commander who served as the head of the White House Medical Unit under Trump and oversaw his treatment when he was hospitalized with COVID-19, will assume a teaching role at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. O'Connor, a retired Army colonel, was Biden's doctor during his entire tenure as vice-president, having remained in the role at Biden's request. He remained Biden's physician while assuming a role on the faculty of George Washington University. The White House said O'Connor was being commissioned by the president but was not rejoining the military. He is the first non-active duty doctor to serve as physician to the president in almost three decades. Conley faced intense scrutiny over his lack of transparency during Trump's illness with COVID-19. Then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said at the time that Trump's condition was worse than Conley had let on. Zeke Miller, The Associated Press
18 hours ago
CBC
Investor exuberance pushes BlackBerry share price to 9 year high — for no rational reason
Shares in Canadian technology company BlackBerry are changing hands at their highest level in almost a decade on Monday, as investor enthusiasm for the once high-flying stock has mysteriously returned. BlackBerry shares were trading at almost $25 a share when the Toronto Stock Exchange opened on Monday, up more than $7 or more than 40 per cent from Friday's level. The stock was briefly halted on Monday morning when its rise set off automatic circuit breakers that trigger when companies see their value climb or fall rapidly. When trading resumed, the shares pulled back a little, but they were still up 20 per cent to close at $22.92. The stock has been quietly rallying for several days now, before taking off on Monday. When 2021 began, the company was worth just over $8 a share. It's now worth about three times that. The company has had a number of small pieces of good news in recent weeks, but nothing that would explain Monday's rise in share price. Regulators halt trading The company itself admitted as much in a news release Monday, saying it is "not aware of any material undisclosed corporate developments ... that would account for the recent increase in the market price or trading volume of its common shares." BlackBerry made that statement at the request of regulators, who put a halt to all buying and selling of BlackBerry shares until the TSX could sort out what exactly was going on. Last month, the company signed a deal with Amazon to work on a connected cloud software program for cars, and then in mid-January BlackBerry favourably settled a patent fight with Facebook, but Morningstar analyst William Kerwin says neither development is good enough or recent enough to explain Monday's surge. "BlackBerry's stock movement doesn't appear to be rooted in any fundamental firm changes, in our view," he said in an email to CBC News. Instead, the company has seemingly become one of many recent firms to benefit from a groundswell of retail investor enthusiasm on popular online message boards such as Reddit, regardless of whatever the Wall Street community thinks. Of the 11 analysts who cover the company, nine have a "hold" rating on the company's shares, and two have "sell" recommendations. None suggest buying. But that's not stopping retail investors from doing exactly that. "BB is moving on Reddit boards," said Ophir Gottlieb, CEO of trading firm Capital Market Labs. "Not much else to say, but this is not a single stock story; it is a behavioural story." Latest in a series of unexpected rises U.S. video game retailer GameSpot has seen its shares quintuple in recent weeks as retail investors pile into the company, even as institutional money is shorting the shares. Short sellers make money by betting against stocks. While BlackBerry has very few of its shares being currently shorted, it is being swept up in the same tide of retail investor exuberance. More than 26 million of BlackBerry's shares changed hands in Toronto Monday. That's more than five times the usual volume. Colin Cieszynski, chief market strategist with SIA Wealth Management in Toronto, says BlackBerry is just the latest in a series of companies that have seen unexpected rises in share prices in recent weeks. The current stock market rally has driven up the valuation of huge companies, and now investors are moving down the food chain looking for bargains. "Smaller stocks don't have as much liquidity or stock available to trade so a sudden stampede of cash chasing into a smaller cap stock can swamp supply and cause the kind of massive spikes on no news that have started to really pop up in the last week or so," he said in an email to CBC News. "So to me, these moves are more about market sentiment, relative performance, and supply/demand issues rather than fundamental news." Kerwin agrees that there are no fundamental changes to BlackBerry's business that properly explain the price surge. "We think there's likely a shift in market sentiment about BlackBerry, perhaps with investors getting more bullish about [their] prospects after the fact. There's above average trading volume this morning, which might also point to [a] retail investor swell." 'Most undervalued stock in the world' British Columbian Paul Ni is one such retail investor who's riding that swell. Ni said he first became interested in the company last November, when his due diligence led him to deduce the company was the "most undervalued stock in the world." He's active on a Reddit board called wallstreetbets, that boasts nearly two million people, sharing their thoughts on various equities. "How to evaluate a stock is supposed to be done by Wall Street," he told CBC News in an interview. "But now we already dig it out." He bought at around $6 a share. Despite the shares now being almost five times higher than that, Ni has no plans to sell any time soon because he thinks more people are realizing the value of the company's automotive technology, which includes software used in self-driving cars and other automotive functions. The company is currently worth $12 billion since its run-up, but Ni says it should be worth $50 billion or more. "We are very proactive about discovering value," he said of his fellow investing Redditors. Greg Taylor, chief investment officer at Toronto-based money manager Purpose Investments, says while he thinks BlackBerry is a good company with a decent balance sheet that has managed to legitimately turn itself around, the stock market valuation has gotten way ahead of itself. "What we've got is a lot of stimulus in the system, and people have more cash that they're starting to deploy to the stock markets, and it's really gotten to more of the gambling phase more than anything else," he said in an interview.
18 hours ago
The Canadian Press
Heavy fighting erupts in Somali town near Kenyan border
MOGADISHU, Somalia — Heavy fighting has broken out in a Somali town near the Kenyan border between Somali forces and those from the state of Jubbaland, as Somalia’s election troubles spill over into violence. Somalia’s information ministry in a statement early Monday accused Kenya-funded rebels of crossing into the town of Bulo Hawo and attacking Somali forces. But the Jubbaland vice-president, Mohamud Sayid Adan, told reporters that Jubbaland forces stationed outside the town were attacked by what he called forces recently deployed to the region by the government in the capital, Mogadishu. Both sides have claimed victory but people in the town said fighting continued and some people have begun to flee. The information ministry asserted that Somali forces were in control of the town. There were no immediate details on casualties. Somalia’s accusation of Kenyan support to the Jubbaland leader comes after Somalia cut diplomatic ties with Kenya in December “to safeguard the unity, sovereignty, stability of the country.” Somalia’s president has been accused by critics of stirring up such issues to draw support as he seeks a second term. Kenya's Internal Security Minister Fred Matiangi described Monday's fighting as “internal to Somalia and has nothing to do with us (Kenya). "We are not involved in it and none of our forces has crossed the border to go to Somalia,” he said answering questions from journalists during a joint press conference with the U.K. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace on renewing of security agreements between those two countries. Kenya's foreign affairs ministry said earlier in a statement that it had raised its concern about the fighting with the African Union Commission. “Kenya’s primary concern is that the renewed fighting engenders large-scale displacement of civilians inside Somalia and increasingly generates large numbers of refugees and asylum seekers to Kenya, therefore aggravating the already dire humanitarian situation in Somalia and in the refugee camps in Kenya,” the statement said. Somalia faces a troubled national election in the coming weeks. Jubbaland is one of two states, along with Puntland in the north, that have refused to take part. In September, President Abdullahi Mohamed Abdullahi in talks between states and the federal government agreed to withdraw Somali forces from the Gedo region of Jubbaland, where Bulo Hawo is located. But that hasn’t happened, and the Somali forces remain after taking over the town mid-last year. The president also has replaced district commissioners in Gedo who had been appointed by Jubbaland leader Ahmed Madobe, who is seen to have Kenyan support. Jubbaland also contains the lucrative port city of Kismayo, where Kenyan forces are deployed as part of a multinational African Union force. The Middle Jubba region, however, remains under the control of Somalia's al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist rebels. Hassan Barise, The Associated Press
a day ago
The Canadian Press
Waterloo-area church held in-person service despite court order, police say
Police in Waterloo Region say a church allegedly held an in-person service yesterday despite a court order compelling it to comply with provincial pandemic rules. Investigators say they are working with public health officials to ensure "appropriate action" is taken regarding the Trinity Bible Chapel in Woolwich, Ont. They say the church already faces "numerous" charges under the Reopening Ontario Act. Ontario legislator Randy Hillier, an independent MPP and vocal critic of the province's lockdown measures, tweeted a photo yesterday that appeared to be from the service. He also posted a photo that appeared to be of the outside of the church. The government of Ontario declared a state of emergency and imposed a stay-at-home order on Jan. 12, which includes a ban on indoor gatherings and activities, including religious services. Some religious services, such as weddings and funerals, are permitted provided they include no more than 10 people and physical distancing can be maintained. The rules apply to the entire province and will remain in effect until at least Feb. 11. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 25, 2021. The Canadian Press
21 hours ago
Reuters
Former Google executive to run Italy's TIM new cloud unit
Former Google executive Carlo d'Asaro Biondo has been appointed as Chief executive officer of Telecom Italia's (TIM) newly-created cloud unit Noovle, Italy's biggest phone group said on Monday. The creation of the new company is part of the former phone monopoly's strategy to boost and diversify its revenues, providing services to businesses and state-controlled offices looking to improve their digital reach. D'Asaro Biondo, who has been Google's president for EMEA partnerships, joined the former phone monopoly last year after TIM struck a deal with the tech giant to expand its cloud business in the country.
22 hours ago
The Canadian Press
China pushes conspiracy theories on COVID origin, vaccines
TAIPEI, Taiwan — Chinese state media have stoked concerns about Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, despite rigorous trials indicating it is safe. A government spokesperson has raised the unsubstantiated theory that the coronavirus could have emerged from a U.S. military lab, giving it more credence in China. As the ruling Communist Party faces growing questioning about China's vaccines and renewed criticism of its early COVID-19 response, it is hitting back by encouraging conspiracy theories that some experts say could cause harm. State media and officials are sowing doubts about Western vaccines and the origin of the coronavirus in an apparent bid to deflect the attacks. Both issues are in the spotlight because of the rollout of vaccines globally and the recent arrival of a World Health Organization team in Wuhan, China, to investigate the origins of the virus. Some of these conspiracy theories find a receptive audience at home. The social media hashtag “American’s Ft. Detrick,” started by the Communist Youth League, was viewed at least 1.4 billion times last week after a Foreign Ministry spokesperson called for a WHO investigation of the biological weapons lab in Maryland. “It’s purpose is to shift the blame from mishandling by (the) Chinese government in the pandemic’s early days to conspiracy by the U.S.,” said Fang Shimin, a now-U.S.-based writer known for exposing faked degrees and other fraud in Chinese science. “The tactic is quite successful because of widespread anti-American sentiment in China.” Yuan Zeng, an expert on Chinese media at the University of Leeds in Great Britain, said the government’s stories spread so widely that even well-educated Chinese friends have asked her whether they might be true. Inflaming doubts and spreading conspiracy theories might add to public health risks as governments try to dispel unease about vaccines, she said, saying, “That is super, super dangerous.” In the latest volley, state media called for an investigation into the deaths of 23 elderly people in Norway after they received the Pfizer vaccine. An anchor at CGTN, the English-language station of state broadcaster CCTV, and the Global Times newspaper accused Western media of ignoring the news. Health experts say deaths unrelated to the vaccine are possible during mass vaccination campaigns, and a WHO panel has concluded that the vaccine did not play a “contributory role” in the Norway deaths. The state media coverage followed a report by researchers in Brazil who found the effectiveness of a Chinese vaccine lower than previously announced. Researchers initially said Sinovac’s vaccine is 78% effective, but the scientists revised that to 50.4% after including mildly symptomatic cases. After the Brazil news, researchers at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, a government-supported think-tank , reported seeing an increase in Chinese media disinformation about vaccines. Dozens of online articles on popular health and science blogs and elsewhere have explored questions about the effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccine at length, drawing on an op-ed published this month in the British Medical Journal that raised questions about its clinical trial data. “It’s very embarrassing” for the government, Fang said in an email. As a result, China is trying to raise doubts about the Pfizer vaccine to save face and promote its vaccines, he said. Senior Chinese government officials have not been shy in voicing concerns about the mRNA vaccines developed by Western drug companies. They use a newer technology than the more traditional approach of the Chinese vaccines currently in use. In December, the director of the Chinese Centers for Disease Control, Gao Fu, said he can’t rule out negative side effects from the mRNA vaccines. Noting this is the first time they are being given to healthy people, he said, “there are safety concerns.” The Pfizer mRNA vaccine and another one developed by Moderna have passed both animal and human trials in which they were tested on more than 70,000 people. The arrival of the WHO mission has brought back persistent criticism that China allowed the virus to spread globally by reacting too slowly in the beginning, even reprimanding doctors who tried to warn the public. The visiting researchers will begin field work this week after being released from a 14-day quarantine. The Communist Party sees the WHO investigation as a political risk because it focuses attention on China’s response, said Jacob Wallis, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. The party wants to “distract domestic and international audiences by pre-emptively distorting the narrative on where responsibility lies for the emergence of COVID-19,” Wallis said. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying got the ball rolling last week by reviving earlier Chinese calls for a WHO investigation of the U.S. military lab. State media have referenced past scandals at the lab, but China has given no reliable evidence to support the coronavirus theory. “If America respects the truth, then please open up Ft. Detrick and make public more information about the 200 or more bio-labs outside of the U.S., and please allow the WHO expert group to go to the U.S. to investigate the origins,” Hua said. Her comments, publicized by state media, became one of the most popular topics on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo. China isn’t the only government to point fingers. Former U.S. President Donald Trump, trying to deflect blame for his government’s handling of the pandemic, said last year he had seen evidence the virus came from a Wuhan laboratory. While that theory has not been definitively ruled out, many experts think it is unlikely. Huizhong Wu, The Associated Press
21 hours ago
The Canadian Press
Liz Weston: The tax credit fix many can't afford to miss
Families battered by the pandemic recession soon may discover that the tax refunds they’re counting on are dramatically smaller — or that they actually owe income tax. Congress offered a partial solution, but the fix hasn’t been widely publicized, consumer advocates say. Refunds are crucial to many lower- and moderate-income households, which use the money to catch up on bills and medical treatments, pay down debt and boost savings. But the unemployment insurance that kept many people afloat last year may cause problems at tax time this year. Unemployment benefits are taxable, but tax withholding is typically voluntary — and many people who lost jobs either didn’t know their unemployment checks would be taxed, or they decided against withholding. (Relief checks, such as the $1,200 sent out last year, are not taxable.) Further, unemployment benefits are not earned income and so don’t count toward two crucial tax benefits that keep millions of working families with children out of poverty: the earned income tax credit and the additional child tax credit. “If you’re a single parent or a couple with kids living on, say, $25,000 a year, you might see 25% or more of your annual income in the form of your federal tax refund because of these credits,” says Timothy Flacke, executive director of Commonwealth, a non-profit that promotes financial security. THERE’S A FIX ON CREDITS, BUT NOT ENOUGH PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT IT There isn’t an easy workaround for tax refunds shriveled by inadequate withholding. But Congress provided a potential fix for the tax credits issue in the $900 billion coronavirus relief legislation passed last month: Filers can choose to use their 2019 income to determine their credits rather than their 2020 income. But that fix hasn’t been widely reported, says Leigh Phillips, chief executive officer of SaverLife, a non-profit that encourages working families to save. Not everyone uses up-to-date tax software or well-informed tax preparers, and Phillips worries that many eligible people won’t learn about it before filing their returns. The IRS will begin accepting returns Feb. 12. “People are going to start trying to file taxes as soon as they possibly can,” Phillips says. “If you think that you’ve got thousands coming in the mail or to your bank account, you’re there day one with your paperwork ready to go.” THOSE WHO RELY ON REFUNDS TEND TO FILE EARLY Research confirms that the earliest recipients of refunds each year tend to be lower income, says Fiona Greig, co-president of the JPMorgan Chase Institute, which studies data from millions of customer bank accounts. “(A tax refund) tends to be a larger relative cash infusion event for them, and as a result, they tend to seek their refund earlier in the tax refund season,” Greig says. In typical years, tax refunds equal almost six weeks’ take-home pay for the average recipient, the institute found. Last year the average refund was more than $2,500. Families who qualify for the earned income tax credit can receive thousands more. The maximum credit for working families with three or more children is $6,660 for 2020, and it’s refundable, which means filers get the money even if they don’t owe any tax. The amount you can earn and still qualify rises with family size, so that a married couple with three or more children could get at least a partial credit with adjusted gross income up to $56,844. A single person without children may qualify for a small credit with an adjusted gross income up to $15,820. Meanwhile, the regular child tax credit for children under 17 is $2,000 and not refundable. But low-income families may qualify for a refundable credit, which can be up to 15% of earned income over $2,500, up to $1,400 per child. TAX CREDITS HAVE WIDESPREAD SUPPORT The credits have been around for decades and have widespread bipartisan support among lawmakers, Commonwealth’s Flacke says. “It’s one of the few areas of some consensus across the parties that rewarding workers on the low end of the wage spectrum with these tax credits makes sense,” Flacke says. If you might qualify for one of the tax credits, make sure your tax software or tax preparer looks at both your 2019 and 2020 incomes before submitting your return. If you find out too late that you could have received a bigger refund, you can file an amended return, but you may face a longer wait. Instead of getting your refund in a few weeks, an amended return can take up to four months to process. Going forward, President Joe Biden has proposed one-year expansions of the credits as part of his coronavirus relief package. He wants to increase the maximum earned income tax credit for childless adults from $538 to nearly $1,500 this year and to raise the income limit. He also wants to increase the child tax credit to $3,000, plus an extra $600 per child under age 6, and make the full amount refundable. If enacted, these credits could be claimed on returns filed in 2022. ____________________________________ This column was provided to The Associated Press by the personal finance website NerdWallet. Liz Weston is a columnist at NerdWallet, a certified financial planner and author of “Your Credit Score.” Email: lweston@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @lizweston. RELATED LINK: NerdWallet: Earned Income Tax Credit (EIC): What It Is and How to Qualify in 2020-2021 http://bit.ly/nerdwallet-EIC-2021 Liz Weston Of Nerdwallet, The Associated Press
22 hours ago
The Canadian Press
Biden plans to sign order for govt to buy more US goods
BALTIMORE — President Joe Biden plans to sign on Monday an executive order that aims to boost government purchases from U.S. manufacturers, according to administration officials. The United States has shed roughly 540,000 factory jobs since last February as the coronavirus pandemic hurled the world's largest economy into recession. The goal of the order would be to use the $600 billion the federal government spends on procurement to boost domestic factories and hiring, said officials who insisted on anonymity to discuss the forthcoming announcement. Biden's order would modify the rules for the Buy American program, making it harder for contractors to qualify for a waiver and sell foreign-made goods to federal agencies. It also changes rules so that more of a manufactured good's components must originate from U.S. factories. American-made goods would also be protected by an increase in the government's threshold and price preferences, the difference in price over which the government can buy a foreign product. The order also has elements that apply to the separate Buy America program, which applies separately to highways and bridges. It seeks to open up government procurement contracts to new companies by scouting potential contractors. The order would create a public website for companies that received waivers to sell foreign goods to the government, so that U.S. manufacturers can have more information and be in a more competitive position. To help enforce these goals, the order establishes a job at the White House Office of Management and Budget to monitor the initiative and focus on ensuring the government buys more domestically made goods. It also requires federal agencies to report on their progress in purchasing American goods, as well as emphasizing Biden's support for the Jones Act, which mandates that only U.S.-flag vessels carry cargo between U.S. ports. Past presidents have promised to revitalize manufacturing as a source of job growth and achieved mixed results. The government helped save the automotive sector after the 2008 financial crisis, but the number of factory jobs has been steadily shrinking over the course of four decades. The number of U.S. manufacturing jobs peaked in 1979 at 19.5 million and now totals 12.3 million, according to the Labor Department. Biden's predecessor, Donald Trump, famously promised a factory renaissance, yet manufacturing employment never returned to its pre-Great Recession levels before the coronavirus struck. Josh Boak, The Associated Press
a day ago
Local Journalism Initiative
McKellar ratepayers against paying for electric vehicle charging stations
Over 150 McKellar ratepayers have signed an online petition against a proposed electric vehicle charging station in the township. The petition was started by Chris Skinner, who was unable to comment at time of publication. Posted in multiple McKellar Facebook pages on Jan. 19, it quickly gained traction and reached its 100-signature goal. Many ratepayers commented that they were against the potential charging station. “Why should we have to pay for something as ridiculous as these charging stations if the majority of residents in McKellar are never going to use them?” asked Tammy DeCarle-Bier in the McKellar Free Speech Facebook page. The Nov. 10 minutes from the McKellar council meeting state that the township “identified the installation of electric vehicle charging stations as part of its action plan” and that the community centre complex would be the ideal location. The initial cost per charging station is estimated at $100,000, but council requested that Hydro One apply to the federal government NRCan Grant, under the Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program, which would provide up to 50 per cent of the total cost of the acquisition and installation of two electric vehicle charging stations. However, David Downing, a McKellar ratepayer, said that he’d rather see a gas station in McKellar before electric vehicle charging stations. “You cannot even buy gasoline in the township,” said Downing. “How many (electric vehicle) owners? One I think, and he is a councillor … sure, the government will match to 50 per cent but we have other needs for our $100,000.” McKellar’s mayor, Peter Hopkins, said that the township was working on a response to the petition but had no further comment at this time. Sarah Cooke’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. Sarah Cooke, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Parry Sound North Star
21 hours ago

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