COVID-19 puts Africa's mountain gorillas at risk

COVID-19 cases are rising in Uganda, sparking concerns that humans may pass the disease on to the country's endangered mountain gorilla population.

Latest Stories

  • Coyotes pounce on man who crashed electric scooter into one of them on Stanley Park seawall

    It's dark on the north side of the Stanley Park seawall at night. Thus, a man riding his electric scooter in the area just before midnight on Sunday likely didn't see it coming before he crashed into a coyote in his path. The impact — according to police, who highlighted the bizarre encounter on Monday — knocked the man off his scooter. Officers said he fell to the pavement and injured his collarbone. Then it got worse. "While he was on the ground, a couple of coyotes began to nip at him — biting at his jacket and his clothing," said Const. Steve Addison. Addison said the man fended off the animals and flagged down a passerby, who called 911. B.C. Emergency Health Services confirmed paramedics were called to respond to a "multiple animal situation" on the seawall between Lumbermen's Arch and the Lions Gate Bridge. The man was hospitalized in stable condition, according to an email. The run-in is at least the 17th incident since December in which a coyote has bitten a human in Stanley Park. All the biting incidents since Christmas have involved adults walking or running in the park, most often between dusk and dawn. People in the park should not feed coyotes or leave food out for animals, say wildlife officials. Anyone who has an encounter with an aggressive coyote is asked to call the provincial RAPP line at 1-877-952-7277.

  • Texas police to demand Tesla crash data as Musk denies Autopilot use

    WASHINGTON/BERKELEY (Reuters) -Texas police will serve search warrants on Tesla Inc on Tuesday to secure data from a fatal vehicle crash, a senior officer told Reuters on Monday, after CEO Elon Musk said company checks showed the car's Autopilot driver assistance system was not engaged. Mark Herman, Harris County Constable Precinct 4, said evidence including witness statements clearly indicated there was nobody in the driver's seat of the Model S when it crashed into a tree, killing two people, on Saturday night. Herman said a tweet by Musk on Monday afternoon, saying that data logs retrieved by the company so far ruled out the use of the Autopilot system, was the first officials had heard from the company.

  • 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.

  • 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

  • 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.

  • B.C. to impose travel restrictions until May long weekend over COVID-19

    VICTORIA — British Columbia will impose travel restrictions to prevent movement outside of health regions as police set up roadside checks similar to those seen during the Christmas season, Premier John Horgan said Monday as he pleaded with residents to "do the right thing." The government has been working with the tourism industry and BC Ferries to cancel bookings that have been made and to not accept new ones from people living outside their intended destination, Horgan told a news conference. The province is also extending measures that ban indoor dining and adult activities at gyms for another five weeks, matching the length of the travel restrictions. "If you live in the Fraser Health area, by all means take a few days, get outside, perhaps go to a campground in your local area. But do not try and book somewhere outside of your area. The tourism operator in that community will not book you," Horgan said. Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth is expected to announce details Friday. Horgan added that signs will also be posted at the boundary with Alberta to reduce non-essential travel between the two provinces. Horgan said travel restrictions involving police will not be like those that were walked back in Ontario last week that could have seen pedestrians and motorists stopped during lockdowns and asked where they live. “We’re not going to follow other provincial leads and bring forward proposals that can’t be enforced or, quite frankly, reduce confidence in our objective here, which is to collectively say let’s redouble our efforts, let’s bear down for the next five weeks so that we can have the summer that all of us desperately, desperately want.” However, the province is prepared to bring in a public health order banning all non-essential travel if people do not voluntarily follow the restrictions to reduce the burden on overwhelmed hospital staff, Horgan said. "Most importantly, I want people to think about those nurses and those care aides and those doctors and all of the people on our front lines who have been giving every single week, every single month, for over a year to keep British Columbians safe. We cannot thank them enough." Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said a child under age two was among the eight people who died of COVID-19 since Friday, for a total of 1,538 deaths from the virus. "It is a true tragedy and it's a reflection of the impact this virus is having across our community," she said of the child who had some pre-existing issues and died at B.C. Children's Hospital. Another 2,960 people tested positive for the virus in the last three days, bringing the total number of cases in B.C. to 120,040. Henry said some restaurants and bars have pushed the limit by seating large numbers of people on patios and some gyms have also not been following restrictions during a three-week period that she extended until after the long weekend in May. While people have been encouraged to gather outdoors in groups of up to 10 in their bubble, it's concerning that some have skirted those guidelines, she said. B.C. will join Ontario, Alberta and Manitoba in providing the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to people aged 40 and up, instead of starting at age 55, Henry said. "It's now become clear that the risk of very rare blood clots associated with vaccination (with AstraZeneca) is in the range of about four in a million," Henry said. "We need to put that in the context of what we are seeing across our province right now where COVID transmission rates are very high in many communities and the risk of hospitalization from COVID is about two to four in 100 for most people." Starting this week, the province will also use AstraZeneca to target vaccination in 13 high-risk communities, mostly in the Fraser Health region. — By Camille Bains in Vancouver This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 19, 2021. The Canadian Press

  • 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.

  • Russian military build-up near Ukraine numbers more than 100,000 troops, EU says

    BRUSSELS (Reuters) -More than 100,000 Russian troops have massed on Ukraine's border and in annexed Crimea, the office of the EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell said after EU foreign ministers were briefed by Ukraine's foreign minister. In a press conference on Monday, Borrell had originally spoken of more than 150,000 troops, and declined to give a source for the figure. Borrell said no new economic sanctions or expulsions of Russian diplomats were planned for the time being, despite saying that the military build-up on Ukraine's borders was the largest ever.

  • N.B. COVID-19 roundup: 9 new cases in 4 zones

    New Brunswick is reporting nine new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, six of which are in the embattled Edmundston region, Zone 4. The other three cases include one each in the Moncton region, Zone 1, Fredericton region, Zone 3, and Bathurst region, Zone 6. "We are seeing more travel-related cases and transmission to household members when self-isolation measures are not strictly adhered to, so it is imperative that everyone who is self-isolating continue to do so for the full 14 days," Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Jennifer Russell said in a statement. "Failure to do so could be putting your loved ones at risk." There are now 158 active cases in the province. Twenty-one people are hospitalized with the virus, eight of whom are in intensive care. Of the 158 active cases in the province, 119 are in the Edmundston region, Zone 4, part of which remains under lockdown.(CBC) The new cases break down as follows: In the Moncton region (Zone 1): A person aged 20 to 29. This case is travel-related. In the Fredericton region (Zone 3): A person aged 40 to 49. This case is travel-related. In the Edmundston region (Zone 4): Three people aged 19 and under. Two people aged 40 to 49. A person aged 60 to 69. Four of these cases are contacts of previously confirmed cases and the other two are under investigation. In the Bathurst region (Zone 6): A person aged 40 to 49. This case is travel-related. New Brunswick has confirmed 1,797 cases since the start of the pandemic, including 1,605 recoveries. There have been 33 COVID-related deaths. Public Health conducted 1,026 tests on Sunday, for a total of 276,501. Reassuring data about vaccines and variants Epidemiologists say some reassuring data is emerging about COVID-19 vaccines. It looks like the current vaccines still provide fairly good protection against serious illness caused by the increasingly common COVID-19 variants, said Ashleigh Tuite of the University of Toronto's Dalla Lana School of Public Health. Meanwhile, the Moderna shot has been updated to cover the variant first identified in South Africa, said Tuite. The new version is undergoing a short clinical trial and may be available in a couple of months she said. Other emerging data suggests the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna shots, which both use messenger RNA, or mRNA, to carry instructions into the body for making proteins that prime it to attack a specific virus, may prevent a person from getting sick or being able to infect others, Tuite said. Infectious disease epidemiologist Ashleigh Tuite said experts are trying to determine which vaccine is best to give as the second dose to people under 55 who received AstraZeneca-Oxford as their first shot.(Nick Iwanyshyn/University of Toronto) But it's good to have more than one type of vaccine in the "arsenal," said Susan Kirkland of Dalhousie University's Department of Community Health and Epidemiology. "They act in different ways," said Kirkland, and "they have different effects on antibodies or T cells." That increases the odds one or more of them will be effective against new variants, she said. Some people who received a first dose of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine are wondering what they'll get for their second dose since it's now not recommended for people under 55. Getting a different shot may not be a bad thing, said Kirkland. "It may, in fact, give you a stronger response, not a weaker response," she said. Studies are happening now to see what the best options are. It's too soon to say whether "mixing and matching is a thing," said Tuite. She expects more information will be available within a month or two. Either way, she doesn't think anyone will have to restart their vaccine series. Vaccination update New Brunswick has administered more than 200,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine, with 27.5 per cent of the eligible population aged 16 and over having received at least one dose, the Department of Health said Monday. Clinics are underway to provide second doses at long-term care homes, including 4,900 second doses at 339 facilities this week. Masks more important with variants Masks should cover the nose and chin and not gape at the sides. (Submitted by Joanne Seiff) An infectious disease specialist and immunologist at Dalhousie Medical School says new COVID-19 variants make it more important than ever to wear a proper face mask. Variants seem to be easier to spread and are now responsible for the majority of new cases, including major outbreaks in some provinces. Dr. Lisa Barrett recommends wearing a mask that has three layers, made of tightly woven cotton with a filter in it. "Not bandanas, not clear plastic shields — those don't work," said Barrett. It's also key that the mask fits snugly over the nose and below the chin and doesn't gape at the sides, she said. Wearing two masks isn't a bad idea, said Barrett, if you're comfortable doing so. New possible exposure Public Health has identified potential public exposure to the virus in Edmundston: Familiprix, 131 de l'Église St., on April 8, between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Corrected recent possible exposures The dates and times for some recent possible public exposures in Saint John have changed on the government's website. "Through follow-up tracing work [Monday], it turns the individuals provided the wrong dates by mistake," Department of Health spokesperson Bruce Macfarlane said in an email. The new information information includes: Service New Brunswick, 15 King Square North, on April 15 between 3 p.m. and 3:45 p.m. Rocky's Sports Bar, 7 Market Square, on April 15 between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. "We quickly updated the website to reflect the individual's mistakes," Macfarlane said. He did not respond to questions about why no public correction was issued or what impact the delayed notification might have on individuals who should isolate. Other recent possible exposures Public Health has identified possible public exposures to COVID-19 in Edmundston: Jean Coutu, 77 Victoria St., Edmundston on April 16, between 1: 30 p.m. and 2 p.m.; on April 14, between noon and 12:45 p.m.; and on April 12, between 3 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Public Health also identified a traveller who may have been infected while on the following flights on April 15: Air Canada Flight 318 – from Calgary to Montreal, departed at 11:53 a.m. Air Canada Flight 8906 – from Montreal to Moncton, departed at 7:08 p.m. People who were at these areas are eligible to be tested for COVID-19, even if they are not experiencing symptoms. What to do if you have a symptom People concerned they might have COVID-19 symptoms can take a self-assessment test online. Public Health says symptoms shown by people with COVID-19 have included: Fever above 38 C. New cough or worsening chronic cough. Sore throat. Runny nose. Headache. New onset of fatigue, muscle pain, diarrhea, loss of sense of taste or smell. Difficulty breathing. In children, symptoms have also included purple markings on the fingers and toes. People with one of those symptoms should: Stay at home. Call Tele-Care 811 or their doctor. Describe symptoms and travel history. Follow instructions.

  • '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.

  • Parents upset after kids' soccer program booted from Vancouver neighbourhood park

    A group of East Vancouver parents is questioning the Vancouver Park Board's decision after their children's soccer program was denied a permit at their neighbourhood park and forced to move to a different field 30 blocks away. Union Soccer Club started a learn-to-play program at Slocan Park in Renfrew-Collingwood in January, attracting upward of 50 enthusiastic youngsters from the surrounding streets and those who came via SkyTrain, thanks to the next door 29th Avenue Station. But starting this week, the program is longer welcome at Slocan Park. The grass fields, which were recently upgraded, have now been designated "Grade A" by park board, meaning they are reserved for "official games" only. Ryan Lamourie, parent of five-year-old Lola, says he can't understand the decision to deny the permit, especially given that the fields are sitting empty because of provincial health orders banning games. "[The Union soccer program] has been a really positive thing for our community when we really need it. And to be told we have to leave just because this field is reserved for something else is really disappointing," he said. Union Soccer Club co-owner Judith Davalos said the program will now run out of Clinton Park in Hastings-Sunrise, but is losing families because of the move. "We are so sad," she said. "We really want to be back there. If now they give us the permission, we'll be back [at Slocan Park]." Parent Gerhard Breytenbach questions why families are being forced to drive to a different field when there's a perfectly good one within walking distance sitting empty. "Bureaucratic idiocy mixed with red tape snafus for absolutely no logical reason," he said. "The city is telling us that because we want to use this for adults in the future when COVID is not a problem, your kids can't use it in the meantime." Rule linked to maintenance budget In a statement to CBC, the park board said the Grade A Slocan Park fields are still open to the general public for things like picnics. "Artificial turf fields and Grade B fields (and lower) are permitted for practices, camps and other activities. This is a citywide procedure that is linked to the field maintenance budget and we apply it consistently throughout the city to preserve quality facilities for their intended use," said the statement. Parent Mariana Rueda wonders why park board officials couldn't be more flexible. "I cannot believe a community can say that an open space... that was created for enjoyment, is not for kids. It's not right," she said. Lamourie said the Union soccer program quickly became a community focal point as a safe and affordable outlet during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said attempts to appeal to park board officials have been frustrating. "What I find disappointing is that they've told us that there are many departments involved, so it will take a long time to reverse any decisions," he said. "These kids, more than ever, need social activities and physical activities. We're really letting down these children by not letting them play on these fields."

  • 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.

  • Missing 26-year-old Caraquet man found dead in woods

    A 26-year-old man, who was reported missing in Caraquet earlier this month and was the subject of extensive searches, has been found dead, RCMP announced Monday. Police said they were notified Sunday shortly after 5 p.m. that a body had been located by a volunteer firefighter in the woods along Chemin Allée des Albert in Caraquet. "The body was positively identified as the missing man," RCMP said in a news release, without naming him. Caraquet/Bas-Caraquet fire Chief Luc Dugas confirmed it was Benjamin Morais in a post on a Facebook group created to help find the young man, who had been missing for about two weeks. "I have the unfortunate task of announcing the death of Benjamin Morais," Dugas wrote in French. An autopsy has been ordered to determine the cause of death, said RCMP. Duagas credited the "almost tireless" work of his firefighters with the grim discovery. They found Morais's glasses Saturday, which allowed them to focus their search, he told the roughly 1,200 members of the Facebook group, called Retrouvons Benjamin Morais. Morais was last seen on April 5 at a residence on Boulevard Saint-Pierre Ouest. He was reported missing to police on April 9. On behalf of the family, I would like to thank all those who took their time to help us find him. - Luc Dugas, fire chief Searches were conducted by the RCMP dog and air services, as well as by local fire departments, ground search and rescue, and community volunteers. Police found personal items belonging to Morais on the bicycle trail between Rue du Portage and Rue de la Gare in Caraquet. On April 14, RCMP said they believed he may have been in contact with others since his disappearance and were looking to speak to anyone with information about where he could be. "On behalf of the family, I would like to thank all those who took their time to help us find him," wrote Dugas. The RCMP also thanked members of the community, partner agencies and specialized policing services for their assistance during the search. "Our thoughts are with the family at this time," Cpl. Jocelyn Lebouthillier said in a statement.

  • '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.

  • Doctors say clot treatment advice key to U.S. resuming J&J COVID vaccines

    Resuming the use of Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine in the United States will require clear guidelines for the medical community on how to best treat patients that develop a rare type of blood clot, as well as alerting vaccine recipients to be aware of the telltale symptoms, according to heart doctors and other medical experts. U.S. health regulators recommended last week that use of the J&J vaccine be paused after six cases of rare brain blood clots, accompanied by low platelet levels, were reported in women following vaccination, out of some 7 million people who have received the shot in the United States.

  • NDP wins seat by drawing lots in Yukon, Liberals plan to form minority government

    WHITEHORSE — The NDP won a legislature seat in Yukon by drawing lots on Monday after a judicial recount, but despite the outcome Liberal Leader Sandy Silver says he is ready to form the territory's next government. Last week's election saw the NDP's Annie Blake and former Liberal cabinet minister Pauline Frost tied with 78 votes in the riding of Vuntut Gwitchen. Chief electoral officer Max Harvey said the vote remained unchanged after the recount, but Blake was chosen as the winner when lots were drawn by the returning officer for the riding. The outcome means the Liberal and Yukon parties each won eight seats in the 19-seat legislature, with the NDP winning three, so all the parties fell short of the 10 required for a majority government. Silver said he has met with the commissioner of Yukon, Angelique Bernard, to discuss the way forward and indicated he intends to form the next government and demonstrate he can gain the confidence of the legislature. He is the incumbent premier and said he plans to meet with the leaders of the NDP and the Yukon Party to discuss ways they can work together. The commissioner is appointed by the federal government and is the territory's head of state. Legislature clerk Dan Cable said last week that Silver would have the first shot at forming a minority government. Before the recount, Silver said it would have "some bearing" on his decisions, but "it will not alter the fact that we are in a minority situation regardless of the result." "Pending the outcome of discussions with other party leaders it is my intention to swear in a cabinet shortly and to test the confidence of the house with a speech from the throne and one or more budget bills.” The riding of Vuntut Gwitchen stretches to the Beaufort Sea and includes Old Crow, the only Yukon community north of the Arctic Circle. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 19, 2021. The Canadian Press

  • Fredericton psychologist suspended for professional misconduct

    Joan Wright, a well-known psychologist in Fredericton, has been suspended by the College of Psychologists of New Brunswick for professional misconduct, incompetence and violating the boundaries of the psychologist-client relationship, according to a recent decision by the college. Wright is disputing the decision. Wright is a senior psychologist and owner of MindShift Clinic in Lincoln and Joan Wright & Associates in downtown Fredericton, where nine other therapists work, according to her LinkedIn page. In its decision released Friday, the college's hearing committee ordered the immediate suspension of Wright's registration and said she was "prohibited from engaging in the practice of psychology while her registration is suspended." Wright has also been ordered to pay a $2,000 fine before the suspension is lifted and $134,510.63 to the college within a year for costs related to the complaint. Wright's lawyer, Kelly Lamrock, said he will file an application for judicial review, which will challenge the college's decision, and will also request an injunction to stop the suspension until the review can take place. "I think as the court documents come out, it will be clear they've reached some conclusions the facts cannot support, and they've followed a process that is unreasonable in law," Lamrock said. Lamrock said he will file with the court Tuesday morning. Hearings of the complaint against Wright took place over several days last September. The decision outlined a list of several failings on Wright's part, including "using experimental and non-evidence-based interventions" without presenting the risks or benefits of the treatment to her client. The decision also said that Wright "failed to use evidence-based treatments" for post-traumatic stress disorder in treating her client and did use experimental techniques without the informed consent of the client. It also said Wright administered therapy she was not trained to provide. Wright was also found to have "failed to provide the client with a copy of the clinical file when requested" and "to keep adequate records and notes of her sessions with the client." More specific transgressions cited by the board include asking her client to "remove articles of clothing in order to take photographs of the Client's naked body parts without the Client's informed consent, touching various parts of the Client's body, including massaging the Client's neck and asking the Client to get into various positions such as bending over on a ball." Wright also "showed a gross lack of judgment" by requesting the client purchase and use an "anal device at home." Wright "had no expertise to recommend such a device —the device being outside her scope of practice as a psychologist," the decision said. Wright was also found to have committed boundary violations by borrowing a sleeping bag from the client, soliciting the client to participate in a promotional video, and eating a "cannabis-laced" cookie given to her by the client, even though it was illegal at the time. The college didn't give a specific duration of the suspension but said Wright would have to do several things to qualify for a conditional registration. She would have to complete and pass post-secondary-level educational courses on cognitive behavioural therapy for the treatment of PTSD, on the ethics in psychological treatment of clients, and on psychometrics. She would also have to pass an examination for the professional practice of psychology and pay the $2,000 fine. The College of Psychologists of New Brunswick declined to comment.

  • Some progress in nuclear talks, interim deal possible -Iranian officials

    DUBAI (Reuters) -Iran and world powers have made some progress on how to revive the 2015 nuclear accord later abandoned by the United States, and an interim deal could be a way to gain time for a lasting settlement, Iranian officials said on Monday. Tehran and the powers have been meeting in Vienna since early April to work on steps that must be taken, touching on U.S. sanctions and Iran's breaches of the deal, to bring back Tehran and Washington into full compliance with the accord. "We are on the right track and some progress has been made, but this does not mean that the talks in Vienna have reached the final stage," Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told a weekly news conference in Tehran.

  • Alberta has cicadas too, but not massive 'Brood X' numbers emerging in U.S. after 17 years underground

    Entomologists are bracing for a big event in the bug world, as a massive swarm of cicadas is expected to emerge across the eastern United States after spending the past 17 years underground. Brood X, also called the great eastern brood, is the largest known brood that has been recorded, Alberta entomologist Ken Fry told the Calgary Eyeopener. Brood X is getting a lot of attention, but their less-famous cousins will also be making an appearance this year, not far behind — and not in the same numbers. "They're very secretive animals, it's tough to get your eyes on them," Fry said. "In the wooded areas of pretty much all of Alberta, we do have them, it's just they don't come out in these huge, huge broods." Seven species in Alberta Fry said that here in Alberta, we have seven species of cicada. The genus name is Okanagana, and the most common species is Oxidentalus. They are both smaller and less abundant than Brood X. The massive brood in the eastern U.S. has been living quietly underground for 17 years. "Periodical cicadas are a really unique group of animals, they spend all this time underground feeding on the roots of trees, and just happily existing below ground, safe and sound. And then they synchronously emerge," Fry said, adding there are both 13-year cicadas and 17-year cicadas. "And they just come out en masse, some estimates are upwards of three million animals per hectare. It's just a massive emergence every 17 years." The noise will be impressive. "A cacophony of noise, let me tell you," Fry said. "The males will fly up to trees, roosting anywhere from three to five metres above the ground, and then they have what's called a residence chamber, so they pass air past a membrane which amplifies the sound like a buzz or a scream. And when you get this many animals synchronously calling out for a mate, it is a super loud noise." The cicadas will carry on for a few weeks of their four to six-week lifespan. A newly emerged adult cicada dries its wings on a flower in this file photo. After 17-years of living below ground, billions of cicadas belonging to Brood X will soon emerge across much of the eastern United States. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)(Getty Images) "The mating calls are short-ish, about two to three weeks at most, and it starts out with the early emergence and then as the bulk of them emerge, then you get this crescendo of noise, and then it peters off as the last ones wake up and come out," Fry said. Here in Alberta, the smaller species of cicadas we hear are on a shorter schedule. "Ours are not the 17-year periodical cicada," Fry said. "Depending on species, they can go underground from three to five years. They're not that abundant, so we don't have this cacophony of noise every three to five years, instead there's just the odd one that comes out." Listen to the full interview on the Calgary Eyeopener here: The cicadas are harmless — unless you're a tree. Female cicadas will cut into tender branches to lay their eggs. "And then those nymphs, or the immature stages, will hatch, and then proceed to go into the ground and take up another 17 years underground. So it is a bit of a problem — well, for us, the noise, for a short-lived period — but for the trees themselves there's some significant damage, so this year's growth is set back significantly," Fry said. But there's an upside for the ecosystem in a year of plentiful cicadas. "All the squirrels and birds and other animals are just gorging themselves on this feast every 17 years, and it's thought by some ecologists that this abundance of food allows certain populations of birds and other animals to sort of regain their populations," Fry said. "So they gorge themselves, they can have larger numbers of offspring, so they're more successful this year … so, it does have an overall ecological benefit in restoring some health to some other animal populations." With files from the Calgary Eyeopener.

  • Hospitals dispute primary care memo that says Windsor-area LHIN to get 60 patients from Toronto

    A London alliance of primary care doctors says up to 60 patients from the Toronto area are expected to be transferred to the Windsor and Chatham area this week to help with the crush of patients from the third COVID-19 wave in the GTA But both Windsor area hospitals, Windsor Regional Hospital and Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, have told CBC News the memo from the London Middlesex Primary Care Alliance is inaccurate, saying they have asked the authors to correct it. The internal memo by the Alliance says that the Windsor/Chatham/Sarnia region (known as the Erie St. Clair Local Health Integration Network) can expect 60 of 100 patients being transferred from Trillium Health Care in Toronto. The other 40 are heading to the London area.There are currently five patients in WRH transferred from the Greater Toronto Area with three in the ICU. There are four hospitals in the Erie-St.Clair LHIN. In a statement to CBC, Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare says at the moment,the four hospitals are collectively being asked to take 14 war/medical patients a week, and to independently take ICU patients "as demand increases." Windsor regional tweeted out a similar statement that also said the number mentioned in the memo was inaccurate. The Erie St. Clair Local Health Integration Network declined to comment. The memo says the condition of patients coming to Windsor area will vary from having COVID-19 to not having the virus and also differ in severity of care. The memo says many will have to be accommodated in hospitals in the region. Impact of redeployment The possible redeployment of London's primary care physicians is brought up in the memo and while there is not a present request to redeploy family physicians, the memo notes "we are in a day-to-day situation and the landscape could change rapidly. Thus we are asking for 'all hands on deck to be on deck.'" Dr. Jessica Summerfield is the president of the Essex County Medical Society and says there has not been mention of redeploying primary care physicians to other locations. "We haven't yet been asked about redeployment other locations but we are certainly accepting patients, mostly from the GTA area to try and help out with the resources that we have locally." Asked about difficulties of bringing primary care physicians into the ICU, Summerfield says it depends on experience and background of the physician. "I mean that's total opposite ends of the spectrum in the field of medicine, but someone like myself, I work as a primary care physician, but I also work as a hospitalist, and we work in patient medicine as well. That's much more transferable." Summerfield said there are 959 physicians in Windsor-Essex comprised of family practice and specialty-based doctors.