Merkel calls for 'fundamental rethink' at CDP Europe Awards 2021

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called for 'fundamental rethink' to protect the environment at the annual CDP Europe Awards 2021.

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  • Pope asks US bishop to resign after coverup investigation

    ROME — A bishop in Minnesota resigned Tuesday at the request of Pope Francis after he was investigated by the Vatican for allegedly interfering with past investigations into clergy sexual abuse, officials said. The Vatican said Francis accepted the resignation of Crookston Bishop Michael Hoeppner and named a temporary replacement to run the diocese. Hoeppner is 71, four years shy of the normal retirement age for bishops. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Crookston said the pontiff asked Hoeppner to resign following the Vatican probe, which it said arose from reports that the bishop "had at times failed to observe applicable norms when presented with allegations of sexual abuse involving clergy." The Vatican and U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops simultaneously announced Hoeppner’s resignation and the appointment of the Most Rev. Richard E. Pate, the retired bishop of Des Moines, as a temporary administrator without commenting on the reason for the change. The diocese of Crookston counts nearly 35,000 Catholics in northern Minnesota. The Vatican had tasked St. Paul-Minneapolis Archbishop Bernard Hebda with conducting a preliminary investigation. Last year, Hebda's office announced that the Holy See had authorized a more in-depth probe. Hoeppner is accused of stating that a priest was fit for ministry despite allegedly knowing the priest had abused a 16-year-old boy in the early 1970s. The victim, Ron Vasek, later sued the diocese, alleging that Hoeppner blackmailed him into retracting his allegations against Monsignor Roger Grundhaus. The lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed sum in 2017. Hoeppner was the first bishop known to be investigated by the Vatican under a 2019 law that Francis approved laying out the procedures to conduct preliminary investigations against bishops accused of sex abuse or coverup. He has said in sworn testimony that he was trying to protect the victim's confidentiality by stating that Grundhaus was fit for ministry. He has said Grundhaus continues to deny Vasek's allegations. Hebda's office said the investigation took 2,000 hours, involved interviews with 38 people and that Hoeppner was interviewed more than once. The resulting reports totalled 1,533 pages, including recommendations, and were reviewed by two lay experts who determined the probe was thorough and had been “conducted in a fair and impartial manner," the archdiocese said. A survivor advocacy group, SNAP, said it was pleased with the outcome, but said Francis could have simply fired Hoeppner rather than asked him to resign. “While the result is the same, we feel that a stronger message would have been sent by ousting Bishop Hoeppner instead of asking him to leave, as there is a difference in forcing someone out versus asking them to remove themselves," SNAP said. Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press

  • Alberta's top doctor says new restrictions loom as COVID-19 cases continue to spike

    EDMONTON — Alberta’s chief medical officer of health says new public-health restrictions might be needed if high daily COVID-19 case counts continue. Dr. Deena Hinshaw says high numbers of infections usually start affecting hospitals three to four weeks afterward. She said it’s imperative not to overwhelm hospitals so that they can still handle other emergencies and surgeries during the pandemic. “We don’t have, right now, the level of vaccine protection to prevent people who get sick from needing to go to hospital,” Hinshaw said Tuesday. “We have to make sure that we’re watching within the coming week to 10 days about what those cases look like and consider -- if our trajectory continues on a steep upward climb -- whether those additional measures will be needed.” Hinshaw declined to speculate on what the restrictions could be. She said that would depend on data and other factors. Hinshaw reported 1,081 new cases on Tuesday, the seventh consecutive day of counts above 1,000. The rise is being driven by more contagious variants, which now make up 52 per cent of the province's 15,087 active cases. There were 402 people in hospital, 88 of them in intensive care. The numbers are inching into the red-line territory reached before Christmas when total active cases soared past 21,000 and there were close to 900 people in hospital. That forced health officials to cancel surgeries, move patients, double-bunk critical care cases, and prep a field hospital at the University of Alberta. Currently, Alberta does not allow indoor social gatherings and outdoor get-togethers are capped at 10 people. Retail store customer capacity is at 15 per cent and restaurants are closed to dine-in service, although patios remain open. Entertainment venues, including casinos, museums, movie theatres and libraries, remain closed. Gyms cannot hold group fitness activities. Premier Jason Kenney faces opposition from some quarters — even within his own caucus — and is being pressed to ease up on public-health measures on the grounds they are onerous and unnecessary. Kenney said restrictions need to be in place a bit longer until vaccination rates reach critical mass. Alberta has delivered 970,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses. “We’ve ramped up our vaccination campaign to deliver up to 40,000 doses a day and we’ll soon be able to deliver as many as 70,000 a day,” Kenney said earlier Tuesday. “With natural immunity from those who have already been infected and the protective shield of vaccines, we will hopefully be able to see a return to normal by summer.” Kenney, answering questions from the Opposition NDP in the house, also announced that COVID-19 had reached into his office. “I’m aware of two members of my staff who have tested positive and are in self-isolation, as are their close contacts,” said Kenney. “They’re rigorously following all of the appropriate protocols.” Kenney also announced businesses affected by COVID-19 shutdowns will soon be able to apply for more aid -- another payment of up to $10,000 from the Small and Medium Enterprise Relaunch Grant program. That is on top of the maximum $20,000 made available under previous phases of the program. The money will also be available to businesses that began operating since March 2020, as well as to hotels, taxis, and ride-hailing services. NDP Leader Rachel Notley said the money is not enough, pointing out that Ontario offers up to $40,000 per business. “(Alberta’s program) is a mile wide and an inch deep,” Notley told the house. Kenney countered by saying his government has provided other supports, such as deferring and freezing property taxes, and deferrals for utility payments and workers' compensation premiums. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 13, 2021 Dean Bennett, The Canadian Press

  • 3 vaccinated hospitalized COVID patients 'a bit surprising,' says epidemiologist

    An epidemiologist says it's "a bit surprising" three people hospitalized in New Brunswick for COVID-19 had been vaccinated, including someone who had two doses before the onset of symptoms. Raywat Deonandan, an associate professor at the University of Ottawa, says the clinical trials showed some vaccinated people still got sick, but that the vaccines "had a 100 per cent chance of keeping vaccinated people out of the hospital." But clinical trial numbers are always more optimistic than real-life situations, he said, noting the COVID-19 vaccines were tested on only tens of thousands of people, and now they're being distributed to tens of millions of people globally. So some hospitalizations were "bound to happen eventually," said Deonandan. Three hospitalizations out of the more than 120,000 adult New Brunswickers who received at least one dose as of last week — or roughly 0.002 per cent — is about the rate he would expect, he said. Deonandan anticipates a "vanishingly small number" of vaccinated people may also eventually die from COVID-19. "This is all about probability, not certainties," he said. "What we have done a poor job of explaining is vaccines are not bulletproof vests." They're merely a mitigation tool. And until we achieve so-called herd immunity, with between 70 and 90 per cent of the population inoculated to protect others who aren't immunized, they're the best one we've got. "The message is, if you get vaccinated, your probability of anything bad happening to you, COVID-related, is now vanishingly small, but not zero." Dr. Jennifer Russell, the province's chief medical officer of health, said the risk of hospitalization, ICU admission and death from COVID-19 are greatly reduced by the vaccine, but all New Brunswickers will continue to be at risk until around June 15, when the province hopes to have everybody vaccinated with one dose.(Government of New Brunswick) It's a message the province's chief medical officer of health has stressed in recent days since she took many people by surprise by announcing last Thursday that three hospitalized COVID patients were vaccinated. It takes two to three weeks for the vaccine to take effect and for the person to build up immunity, Dr. Jennifer Russell had said. "I don't want people to get a false sense of security that they're immune to COVID-19 once they've had a vaccine," she told CBC News on Friday. "And even after two doses of vaccine, we know that the risk of getting COVID is not zero." People need to continue to follow Public Health guidelines, such as wearing a mask and physical distancing, even if they've been vaccinated, she said. On Saturday, when CBC News asked how many of the hospitalized patients had been fully vaccinated, Russell confirmed the even more surprising news that one person had received both doses. On Tuesday, pressed for clarification on conflicting information, Department of Health spokesperson Bruce Macfarlane said the person received the first dose more than 14 days before the onset of symptoms, but the second shot was less than seven days prior to symptom onset. "In this case the second dose is not considered active yet, so the person still has the equivalent of one dose protection," Macfarlane said in an email. The other two people had received a single dose each — one of them more than 14 days before symptom onset and the other, less than 14 days prior, he said. 'Very unlikely' 3 are young, healthy Michael Grant, a professor of immunology and associate dean of biomedical science at Memorial University in St. John's, acknowledged it's "a concern" people are still being hospitalized when the vaccine rollout is underway. And it comes when there's already "skepticism" about vaccines, he said. "It's been a bit of a public relations nightmare with the AstraZeneca vaccine, with what would appear to be a bit of flip-flopping as better information become becomes available." But Grant thinks it's "very unlikely" these cases are due to a vaccine failure in young, healthy people. He contends there's "very little evidence anywhere else" that people who have been fully vaccinated and developed immunity from that vaccination are at risk for severe infection. "So unless there's something very peculiar occurring in New Brunswick, I don't think there should be any sort of generalization that people can be fully vaccinated, develop a good immune response and still be at risk for severe illness," said Grant. Dr. Michael Grant, a professor of immunology at Memorial University in St. John's, said it's been a 'hard psychological blow' for the population to be told once everybody's had the vaccine, we can start to go back to to a normal life, and then to hear some restrictions may have to remain in place even after most people have been vaccinated. (CBC) Why some vaccinated people are ending up in hospital and what kind of people this happens to is more difficult to nail down, however. Grant noted the vaccine studies were conducted on otherwise healthy individuals, so it's still too soon to know how some groups of people will respond. But there is some evidence that older people do not respond as well to the vaccine, so they may remain "somewhat susceptible" to the coronavirus, he said. If people are taking immunosuppressive or anti-inflammatory medications to treat certain conditions at the time they receive the vaccine, the drugs can reduce the response they make against the vaccine, said Grant. A couple of studies with cancer survivors who are on some form of maintenance therapy or whose immune system hasn't recovered from chemotherapy have shown they respond "very poorly" to one dose of the vaccine. "And there will be very, very rare cases where people do make an immune response against the vaccine and still get infected with the virus somehow and develop illness," he said. No vaccines perfect Deonandan said all vaccines have a failure rate. He pointed to the annual flu vaccine, which usually has an efficacy of 40 to 70 per cent. "And yet we never complained when we got the flu vaccine and saw hey, some people got the flu," he said. "But, you know, people aren't afraid of the flu because we don't hear about the thousands who die every year of the flu." The probability of vaccine failure — or the probability of detecting vaccine failure — increases as the prevalence of the disease increases, said Deonandan. Every vaccinated person still has a very small chance of transmitting and getting the disease. This may increase with the highly transmissible COVID variants, including the two now confirmed in New Brunswick — the variant first reported in the U.K. and the variant first detected in South Africa. But they have to be exposed to the disease first. Their chance of being exposed varies with the prevalence of the disease in the community. So if the prevalence is high, then the risk of exposure is high. "So this is all a population game. This is getting sufficient immunity into a sufficient number of people with the understanding that not everybody is going to be perfectly immune." Interpret numbers carefully How we interpret and communicate the numbers is important, said Deonandan. He offered as an example a high school of 100 people, where 99 of them are vaccinated against the measles with a vaccine that has a one per cent failure rate. If an outbreak infects the one person who didn't get vaccinated and the one person whom the vaccine failed to protect, half of those two people were vaccinated. "So you could look at that statistic and say, 'Oh, my God, I've got a 50-50 chance of getting measles if I got vaccinated," he said. But that's incorrect. "You have a one per cent chance of getting measles if you got vaccinated. So it depends on how you view the numbers. This is really important." A couple of months after more than half the population has been immunized, Deonandan expects the probability of community transmission will be so low that the vaccine failure rates will be "irrelevant." Grant encourages people to continue to get immunized. "The vast majority of cases, there's very strong evidence that having the vaccine is going to protect you against developing severe illness," he said.

  • Chinese premier calls for more communication between China, U.S.

    China and the United States should step up their communication while managing their differences and respecting each other's core interests, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang told a group of senior U.S. executives on Tuesday. China hopes the United States could work with China to meet each other halfway, said Li at a virtual conference with presidents and chief executives from more than 20 large U.S. companies.

  • Human trafficking charges laid against owners of Calgary cleaning company

    Human trafficking charges have been laid against a husband and wife who own a Calgary-based cleaning company after an 18-month investigation by law enforcement. Amelita Layco, 50, and Macario Layco, 49, are alleged to have recruited employees through Canada's Temporary Foreign Worker Program, RCMP said in a press release on Tuesday. Upon arriving in the country, the workers are believed to have been exploited by the business owners for their personal financial gain, the release said. Amelita Layco was charged on April 1 with: Two counts of trafficking in persons under section 279.01 of the Criminal Code. Two counts of material benefit – trafficking under section 279.02 of the Criminal Code. Fraud under section 380 of the Criminal Code. Macario Layco was also charged on April 1 with: Two counts of material benefit – trafficking under section 279.02 of the Criminal Code. Both are scheduled to appear at the Calgary Provincial Courthouse on April 16. Victims receiving support through non-profit The investigation was conducted by the Integrated Border Enforcement Team (IBET), a federal policing unit that works to enhance border security. It is comprised of the Calgary Police Service, the Alberta RCMP and the Canada Border Enforcement Agency. The victims are also receiving support from the Action Coalition on Human Trafficking (ACT) Alberta, a non-profit that helps human trafficking survivors, RCMP said. "The longstanding relationship between the RCMP and ACT Alberta has proven to be a beneficial partnership in streamlining services for individuals experiencing this human rights violation," said Insp. Germain Leger, an operations officer with Alberta RCMP Federal Serious and Organized Crime South. Those experiencing, or suspected of being victim to, sexual or labour exploitation are encouraged by RCMP to call 587-585-5236 to reach an ACT Alberta Victim Response Coordinator, or the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-833-900-1010.

  • Georgia lawmaker's legal work targeted again over voting law

    WASHINGTON, Ga. — Protesters are trying to get a Georgia state representative fired by cities and counties that pay him to be their attorney, citing his role in pushing through a voting law that adds restrictions. The Washington City Council voted 4-2 to ask Rep. Barry Fleming to resign Monday, WJBF-TV reports. It's not clear if the city can immediately fire the Republican from Harlem because Washington has a contract with Fleming's law firm. “We want to make sure that every vote counts and we want to make sure that every person is heard," said Wilkes County Democratic Party chair Kimberly Rainey, among protesters demanding Fleming's resignation. “These kinds of bills are voter suppression. There’s no other way to say it and it hurts people that are disenfranchised already.” Fleming earlier stepped down as attorney for Hancock County after he was targeted by protesters there for his work on Georgia's sweeping voting overhaul. Fleming led the House Committee on Election Integrity and proposed the final form of Senate Bill 202, which Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law hours after the Senate agreed to House changes. Opponents say the bill will cut the ability of Democrats and minorities to vote. It requires people to present proof of identification to request an absentee ballot, cuts the number of days for requesting a ballot, shortens early voting before runoff elections, provides for fewer drop boxes than were allowed under emergency rules during the pandemic, allows for the state to take over local election offices and bars people from handing out food and water to voters in line within 150 feet (45 metres) of a polling place. Supporters say the bill was demanded by Republican voters alarmed by former President Donald Trump's claims about fraud and make absentee balloting more secure, provide a permanent legal basis for drop boxes and expand the number of mandatory weekend early voting days. Fleming denies that he's trying to keep anyone from voting and said he believes the law will withstand multiple lawsuits that have been filed seeking to overturn it. Georgia has faced a backlash since Gov. Kemp signed the law, with Delta Air Lines and the Coca-Cola Co. criticizing it and Major League Baseball yanking its All-Star Game from the Atlanta Braves stadium in Cobb County. Kemp and many other Republicans have counterattacked, c laiming big businesses are hurting minorities they claim to care about. Fleming’s district includes parts of Columbia and McDuffie counties, but does not include Washington. He also serves as city attorney for Harlem, Lincolnton, and Greensboro and is the county attorney for Burke, Putnam and Glascock counties. A similar protest was planned in Burke County on Tuesday. The Nation reports Hancock County and Washington have paid Fleming's law firm $382,000 in the last three years. Fleming defended a 2015 effort to purge voter rolls in the Hancock County seat of Sparta. He also wrote an opinion piece in The Augusta Chronicle last November that called mail-in absentee ballots “always-suspect” and likened them to “the shady part of town down near the docks you do not want to wander into because the chance of being shanghaied is significant.” The Associated Press

  • Russia says troop buildup near Ukraine is a response to NATO

    MOSCOW — Russia's defence minister said Tuesday that the country's massive military buildup in the west was part of readiness drills amid what he described as threats from NATO. Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said the manoeuvrs in western Russia that have worried neighbouring Ukraine and brought warnings from NATO would last for another two weeks. Speaking at a meeting with the top military brass, Shoigu said the ongoing exercise was a response to what he claimed were continuous efforts by the United States and its NATO allies to beef up their forces near Russia's borders. In the past three weeks, the Russian military has deployed two armies and three airborne formations to western regions “as a response to the alliance's military activities threatening Russia,” the defence minister said. “The troops have shown their full readiness to fulfil tasks to ensure the country's security,” he said. The U.S. and its allies have sounded alarm about the concentration of Russian troops along the border with Ukraine and increasing violations of a cease-fire in eastern Ukraine, where Russia-ba?ked separatists and Ukrainian forces have been locked in a conflict since Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula. More than 14,000 people have died in fighting in eastern Ukraine, and efforts to negotiate a political settlement have stalled. The chief of NATO on Tuesday called the recent Russian deployment the largest concentration of troops near the Ukraine border since 2014. The White House said U.S. President Joe Biden voiced concern over the Russian buildup and “called on Russia to de-escalate tensions,” during a phone call Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In separate meetings with Ukraine’s foreign minister, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg strong support for Ukraine and warned Russia against pressing ahead with its troop buildup along the former Soviet republic’s eastern border. Amid the recent tensions, the United States notified Turkey that two U.S. warships would sail to the Black Sea on April 14 and April 15 and stay there until May 4 and May 5. The U.S. Navy ships have made regular visits to the Black Sea in past years, vexing Moscow. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov denounced the latest deployment as “openly provocative,” adding that “American ships have absolutely nothing to do near our shores.” “They are testing our strength and playing on our nerves,” Ryabkov said in remarks carried by Russian news agencies. “Seeing itself as the Queen of the Seas, the U.S. should realize that the risks of various incidents are very high. We warn the U.S. that it should stay away from Crimea and our Black Sea coast for their own benefit.” NATO chief Stoltenberg expressed the Western military alliance’s “unwavering” support for Ukraine during a news conference on Tuesday with Ukraine's foreign minister, calling the Russian movements “unjustified, unexplained and deeply concerning.” The Kremlin has argued that Russia is free to deploy its troops wherever it wants on its territory and has repeatedly accused the Ukrainian military of “provocative actions” along the line of control in the east and of planning to retake control of the rebel regions by force. Ryabkov reaffirmed Tuesday that “if there is any escalation, we will do everything to ensure our own security and the security of our citizens whenever they are,” adding that “Kyiv and its Western curators will bear all the responsibility for the consequences of that hypothetical escalation.” Vladimir Isachenkov, The Associated Press

  • Deployment of EU electric vehicle charging stations too slow, auditors say

    The European Union's deployment of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles is not quick enough to meet the bloc's targets, EU auditors said on Tuesday. The European Court of Auditors (ECA) looked at how the European Commission supports member states in expanding electrical charging infrastructure as well as how it manages EU funding. It found that availability of public charging stations varies significantly between member states and that payment systems are not harmonised, forcing drivers to use multiple subscriptions or payment methods to charge their cars if they travel in different EU countries.

  • N.B. COVID-19 roundup: Atlantic bubble postponed until May 3

    The reopening of the Atlantic bubble has been postponed until at least May 3 over concerns about a surge in new cases of COVID-19. In a news release Tuesday afternoon, the Council of Atlantic Premiers announced the decision was made given the spike in new cases and the emergence of more transmissible forms of the virus. "Given the recent surge in cases of COVID-19 in parts of Atlantic Canada and the emergence of more transmissible forms of the virus, the Council of Atlantic Premiers has agreed to delay the reopening of the Atlantic Bubble by at least two weeks, to May 3rd, 2021," says the release. "The decision is based upon expert advice from the region's Chief Medical Officers of Health." The release said the relaxation of travel restrictions will be "closely monitored" and may change at any time based on public health advice regarding conditions in the region. Premier Blaine Higgs repeated this later in an interview on Power & Politics, saying a May opening is not guaranteed. The bubble, which would allow travel among the four Atlantic Canadian provinces without the need to self-isolate, was originally supposed to open on April 19, But on Tuesday morning, Higgs was already casting doubt on that happening, citing the growing number of variant cases. Speaking to reporters prior to the latest announcement, Higgs said he was keen on seeing the bubble reopen, but added there would be risks associated with it. "If we mitigate that with vaccines, that makes it more secure for us to open," Higgs said. The postponement of the bubble also came after Nova Scotia, Premier Iain Rankin announced earlier Tuesday that travellers from New Brunswick will once again have to self-isolate for 14 days when they enter Nova Scotia. 'Not writing off summer' As for the when borders could open up to the rest of Canada, Higgs said early July is still the goal. "I don't think that's in jeopardy at this point," Higgs said Tuesday. However, he cautioned, that will very much depend on vaccines rolling out as planned, and "on us reaching that 75 per cent [of the population vaccinated] level." "We are short on vaccines, there's no question about it." As well, Higgs noted, "we are seeing some major outbreaks in other provinces, and that all weighs into it too, of course." "But I'm not writing off summer, because so many people are depending on us to be in a position to travel freely again in our province and in our country … So I'm pushing for that too." There are currently 132 active cases in the province.(CBC News) 4 new cases reported Public Health reported four new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, affecting two zones. The cases break down in this way: Saint John region, Zone 2, one case: An individual 60 to 69 Edmundston region, Zone 4, three cases: Two people 20 to 29 An individual 40 to 49 All four people are contacts of previously confirmed cases. The number of confirmed cases in New Brunswick is 1,736. Since Monday, 17 people have recovered for a total of 1,570 recoveries. There have been 33 deaths, and the number of active cases is 132. Eighteen patients are hospitalized, including 13 in intensive care. A total of 269,256 tests have been conducted, including 1,160 since Monday's report. Higgs urges truck drivers to get vaccinated Premier Blaine Higgs says it's "very important" to get all rotational workers and truck drivers vaccinated to reduce New Brunswick's vulnerability at the border. But only 800 out of 3,000 truck drivers in the province have been vaccinated more than two weeks after the group was allowed to book vaccination appointments, Higgs said Tuesday. "I will put an urge out to drivers right now," he said. "We need their help." According to the premier, vaccines have been set aside for the drivers, but pharmacies are using them on others because not enough drivers are booking appointments. During the first week, only 100 drivers in New Brunswick received their first dose. WATCH | Higgs said with only 800 out of 3,000 truck drivers vaccinated in New Brunswick, the province is at risk "That's a risk to us right now," said Higgs. Jean-Marc Picard, the executive director of the Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association, said it's not a simple task for truck drivers to book appointments when they're travelling all week. "They leave at 5 a.m. or 4 a.m. They're gone most of the week. They only have a two-day window to have an appointment." Picard also said part of truckers' response has to do with vaccine hesitancy. "We're going to see that from all corners of the province, but I know there are some truck drivers that won't get it, and it is their choice." The trucking association suggested Public Health set up portable vaccine stations at specific scales with a lot of traffic. The idea would be similar to the COVID-19 testing station that was set up at the Saint-Jacques at the Quebec-New Brunswick border last summer, which was quite successful, according to Picard. "I think this would help them with the numbers that they're looking for." The association was to have a call with Public Health on Tuesday night to discuss this plan's viability. About 175 trucking companies are part of the association and of these, 60 per cent are in New Brunswick. Education Minister Dominic Cardy apologized for the last-minute decision to postpone in-person classes this week. But he said the decision was made to protect the thousands of students against the respiratory disease.(Submitted by the Government of New Brunswick) Cardy apologizes for last-minute decision to halt in-person classes New Brunswick's education minister says he's pleased with Public Health's decision to halt the return to full-time classes for high school students, despite the short notice. Public Health Minister Dorothy Shephard announced the delay Saturday afternoon — just two days before daily, in-person classes were to resume. She said the decision was made as a precaution. "We've got to protect the health and safety of students and staff," Education Minister Dominic Cardy said Tuesday. He apologized for the last-minute change of plans, which caught teachers, staff and parents by surprise. The decision was also a difficult one for government officials to make, he said. "Having a last-minute change like this, even if I think it was absolutely the right thing to do, having it happen at the last minute causes a lot of stress." He said the decision was reversed because the all-party COVID cabinet committee was concerned about COVID-19 case numbers going up in northwestern New Brunswick, and hundreds of thousands of students and staff who could become vulnerable to the variant first reported in the United Kingdom but now in the province. "The decision making around these tables is always complicated and you're always trying to balance hundreds of different pieces of information," he said. Cardy said he couldn't provide specific details about the decision to postpone classes in cabinet and the all-party COVID cabinet committee, citing confidentiality concerns. "I can say I am really happy we are sticking with the blended system at least for a few more weeks," he said. Last week Cardy received a message on Twitter, asking why high schools were opening on Monday, given the COVID-19 situation. He responded by saying it was a strong recommendation by Public Health to resume classes. "Please contact them to share your concerns. I have," he said. On Tuesday, Cardy told Information Morning Fredericton, said he couldn't share what he was discussing with Public Health. He did say, Public Health previously felt the province was in a situation to return to classes full time, and there were concerns about the impact on students' mental under the current, alternating-days arrangement. Some students are not having a positive educational experience. "It's always a balance from Public Health's side and anyone else's side," he said. Cardy said the decision for high school students to return to in-person classes full time will be made the last week of April. "The best thing to do was to leave high schools alone for at least a few more weeks," he said. Cardy wouldn't say whether he favoured students staying home for the remainder of the school year, but he expected a shift back to full-time classes would be a challenge. "I'm very comfortable that students are at home and very happy that that extra layer of risk hasn't been added to the province's efforts to fight back against COVID." A 'new era' of COVID-19 Dr. Jennifer Russell, New Brunswick's chief medical officer of health, said residents need to prepare for a new era of the COVID-19 pandemic. There has been an uptick of the UK variant confirmed across New Brunswick and the province announced two new cases of the South African variant in the Saint John region on Monday. Since two cases were properly self-isolating, Russell is hopeful those particular cases won't spread. Because of the variants, Russell said contact tracing will be 72 hours in advance of a person showing symptoms of COVID-19 instead of 48 hours. Dr. Jennifer Russell, New Brunswick's chief medical officer of health, says the COVID-19 variants has created a new era for the pandemic.(Submitted by the Government of New Brunswick) "We really need people to get tested even if you have really mild symptoms." Variants increase in translatability, severe symptoms, reinfections and mortality. "You can pretty much lump them all together," she said. "They're all very concerning." Although vaccines aren't 100 per cent effective, she said it's important for more people to get the COVID-19 vaccine to prevent more hospitalizations. More people in their 20s, 30s and 40s are getting the variant. Right now, Russell said the province can absorb more COVID-19 patients, but Public Health is trying to avoid that as much as possible. "Just that heightened worry on a constant basis is very draining," she said. 10 new cases reported Monday Ten new cases were reported Monday, affecting two zones in New Brunswick. The presence of the variant first detected in South Africa was also confirmed. The number of confirmed COVID cases during the pandemic is 1,732. Since Sunday, 13 people had recovered for a total of 1,553 recoveries. There have been 33 deaths There are currently 145 active cases in the province.(CBC News) The number of active cases is 145. Eighteen patients are hospitalized, including 13 in an intensive care unit. A total of 268,096 tests have been conducted, including 737 since Sunday's report. The number of people who've received at least one dose of a vaccine is 136,494 — more than 20 per cent of those eligible. These doses include 625 administered since Sunday, according to the province's dashboard published Monday afternoon. More possible exposures Edmundston area: April 8 and 9, National Bank, (111 de l'Église St., Edmundston) April 9 between 12:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. – Shoppers Drug Mart (160 Hébert Blvd., Edmundston) April 8 between 6:30 a.m. and 7:00 a.m., April 7 between 6:30 a.m and 7:00 a.m., and April 6 between 6:30 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. – Tim Hortons (262 Isidore-Boucher Blvd., St-Jacques) April 7 between after 6:00 p.m., April 6 after 6:00 p.m. – Epicerie Chez ti-Marc (256 Isidore-Boucher Blvd., St-Jacques) April 7 between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m., and April 6 between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. – Dollarama (787 Victoria St., Edmundston) April 7 between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m., and April 6 between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. – NB Liquor, (575 Victoria St., Edmundston) April 7 between 10:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. – Jean Coutu (177 Victoria St., Edmundston) April 7 between 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. – Subway (180 Hébert Blvd., Edmundston) April 7 between 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. – Atlantic Superstore (577 Victoria St., Edmundston) April 6 between 6:30 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. – Scotiabank (75 Canada Rd., Edmundston) March 26 to April 8 – Napa Auto Parts - (260 Canada St., Edmundston) March 20 to April 9, Atlantic Superstore (577 Victoria St., Edmundston) April 5 at 11 a.m. – Shoppers Drug Mart (160 Hébert Blvd., Edmundston) April 1 – Royal Bank (48 Saint-François St., Edmundston) March 31 between 12 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. – Scotiabank (75 Canada Rd., Edmundston) March 30 between 12 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. – Scotiabank (75 Canada Rd., Edmundston) March 29 between 8:45 a.m. and 4 p.m. – Scotiabank (75 Canada Rd., Edmundston) Moncton region: April 8 between 4:45 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. – COSTCO Wholesale customer service (140 Granite Drive, Moncton) April 6 between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. – YMCA Vaughan Harvey, (30 War Veterans Ave., Moncton) April 4 between 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. – Moncton Wesleyan Church (945 St. George Blvd., Moncton) April 3 between 8:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. – Kelseys Original Roadhouse (141 Trinity Dr., Moncton) April 1 between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m., April 3 between 1 p.m. and 1:30 p.m., April 6 between 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m., April 8 between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. – CF Champlain (477 Paul St., Dieppe) Fredericton region: March 31 – Murray's Irving Big Stop (198 Beardsley Rd., Beardsley) Saint John region: April 9 between 2:10 p.m. and 2:40 p.m., GAP Factory East Point, (15 Fashion Dr., Saint John) April 9 between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. – McAllister Place, 519 Westmorland Rd., Saint John April 8 between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m., – McAllister Place, 519 Westmorland Rd., Saint John April 8 between 1:15 p.m. and 2 p.m. – Service New Brunswick, 15 King Square North, Saint John April 1 between 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. – YMCA of Greater Saint John (191 Churchill Blvd., Saint John) 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.

  • Man sentenced to 15 years without parole for murder of Burnaby woman

    A judge has sentenced a Vancouver man to life in prison with no eligibility for parole for 15 years for stabbing and killing a 34-year-old woman in 2018. Jan Poepl, 31, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of Nicole Porciello. She was killed when Poepl, her ex-partner stabbed her and then crashed the vehicle they were riding in into a light pole on the Barnet Highway in November 2018. "The nicest word that I can say is probably disappointing," said Porciello's cousin Gina Iuliano outside the Vancouver courthouse after the sentence was handed down Tuesday afternoon. "I'm trying to understand what it takes to get a life sentence in Canada [without parole] based on the horrific circumstances of what happened to Nicole. Even the judge described it as something horrific." Porciello, who worked at Templeton Secondary School in Vancouver, left behind a 10-year-old son. The judge also ordered a lifetime firearm prohibition for Poepl. Over the course of the sentencing hearings that began in March, the judge heard victim impact statements from Porciello's family and friends — all of which had a similar theme, according to her cousin. "She was pure love. She was fierce. She was smart. She was intelligent. She believed in everybody," Iuliano said. Porciello's brother has previously said that she and Poepl had an on-and-off relationship but Nicole had broken things off in the months before her death. Family members also noted on Tuesday that they hope to see a societal change that puts an end to violence against women. Iuliano says there were signs before Porciello's murder that Poepl was dangerous. "If we had done something in advance of this Nicole would still be here because we would have seen the behaviours that Jan exuded and brought us to the situation today."

  • After issuing $14K in fines, RCMP remind passengers of risks around illegal ride-hailing

    RCMP in Burnaby, B.C., are again warning the public about the risk of using illegal ride-hailing apps after busting a number of drivers in the city on Friday. Seven drivers were caught offering rides through illegal ride-hailing apps in one night, according to RCMP. Officers handed out 24 violation tickets totalling nearly $14,000 in fines. Seven tickets were handed out for operating without a proper licence or permit under the Passenger Transportation Board Act. Six were for failing to have a proper commercial vehicle inspection and five were for having the wrong class of driver's licence. Four more tickets were for operating without a business licence from the city. Ride-hailing is only legal in Metro Vancouver if drivers abide by regulations and have the proper permits, including one from the province, in order to run their business. Providers and drivers need to have the right driver's licence, vehicle inspections, insurance coverage and record checks, among other requirements. RCMP said passengers shouldn't trust drivers who haven't been properly approved. "You need to be mindful that, whenever you do get into the back of any car [through an illegal app], you don't know who this person is ... if they're even able to drive in the province ... that is giving a lot of power and control to the driver that you're trusting," said Burnaby RCMP Const. Kevin Connolly. "Choosing an illegal app, you don't have those checks and balances that are meant to protect [passengers]." "More often than not, these drivers will openly ignore direction from police, they will attempt to flee from police when they're being stopped ... that's an example of the type of people that members of the public are trusting with their safety and, to me, that's quite the dangerous situation," the officer continued. "If they're acting that way with police, I could only imagine how it could be with some innocent individual." Connolly added that illegal ride-hailing apps won't have insurance coverage, so passengers won't be covered if they're injured in a crash.

  • Resistance to Alberta's COVID-19 health restrictions is growing, experts warn

    A church west of Edmonton, the scene of a large protest Sunday after it was forcibly closed by Alberta Health Services last week, has become emblematic of a widening fissure in Alberta. Law enforcement and health officials say defiance of public health restrictions intended to contain the spread of COVID-19 is growing in the province. On Sunday, hundreds of protesters gathered outside GraceLife Church in Parkland County. RCMP officers stood guard as the crowd shouted, sang and prayed. Police made arrests as part of a chain-link fence erected around the property was pulled down. Some prayed for the church to reopen. Others shouted that the pandemic was fake — made up by the government — or held signs calling for the province to "end the lockdown." Premier Jason Kenney, now facing an unprecedented revolt within the ranks of his UCP caucus over the current restrictions, has repeatedly warned that rule-breakers have become a stubborn obstacle in Alberta's bid to contain the virus. Further enforcement measures may be necessary, Kenney has said. After a protest Monday at the legislature, Kenney said on Twitter it is "increasingly clear" that many people involved in protests are "unhinged conspiracy theorists." "Their words and actions are unacceptable," Kenney said. "Reasonable people can disagree about the best way to respond to the threat of this pandemic. But spreading misinformation, conspiracy theories, and making threats is beyond the pale." Compliance problems have plagued the Alberta government's response to the pandemic since the beginning in March 2020. There have been illegal parties and crammed church services. Shoppers have marched through malls unmasked. Alberta has been contending with a surge in infection rates driven by variants of concern. On Monday, the province recorded 1,136 new cases, including 679 cases of variant strains. There were 14,849 active COVID-19 cases and 390 Albertans in hospital, including 90 in intensive care. And yet, signals of resistance have become more visible as the third wave takes hold. Some restaurants ordered to close dine-in service have refused to comply. Some gyms are flouting the rules, ignoring restrictions on capacity, masking and distancing. Last Thursday, four vehicles rented by AHS workers visiting the northern community of La Crete were pelted with eggs, prompting a warning from the mayor about the dangers of misinformation around the pandemic and growing hostility toward health workers. The following morning, "AHS Nazis" was found spray-painted in red outside an AHS office building in Edmonton. 'Brunt of the frustration' The union that represents RCMP officers says members faced unfair backlash over enforcement at GraceLife, but that the Alberta controversy is part of a concerning trend across the country. "Against the backdrop of increasingly challenging conditions and varying degrees of public health orders, RCMP members continue to uphold the law, including enforcement of public health orders intended to combat the spread of COVID-19, too often under unfair criticism," Brian Sauvé, president of the National Police Federation, said in a statement Friday. "We ask those with concerns to direct their attention and protest to relevant lawmakers or policy-makers — in this case, Alberta Health Services and the Alberta Health Act — rather than toward our professional, dedicated members." RCMP Sgt. Kevin Halwa, an Alberta director for the police federation, said it's been a difficult year for officers on the front lines, and the situation is worsening. "Unfortunately, the membership sometimes gets the brunt of the frustration of the public because they're the faces that they see," Halwa said. "No matter where you are in the country, people are getting, for lack of a better word, COVID fatigue." Alberta RCMP declined to be interviewed. 'Harassment, threats and disrespect' In an emailed statement, AHS said it was aware that some Albertans are "actively disobeying public health measures" but reiterated that enforcement remains a last resort. "The demands on our teams have grown significantly since the beginning of the pandemic," reads the statement. "Our inspectors have often been the targets of harassment, threats and disrespect while carrying out their duties." AHS said its public health officers work in co-operation with police and peace officers, but issuing tickets, fines and criminal charges is under the jurisdiction of local law enforcement and revoking business permits falls under the jurisdiction of local governments. "It is only when significant risk is identified or continued non-compliance is noted that AHS resorts to enforcement action." The political revolt Lorian Hardcastle, an associate professor in the faculty of law and Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary, said Albertans are breaking the rules for different reasons. Some feel their personal freedoms have been violated. Others — driven by misinformation — are skeptical of the health threat posed by the virus. A third group, Hardcastle said, is desperate to protect their livelihoods. But there is a new threat to compliance, she said: The political revolt within the Kenney government will further erode confidence in the public health system. After the province announced last week that it would reinstate harsher pandemic restrictions, 16 MLAs signed a letter of protest. Speaker Nathan Cooper apologized Monday for signing the letter but almost half of the party's 40 backbenchers continue to publicly condemn the return to stricter health restrictions. WATCH | Alberta Speaker apologizes for signing letter opposing COVID-19 restrictions: "Seeing other people breaking the rules emboldens others to do the same," Hardcastle said. "If I live in a town and my own MLA is speaking out against the restrictions, then I think compliance is likely to be lower in those areas. "The effect of those MLAs speaking out against the restrictions will be to undermine them." 'Particularly dangerous' The growing defiance against the rules is driven by a "toxic stew of misinformation," said Dr. Lynora Saxinger, an associate professor of infectious diseases at the University of Alberta. Saxinger said politicians casting doubt on the pandemic response will only further strengthen a growing mistrust of the provincial health response. There is no easy solution to overcoming these doubts and half-truths, but the fractured messaging and growing divide in public opinion comes at a particularly distressing time, she said. "It's emblematic of the polarization that we've seen all along. It just seems to be very exaggerated right now in a time that it's particularly dangerous." Enforce the rules so that even if people aren't agreeing with them, they have a reason to obey them. -Dr. Lynora Saxinger Variants, now dominating Alberta's surging infection rates, are more transmissible and possibly more harmful. With front-line health care at risk, increased enforcement may be the only answer, Saxinger said. "Enforce the rules so that even if people aren't agreeing with them, they have a reason to obey them."

  • First Nations denounce New Brunswick government's move to end tax agreements

    FREDERICTON — New Brunswick First Nations say the province's announcement Tuesday that existing tax collection agreements will not be renewed is an insult and a crushing attack on their economic viability. "The decision to tear up these tax agreements is unfair and offensive when the premier has yet to show First Nations any morsel of fairness throughout his tenure as leader of this province," Madawaska Chief Patricia Bernard said in a statement on behalf of the Wolastoqey Nation in New Brunswick. She said the government's only interest is to see "how much more money it can leech from our resources, be it natural or financial." The decision to end the agreements follows a court ruling last month that said the province has an obligation to share with First Nations carbon tax revenues collected and remitted by on-reserve retailers. Premier Blaine Higgs said Tuesday the province won't appeal that ruling but added the current tax agreements are outdated and have proven to be unfair. "The existing tax agreements are independent of Aboriginal and treaty rights and were developed before (Harmonized Sales Tax) and carbon tax," Higgs said at a news conference in Fredericton. "No other province in Canada has tax agreements, and this is completely unique to New Brunswick." The agreements date back to 1994 and were intended to provide tax fairness for businesses on and off reserve. Before that, businesses on First Nations land were not collecting taxes from non-Indigenous customers. Under the agreements, the province would rebate 95 per cent of the first $8 million collected in provincial sales tax on tobacco, gasoline and other fuels, and 70 per cent on amounts above $8 million. In the late 1990s, the agreements were refunding approximately $28,000 annually, but they have grown at a rapid rate, hitting a peak of $47 million in 2019-20. Higgs said about $44 million will be refunded to First Nations communities this year, but it is not spread equally among them. The premier said nearly 40 per cent of that money will go to just two per cent of the First Nation population. "This is money that would have gone to support hospitals, schools, social programs and roads to benefit all New Brunswickers, including First Nations," Higgs said. "Our existing arrangement is clearly unsustainable, and our province cannot afford to ignore it any longer." Some of the agreements will expire in 90 days and others end next year, and Aboriginal Affairs Minister Arlene Dunn said the government is committed to working with First Nations on what she called modern economic partnerships. She said that might include revenue sharing from natural resources or partnerships on issues such as housing and economic development. Dunn admitted the method of informing all the chiefs of the decision was not ideal. "I'm hoping they'll come to the table and pick up the phone and call me," Dunn said. The chiefs say they need to discuss the situation and decide how to proceed. But they were not impressed by how the news was delivered. Mi'kmaq leaders said the government has hit a new low in its relationship with Indigenous people in the province. A statement from Mi'gmawe'l Tplu'taqnn Inc., which represents the province's nine Mi'kmaq communities, said media were briefed on the news before Finance Minister Ernie Steeves held a brief phone call with the chiefs. "Minister Steeves read a statement, refused to take questions and hung up on the chiefs," their statement said. One chief, George Ginnish of Natoaganeg, called the treatment by the government "completely disrespectful." Green Leader David Coon says Higgs should have addressed concerns through a renegotiation of the tax agreements. “The premier is rejecting them, just as he rejected the need for an inquiry into systemic racism, or the need to write Indigenous rights into the Crown Lands and Forests Act," said Coon. "Under this government, any hope for reconciliation has evaporated." This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 13, 2021. Kevin Bissett, The Canadian Press

  • Yukon's election shows why every vote matters — especially for Justin Trudeau's Liberals

    It can't get much closer than this. Yukon's territorial election on Monday ended in a tie — in more ways than one. Premier Sandy Silver's Yukon Liberals and the opposition Yukon Party under Currie Dixon finished the night with eight seats apiece. Kate White's Yukon New Democrats won two seats. That leaves one seat left to be decided: the northern riding of Vuntut Gwitchin, where the Liberal and NDP candidates each wound up with 78 votes. If a recount doesn't decide the outcome, a random draw will. Either way, the Liberals will get the first crack at governing and the NDP will hold the balance of power in an almost evenly-divided minority assembly. It's hard to find a more complete demonstration of why every vote matters. It's something the federal Liberals might want to think about too, as they work to keep Yukon's single federal riding in their column. Elections in Yukon have been quite close lately. The margin between the first and third parties has been shrinking over the last four territorial elections. In 2006, the conservative Yukon Party finished first with 40.6 per cent of the vote, with the NDP in third at 23.6 per cent — a gap of 17 points. That margin decreased to 15 points in 2011 and 13 points in 2016. The unofficial count from Monday has the Yukon Party in first with 39.4 per cent of the nearly 18,000 ballots cast, with the Liberals at 32.3 per cent and the NDP at 28.2 per cent. Just over 11 percentage points divide first from third. Things have been tight at the federal level as well, with two of the last three elections being decided by fewer than 200 votes. Liberal Leader Sandy Silver (centre) watches results pour in from outside the Liberal Party HQ in Dawson City, Yukon, Monday night.(Julien Gignac/CBC) There hasn't been a huge amount of variation in party support over the last few Yukon territorial elections. The Yukon Party has registered between 39 and 41 per cent of the popular vote in four of the last five elections — the one exception being when it lost power in 2016. The NDP has scored between 26 and 33 per cent in five of the last six elections, putting Monday's result well within their average over the last two decades. The Liberals, however, have swung from as little as 25 per cent of the vote in 2011 to 43 per cent in 2000. Before 2016's election brought Silver to the premier's office, the Liberals had only ever won a single election in Yukon. Whether they win re-election as a territorial government for the first time in the party's history will depend on that count in Vuntut Gwitchin. Result bodes well for Erin O'Toole's Conservatives A territorial election can't tell us much about a federal election. If Silver's Liberals do secure that ninth seat, they'll be the fifth incumbent government to be re-elected during the pandemic. (While Silver might continue governing even if he ends up tying the Yukon Party in seats, it wouldn't quite count as an election "win".) If Prime Minister Justin Trudeau decides to call a federal election this spring or summer, it will be because he thinks his government can be the sixth to win re-election. In that sense, the Yukon result could turn out to be part of a broader pattern. More specifically, however, the results in the territorial vote can tell us a little bit about what to expect in the next federal vote in Yukon. Consider this historical fact: the party that won the most votes in a territorial election in Yukon has won the Yukon riding in the subsequent federal election 60 per cent of the time. The Conservatives last won the federal Yukon seat in 2011, but came up just 153 votes short in the 2019 federal election. After a good showing for the conservative Yukon Party in Monday's territorial election, Erin O'Toole's Conservatives will hope to take the seat when a federal vote is next held.(Sean Kilpatrick / Canadian Press) That winning record improves to 67 per cent if we exclude Audrey McLaughlin's victory in 1993, when she was both the MP for Yukon and the federal NDP leader. The Yukon Party (which had changed its name to disassociate itself from the Progressive Conservatives) was in government at the time. The winning record of parties sharing a political brand improves to 78 per cent (or 88 per cent, excluding the McLaughlin case) in cases where territorial and federal elections were held within about a year of each other. So history suggests that Erin O'Toole's Conservatives could be the favourites to win Yukon if a federal election is held in the next few months. The result in the federal riding was close in 2019, when the Liberals' Larry Bagnell defeated the Conservatives' Jonas Jacot Smith by only 153 votes. Between the 2016 and 2021 territorial elections, the net swing from the Liberals to the Yukon Party was nearly 2,500 votes. The federal Conservatives need just a fraction of that to defeat Bagnell. One seat is unlikely to make that much of a difference in a national federal election. But Trudeau's Liberals can't afford to lose any seats if they are hoping to win a majority government. The CBC's Poll Tracker estimates the Liberals would win around 174 seats if an election were held today — just four more than they need for a majority government. With such a slim margin for error, the Liberals can't really afford to lose any of the seats they hold now — in Yukon or anywhere else.

  • Arrests made in Caif. missing student cold case

    Authorities in California have arrested Paul Flores on suspicion of murder in the disappearance of college student Kristin Smart. Flores was taken into custody Tuesday along with his father, Ruben Flores, who was arrested as an accessory. (April 13)

  • Use-of-force expert testifies that Chauvin justified in deadly arrest of Floyd

    MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) -Defense attorneys in the murder trial of Derek Chauvin on Tuesday called an expert witness who testified that the former Minneapolis police officer was justified and reasonable in his use of force during his arrest of George Floyd. After 11 days of testimony by prosecution witnesses, Eric Nelson, lead attorney for Chauvin, called Barry Brodd, a private consultant in the use of force by law enforcement who said Chauvin was following his training during the encounter. His testimony contradicted several prosecution witnesses, including the city police chief, who earlier in the trial said Chauvin had no justification for kneeling on the 46-year-old Black man's neck for more than nine minutes.

  • Sir John A. Macdonald statue removed from Regina's Victoria Park

    The Sir John A. Macdonald statue was removed from Regina's Victoria Park on Wednesday morning. The City of Regina said the removal of the statue was not publicized for security reasons and to ensure the area could be kept safe for staff. It said a public art collection curator was on site to make sure the statue was handled properly. The statue was to be moved into storage until it can be reinstalled in a new location, with additional context. Regina's city council voted seven to four on March 31 to remove the statue. Public consultation will be done over the next few months, including through an online survey on Be Heard Regina. A recent report by city administrators said the statue overlooks the negative impacts Macdonald's policies and initiatives have had on Indigenous Peoples. "These policies include use of day schools and residential schools as tools of assimilation, relocation of Indigenous Peoples away from traditional hunting and fishing areas to make room for European settlement, and an inadequate and often corrupt system for delivering rations to reserves," the report said. The Sir John A. Macdonald statue will be placed elsewhere after public consultations.(Kirk Fraser/CBC)

  • Nurses across Canada are quitting their jobs and leaving because of pandemic stress

    Concerns have been voiced over the exodus of experienced nurses who are quitting their jobs or moving into less demanding positions. It’s happening across Canada, across Ontario as well as here in Sudbury. The issue is discussed in the most recent issue of the Canadian Medical Association (CMAJ) journal. The article noted that at the end of 2020, job vacancies in Canada's health care sector hit a record high of 100,300, up more than 56 per cent from the previous year. It was reported that emergency departments and intensive care units are disproportionately affected. More recently, the concern was echoed in a recent survey carried out by the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO). Results of the survey were released at the end of March. RNAO said based on the survey, the "exodus" of nurses was "alarming". The survey was conducted from late January to mid-February taking responses from more than 2,100 registered nurses (RN), nurse practitioners (NP) and nursing students working in Ontario. The survey sourced data from nurses in all domains of practice and across all sectors of the health system, including hospitals and long-term care. Most survey respondents — 95.7 per cent — said the pandemic affected their work, with a majority of nurses reporting high or very high stress levels. CONSTANT BURNOUT This story has hit home in Sudbury where one nurse sent an email to Sudbury.com about their feelings on how the pandemic and its demands have impacted them. The nurse asked that their name not be used. “I know we are in a dangerous situation, but I believe that the real threat is not being addressed. We are already experiencing a huge nursing shortage, and it is going to get much worse if something is not addressed soon.” In the email, the nurse said the job is stressful on the best of days, but being able to relax and wind down on days off is not what it used to be. “Due to the lockdowns and restrictions, nurses are no longer able to ‘destress’ and so many of us are in a constant state of burnout,” said the nurse. “We need to be able to relax and recharge. We need to be able to see our loved ones and enjoy life again. I joined nursing as a second career, and I can’t tell you how many times in the past year I have considered returning to my previous career. “We are hailed as heroes, but right now, I just feel like an overworked tool. If you compare nurses to soldiers, we are like infantry being sent into battle every day with minimal rations, no reprieve, dwindling numbers, and a constant message in the media that we are ‘losing the battle’.” Checking out the careers section of the HSN website, there were 29 current job postings for nursing positions. There were 16 current job postings for registered nurses and nine current postings for registered practical nurses. Other career notices revealed an additional four postings for various types of registered nursing positions. In many cases, the postings were for temporary and part-time positions and many were offered with possibility of extensions. A general description in the job postings page said candidates could expect to be assigned to one of many nursing positions. The posting also said "while these opportunities could be in any department across HSN, we have an immediate need within our acute care settings." Concerns were also raised that an increasing number of those in the nursing profession are younger and less experienced. For example, the median age of emergency department nurses in Ontario’s Brant Community Healthcare System is a decade younger than it was one year ago due to recent retirements and departures for other positions, according to Tammy Coates, a nurse and the clinical manager of the department, said the CMAJ article. “I can’t hire a seasoned nurse to save my life,” said Coates in the article. “I have just hired four nurses who have not even graduated yet. I would not have dreamt of doing that 10 years ago.” Junior nurses are also caring for sicker patients with much more complex needs than before the pandemic, Coates said in the CMAJ article. Concern was also raised that the exodus of senior nurses has affected the medical triage process. It was stated by Dr. Andrea Unger, chief of emergency services at the Brant hospital, that junior nurses are not as adept in distinguishing patients who need urgent attention, from those patients who do not. The RNAO survey also revealed that at least 13 per cent of RNs aged 26-35 reported they were very likely to leave the profession after the pandemic. "RNAO says the number should serve as a wake-up call to employers, policy-makers and the government because the figure is four times the normal rate of attrition for that age cohort," said a news release attached to the survey. “Losing so many nurses at an early stage in their career would have a profound and lasting effect on how our health system functions so we need to take this very seriously and act immediately,” said Dr. Doris Grinspun, RNAO’s CEO. “I am extremely worried and more determined than ever to advocate for the retention of nurses who are early in their career.” Added to those planning to exit the profession at a significantly higher rate than usual are late career nurses. A total of 4.5 per cent of respondents say they plan to retire now or immediately after the pandemic. Within that 4.5 per cent of respondents, nurses in the following roles are most likely to exit the workforce: nurse executives (13.8 per cent), advance practice nurses (13.3 per cent) and college faculty (10 per cent). Three per cent of staff nurses also say they plan to retire immediately or after the pandemic. RNAO president Morgan Hoffarth also spoke out and remarked how Premier Doug Ford and Health Minister Christine Elliott have lauded the efforts and dedication of nurses, even calling them heroes in this past year. And yet, Hoffarth said in the release, “accolades alone will not help nurses as they valiantly care for patients during this fast escalating third wave. Our colleagues are exhausted, some are even at the breaking point and what they want is a government that gives them the help they need: more staffing and more supports. As one nurse in our survey put it succinctly: ‘I don’t need more pizza, I need more people in here’ referring to her unit.” Len Gillis is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter at Sudbury.com. He covers health care in Northern Ontario. Len Gillis, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Sudbury.com

  • Fort McMurray housing market sees highest number of sales in first quarter since 2014

    Fort McMurray's housing market is surging as the region saw its highest sales quarter since 2014, according to the Fort McMurray Real Estate Board. This year's first quarter saw 297 home sales, a jump from last year's Q1 total of 231, and nearly double the number from 2016 when 146 homes were sold. In 2014, 410 homes were sold in the first quarter. Fort McMurray is seeing low inventory, meaning homes are seeing multiple offers. Melanie Galea, real estate agent for RE/MAX Fort McMurray, said she thinks there are a few reasons for the increase in sales: people are tired of renting and interest rates are low. "There is more confidence in the market," said Galea. She noted that she's seeing multiple offers on properties over $600,000. Galea said the higher sales and lower inventory means buyers may need to be patient when buying a home. "I'm scouring the market for my buyers all the time," said Galea. "You have to be ready." For one of Galea's clients, Andrea Bergen, the search for a home took months. Bergen said it was hard to find a home, because "they're being snapped up really quickly and in multiple offers." She said her family was looking for more space as she was working from home in her kitchen, which was not an ideal situation. Bergen looked at more than a dozen houses over several months, trying to find the right fit, but she said the market was "picked over." When she finally came across a foreclosure in Wood Buffalo Estates that fit her criteria, she moved fast and put in an offer that night. She moved in with her family in mid-March. "It was amazing," said Bergen. "We had a five-year-plan of being able to buy a house here and we did it in half that time." Andrea Bergen moved her family into the new home in mid-March.(Jamie Malbeuf/CBC) Galea attributes some of the uptick in home sales to the pandemic. She said people are looking for more space to work from home and more space for kids to play in the backyard. "I think we're finally seeing that stabilization in the market," said Galea. Katie Ekroth, president of the Fort McMurray Real Estate Board, said the sales show more buyer confidence in the market. She said Fort McMurray is leaning toward a seller's market, but only because inventory is low. "We've got so many people that are not in a position to be able to sell because they bought during the high boom time, they owe more than what they could sell it for today," she said. Ekroth said last year around this time, sales slowed significantly because of the pandemic. "Prices are still at an all time low, interest rates are staggeringly low," said Ekroth. She added she expects more people start to buy in anticipation of changes to the mortgage stress level test.

  • Esgenoôpetitj woman facing murder charge makes brief court appearance

    A woman charged with second degree murder more than seven months after the death of a man in Esgenoôpetitj First Nation last year made a brief appearance in Miramichi provincial court Tuesday. Nikita Dedam, 34, of Esgenoôpetitj First Nation appeared by video from the Nova Institution for Women in Nova Scotia. Duty counsel lawyer Maude Woods told Judge Cameron Gunn that Dedam recently retained a lawyer, but she hasn't been able to talk to that lawyer yet. Woods requested an adjournment of two weeks so Dedam could speak with her lawyer. Dedam is charged in connection with the death of 34-year-old Christopher Dedam of Esgenoôpetitj. RCMP were called to the community about 38 kilometres northeast of Miramichi at 10:15 a.m. on Aug. 25, 2020. Police said the man was found dead at a home on Micmac Road. His death was ruled to be a homicide. Police have previously said Nikita Dedam was arrested last summer, but she was only charged on April 1 this year. She has remained in custody since then. Police haven't said whether the two were related to each other. The judge granted the adjournment and she is scheduled to return to court April 27.