Some House of Commons seats on the Prairies were still up for grabs Tuesday as mail-in and special ballots were being counted in close ridings following the federal election. Little more than 100 votes separated the Conservative and Liberals candidates in one Winnipeg riding, where officials were going through more than 3,000 ballots that had been mailed in or cast in person at Elections Canada offices. "It's very, very close," Doug Eyolfson, the Liberal challenger in Charleswood-St. James-Headi
Nursing home workers at Seaview Manor in Glace Bay, N.S., mounted an information picket Wednesday to raise awareness about a provincewide shortage of continuing care assistants and licensed practical nurses. Tammy Martin of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents about 125 staff at the 113-bed facility, said the labour shortage means workers are putting in overtime and giving up vacations. "They're desperate for help," Martin said. "They've been working short for a long, long ti
China's Xiaomi Corp said on Wednesday that its devices do not censor users' communications, a day after Lithuania's Defence Ministry recommended that consumers avoid Chinese phones due to a censoring feature in the smartphone giant's flagship phone. The censoring capability in Xiaomi's Mi 10T 5G phone software has been turned off for the "European Union region" but can be turned on remotely at any time, the National Cyber Security Centre said in a report on Tuesday. In a statement sent to Reuters on Wednesday, Xiaomi spokesman said its device "does not censor communications to or from its users".
Retired astronaut Chris Hadfield experienced an astronomical level of cuteness during a recent visit to Falkland, B.C., when he visited a local elementary school after picking up a spaniel puppy. Hadfield, the first ever Canadian commander of the International Space Station, was visiting the north Okanagan town on Friday, Sept. 17, to pick up a cavalier King Charles spaniel called Henry. When Debbie Robinson received Hadfield's email enquiring about Henry, she thought it would be a great opportu
SASKATOON — Saskatchewan's only children's hospital is opening its pediatric intensive care unit to younger adults who have COVID-19 as the province runs out of critical care beds. The Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital in Saskatoon has begun accepting patients under the age of 40 as the province works to expand its ICU bed capacity, including at the children's hospital. "Critical care capacity is under strain and all avenues of support need to be explored so we can continue to care for extremely
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday authorized a booster dose of the Pfizer Inc and BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for those 65 and older, all people at high risk of severe disease, and others who are regularly exposed to the virus. The decision paves the way for a quick rollout of the booster shots as soon as this week for millions of people who had their second dose of the vaccine at least six months ago. The change to the vaccine's emergency use authorization will allow boosters for groups such as health-care workers, teachers and day care staff, grocery workers and those in homeless shelters or prisons, FDA acting Commissioner Janet Woodcock said in a statement.
A pair of businesses say they've sent letters to city hall and the territorial government voicing concern about a proposed temporary day shelter in downtown Yellowknife. But one possible neighbour — a dental clinic on 48th Street — says it supports setting up such a facility on the corner at 4709 Franklin Avenue, a building most recently used by Aurora Village. "The shelter provides an essential service that benefits peoples' lives, and that's the most important," said Amanda Lillis, a treatment
A 31-year-old man charged with first-degree murder in the death of Toronto police Const. Jeffrey Northrup has been released on bail. Lawyer Nader Hasan confirmed Superior Court Justice Jill Copeland has ordered Umar Zameer released on bail, under strict conditions. Zameer has been released on three sureties pledging a total of $335,000, with $50,000 deposited with the court prior to his release from custody, Hasan said. He must live under house arrest with his sister and has been placed under an
The White House on Thursday published a new economic analysis that showed how the wealthiest Americans pay far less in taxes than others - an effort to bolster President Joe Biden's push to increase taxes on the rich to fund his economic agenda. "I'm sick and tired of the super-wealthy and giant corporations not paying their fair share in taxes," Biden wrote on Twitter on Wednesday. The White House analysis from two economists suggests that the wealthiest 400 households in the country — those with net worth ranging between $2.1 billion and $160 billion — pay an effective federal income tax rate of just over 8 percent per year on average.
Many Haitian migrants camped in a small Texas border town are being released in the United States, two U.S. officials said, undercutting the Biden administration's public statements that the thousands in the camp faced immediate expulsion
HELSINKI, Finland (AP) — The top American military officer held talks Wednesday with his Russian counterpart as the United States struggles to secure basing rights and other counterterrorism support in countries bordering Afghanistan — an effort Moscow has opposed. The six-hour meeting in Finland's capital between Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Gen. Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian General Staff, came at a crucial time after the U.S. military withdrawal f
Alberta's child advocate says better communication and safety planning could protect young people from family violence. In a report published Tuesday, Child and Youth Advocate Del Graff made three recommendations for the ministries of justice and children's services. Two of the recommendations ask the government to improve information sharing between silos and safety planning when providing care to young people who could be the victims of family violence. The third recommendation advocates for a
Intel Corp Chief Executive Pat Gelsinger plans to attend a virtual White House meeting on the global chip shortage on Thursday, along with representatives from companies including Apple, Microsoft, Samsung Electronics, GM, Ford and Stellantis, people familiar with the matter said. The meeting will be hosted by Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and National Economic Council Director Brian Deese, the Commerce Department said earlier this month.
Ontario's vaccination verification program officially launched on Wednesday, requiring all individuals to show proof of full vaccination when entering non-essential venues across the province. According to a media release, Ontarians need to be fully vaccinated (two doses plus 14 days) and provide their proof along with photo ID to access certain public settings and facilities such as all gyms, indoor restaurant dining, fitness facilities and movie theatres. Doctor's notes for medical exemptions
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) expects to decide in early October on the possible use of a booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. It will be the EU drugs regulator's first decision on boosters, the source said, after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday authorized a third dose of Pfizer for those 65 and older, all people at high risk of severe disease, and others who are regularly exposed to the virus. "EMA's decision on the third dose of Pfizer is expected for the beginning of October," the source said, declining to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter.
Advisory committees in the City of Vancouver might be forced to either start meeting in person or go on hiatus due to a disagreement between the city and provincial government. Emergency provincial regulations that allowed for virtual municipal meetings expire on Sept. 29, and the city has told its advisory bodies they must comply. The city believes the province would need to amend the Vancouver Charter to explicitly allow committees to continue meeting virtually, but the Ministry of Municipal A
Is the delta variant of the coronavirus worse for kids? Experts say there's no strong evidence that it makes children and teens sicker than earlier versions of the virus, although delta has led to a surge in infections among kids because it's more contagious. Delta's ability to spread more easily makes it more of a risk to children and underscores the need for masks in schools and vaccinations for those who are old enough, said Dr. Juan Dumois, a pediatric infectious disease physician at Johns H
Ellie pushes her way past Chef Mikey to enjoy the chicken wings cooked in the rotisserie basket. Yum!
The U.S. special envoy to Haiti resigned in protest in a letter that blasted the Biden administration for deporting hundreds of migrants back to the crisis-engulfed Caribbean nation from a camp on the U.S.-Mexican border in recent days. Daniel Foote, a career diplomat named to his post in July, said the "collapsed state" was unable to support the infusion of returning migrants. "I will not be associated with the United States' inhumane, counterproductive decision to deport thousands of Haitian refugees and illegal immigrants," Foote said in a letter addressed to Secretary of State Antony Blinken that circulated publicly on Thursday.
In a high-stakes standoff over the U.S. debt ceiling, congressional Republicans believe they see a chance to scale back President Joe Biden's sweeping domestic agenda while boosting their odds of retaking Congress in 2022. The Republican gambit passed an initial political test on Tuesday, when the House of Representatives voted 220-211 along party lines to approve a measure to suspend the $28.4 trillion debt ceiling and fund the federal government beyond Sept. 30, when the current fiscal year ends. Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell has made it clear that his caucus, which holds half the chamber's 100 seats, will block it, seeking to frame the vote as a referendum on a $3.5 trillion Biden domestic spending package the House and Senate will take up in coming weeks.
