Wind and warming temperatures push breaking ice onto shore in Little Current, Ontario.
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
Ten people are infected in a coronavirus variant outbreak at Saskatoon's Sports on Tap bar, the Saskatchewan Health Authority says. The SHA declared an outbreak at the bar — which coincidentally is located just southeast of a COVID-19 drive-in and appointment-only vaccination clinic — on Tuesday. The specific variant has not been identified yet. "Additional testing is required," a spokesperson said. The infections found during contact tracing so far are among both staff and patrons. The SHA issued a public exposure notice about the bar Tuesday at around 7 p.m., just hours after the province hosted its latest COVID-19 news conference. The bar was not mentioned at the news conference, though Dr. Saqib Shahab, Saskatchewan's chief medical health officer, warned that Saskatoon was "on the cusp" of having a larger number of variant cases. Customers and staff who were at Sports on Tap during the following hours are being told to immediately self-isolate for 14 days: April 5, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. April 9, 11:25 a.m. to 5:25 p.m. April 10, 11:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. One or more people were at the bar during those hours while infectious, according to the release. People are to call the 811 HealthLine or their doctor's office if they develop symptoms. Avoid unnecessary travel, SHA says In its release, the SHA cited an "increased risk of COVID-19 variants of concern in Saskatoon" and reminded residents to follow long-established precautions such as keeping two metres distance from other people. The health authority urged people to stick to their immediate household bubbles, as people province-wide are now required to do under a tightened rule added to Saskatchewan's public health orders earlier on Tuesday. The release also went one step further in urging Saskatoon residents to avoid unnecessary travel. Before, health officials had only called for restricted travel in and out of Regina, Weyburn and Moose Jaw. The SHA also recommended that people get vaccinated when they are eligible to do so. Saskatoon had a cumulative 302 variants of concern on Tuesday, up from 181 the day before.
B.C. health officials announced 873 new cases of COVID-19 and two more deaths on Tuesday, as Premier John Horgan suggested more restrictions could be coming to stem the third wave of the pandemic. In a written statement, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix said there are 9,756 active cases of people infected with the disease caused by the novel coronavirus in B.C. A total of 377 people are in hospital, with 117 in intensive care. Hospitalizations, which typically lag behind spikes and dips in new cases, are up 15 per cent from a week ago, when 328 people were in hospital. The news came not long after Horgan told reporters that the possibility of travel restrictions will be discussed Wednesday by the provincial cabinet and those talks will also likely examine the status of bookings for hotels, bed and breakfasts and camping sites. "We've not taken anything off the table, but practicality is first and foremost in our mind," said Horgan. "We will use the tools that are available to us if we believe they are effective, but deployment of those tools is a challenge. We haven't taken travel restrictions off the board, quite frankly." The premier said Henry will provide any update of possible new restrictions Thursday during a briefing where the province's latest COVID-19 modelling data will be presented. Horgan said he's troubled by the recent COVID-19 case counts in B.C. and is looking to Thursday's release of information for a better sense of where the province stands. As of Tuesday, 1,148,993 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in B.C., including 87,785 second doses. Earlier this week, Dix noted that the province has the capacity to deliver many more doses daily than it is right now, but the supply is not there yet. "We are adapting our vaccine delivery in step with our supply and will continue to do that moving forward. If needed, we will pivot, pause or shift our delivery to maximize protection to as many people as possible," Henry and Dix said Tuesday. The provincial death toll from the disease to date is 1,515 people out of 113,702 confirmed cases. Public health is actively monitoring 16,290 people across the province who are in self-isolation because of COVID-19 exposure. B.C. has now recorded 5,221 cases that involve variants of concern — the majority have been the B117 variant first reported in the U.K. On Monday, Dix said high occupancy rates are beginning to affect the surgical capacity of local hospitals in the Vancouver Coastal Health region and that while there is still space in intensive care units provincewide, things are starting to get tight in the Lower Mainland. Spike in cases complicates work of contact tracers. Also on Tuesday, the B.C. government once again extended the provincial state of emergency that has been in place since March 18, 2020. "With the vaccine program well underway, we can see hope on the horizon, but higher case numbers and variants mean that we need to draw back in some places instead of opening up," Horgan said in a news release. The state of emergency will now remain in place until at least April 27. The recent surge in cases has made the job of contact tracers at Fraser Health increasingly complicated, according to team leader Dr. Amir Bharmal. Over the last weekend alone, 1,957 cases were confirmed in the region. "It's not only the increased volume, but it's also the fact that we have just a lot more complexity and diversity in terms of the places where people can get exposed to COVID." he told Stephen Quinn, host of CBC's The Early Edition. "On any given day, we're dealing with over 150 clusters that are occurring in different workplaces." The average number of close contacts for each infected person has stayed relatively stable at between 2.5 and three, Bharmal said. Right now, his team is able to trace about 80 per cent of new positive tests to previously known cases. Vaccine rollout continues B.C. is currently vaccinating eligible adults in transmission hot spots like Whistler and Prince Rupert, while the age-based program slowly rolls on. The province has announced dates for those aged 40 and older to register for their vaccine: Monday, April 12 — born 1966 or earlier (55+) Wednesday, April 14 — born 1971 or earlier (50+) Friday, April 16 — born 1976 or earlier (45+) Monday, April 19 — born 1981 or earlier (40+) Registering for a vaccine is not the same as booking the appointment to get your shot. Once registered, users receive a confirmation code, followed by an email, a text or a call telling them when they're eligible to use the code to make an appointment. You can register to get vaccinated here. The information on this page is available in 12 languages. If your prefer to register by phone, the number to call is 1-833-838-2323. Service by phone is available in more than 110 languages.
The parents of a Nova Scotia teen with autism who has complex care needs want to know why some families are being told by the Department of Community Services to give up custody of their children in order to get them into group homes. The option is used in only a handful of cases, but can present a devastating choice for those families. "That was the shock of our lives that we would have to potentially give up our parental rights to give our child the care that they needed," the teen's mother said. "We adamantly, adamantly want to participate in his care." The teen's mother says she doesn't believe the Nova Scotia system has the flexibility to support families who have children with high-care needs while retaining their parental rights. The family wants to keep custody of their son, not only because they love him but because they want to continue to be his advocate and be involved in any decision-making while he's in a group home. Because he is a child in the care of the province, neither the teen in this story nor his parents can have their identities published by CBC News. The teen's mother says she doesn't believe the Nova Scotia system has enough flexibility to accommodate families with children with high care needs while retaining their parental rights. (David Laughlin/CBC) The boy's parents say they were able to care for him at home until he was 14, but he became aggressive and would sometimes scratch or hit people. "There's other family members, pets, people in the household, and they weren't necessarily safe," the teen's mother said. There were times when she said her son would run out of the house and into the street unless he was watched constantly. "You're in the kitchen washing dishes, and there's no reasonable way that you can supervise a child that intensely [in order] to keep everybody safe," she said. In September 2020, the family made an agreement with the Department of Community Services to place their son in a group home where he could receive specialized care. However, the parents say they made it clear to department staff they were not prepared to sign away their custodial rights. 3 options According to regulations attached to the province's Child and Family Services Act, families with children who've been diagnosed as having physical or intellectual disabilities that prevent them from living at home may enter into a "special needs agreement" with the department. There are three options under the regulations, according to an emailed statement from the Department of Community Services. "We work with the family throughout this process to determine what type of special needs agreement would be most appropriate," the statement said. "This could mean agreeing to transfer care and custody of the child to the minister, [the family] retaining care and custody of the child while the child is placed in a child-caring program, or receiving supports and services while the child remains home with their family." The statement said the department's goal is always to ensure children and youth are protected and families are supported. "We know children do better if they can stay in a loving home with people they already know, but in some cases, when a child has high-care needs and requires specialized care, a placement may be necessary." The options presented to the family may depend on whether there's a spot open at a licensed facility and what sort of support the parents can continue to offer a child while they're in care, the statement said. Community Services Minister Kelly Regan and her department are responsible for children in group homes if custody is turned over to the province.(Craig Paisley/CBC) The parents of the teen say they feel that provincial staff pressured them to accept the option to give up custody. But the family pushed back until department staff eventually agreed to the option to retain custody, the parents told CBC. The mother says her understanding is that it would be easier for the department to fund the teen's placement if the family turned over custody. Under the regulations, the period of agreement for transferring the care and custody of a child to the Minister of Community Services cannot be longer than one year, although the agreement can be renewed. 'It was mortifying' For a few months after the teen was placed in a group home last September things went well. His parents say he was "thriving" and making friends. But in the last few months the home began to have some challenges getting enough staff to fill all the shifts required to supervise their son, his parents say. Just before the Easter weekend they were told that the boy would have to return home, but the family says they responded that they weren't able to safely take him home with the support they currently have in place. "There's just myself and my husband here. We have another child, and our house isn't a secured facility," his mother said. She said her husband instead volunteered to work at their son's facility to supplement his care. The mother says at that point they again felt pressured to give up custody of their son. "We were at that point again, where they were telling us that we would have to do that potentially to provide him with support," she said. "It was mortifying. Because it's not like we didn't want to [provide support]. We desperately wanted to. We made that abundantly clear." The mother says their son was moved twice in the days around the Easter weekend, and they were not told where he was going. They spent the weekend making repeated calls and sending emails to find out where their son was. They didn't learn of his whereabouts until the Tuesday following the long weekend, according to the family. CBC asked the Department of Community Services for a breakdown on how many special needs agreements have been made in each category and received the following breakdown of current cases: Transfer care and custody to the Minister while placed in a facility: 3. Placed in a facility but custody retained by parents: 2. Services provided in child's home: 654. CBC reached another family with a child with high-needs autism who was also presented with the choice of giving up rights to their child to gain a placement in a group home. In that case, they also did not give up custody of their daughter. Planning for the future The teen's mother acknowledges her son's care needs are complicated; he needs two employees to supervise him at all times. She and her husband worry if their son does not receive intensive care when he's young, he may not develop skills that could help him live more independently later in life. "If your child needed to be on a ventilator and have complex medical issues, physical medical care, they would be in a hospital without question, with specialists and support," she said. "But because it's autism, and it's behavioural, it's viewed very differently." MORE TOP STORIES
As COVID-19 cases continue to surge, experts say Brazil’s death toll from COVID-19 will likely exceed that of the U.S., but President Jair Bolsonaro refuses to implement a lockdown.
A 25-year-old man has been arrested and charged after $3.5 million in cocaine was seized at Blue Water Bridge. On March 31, a commercial truck driven by a man from Brampton, Ont. entered Canada at the bridge in Point Edward, Ont., Canada Border Services Agency said in a news release Wednesday. The truck was sent for a secondary examination, during which officers found 62 kilograms of cocaine. Canada Border Services Agency said officers arrested the driver and transferred him into the custody of Windsor detachment RCMP officers, who are performing an investigation. The suspect is charged with importation of a controlled substance and possession for the purpose of trafficking. The man is expected to appear in Sarnia's Ontario Court of Justice on April 20. More from CBC Windsor
NYON, Switzerland — Red Star Belgrade was punished by UEFA on Wednesday for racial abuse aimed toward Zlatan Ibrahimovic when the club hosted AC Milan in a Europa League game meant to be played without fans in the stadium. Ibrahimovic was sitting in the stands as a substitute for his Italian team during a Europa League round of 32 game in Belgrade in February. Footage published online detailed insults shouted at Ibrahimovic targeting his Balkan family roots. He was born in Sweden to parents from Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia. UEFA said its disciplinary committee found charges proven of racist behaviour and “provocative, offensive chanting.” Red Star must play its next European competition home game in an empty stadium. The Serbian league leader is likely to serve the ban in July when the Champions League first qualifying round is played. UEFA deferred a second stadium ban for a one-year probation period and also fined the club 25,000 euros ($30,000) for “transmitting a provocative message of an offensive nature.” It was unclear exactly who shouted the abuse at Ibrahimovic. Red Star officials and guests were in the main stand though no tickets should have been sold to fans. UEFA also fined Red Star 5,000 euros ($6,000) for breaching health protocol rules during the COVID-19 pandemic by allowing in spectators and not enforcing social distancing. ___ More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports The Associated Press
Canada's Liberal government will deliver on its promise to spend big when it presents its first budget in two years next week amid a fast-rising third wave of COVID-19 infections and ahead of an election expected in coming months. Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland has pledged to do "whatever it takes" to support Canadians, and in November promised up to C$100 billion ($79.8 billion) in stimulus over three years to "jump-start" an economic recovery in what is likely to be a crucial year for her party. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberals depend on the support of at least one opposition group to pass laws, and senior party members have said an election is likely within months as it seeks a clear majority and a free hand to legislate.
One of three American bulldogs that were stolen during a break-and-enter in Surrey has been recovered, according to Surrey RCMP, but the dogs' owners are still trying to find the other two puppies. The theft happened Saturday afternoon at a house on 8 Avenue, near 176 Street, while the residents weren't home. According to police, a member of the public got in touch after realizing the puppy they bought at a car show in Mission over the weekend was one of the stolen dogs, Rosie. "We're glad that we got this one puppy back for the family," said Sgt. Elanore Sturko. "We're grateful that this person who had the puppy reached out to us." Sturko said the person also provided further information to investigators, and it's possible the two dogs that remain at large were also sold at the car show. Anyone with information is asked to contact Surrey RCMP or Crime Stoppers if they wish to remain anonymous.
LETHBRIDGE, Alta. — The police chief in Lethbridge, Alta., has delivered a plan to the province's justice minister aimed at fixing problems that led to a threat the service could be disbanded.Chief Shahin Mehdizadeh delivered the plan to Justice Minister Kaycee Madu on Tuesday, three days ahead of deadline.In an open letter to Lethbridge residents, Mehdizadeh said the service is on the right path moving forward, but needs to look at mistakes made by some employees in the past."This report addresses a number of key areas for improvement for the Lethbridge Police Service and outlines how we will move forward in the coming weeks, months and years," he writes."We have all seen the negative publicity the Lethbridge Police Service has received as of late. As a result, some citizens may be questioning the ethics and integrity of the men and women who serve you every day."Madu said earlier this month that change needed to happen immediately and there were serious problems that needed to be addressed.He said any plan had to address everything from recruiting to oversight, have benchmarks and timelines, and be communicated to the public. If not, Madu advised the force could be disbanded. The most critical area falls under ethics and accountability and includes management of conduct files, annual ethics training and a review of the police service's social media policy.Last year, two officers were temporarily demoted after a review determined NDP legislature member Shannon Phillips, while environment minister in 2017, was surveilled and photographed at a diner. The officers involved were concerned about changes Phillips was making regarding off-highway vehicle use at a nearby wilderness areas. Separately, five officers and one civilian are now being investigated for allegations of conducting improper database searches on Phillips while she was in cabinet in 2018. Part of the plan involves developing better leadership in current and future police members and restrictions on access to database searches."We will strive every day to keep your trust. I want to make a commitment to every citizen that we are on the right path moving forward," Mehdizadeh said.Lethbridge is Alberta's third-largest city with a population of more than 100,000. Its police force has been the focus of numerous controversies.Last month, five police employees were suspended with pay as part of an investigation into the circulation of inappropriate images, reportedly including pictures of senior police staff pasted onto the bodies of characters from the animated "Toy Story'' movies. Last year, the force was criticized for the violent takedown of a citizen wearing a "Star Wars" storm trooper costume and brandishing a toy laser blaster. The year before that, images went viral of a Lethbridge officer euthanizing a deer by running over the wailing animal numerous times with a police truck.This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 14, 2021.— By Bill Graveland in Calgary. Follow @BillGraveland on Twitter The Canadian Press
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was justified in using his knees to pin down George Floyd, a use-of-force expert testified on Tuesday, contradicting testimony by former and current city police officers who said Chauvin's actions violated policy and were excessive. "I felt that Derek Chauvin was justified, was acting with objective reasonableness, following Minneapolis Police Department policy and current standards of law enforcement in his interactions with Mr. Floyd," Barry Brodd, a former officer in Santa Rosa, Calif., told the Hennepin County District Court in downtown Minneapolis. Brodd, one of a series of witnesses who testified for the defence on Tuesday in the murder trial of Chauvin, also claimed that putting Floyd in the prone position — handcuffed while placed on his stomach, and face first to the pavement — was not a use of force. "It's a control technique. it doesn't hurt," he said. "You've put the suspect in a position where it's safe for you, the officer, safe for them, the suspect, and you're using minimal effort to keep them on the ground." Defence lays out case Chauvin's lawyer, Eric Nelson, began to lay out the defence's case on Tuesday after 11 days of testimony from prosecution witnesses. Floyd died on May 25, 2020, after Chauvin, who is white, pressed a knee on the back of his neck for about nine minutes as two other officers held him down face first to the pavement, while he was handcuffed. He had been detained outside a convenience store after being suspected of paying with a counterfeit bill. Chauvin is on trial on charges of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in connection with the death of the 46-year-old Black man. The prosecution says Chauvin pressing his knee into Floyd's neck caused his death. But the defence argues it was a combination of Floyd's underlying medical conditions, drug use and adrenaline flowing through his system that ultimately killed him. Defence lawyer Eric Nelson begins to lay out Chauvin's case in his murder trial on Tuesday after 11 days of testimony from prosecution witnesses in a Minneapolis courtroom. (Court TV/The Associated Press) Several top Minneapolis police officials, including Chief Medaria Arradondo, have testified for the prosecution that Chauvin used excessive force and violated his training. And medical experts called by prosecutors have said that Floyd died from a lack of oxygen because of the way he was restrained. But the defence claims Chauvin did what his training taught him to do. Brodd said that once Floyd was pinned to the ground, he was still engaged in "active resistance" and struggling against the efforts of the officers. "Officers are trained that any time you get resistance from a suspect or you're dealing with a high-risk suspect, it's safer for you, the officer and for the suspect to put him on the ground in a prone position face down for a variety of reasons, some of which are it makes the suspect's mobility diminished." WATCH | Prosecutor cross-examines use-of-force witness The fact that Floyd was handcuffed at that point didn't matter, Brodd said, because any resistor, handcuffed or not, should go to the ground to a controlled position. He said there were a number of valid reasons to keep Floyd in that position, including space limitation, traffic on the street, crowd issues and the fact that Floyd was "still somewhat resisting." Crowd distraction Chauvin's defence has also raised the issue that the officer may have been distracted about Floyd's declining condition due to the growing anger of the crowd. Brodd concurred that, based on his review of the video evidence, Chauvin's focus started to move from Floyd to the crowd "I think Officer Chauvin felt threatened enough that he withdrew his pepper spray canister and gave verbal commands to the crowd to stay back. So now he's dealing with the bigger threat," he said. Tense cross-examination Cross-examination under prosecutor Steve Schleicher was tense at times, as he struck an incredulous tone with some of Brodd's assertions. He seized on Brodd's contention that the further restraint of Floyd was not a use of force. Prosecutor Steve Schleicher questions Brodd during cross-examination.(Court TV/The Associated Press) "I need to ask you if you believe that it is unlikely that orienting yourself on top of a person, on the pavement with both legs is unlikely to produce pain," Schleicher asked. "It could," Brodd responded. "What do you mean it could? Is it unlikely to produce pain or is it likely to produce pain," Schleicher asked. "I'm saying it could produce pain." But Brodd acknowledged that based on one of the photos showing Chauvin applying his knee into Floyd, "that could be a use of force." Schleicher asked Brodd whether a reasonable officer would know that placing someone in that prone position could cause positional asphyxia. "A reasonable police officer would at least acknowledge and consider the possibility that what they're doing is causing a problem, wouldn't they?" However, Brodd said that according to video, it appeared Floyd was still struggling. "Struggling or writhing," Schleicher asked. "I don't know the difference," Brodd said. WATCH | Scheicher grills Brodd over 'resting comfortably' comment Brodd argued that Floyd kept on struggling, and he suggested that if Floyd was being compliant, he would have had both hands in the small of his back "and just be resting comfortably." "Did you say 'resting comfortably'?" Schleicher asked. Brodd: "Or laying comfortably." Schleicher: "Resting comfortably on the pavement?" Brodd said yes and added that he was describing the signs of a perfectly compliant person. "So attempting to breathe, while restrained, is being slightly non-compliant now," Schleicher said. "No," Brodd said. Schleicher argued that the only struggling by Floyd was as a result of him trying to breathe. "I don't know, if he was struggling or if he was struggling to catch a breath ... I can't tell," Brodd said. Other witnesses Earlier in the day, court heard from Shawanda Hill, a friend of Floyd's who was in the SUV with him before his encounter and arrest by police. Hill testified that she had met Floyd in the convenience store and that he was alert and happy, but by the time they got back to the car, he suddenly fell asleep and that she repeatedly tried to wake him up. Shawanda Hill, who was in the car with Floyd at the time of his initial arrest, testifies at Chauvin's trial on Tuesday. (Court TV/The Associated Press) Her testimony was important for the defence as they try to prove Floyd was potentially reacting to fentanyl in his system. Nelson also put on the stand a former police officer and paramedic who testified about a 2019 arrest in which Floyd suffered from dangerously high blood pressure and confessed to heavy use of opioids. Also testifying was Minneapolis Park Police Officer Peter Chang, who helped at the scene that day. He said he saw a "crowd" growing across the street that "was becoming more loud and aggressive, a lot of yelling across the street." "Did that cause you any concern?" Nelson asked. "Concern for the officers' safety, yes," Chang replied.
The chief and council of a Vancouver Island First Nation at the centre of a protest over old-growth logging are asking outside activists to stand down and leave the community to decide how to use local forestry resources. In a statement issued on Monday, Pacheedaht Hereditary Chief Frank Queesto Jones and Chief Coun. Jeff Jones addressed the blockade in the nation's traditional territory in the Fairy Creek area of the southern island. "All parties need to respect that it is up to Pacheedaht people to determine how our forestry resources will be used," reads the statement. "We do not welcome or support unsolicited involvement or interference by others in our territory, including third-party activism. Pacheedaht needs to be left in peace to engage in our community-led stewardship planning process, so that we can determine our own way forward as a strong and independent Nation." Since August, dozens of people have blocked access to logging activities in Fairy Creek to prevent Teal Cedar, a division of the Teal-Jones Group, from logging certain areas of its 595-square-kilometre tenure. The logging company has signed agreements with the Pacheedaht, and the nation signed a revenue-sharing agreement with the province in 2017 for all timber cut on its land. In early April, the B.C. Supreme Court granted Teal-Jones an injunction against the protesters. In his written decision, Justice Frits Verhoeven said police enforcement terms would be required since "there appears to be little or no likelihood that the injunction order will be respected otherwise." Monday's statement from Pacheedaht chief and council expresses concern about the "increasing polarization" over forestry within the First Nation's territory. It says the nation is currently developing a plan for stewardship of its resources, which will guide future logging. While that plan is being developed, the Pacheedaht leaders say they have secured agreements from tenure holders and the B.C. government to suspend third-party forestry activities in certain areas. "Pacheedaht has always harvested and managed our forestry resources, including old-growth cedar, for cultural, ceremonial, domestic and economic purposes. Our constitutional right to make decisions about forestry resources in our territory, as governing authority in our territory, must be respected," the statement says.
Formula One officials are appealing to various levels of government to invest $6 million to bring the Canadian Grand Prix back to Montreal in June but it's unclear how Ottawa will respond. The race was first postponed and then nixed last year, and now F1 needs the money to offset the costs of presenting the event this year without spectators on site. The race usually attracts thousands of tourists from around the world, but with the third wave of COVID-19 picking up steam, bringing all those people together in one place to watch cars zip around the Gilles-Villeneuve track is out of the question. F1 officials are also asking to bypass the mandatory 14-day quarantine for the hundreds of staff, crew members and drivers. They would instead rely on private medical staff to keep COVID from spreading among the personnel. Radio-Canada has learned that Quebec public health would be ready to authorize the holding of the Grand Prix without spectators if certain measures are applied. For now, the event is scheduled for June 13, but it is still up to upper levels of government to approve and fund it. Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante has made it clear that the city can't invest. Premier François Legault said "nothing is settled" on Tuesday. "We are told that because there will be no spectators, there should be compensation from the government, when we have already given a lot," he said. If it weren't for the concern over the 2022-2029 agreement with F1, Legault said, "I don't see why we need this — the Grand Prix — here this year." Legault said the Grand Prix is an important event with real economic benefits "because it is money that comes from abroad and is spent here in Quebec." He said the event is the subject of discussion at the moment. Trudeau not committing just yet Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau remained vague on the subject. "I know that talks are underway right now, but at every stage, our priority is the health of Canadians. And that is the basis on which we will make the decisions," said Trudeau. Even if there are no spectators, the health concern is that hundreds of F1 staff will arrive on scene, most flying in from Baku, Azerbaijan, where a race is scheduled the weekend before. The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal has other uses when high-performance race cars aren't roaring around the track.(Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press) Quebec Public Health Director Dr. Horacio Arruda said on Tuesday it could be possible to hold the event safely but there is much to discuss beforehand. He said the study of ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is underway. "There is a way to hold it in terms of public health with well-thought-out protocols," he said. "As for the importation of the virus by people who come from outside without quarantines, these are discussions that are taking place between Quebec and Canada." F1 says it can be done safely F1's top brass has made it clear that holding events without spectators isn't financially feasible as the organization relies on ticket sales. On March 27, F1 group president Stefano Domenicali challenged Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's office on the issue of mandatory quarantine for travellers flying into the country. In a letter that Radio-Canada has obtained a copy of, the F1 boss outlines the measures put in place to prevent outbreaks of COVID-19 throughout the season. In 2020, 78,000 PCR tests were carried out and only 78 tested positive. The F1 president says that is a rate of 0.1 per cent. If Montreal loses the annual event, F1 has already picked Istanbul, Turkey, to host it in the future instead.
LOS ANGELES — Missing California college student Kristin Smart was killed in 1996 during an attempted rape by a fellow student and the suspect’s father helped hide her body, the San Luis Obispo County district attorney said Wednesday. Prosecutors filed a first-degree murder charge against Paul Flores and an accessory after murder charge against his father, Ruben Flores, for helping him conceal Smart's body, which has never been found, District Attorney Dan Dow said. The two were arrested Tuesday after years of investigations and searches that recently led to evidence connected to Smart’s killing. Smart, 19, of Stockton, was last seen May 25, 1996, while returning to her dorm at California Polytechnic State University campus in San Luis Obispo after an off-campus party. She was inebriated at the time and Flores, a fellow freshman at the school, had offered to walk her home. Flores killed Smart in his dorm room, Dow said. Investigators, who launched a renewed search Tuesday at his father's property in nearby Arroyo Grande, believe they know where the body was buried but have not yet located it or disclosed the location. Dow urged the public to come forward with any information they may have about the killing or other crimes Paul Flores may have committed. In more recent years, Paul Flores frequented bars around his home in the San Pedro area of Los Angeles area and may have committed other sexual assaults, Dow said. He didn't disclose what investigators found, but said they are seeking other crime victims. “We have evidence that we do believe there were other people not yet identified that have had some kind of a criminal act perpetrated on them by Mr. Flores," Dow said. "We’re concerned about sexual assault.” Prosecutors filed a notice in court that they would seek to introduce evidence of other sex crimes to show Flores attempted to rape Smart. Flores has been under suspicion from the earliest days of Smart's disappearance. He has gone from being a “person of interest” to a “suspect” to “the prime suspect” — and, now, defendant. He and his father are in jail and scheduled to be arraigned Thursday. San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson said the arrests came after a search of the elder Flores' home last month using ground-penetrating radar and cadaver dogs turned up new evidence linked to Smart's killing. Smart’s family issued a statement saying it was a bittersweet day they had long waited for and a first step toward bringing their daughter home. “While Kristin’s loving spirit will always live in our hearts, our life without her hugs, laughs and smiles is a heartache that never abates,” they said. “The knowledge that a father and son, despite our desperate pleas for help, could have withheld this horrible secret for nearly 25 years, denying us the chance to lay our daughter to rest, is an unrelenting and unforgiving pain.” Flores, 44, was arrested at his home in the San Pedro area of Los Angeles and taken to a police car in handcuffs wearing pajama bottoms and a surf T-shirt. His father, Ruben Flores, 80, was arrested at his Arroyo Grande home — about 15 miles (24 kilometres) south of the university. New witnesses were found in recent years and warrants allowed investigators to intercept and monitor Paul Flores' phone and text messages and search his own home, along with those of his mother, father and sister that turned up new evidence, Parkinson said. He declined to offer more details because search warrants are sealed. Parkinson also credited the podcast “Your Own Backyard" for giving the case renewed widespread attention that led to a key witness coming forward. The podcast's creator, Chris Lambert, grew up in the area and was intrigued by a billboard offering a $75,000 reward for information leading to Smart. “Driving past that billboard was a periodic reminder that, oh yeah, they still haven’t found that girl,” Lambert said on the podcast's opening episode. ”It's different when somebody goes missing in your own backyard." Parkinson, who held his news conference near where Smart was last seen alive with Flores, acknowledged missteps by law enforcement hampered the investigation. Smart wasn’t reported missing until three days after she was last seen. A dorm mate at the time said police were initially reluctant to take a missing persons report because it was Memorial Day weekend and she might have left the campus. Smart’s family said in their statement that “an indifference and lack of resolve we experienced early on set the course for many years.” The Smart family filed a $40 million lawsuit in 1996 against Paul Flores and added the university for allegedly not protecting their daughter. The case has been stayed awaiting a criminal case outcome, a family spokesman said. “There really is no hiding the fact that there was mistakes made early on and it made it much more difficult,” Parkinson said. “You know that first 48 hours is pretty critical in a missing person or a homicide.” Parkinson likened the case to a puzzle where missing pieces are located, leading to new evidence and locations to search that then revealed other information. "It’s a very slow process to find each of those little pieces,” he said. They served over 40 search warrants at 16 locations over the years, collected nearly 200 new items of evidence and used modern DNA techniques to test more than three dozen older pieces of evidence. So much evidence was compiled that it would fill three terabytes on a computer hard drive, he said. Paul Flores has remained mum through the years, invoking his Fifth Amendment right to not answer questions before a grand jury and in a deposition for the lawsuit brought against him. Flores had nothing to say when arrested, Parkinson said. He was held without bail. His lawyer, Robert Sanger, declined to comment. Ruben Flores was being held on $250,000 bail. His lawyer, Harold Mesick, didn't immediately return an email message seeking comment from The Associated Press but he told the Los Angeles Times that his client was “absolutely innocent.” ___ Associated Press reporter John Antczak contributed to this report. Brian Melley, The Associated Press
PARIS (Reuters) -The European countries party to the Iran nuclear deal told Tehran on Wednesday its decision to enrich uranium at 60% purity, bringing the fissile material closer to bomb-grade, was contrary to efforts to revive the 2015 accord. But in an apparent signal to Iran's arch-adversary Israel, which Tehran blamed for an explosion at its key nuclear site on Sunday, European powers Germany, France and Britain added that they rejected "all escalatory measures by any actor". Israel, which the Islamic Republic does not recognise, has not formally commented on the incident at Iran's Natanz site, which appeared the latest twist in a long-running covert war.
Lyle Skinner is a constitutional lawyer who specializes in parliamentary law.(CBC) Lyle Skinner, an Ottawa-based constitutional lawyer based who specializes in parliamentary law, has been following Newfoundland and Labrador's election from its start. He says how it ends may depend on whether anyone else wants to join NDP Leader Alison Coffin in taking the election process to court. "This is part of the accountability mechanism. If anybody has any questions on if the election was conducted in a fair manner, then they can go to the court and ask the court to judicate that," Skinner said. Coffin and St. John's resident Whymarrh Whitby jointly filed a court challenge on Monday against Elections NL, arguing that the most recent general election discriminated against voters based on ethnicity, age or disability, while also excluding people without internet access and those in Indigenous communities. The application is separate from a challenge that Coffin filed earlier this month requesting a recount in her former district of St. John's East-Quidi Vidi, where she lost by 53 votes. This challenge is more bold: it asks that the Supreme Court to void last month's election results entirely. The Elections Act holds that a candidate or voter of a particular district can bring forward an application over an irregularity, Skinner said. The application filed on behalf of Coffin and Whitby lists 28 specific "irregularities," including Chief Electoral Officer Bruce Chaulk's hand-delivery of ballots to former PC leader Ches Crosbie and Liberal cabinet minister Siobhan Coady. Voiding election through a single application But Skinner said it appears Coffin's application is attempting to use a Charter of Rights and Freedoms argument to attempt to void all 40 districts through a single application. "Whether or not that will be successful will be for a judge to determine before they would consider the merits of the particular case, as it may be," he said. NDP Leader Alison Coffin and a resident in St. John's jointly filed a court challenge on Monday against Elections NL.(CBC) If the challenge is successful, and all 40 of the province's districts are void, Skinner said a second election will be issued, but it will be different than a regular general election. "The premier at any time can advise the lieutenant governor to dissolve the assembly. So in this case the assembly would still exist, it just wouldn't have any MHAs which from my research would be somewhat unprecedented," he said. If results are void for one district, Skinner added, it could still have a significant impact. A new election would be issued for that district, and if the incumbent is not returned there could be a cabinet shuffle and impacts on voting in certain committees. The possibility that all 40 districts will become void, in turn causing another election, may depend on the number individuals who feel there was an irregularity with this year's election, said Skinner. He said Monday's application may only be the first, and there's a window of two months since the day after a polling day in which people can bring forward their own applications. Balance of power may be affected Elections NL announced the results March 27. Voting had been suspended on the eve of the scheduled Feb. 13 election because of an outbreak of the COVID-19 virus variant B117. Chaulk pushed the province to mail-in ballots, although he adjusted the deadline to participate several times. WATCH | Lawyer Lyle Skinner tells Carolyn Stokes about the implications of a new NDP court challenge: "So it really depends on how many districts are being challenged, and again — even if there's only one or two, that might affect the balance of power," Skinner said. Andrew Furey's Liberals won 22 of the 40 seats in the House of Assembly. The Tories won 13 seats, the NDP won two, and three Independents were elected. "If the government goes into a minority government situation, the premier is within his prerogative to make an appeal to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians and advise dissolution and commence an election in that way," Skinner said. "It doesn't have to be through the legal process through all 40 districts. There's also a political constitutional avenue as well." In 1993, the results for the district of Placentia were marked invalid because 55 voters, who didn't have proper documentation with respect to making an oath, totalled more than the 21-vote difference between candidates. Tory Nick Careen defeated Liberal incumbent Bill Hogan in that election. "The court said that when a situation materially affects the results such as that, that no other factors are really considered. It's that the irregularity could potentially affect the outcome," said Skinner. "In that case, because there was no further evidence produced, the results were voided and a second election occurred subsequent." Read more articles from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador
The latest news on COVID-19 developments in Canada (all times eastern): 9 p.m. British Columbia's daily case count has dipped slightly to 873 after nearing 1,300 cases for several days in the last week. Premier John Horgan is calling on residents to keep their "shoulder to the wheel" to get through the third wave of the pandemic. He says any new restrictions would be discussed by members of the provincial cabinet on Wednesday and, if necessary, introduced on Thursday by provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry. She and Health Minister Adrian Dix say in a joint statement that over half the province's 9,756 active cases of COVID-19 involve variants of concern. --- 5:50 p.m. Atlantic Canada’s four premiers say they are delaying the reopening of the regional travel bubble by two weeks, to May 3 at the earliest. The premiers said today in a statement that the rising cases in parts of the region along with the presence of virus mutations led them to take the decision. They say they will meet again at the end of April to decide whether to further delay the reopening. The so-called Atlantic bubble was introduced last summer as a way for the region's residents to travel freely between the four provinces without having to isolate for 14 days. --- 5:30 p.m. Alberta has reported 1,081 new cases of COVID-19 and three additional deaths from the virus. Chief medical officer Dr. Deena Hinshaw says there were 705 new cases involving more transmissible virus variants identified over the past day. The test positivity rate is at about nine per cent. Variants now make up more than half of the Alberta's active cases. Hinshaw says there are 402 COVID-19 patients in hospital, including 88 in intensive care. --- 3:50 p.m. Saskatchewan is bringing in new restrictions to limit gatherings aa the province reports 288 new cases of COVID-19 and two more deaths today. One was in their 30s and the other in their 60s and both people who died were from Regina, which has become a hot spot for variants of concern. There are 202 people in hospital, 41 of whom are in intensive care. The government says the change to public-health orders comes into effect today and limits people to associating with only their households. It also restricts church gatherings to no more than 30 people. --- 1:55 p.m. The Quebec government is reporting a first case of blood clots in a person who received the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. The government says in a press release that the person is recovering after treatment, and their life is not in danger. Quebec is currently offering the AstraZeneca vaccine to people between the ages of 55 and 79 after suspending its use in younger groups. The government says it is not reconsidering its vaccine strategy because people in the target age group have a much higher risk of complications from COVID-19 than they do from the vaccine. --- 1:50 p.m. Quebec Premier Francois Legault says he will extend a lockdown currently in effect in three Quebec regions for another week. Non-essential businesses and schools in Quebec City, Outaouais and Chaudiere-Appalaches will remain closed until at least April 25. Legault says the lockdown, which also includes an 8 p.m. curfew, will apply across the Outaouais and Chaudiere-Appalaches regions starting tomorrow. It had previously only applied in certain parts of those regions. The three regions have the highest number of active COVID-19 cases per capita in the province. --- 1:45 p.m. The Public Health Agency of Canada says it has received a report of a blood clot following vaccination with the Oxford-AstraZeneca shot. It is the first such report in Canada. The agency did not identify the province where it occurred or the age or gender of the patient, who is recovering at home. The person received the AstraZeneca vaccine made at the Serum Institute of India, known under the brand name Covishield. The agency says reports of blood clots following vaccination are rare and "the report of this case shows that Canada's vaccine safety monitoring system works." --- 1:35 p.m. Manitoba is reporting two new deaths of people with COVID-19 and 135 new cases. Three earlier cases have been removed due to data correction, bringing the net increase to 132. The five-day test positivity rate is six per cent provincially and 5.7 per cent in Winnipeg. --- 1 p.m. Ontario has released more details on its plan to vaccinate adults living in certain COVID-19 hot spots. It says community groups will help organize vaccine clinics for residents aged 18 and older in "high risk" settings within hot-spot postal codes. The province says those groups include faith-based organizations, employers and other community organizations. Mobile teams and pop-up clinics will be used in those places and the government says individuals can contact their local health units for details. The hot-spot plan will first take effect in certain postal codes in Toronto and Peel Region. Ontario also says education workers who work or live in hot-spot postal codes in Toronto and Peel will be provided with an eligibility letter from their local school board to access a shot. --- 12:40 p.m. Manitoba enforcement officers issued 100 warnings and 13 tickets last week for suspected violations of COVID-19 public health orders. Five tickets were for failing to wear a mask in an indoor public place Three tickets were for exceeding gathering limits. --- 12:00 p.m. Health Canada says it is investigating reports the Johnson &Johnson COVID-19 vaccine may be linked to extremely rare cases of blood clots. In a tweet, the Canadian drug regulator says it is following the issue closely and is working with the manufacturer, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other international regulators. Health Canada also says it has asked Janssen, the pharmaceutical arm of Johnson & Johnson, to provide information on any blood-clotting cases. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration issued a joint statement today recommending a "pause" in using the single-dose vaccine after six women developed blood clots after being vaccinated. --- 11:55 a.m. There are a record number of COVID-19 patients in Canada's intensive care units. Dr. Theresa Tam, the chief public health officer, says an average of 970 people have been in ICUs over the last week. The highest 7-day average previously was 880 in mid-January. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is also urging Canadians to continue following public health orders in the hopes of a better summer. --- 11:30 a.m. Nova Scotia Premier Iain Rankin says his province will reimpose travel restrictions at the provincial boundary with New Brunswick on Thursday because of an increase in COVID-19 variant cases in that province. Under the change people coming from New Brunswick will have to self-isolate upon arrival in Nova Scotia and complete a safe check-in form. Nova Scotia announced six new cases of COVID-19 today and now has 45 active cases. Three cases are in the western health zone are related to international travel, two in the Halifax area are also linked to international travel and a case in the eastern zone is related to domestic travel outside of Atlantic Canada. --- 11:20 a.m. Quebec is reporting 1,490 new cases of COVID-19 today and 12 additional deaths, including three within the past 24 hours. The Health Department says the number of hospitalizations rose by 13, to 643. It says 150 people are in intensive care, an increase of eight. Public health authorities say 56,620 doses of vaccine were administered yesterday, bringing the total to 2,005,106. Quebec has reported 329,472 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 10,756 deaths linked to the disease since the start of the pandemic. --- 10:55 a.m. Prince Edward Island Premier Dennis King says the goal of opening the so-called Atlantic bubble on April 19 is precarious. King told a news conference today the Atlantic premiers are meeting to make a decision about the travel bubble and he expects a formal announcement later today. King said the COVID-19 situation in Atlantic Canada is becoming more concerning and he anticipates opening the bubble will be delayed. The Atlantic bubble was first introduced last summer as a way for Atlantic Canadian residents to travel between provinces without having to self-isolate for two weeks, as travellers from other parts of Canada must do. --- 10:40 a.m. Ontario reports 3,670 new cases of COVID-19 and 15 more deaths linked to the virus. Health Minister Christine Elliott says there are 1,016 new cases in Toronto, 613 in Peel Region, and 519 in York Region. The ministry of health says there are 626 people in an intensive-care unit and 422 on a ventilator. Ontario says more than 95,000 doses of a COVID-19 vaccine were administered since Monday's report. --- 9:15 a.m. A new case of COVID-19 has been confirmed in Yukon, bringing the total number of cases in the territory to 75 since the pandemic began. Chief medical officer of health Dr. Brendan Hanley says the new case involves a Whitehorse resident exposed to the virus through contact with an out-of-territory worker who travelled to Yukon. The affected person is self-isolating and data shows this is the only confirmed active case of COVID-19 in Yukon. Hanley has also expanded the notice for passengers aboard the April 3 Air North flight 4N538 from Vancouver to Whitehorse and for anyone in Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport terminal between 4 and 5 p.m. that day, advising them to self-monitor and get tested if COVID-19 symptoms develop. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 13, 2021. The Canadian Press
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."
Saskatchewan's chief medical health officer says he's hopeful the province can offer second doses of COVID-19 vaccine to the general public in late May or early June. "As soon as we have high uptake [of first doses] in all age groups, and as supply allows, we need to start our second doses for [people aged] 18 and over hopefully by the end of May [or] early June," Dr. Saqib Shahab said Tuesday during a COVID-19 news conference. Walk-in clinics opened up to people aged 52 and over — up from 55 — on Wednesday. "We want a high vaccine uptake by the end of May in all persons 18 and over," Dr. Shahab said of the next few weeks, as the age bracket at clinics is expected to be gradually lowered more. Health Minister Paul Merriman, speaking at the same news conference, said he was pleased with the latest statistics on vaccine uptake, including the fact that more than 80 per cent of Saskatchewan residents aged 70 or over have received their first dose. (Government of Saskatchewan) The proportion of health-care workers who have been offered vaccines and accepted them remains low, however, standing at only 68 per cent as of Tuesday. Dr. Shahab had flagged that as a concern — and even as the source of some long-term care home outbreaks — last week. While strongly encouraging everyone to take whatever vaccine they are offered, Merriman said anyone can refuse to take a vaccine if they want to and can be added back in the priority queue at any later date. Merriman added that he has met with union leaders. "They are encouraging their membership to get vaccinated," he said. "So it's coming from the government and the management side of it as well as the union." Vaccine access widening at Saskatoon and other drive-thrus Health officials said last week they hope to provide all Saskatchewan residents aged 18 and over access to their first dose by mid-May. Merriman said that remains the goal, even as he acknowledged recent delays in Moderna vaccine shipments to the province. "That does change things very quickly," Merriman said. "It's very important for everybody to understand that we have ... about a two-to-three-day supply of vaccines on hand. "If there's delays, that causes some problems." In Regina — and Regina only — health officials have operated a drive-thru clinic for residents aged 49 to 54 — a more permissive age bracket than in all other clinics in the province. The drive-thru was launched as Regina experienced a rise in variant of concern cases. Late on Tuesday, the province announced it was further widening the eligible age bracket at the Regina drive-thru to include 48 year olds as well. At other drive-thrus — which have been administering AstraZeneca vaccines that can currently only be given to people aged 55 and older — the eligibility will be changed to cover people aged 52-54 only. This will be made possible by introducing Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines at all current and future drive-thrus, according to a release from the Saskatchewan Health Authority. That change will first take effect at the Saskatoon drive-thru, on Wednesday. A CBC News analysis has found that Saskatchewan would have to significantly increase its daily rate of vaccinations if it hopes to meet its first-dose targets.
YANGON, Myanmar — Myanmar's ruling junta has charged at least 19 medical doctors for participating in civil disobedience protests against the military's Feb. 1 coup, a state-run newspaper reported Wednesday. Doctors, nurses and medical students have marched and joined strikes to show their opposition to the military takeover that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's democratically elected government and put a halt to the progress Myanmar had made toward greater democratization after five decades of military rule. The doctors charged are accused of supporting and participating in the civil disobedience movement “with the aim of deteriorating the state administrative machinery,” the Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper wrote. The military government has already issued arrest warrants for 100 people active in the fields of literature, film, theatre arts, music and journalism on charges of spreading information that undermines the stability of the country and the rule of law. This isn't the first time doctors have been targeted. Earlier this month in Mandalay, the country’s second-biggest city, security forces used stun grenades and fired guns to break up a march by medical workers protesting the army’s takeover. The online news site The Irrawaddy reported that four doctors were arrested. Protests continued Wednesday across Myanmar even as people boycotted the official celebration of Thingyan, the country's traditional New Year, usually a time for family reunions and merry-making. In leaflets and social media posts last week, people were asked not to hold any Thingyan celebrations, saying it would be disrespectful to “fallen martyrs” to enjoy the festival. The government's violent response to anti-coup demonstrations has seen 714 people killed by security officials, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. Last week, at least 82 people were killed in one day in a crackdown by security forces on protesters, according to reports from independent local media and AAPP. Friday’s death toll in Bago was the biggest one-day total for a single city since March 14, when just over 100 people were killed in Yangon, the country’s biggest city. Bago is about 100 kilometres (60 miles) northeast of Yangon. The Associated Press was unable to independently verify the number of deaths. The Associated Press
