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  • Alberta reports 1,391 new cases of COVID-19, three more deaths

    Alberta reported 1,391 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday and three more deaths. The cases bring the number of active cases in the province to 18,424, up 320 from the previous count. There were 1,160 reported new cases linked to variants of concern. Variants now make up 56.8 per cent of active cases. Currently 460 people are in hospital with COVID-19, 104 of them in intensive care. The death toll is now 2,043. More than 12,500 tests were performed Sunday with the positivity rate at 11 per cent. The R value, or reproduction number, from April 12 to April 18 for the province was 1.09. Only 17,556 vaccine doses were administered Sunday, the lowest number in two weeks, bringing the total to 1,166,125, with 233,687 Albertans now fully vaccinated. On Sunday, Ontario and Alberta lowered the eligibility age for the AstraZeneca vaccine from 55 to 40 after federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu gave provinces and territories the go-ahead based on new Health Canada rules. Albertans have been reluctant to queue up for the vaccine following reports of possible blood clots, but Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta's chief medical officer of health, is urging anyone who is eligible to get the vaccine. "It is also important to remember that these cases are extremely rare," she said in news release. "This vaccine helps prevent the much higher risks that come from COVID-19 infection, helping to protect both you and those around you." Of the 270,800 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine received by the province, 100,315 had been administered as of Sunday, according to Alberta Health. Albertans who have plans to travel to B.C. in the next few weeks should reconsider. On Monday that province announced it will restrict travel within the province and put up signs along the Alberta border telling travelers to not travel into B.C. unless it is essential. Here is the breakdown of active cases in Alberta among health regions: Calgary zone: 8,025 Edmonton zone: 4,887 North zone: 2,575 Central zone: 1,930 South zone: 938 Unknown: 69

  • Labrador MP demands apology after Nunavut MP says she is 'not an Inuk'

    The Liberal member of parliament for Labrador, Yvonne Jones, demanded an apology from Nunavut's NDP MP Mumilaaq Qaqqaq in the House of Commons Monday, after Qaqqaq said Jones was "not an Inuk" in a recent response to a 2019 tweet. "I ask the member to respect all Indigenous people in Canada, and apologize for her statement, and stop committing racial erosion against her own culture," Jones said. "It is attitudes like hers that have set Inuit back decades in modern society." Jones is a member of the NunatuKavut Community Council, a group formerly known as the Labrador Metis Nation, a non-status group representing people of mixed Indigenous and non-Indigenous descent in southern Labrador. Since 2018, the group has been pursuing recognition of Indigenous rights in the region, and completed a memorandum of understanding with the federal government in 2019. A screenshot of Qaqqaq's reply to a 2019 election night tweet identifying Jones as Inuk.(John Last/CBC) But shortly thereafter, the Nunatsiavut government, which represents Inuit in northern Labrador, joined the Innu Nation in seeking to block the MOU, arguing that it overlapped with their claims. The Innu Nation additionally argued that the group was not Indigenous under terms set out in Section 35 of the Constitution Act. "As a descendant of Inuit and white parents, I was raised with a deep connection to the land, and I continue to practice the traditional ways of our people," Jones said in her statement to the House of Commons. "Unfortunately, I've never seen such disrespect from another parliamentarian in my 25 years in political office." Qaqqaq's offending tweet was made in response to a profile of Jones tweeted during election night in 2019, where the account @InigPoli refers to Jones as an Inuk. Shortly after replying, Qaqqaq took aim at Jones on Twitter over the review process for the expansion of an iron ore mine in her territory. Qaqqaq accused Jones, who is also parliamentary secretary to Minister of Northern Affairs Dan Vandal, of sidestepping a question about her meeting with executives of the Baffinland Iron Mines company. "If [she] is 'confident that all parties will continue their dialogue through the [review board] process and it's not up to us to prejudge the outcome' then why do we have records of her and [Vandal] meeting with Baffinland's CEO and their lobbyists behind closed doors?" she tweeted. Vandal replied that the meeting took place before the hearings had begun. "Her comments are laterally vicious and threatening to myself as an Inuk woman and to Inuit who are members of the NunatuKavut Inuit Council," Jones said Monday. "I expect an apology and a withdrawal of her statement on Twitter." In a response to CBC, Qaqqaq said she did not realize Jones claimed Inuk identity when she sent the tweet. "I made a statement I believed to be fact," she wrote. "I did not mean to upset Ms. Jones." Qaqqaq said there is "much debate around NunatuKavut and whether or not that should be recognized as Inuit," and that "the conversation around identity and reclamation of identity is an important one." But "after having conversations with other well respected Indigenous individuals, I realize I may have made a mistake in missing the full picture," she wrote. Jones did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

  • China censors ex-premier's article ahead of Communist Party anniversary

    BEIJING (Reuters) -Chinese internet firms blocked users from sharing a lengthy article written by former Premier Wen Jiabao in tribute to his late mother, censoring a senior member of the ruling Communist Party, possibly because he spoke out of line. The obituary-style article written by Wen about his mother, who died recently, appeared in a small weekly newspaper called the Macau Herald on Friday and was posted on a public account on Chinese chat app WeChat on Saturday, but was swiftly restricted. The heartfelt tribute includes details of Wen's mother's struggle during periods of upheaval in China, including the second Sino-Japanese War and the political purges of the Cultural Revolution.

  • Vancouver man riding scooter collides with coyote, fends off two others

    VANCOUVER — Police in Vancouver say a 44-year-old man who fell off his electric scooter when it collided with a coyote fought off two more of the animals while he lay injured.Sgt. Steve Addison says the man was riding on the Stanley Park seawall around midnight Sunday when he hit the coyote.Addison says two other coyotes began tugging at the man's jacket and clothes as he was lying on the ground.The man punched one of the animals, then waved over a passerby who called 911.Addison says the man injured his collarbone.WildSafeBC says the Conservation Officer Service gets more than 1,000 reports regarding coyotes every year.This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 19, 2021. The Canadian Press

  • U.S. upgrades Canada to ‘do not travel’ status as COVID-19 case numbers continue to climb

    The U.S. State Department on Tuesday upgraded Canada to “do not travel” status amid rising COVID-19 cases in the country. Reggie Cecchini joins us with the latest.

  • New Toronto field hospital prepares to accept COVID-19 patients as ICUs overflow

    A new field hospital built in a parking lot at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto will likely be ready to accept patients this week as hospitals across the region try to deal with a record spike in COVID-19 caseloads. The mobile health unit, as it is officially known, will provide care to patients who are recovering or have recovered from COVID-19. The unit will allow Sunnybrook to free up acute-care beds in hospitals during the third wave of the pandemic. Contained in a series of green tents, supported by an aluminum frame, the 2,088-square-metre unit has 84 patient beds, with room to expand to 100 beds if needed. The hospital hopes to open 20 beds in the unit this week, according to the manager in charge of the temporary medical facility. Robert Burgess, Sunnybrook's senior director of prehospital medicine, patient flow and emergency preparedness, said on Monday that the hospital is putting the finishing touches on the unit this week. "We're literally at the last pieces in terms of the structural setup," Burgess said while wearing a mask inside the unit. The unit is being prepared at a time when GTA hospitals are so overwhelmed due to record COVID-19 admissions that some patients are being transferred to other health-care centres outside the region, including southwestern Ontario. A view of the inside of the mobile health unit at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto on April 19, 2021.(Kevin Van Paassen/Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre) "We're preparing this week, as quickly as possible, to start bringing patients in," Burgess added. "Obviously, when you open a new hospital, or you open a ward in a hospital, there's a lot of work to do around staffing plans. We're working through those to ensure we're doing this in a safe fashion," he added. "Literally, with each hour that is passing, we're becoming closer and closer to the point where we can start to bring in patients on a routine basis. The hope is that we can start to bring some patients in this week. If it's safe to do so, we will proceed with that. We're all eager to start that process." WATCH | Toronto field hospital 'tool in the toolbox' for surging patient load, says emergency planner: Burgess said the hospital wants to avoid bringing critically ill patients into the unit. Each pod of eight-to-10 beds is self-contained. Several large generators provide power for the unit. He said there are many windows to provide light. He said "it would be great" if pressures eased on the health-care system in Ontario, the hospital did not need to use the unit and could dismantle it soon. "It's meant to be here as another tool in the toolbox for emergency preparedness. That is something that we would hope, but we're ready to help the province if it turns otherwise," he said. Contained in a series of green tents, supported by an alumimum frame, the 2,088-square-metre unit has 84 patient beds, with room to expand to 100 beds if needed. (Evan Mitsui/CBC) Burgess said staffing is being finalized with the help of the Ontario health ministry. The hospital is currently training staff members, providing orientation and doing simulations inside the unit to ensure people feel comfortable working there. "We are looking everywhere to find additional staff," he said. He described the unit as a "system resource," which means it could provide relief to hospitals in other areas of the province where there are pressures on the health-care system. Sunnybrook has been asked to ensure the unit will be up and running for a minimum of three months. That time period could be extended depending on needs and patient volumes, he said. Burgess acknowledged that the unit looks like a number of tents from the outside and can be startling to see, but said the unit is sophisticated on the inside. "These are structures that were developed for medical purposes. Once you're in, it's very sophisticated, it's very safe and very comfortable," he said. "We've designed the structure to be safe for patients and staff. Hopefully, patients and staff will be pleasantly surprised when they see the inside for the first time." An under-construction field hospital on the grounds of Sunnybrook Heath Sciences Centre, in Toronto, is pictured on Apr. 6, 2021.(Evan Mitsui/CBC)

  • How 'orphaned voters' may end up deciding the next Alberta election

    (CBC) There's a subgenre on TikTok of conservative Albertans whose video posts on the social media platform involve strongly worded political rants spoken directly into the camera. These videos are often visceral, profanity-laced and directed at Justin Trudeau. But lately, they've taken aim at a different target. "Jason Kenney, you're spineless," one man says in a post from early April, shortly after the Alberta premier announced a re-introduction of public-health restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19. "It's a sad day that we voted you in as a conservative leader for this province because we thought you were going to do something good for us. You never did nothin'." Another man, who describes himself as a "separatist Albertan" who has "had enough of dictatorship," echoed the sentiment. "Jason Kenney, your big, tough growl seems to have become a puppy's whimper," he says, his lips curling into a snarl at the end of each sentence. "Your bulls--t lockdowns are splitting this province and your caucus." "And by the way," he adds, lifting a middle finger to the camera. "Lock this down. Because I can't wait to vote your ass out." These guys are presumably among the 27 per cent of Albertans who, according to a recent CBC News poll, would vote for neither the UCP nor the NDP if an election were held immediately. Analysts say these voters could play a significant role in determining the outcome of the next election, depending on how they ultimately decide to cast their ballots. Exactly what role, however, is a complicated question, because these voters are a diverse group. The angry guys posting videos on TikTok highlight just one segment of that group, who fall more at the right end of the political spectrum. There's also a sizable chunk of more centrist voters, and a smaller contingent who lean to the left. But the largest group of these non-NDP, non-UCP voters didn't specify a particular party they would support; they just knew they didn't like either of the top two choices. In political-science terms, these folks are sometimes referred to as "orphaned voters." The poll gives us some insight into who these people are. Respondents were asked about much more than just their vote choice, and a pattern emerges when you examine the orphaned voters' answers to other questions. For the most part, they look like disaffected conservatives. That highlights a serious — but not necessarily fatal — threat for the re-election hopes of Kenney and his United Conservative Party which, for now at least, looks more divided than ever. What 'orphaned voters' look like You can see how this all breaks down in the following chart. Each dot represents a respondent in the poll. They are grouped by their vote choice and organized, left to right, by where they self-identify on the political spectrum. (Chart: John Santos & Robson Fletcher) The red dots at top represent voters who said they support either the Alberta Liberal Party, the Green Party of Alberta or another, smaller political party. Add them all up, and this group represented about six per cent of voters. For the most part, they clustered around the centre with a lean to the political left. Another five per cent of voters said they support the Alberta Party. These people also tend to be centrists, but lean a little more to the right. They are represented by the turquoise dots in the second row. The third row of green dots shows supporters of the Wildrose Independence Party and the Independence Party of Alberta. These folks made up about five per cent of voters as well, and tended to veer further right. The fourth row of grey dots — accounting for about 11 per cent of the electorate — indicates those who said they wouldn't vote NDP or UCP, but did not specify a particular party that they would support. These are the "orphaned voters" and they could be one of the biggest wildcards in the upcoming election, according to data scientist John Santos, who helped design the poll. When Santos looks at those grey dots, he sees a lot of similarity with the row of blue dots right below them, which indicate UCP supporters. This, he says, suggests that many of the orphaned voters "have been disenchanted with the UCP but can't bring themselves to vote for the NDP, and either don't know about or aren't sold on one of the independence parties." "They're still sitting on their hands," Santos said. Where do 'orphaned voters' go? Santos says it's obviously bad news for Kenney and his party to have lost the support of these Albertans, many of whom likely voted for the UCP in the 2019 election. But, with the next election set for 2023, there's still plenty of time to staunch the bleeding and heal the wounds. "They might all or mostly go back to the UCP en masse," Santos said. "Or they might go to one of the right-leaning independence parties. But I think there's few of these folks who would go to the NDP, and that's a big problem for Rachel Notley." For now, the NDP leader must be pleased with the poll numbers, which put her party at 40-per-cent support. That's enough to likely win a majority government, but it's far from a shoo-in victory. And plenty can change between now and the next election. Melanee Thomas, a professor of political science at the University of Calgary, believes the UCP has reason for hope, despite its poor polling numbers. "I actually don't think it's all that grim for their future prospects," she said. The threat of the UCP losing significant support on its right flank to an upstart party, she believes, is not as dire as some within the party might worry. Historically, she said, it may have been a "political pastime" in Alberta to build new parties from the ground up when voters tire of the ones they have. But going from a nascent political movement to a viable alternative is easier dreamed than done. Far more upstart parties have fizzled than have succeeded, and the key for those rare successes has typically been a strong leader. "That leadership factor matters," Thomas said. "It's one thing to have a party. It's quite another thing to have a party that has a leader who is able to get fundraising done in such a way that they can actually then get onto the stage to compete meaningfully." Jason Kenney celebrates his 2017 victory as the first official leader of the Alberta United Conservative Party with his opponent, Brian Jean, at right.(Jeff McIntosh/Canadian Press ) She said the absence of a competitive third party may leave some voters who find themselves angry with the UCP considering scant alternatives: supporting the NDP, which may not be ideologically aligned with their general beliefs, or exiting the political process altogether. That scenario could present a different kind of threat to the UCP, one in which the party simply can't regain the trust of the voters who are currently disaffected and make up enough ground on the NDP. If that degree of anger against the governing party persists until the next election, Thomas believes Kenney will only have himself to blame. "In 2018 and 2019, I think Kenney's particular strategy of being willing to stoke anger was effective in the short term, but really dangerous in the long term, because once people get angry, they stay angry," she said. "The anger doesn't go away, but the target can move." The 3rd (and 4th and 5th) party voters That anger is palpable in the anti-Trudeau TikTok users who have recently turned on Kenney. But many of these folks also express support for independence parties to the UCP's right. If their words match their actions, they're not coming back to a party with Kenney at the helm anytime soon. The bigger question will be which way the genuinely "orphaned voters" who supported the UCP in the last election decide to break when (or if) they vote again in 2023. How many are angry enough to throw their support behind an upstart party further to the right than they are normally inclined to vote, especially if that party espouses full on Western separation? Conversely, how many are disillusioned enough to back the provincial New Democrats, a party that tries to position itself closer to the political centre but remains tied at the hip to the federal NDP and its staunchly left-wing politics? Further complicating the political calculus are the small but potentially meaningful group of voters who currently support one of the minor parties. Will Alberta Party supporters stick to their guns or resign themselves to a new, two-party reality and pick one side over the other? Do the Alberta Liberals continue to try to build their brand in the province, after winning zero seats and less than one per cent of the popular vote in the last election? Alberta Liberal Party leader David Khan, 2nd from left, and Alberta Party leader Stephen Mandel, at right, greet their opponents at the 2019 Alberta Leaders Debate in Edmonton. Both Khan and Mandel stepped down from their parties' helms after failing to win any seats in the ensuing election. (Codie McLachlan/Canadian Press) After decades of one-party rule, Alberta has morphed into more of a two-party political system. But Thomas believes the current lack of enthusiasm for the UCP throws the doors open for all sorts of political manoeuvres and outcomes over the next two years. "When people don't identify really forcefully with a party, it makes more space for other issues to have more of an effect," she said. Santos believes there is the possibility of the harder-right vote coalescing around a third-party alternative, but that would likely require that side of the spectrum, which is currently splintered, to see a merger of its own. Many conservatives fear a reborn Wildrose or strong separtist party on the right could split the conservative vote and allow NDP candidates to come up the middle, but Santos says that fear could also be a blessing in disguise for the UCP if push comes to shove. "If the Wildrose Party and the Independence Party merge and suddenly become a more potent electoral force, people's preferences will change," he said. "That could bleed away more supporters from the UCP on their right flank … but that could have a second-order effect of making centrists who weren't so sold on the UCP now suddenly think, well, I need to go back to the UCP to block the NDP from becoming government again." Play this game of hypothetical politics long enough, and you can come up with all sorts of different permutations of how things might unfold. It's enough to make your head spin. The bottom line is that — one way or another — the voters who currently look at the UCP and the NDP and say "none of the above" could very well be the ones who ultimately end up deciding which party wins power in two years' time.

  • Trudeau defends Canada's travel restrictions as effective but open to doing more

    OTTAWA — Canada is extending the use of quarantine hotels for international air travellers another month, and considering whether it needs to do more to stop COVID-19 cases from getting into the country from abroad. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that could include barring incoming flights from specific countries, such as India, even as he defended his government's actions on the border as effective Tuesday. "We are continuing to look at more and I have asked our officials to look carefully at, for example, what the U.K. has done very recently on suspending flights from India," he said. The U.K. is adding India to its "red list" of countries from which it bars incoming flights. Only British citizens arriving from one of the 40 countries on the list are permitted entry, and they must go to quarantine hotels for 10 days. India has reported more than 250,000 new cases of COVID-19 daily this week. Its hospitals are full and the death toll is piling up. Doctors are investigating whether another new variant, known as B.1.617, may be part of the reason. Last December, Canada suspended flights from the U.K. for just over two weeks due to concerns about the COVID-19 variant that first emerged there. Data on flights with positive cases shows in the last two weeks shows 117 flights arrived where at least one passenger tested positive, and 29 of them originated in Delhi. Another 20 arrived from U.S. cities, and 24 from Europe. Canada currently requires all air passengers arriving from outside the country to spend up to three days in an approved quarantine hotel pending a COVID-19 test result. Those rules, which also require COVID-19 tests before boarding an international flight to Canada, and for people arriving at land borders, were extended another month to May 21, Trudeau said. Health Canada says about one per cent of air travellers are testing positive while in a quarantine hotel. All travellers are supposed to quarantine for 14 days regardless of their test result. They are to test again at 10 days, but Health Canada says it does not currently know how many are testing positive at that point. While Canada looks at potentially expanding international travel restrictions, provincial governments are moving to curb domestic travel as well. Ontario put up checkpoints at borders with Manitoba and Quebec this week, seeking to turn away non-essential travellers who don't live in the province. Nova Scotia Premier Iain Rankin said Tuesday he wants everybody to stay out of his province unless they live there, invoking a ban on incoming travellers who aren't Nova Scotia residents or essential workers. British Columbia is looking at roadblocks at ferry terminals or highways in and out of Vancouver to discourage recreational travel within the province. Trudeau also said Tuesday he will get the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine at an Ontario pharmacy as soon as an appointment is available. Trudeau and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland became suddenly eligible when Ontario lowered the age to get an Oxford-AstraZeneca shot at a pharmacy to people 40 years old and up. Alberta, British Columbia and Manitoba have also dropped the age eligibility to 40. Quebec announced Tuesday it will start offering the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to those 45 and over starting Wednesday. All provinces had previously been limiting the vaccine to those over 55, while health experts looked into the risk the vaccine posed for blood clots. Health Canada said last week it is investigating evidence of a possible link between the vaccine and an exceedingly rare blood clot disorder. The regulator said that the risk is extremely low. It also said the vaccine is very effective and still safe for all adults. On Tuesday, New Brunswick confirmed its first case of a patient experiencing blood clots after receiving the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. The person in their 30s received the vaccine in mid-March, was treated and has recovered. The National Advisory Committee on Immunization was to have a briefing Tuesday to update its advice on how the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine should be used, but suddenly cancelled it minutes before it was to begin, with no explanation. Several provinces didn't wait for NACI to adjust its advice, and lowered the age limit as hundreds, if not thousands, of doses moved toward their expiration date and not enough people over the age of 55 were booking appointments. Trudeau told pharmacists during a virtual meeting Tuesday morning that his office is still working out the details, "but I look forward to having a pharmacist give me my vaccine as soon as we can secure an appointment in the proper processes." "We'll keep you posted on it," he told them. Freeland, at the same meeting, said she dispatched her children to use their technology skills online to find her an appointment. "My daughter said we're on a waitlist so I have to check on that after this," she said. "But as soon as I can I'll get mine too and I hope at a local pharmacy." This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 20, 2021. Mia Rabson, The Canadian Press

  • The downside to the real estate boom in Nova Scotia

    Christina Provost moved into her rental home in Prospect, N.S., a year ago. She decorated the house, she enrolled her kids in school nearby, and she expected to stay for years. About a month ago, Provost's landlord told her she was selling the house. Provost and her three kids had to find a new place to live by July 1. "I am devastated," Provost told CBC News. "I made this my home. Even though she owns it, it's still my home and I'm being displaced with absolutely no options whatsoever." Provost is part of a growing number of renters across Nova Scotia who are being evicted because their landlords are selling their homes or small rental units. Due to the current housing crisis in the province, many have no place to go. Provost said her post about the issue in a public Facebook group garnered over 100 messages from people in the same boat. "There's this middle class where we don't need to be in [subsidized] housing, but we also can't qualify for a mortgage right now due to divorce, being a single mother, accidents, work layoffs," she said. "There's so many reasons why people can't qualify for a mortgage that doesn't make them a bad person, but that genre of people, the in-betweens, are being completely left in the wind right now." ACORN's Halifax peninsula chapter advocates for low-income tenants and workers.(Francis Ferland/CBC) Hannah Wood, the chair of the Halifax peninsula chapter of ACORN Nova Scotia, an organization that advocates for low-income tenants and workers, said her group has been seeing a massive increase in tenants whose landlords are selling their units. Wood noted that "because landlords are selling homes and not rental buildings, most of the tenants living there are families and people who are going to have a very difficult time finding affordable rentals." The vacancy rate in the Halifax Regional Municipality grew to 1.9 per cent in 2020, but remains one of the lowest in the country. ACORN said there are 4,000 people on the wait list for public housing and the construction of new housing can't keep up with the number of people who are being displaced. Breaking sales records The growing demand for housing, meanwhile, is taking place against the backdrop of a real estate boom in the province. The Nova Scotia Association of Realtors compiled data that shows 1,577 units were sold across the province last month, a new sales record for the month of March and an increase of more than 65 per cent from March 2020. The average selling price of a home was also up by more than 26 per cent from the previous year. For many landlords, it's more profitable to sell their homes than to rent them out. Some are getting out of the business and moving into more profitable ventures like AirBnB or house flipping. Others are offloading their income properties now as a way to recoup costs from damages and regular maintenance. CBC spoke to multiple landlords from across the province who all had similar reasons for selling. John Bartlett, who owns rental properties in Dartmouth and Middleton, said he's selling most of his units because they've been damaged by tenants and trying to remedy the situation by going through the residential tenancy board simply takes too long. "Quite frankly, the way the housing market is now, it is the only time that I've looked at my property and said, 'Now I may be able to recoup some of my money that I've lost over the years.' And it has been a lot," he said. 2% rent cap a challenge for landlord A two per cent rent cap was instated in the province last November as a way to combat what advocates call a housing crisis in the province. Paul Finnemore stands in front of one of his rental properties in Kentville.(Submitted by Paul Finnemore) Some small landlords say the legislation makes it difficult to turn a profit because the cost of building supplies has risen since the COVID-19 pandemic. Paul Finnemore owns 17 rental units in Kentville and Middleton. He said his business plan revolves around buying old, run-down rentals, fixing them up and making them more livable. "And then we were planning to increase those rents. A little more than two per cent," Finnemore said. "Two per cent doesn't even cover ... the rate of inflation. "There's a mortgage payment. There's property taxes. There's insurance. Sometimes there's often utilities, water, heat lights — the whole bit — and then regular maintenance and stuff like that. So to make that formula work can be very challenging when we're not able to raise the rent even to a reasonable level." Finnemore cleaned up and renovated this property in hopes of renting it out.(Submitted by Paul Finnemore) This week, Provost found a new rental home to move to with her children. Not everyone is so lucky. Chris Ramsay had lived in his three-bedroom duplex in Colchester County for a year when he received a two-month eviction notice because his landlord was selling the property. He said having kids makes it much harder for someone to find a rental, though discriminating against families with children is illegal. Chris Ramsay and his two year old daughter, who are racing to find a new place to live before the two month eviction notice is up. (Submitted by Chris Ramsay) He said there are hundreds of people applying for each rental as soon as it goes on the market, and many landlords don't even respond to his inquiries. Ramsay said he had to apply for a rental in Cape Breton because he is so desperate to find a place to live. He is worried this will impact his ability to see his eldest daughter, who lives in the Annapolis Valley. Ramsay said he might have to resort to some unconventional living situations for himself and his two-year-old daughter if he doesn't find a place soon. "If I don't get approved [for the place in Cape Breton], in all honesty, me and my friend have shopped the idea around that if I could go on Marketplace or Kijiji and find an old camper or pop-up trailer to camp in his backyard and figure out what to do from there," he said. "Or try to find a motel, or anything, because right now those are getting pretty booked up as well. It's desperate times." MORE TOP STORIES

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

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

  • Nevada inmate fighting execution seeks firing-squad option

    LAS VEGAS — A convicted killer who is fighting a possible June execution date that would make him the first person put to death in Nevada in 15 years is calling for the state to consider the firing squad as an option, a rare method in the United States. Attorneys for Zane Michael Floyd say he does not want to die and are challenging the state plan to use a proposed three-drug method, which led to court challenges that twice delayed the execution of another convicted killer who later took his own life in prison. “This is not a delaying tactic,” Brad Levenson, a federal public defender representing Floyd, said Monday. But a challenge of the state execution protocol requires the defence to provide an alternative method, and Levenson said gunshots to the brain stem would be “the most humane way.” “Execution by firing squad ... causes a faster and less painful death than lethal injection,” the attorneys said in a court filing Friday. Three U.S. states — Mississippi, Oklahoma and Utah — and the U.S. military allow capital punishment by gunfire. The last time that method was used in the United States was in Utah in 2010. Floyd's attorneys are asking a federal judge in Las Vegas to stop Floyd from being executed until prison officials “devise a new procedure or procedures to carry out a lawful execution.” Levenson said he and attorney David Anthony are fighting multiple issues in state and federal courts, with the possibility that Floyd’s death could be set for the week of June 7. Prosecutors will seek an execution warrant at a state court hearing next month. The 45-year-old was convicted in 2000 of killing four people with a shotgun in a Las Vegas supermarket in 1999 and badly wounding a fifth person. Floyd appeared to exhaust his federal appeals last November, and the U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear his case. Floyd wants a chance to seek clemency at a June 22 meeting of the Nevada State Pardons Board, Levenson said. Floyd's attorneys argue that a three-drug combination the state wants to use — the sedative diazepam, the powerful synthetic painkiller fentanyl and a paralytic, cisatracurium — would amount to cruel and unusual punishment in violation of his constitutional rights. Anthony made similar arguments on behalf of Scott Raymond Dozier before Nevada's last scheduled execution was called off in 2017 and 2018. Dozier killed himself in prison in January 2019. A judge blocked the first date after deciding that use of the paralytic might cause painful suffocation while Dozier was aware but unable to move. Pharmaceutical companies that made the three drugs stopped the second date with arguments against using their products in an execution, an issue several states are facing. Floyd would be the first person executed in Nevada since 2006, when Daryl Mack asked to be put to death for his conviction in a 1988 rape and murder in Reno. Nevada has 72 men awaiting execution, a state Department of Corrections spokeswoman said. Ken Ritter, The Associated Press

  • Alberta legislature turns down Opposition request to debate bill to protect Rockies

    EDMONTON — The Alberta legislature has turned down a request for a special debate on an Opposition bill intended to protect the province's Rocky Mountains from coal mining. The refusal from United Conservative MLAs to grant unanimous consent for the debate probably means the bill won't get any further and is likely to die on the order paper. "People from all walks of life, all kinds of backgrounds and all kinds of political views — they want to see this bill debated," NDP Leader Rachel Notley said in a release. "Today's action by the Kenney government is a betrayal of these Albertans." Notley had asked the legislature to push the proposed legislation up the agenda to be debated on Monday night. She said the debate was needed because drilling and road-building are going ahead on the eastern slopes of the mountains — even as the United Conservative government says it's gathering public feedback on coal mines. "The fact is, this is urgent," Notley told the legislature. "We want to provide a forum for that discussion to be heard in this house." The bill calls for cancellation of leases that were issued after the government scrapped a policy last May that protected a vast swath of summits and foothills along the western spine of the province. It would also stop the province's energy regulator from issuing development permits. Open-pit mines would be permanently prohibited in the most sensitive areas and mines elsewhere could not be approved until a land-use plan was developed. On the weekend, a letter signed by 35 scientists from the University of Alberta's biology department urged the government to allow the debate. "There is no reliable method to stop leaching of hazardous waste produced by surface coal mining into groundwater where, inevitably, it will pollute precious watersheds we all depend on that are already under severe stress," said the letter. The law is needed to at least slow development down, said Shelagh Campbell, the biologist who started the letter that went to all UCP caucus members. "The bill at least has a chance of getting these issues more out in the open," she said. "A lot of Albertans feel right now pretty desperate in terms of the tools we have at our disposal to slow down the mass destruction that's being visited on us." The provincial government originally gathered no public input before removing the measures that protected the landscape, but it later opened an online survey and appointed a panel to hear from people. The survey closed Monday. "The Coal Policy Committee is currently reviewing and analyzing the survey results and will provide an update in the near future," said Alberta Energy spokeswoman Jennifer Henshaw. "The results will also serve as a road map for the next steps in the coal policy engagement process." The panel has been widely criticized after its terms of reference made it clear its five members won't be allowed to hear concerns about water or land use — the two issues most Albertans are concerned about. Energy Minister Sonya Savage said that the university professors should consider making their points to the panel. "We would strongly encourage them to participate in the coal policy consultations which are currently ongoing," she said in an email. Campbell said she's received no substantive responses yet to the letter. She said the stakes involved in coal mining are too high to gamble with. "When they tell us that we can keep this or that out (of the water) and make it safe, it's not true. They don't know that." This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 19, 2021. — Follow Bob Weber on Twitter at @row1960 Bob Weber, The Canadian Press

  • Man pointed gun at driver in 'road rage' incident: Windsor police

    Windsor police say an arrest has been made after a man allegedly pointed a gun at another driver in Walkerville on Sunday. According to police, two vehicles "became involved in a road-rage incident" around 6 p.m. on Sunday in the area of Moy Avenue and Wyandotte Street East. The vehicles entered an alley in the area of Gladstone Avenue and Wyandotte, where the man driving a black Lincoln left the vehicle and allegedly pointed a gun at the other driver, police said in a media release on Monday. Officers located the vehicle at around 7:45 p.m. at a home in Windsor. When police arrived, the suspect was outside and wearing a ballistic-style vest. No firearm has been recovered. A 34-year-old man was arrested and charged with: Pointing a firearm Threatening to use a weapon Possession of a handgun for a purpose dangerous to public peace Having face masked with intent to commit an offence Failure to comply with a release order

  • Teacher's death puts pressure on Saskatchewan to prioritize vaccinating educators

    REGINA — The death of an influential Cree teacher due to COVID-19 has increased pressure on the Saskatchewan government to prioritize educators in its vaccination plan. Victor Thunderchild, 55, died in Prince Albert on Saturday and family members say he was infected with the virus while working at a high school in the city. "His passion was always education," said his brother Harvey Thunderchild. Victor Thunderchild’s last tweet, sent during his hospitalization earlier this month, was directed at Premier Scott Moe and called for all teachers to get vaccinated "before this happens to anyone else." "That message that Victor sent to Scott Moe should be loud and clear,” said Harvey Thunderchild as he held back tears. "Make sure that front-line essential workers are looked after." Moe said Monday that he had heard many stories about Thunderchild's influence on students, teachers and the community. Speaking during question period, Moe said his Saskatchewan Party government will be looking at priority groups for vaccinations in coming days when the general age eligibility drops to people 40 and older. Opposition NDP Leader Ryan Meili said it is not enough to honour the teacher’s dying request. “Vic Thunderchild spoke up for teachers. (The premier) refused to listen,” Meili said. Patrick Maze, president of the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation, said teachers are grieving the death of a respected and inspiring colleague. They are also frustrated, he said. "We know it could have been prevented." He said teachers have been clear that it’s hard to maintain social distancing in classrooms, and calls from educators about prioritized vaccinations and rapid-testing kits in schools have been ignored. Maze said the stakes are high. While it’s unknown how many educators have contracted the virus on the job, he said he is aware of an educational assistant in Moose Jaw who is currently hospitalized with COVID-19. Saskatchewan reported 243 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday. There were 200 people in hospital and 43 of those patients were in intensive care. Moe also said in a tweet that the province is considering lowering the age of eligibility to get the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to 40, following the lead of Ontario, Alberta and Manitoba. Harvey Thunderchild said his brother's death is devastating and terrifying, especially since some of his own children are also educators. "I think the message that Victor sent should be loud and clear. It should echo through this province. It should echo across Canada," he said. He said his heart fell to the floor when he received the call that his younger brother was being transferred to intensive care and being put on a ventilator. A year ago this month, his family was mourning another brother — Wayne — who also died from COVID-19. Victor Thunderchild grew up the second youngest of 12 children. He played sports in high school but always wanted to be a teacher. He brought his cultural knowledge to teaching and always felt a responsibility to bring love, along with education, into his classroom, said his brother. He worked at Carlton Comprehensive High School as a teacher and a counsellor for 29 years. He helped develop Cree language programs, was actively involved in sports and was well-known throughout the powwow circuit as an expert dancer. He cherished his wife and adored being a father. Memories of Thunderchild’s impact over decades of teaching prompted an online campaign called #ApplesForVictor, with current and former students sharing memories of the teacher. His family said the outpouring of support has helped them grieve. "People listened to him, the students did," Harvey Thunderchild said. "He wasn’t intimidating. He was kind. He was soft in his ways." This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 19, 2021. — By Kelly Geraldine Malone in Winnipeg The Canadian Press

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

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

  • Judge keeps supervision of union for Disney performers

    ORLANDO, Fla. — Until there's an election, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters can keep control of a local affiliate whose leader was removed because of complaints of mismanagement from the Disney performers who play such characters as Mickey Mouse and Goofy, a federal judge has ruled. U.S. District Carlos Mendoza refused last week to end a trusteeship for Orlando-based Local 385, which represents thousands of workers with key roles in central Florida's tourism industry. Gary Brown, a former officer of Local 385's previous leadership, filed the lawsuit in February, claiming the takeover had lasted too long. His lawsuit said the Teamsters needed to end its trusteeship and hold elections for new officers. But the judge said the International Brotherhood of Teamsters had agreed to hold an election this summer, and that any delay in holding one could be blamed on the pandemic. The coronavirus outbreak caused as many as 3,000 of Local 385's 9,000 members to lose their jobs as closures caused by the virus' spread devastated Orlando's tourism economy. The judge said he wouldn't dismiss the case since he wanted to make sure elections for new officers were held by the end of August. About a third of Local 385's members are Disney workers, including costumed-character performers. The rest included UPS drivers, hotel employees, food service workers, rental car employees and other drivers across 20 Florida counties. The International Brotherhood of Teamster took over Local 385 in June 2019. General President James Hoffa appointed two associates to run operations of the local. The previous leaders of Local 385 had faced multiple complaints from its members. Disney’s costumed-character performers were upset that Local 385 leaders made a deal with Disney World officials to cut out 20 or so workers from being covered by the union, without consulting members. Union members also said Local 385 leaders had been unresponsive to grievances by members seeking help against the companies they worked for. More than 500 members had left Local 385 because of unhappiness with the leadership, and several hundred more members had signed petitions threatening to leave, according to a notice signed by Hoffa. Among them were nearly two-thirds of the 1,000 character performers at Disney World, who have been Teamsters since the early 1980s. ___ Follow Mike Schneider on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MikeSchneiderAP Mike Schneider, The Associated Press

  • First Nations on Vancouver Island celebrate B.C. Court of Appeal fisheries ruling

    VANCOUVER — Canada must remedy problems in commercial fishery regulations arising from a legal battle that was first launched in 2003 by a group of Vancouver Island First Nations, the British Columbia Court of Appeal has ruled. While there is no demonstrated need to make mandatory orders, they would "remain available if Canada does not act diligently to remedy the problems," Justice Harvey Groberman wrote in a decision released Monday. A three-judge panel unanimously upheld parts of an April 2018 ruling by the B.C. Supreme Court that found Canada's management of regular commercial fisheries unjustifiably infringed on the First Nations' rights. In that judgment, Justice Mary Humphries gave Ottawa one year to offer the plaintiffs opportunities to exercise their rights to harvest and sell salmon, groundfish, crab and prawn in a manner that remedied those infringements. The decision outlined several specific infringements related to the allocation of Pacific salmon and directed Ottawa to take a more "generous approach" to chinook allocations for the First Nations, noting the policy at the time gave recreational fishers priority over them. But the five Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations — Ehattesaht, Hesquiaht, Ahousaht, Tla‑o‑qui‑aht and Mowachaht/Muchalaht — appealed the decision, which dismissed their argument that Canada failed in its duty to consult them by refusing to implement proposals raised in discussions outside the courts to resolve the dispute and negotiate new policies. The Appeal Court found Humphries did not err in that part of her decision. But the court said she did make an error in limiting certain commercial fishing rights to vessels of a particular size and fishing capacity. Humphries "went too far" in her interpretation of a 2009 B.C. Supreme Court decision that upheld the nations' right to commercial fisheries, Groberman wrote. She found that right should be interpreted as a "non-exclusive, small scale, artisanal, local, multi-species fishery ... using small, low-cost boats with limited technology and restricted catching power, and aimed at wide community participation," the Appeal Court judgment says. Humphries was entitled to interpret the earlier ruling, Groberman wrote, but she did not have the authority to diminish the nations' commercial fishing rights. If upheld, her interpretation would have done so, he said. "The limitations the judge placed on the levels of technology and the types of vessel that could be used do not take into account the need to allow Aboriginal rights to evolve to meet modern conditions and requirements." Nuu-chah-nulth leaders hailed the decision as a major victory, while pushing Fisheries and Oceans Canada to implement their rights immediately. "Why does it take all these years and all these court battles when the federal government should be sitting at the table with our nations and working this out, especially in times now of reconciliation," Judith Sayers, president of the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, told a news conference. "We look forward to seeing these five nations being able to go out and fish as they have since time immemorial." Fisheries and Oceans Canada said it will "take the necessary time to properly review the decision" by the Appeal Court. The department will continue to work with the five First Nations on implementation of their rights to fish and sell fish, and on their participation in commercial fishing more generally, it said in a statement. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 19, 2021. This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship. Brenna Owen, The Canadian Press

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

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

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

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

  • B.C. reports 2,960 new COVID-19 cases over three days, additional eight deaths including 2-year old child

    Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry reports 2,960 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, April 19, and eight related deaths in the last 72-hours Dr. Henry also reports a two-year-old child has died of COVID-19, becoming the youngest person in B.C. to die of the disease. An emotional Henry said the child had pre-existing conditions, but "it was the virus that caused their death."