During Alex Azar's time serving as US health secretary, more than 390,000 people in the US have died from COVID-19.
As COVID-19 vaccine supplies ramp up across the country, most provinces and territories have released details of who can expect to receive a shot in the coming weeks. Here's a list of their plans to date: Newfoundland and Labrador The province says it is in Phase 1 of its vaccine rollout. Health-care workers on the front lines of the pandemic, staff at long-term care homes, people of "advanced age" and adults in remote or isolated Indigenous communities have priority. Chief medical health officer Dr. Janice Fitzgerald has said Phase 2 will begin in April if vaccine supply remains steady. The second phase prioritizes adults over 60 years old, beginning with those over 80, as well as Indigenous adults, first responders, rotational workers and adults in marginalized populations, such as those experiencing homelessness. Adults between 16 and 59 years old will be vaccinated in the third phase of the rollout, and Fitzgerald has said she expects that to begin this summer. --- Nova Scotia Health officials began expanding access to COVID-19 vaccines on Feb. 22, opening community clinics for people aged 80 years and older. Dr. Robert Strang, chief medical officer of health, has said the province's plan is to open another 10 clinics in March for 48,000 people who will be mailed a letter informing them how to book an appointment. Strang said the vaccination program will then expand to the next age group in descending order until everyone in the province is offered the chance to be immunized. The age groups will proceed in five-year blocks. Future community clinics are to be held March 8 in Halifax, New Minas, Sydney and Truro; March 15 in Antigonish, Halifax and Yarmouth; and March 22 in Amherst, Bridgewater and Dartmouth. The province began its vaccination campaign with residents of long-term care homes, those who work directly with patients, those who are 80 and older, and those who are at risk for other reasons including First Nations and African Nova Scotian communities. Nova Scotia plans to have vaccine available to at least 75 per cent of the population by the end of September 2021. --- Prince Edward Island The province says the first phase of its vaccination drive, currently slated to last until the end of March, targets residents and staff of long-term and community care, as well as health-care workers with direct patient contact at higher risk of COVID-19 exposure. Those 80 and older, adults in Indigenous communities, and truck drivers and other rotational workers are also included. The next phase, which is scheduled to begin in April, will target those above 70 and essential workers. The province intends to make the vaccine available to everyone in late summer and fall. --- New Brunswick The province is also focusing on vaccinating those living in long-term care homes, health-care workers with direct patient contact, adults in First Nations communities and older New Brunswickers in the first phase, which lasts until at least March. The next phase is scheduled to begin in the spring and includes residents and staff of communal settings, other health-care workers including pharmacists, first responders and critical infrastructure employees. The government website says once the vaccine supply is continuous and in large enough quantities, the entire population will be offered the shots. --- Quebec Quebec started vaccinating older seniors on Monday, after a first phase that focused largely on health-care workers, remote communities and long-term care. In Montreal, mass vaccine sites including the Olympic Stadium opened their doors to the public as the province began inoculating seniors who live in the hard-hit city. The government announced last week it would begin booking appointments for those aged 85 and up across the province, but that age limit has since dropped to 70 in some regions, including Montreal. The province says the vaccination of children and pregnant women will be determined based on future studies of vaccine safety and efficacy in those populations. --- Ontario The province began vaccinating people with the highest priority, including those in long-term care, high-risk retirement home residents, certain classes of health-care workers and people who live in congregate care settings. Several regions in Ontario moved ahead Monday with their plans to vaccinate the general public, while others used their own systems to allow residents aged 80 and older to schedule appointments. Toronto also began vaccinating members of its police force Monday after the province identified front-line officers as a priority group. Constables and sergeants who respond to emergency calls where medical assistance may be required are now included in the ongoing first phase of Ontario's vaccine rollout, a spokeswoman for the force said. A day earlier, Toronto said the province expanded the first phase of its vaccination drive to include residents experiencing homelessness. The provincial government has said it aims to begin vaccinating Ontarians aged 80 and older starting the week of March 15, the same day it plans to launch its vaccine booking system, which will offer a service desk and online portal. It has said the vaccine rollout will look different in each of its 34 public health units. When asked about the lack of provincewide cohesion, Health Minister Christine Elliott said that public health units know their regions best and that's why they have been given responsibility to set the pace locally. --- Manitoba Manitoba is starting to vaccinate people in the general population. Appointments are now available for most people aged 94 and up, or 74 and up for First Nations people. Until now, vaccines have been directed to certain groups such as health-care workers and people in personal care homes. Health officials plan to reduce the age minimum, bit by bit, over the coming months. Dr. Joss Reimer, medical lead of the province's vaccine task force, has said inoculations could be open to all adults in the province by August if supplies are steady. --- Saskatchewan The province is still in the first phase of its vaccination rollout, which reserves doses for long-term care residents and staff, health-care workers at elevated risk of COVID-19 exposure, seniors over the age of 70 and anyone 50 or older living in a remote area. In all, nearly 400,000 doses are required to finish this stage. The next phase will be focused on vaccinating the general population by age. It hopes to begin its mass vaccination campaign by April, but there if there isn’t enough supply that could be pushed back to June. Saskatchewan will begin immunizing the general population in 10-year increments, starting with those 60 to 69. Also included in this age group will be people living in emergency shelters, individuals with intellectual disabilities in care homes and people who are medically vulnerable. Police, corrections staff and teachers are among the front-line workers not prioritized for early access to shots. The government says supply is scarce. --- Alberta Alberta is now offering vaccines to anyone born in 1946 or earlier, a group representing some 230,000 people. Appointments are being offered through an online portal and the 811 Health Link phone line. Shots are also being offered to this cohort at more than 100 pharmacies in Calgary, Red Deer and Edmonton starting in early March and the government has said there are also plans to include doctors’ offices. Health Minister Tyler Shandro has said all eligible seniors should have their first shots by the end of March. But he said Monday that the province will not give Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to anyone over the age of 65 after the National Advisory Committee on Immunization expressed concerned there is limited data on how well it will work in older populations. The first phase of the vaccine rollout also included anyone over 65 who lives in a First Nations or Metis community, various front-line health care workers, paramedics and emergency medical responders. Phase 2 of the rollout, to begin in April, is to start with those 65 and up, Indigenous people older than 50 and staff and residents of licensed supportive living seniors’ facilities not previously included. --- British Columbia British Columbia will extend the time between the first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccines to four months so all adults could get their initial shot by the end of July. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says evidence from the province and around the world shows protection of at least 90 per cent from the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. The province launched the second phase of its immunization campaign Monday and health authorities will begin contacting residents and staff of independent living centres, those living in seniors' supportive housing as well as homecare support clients and staff. Seniors aged 90 and up can call to make their appointment starting next Monday, followed a week later by those aged 85 and over, and a week after that by those 80 and up. Henry also says first responders and essential workers may be eligible to get vaccinated starting in April as the province also decides on a strategy for the newly authorized AstraZeneca vaccine. --- Nunavut The territory says it expects enough vaccines for 75 per cent of its population over the age of 18. After a COVID-19 vaccine is administered, patients will be tracked to ensure they are properly notified to receive their second dose. Nunavut's priority populations are being vaccinated first. They include residents of shelters, people ages 60 years and up, staff and inmates and correctional facilities, first responders and front-line health-care staff. --- Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories its priority groups — such as people over 60, front-line health workers and those living in remote communities — are being vaccinated The territory says it expects to vaccine the rest of its adult population starting this month. --- Yukon Yukon says it will receive enough vaccine to immunize 75 per cent of its adult population by the end of March. Priority for vaccinations has been given to residents and staff in long-term care homes, group homes and shelters, as well as health-care workers and personal support workers. People over the age of 80 who are not living in long-term care, and those living in rural and remote communities, including Indigenous Peoples, are also on the priority list for shots. --- This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 2, 2021. The Canadian Press
An Edmonton emergency room physician says she is happy the Alberta government isn't moving ahead with its full Step 2 reopening plan even though the number of hospitalizations is well below the province's required benchmark. Alberta is allowing libraries to open with 15 per cent capacity limits. Indoor fitness is limited mostly to adult-only low-intensity activities like rock climbing, pilates, and some types of yoga. However, the province is delaying Step 2 openings of conference centres, hotels, banquet and community halls, and holding off on easing the current 15 per cent capacity limits on retail stores. "It's clear that they are taking this seriously, which they should be," Dr. Shazma Mithani said in an interview Monday shortly after Premier Jason Kenney and Health Minster Tyler Shandro announced the easing of restrictions. "I think the assumption in general was that they were just going to push through. I'm happy to see that that's not what's happening, that they really are looking at the leading indicators and adjusting accordingly." Those indicators include the R-value, the positivity rate and number of new cases. Mithani said the presence of the more highly contagious variant strains of coronavirus in Alberta is a high concern. On Friday, Mithani and other physicians in the Edmonton zone of Alberta Health Services sent a letter urging the government not to move ahead with Step 2. The group said the province's health-care system could not tolerate another surge of COVID-19 cases and asked the government to hold off until all high-risk Albertans were fully vaccinated. The staged reopening plan, announced on Feb. 8, set the number of hospitalizations as the key indicator for lifting restrictions. Stage 2 required Alberta to have fewer than 450 people in hospital — the number was 257 on Monday. Each stage needs to be at least three weeks apart, meaning there won't be a decision on Step 3 until March 22. But Health Minister Tyler Shandro said Alberta could allow the delayed Step 2 measures to go ahead at any time before then. Gyms disappointed The current number of hospitalizations led many gyms to believe they would be allowed to open on Monday. Michelle Hynes-Dawson, vice-president of Community and Digital Engagement with YMCA of Northern Alberta, said her organization was disappointed by the province's announcement. She said the YMCA will take a few days to figure out if they can open with only low-intensity workouts for adults, or remain closed. The current guidelines still prohibit childrens' fitness programs, aerobic fitness classes and swimming. High-intensity workouts like weight lifting, aerobics and circuit training can only be done one-on-one with a masked trainer. "The majority of our members do look to us for kind of that cardio experience," Hynes-Dawson said. "So it certainly limits our ability to be able to offer and to be able to open with what our most of our members know us for and love us for." While acknowledging the effect of exercise on good mental health, Mithani has concerns about lifting some restrictions on gyms. She wishes the province would be more specific and set capacity limits on classes. The current guidelines say participants need to be three-metres apart. Still the biggest concerns for Mithani and other physicians in the Edmonton Zone Medical Staff Association are restaurants. Alberta guidelines started allowing in-person dining three weeks ago, limiting seating at tables to six and only to members of the same household. However, Mithani notes the province has not set any capacity limits for restaurants.
LONDON — A British newspaper publisher said Tuesday it plans to appeal against a judge’s ruling that it invaded the privacy of the Duchess of Sussex by publishing parts of a letter she wrote to her estranged father after her 2018 marriage to Prince Harry. The former American actress Meghan Markle, 39, sued publisher Associated Newspapers for invasion of privacy and copyright infringement over five February 2019 articles in the Mail on Sunday and on the MailOnline website that reproduced large portions of a letter she wrote to her father, Thomas Markle. High Court judge Mark Warby ruled last month that the publisher had misused the duchess’s private information and infringed her copyright. He said the duchess “had a reasonable expectation that the contents of the letter would remain private” and concluded the paper’s publication of large chunks of it was “manifestly excessive and hence unlawful.” In written submissions released as part of a court hearing on Tuesday, Associated Newspapers’ lawyer Antony White sought permission to appeal, saying a bid to overturn Warby’s ruling “would have a real prospect of success.” Lawyers for Meghan, meanwhile, demanded the publisher hand over the letter and destroy any electronic copies or notes it held. They also asked the judge to order the Mail on Sunday to remove the five articles from its website and to run a front-page statement about the duchess’ legal victory. Ian Mill, an attorney for Meghan, said “the defendant defiantly continues to do the very acts which the court has held are unlawful.” “The defendant has failed to deliver up copies it has of the letter such that the threat to infringe and further to misuse her private information remains real and, inexplicably, the defendant has still not removed the infringing articles from MailOnline," he said in a written submission. Meghan, a former star of the American TV legal drama “Suits,” married Harry, a grandson of Queen Elizabeth II, at Windsor Castle in May 2018. Their son, Archie, was born the following year. In early 2020, Meghan and Harry announced they were quitting royal duties and moving to North America, citing what they said were the unbearable intrusions and racist attitudes of the British media. They recently bought a house in Santa Barbara, California, and are expecting a second child. In his ruling last month, the judge said a “limited trial” should be held to decide the “minor” issue of whether Meghan was “the sole author” and lone copyright holder of the letter. It is expected to take place in the fall. Jill Lawless, The Associated Press
Qui de mieux placé qu’un adolescent pour supporter, sensibiliser et référer les autres adolescents aux prises avec des problématiques leur causant des souffrances? C’est ce qui a motivé la mise en place du projet Pairs aidants dans les écoles secondaires de la Haute-Côte-Nord. Initié par le Carrefour jeunesse-emploi de la Haute-Côte-Nord (CJE HCN), le projet vise à outiller les jeunes pour venir en aide à leurs camarades, soit en leur transmettant plus de connaissances sur certaines problématiques et sur les ressources disponibles à l’intérieur des murs de l’école ou à l’externe. « J’ai commencé par proposer l’idée à la direction de la polyvalente des Berges. Une fois que j’ai reçu la confirmation que le projet était accepté, un groupe de jeunes a été ciblé par la technicienne en travail social, Christine Savard », raconte l’initiatrice du projet, Florence Lessard, agente de projets jeunesse au CJE HCN. « Pour choisir les participants, j’ai ciblé des élèves ayant déjà un comportement leader, ceux qui parlent à tous les groupes, qui sont déjà une figure de confiance pour les autres. Je leur ai proposé de faire partie du projet et ils étaient emballés », explique Mme Savard. Pour Matisse Gauthier-Bossé, Rosalie Gravel et Rose Dufour, il n’était pas question de refuser. « J’aime aider les autres, alors je n’ai pas hésité une seconde à participer au projet », déclarent-ils. Laurence Gagné, Lorie Barrette, Émilie Gauthier et Daphney Villeneuve complètent le groupe de Pairs aidants. Une première rencontre s’est tenue en décembre, mais la COVID complique l’organisation d’ateliers. Comme l’affirme Florence Lessard, « on doit s’adapter et faire des activités en mode virtuel ». Par exemple, Mme Lessard et sa collègue Sarah Boulianne, qui s’est jointe au projet en janvier, ont offert des conférences sur l’intimidation et la santé mentale de façon virtuelle. « En ce qui concerne l’atelier sur les techniques d’écoute, donné par notre partenaire 12-18, nous n’avons pu le compléter puisqu’on ne peut pas être en présentiel », ajoute Mme Boulianne, aussi agente de projets jeunesse. Objectifs Pairs aidants est un projet de bénévolat qui comporte deux objectifs précis : outiller et sensibiliser les jeunes. Quelques actions ont déjà été posées pour ce qui est de la sensibilisation. « On a ouvert la page Facebook Pairs aidants sur laquelle est publiée du contenu de sensibilisation sur des sujets pointés par nos participants comme la cyberintimidation et la santé mentale. Par la suite, on pourra créer des affiches pour exposer à l’école ou autre idée qui ressortira pendant nos rencontres », soutient Florence Lessard, déclarant qu’un budget est alloué par le CJE HCN. Plusieurs problématiques touchant les adolescents veulent également être abordées par le groupe. « On aimerait parler de la toxicomanie tant pour la consommation de drogues que d’alcool ainsi que du consentement sexuel », fait savoir Rosalie Gravel. « Une des participantes nous a dévoilé qu’elle aurait aimé être sensibilisée sur la toxicomanie en secondaire 1, qu’elle aurait fait de meilleurs choix », poursuit la technicienne en travail social. Si la COVID est venue compliquer les plans du projet, elle s’avère toutefois un bon moment pour implanter une telle initiative. « Avec la pandémie, certains jeunes peuvent trouver l’isolement plus difficile. On est donc dans un bon temps pour sensibiliser les jeunes à écouter et aider leurs amis », estiment les agentes de projets jeunesse. Déploiement De son côté, Sarah Boulianne s’affaire à instaurer le projet à la polyvalente des Rivières. Les premiers balbutiements ont été réalisés, mais il reste à mettre en place un groupe de jeunes. Les premières actions devraient donc voir le jour en février ou mars. Partie prenante de Pairs aidants, le CJE HCN réalise majoritairement ses projets sur une base annuelle. Mais, il est possible que celui-ci soit renouvelé en septembre si les écoles sont toujours ouvertes à y prendre part. « C’est sûr qu’on aimerait que le projet perdure et qu’il se poursuive d’année en année », soutient Mme Lessard.Pour Christine Savard, cette vision est tout à fait réalisable puisque le premier groupe de jeunes de la polyvalente des Berges est composé d’étudiants de troisième et quatrième secondaire qui pourront perpétuer le projet lors des années futures. Johannie Gaudreault, Initiative de journalisme local, Journal Haute-Côte-Nord
GUELPH/ERAMOSA – Rockwood residents and councillors are uneasy over possible flooding issues surrounding an apartment proposal near the Eramosa River. A developer is proposing a low rise building of up to 30 rental units at 197 Main St. S. in Rockwood, near Valley Road. This will be on the same land as an existing 12-unit apartment and there is a plan for a shared 67 space parking lot to serve both buildings. At Guelph/Eramosa’s public meeting on Monday, Mikaela Sword, a planner with consultant for the developer explained the site features a floodway, flood fringe and a slope hazard but the building only partially encroaches on the slope hazard. She said the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) reviewed a study on the slope and declared it to be stable and safe to build on. Some parking is proposed in the floodway area, which the GRCA has said there can be no change to the grading but they do support formalizing the parking lot. “This would represent a unique opportunity to make use of some undeveloped land within the urban centre of Rockwood that can be serviced by municipal infrastructure that’s already in place,” Sword said. The GRCA made no comments in relation to possible flooding but nearby residents weren’t so sure. Mike Yurek, who lives next to this development, said flood control has always been a problem in this area. “During heavy rain, the catch basins in front of our property often reach capacity and flood the road and the front of our yard,” Yurek explained. “The owner has the apartment building lane paved between us, the rainwater often runs under our home and causes water damage. It has nowhere to go, if the new parking area gets paved where will the water run-off go?” Lisa Logan-Dayman, who lives uphill from the site on Main Street, said her backyard erodes away all the time and her house too has flooding problems. “If they’re having apartments on the bottom floor, those people are going to have wet floors all the time,” Logan-Dayman said. Sword specified there is no plan to build a basement beyond what would be required for servicing. Councillor Corey Woods called this development “crazy” for suggesting to build so close to a floodway. He brought up Minto having to divert the Maitland River around Harriston to deal with flooding issues and the millions it may cost in the long-run. “You wonder, why didn’t someone 50 years ago say, up in Minto or Harriston, ‘maybe we shouldn’t build in the floodplain,’” Woods said. “Why would you ever contemplate, in 2021, building in a floodplain?” He acknowledged that the building itself is not in the flooding zone but the driveways are and that’s a problem in his view. “This is the Eramosa River, we’re not talking a little swamp, a little creek ... when it floods it’s going to flood,” Woods said. “When this floods, how do you rescue those 100 people out of that property when both entrances are blocked. I don’t even know why this proposal is coming to us to be honest, I think this proposal is just insane.” Meagan Ferris, planner with the County of Wellington, said more fulsome answers about dealing with flooding and stormwater management will come at the site plan meeting but noted this development is within the GRCA mandate. “They are the experts when it comes to flooding and flooding hazards and those particular issues,” Ferris said, adding the GRCA is satisfied an emergency access point beside the existing building can provide a safe entrance and exit. Councillor Bruce Dickieson said everything seemed to be in order from the GRCA's view and the proposed development makes sense for the area. No decisions were made and this proposal will come back for another public meeting during the site plan approval process. Keegan Kozolanka, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, GuelphToday.com
MADRID — Former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu was provisionally set free on Tuesday after appearing before a judge following a night in jail while being investigated for possible irregularities during his administration. Court officials said Bartomeu and his former adviser at the Spanish club, Jaume Masferrer, used their right not to make any comments in court. Bartomeu, Masferrer and two other club officials were arrested on Monday after Catalan police raided Barcelona’s headquarters in a search and seizure operation related to last year’s “Barçagate.” In that case, the club was accused of launching a smear campaign against current and former players who were critical of then-president Bartomeu and others. The club itself has not been charged but Bartomeu was not cleared. Court officials lifted the case's secrecy and those accused will have access to the evidence gathered by authorities before appearing in court again. The arrests came less than a week before the club holds presidential elections, and added to the turmoil surrounding the team recently. “Every club has its difficult moments,” said Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman, who took over after the club's crisis erupted following the team’s 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. “It’s true that a lot has happened, but we remain motivated and will keep fighting to win titles. “It obvious that this is not good for the image of the club,” said Koeman, who was hired by Bartomeu. “We have to wait and see what happens. All we can do is to focus on our job.” Barcelona is coming off its first season without a trophy since 2007-08. The team lost to Paris Saint-Germain 4-1 in the first leg of the round of 16 of the Champions League last week, and on Wednesday will try to reverse a 2-0 first-leg loss to Sevilla in the Copa del Rey semifinals. The Catalan club is five points off the lead in the Spanish league. Barcelona, which could also lose Lionel Messi after his contract ends this season, has been led by a caretaker board since the 58-year-old Bartomeu and his board of directors resigned in October while facing a no-confidence vote. He had been loudly criticized by Messi, whose request to leave the club last season was denied by the then-president. The Spanish club has a debt of more than 1.1 billion euros ($1.3 billion), in large part because of the coronavirus pandemic. “What worries me the most is the club's institutional instability, not its financial difficulty,” Spanish league president Javier Tebas said. “When a new president is elected I'm certain that the club will overcome this situation.” Members of the police’s financial crimes department conducted the operation in five different locations on Monday, including Bartomeu’s house. Authorities said they were investigating “alleged crimes related to property and socio-economic order.” Barcelona had denied accusations that it hired — and overpaid — a company to make negative comments about its own players and opponents on social media in order to boost the image of senior club officials. The company was accused of using fake social media accounts to discredit opposition figures, a list said to include Messi, Gerard Piqué and former coach Pep Guardiola, when they expressed views that went against the club. The club released an independent audit report showing there was no wrongdoing. ___ More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports ___ Tales Azzoni on Twitter: http://twitter.com/tazzoni Tales Azzoni, The Associated Press
India is ready to offer incentives to ensure Tesla Inc's cost of production would be less than in China if the carmaker commits to making its electric vehicles in the south Asian country, transport minister Nitin Gadkari told Reuters. Gadkari's pitch comes weeks after billionaire Elon Musk's Tesla registered a company in India in a step towards entering the country, possibly as soon as mid-2021.
Québec Solidaire propose de nouvelles mesures afin d’inciter davantage d’étudiants à effectuer des stages en régions en haussant de 30 % les montants des bourses de soutien offertes dans les secteurs de la santé, des services sociaux et de l’éducation . La députée de Rouyn-Noranda-Témiscamingue, Émilise Lessard-Therrien, a proposé d’apporter des modifications au Programme de soutien à la persévérance et réussite qui permet à des étudiants des niveaux collégial et universitaire inscrits dans 16 formations différentes de toucher des bourses variant entre 900 $ et 4000 $ en fonction des programmes et niveaux. Il s’agit de secteurs où subsistent des pénuries importantes de main-d’oeuvre. En entrevue, Mme Lessard-Therrien a indiqué que le nombre potentiel d’étudiants admissibles s’établit à 17 000. Ces étudiants qui auraient l’opportunité d’effectuer des stages dans des régions comme le Bas-Saint-Laurent, l’Abitibi, la Côte-Nord, les Iles-de-la-Madelaine, etc. pourraient bénéficier d’une somme supplémentaire de 750 $ dans le cas d’étudiants en soins infirmiers, montant qui s’ajouterait aux 2500 $ déjà disponibles. De plus, des montants compensatoires sont exigés pour les frais de transport et de logement liés au stage. « Dans certaines régions, il y a des enjeux de pénurie très importants parce qu’il n’est pas possible de combler des besoins de main-d’oeuvre avec des gens de ces régions. Il y a parfois des difficultés à ramener les jeunes qui sont partis étudier à l’extérieur. » Elle croit que la bonification pourrait inciter d’autres étudiants à découvrir de nouvelles régions avec leurs grands espaces, leur qualité de vie et les liens tissés serrés de leurs communautés et s’y installer à long terme. La députée de Québec Solidaire a mentionné que les propositions élaborées font la suite de consultations qui ont été menées auprès d’associations étudiantes. Dès la semaine prochaine, à la reprise des travaux parlementaires, la formation politique souhaite interroger le gouvernement sur les solutions qu’il entend proposer pour faire face à la pénurie de main-d’oeuvre dans les régions et des solutions qui tardent à être dévoilées. « Tout le monde est conscient du défi qu’il faut relever. Il faut résorber cette situation, sinon on va frapper un mur », conclut la députée. En cette période de pandémie, Mme Lessard-Therrien constate que les régions n’ont rien à envier aux grandes villes, mais il y a lieu de mettre en place des efforts pour y attirer les jeunes. Denis Villeneuve, Initiative de journalisme local, Le Quotidien
The past year has fractured our world in countless ways. Now, as people look to pick up the pieces, those managing debt need to account for their position in our uneven economic recovery. In this so-called K-shaped recovery, one part of the population is rebounding quickly while another has a longer, slower path. For example, in January the unemployment rate for whites was 5.7%, compared to 8.6% for Hispanics and 9.2% for Black workers and 6.6% for Asians, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Those who remain unemployed or underemployed might continue to rely on debt to get by. Meanwhile, those whose finances have held steady or improved may be primed to wipe out debt. MANAGING DEBT IN THE BOTTOM HALF Some consumers have had no choice but to rack up debt — including unpaid rent or mortgage, credit card debt and overdue utility bills. If this is your situation, focus on basic needs and paying minimums to avoid collections. — PROTECT THE ESSENTIALS: If you’re among the millions of Americans unable to cover your housing costs right now, take advantage of the eviction moratorium and mortgage relief programs now extended through June 30. Keep an eye out for additional benefits in the COVID-19 relief package being discussed in Washington and call 211 to get connected to local assistance for basic needs like food and shelter. Add transportation, internet and cellphone to your priorities list, too, so you can stay connected to friends and family for help and to hunt for work. “All creditors will make it sounds like they’re the most important ones to get paid,” says Amanda Christensen, a financial coach based in Morgan, Utah. “Housing and transportation have to come to the top of that list and take priority.” — IF NEEDED, LOOK FOR CHEAP CREDIT: If you need to add debt to cover your regular expenses, like groceries and utilities, financial coach Vineet Prasad of Fulton, California, suggests finding the cheapest options. “A revolving credit line on your home equity has a much lower APR than a credit card. Another option is a personal loan at a credit union.” To qualify for a HELOC, you’ll generally need equity of at least 15% of your home’s value. And weigh the risks: HELOCs tend to have adjustable interest rates, which can make them more expensive over time, and your house is at risk of foreclosure if you can’t repay the debt. — FOCUS ON LONG-TERM RECOVERY: Once your situation stabilizes, focus on paying down debt and make savings a priority, too. Consider using a debt payoff calculator that can track your debts and monthly payments. And while you may be tempted to throw all your spare income toward debt payoff, having some cash tucked away can help you weather the next financial crisis. Saving even a small percentage of your income helps, Christensen says: “If you’re not saving anything right now, see if you can get in that 1% to 5% range.” MANAGING DEBT IN THE TOP HALF If your finances held steady or improved over 2020, think about how you can take advantage of your situation, whether through charitable giving or using some of your cash to improve your finances. And if you’re focused on reducing debt, the classic payoff playbook works well: First, take stock of what you owe. Consider using a spreadsheet or online debt tracker to organize your balances. Then choose a payoff strategy, like the debt snowball method where you focus on your smallest debt by paying as much on it as you can while paying minimums on the others. Once it’s paid off, roll the amount you were paying on it into the payment for your next largest debt and so on until you’re completely debt-free. Paying off debt can be a long-haul game. To stay focused, Prasad advises finding someone who can serve as a confidant and provide encouragement. “Getting an accountability partner who is good at managing their money generally can be a huge differentiator with actually following through with your plan and the grind of paying it off over time,” he says. ANYONE CAN HAVE OVERWHELMING DEBT Regardless of your income or employment status, you may have too much debt to realistically pay off with a strategy like debt snowball. If all your monthly debt payments, including housing, total more than 50% of your monthly gross income, you may need to look into debt relief, like a debt management plan at a non-profit credit counselling agency or bankruptcy. The goal is to resolve your debt quickly and in a way that sets you up to meet future financial goals. Otherwise, you may spend years funneling money toward insurmountable debt, sacrificing retirement, an emergency fund and other goals. Bankruptcy in particular may be a good option, as it can help you resolve what you owe in a matter of months instead of years. While bankruptcy filings were down 30% in 2020, according to the American Bankruptcy Institute, that may change in 2021 as consumers’ financial pictures begin to stabilize. To make the most of the fresh start bankruptcy offers, don’t wait so long that you can’t even afford the filing fees. Act when you are in a position to improve your financial situation, says bankruptcy attorney Cathy Moran of Redwood City, California. “When you’ve hit the bottom and things are about to get better, that’s when you want to file,” Moran says. _____________________________ This column was provided to The Associated Press by the personal finance website NerdWallet. Sean Pyles is a writer at NerdWallet. Email: spyles@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @SeanPyles. RELATED LINK: NerdWallet: Pay off debt: tools and tips http://bit.ly/nerdwallet-debt-tools-and-tips Sean Pyles Of Nerdwallet, The Associated Press
Austria and Denmark, chafing at the slow rollout of COVID-19 vaccines within the European Union, have joined forces with Israel to produce second-generation vaccines against mutations of the coronavirus. The move by the two EU member states comes amid rising anger over delays in ordering, approving and distributing vaccines that have left the 27-member bloc trailing far behind Israel's world-beating vaccination campaign. Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said it was right that the EU procures vaccines for its member states but the European Medicines Agency (EMA) had been too slow to approve them and lambasted pharmaceutical companies' supply bottlenecks.
Photographer Mick Rock, known for some of the most recognisable pictures of rock legends such as David Bowie and album covers of the 1970s, is marking his 51 years working in the music industry with a new project collaborating with urban artist Fin DAC. "MIDARO" fuses photography with painting, with the Irish artist reworking Rock's photos of Bowie, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop and Debbie Harry to create a series of limited edition prints and canvas artworks. Released on Tuesday, to coincide with what would have been Reed's 79th birthday, they each show a woman wearing a T-shirt adorned with one of Rock's photos of the music stars.
Je lui avais téléphoné au départ pour prendre de ses nouvelles et lui apporter un moment de bonheur dans sa journée d’aînée confinée. Toujours intéressée par mes projets, mes ambitions, mon quotidien, elle s’est informée sur ce dont je travaillais en ce moment. « On crée un journal qui soulignera la Journée des droits des femmes », lui ai-je répondu. Il n’en fallait pas plus pour que l’on converse sur le sujet pendant plusieurs minutes, faisant remonter ses souvenirs, elle qui a vu le jour en juillet 1946, dans une maison du rang Paul-Baie à Forestville. La fameuse expression « dans mon temps » prenait tout son sens. « Dans mon temps, les femmes avaient le devoir de rester à la maison pour s’occuper des enfants pendant que les hommes devaient faire vivre la famille monétairement », commence-t-elle. Après avoir arrêté ses études en septième année, elle devait aider sa grande sœur à se « relever » de ses grossesses d’une année à l’autre. À l’âge de 18 ans, elle commence à travailler à la boutique Chaussures Idéales à Forestville. « Quand je suis tombée enceinte, j’ai dû arrêter de travailler parce que ce n’était pas bien vu qu’une femme travaille alors qu’elle a des enfants », raconte Mimi, comme je la surnomme. De 21 ans à 34 ans, elle abandonne donc sa carrière pour se donner complètement à ses trois enfants. «Quand ma plus jeune a eu 5 ans, j’ai repris mon travail chez Chaussures Idéales. Ce n’était pas encore bien vu, mais j’y étais obligée pour mettre du pain sur la table. » Pas de service de garde en milieu familial ni scolaire, Rosella doit embaucher une « gardienne à la maison ». «S’il y avait des allocations ou congés de maternité, je n’étais pas au courant. Le gouvernement ne s’en vantait pas. Il n’avait rien pour aider les femmes à concilier travail et famille », m’avoue ma grand-maman. Ce n’est qu’en 1979* que les Québécoises peuvent prendre un congé de maternité de 18 semaines sans risquer de perdre leur emploi. Quatre* ans après l’adoption de la Charte des droits et libertés de la personne, qui prévoit notamment que la discrimination basée sur le sexe est interdite au Québec. Mais, dis-je à ma grand-mère, si une femme ne voulait pas d’enfant, pouvait-elle prendre de la contraception? « La contracepquoi? Les pilules anticonceptionnelles, c’était considéré comme immoral. On nous disait qu’on tuait un être humain en prenant ça. Donc, ça existait un peu dans mon temps, mais personne n’en prenait », m’a-t-elle admis. Concernant l’avortement, ce mot était autant interdit que Voldemort dans Harry Potter. « L’avortement était impossible, il ne fallait même pas y penser. La seule autre option de la femme enceinte était de remettre son bébé à la crèche. On les envoyait à Québec et elles en revenaient pas d’enfant. Dans plusieurs cas, on ne savait même pas qu’elles avaient été enceintes ni qu’elles avaient accouché. » Que faisait-on alors si l’on tombait enceinte et que l’on n’était pas mariée? « On se mariait au plus vite, ma petite fille. Les parents organisaient un mariage en un rien de temps. Il ne fallait surtout pas que l’on sache que leur fille était enceinte avant le mariage. C’était une honte », s’exclame-t-elle. Âgée de 30 ans, j’avais déjà entendu parler et imaginé grâce aux films et livres historiques la situation des femmes au 20e siècle. Mais racontée par ma grand-mère, cette histoire m’a chamboulée. Elle n’a peut-être pas participé aux manifestations auxquelles les brassières étaient lancées, mais elle m’a donné un modèle de femme forte, qui ne se laisse pas marcher sur les pieds, qui a fait sa place dans le monde du travail malgré tous les préjugés et qui a veillé au bien-être de sa famille. Mimi, je te remercie d’avoir contribué, à ta façon, à l’amélioration des droits des femmes au fil des années, comme je remercie toutes celles qui ont provoqué cette évolution et qui continuent à mener la bataille. Ce n’est pas terminé, encore aujourd’hui, nous sommes témoins d’abus de pouvoir, de violence sexuelle, d’inégalités salariales… La notion de la charge mentale a fait son apparition tout comme le mouvement #moiaussi. Les droits des femmes sont toujours en évolution et, en tant que femme, je vous dis ne baissons pas les bras. Il reste du pain sur la planche! Évolution des droits des femmes 1918 : Les femmes obtiennent le droit de vote aux élections fédérales, à l’exception de certains groupes ethniques exclus par la loi, dont les autochtones. 1940 : Le Québec devient la dernière province à accorder aux femmes le droit de vote aux élections provinciales. 1964 : L’obligation d’obéissance des femmes à leur mari est abolie. 1969 : Le gouvernement de Pierre Elliott Trudeau introduit une loi qui décriminalise la contraception. 1983 : Une agression sexuelle commise par un conjoint est désormais reconnue comme un crime. 1988 : L’avortement n’est plus un crime au Canada. 1996 : La Loi sur l’équité salariale est adoptée. 2017-2018 – Le mouvement #MoiAussi devient viral. *Source : www.educaloi.qc.ca/actualites-juridiques/levolution-des-droits-des-femmes-au-quebec-en-10-dates/ Johannie Gaudreault, Initiative de journalisme local, Journal Haute-Côte-Nord
A woman puts a red sign with words Closed Due To COVID-19 onto a glass door. It's been a difficult year for small businesses in Newfoundland and Labrador, and the sudden move back to the lockdown provisions of Alert Level 5 hasn't made things any easier. For businesses that started during or just before the COVID-19 pandemic, rolling with the punches has been routine. However, the punches have been coming again, and some businesses say they'll need more than light at the end of the tunnel. Even businesses off the Avalon are still feeling the prolonged pinch, despite the move there back to Alert Level 4. Robyn Pearce, owner of Intervals Music Studio in St. John's, said the greatest difficulty has been reverting to an entirely online model in an industry so reliant on face-to-face instruction. "The hardest part is the fact that we really pour our heart and soul into everything that we're doing, and then just to know that purely because the vehicle doesn't work for everybody, the way that we're offering it — it's hard to see that it's just not enough for some people," she said. There have been other setbacks, too. Just before the lockdown began, her wallet was stolen from her office. Later, her studio was later broken into. Pearce said that while it's been encouraging to see some benefits to online learning, with some students opening up more in the comfort of their own homes, she said overall it's an exhausting process. "There's a completely different energy that you have to have when you're in front of a screen versus being in person with the classes," she said. As a small business owner and operator, Pearce hopes that after the election the government will try to focus on addressing businesses and their individual needs, rather than implementing broad programs. One area to address, Pearce said, is the high cost of rent. "I actually discovered a couple of years ago when I made the move to a commercial space that my rent was higher than somebody in California, which was a big shocker," she said. "The rent incentive program that [government] had was no good for someone like me," said Pearce, who noted that in order to qualify she would have had to have lost 75 per cent of her business outright. "So I'd love to have more support in that area, where someone can look at my business model and look at what I have and go from there, because a lot of the support I just didn't qualify for." Changing gears to get by Mark Murphy, co-owner of the Postmaster's House B&B in downtown St. John's, said while government programs have been designed to help businesses stay afloat, those that began during the pandemic are falling through the cracks. His business incorporated just before the first local cases began to appear in March 2020. "We bought the property in February, and coming into the pandemic there was support for mortgage deferral, but having a new mortgage, we weren't eligible for it," he said. As well, his business wasn't eligible for many of the programs rolled out to provide some pandemic relief. "All these one-size-fits-all support programs, we weren't eligible for a lot of those either," he said. "So businesses like ours, and like Intervals, are just feeling like we're falling through the cracks." With the notable downturn of the tourism industry, Murphy pivoted his business from a B&B to include baking, and while he said the community response has been great, it's only barely keeping them afloat. Murphy wants to see the government take initiative in supporting the province's newest businesses and their specific needs over the kind of support they're currently providing. "That is not working for the businesses that started right before and during the pandemic," Murphy said. "While I realize it might take more resources in the government, taking a look at each individual business model would help." Rest of the island down to level 4, bars and restaurants still closed While businesses continue to struggle across the province, the shift back into level 4 is a welcome change for those beyond the Avalon, according to Sheldon Handcock of the Gander Area Chamber of Commerce. Last week, the Gander-based organization, which represents 300 businesses in the area, posted a letter to Dr. Janice Fitzgerald, publicly asking for regions outside the Northeast Avalon to be moved into Alert Level 3. Gander and Area Chamber of Commerce Chair Sheldon Handcock, seen here during a Zoom interview with CBC, says he hopes Dr. Janice Fitzgerald takes a regional approach to reopening businesses. While the drop down to level 4 will see the continued closure of bars and restaurants, Handcock said that many seem to be acclimating to the process. "It has to be public health first, and the economy obviously is second," said Handcock. "Restaurants can still do their takeout orders, and I think that they've gotten quite a bit better from the last lockdown at being able to do curbside orders and that type of thing." While they're committed to following all directives from public health, for many local businesses, Handcock said, economic disaster is growing closer as funds begin to dwindle. "We've heard from quite a few businesses that it is pretty close," said Handcock. "We did have quite a few businesses that had said to us that if this continues on long, we can't keep our doors open." Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador
Jenny shows us how to make corn pasta! This pasta is very sweet and delicious! Enjoy!
It is a March break unlike any other and, with the entire province in the orange phase of recovery, activities for kids who are home all week are still happening, albeit with a few more rules. Jenna Morton, mom to twin 8-year-old sons and a 9-year-old daughter, runs Pickle Planet Moncton, a parenting resource website. She says this week, everything will require an extra layer of thought for parents. "Parents have had to get really creative over the past year in figuring out how to get out and do things without going far and without going into crowds," she said. Her top pieces of advice are to make an effort to go out early, when it isn't as busy, and to always call ahead. Wendy Hudson, CEO of Broadleaf Ranch in Hopewell Hill, said all of their overnight accommodations, which includes cabins and glamping sites are booked solid for the week. "We're busier than normal for spring break because people aren't going to Florida and they have to stay at home." Wendy Hudson of Broadleaf Ranch said all of their accommodations are booked solid for March break. Tourism operators are looking forward to a boost in business during a "busier than normal" spring break since families are staying closer to home. With contactless check-in, she said guests can drive straight to their cabins without coming into contact with anyone. "They literally can drive to their cabin in the woods and it's unlocked and the keys on the table and the fireplace is on. Enjoy yourself, enjoy the view, enjoy the hiking trails, enjoy the nature — we're lucky to be able to offer that." Families sticking close to home Morton and her family will be sticking close to home this March break. She says with young children she is lucky that unexpected treats, such as a "double-movie night," are just as exciting as a more ambitious activity that requires packing everyone into the car. "Watching two movies in a row is not something they're used to doing," she said. "So when they said, 'Can we watch a second movie tonight?' And I said, 'Yes,' that was a huge event…so really finding those fun little moments — saying yes to little things that maybe you don't usually do." She said that's also less stressful for her. Jenna Morton advises that sites for outdoor activities, such as sledding or skating, are less busy in the mornings so families may want to make the effort to get out early to avoid the crowds. Morton warns that if you are hoping to venture out, make sure you call ahead rather than depending on websites, avoid the most popular spots everyone is posting about on social media, and be realistic. "If it's not something that's booking ahead of time, you're not guaranteed you're going to get in so how well do your kids deal with disappointment? How well do you deal with disappointment?" Always have a back-up plan April Morton, vice president of child and youth programs at the Greater Moncton YMCA, advises parents to be ready to pivot. The newly opened north end Y has an outdoor skating rink and sliding hill along with an indoor splash pad and walking track. The two locations are also offering themed day-camps, open gym times and youth drop-ins. All of the activities are first-come, first-serve with no pre-booking, so if one activity is at its limit, it is a good idea for parents and children to be prepared. "Maybe families want to bring their snow gear, and if the splash pad is too busy maybe they want to take in some activities outside at our skating rink or outside on the sliding hill or outside on the playground structure as well." Zane Korytko, the CEO of the YMCA of Greater Moncton, shows off the indoor splash pad at the new Y in the city's north end. The splash pad is open during March break but there is a limit on how many people can be inside because of COVID-19 rules. Silver-linings of pandemic March break Jenna Morton said there are some up-sides to COVID-19 regulations. With regular cleaning and smaller crowds, many experiences are more fun for kids, and parents, who find busy spots overwhelming. "Taking my three kids to a place like Hop, Skip, Jump used to be a lot of work. Now it's like, oh, well, they're only open certain times and for a certain number of people. And so it's a much different experience," she said. "It can be really a fun time to take in some of those things." Horseback riding and family sleigh rides are the ideal pandemic activity because it is easy to maintain physical distancing, said Wendy Hudson of Broadleaf Ranch. Adventure activities have been in high demand for the past year. Hudson said Broadleaf Ranch, which has struggled this past year, is looking forward to a boost in business during the March break, and is still taking reservations for horseback riding and sleigh rides. She said the worst part has been the uncertainty, although she has her fingers crossed that New Brunswick will make it through March break without an outbreak. "Things can change so fast, so that unknown is very worrisome and it's stressful especially with the new variants," she said. "When COVID is under control and people can get out and move around and go on their mini staycations — then yes, business is good. People are wanting to do it, people are wanting what we offer. But it's just a matter of whether they can do it or not." Jenna Morton encourages families to get creative during the March break. She has heard from many parents who are having theme days at home. Jenna Morton says theme days are an easy way to have fun at home during March break. Her family wore a different colour of the rainbow each day of the week last year. I know one family is doing a really cool challenge among themselves," she said. "Each person picked a day of the week and had a different theme and that person had to come up with a recipe that went with somewhere they'd like to travel." It may take a bit more planning and work for parents, but Jenna says, "that's kind of what the pandemic has been about for us right?"
The province's COVID-related death toll has risen to 28. Public Health announced Tuesday that a person aged 80 to 89 has died as a result of underlying complications, including COVID-19. The person was a resident of the Manoir Belle Vue home in Edmundston. Health Minister Dorothy Shephard and Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Jennifer Russell both extended condolences to the family, with Russell noting the death is "a sad reminder that this virus is not done with our province." There are currently 36 active cases, with four zones reporting no active cases.(CBC News) Four new cases, presumptive variant case identified Public Health also announced four new cases on Tuesday, all of them in the Miramichi region, Zone 7, and a presumptive variant case. The presumptive case, a recent confirmed case of COVID-19 in the Miramichi region, will be sent to Winnipeg's National Microbiology Laboratory for confirmation, the department said. The new cases announced Tuesday break down in this way: an individual 20 to 29 two people 50 to 59 an individual 60 to 69 The number of confirmed cases in New Brunswick is 1,435. Since Monday, three people have recovered for a total of 1,370 recoveries. There have been 28 deaths, and the number of active cases is 36, with four of seven zones reporting no active cases. Three patients are in hospital, and all are in intensive care. A total of 229,787 tests have been conducted, including 550 since Monday's report. Prince Edward Island's Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Heather Morrison, said Tuesday that every adult would receive one dose of the vaccine by the end of June.(Kirk Pennell/CBC News file photo) P.E.I.'s ramped-up rollout: Every adult gets one dose by July Prince Edward Island's chief public health officer announced a new vaccination schedule Tuesday, based on a plan to delay providing second doses of vaccines in order to get first doses out to more people sooner. P.E.I. is expecting delivery of 100,000 doses between April 1 and the end of June, Dr. Heather Morrison said. Based on those deliveries, and the anticipated change in guidance from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization, Morrison said every Islander over 16 will be offered a single dose by the end of June. The previous schedule had vaccinations for the general public only beginning in July. The province also announced four new cases on Tuesday, and said two past cases have been confirmed as the B117 variant, in two women who had travelled off island. P.E.I. is currently in a three-day lockdown, announced Monday, after 12 cases were reported and the number of active cases rose to 18 over the weekend, the most since the spring. The Anglophone North School District announced a case of COVID-19 at Miramichi Valley High School on Monday.(Miramichi Valley High School archive) Case confirmed at Miramichi high school The Anglophone North School District announced a positive case of COVID-19 at Miramichi Valley High School. In a tweet Monday night, the school district said it's working with Public Health officials to identify any students and school personnel who might have been in contact with the case. "It is natural to want to know if your child may have been exposed to the virus," said Mark Donovan, superintendent of Anglophone North School District in a message to parents. "Public Health officials will inform those who are at risk of the next steps, but to protect the privacy of students and school personnel, other details including names, will not be released." What to do if you have a symptom People concerned they might have COVID-19 symptoms can take a self-assessment test online. Public Health says symptoms shown by people with COVID-19 have included: A fever above 38 C. A new cough or worsening chronic cough. Sore throat. Runny nose. Headache. New onset of fatigue, muscle pain, diarrhea, loss of sense of taste or smell. Difficulty breathing. In children, symptoms have also included purple markings on the fingers and toes. People with one of those symptoms should: Stay at home. Call Tele-Care 811 or their doctor. Describe symptoms and travel history. Follow instructions.
Britain's big four banks amassed more than 200 billion pounds ($277.52 billion) of new deposits last year as customers reined in spending through pandemic lockdowns, far outstripping extra lending to struggling businesses and households. Full-year earnings reported by HSBC, Barclays, Lloyds and NatWest last month revealed the extent to which lenders' finances have been upended by the crisis. The banks now face a glut in savings, a Reuters analysis of the banks' results show, as domestic customers of the four lenders deposited 221 billion pounds of extra cash.
If you want to freshen up your kitchen, look no further than Grandma’s old casserole dishes. Vintage kitchenware is back in style -– pieces from the mid-20th century painted with flowers, bright colours, and specific functions, such as bracketed chip and dip bowls or four-piece refrigerator storage sets. “I’ve always been an old soul and loved anything old,” said Megan Telfer, a collector of vintage dishes, salt and pepper shakers, cookie jars and “a little bit of everything.” The 26-year-old parole officer from the Dallas area said this hobby started with family. Her grandmother gave her mother a green and white Pyrex “Spring Blossom” mixing bowl. “That’s when my interest was piqued,” Telfer said. Three years later, she has more than 300 pieces of vintage Pyrex, displayed on three large bookcases. Her 5-year-old daughter has some vintage Pyrex, too. “We don’t use 90 per cent of it,” Telfer said. “I display it.” Some collectors buy vintage dishware to try to resell it at a profit, while others are in it for nostalgia. "It reminds them of their mothers, aunts, grandmothers,” said Hope Chudy, owner of Downstairs at Felton Antiques in Waltham, Massachusetts. A year of pandemic lockdowns has led to a surge in home cooking and time spent hanging out in the kitchen. Vintage cookware fits right into that homey, old-fashioned vibe. There are lustrous chili bowls with handles, and casserole dishes set on top of brass candle warmers. These are durable dishes, often smaller than modern serving pieces, that can go from freezer to oven to table. But collectors usually acquire them for enjoyment, not utility. “It really sets your kitchen apart from others,” said Victoria Aude, an interior designer in Canton, Massachusetts. “It’s not an item you can just buy off the shelf at Bloomingdale's.” The old dishes are also nice accents when decorating a room, said Atlanta-based interior designer Beth Halpern Brown. “They can add that quick pop of colour," she said. "You can decorate a wall with them, or put one on display and change the space.” Corning first released a Pyrex dish in 1915. By the 1930s, Anchor Hawking Glass Corporation released its competitor brand Fire King. But it’s the kitchenware made between 1950 and 1980 that seem to be most popular right now. Jo Adinolfi, a 62-year-old nurse from Shelton, Connecticut, collects Pyrex mixing bowls and stackable refrigerator sets, what collectors affectionately call “fridgies.” She started collecting and selling about 10 years ago and owns more than 2,000 pieces. The mid-20th-century glass bowls and casserole dishes from brands like Fire King and Pyrex haven’t changed, but their prices have. “The more people that collect, the higher the demand is, the more people are trying to source the right goods to be able to feed that request,” said Stan Savellis, 42, of Sydney, Australia, who has collected vintage kitchenware since his teenage years and runs the online store That Retro Piece. Television and social media have also generated interest. Series like “WandaVision,” “Firefly Lane,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” and “Mad Men" all highlight midcentury kitchens and kitchenware. And then there's social media too, said Vicki Matranga, the design programs co-ordinator for the International Housewares Association and author of the book “America at Home: A Celebration of Twentieth-Century Housewares.” “With everyone at home now, you can look at collections on Facebook or Instagram,” she said. In pre-pandemic days, vintage collectors would meet up at swaps. Now, people are buying and selling on eBay, Etsy, Facebook and other websites. The rarest pieces have sold for thousands of dollars, such as the 1959 “Lucky in Love” covered casserole dish that Goodwill sold for $5,994 in 2017. Still, some enthusiasts simply like the vintage look and sentimentality. “It goes with my house,” said Ashley Linder, 37, of Lake Jackson, Texas. Linder’s vintage collection includes can openers from the 1950s, and they still work. “Fortunately, I have the space to display most of it, though some are seasonal-use,” she said. One of her most treasured finds was a Pyrex “Pink Daisy 045” casserole dish on eBay. It was in great condition, still in the box. “You don’t come across a lot of pink pieces in the box,” she said. She paid $300 for it and messaged the seller in hopes of finding out how it was so well preserved. “The lady had bought an old farmhouse in Nebraska, and it was left there,” she said. “It’s an investment.” Tracee M. Herbaugh, The Associated Press
Vincent Tanguay a quitté son poste de directeur général de la Ville de Carignan pour occuper cette fonction à Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville. C’est le 23 février dernier, lors de la séance extraordinaire du conseil municipal de la Ville de Saint-Bruno, que la nouvelle a été officialisée, bien que communiquée en primeur à la population par le journal Les Versants. M. Tanguay, qui travaille dans le domaine municipal depuis 2002, entamera son nouveau mandat à compter du 15 mars prochain et touchera un salaire de 180 000 $ par année. Un tremplin vers les autres villes? Rappelons qu’à son embauche à Carignan, en juillet 2017, ce dernier affirmait qu’il était là pour rester. « J’aime travailler dans les petites villes. J’ai été à Coaticook et à Cantley, qui sont des villes très similaires en termes de grandeur de population. On a la chance d’être près des services, des employés, des élus et de la population. C’est ce qui convient le mieux à ma personnalité et à la gestion sans prétention que j’amène. » À Saint-Bruno, c’est une population dix fois plus grande que celle de Carignan qu’il faudra satisfaire. Vincent Tanguay n’est pas le seul à choisir de quitter son poste de directeur général à Carignan pour le reprendre dans une ville à plus forte densité démographique. Cela a été le cas entre autres de son prédécesseur, Michel Larose, qui, après seulement deux mois en poste à la Ville de Carignan, avait troqué celle-ci contre Chambly, avant d’être destitué. Une perte pour Carignan Rappelons qu’en juin 2019, à l’occasion du dîner d’ouverture du congrès annuel de l’Association des directeurs généraux des municipalités du Québec (ADGMQ), M. Tanguay s’était vu remettre une bourse de 2 500 $ par La Mutuelle des municipalités en tant que directeur général de Carignan. Cette bourse, destinée à contribuer au rayonnement de la Ville, lui avait été remise sur la base de son engagement. La Ville perd, en son directeur général, un homme de droit et d’expérience, puisque le Chamblyen a été greffier, puis directeur général de différentes municipalités pendant une quinzaine d’années. Aucune déclaration sur son départ n’a encore été publiée par les parties concernées, à savoir M. Tanguay lui-même et la Ville de Carignan. Au moment de la rédaction de cet article, le journal est toujours en attente des commentaires du maire de Carignan, M. Patrick Marquès, afin de savoir si la Ville était au courant de ce qui a mené au départ de M. Tanguay et si elle a quelqu’un d’autre dans sa mire qui pourrait lui succéder. Chloé-Anne Touma, Initiative de journalisme local, Le Journal de Chambly
BARRIE, Ont. — Highway 400 has reopened in both directions after bring closed for hours due to whiteout conditions and a series of collisions.Ontario Provincial Police announced the lanes had reopened around 9 p.m. Monday.Police shut down the major artery Monday afternoon from Highway 88 outside of Bradford, Ont., to Mapleview Drive in Barrie, Ont.They said at the time that snow squalls caused whiteout conditions on the highway north of Toronto, leading to limited visibility and dangerous driving conditions.Police later said more than 11 vehicles were involved in a crash.They said "numerous" people were injured but did not provide details of their condition.This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 2, 2021. The Canadian Press
