An elephant's digestive tract is the key part of a process of making the most expensive coffee in the world
A lawyer for Canada's attorney general says Meng Wanzhou's defence team is ignoring basic facts of the case against their client by accusing the United States of unlawfully reaching beyond its jurisdiction to extradite the Huawei executive. Robert Frater began his B.C. Supreme Court submissions Thursday by commending one of Meng's lawyers for his eloquence in trying to convince Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes to toss extradition proceedings over what they claim is a breach of international law. But then the Crown lawyer — who is the Justice Department's chief general counsel — gave his own assessment of the defence's case. "The flaws in that argument run so wide and so deep, I scarcely know where to begin," Frater told the judge. "I would characterize their argument as one based on denial." 'Not just about the lie' Meng is the chief financial officer of Huawei and the daughter of the Chinese telecommunications giant's billionaire founder, Ren Zhengfei. The U.S wants her rendered to New York to face fraud and conspiracy charges related to allegations she lied to an HSBC executive in Hong Kong about Huawei's control of a subsidiary that was accused of violating U.S. economic sanctions against Iran. A still from a video of Meng Wanzhou filed as part of a defence application for access to documents. The video was taken during Meng's first few hours in CBSA custody. (Submitted by B.C. Supreme Court) Prosecutors claim HSBC relied on Meng's alleged misrepresentations in deciding to continue handling global financial transactions for Huawei. Frater's submissions came at the end of a week dedicated to an examination of the strength of the U.S. connection to the case and the country's ability to police events beyond its borders. Meng's lawyers claim that since Meng is a Chinese citizen, HSBC is an Anglo-Chinese bank and the alleged lies took place in Hong Kong, it's up to China to prosecute any wrongdoing. They rejected the notion that the act of "clearing" money through the American financial system gives the United States jurisdiction. But Frater claimed the defence had an "impoverished view" of the facts — which are about more than dollar clearing. He said Meng allegedly asked for the meeting with a "nervous" banker who was concerned doing business with Huawei might put HSBC in violation of sanctions when the bank already had a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. for similar offences. As such, the Crown claims HSBC faced significant penalties from U.S. authorities by agreeing to handle Huawei's money. "These facts must be seen through the lens of the law of fraud," Frater said. "Fraud is not just about the lie, it is about the risk of deprivation. The risk of economic loss. The lies in Hong Kong are not about risks in Hong Kong. They are about risks primarily in the United States." 'One side of a scholarly debate' One of the central questions Holmes raised concerned the ability of an extradition judge to even consider the issue of jurisdiction. Meng's lawyers claim the court can't ignore a breach of international law, but Frater said Supreme Court of Canada precedent and the Extradition Act clearly state that it's a concern better left to Canada's minister of justice. Crown lawyer Robert Frater is seen arguing before the Federal Court in 2019. Frater claims Meng Wanzhou's lawyers are denying the basic facts of the case in trying to convince an extradition judge the U.S. is acting beyond its jurisdiction.(Mathieu Theriault/CBC) "Courts have repeatedly said that your role is limited, we've said it a number of times to you in these hearings," Frater said. The defence backed up its arguments on jurisdiction with a series of affidavits from some of the world's leading academic experts on international law and dollar clearing. Frater told the judge she should place no weight on their opinions. "Our position generally is that when it comes to law professors, they're best viewed in their natural habitat, which is in the pages of law reviews," he said. "Where you're left is listening to one side of a scholarly debate that relies on a limited examination … and it's insufficient." 'Ms. Meng would like to go home' The arguments about international law are one of four lines of attack Meng's lawyers have mounted in a bid to stay proceedings which began with the 49-year-old's arrest at Vancouver's airport on Dec. 1, 2018. In the past month, the defence team spent weeks arguing that Meng was being used as a pawn in a political battle between the U.S. and China and that Canadian authorities violated her Charter rights at the time of arrest to mount a covert investigation for U.S. law enforcement. Michael Kovrig, left, and Michael Spavor, right, were arrested by China in the wake of charges against Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou, and are both awaiting the verdict of trials held behind closed doors. (The Canadian Press, The Associated Press) The proceedings will resume on Apr. 26 for a final three-week block which will begin with defence claims that the U.S. misled Canada about the strength of its case. The defence will also argue the cumulative effect of the various abuses of process alleged should be enough to set Meng free. The final part of the hearing will involve the Crown making the case for Meng's extradition based on the record of the case the U.S. has provided. The judge isn't allowed to test the evidence — only to decide whether it would be enough to send the matter to trial if Meng were being prosecuted in Canada. The case is expected to wrap by May 14, after which Holmes will likely reserve her judgment. The case has seen relations between Canada and China deteriorate. Even as Meng awaits the final phase of her journey through Canadian courts, the fate of two Canadians who were arrested in China in the days following her arrest remains unclear. Last month, Chinese officials tried former diplomat Michael Kovrig and entrepreneur Michael Spavor behind closed doors on allegations of espionage. No verdict has been announced and no proof has been given for the charges, which are widely believed to be retaliation for Meng's arrest. Meng has been living under a form of house arrest since she was released on $10 million bail in the week following her arrest. She is allowed to travel within the Lower Mainland, but is kept under constant surveillance by court-ordered security for which she pays. One of Meng's lawyers, Gib van Ert, had the final word at Thursday's hearing. "It's an unprecedented situation," van Ert told the judge. "There's never been a case like this. But I assure you that we've all worked very hard to push this along as expeditiously as we can. Why? Because Ms. Meng would like to go home."
A man wanted for vandalizing a Muslim prayer space at Pearson International Airport was arrested Friday, police say. Jean Francois Ouellette-Godin, 47, was arrested in Toronto and transferred to the custody of Peel Regional Police, the force said in a news release. He was released on an undertaking and is scheduled to appear in court on June 7. Ouellette-Godin has no known fixed address, according to the release. Peel police said the incident happened on Sunday, March 21 around 2:30 p.m. at Pearson's Terminal 3. They allege Ouellette-Godin entered the Multi-Faith Prayer Room and began causing damage. Police intend to charge him with mischief and said they are investigating this as a "hate incident." This picture posted to Facebook shows damage done to a Multi-Faith Prayer Room at Pearson's Terminal 3. According to the National Council of Canadian Muslims, the damage included copies of the Quran thrown onto the floor.(Muhammad Omar Farooq/Facebook) "This incident was a violation of the sanctity of a prayer space — a place where our Muslim community can take time to pray and reflect," Peel police Chief Nishan Duraiappah said. "We will not tolerate any activity or crime that is rooted in hate or bias. We are committed to locating the suspect and bringing closure to our community." In a Facebook post by Muhammad Omar Farooq, pictures show the window coverings of the prayer space pulled back and askew. Books, papers and what appears to be garbage can also be seen scattered all over the floor. "The incident is being investigated as hate-motivated and involved cupboards being destroyed and copies of the Quran thrown onto the floor," the National Council of Canadian Muslims, said in a statement sent out Thursday. The council said it is now working with the Greater Toronto Airports Authority on how to better protect workers. "It is brutally sad that this attack on a place where workers go to find solace comes amidst rising hate in Canada, and targeted attacks on members of the Muslim community," said Mustafa Farooq, CEO of the council.
NORTH COWICHAN, B.C. — A new hospital will become a place of healing for members of a British Columbia Indigenous nation after decades of fear associated with the current institution, a tribal leader said Thursday. The planned 201-bed, $887 million hospital slated to replace the Cowichan District Hospital in Duncan will help erase long-held mistrust by Indigenous people in the area, said Albie Charlie, an elected Cowichan Tribes councillor. "Our people will now call this hospital a place for healing, not a place of fear but a place of healing," Charlie said a news conference outlining details about the replacement project. Cowichan Tribes members want to be part of efforts to rebuild a trust with the health care system, he said. "Cowichan Tribes, not only Cowichan Tribes but First Nations, have had negative experiences with hospitals, institutions," Charlie said. "It has taken away our trust from these institutions. In the past we experienced racism and we had to come through the back door." Earlier this year, Cowichan Tribes leaders said racist comments were directed at tribal members by some non-Indigenous residents after a COVID-19 outbreak was declared in their community. It prompted Federal Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller to call the comments "disgusting," saying Canadians do not support such behaviour. Miller said he backed local leaders and residents who spoke up against the racism to support the Cowichan Tribes. Health Minister Adrian Dix told the same news conference that racism in health care exists, citing a report last year that found systemic racism toward Indigenous Peoples in B.C.'s health system. Dix said last November's report by Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, the former children's advocate in B.C., found some Indigenous people stay away from hospitals to avoid discriminatory treatment. "Racism is negative to our health and it exists currently in health care and we have work to do in response to that report," said Dix. Dix said the new hospital will be three times larger than the current Cowichan District Hospital in nearby Duncan and will be complete in 2026. Construction is slated to start next year. _ By Dirk Meissner in Victoria This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 1, 2021. The Canadian Press
Protests have taken place almost daily since the military overthrew the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1. Hundreds of civilians have been killed in a crackdown by security forces that has drawn international condemnation. On Friday, security forces opened fire at a rally near Myanmar's second city Mandalay, wounding four people, two critically, according to three domestic media organisations.
VANCOUVER — An appeal has been filed in a British Columbia Supreme Court decision that upheld public health orders banning indoor religious services in response to the outbreak of COVID-19 in the province. A statement from the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, which represents a group including three Fraser Valley churches, announced Thursday that it was asking for a higher court to review the decision. Paul Jaffe, a lawyer with the advocacy group, argued during hearings last month that the orders by provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry unjustifiably infringed on his clients' right to freedom of religion. Chief Justice Christopher Hinkson found the orders were justified and the question before the court wasn't whether Henry struck the right balance on the infringement, but whether she acted reasonably given the information available to her. No one from the Attorney General's Ministry was immediately available for comment on the notice of appeal. Justice Centre lawyer Marty Moore says in a statement the judge decided to "set aside the constitutional scrutiny" that applies to such laws "in favour of extreme judicial deference to an unelected bureaucrat." "A declared public health crisis does not permit courts to neglect their constitutional obligation to ensure that government actions respect the charter rights of citizens," he says. The notice of appeal dated March 31 seeks an order quashing Hinkson's judgment and granting the original relief sought by the petitioners, along with costs. Henry made changes to her rules for houses of worship last week that would have allowed for services of up to 50 people in indoor settings, but reversed that decision this week as COVID-19 cases reached a new peak. Her orders now allow outdoor services under certain rules and restrictions. Jaffe has said the petitioners, which include the Riverside Calvary Chapel in Langley, Immanuel Covenant Reformed Church in Abbotsford and the Free Reformed Church of Chilliwack, had been careful to adopt safety protocols similar to those approved by Henry in places that remained open. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 1, 2021. The Canadian Press
VANCOUVER — The extradition case against Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou has an "overwhelming" connection to the United States, a lawyer for Canada's attorney general has argued. Robert Frater responded in British Columbia Supreme Court on Thursday to arguments made by Meng's lawyers that the case violates international law and should be tossed. "The flaws in their argument run so wide and so deep, I scarcely know where to begin," Frater told the judge. The United States is seeking Meng on fraud charges over alleged lies she told HSBC about Huawei's relationship with another company, Skycom, that was doing business in Iran. She and Huawei deny the allegations. Her lawyers have said Meng is a Chinese national, HSBC is an English-Chinese bank and the meeting between them happened in Hong Kong, so the United States has no jurisdiction to charge her. However, Frater said the entire point of the meeting was to assuage HSBC's concerns about violating American sanctions against Iran through its business with Huawei. The meeting in 2013 followed the publication of Reuters articles that alleged Skycom was selling American-made computer equipment to Iran's largest mobile-phone operator and that Skycom was controlled by Huawei. "Why did that meeting take place? At the request of Ms. Meng — a senior executive to senior executive meeting of client and nervous banker," Frater said. He said Meng showed a PowerPoint to the HSBC executives that said Huawei was conscious of the sanctions and was complying. The presentation was designed to falsely distance Huawei from Skycom, he said. "There is no reason to have this meeting if it is not about reassuring HSBC that it can continue to provide banking services to Huawei — in particular, we would say, U.S. banking services," Frater said. "The overriding message is: 'If you continue to provide U.S. banking services, you will not incur any legal risk.' It is a strong prima facie case, in our submission, that Ms. Meng knows what she is doing." Meng's lawyers have argued that the only connection the United States can claim to the case is that $2 million in payments between a HSBC client and Skycom were cleared in American dollars through the country's financial system. Her lawyers told the court the practice of "dollar clearing" is not sufficient for the United States to claim the "genuine or substantial" connection to the alleged crime necessary under international law. Frater responded that the case is about much more than dollar clearing, and must be seen through the lens of the offence Meng has been charged with: fraud. Fraud is not just about the lie, it is about the risk of deprivation or economic loss, he said. "The lies in Hong Kong are not about risks in Hong Kong. They are about risks primarily in the United States," he said. HSBC was on a deferred prosecution agreement in the United States for previously breaching sanctions against Iran. Violating that agreement put the bank at risk of civil and criminal penalties, Frater said. Both HSBC's American subsidiary and the United Kingdom arm are listed on the deferred prosecution agreement, he added. Meng's lawyers earlier drew a distinction between HSBC Bank USA and HSBC, which Frater described as "hairsplitting." The bank is a multinational financial institution, he said, with a global risk committee that decided to continue its relationship with Huawei after the meeting with Meng. “No genuine connection to the United States? Those misrepresentations were all about matters that were of concern in the United States," Frater said. Frater said the judge's responsibility is to determine whether or not to commit Meng for extradition. The final decision to surrender her to the United States rests with the federal justice minister, who should be the one to weigh issues of jurisdiction, he said. He also criticized a claim by the defence that Meng is being detained illegally. If her lawyers genuinely believed that to be the case, they should have made that argument two years ago, he said. Meng was arrested while passing through Vancouver's airport in December 2018 and is out on bail, living in one of her two multimillion dollar homes in the city. Her lawyers argue that the extradition proceedings are an abuse of process and should be stayed. Gib van Ert told the court Meng's legal team has worked very hard to move the case along as expeditiously as possible. "Ms. Meng would like to go home," he said. The judge does not need to wait for the minister to decide whether the United States has jurisdiction to prosecute, van Ert said. "In this country, no unlawful detention is outside the power of a superior court," he said. "The detained person need not depend on the political process rather than a legal process to liberate her from a wrongfully procured detention." The court adjourned Thursday until April 26, when the final phase of the process, including an extradition hearing, will begin. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 1, 2021. Laura Dhillon Kane, The Canadian Press
An arrest warrant has been issued for a man seen in videos that were widely shared on social media because of controversial comments made by a Halifax Regional Police officer. Police identified the man Thursday as Robert Roech Chan, 28, of Halifax. He is wanted for robbery. The force said earlier this week that it has launched an internal investigation after a 28-second video and an eight-minute one surfaced online of an interaction between a white police officer and Chan, who is Black. The videos sparked conversations about racial profiling among law enforcement after the officer — whose gun is pointed at Chan — is heard saying something that sounds like, "I will fill you full of f--king lead." CBC News has not confirmed who recorded the videos. Halifax are asking for the public's help in finding Robert Roech Chan, 28, of Halifax.(Halifax Regional Police) The videos were taken after police responded to a weapons complaint in the 200 block of Wentworth Dr. in Halifax around 6 p.m. AT on March 26. In a news release, police said they found four men in two vehicles at the address. One of the men had non-life-threatening injuries. Three of the men were arrested, but the fourth — since identified as Chan — fled. The injured man and another man were released without charges shortly after being arrested. The release said the injured man declined medical treatment. The third man, Derrick Coryaunt Allison, 30, of Halifax, was charged with drug- and firearm-related offences. A number of people have condemned the language used by the officer since the videos were shared online, including Premier Iain Rankin, who called the comments "disgusting." Halifax resident Irvine Carvery agreed the language the officer used wasn't appropriate, but said he doesn't believe racism was a factor. Irvine Carvery says the 8-minute video doesn't show 'derogatory, racist language coming from the officer.'(Robert Guertin/CBC) "I didn't hear any kind of derogatory, racist language coming from the officer … If you take the Black guy out of the picture and put a white guy in the picture, where's the racism?" said Carvery. Sgt. Dean Steinburg, the president of the Halifax Regional Police Association, has said he understands why the comments made are concerning, but he doesn't believe they were racially motivated. Protest held at police HQ On Thursday, a small protest led by activist Raymond Sheppard was held outside Halifax Regional Police headquarters on Gottingen Street. Sheppard said he wanted to send a message to police that "you can do better, you should do better, you need to do better." "I know there's many people in unions and whatnot that say this officer did nothing wrong, but the fact of the matter is that he hurt the relations that we're trying to build with police and police say they're trying to build with the African Nova Scotian community," he said. GameChangers902, a Halifax-based advocacy group, issued a statement earlier this week calling the incident a racially motivated act of police misconduct, and called on the province's independent police watchdog to investigate. Felix Cacchione, director of the Serious Incident Response Team, said Tuesday the agency will not be investigating because the incident does not meet its mandate. Halifax Regional Police Chief Dan Kinsella said the comments that appear to have been made by the officer were "unacceptable," and confirmed the officer has been placed on administrative duties pending an investigation into the incident. He added the force is committed to a full investigation, which will examine what led to the incident, and what was said and in what context. Thursday's news release asks that anyone with information about Chan's whereabouts or about the incident to call 902-490-5016 or contact Crime Stoppers. MORE TOP STORIES
South Australia Police announced an expansion to our Dog Ops kennel with the introduction of Small Area Urban Searching and Guided Evacuation Dogs. The new Police Dog (PD) recruits – Tex, Snoop and Gracie - are purebred Dachshunds and have been purposely chosen to bring a whole new range of dog operational capabilities. Dachshunds, while small in stature, are absolutely courageous in nature. They are a highly intelligent breed and have a sense of smell about forty times more efficient than a human's, making them excellent at tracking and hunting. Operationally, we are seeing criminals hide contraband in hard to access small areas requiring police to spend significant resources removing or shifting heavy items. Items are also commonly found under lowered motor vehicles. The Dachshunds will mainly be used for accessing small or restricted areas where the traditional 40kgs German Shepherds and Labradors cannot. In a further potential use of the new PDs, Police have been working closely with specialist vets and dog trainers to ascertain if the light weight dogs could be transported safely by drone and released into hard-to-access areas, where larger PDs cannot get into due to their size. The use of these new PDs in non-traditional situations will greatly increase the Dog Ops Unit's capabilities. Video credit South Australia Police
Alberta pediatricians are bracing for what could come as variant cases spike, hospitalizations grow and the province falls into the grip of yet another wave of COVID-19. As of Thursday, 175 kids and teens have been hospitalized with COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic. That's up from 37 in November. Total ICU admissions have also jumped, from five to 35, according to provincial statistics. "Fortunately in Alberta, no child or adolescent has passed away from COVID-19," said Dr. Jim Kellner, pediatric infectious disease specialist at the University of Calgary and member of the national COVID-19 Immunity Task Force. He says the bulk of those hospitalizations occurred during the second wave, and Alberta Children's Hospital — where he treats children — has very few kids admitted with COVID-19 right now. But he's growing increasingly worried as cases rise rapidly in the community, driven by the more transmissible B117 variant. "My level of concern I would say is moderately high to high," said Kellner, who is keeping a close eye on the numbers, particularly because recent evidence out of Ontario shows the variants — primarily the B117 strain — are not only more infectious, but they're also leading to higher rates of hospitalization and death in adults. "How that's going to roll down to children, we'll get a better sense of over time," he said. "But we're anticipating that because it is now moving toward becoming the predominant strain … that we should expect that even if we do our best to try to control the numbers, that the cases that occur could be more severe. So I would say over the next few weeks we'll get a sense of how that's impacting more severe outcomes in children." Dr. Jim Kellner, University of Calgary pediatric infectious disease specialist, says evidence out of Ontario shows the variants, primarily the B117 strain, lead to higher hospitalization and death rates in adults. It is unclear how they might affect children. (COVID-19 Immunity Task Force) Young people between five and 19 have the second-highest COVID-19 rate in Alberta, behind those 20 to 29. And case numbers are climbing quickly among most age groups. CBC News asked Alberta Health for a breakdown of variant cases by age, but the province declined to provide that information. "We are not providing a variant-specific age breakdown, but they are consistent with the age range of other strains to date," a spokesperson said in an email to CBC News. More cases showing up in the ER In Edmonton, Dr Shazma Mithani — who works in both pediatric and adult emergency rooms — is starting to see evidence of the third wave among children. "We are starting to see a bit of an uptick in children who are being diagnosed with COVID in the hospital," she said. Mithani says there was a lull in early 2021 but she's doing a lot more COVID-19 swabs on children in the ER now. While most cases are mild enough to be discharged, the variant is always in the back of her mind. "My main concern is with the variants of concern — specifically the B117 variant — starting to occupy a larger proportion of our case numbers," she said. "I'm definitely worried about what sort of impact that's going to have on our pediatric population and even our young population, in the higher teens [and people in their] 20s to 30s." Dr. Shazma Mithani works in both pediatric and adult emergency rooms in Edmonton.(Shazma Mithani) Mithani says she's also seeing more cases of multi-system inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C), a serious immune response in children that shows up weeks after a coronavirus infection. MIS-C is a rare condition that can be triggered by COVID-19, causing severe inflammation in organs such as the heart. "They come in with a fever, with low blood pressure that can sometimes require special medications … and many of them are needing admission to the intensive care unit or the hospital ward. So we're definitely seeing an increase in those presentations over the last month or so." According to Alberta Health, 20 cases of MIS-C have been confirmed in the province and all of them have recovered. In November 2020, there had been a total of seven. "The timing certainly bears out in terms of being one to three months after that big second wave we had in late fall and early winter. And so it's not surprising that we're seeing these MIS-C cases present now to hospital," said Mithani. MIS-C could be occurring more often than the confirmed case numbers show. According to Kellner, doctors suspect the syndrome quite often now but the diagnosis may not always be confirmed if there is no positive COVID-19 test or known contact with a confirmed case. "We have gradually seen more children with either suspected or proven MIS-C," he said. "I can't put an exact number on it except to say for sure for every child where the … diagnosis for MIS-C is made, there will be some number more of children where we think about it but [the diagnosis] doesn't end up getting made because you don't have enough information to call it that." According to Kellner, while there are many questions about how the third wave could impact children, the data so far reveals Alberta kids and teens have had significantly lower rates of severe outcomes than adults. Roughly 0.6 per cent of all those 19 and under with COVID-19 have ended up hospitalized, and 0.1 per cent have required ICU admissions. There have been no deaths. Children account for 21 per cent of all COVID cases in Alberta.
The latest news on COVID-19 developments in Canada (all times Eastern): 6:10 p.m. British Columbia is reporting 832 new COVID-19 cases and five deaths. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says B.C.'s total number of deaths has now reached 1,463 people. She says 296 people are in hospital being treated for COVID-19, with 79 people in intensive care. Henry started her update today answering questions she says she has received from members of the public, including questions about B.C.'s vaccine strategy. --- 4 p.m. Saskatchewan is reporting 199 new cases of COVID-19 Thursday, 115 of which are in the capital city, which has become a hot spot for variants of concern. Health officials warned that the number of faster-spreading variants is also beginning to rise elsewhere in southern Saskatchewan, particularly Moose Jaw and Weyburn. The province is expanding vaccine eligibility to people 58 and older as of Friday. So far, 200,633 doses have been administered. --- 3:05 p.m. Prince Edward Island is reporting one new case of COVID-19 today. Health officials say the case involves someone under 19 who is a contact of a previously reported infection. Prince Edward Island has 13 active reported cases of COVID-19. The province has reported a total of 160 infections and no deaths linked to the virus. --- 2:15 p.m. Health officials in New Brunswick are reporting 10 new cases of COVID-19 in the province today. One case is in the Moncton region, and the other nine are in the Edmundston region. There are now 141 active cases, and four patients are hospitalized, including three in intensive care. Following a recent confirmed case of COVID-19, health officials have declared an outbreak at Foyer St-Jacques, a special care home in Edmundston. --- 2:05 p.m. Ontario is imposing a four-week “shutdown” to combat rising COVID-19 infections. Premier Doug Ford says the measures will take effect Saturday and remain in place across the province for at least four weeks. Retail stores will see limits on capacity while restaurants will be restricted to takeout, delivery and drive-thru service. Ford made the announcement hours after his government’s science advisers said a stay-at-home order is needed to control the third wave driven by deadlier and more infectious variants. --- 1:55 p.m. Two women in their 40s in Manitoba have died from COVID-19 and there are 52 more cases of the virus. Screening has also identified three more cases that are variants of concern for a total of 270. There are 148 people in hospital due to COVID-19 and 30 are in intensive care. --- 1:05 p.m. Health Canada says almost three in four Canadians over the age of 80 have now received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, as have one in three people between 70 and 79. Overall, almost one in six Canadians have now been given at least one dose, with 5.1 million people vaccinated as of Thursday morning. About 690,000 of those have received both doses. Health Canada also issued new data by province today, showing Quebec ahead of the rest of the country in vaccinations, with 17.5 per cent of the adult population in Quebec vaccinated with at least one dose, followed by Saskatchewan at 14.9 per cent, Alberta at 14.6 per cent and Ontario at 13.9 per cent. Nova Scotia trails way behind at 5.6 per cent, with Manitoba second-to-last at 11 per cent. --- 1 p.m. Newfoundland and Labrador health authorities are reporting one new case of COVID-19. Officials say the case involves a man between 20 and 39 years old and his infection is related to travel within the country. Public health says contact tracers are still trying to chase down the source of another infection announced Wednesday. Newfoundland and Labrador hasn’t reported a case of COVID-19 whose source wasn’t quickly traced to travel or an existing infection since an outbreak swept through the St. John’s region in February. --- 1 p.m. Ontario is now offering Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines to residents aged 55 and older. It’s also expanding the roster of pharmacies offering shots to include locations in every public health unit. The province is expecting 583,400 shots of the vaccine to arrive today. It says pharmacies could start offering the vaccine as early as Saturday. --- 12:20 p.m. Canada's first deliveries of vaccine from the international vaccine sharing program known as COVAX will begin in the next few days. Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin, the military commander overseeing Health Canada's vaccine delivery logistics, says Canada is preparing to pick up 300,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in the coming days and they will be delivered to provinces next week. Canada is to get 1.9 million doses through COVAX by the end of June. --- 11:10 a.m. Nova Scotia is reporting three new cases of COVID-19. Two of the cases are in the Halifax area, with one related to travel outside of Atlantic Canada and the other being a close contact of a previously reported case. Health officials say the third case is in the western health zone and is also related to travel outside of the Atlantic region. The province is reporting a total of 24 active cases of novel coronavirus. --- 11 a.m. Quebec is reporting 1,271 new cases of COVID-19 and nine more deaths attributed to the novel coronavirus, including one in the past 24 hours. Health officials say hospitalizations rose by two, to 487, and 119 people were in intensive care, a drop of one. The province says it administered 41,406 doses of vaccine Wednesday, for a total of 1,391,649, representing 16.4 per cent of the population. Quebec has reported a total of 312,362 COVID-19 infections and 10,676 deaths linked to the virus; it has 9,038 active reported cases. --- 10:30 a.m. Ontario is reporting 2,557 new cases of COVID-19 and 23 more deaths linked to the virus. Health Minister Christine Elliott says there are 743 new cases in Toronto, 484 in Peel Region, and 311 in York Region. She also says there are 131 new cases in Ottawa, 119 in Hamilton and 107 in Durham Region Ontario says 84,060 doses of a COVID-19 vaccine were administered since Wednesday's update. --- 10 a.m. Ontario's science advisers say stay-at-home orders will control the third wave of COVID-19, which is being driven by rising rates of the more deadly variants of concern. The Ontario Science Advisory Table makes the findings in its latest pandemic modelling data. Dr. Adalsteinn Brown, co-chair of the group, says short-term case projections will depend entirely on the public health measures implemented by the government and vaccination rates. He says the province's vaccine rollout is not reaching the highest risk communities, which is delaying its impact as an effective strategy to fight the pandemic. --- 7:15 a.m. The Canadian Press has learned that Ontario is expected to announce a 28-day provincewide "shutdown" today to stop the spread of COVID-19. A source with knowledge of the restrictions says the final details of the new measures are still being worked out. The source, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the announcement, says schools will remain open after the Easter weekend. --- This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 1, 2021. The Canadian Press Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version had an incorrect number of active cases in Quebec.
The family of Amal Alshteiwi has launched a lawsuit against the Calgary Board of Education, asking for $457,000 in damages and costs following the tragic death of their daughter in 2019. The family came to Calgary from a refugee camp in Jordan after fleeing war in Syria in 2013. The parents and six children settled in northeast Calgary but their nine-year-old daughter, Amal started to struggle after moving schools. Her mother, Nasra Abdulrahman, says Amal was bullied every day, usually coming home in tears and was suffering badly as a result. She says Amal was taunted relentlessly about everything from her appearance to her academic performance, her accent and even her hijab. The mother says nobody did anything to stop it or even acknowledge it was happening. Nasra Abdulrahman and Aref Alshteiwi say processes in place at their daughter Amal's school failed her. (Monty Kruger/CBC) Amal told her mother that other kids told her to kill herself because she was so ugly. Her brother, who was at the same school, also experienced and witnessed bullying. Other children at the school and in Amal's class say she was bullied all the time and that they witnessed some of the incidents. Amal eventually moved to a new school and was scared about the bullying following her there. She took her own life at home just a few days later on March 6, 2019. Lawsuit against CBE The CBE said an investigation after Amal's death found no evidence of bullying. The lawsuit, filed last month, says the teacher involved, the school and the school board were negligent and didn't take action to address the bullying or protect their daughter. The parents struggle with English and say they tried to communicate with the school, including visiting with an interpreter and through phone calls, but had little success. They wanted more academic support and for the bullying to stop. The lawsuit says things were so bad at the time that the Alshteiwi children reported being happier in the refugee camp in Jordan than in Calgary. The lawsuit says the CBE failed in its duty to create a safe environment and prevent bullying and failed to investigate. The suit is seeking a total of $457,000 in damages, fees and expenses, including grief counselling. The Calgary Board of Education declined to comment on the lawsuit out of respect for the family. Where to get help: The Calgary Distress Centre has a 24-hour crisis line: 403-266-HELP (4357) The AHS Mental Health Help Line is also available 24 hours: 1-877-303-2642 Call the Canada Suicide Prevention Service at: 1-833-456-4566
NEW YORK — U.S. immigration authorities said Thursday they have detained Anna Sorokin, the con artist who passed herself off as a wealthy German heiress and served more than three years behind bars for defrauding New York banks and hotels. Sorokin, who finagled her way into the Manhattan elite using the name Anna Delvey, remained in New Jersey's Bergen County Jail days after she was scheduled to be deported to her native Germany. The 30-year-old was taken into U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody on March 25, agency spokesperson Marcus Johnson told The Associated Press. The delay could mean the one-time darling of New York's social scene is challenging her deportation, which has been in the works since she was convicted in 2019 on multiple counts of larceny and theft. ICE declined to comment on Sorokin’s immigration proceedings. Sorokin's attorney also declined to discuss the case. A message seeking comment was left with the German embassy in Washington. Prosecutors said Sorokin falsified records and defrauded financial institutions and Manhattan celebrities into believing she had a fortune of $67 million (60 million euros) overseas that could cover her high-end clothing and lavish hotel stays. Among other lies, she claimed her father — a former trucker who runs a heating-and-cooling business — was a diplomat or an oil baron. Her ruse included an application for a $22 million loan to fund a private arts club, complete with exhibitions, installations and pop-up shops, prosecutors said. She was denied that loan but persuaded one bank to lend her $100,000 that she failed to repay. In all, prosecutors accused her of stealing some $275,000. Sorokin, who became known as the “Soho Grifter,” was sentenced to four to 12 years in prison after a trial that drew international media attention. She was released from prison in February. In a recent interview with the BBC, she suggested her audacious fraud had paid off, noting she is writing a book and working on several other projects. “I am trying to turn the attention I am getting into something positive,” she said. ___ Associated Press writer Michael R. Sisak contributed to this report. Jim Mustian, The Associated Press
Red Deer RCMP say they charged a motorist for driving at extreme speeds of more than double the speed limit as well as protesting a summons afterward at the roadside. According to a release, in mid-March RCMP used a stationary laser for speed enforcement on Ross Street near 46th Avenue in Red Deer. Around 1:30 p.m. on March 12, a vehicle was travelling at 102 km/h in a 50 km/h zone, police said. The vehicle was stopped by police and the driver was identified as a 34-year-old man from Red Deer, according to the news release. Due to the extreme speed and risk to the public, the driver was summoned to court, police said. However, after receiving the summons from the police, the driver returned to the roadside with a sign protesting the charge. Police said this caused three vehicles to nearly collide. The individual was directed to stop by police but continued to protest. As a result, the driver was charged with engaging in a stunt likely to distract, startle or interfere with users of the roadway, which is a $567 fine. "Citizens making the decision to travel at such extreme speeds pose a serious risk the public," said Sgt. Mike Zufferli with the Red Deer RCMP traffic unit in a release. "These extreme speeds show a wanton disregard for the safety of others, and was exacerbated by this driver's actions where, in the middle of the day, in a heavily populated downtown core, chose to dangerously distract others."
TORONTO — Ontario residents aged 55 and older can now book Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine appointments at pharmacies across the province, the government announced Thursday. Premier Doug Ford said an expected shipment of 583,400 vaccine doses arrived in the province on Thursday. "Our vaccination rollout plan is well underway," he said. Pharmacies in every public health unit will offer the shots, for a total of 695 sites, and the government said doses could start being administered as early as Saturday. It said more primary care offices and community locations across all 34 public health units will also start administering the vaccine as the rollout continues. Oxford-AstraZeneca shots were initially offered at more than 300 pharmacy locations in Toronto, Windsor-Essex and Kingston, going to people aged 60 and older. Some physicians' offices in six health units were also distributing the shots to patients in that age cohort. The top doctor in the Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington health unit said on Thursday that 70 per cent of adults aged 60 to 64 have been vaccinated. "Our vaccination strategy is proceeding very well in our area and we are on target to get vaccine into arms of everyone who wants it by the end of the summer," Dr. Kieran Moore said in a statement. The government plans to expand the pharmacy rollout to more locations as supply increases and to eventually distribute Moderna vaccines at pharmacies. Ontarians 75 and older are eligible to register for vaccines through the provincial booking system. The age criteria has been lowered in some health units, and the province announced Thursday that would be extended to more regions. Starting Friday, residents of Toronto and Peel Region who are 60 and older will be able to book appointments through the provincial website, as will those 70 and older in more regions, including Thunder Bay, North Bay and Eastern Ontario. Residents 70 and older in 10 other regions, including Hamilton and Ottawa, were already able to book their shots through the province's portal. Others including Halton Region and York Region are offering vaccines at larger clinics to people aged 65 and older. Other people eligible for the vaccine include Indigenous adults, frontline health-care workers, essential caregivers and home-care recipients. The City of Toronto announced Thursday that anyone 60 and older can book an appointment at its mass vaccination clinic starting Friday morning. Toronto officials have been pleading with older residents to book appointments at those sites for weeks, citing dwindling uptake among the oldest seniors. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 1, 2021. The Canadian Press Note to readers: This is a corrected story. An earlier version mistakenly said appointments for those 60 and older would be available at Toronto's clinic starting Saturday.
WASHINGTON/KYIV (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden used a first official phone call with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday to offer staunch support in Ukraine's standoff over Russian troops near its border. Washington has been Ukraine's most powerful ally since Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 but ties were overshadowed by Ukraine's unwilling involvement in events leading to the impeachment trial of Biden's predecessor Donald Trump. "President Biden affirmed the United States' unwavering support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russia's ongoing aggression in the Donbass and Crimea," a U.S. statement said.
Petra Klimes remembers the sound of the final buzzer at the end of her provincial championship game earlier this month. Following a 6-0 win, the U15 AAA Central Storm hockey team was crowned Prince Edward Island's 2020-21 champions. "We were so excited! We screamed and we threw our gloves up in the air and it was just a great experience." The team managed to play every game this season without a single loss, said Petra, who's 13. But with COVID-19, she said there were still questions about whether or not they would get the chance to play for a championship title. 'The team was really great, we bonded well together, we worked well together and we always pushed each other to be better,' says Petra.(Cheryl Perry Photography) "At that time, everything was going good but right before provincials we kind of had a little rough patch," she said referring to a cluster of COVID-19 cases confirmed in Charlottetown and Summerside in March. "I was really excited we got to do provincials because last year was really disappointing." Across Canada, just 145 hockey teams have so far had the chance to lace up for minor hockey provincials — and all of those teams are located on Prince Edward Island, according to Hockey P.E.I. Thanks to stringent public health management and the province having controllable entry points, P.E.I. has weathered the COVID-19 pandemic so far with no deaths and no hospitalizations. 'The right decision' It was March 10 when Hockey P.E.I. announced its bold decision to end the remainder of this year's regular season for minor hockey players on the Island. "Looking back on it, I think we did make the right decision," said Connor Cameron, the executive director. "It was an unpopular decision but at the end of the day, it's kind of one of those things where you just have to do what's right for the most amount of kids and the rest will come out in the wash." 'Our mandate as an organization was about the kids,' said Connor Cameron, the executive director of Hockey P.E.I. 'I think over the last year the kids are the ones that really kind of get the short end of the stick here with hockey.' (Tanner Doiron) In the midst of a provincewide COVID-19 circuit breaker, the organization was stuck. On one hand, Cameron said, no one wants to be the person to tell kids on non-playoff teams that their season is over. On the other, provincials were slated to start March 19 and more than 250 regular season games still needed to be played. "It wasn't possible," he said. Then there was the issue of ice availability — specifically in rural P.E.I. "As the weather gets warmer, the bill goes up significantly for those rinks," said Cameron. "It's a struggle for those rinks every year, but this year especially, with a two-week shut down in December and another interruption in March — they were kind of hurting for money anyway." My son is on the team and I know he was just dying to get the chance to play in provincials. — Darcy Harris, coach And to top it off, the unpredictable illness was lingering with the power to change everything in an instant. "Say we pushed the provincials two weeks, which would give us enough time to make up the games from the circuit breaker," said Cameron. "If we did that and there was another [COVID-19] case in the meantime, well then, maybe we would blow the chance to have our provincials and have our playoffs." Postseason possible Three days after the initial announcement about ending the regular season for young P.E.I. players, the province eased health restrictions and minor hockey later received the green light to go ahead with its post-season. "No question, here on P.E.I. we played the most regular-season games out of anyone in Canada for sure, and we're definitely going to crown the most league champions in Canada," said Cameron. For coaches like Darcy Harris with the Western Warriors U11 AA team, just finishing the season in general surpassed expectations. "I was just glad that they were able to finish out the year, 'cause they worked so hard and learned so much," he said. "My son is on the team and I know he was just dying to get the chance to play in provincials." 'We were fortunate' The Western Warriors ended the regular season and provincial championships in second place. "It was really exciting," said Harris. "It was just nice that everybody was able to get together and compete for a championship." 'It would have been easy for CPHO to just say you you're going to have that many people from different regions of the province coming together so we're just going to pull the pin on it,' says Darcy Harris. 'But they didn't.' (Submitted by Darcy Harris) Harris knows that in some places that wasn't the case. He said one of his closest friends runs a hockey academy in Manitoba; its doors closed this year due to COVID-19. "They never got the chance to play minor hockey at all. Here we were fortunate enough to be able to get basically a full season in and then playoffs," he said. "That collective effort from everybody really allowed us to get that season in." Positive impact on players Cameron said it's too early to know the full impact continuing to play had on P.E.I. hockey players this season but he's certain it will be positive. At the top levels, Cameron said he thinks the impact will be reflected in the QMJHL draft, "not only how high some of our kids go but possibly even the volume of kids that get picked." And in other divisions, Cameron said the payoff is evident both on the ice and off. "At the end of the day, when you see the pictures on social media of the kids and the coaches and — not just the trophy celebration but just the kids in and around the rinks during the provincial weekend — it's definitely worth it," he said. "No question." Petra was also named P.E.I.'s 2020-21 U15 AAA female top forward.(Cheryl Perry Photography) As for 13-year-old forward Petra, she thinks this year's hockey season will help keep her on track to achieve her dream of one day playing in the Olympic Games. "I've loved it since I was like six years old," she said. "Just the feel of when your skates hit the ice is just like the best feeling. "Just to get more practice like shooting, passing, being part of a team — it's just going to help me." More from CBC P.E.I.
The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit announced Thursday night that CEO and Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) Theresa Marentette will retire on June 30, 2021. Marentette joined WECHU in 1989 as a public health nurse. She became director of health protection and CNO in 2013, and was promoted to CEO in 2017. Prior to her career at the WECHU, she worked as a nurse with the Salvation Army Grace Hospital. "The WECHU has been my home for a large part of my life. I feel privileged and honoured to have been able to do the work I love each day while serving my community," Marentette said in the release. "This past year has been one of the most challenging years of my career as a nurse and a leader. With the vaccine implementation well underway, and a strong leadership team in place, it feels like the right time to start a new chapter." In her capacity as CNO and CEO, Marentette appeared with medical officer of health Dr. Wajid Ahmed in the WECHU public health updates during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Ahmed said in the release that he will miss Marentette. "Theresa has worked non-stop for our community. She has supported our staff, our management team and myself through its most difficult times. Theresa's focus and commitment has never wavered, her leadership in public health will be missed," he said. The board of health will now begin the process of transitioning the health unit under new leadership.
OTTAWA — The RCMP watchdog has waited more than two years for the national police force to respond to its interim report that found, perhaps fittingly, the Mounties were too slow in reviewing the watchdog's findings in an earlier matter. An official in the watchdog's office details the wait — one of dozens of such delays — in an affidavit filed in the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association's court case against RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki. The association is seeking a Federal Court declaration that Lucki violated the RCMP Act by failing to submit her response to the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission's interim report about allegations of spying on anti-oil protesters "as soon as feasible." The Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP was granted permission to intervene in the case so it could assist the parties and the court by presenting evidence and making arguments about the complaints process and the systemic RCMP delays affecting the commission's work. Nika Joncas-Bourget, general counsel for reviews with the complaints commission, says in her affidavit that as of Jan. 18, 156 interim reports by the complaints body were awaiting a response from the top Mountie. This included 130 outstanding interim reports that had been awaiting replies from the RCMP commissioner for more than six months. In 106 of those cases the complaints body had been waiting on a response for at least one year. The watchdog cannot make final findings and recommendations on a complaint until the RCMP commissioner responds to an interim report. In turn, the complainant and the public are left waiting for resolution of the matter. As a result, the civil liberties association also wants the Federal Court to declare that the commissioner's "unconscionable delay" in responding to the interim report on the anti-oil protests violated the association's right to freedom of expression. Extreme delay has been the hallmark of the complaints process for over a decade, said Paul Champ, counsel for the association. "It is time to hold the RCMP commissioner accountable for these systemic delays," he said Thursday in a statement. "We hope a strong judgment by the court will compel the RCMP to treat public complaints with the seriousness and respect they deserve.” In an affidavit filed with the court, Michael O'Malley, director of the RCMP's National Public Complaints Directorate, says the force has hired new staff with the aim of eliminating the backlog of cases awaiting responses from the RCMP. Joncas-Bourget says in her affidavit that the commissioner's unreasonable delays thwart the watchdog in carrying out its mandate. “The delay also undermines the legitimacy, fairness, and efficacy of the public complaint process. Both the complainants and the RCMP members who are the subjects of the complaint must live with the stress and uncertainty of an unresolved complaint,” she said. Any remedial action, such as training or policy changes, that the complaints commission recommends must also wait, she added. In many cases, these delays have led to situations where the RCMP members who are subjects of the complaint have retired or resigned before the commission's report is completed, she said. In one case, the commission investigated a complaint from a member of the public who was frustrated at waiting for the RCMP's response to an interim report on the behaviour of two civilian force members. The complaints body's March 2019 interim report about the delay found the RCMP commissioner had not replied on the matter of officer behaviour "within a reasonable time frame." It also recommended the Mounties apologize to the complainant for the "unreasonable delay." More than two years later, the watchdog awaits the RCMP commissioner's response. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 1, 2021. Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press
With the rising number of COVID-19 cases across southern Saskatchewan, Easter is expected to look quieter for many this year. Under the current public health restrictions, travel is not recommended in or out of the Regina area unless absolutely necessary. People in and around Regina also cannot gather with those outside their households — and it's suggested people in Moose Jaw and the southeast region do the same. Everywhere else in Saskatchewan, up to 10 people from three households are allowed to get together. If they do, Premier Scott Moe suggests they do it outside. "I would encourage you to plan for an outdoor event — it is just much, much safer," Moe said at Tuesday's provincial COVID-19 update. "We are in the final metres of this race of what is now the variants and the vaccines, and we have substantial vaccines that are on their way, let's not trip in the final steps of the race." Dr. Saqib Shahab, the province's chief medical health officer, agrees gathering outdoors is a more COVID-friendly option this Easter. "Gathering indoors — especially in the south — is high risk. Throughout the province, I think families have been surprised when they've gathered and suddenly there's been transmission," he said. "It's been especially sad when they've gathered with the best of intentions, and there were people 50 and older who ended up being hospitalized." Given the spike in presumptive coronavirus variant cases across the province, especially in the south, Shahab said his "sincere plea" to people in Saskatchewan is to completely avoid gathering this long weekend. "There's always a lot of social pressure — whether you belong to a faith group or with family — to get together if it's allowed, but I think we just need to hold the course for the next few weeks," he said. Shahab is not alone in his plea for Saskatchewan people to stay home this Easter. Twenty medical health officers from across the province (including in hotspot Regina) have written a letter addressed to the Saskatchewan people asking for the same. As many prepare to celebrate the holiday weekend, here are a few answers to some frequently asked questions: Can I see loved ones if I've received my first and/or second shot of the vaccine? It depends on where you live. Regardless of whether you have had your first or second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, Saskatchewan public health measures still have restrictions on gatherings across the province. In Regina and the surrounding communities, all private indoor gatherings with people outside your immediate household are banned. People who live alone and single parents of minor children are allowed to meet with one consistent household of less than five people. Co-parenting arrangements are allowed to continue as well. Caregivers, support personnel and tradespeople who are not a part of the household are also allowed in homes. Elsewhere across the province, all private indoor gatherings are limited to a maximum of 10 people from no more than three households. People are also being advised not to expand their "household bubbles" and stick to the same group. Outdoor gatherings with up to 10 people are permitted provincewide— as long as households are physically distanced from each other. Can I leave the Regina area if I've received my first and/or second shot of the vaccine? Under the province's current travel advisory for Regina and its surrounding communities, travel is not recommended in or out of the Regina area for anyone, unless it's absolutely necessary. Can I go to an in-person worship service this Easter? Yes. Under the current public health restrictions for worship services in Saskatchewan, most communities — with the exception of Regina and its surrounding area — can hold services with 150 people maximum or at 30 per cent capacity, whichever is less. Worship services in and around Regina must keep to a 30-person maximum. However, the province still recommends places of worship opt for "delivering services virtually or through remote delivery such as drive-in service" instead. Can I visit loved ones in long-term care? In long-term and personal care homes across Saskatchewan, the current public health guidelines limit visits to compassionate reasons, such as end-of-life care, only. "One healthy visitor is allowed at a time for in-person visits for compassionate reasons. This can include a spouse, common-law spouse, child or stepchild, parent, grandparent, grandchild, sibling or a support person with whom the resident has had an equivalent relationship," the province's guidelines read.
VANCOUVER — The B.C. government has purchased three more hotels to help house the homeless in Vancouver. Housing Minister David Eby says in a news release the properties will help the province meet its goal of providing dignified indoor living spaces for everyone currently camping in Vancouver's Strathcona Park by the end of the month. The province says it is spending about $75.5 million to buy the Patricia Hotel and two properties on Main Street. The buildings have a total of 249 units and about 114 are expected to be offered soon to people experiencing homelessness. BC Housing will work with current long-term tenants at the Patricia Hotel to ensure they have appropriate accommodation as the building transitions to supportive housing, while tenants at the other two hotels will not be displaced. This comes after a federal announcement of the purchase of three other properties through the Rapid Housing Initiative, including the Ramada Hotel on West Pender Street. Together, all six buildings will provide about 340 permanent supportive homes, the B.C. government says. "Street homelessness and encampments aren't working for anyone in Vancouver — not for people who have been living outside over the winter in unsafe conditions without access to supports, and not for their neighbours who live nearby," Eby says in a statement. Initially, the Patricia Hotel will provide about 100 permanent homes with wraparound supports and a non-profit housing operator will be on-site to manage the building and provide services. Daily meals, access to life-skills training, recovery services, employment assistance, counselling and physical and mental health resources will be available to residents, the government says. BC Housing is reaching out to non-profit housing providers to explore support services for the two buildings on Main Street. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 1, 2021. Amy Smart, The Canadian Press
