OTTAWA —
Here we go again as a lockdown and tight restrictions aimed at fighting COVID-19 roll out across a besieged country.
Ontario is set to fire the lockdown gun in and around Toronto on Friday.
That plus a “hard stop” to social events in Alberta, tough stay-at-home orders in Manitoba, new restrictions on Saskatchewan households, a planned extension to the Christmas school break in Quebec and further restrictions to be announced by B.C. on Thursday means all of Canada’s population outside of Atlantic Canada is heading back in time to March madness.
But beyond the question of whether it will work any better the second time around is another concern: Will Canadians accept a long, cold winter under house arrest?
This go-round feels different than last spring when near-total compliance emptied highways, closed offices, terminated school years and silenced playgrounds.
Then there was an overarching sense every individual effort would aid the national cause or, conversely, that risky behavior by the one was a risk to the many and should not be tolerated.
But there’s a fury in the land which believes governments and public health officials dropped the prevention ball between the first and second wave. And rebellion against a do-over is taking root.
After all, provincial governments (except for Alberta) still aren’t telling us how the coronavirus is spreading and why it’s returning with such a vengeance.
They post the daily coronavirus death toll, but don’t reveal if the cause was linked to other health conditions or old age.
We are given the “positivity rates” from testing in the lab, but insufficient resources for contract tracing to identify and isolate those who might be infected beyond every positive result.
Rapid testing is proving painfully slow to roll out and Health Canada isn’t even studying home tests yet.
And it doesn’t help when the messaging gets laughably ridiculous, to wit Ontario’s chief medical officer of health talking about a green Christmas; green as in Ontario being at the lowest pandemic zone, not one lacking snow cover.
That took about 10 minutes for the medical community to dismiss that as a hope so faint, it almost rivals Donald Trump’s disinfectant injection cure for the virus.
It’s all become a national disjointed game of COVID-19 catch-up and confusion with premiers trying to be seen doing something, even if it might not do much to actually fight a spread largely driven by their failure to calm the second wave earlier.
Exhibit A: B.C. Premier John Horgan called for a national non-essential travel ban on Wednesday without releasing any evidence the virus is being imported from out-of-province visitors.
Then there’s our pandemic leader, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who acts like the war against COVID is his own secret mission.
Under bombardment in Question Period on Wednesday, his responses could be distilled into three paragraphs.
Vaccine doses? A LOT (actually the most of any country on Earth on a per capita basis).
Vaccine approvals? Coming!
Vaccine distribution? Planned!!
The lack of detail is not likely to give weary Canadians the encouragement they need to get through what’s coming.
So, here we go again with outlawed social gatherings, banned sporting events and restaurants being closed even if they’ve taken all the right precautions.
All that will do is unleash underground social events in, let’s just pick something weird out of thin air, places like a storage facility. (OK, this actually happened when 100 were busted partying in one last weekend just outside Toronto.)
And don’t forget about Christmas, a holiday Trudeau suggested could be saved if we all sacrificed enough family time at Thanksgiving.
Sorry, he’ll soon say, but that’s not going to happen. Well, humbug.
Securing public buy-in for the tough challenge ahead requires a three-step rehabilitation from all levels of government.
They must produce clear evidence to back hard-hitting COVID mitigation moves. They must get rapid testing in stores or, preferably, homes. And they should give Canadians a roadmap to the promised land of mass vaccination.
Only then will public trust in government to deliver effective pandemic-killing medicine get a shot in the arm.
TOKYO (AP) — Shohei Ohtani’s feat of becoming the first major leaguer with at least 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season was met with extra editions of newspapers for fans to read on their way to work on Friday morning in Japan.
Ohtani raced past the 50-50 milestone as he hit three homes and stole two bases in a game during the 20-4 rout of the Miami Marlins on Thursday, securing a playoff berth for the Dodgers.
The news topped morning headlines, and “Ohtani-san” was the No. 1 trending topic of social media platform X.
There was also praise from the Japanese government.
“We would like to express our heartfelt congratulations on his achievement of this giant record,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said as he responded to the first question at his regular news conference Friday. “We look forward to seeing more successes from Ohtani, who has already achieve numerous feats and pioneered new grounds.”
Ohtani, who debuted in Major League Baseball in 2018 with the Los Angeles Angels, has become Japan’s national icon and pride.
Yu Tachibana, a 44-year-old office worker, was a lucky one to get a copy of the special newspaper edition for her 18-year-old son who plays baseball. She says nobody had thought a Japanese player would so well a decade ago. “It is very encouraging,” she said, as she noted a saying where there is a will, there is a way.
A wave of congratulatory messages were posted on social media.
“Japan’s record-making machine has done it again,” U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel said in his message on X. “Congratulations to Shohei Ohtani on an incredible baseball achievement. A true global ambassador of the game.”
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Already an NBA MVP and an Olympic gold medalist, All-Star center Joel Embiid now has until the end of the decade to try to win his first NBA championship with the Philadelphia 76ers.
With another maximum contract secured, Embiid wants to chase that title in Philly — and remain a Sixer for the rest of his career.
“Philadelphia is home,” Embiid wrote on Instagram.
A seven-time NBA All-Star, Embiid and the 76ers agreed to a $193 million extension with a player option for the 2028-29 season, a person familiar with the deal said. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the terms have not yet been announced.
The 30-year-old Embiid, who graduated from a Florida high school and played a season in college at Kansas, broke his own news early Friday morning when he posted a photo on Instagram of him signing a contract alongside team owner Josh Harris.
“I want to be here the rest of my career. I love this community and everything you’ve given me and my family,” Embiid wrote. “There is a lot more work to do. You guys deserve a championship and I think we’re just getting started.”
Embiid, who dropped a franchise-record 70 points last season against San Antonio, signed off with the familiar 76ers hashtag, “#trusttheprocess.”
Embiid — still in the second year of a $196 million extension he signed ahead of the 2021 season — became the third cornerstone player this offseason to sign a massive contract with the 76ers. The team hasn’t won an NBA title since 1983.
The 76ers enticed Paul George to leave the Los Angeles Clippers and sign a four-year, $212 million contract. The NBA’s Most Improved Player last season, Tyrese Maxey, was rewarded with a five-year, $204 million extension. The 76ers committed more than $400 million in salary to two players they believe position them as the top contender to dethrone the NBA champion Boston Celtics.
George and Maxey both congratulated Embiid on the extension on Instagram.
Throw in Embiid’s deal and the Sixers are counting on a Big Three that can contend for the life of their contracts. Embiid, though, has a history of injuries and has yet to lead to the franchise out of the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Embiid has never played more than 68 games in a season and averaged 34.7 points in just 39 games last season.
Originally selected by the 76ers with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft, Embiid was named NBA MVP in the 2022-23 season and he won a gold medal with Team USA at this year’s Paris Olympics.
He has five All-NBA Team honors, seven consecutive All-Star selections from 2017-24, three All-Defensive Team nods, and twice has been the NBA scoring champion.
“Joel has cemented himself as one of the greatest Sixers of all time and is well on his way to being one of the best players to ever play the game. We’re ecstatic that this extension keeps him and his family in Philadelphia for years to come,” Harris said. “Joel is a great family man, leader, and person. He is an elite two-way player with a combination of size, strength, and athleticism that this league has rarely – if ever – seen. He is integral to this franchise’s quest for another NBA Championship, and we are honored that he continues to choose this organization as his NBA home.”
In 433 games (all starts) with the franchise, Embiid has averaged 27.9 points on 50.4% shooting, 11.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.7 blocked shots across 31.9 minutes per contest. He ranks first in franchise history in scoring average (27.9 points per game), fifth in blocked shots (720), tied for sixth in triple-doubles (seven), and seventh in total points scored (12,071). Embiid also ranks third on the franchise list with eight 50-point games.
“I had no idea when I was drafted as a 20-year-old kid from Cameroon how lucky I was to be in Philadelphia,” Embiid said in a team statement. “Through all the ups and downs, this city and the fans have been everything, and I am so grateful for how they’ve embraced me.”
A youth soccer player, Embiid didn’t pick up a basketball until he was a teenager in Africa, when a friend informed him that very few 7-footers succeed in soccer.
A few months later, Embiid was lured to a basketball camp in the capital of Yaounde run by NBA veteran Luc Mbah a Moute, one of just two players from Cameroon to have played in the NBA. Mbah a Moute persuaded Embiid’s parents to let him move 6,000 miles to Florida, and helped enroll him at Montverde Academy, one of the best high school programs in the country. He played just 28 games in his lone season at Kansas before leaving for the NBA.
Embiid missed his first two full seasons with injuries before settling in as one of the top big men — and richest players — of his generation.
CALGARY – It will be the last show for longtime children’s TV star Ron (Buck Shot) Barge as a memorial is held Friday in Calgary.
For 30 years, Buck Shot and his sidekick Benny the Bear entertained Calgarians with songs, puppets, the birthday book and his nifty battered cowboy hat.
Barge died at home last month just 10 days short of his 88th birthday.
The memorial is set for noon at the Centre Street Church.
“It’s like the last show. That’s why we did it at noon,” said his son Ken.
“It’s at noon because that’s when ‘The Buck Shot Show’ would start … 12 o’clock every day,” added his daughter Brenda.
“We’re looking forward to it. It’s going to be nice to have the memorial because Dad would love it.”
“Buck Shot” was one of the longest-running children’s shows in Canada, surpassing “Mr. Dressup,” which ran for 29 years, and “The Friendly Giant,” which aired for 27.
Barge was asked to develop the show when he was a cameraman and floor director at CFCN in Calgary. He had a knack for interviewing kids in the audience and getting actual responses.
The show ran from 1967 to 1997, but Barge continued in his role making special appearances at events.
“It’s just for people who want to celebrate him. We’ve had so many beautiful things said online,” Brenda Barge said.
“It’s been such a reawakening of who my dad was because it’s been a lot of years since he was Buck Shot.”
A musician most of his life, Barge played in bands from the time he was 16. He played piano and sang with the Stardells for more than 20 years in Calgary.
His family said he loved the show and the character he created. Since the show was done live, it led to a number of pranks being played by people working on it.
“The birthday book was the primary target and the hired hands would put either a bad joke or a bad picture or something that was not appropriate for children’s television and my dad would have to keep a straight face while he was holding that stupid book,” said Ken.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 20, 2024.
