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Canada is offering medical assistance to China

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The Canadian government is offering aid to China to help it deal with the outbreak of a new coronavirus, believed to have originated in the city of Wuhan.

In an panel discussion with The West Block‘s Mercedes Stephenson, the Liberal parliamentary secretary for foreign affairs, Rob Oliphant, was asked about the government response to the outbreak, which the World Health Organization has now deemed a global health emergency.

More than 10,000 people have been sickened by the virus while more than 200 have died, the vast majority of both in China.

But while Ottawa has stressed the risk to Canadians is low, other countries have begun evacuating their citizens from the epicentre of the outbreak as the Canadian government continues to wait for permission from China to send the jet it has chartered to bring Canadians home.

Conservative MP Dan Albas, who is a member of the special committee on Canada-China relations, said he doesn’t think the government is doing enough and that he wants clearer answers on why other countries have been allowed to bring their citizens home while the Canadian government has not.

He argued the government seems to have been caught “flat-footed.”

Oliphant said that’s not the case and the government is pursuing several avenues of what could happen next.

“The plane is ready to go. A crew is trained and ready to go. We’re waiting for a manifest to know which passengers are on that plane and we’re waiting for permission from the Chinese government,” he said, adding Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champange spoke with his Chinese counterpart on Thursday.

“And they’re continuing to have this conversation. We’ve offered to help China with medical supplies. We’re doing everything we should do, but we’re also not panicking.

“The last thing you want a government to do is panic.”

cted rises in China as coronavirus continues to spread

The Chinese government has implemented a quarantine on several cities including Wuhan, home to roughly 11 million people.

In total, around 50 million people in China are in the lockdown zone.

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When the outbreak first began, Oliphant said, virtually no Canadians were registered as being in the impacted region.

“As of last week, we had two Canadians had been registered in this province. Now we have over 300,” he said.

Health Minister Patty Hajdu has said Chinese officials are making it clear anyone with symptoms of the coronavirus will not be allowed to leave the country.

But public health officials say the virus has an incubation period of roughly two weeks, which has led to questions over the past week about whether the government will issue a quarantine for any Canadians returning from the impacted region aboard the evacuation flight.

Hajdu told Global News that “all options are on the table.”

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RCMP arrest second suspect in deadly shooting east of Calgary

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EDMONTON – RCMP say a second suspect has been arrested in the killing of an Alberta county worker.

Mounties say 28-year-old Elijah Strawberry was taken into custody Friday at a house on O’Chiese First Nation.

Colin Hough, a worker with Rocky View County, was shot and killed while on the job on a rural road east of Calgary on Aug. 6.

Another man who worked for Fortis Alberta was shot and wounded, and RCMP said the suspects fled in a Rocky View County work truck.

Police later arrested Arthur Wayne Penner, 35, and charged him with first-degree murder and attempted murder, and a warrant was issued for Strawberry’s arrest.

RCMP also said there was a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Strawberry, describing him as armed and dangerous.

Chief Supt. Roberta McKale, told a news conference in Edmonton that officers had received tips and information over the last few weeks.

“I don’t know of many members that when were stopped, fuelling up our vehicles, we weren’t keeping an eye out, looking for him,” she said.

But officers had been investigating other cases when they found Strawberry.

“Our investigators were in O’Chiese First Nation at a residence on another matter and the major crimes unit was there working another file and ended up locating him hiding in the residence,” McKale said.

While an investigation is still underway, RCMP say they’re confident both suspects in the case are in police custody.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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26-year-old son is accused of his father’s murder on B.C.’s Sunshine Coast

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RICHMOND, B.C. – The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the 26-year-old son of a man found dead on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast has been charged with his murder.

Police say 58-year-old Henry Doyle was found badly injured on a forest service road in Egmont last September and died of his injuries.

The homicide team took over when the BC Coroners Service said the man’s death was suspicious.

It says in a statement that the BC Prosecution Service has approved one count of first-degree murder against the man’s son, Jackson Doyle.

Police say the accused will remain in custody until at least his next court appearance.

The homicide team says investigators remained committed to solving the case with the help of the community of Egmont, the RCMP on the Sunshine Coast and in Richmond, and the Vancouver Police Department.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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Metro Vancouver’s HandyDART strike continues after talks break with no deal

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VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, have broken off without an agreement following 15 hours of talks.

Joe McCann, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they stayed at the bargaining table with help from a mediator until 2 a.m. Friday and made “some progress.”

However, he says the union negotiators didn’t get an offer that they could recommend to the membership.

McCann says that in some ways they are close to an agreement, but in other areas they are “miles apart.”

About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people who can’t navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last week, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.

McCann asks HandyDART users to be “patient,” since they are trying to get not only a fair contract for workers but also a better service for customers.

He says it’s unclear when the talks will resume, but he hopes next week at the latest.

The employer, Transdev, didn’t reply to an interview request before publication.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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