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Canada reports more than 55,000 COVID-19 cases, with close to 3,400 deaths – Global News
Canada’s death toll from COVID-19 approached 3,400 on Friday, with confirmed cases totalling a little over 55,000.
Tallied daily based on updates from provincial health authorities across Canada, the numbers include at least 22,361 recoveries from the virus and 868,478 tests.
Nationwide, the number of cases totalled 55,061.
The majority of cases and deaths are in Ontario and Quebec. Both comprise more than 80 per cent of the national case count.
Quebec reported more than 1,100 new cases and 163 new deaths on Friday, for a total of 28,648 cases and 2,022 deaths. Despite having the highest number of fatalities and cases in the country, Quebec is moving towards gradually reopening, prompting backlash for the provincial government. More than 6,000 people have recovered from the virus.
Ontario announced 421 new COVID-19 cases and 39 deaths, for a total of 16,608 cases and 1,121 deaths since the pandemic began. Earlier this week, the province released guidelines for a slow reopening of businesses. Close to 11,000 people have recovered so far.
Alberta has the highest number of COVID-19 cases after Ontario and Quebec by a large margin, with 5,573 cases reported as of Friday and 92 deaths. Provincial health officials announced the launch of a voluntary contract-tracing app on Friday — the first of its kind in North America, they said. More than 2,300 people are deemed recovered.
British Columbia reported 33 new cases and one death on Friday. The province has 2,145 cases so far, with 1,357 recoveries, and 112 deaths.
New Brunswick reported no new case of COVID-19 for almost two weeks in a row as of Friday. Only two cases remain active. The province is in talks with Prince Edward Island — which also had no new case to report, and has only three active cases out of 27 confirmed ones — about reopening the border between the two.
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Newfoundland and Labrador reported one new case on Friday, bringing its total to 259 cases and three deaths, with 230 recoveries.
Nova Scotia reported one death and 12 new cases on Friday. The province has extended its state of emergency until May 17, while also relaxing some restrictions in order to let residents enjoy the outdoors. As of Friday, provincial and municipal parks can reopen, although playground equipment will continue to be off-limits. Beaches in the province will remain closed.
Four new cases were reported in Manitoba, where the provincial total is 279 cases as of Friday, with six deaths, and 235 recoveries.
“Our numbers have been flat as of late thanks to Manitobans’ strong efforts,” said Dr. Brent Roussin, the province’s chief medical health officer.
Saskatchewan reported 26 new COVID-19 cases as well as an outbreak at a hospital in Prince Albert. The province has 415 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began, with six deaths. Close to 300 people have recovered.
Nunavut reported its first case on Thursday. The Northwest Territories has had five cases so far, all of whom have recovered. Yukon has 11 cases total, nine of whom have recovered.
Globally, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus has so far claimed 213,497 lives and resulted in more than 3.1 million cases, according to data tracked by Johns Hopkins University.
© 2020 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
News
1 dead, 2 critically injured after car crash in Montreal
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Three people are in hospital with critical injuries after their vehicle crashed into a tree. Police believe they might be connected to two drive-by shootings that took place early Thursday morning.
2 drive-by shootings also took place overnight
Urgences-santé say one person died and two others were critically injured after their vehicle hit a tree in the Rosemont neighbourhood.
Montreal police believe the crash may be linked to two drive-by shootings early Thursday morning.
The first happened around 5 a.m. on Pie-IX Boulevard. Police say a car was shot at repeatedly and the driver, a 41-year-old man, was injured in the upper body. He was transported to hospital, but his life is not in danger, say police.
Shortly afterward, shots were reported in the Plateau Mont-Royal borough, near the intersection of Saint-Joseph Boulevard and Henri-Julien Avenue. No one was injured.
Police say they are investigating to determine if there is a connection between the collision and the shootings. Montreal police spokesperson Jean-Pierre Brabant says it’s possible those in the vehicle were involved in the shootings.
The province’s independent police watchdog is now involved.
with files from Chloë Ranaldi
News
Pakistan airline crew sought asylum in Canada: spokesperson – CTV News
Typically, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight attendants who arrive in Toronto stay at a hotel overnight, meet back up with their crew the next day and then fly to their next destination.
But increasingly often, PIA attendants aren’t showing up, the airline says. According to PIA, at least eight flight attendants disappeared over the last year and a half.
They have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Increased occurrences
Abdullah Hafeez Khan said at least eight flight attendants “have gone missing” after flying to Pearson International Airport in Toronto. He said these incidents have been happening over the last 10 years, but are now occurring more frequently.
“Since probably October of 2022, the number of the people that have opted asylum has increased tremendously,” Khan said in a video interview with CTVNews.ca from Karachi, Pakistan, where the airline is based.
“None of those crew members that disappeared in the last one-and-a-half years have come back. So they were granted asylum for one way or the other, and that probably has encouraged others to do so.”
The missing employees were fired immediately and lost their company benefits, Khan said.
Why did they flee?
Khan said he could only speculate as to why the flight attendants would flee.
The Canadian government underscored the volatile situation in Pakistan, warning in a travel advisory of a “high threat of terrorism,” along with threats of civil unrest, sectarian violence and kidnapping.
“The security situation is fragile and unpredictable,” the Canadian travel advisory reads. “Incidents are typically attributed to extremism, ethnic divisions, sectarian strife, regional political disputes and the situation in neighbouring Afghanistan.”
It added that many deaths and injuries have occurred from bombings, shootings and other terrorist attacks at a wide range of targets.
Since Khan isn’t in contact with any of the missing employees, he says, he assumes they decided to seek asylum in Canada for economic and social reasons.
“So I naturally assumed that all of them have been given asylum because I don’t think they would be living there illegally,” he said, adding they may already have family connections in Canada who can support them.
‘PR crisis’
Khan called the flight attendants’ disappearances a “PR crisis” for PIA that is “bad” for business amid a crew shortage.
The airline is in talks with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and Pakistani law enforcement agencies to potentially create a “legal safeguard” to curtail flight crew from seeking asylum, he said.
When asked about the PIA flight attendants’ disappearances, Erin Kerbel, spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, said the department couldn’t comment on specific cases due to privacy legislation.
In response to questions about PIA’s claim that discussions are underway about the issue, a spokesperson for the CBSA said it could not confirm any information.
“The Canada Border Services Agency does not provide comment or details on specific individuals, including any discussions that would take place with airline companies, as an individual’s border and immigration information is considered private and protected by the Privacy Act,” Maria Ladouceur said in an email to CTVNews.ca.
Since the crew members’ disappearances, Khan said, the airline has “done numerous things to curtail that.”
For instance, the airline is only staffing Toronto-bound flights with crew members who have “established linkages” in Pakistan, such as children, spouses or parents, as well as those who have worked in the organization for more than 15 years.
The airline avoids sending to Toronto those who are single or don’t have established family ties in Pakistan, he said.
Khan said he and the airline are no longer in contact with the flight attendants because, they discovered, they usually change their phone numbers soon after disappearing in Toronto.
Who disappeared?
The PIA flight attendants who vanished in Canada are seasoned pros in their late 30s or 40s, some of whom have worked for the airline for as long as two decades, Khan said.
“There was never any sign from them that they would seek something like that,” he said. “So that is something that is bothering us in the matter because working with people who have been working with you for a long time and then something happens like this is pretty unexpected.”
In one of the latest cases in February, the crew members were waiting to take the bus back to the airport from the hotel in Toronto and one of the flight attendants didn’t show up, Khan said.
The airline was unable to reach the flight attendant on her cellphone or hotel landline so, Khan says, they asked hotel management to check if she was OK.
“When the crew went there, she left her uniform there with a note saying, ‘Thank you PIA,'” Khan said, which he interpreted as a genuine sentiment of gratitude for her more than 15 years of service with PIA rather than a taunt.
Khan said the crew members who disappeared were “family values people” who had good careers in Pakistan.
Asylum policies
Individuals can make a refugee claim in Canada at a port of entry upon arrival or online if they are already in Canada, according to the Canadian government’s website.
Canadian immigration or border officials will determine if the person is eligible for a hearing before the Immigration and Refugee Board. All claimants must undergo health and security screenings, the government says.
If eligible to make a claim in Canada, refugee claimants can access social assistance, education, health services, emergency housing and legal aid pending a decision on their claim. Most can apply for a work permit after a medical examination.
News
Alberta's population surges by record-setting 202,000 people: Here's where they all came from – CBC.ca
Alberta smashed population-growth records in the past year, mainly due to people moving to the province from across Canada and around the world.
The province’s population surged to just over 4.8 million as of Jan. 1, according to new estimates released Wednesday by Statistics Canada.
That’s an increase of 202,324 residents compared with a year earlier, which marks — by far — the largest annual increase on record.
Alberta also broke a national record in 2023 for interprovincial migration, with a net gain of 55,107 people.
“This was the largest gain in interprovincial migration nationally since comparable data became available in 1972,” Statistics Canada said in a release.
Most of the interprovincial migrants came from Ontario and British Columbia.
Statistics Canada estimates that 38,236 Ontarians moved to Alberta last year, versus 14,860 Albertans who moved to Ontario, for a net gain of 23,376 people.
Similarly, an estimated 37,650 British Columbians moved to Alberta, compared to 22,400 Albertans who moved to B.C., for a net gain of 15,250.
All told, interprovincial migration accounted for 27 per cent of Alberta’s population growth over the past year.
That put it just ahead of permanent immigration, which accounted for 26 per cent, and well ahead of natural population increase (more births than deaths), which accounted for eight per cent.
The largest component, however, was temporary international migration.
Non-permanent residents from other countries accounted for 39 per cent of the province’s population growth in the past year, reflecting a national trend.
Canada’s population reached 40,769,890 on Jan. 1, according to Statistics Canada estimates, which is up 3.2 per cent from a year ago.
“Most of Canada’s 3.2-per-cent population growth rate stemmed from temporary immigration in 2023,” Statistics Canada noted.
“Without temporary immigration, that is, relying solely on permanent immigration and natural increase (births minus deaths), Canada’s population growth would have been almost three times less (1.2 per cent).”
Alberta’s population, meanwhile, grew by 4.4 per cent year-over-year.
Alberta now represents 11.8 per cent of the country’s population, its largest proportion on record.
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