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Canadian COVID-19 cases: How were they contracted? – CTV News
TORONTO —
As of March 3, there are more than 92,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across every continent except Antarctica, and more than 3,100 deaths. More than 48,100 of those who tested positive have recovered. In Canada, there are 30 confirmed cases in three provinces.
The following are details on where the cases occurred and how the individuals contracted the virus.
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Cases:
- 9 (4 recovered)
- 4 males, 5 females
- 5 cases are related to travel to China or contact with individuals returning/visiting from China
- 4 cases are related to travel to Iran or contact with individuals returning/visiting from Iran
Tests: 1,012 individuals (1,425 samples) (as of Feb. 27, 2020)
Jan. 28 – A man in his 40s and resident of the Vancouver Coastal health region was British Columbia’s first presumptive case. He had recently returned from Wuhan the prior week and was tested on Sunday, Jan. 26 and was in self-isolation at home. Status: Recovered as of Feb. 19.
Feb. 4 – A woman in her 50s was B.C.’s second presumptive case, and Canada’s fifth case. She had close contact with family visitors from Wuhan and was in self-isolation at home.
Feb. 6 – B.C .confirmed two new cases of COVID-19, involving a man and a woman in their 30s from Wuhan, China, who were visiting the second B.C. case announced on Feb. 4.
Feb. 14 – A woman in her 30s, who recently returned from China, was B.C.’s fifth case and Canada’s eighth. She was in self-isolation at home.
Feb. 20 – A woman in her 30s who recently returned from Iran was B.C.’s sixth’s presumptive case and was in self-isolation at home.
Feb. 24 – A B.C. man in his 40s who was in close contact with B.C.’s sixth case reported on Feb. 20, was the province’s seventh case. He was in isolation and monitored from home.
Feb. 29 – British Columbia reported a woman in her 60s, visiting from Iran and staying with family in B.C., tested positive. She was in isolation at home along with others who were at risk. She arrived earlier in the week.
B.C. officials report that three additional patients were now fully recovered.
March 3 – A man in his 50s who recently returned from Iran was the ninth case in B.C. His case is unrelated to any of the previously reported cases, and the patient is currently in isolation at home.
ONTARIO
Cases:
- 20 (3 recovered)
- 9 males, 9 females, 2 unknown
- 4 cases are related to travel to China
- 11 cases are related to travel to Iran or contact with individuals coming from Iran
- 5 cases are related to travel to Egypt
Tests:1,061 negative tests, 45 under investigation (as of March 3, 2020)
Jan. 25 –The first case was reported in Toronto, Ontario. On Thursday, Jan 23, a patient was admitted to Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre with a fever and respiratory symptoms and put under isolation. The patient had just returned from Wuhan, China, where the outbreak began, but had taken precautions since leaving China. Status: Recovered as of Feb. 23.
Jan. 27 – Ontario confirmed its second presumptive case in Toronto. The patient, who had been in self-isolation at home since returning to Canada, is the wife of the first patient. Status: Recovered as of Feb. 23.
Jan. 31 – Ontario confirmed its third case in London. A woman in her 20s arrived in Toronto from China on Jan. 23 without any symptoms. She began exhibiting symptoms the next day, on Jan. 24, was tested the same day and was otherwise in isolation at home. Status: Recovered as of Feb. 12.
Feb. 23 – A woman in her 20s from Toronto was the 10th presumptive case in Canada and fourth in Ontario. She arrived from China and went to North York General Hospital on Feb. 21 and was tested. She was discharged and went into self-isolation at home. Status: Unresolved as of March 2.
Feb. 26 – A Toronto woman in her 60s with a travel history to Iran was the 12th confirmed case in Canada and Ontario’s fifth case. She went to Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre on Feb. 24 where she was tested and discharged the same day, and went into self-isolation. Status: Unresolved as of March 2.
Feb. 27 – The husband of Ontario’s fifth case, a man in his 60s, tested positive for the virus and was in self-isolation at home. Status: Unresolved as of March 2.
Feb. 28 – A man in his 50s who arrived in Toronto on Feb. 25 with a travel history to Iran, was the province’s seventh case and Canada’s 15th. He went to Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre on Feb. 26, was tested and discharged the same day and went into self-isolation. Status: Unresolved as of March 2.
A man in his 80s, with a travel history to Egypt, was Ontario’s eighth case. He arrived in Toronto on Feb. 20 and went to Scarborough Health Network’s General Hospital on Feb. 27. He was tested and discharged the same day, and was in self-isolation. Status: Unresolved as of March 2.
Feb. 29 – Ontario confirmed three new cases of COVID-19.
A 34-year-old woman, with a travel history to Iran, was tested at Mackenzie Health in Richmond Hill on Feb. 27, one day after arriving in Toronto. She was not admitted, but was in self-isolation. Status: Unresolved as of March 2.
A 51-year-old woman, who returned to Toronto from Iran on Feb. 22, went to a clinic in Ajax on Feb. 28. She was tested at Lakeridge Health Ajax Pickering, discharged and put in self-isolation. Status: Unresolved as of March 2.
Her 69-year-old husband, who accompanied her to the clinic and hospital was also tested, discharged, and put in self-isolation. He did not have any recent travel history to Iran. Status: Unresolved as of March 2.
March 1 – Ontario confirmed four new cases.
A Toronto man in his 50s, temporarily living in Vaughan, was tested at Mackenzie Health on Feb. 28. He is the brother of one of the previously reported cases with a travel history to Iran. He had no community exposure and was in self-isolation. Status: Unresolved as of March 2.
A man in his 40s and the husband the 34-year-old woman confirmed on Feb. 29 was tested at Mackenzie Health in Richmond Hill on Feb 28. He had returned with his wife and toddler from Iran on Feb. 26 and self-isolated prior to developing symptoms. Status: Unresolved as of March 2.
A man in his 60s, who had returned from Iran on Feb. 23, was tested on Feb. 28 at North York General Hospital, discharged and went into self-isolation the same day. Status: Unresolved as of March 2.
A female in her 70s from Newmarket is a contact of, and was in Egypt with the eighth case that was reported on Feb. 28. She was seen at Southlake Regional Health Centre on Feb. 29, tested, and went into self-isolation. Status: Unresolved as of March 2.
March 2 –Three new cases were confirmed in Ontario, bringing Canada’s total to 27.
A Toronto woman in her 60s, who returned from Egypt on Feb. 20, was tested at Mackenzie Health in Richmond Hill on Feb. 29 and went into self-isolation. Status: Unresolved as of March 2.
Another woman in her 70s, who also returned from Egypt on Feb. 20, is the roommate of a confirmed case in North York. Status: Unresolved as of March 2.
A man in his 60s, who recently returned from Iran, is a close contact of another case in North York. Status: Unresolved as of March 2.
March 3 – Two new cases involving residents in the Greater Toronto Area were confirmed. The individuals, whose gender and ages have not been released, had recently travelled to Iran and Egypt and were both in self-isolation.
QUEBEC
Cases:
- 1
- 1 woman
- 1 case related to travel to Iran
Tests: 203 negative tests, 7 cases under investigation (as of March 3, 2020)
Feb. 27 – Quebec announced the province’s first presumptive case involving a woman who recently returned from Iran. The individual was in self-isolation at home.
The head of one of Canada’s largest police forces met with a Sri Lankan inspector general of police who two weeks earlier had been found by the South Asian country’s highest court to have “participated in the torture” of an arrested man.
Photos published by Sri Lankan media, including the Ceylon Today, an English-language daily newspaper, show Peel Regional Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah in uniform posing alongside senior Sri Lankan officers on Dec. 29, 2023 at police headquarters in the capital Colombo – a visit a Peel police spokesperson says Global Affairs Canada and the RCMP had been made aware of ahead of time.
One of the law enforcement officials in the photos was the inspector-general of Sri Lankan police, Deshabandu Tennakoon, who earlier that month was ordered to pay compensation for taking part in “mercilessly” beating a man.
Peel Regional Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah signs a guestbook at Sri Lankan police headquarters in Colombo, as the country’s inspector general Deshabandu Tennakoon stands behind him. Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court found he took part in the torture of an arrested man. (Credit: Ceylon Today).
Ceylon Today
On Dec. 14, 2023, Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court ruled Tennakoon was involved in the brutal arrest of a man suspected of theft, holding him in what the court called the “torture chamber” of the police station for more than 24 hours, striking and suffocating him, and rubbing chili powder on his genitals.
Dr. Thusiyan Nandakumar, a physician who also runs the London, U.K.-based outlet the Tamil Guardian, called it a “stain on Canada’s reputation.”
“To see someone of (Duraiappah’s) stature receive a guard of honour from that very same institution that’s responsible for so many abuses was shocking, to say the least,” Nandakumar said.
Duraiappah declined Global News’ request for an interview. In a statement, a Peel Regional Police spokesperson called his trip to Sri Lanka “personal” and said there is “no ongoing initiative or collaboration between Peel Regional Police and any organization in Sri Lanka.”
Peel Regional Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah wears his uniform and walks by Sri Lankan soldiers in a visit Peel police describe as a “personal” trip. (Credit: Ceylon Today).
Ceylon Today
Duraippah was photographed multiple times during his visit wearing his Peel police uniform.
Rathika Sitsabaiesan – a former NDP MP and Canada’s first Tamil member of Parliament – says when someone wears a uniform, “you’re representing the organization for which you are the chief.”
Duraippah is the only police chief of Sri Lankan descent outside the South Asian nation, according to Peel police, which operates in Mississauga and Brampton, Ont.
“(It’s) very harmful to me as a Canadian, as someone who grew up in the region of Peel, and all the people who continue to live in Peel and who identify as Tamil, in my opinion,” Sitsabaiesan said.
The Peel spokesperson said Duraiappah accepted an invitation from Sri Lankan police officers while he was on a family vacation to the country of his birth.
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The spokesperson would not confirm when asked if Duraiappah had met directly with Tennakoon beyond the photos, which show them holding a plaque together and Tennakoon standing behind Duraiappah while he signed a guestbook.
It’s not clear whether the event photographed was the only meeting or whether any additional ones were held, including whether Duraiappah and Tennakoon met outside of the moment they were photographed together.
Another Peel spokesperson added that “the Chief discussed the requests for meetings received with Global Affairs Canada and the RCMP.”
The RCMP says the force provided information to Duraiappah about Tennakoon, including about the recent court ruling, ahead of time.
“The Government of Canada did not organize the visit, which was considered a personal visit. However, given the RCMP’s close working relationship with Peel Regional Police, the RCMP Liaison Officer for Sri Lanka offered to facilitate Chief Duraiappah with arrangements involving police agencies in Sri Lanka,” an RCMP spokesperson said in response to questions from Global News.
“Information was provided to Chief Duraiappah for his situational awareness about recent developments in Sri Lanka, including the Sri Lankan Supreme Court’s ruling on Chief Tennakoon.”
Global Affairs Canada also said the visit was “personal.”
“The Government of Canada did not organize the visit” and “as is customary for meetings with high-level officials, staff from the High Commission of Canada to Sri Lanka accompanied the Chief as a courtesy,” Global Affairs Canada spokesperson Marilyn Guèvremont said.
Sitsabaiesan says “alarm bells should have gone off” given the country’s human rights record.
In October 2022, Canada adopted a United Nations Human Rights Council resolution calling on Sri Lanka to address the “human rights, economic and political crises” in the country.
The following year it sanctioned four government officials for “human rights violations on the island” and commemorated the Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day for the first time – marking the deaths of tens of thousands of Tamils during the country’s 26-year civil war.
“Canada is well-versed in the crimes that took place. It’s not something that Ottawa is blind to,” Nandakumar said.
While it’s not unusual for western officers to visit, collaborate or train police forces in developing countries, some have recently distanced themselves from Sri Lankan authorities.
In 2021, Scotland ended its training program for officers in the country over allegations of human rights abuses.
In January of this year, the United Nations criticized Sri Lankan police for their “heavy handed” anti-drug crackdown, with reports of arbitrary arrests, torture and public strip searches.
Tennakoon’s recent appointment as police chief shows “much about how law enforcement authorities in the island operate with impunity,” Neil DeVotta, an expert on South Asia and politics professor at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, said in an e-mail to Global News.
Nandakumar says the Peel chief’s visit to the Sri Lankan police headquarters raises questions about judgement.
“When a senior Canadian official goes to meet with forces accused of such egregious crimes … to see something like that take place, it was very disconcerting.”
“I think an apology is needed,” he said.
The RCMP say a body that was recovered by authorities in Washington state is believed to be one of two kayakers reported missing off Vancouver Island on Saturday.
Const. Alex Bérubé said the identity of the body found on San Juan Island, just south of the border, is still to be confirmed by the coroner.
A search has been underway in the waters off Sidney, B.C., about 25 kilometres north of Victoria, since the two kayakers were reported missing.
RCMP previously said Daniel MacAlpine, 36, and Nicolas West, 26, went missing while kayaking from D’Arcy Island to View Beach on Saturday afternoon. They were in a teal blue, fibreglass, two-person kayak.
Police said members of the Central Saanich Police Department and Peninsula Emergency Measures Organization search and rescue were involved in the search, and the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre and Canadian Coast Guard were also assisting.
Digital WritersThe Weather Network
Updated on Apr. 23, 2024, 1:30 PM
Prepare for multiple rounds of April snowfall this week, as Labrador braces for wintry conditions. This onslaught of snow is expected to blanket the region, potentially leading to hazardous travel conditions and disruptions throughout the week
As we march even deeper into the heart of the spring season, many parts of Canada are finding it tough to find any consistent signs of warming weather. Add to the mix periods of snow and wintry precipitation, and it’s safe to say the winter season is certainly not going out without a strong fight.
This week, parts of the East Coast will bear the brunt of the winter weather, with multiple rounds of April snowfall stacking up in Labrador. The chances for snow flurries will stick around all week long, bringing as much as 25 cm for some.
MUST SEE: Extreme pattern over Arctic produces 50+ degree temperature spread
Although 25+ cm of snow in April may seem extreme, for this part of the country, it’s definitely nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, the month as a whole brings about 40-50 cm of snow to Labrador on average.
Some communities, including Nain, even have snowfall chances stretch all the way into June!
“This week will be a little bit different however, as some regions could reach about half of Labrador’s monthly averages alone,” says Rachel Modestino, a meteorologist at The Weather Network. “The first round on Tuesday will pack quite the punch, with heavy snow and gusty winds stretching from Labrador city to the coast.”
Winds will be gusting between 70-90 km/h at times, and travel conditions will likely deteriorate quickly due to potential whiteouts and reduced visibility.
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