Thousands of Canadians have answered the federal government’s call for volunteers to assist in the fight against the novel coronavirus.
Health Canada is building a database of specialized volunteers that provinces and territories can draw on to collect case data, help track down people who have been in contact with positive cases, as well as provide surge capacity at overwhelmed hospitals.
A spokesperson for the agency said the need for specific skills was identified through consultation with the provinces.
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Coronavirus outbreak: Trudeau says Canada has tested ‘significantly more’ people in total than U.S.
“Other call-outs may be issued as jurisdictions identify new areas requiring assistance. As needs evolve, support in other areas requiring assistance will be provided,” the spokesperson said.
Health Canada said as of Thursday, more than 27,600 Canadians have signed up. Applications launched on April 6 and will remain open until April 24.
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The agency was unable to say how many of those registered would be helping with contact tracing specifically.
Canada’s chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, said the effort is vital in the fight against the virus, especially if cases continue to increase and those on the front line become overburdened.
She said the pool of volunteers will be particularly helpful in a “surge” situation.
“We’ll be monitoring and forecasting. So say, if there’s an increase in cases, then that means an increase in contacts. We’re there to support the surge if needed,” she said.
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New crowdsourcing tool tracks spread in Canada and U.S.
She noted that some provinces and territories are already doing this and have created databases of their own.
In Ontario, for example, the provincial government has created an online portal aimed at matching skilled front-line health-care workers with employers needing support during the pandemic. Retired or non-active health-care professionals, internationally educated health-care workers, volunteers with experience and medical students are all allowed to apply.
All the positions will be paid, the government said.
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Tam said the federal database will be an added safety net.
“Some jurisdictions have already put in for that surge. For others, should they require it, we have that cadre of surge being pulled together as well.”
The tactic does, however, come with some privacy concerns, which Tam acknowledged. She said Canada is looking into a “range of applications” to assist — some for contact tracing and some focused on sending alerts to phones and devices.
“We’re pulling together a group amongst the provinces and territories to gauge interest — and I do believe there’s a significant amount of interest,” she said. “But there’s a lot of innovators, and we need to look at each of those innovators, in particular, how it pertains to things like privacy.”
In Alberta, Premier Jason Kenney announced a number of new measures the province plans to introduce to contain the virus, including expanded tracing of infection sources.
The plan, which includes using smartphone technology to enforce quarantines, has garnered some concern.
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During trying times, most Canadians would understand the rationale behind the move, Sharon Polsky, president of the Privacy and Access Council of Canada, told the Canadian Press, but the execution needs to be transparent.
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“They would be more inclined to trust these privacy-invasion measures if they had some certainty that these temporary measures would have a finite end,” she said.
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.
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.
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.
