The latest:
Ontario and Quebec are still reporting the highest daily counts in Canada for new cases of COVID-19, while farther west in Manitoba, officials have again reported hundreds of new cases as its capital city gets set for tighter restrictions.
Ontario reported 977 new cases on Sunday. In the province’s hot spots, there are 279 more cases in Toronto, 238 in Peel Region, 130 in Ottawa and 113 in York Region. The overall number was down from 1,015 new cases reported on Saturday.
Quebec added 965 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, down from 1,064 the previous day.
Manitoba’s new case count of 349 on Saturday was down from the record-smashing 480 reported Friday, but was still much higher than the province’s previous new-case record of 193 set Thursday.
Starting Monday, bars and restaurants in Winnipeg can open only for pickup or takeout, while facilities such as movie theatres, museums and libraries must close.
The measures, along with others, will last two weeks and be reassessed at that time.
Business in the St. Norbert Hotel bar in Winnipeg on Saturday was “average as it gets through these COVID times,” president Gerald Lambert said, although sales at the hotel’s beer store were brisk as people appeared to be getting set to drink at home.
“There’s other facilities that have far worse reports that are still allowed to be open, albeit at smaller capacity,” Lambert said, echoing the frustration many in his industry have expressed at the provincial government.
“In two weeks, I don’t know if this is going to make a difference or not.”
But Premier Brian Pallister also faced pressure Saturday from others who feel the new restrictions need to go further, with one group placing dozens of cardboard tombstones on the grass median outside his home.
The Halloween-themed protest included epithets on the tombstones indicating people were dying from Manitoba’s reopening plan.
“I respect the right of any Manitobans to peacefully protest and encourage all who choose to do so safely to protect their health and that of others as well,” Pallister said in a statement issued Saturday.
Manitoba also reported four new deaths from COVID 19. Quebec reported 15 and Ontario reported nine.
Federal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, meanwhile, tweeted Saturday that she’d just gotten a COVID-19 test after receiving an exposure notification from the COVID Alert app and is waiting for the results.
“I am isolating at home while I wait for the results of the test,” she wrote. “My thanks to our excellent health-care professionals.”
The COVID Alert app notifies users when someone who they’ve been in contact with tests positive for COVID-19.
There have been about 4.9 million downloads of the federal COVID-19 exposure notification app so far, with 2,939 Canadians using it to log a positive coronavirus test.
WATCH | Why Alta., B.C. haven’t adopted COVID Alert app:
Only five million Canadians have downloaded the COVID Alert app in three months, partly because it’s not active in Alberta and British Columbia. Officials in B.C. want the app to give more information about COVID-19 exposure while Alberta has been delayed by its own app. 1:57
Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam stressed again Saturday that it’s important to continue with precautions to keep everyone safe and to lessen the burden on essential workers.
“Many of you [essential workers] have been on the front lines since the beginning, putting yourselves in harm’s way,” she said in a statement. “As individuals, we have an important role to play to minimize the COVID-19 burden on essential workers.”
As of 11 a.m. ET on Sunday, Canada had 236,454 confirmed or presumptive coronavirus cases. Provinces and territories listed 197,656 as recovered or resolved. A CBC News tally of deaths based on provincial reports, regional health information and CBC’s reporting stood at 10,171.
Saskatchewan announced 78 new cases on Saturday. Meanwhile, Moose Jaw police fined a person $2,800 for allegedly hosting a party “well over” the province’s 15-person limit for private gatherings.
Manitoba saw 349 new cases, along with four more deaths. One of the deaths — a woman in her 90s — is linked to an outbreak at Maples Personal Care Home in Winnipeg. The other people in Winnipeg who died are a woman in her 50s, a man in his 60s and a man in his 80s.
PHOTOS | Montrealers celebrate Halloween amid pandemic:
Nova Scotia recorded five new infections, bringing the total active cases into double digits for the first time since June. There are now 11 active cases of the virus in the province.
In Newfoundland and Labrador, Vale announced a presumptive case at the Voisey’s Bay mine site in northern Labrador, with the Department of Health working to complete additional testing.
In New Brunswick, a school in Woodstock announced a case of COVID-19. Townsview School, which has about 600 students in grades K-8, will remain open on Monday as health officials conduct contact tracing.
In Yukon, the territory on Friday reported its first death. Yukon’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Brendan Hanley said the individual was “older” and had “significant underlying medical conditions.”
A database maintained by Johns Hopkins University put the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases reported around the world since the pandemic began at more than 46.1 million as of Sunday morning, with more than 30.8 million of those listed as recovered. The death toll reported by the U.S.-based university stood at nearly 1.2 million.
Iran hit another single-day record for coronavirus deaths on Sunday. The country’s Health Ministry said 434 people had died from the novel virus in 24 hours, bringing Iran’s death toll in the pandemic to more than 35,000. Iran has reported more than 620,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in all.
Tehran’s city council has proposed a two-week lockdown of the Iranian capital. For the past three weeks, Iran has banned weddings and funeral gatherings, and closed universities, schools, libraries, mosques, cinemas, museums and beauty salons in an attempt to curb the spread of the virus in Tehran.
In Turkey, a politician from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party has died from the coronavirus.
Burhan Kuzu, 65, had been receiving treatment for COVID-19 since Oct. 17, the country’s health minister tweeted. He died Sunday.
Statistics from the country’s Health Ministry show at least 10,252 people have died from COVID-19 in Turkey.
In the U.K., a new national lockdown for England may have to last longer than the planned four weeks if coronavirus infection rates don’t fall quickly enough, a British cabinet minister said Sunday.
The lockdown is due to run from Thursday until Dec. 2. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it is needed to stop hospitals from becoming overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients within weeks.
Cabinet minister Michael Gove said that “with a virus this malignant, and with its capacity to move so quickly, it would be foolish to predict with absolute certainty what will happen in four weeks’ time.”
WATCH | England to enter 2nd lockdown as U.K. cases top 1 million:
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced a new month-long lockdown for England. He says current COVID-19 infection rates threaten to overwhelm hospitals in weeks without intervention. 2:34
Under the new restrictions, bars and restaurants can only offer takeout, non-essential shops must close and people will only be able to leave home for a short list of reasons, including exercise.
Britain is recording more than 20,000 new COVID-19 infections a day and has Europe’s highest coronavirus death toll at
more than 46,000.
In Australia, audiences were returning to the theatres at the Sydney Opera House this weekend, eight months after the iconic entertainment venue was forced to close its doors to the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Australia has recorded no new locally transmitted coronavirus infections for the first time in five months.
In Melbourne, the capital of Victoria state, which had the highest number of cases in the country, residents were enjoying the first weekend of cafés, restaurants and pubs reopening to walk-in customers.
The city has only one mystery case without a known source. There are 61 active cases left across the state, down from 70 on Saturday.
India reported 46,964 new confirmed coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, keeping a month-long downward trend in infections.
India’s Health Ministry on Sunday also registered 470 more deaths, taking total fatalities up to 122,111. The latest surge takes the country’s total virus tally to close to 8.2 million and is only behind the United States.
India saw a steep rise in cases in July, but it is experiencing a slower pace of coronavirus spread since mid-September, when daily infections touched a record of 97,894. But health experts warn that mask and physical-distancing fatigue is setting in and can lead to a fresh wave of infections.
Some experts question the country’s testing methods and warn that a major festival due in a few weeks, as well as the winter season, could result in a new burst of infections.
PORT ALBERNI, B.C. – RCMP say the body of a second person has been found inside their vehicle after a road washed away amid pouring rain on the west coast of Vancouver Island.
Police say two vehicles went into the Sarita River when Bamfield Road washed out on Saturday as an atmospheric river hammered southern B.C.
The body of the other driver was found Sunday.
More coming.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
The B.C. Greens say Sonia Furstenau will be staying on as party leader, despite losing her seat in the legislature in Saturday’s provincial election.
The party says in a statement that its two newly elected MLAs, Jeremy Valeriote and Rob Botterell, support Furstenau’s leadership as they “navigate the prospect of having the balance of power in the legislature.”
Neither the NDP led by Premier David Eby nor the B.C. Conservatives led by John Rustad secured a majority in the election, with two recounts set to take place from Oct. 26 to 28.
Eby says in a news conference that while the election outcome is uncertain, it’s “very likely” that the NDP would need the support of others to pass legislation.
He says he reached out to Furstenau on election night to congratulate her on the Greens’ showing.
But he says the Green party has told the NDP they are “not ready yet” for a conversation about a minority government deal.
The Conservatives went from taking less than two per cent of the vote in 2020 to being elected or leading in 45 ridings, two short of a majority and only one behind the NDP.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2024.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Toronto FC captain Jonathan Osorio is making a difference, 4,175 kilometres away from home.
The 32-year-old Canadian international midfielder, whose parents hail from Colombia, has been working with the Canadian Colombian Children’s Organization, a charity whose goal is to help disadvantaged youth in the South American country.
Osorio has worked behind the scenes, with no fanfare.
Until now, with his benevolence resulting in becoming Toronto FC’s nominee for the Audi Goals Drive Progress Impact Award, which honours an MLS player “who showed outstanding dedication to charitable efforts and serving the community” during the 2024 season.”
Other nominees include Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Sebastian Berhalter and CF Montreal goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois.
The winner will be announced in late November.
The Canadian Colombian Children’s Organization (CCCO) is run entirely by volunteers like Monica Figueredo and Claudia Soler. Founded in 1991, it received charitable status in 2005.
The charity currently has four projects on the go: two in Medellin and one each in Armenia and Barranquilla.
They include a school, a home for young girls whose parents are addicted to drugs, after-school and weekend programs for children in a disadvantaged neighbourhood, and nutrition and education help for underprivileged youth.
The organization heard about Osorio and was put in contact with him via an intermediary, which led to a lunch meeting. Osorio did his due diligence and soon got back to the charity with his decision.
“It was something that I wanted to be a part of right away,” said Osorio, whose lone regret is that he didn’t get involved sooner.
“I’m fortunate now that to help more now that I could have back then,” he added. “The timing actually worked out for everybody. For the last three years I have donated to their cause and we’ve built a couple of (football) fields in different cities over there in the schools.”
His father visited one of the sites in Armenia close to his hometown.
“He said it was amazing, the kids, how grateful they are to be able to play on any pitch, really,” said Osorio. “But to be playing on a new pitch, they’re just so grateful and so humble.
“It really makes it worth it being part of this organization.”
The collaboration has also made Osorio take stock.
“We’re very fortunate here in Canada, I think, for the most part. Kids get to go to school and have a roof over their head and things like that. In Colombia, it’s not really the same case. My father and his family grew up in tough conditions, so giving back is like giving back to my father.”
Osorio’s help has been a godsend to the charity.
“We were so surprised with how willing he was,” said Soler.
The TFC skipper has helped pay for a football field in Armenia as well as an ambitious sports complex under construction in Barranquilla.
“It’s been great for them,” Figueredo said of the pitch in Armenia. “Because when they go to school, now they have a proper place to train.”
Osorio has also sent videos encouraging the kids to stay active — as well as shipping soccer balls and signed jerseys their way.
“They know more about Jonathan than the other players in Colombia,” Figueredo said. “That’s the funny part. Even though he’s far away, they’ve connected with him.”
“They feel that they have a future, that they can do more,” she added. “Seeing that was really, really great.”
The kids also followed Osorio through the 2022 World Cup and this summer’s Copa America.
Back home, Osorio has also attended the charity’s annual golf tournament, helping raise funds.
A Toronto native, he has long donated four tickets for every TFC home game to the Hospital for Sick Children.
Vancouver’s Berhalter was nominated for his involvement in the Whitecaps’ partnership with B.C. Children’s Hospital while Montreal’s Sirois was chosen for his work with the Montreal Impact Foundation.
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Follow @NeilMDavidson on X platform, formerly known as Twitter
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
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