Recalling that last week he said there was “light at the end of the tunnel,” Quebec Premier François Legault said Tuesday that he now believes the province is coming out of that tunnel — and so will ease more pandemic restrictions as of Jan. 31.
But he said the easing will happen slowly. As of Monday, people can resume private indoor gatherings, but with a maximum of four people from two bubbles, Legault said.
The same rules will apply to dining. Restaurants may reopen to indoor dining as of Monday, with a capacity of 50 per cent. Tables must be limited to four people, again from only two bubbles, and vaccine passports will be required.
Kids under 18 will also be able to resume extra-curricular and non-school related sports, but there will be no games or competitions — only practices permitted with a gathering maximum of 25 people.
Restaurants at ski lodges will be able to open at 50 per cent capacity, as will other tourist attractions such as the Biodome.
WATCH | Vaccine mandate for stores could help:
Requiring vaccine passport for big-box stores may contribute to ‘sense of security,’ professor says
15 hours ago
Duration 0:52
Emily McDonald, a specialist in internal medicine at McGill University Health Centre, says requiring that shoppers at big-box stores be vaccinated may not lessen COVID-19 transmission, but might encourage a small percentage unvaccinated residents to get their first dose. 0:52
A second phase of reopening will begin Feb. 7 and focus on cultural venues, such as concert halls and cinemas, which will be able to reopen at 50 per cent capacity to a maximum of 500 people. Places of worship will also be allowed to reopen at 50 per cent to a maximum of 250 people. Vaccine passports will be required for all.
Legault said in his briefing that the Quebec health system is beaten down, with still 12,000 health-care workers absent from the system. He made an appeal to young people to choose a career in nursing.
Quebec currently has 3,278 patients in hospital, with 263 in ICU. The province has 2,977 newly confirmed cases and 85 new deaths.
– From CBC News, last updated at 2:30 p.m. ET
What’s happening across Canada
WATCH | Alberta prepares field hospitals:
Alberta prepares field hospitals amid expected COVID-19 patient surge
21 hours ago
Duration 1:50
Alberta is preparing field hospitals in Calgary and Edmonton ahead of an expected COVID-19 patient surge, but health-care workers are concerned about not having enough staff for additional beds. 1:50
With lab-based testing capacity deeply strained and increasingly restricted, experts say true case counts are likely far higher than reported. Hospitalization data at the regional level is also evolving, with several provinces saying they will report figures that separate the number of people in hospital because of COVID-19 from those in hospital for another medical issue who also test positive for COVID-19.
For more information on what is happening in your community — including details on outbreaks, testing capacity and local restrictions — click through to the regional coverage below.
The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) has upgraded its initial advice that kids aged five to 11 “may” get two doses of a mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.
It recommends a four- to eight-week interval between doses, but says a longer interval will likely lead to longer-lasting protection.
NACI also recommends immunocompromised kids between those ages be offered a third dose.
WATCH | Stronger vaccine advice for kids:
NACI strengthens COVID vaccine advice for kids 5-11
3 hours ago
Duration 4:13
NACI is now strongly recommending children aged five to 11 be vaccinated against COVID-19, with an interval of at least eight weeks between the two doses. Dr. Noah Ivers, a family physician from Women’s College Hospital says, ‘The most important decision is to go ahead and get your children vaccinated. The secondary consideration is the intervals.’ 4:13
In Central Canada Tuesday, 4,008 people were in hospital in Ontario with COVID-19, including 626 in intensive care. The province reported 64 deaths, which it says reflects data from the past 20 days. There were also 3,424 newly confirmed cases.
In Atlantic Canada, most students in Newfoundland and Labrador headed back to classrooms Tuesday, making it the second Atlantic province to return to in-person education this year.
The return to class plan posted by the government includes screening guidelines, mask rules and cohorts aimed at reducing the number of close interactions. Students were also asked to take two rapid tests, including one Tuesday morning, prior to their return.
Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Janice Fitzgerald has said that at this time in Newfoundland and Labrador, ‘the benefits of being in school for children outweigh the risks of COVID-19.’ (Government of Newfoundland and Labrador)
There were 20 people in hospital with COVID-19 Tuesday. Five remain in the ICU. The province also reported 296 new lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19.
Students in Nova Scotia were the first to return to school in the winter term in Atlantic Canada, heading back to classrooms on Jan. 17.
In Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick, students are set to stay remote until Jan. 31 at the earliest.
New Brunswick reported another seven people were in hospital Tuesday for a total of 138 patients being treated for COVID-19. Eleven were in the ICU. The province also confirmed another 350 cases, as well as three deaths.
As of Tuesday, Prince Edward Island had 10 people in hospital with COVID-19, including two in ICU. There have been 275 newly confirmed cases and one more death from the virus.
Nova Scotia on Tuesday said there were still 92 people in hospital with COVID-19, with one more patient in the ICU, bringing the total there to 15. The province also reported an additional 492 lab-confirmed cases and five additional deaths.
WATCH | Scientists are watching a new sub-variant of Omicron:
Sub-variant of Omicron not yet a concern, says epidemiologist
24 hours ago
Duration 3:41
A new sub-variant of Omicron has not yet led to enough of an increase in COVID-19 cases to be troubling, but Dr. Prabhat Jha, an epidemiologist at Toronto’s St. Michael’s Hospital, explains that how a variant behaves cannot be predicted. 3:41
In the Prairie provinces, Saskatchewan hospitals reported an additional 29 people in hospital with COVID-19, for a total of 291, including 33 in the ICU. There have been 1,048 new cases confirmed along with two new deaths. The province currently has a 7-day positivity rate of 33.7 per cent, the second highest in the country after Yukon, which has a daily positivity rate of 38 per cent. .
Manitoba on Tuesdayreported an additional 13 patients in hospital for COVID-19. for a total of 729. There were no new patients in the ICU, Tuesday, where 49 patients are still being treated. There have been 637 new cases of the virus confirmed along with six additional deaths.
Alberta reported 1,377 people in the hospital with COVID-19 on Tuesday,, an increase of 73 since yesterday. There were 111 people in intensive care. There have been 2,722 newly confirmed cases and 13 additional deaths.
Across the North, Nunavut on Tuesday reported 52 additional cases of COVID-19. There were no patients being treated in hospital for COVID-19. The Baffin Island community of Iglookik was under a strict lockdown as COVID-19 spread rapidly among households. All offices and schools were closed and travel is restricted. Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Michael Patterson said there were 17 active COVID-19 cases listed in the community Tuesday, but noted the numbers were much higher because of a lag in testing.
Health officials in Yukon reported 22 new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday, with one in hospital with the virus.
The Northwest Territories reported 282 new cases on Monday, as well as one additional death. There were no patients with COVID-19 in hospital.
British Columbia health officials on Monday reported 4,997 new cases of COVID-19 covering the three-day period since Friday. There were 24 additional deaths over the same period. There were 987 COVID-positive individuals in hospital, including 129 in the ICU.
-From CBC News and The Canadian Press, last updated at 5:45 p.m. ET
What’s happening around the world
Syringes and vials of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are seen on a work surface. The companies say they will begin clinical trials on a vaccine specifically to target the Omicron variant. (Lars Hagberg/The Canadian Press)
As of Tuesday afternoon, more than 357.2 million cases of COVID-19 had been reported worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University’s case-tracking tool. The reported global death toll stood at more than 5.6 million.
In the Americas, Pfizer and BioNTech said on Tuesday they started a clinical trial to test a new version of their vaccine specifically designed to target the COVID-19 Omicron variant, which has eluded some of the protection provided by the original two-dose vaccine regimen.
Chile, which already boasts one of the world’s highest COVID-19 vaccination rates, has agreed to purchase two million vaccine doses from Moderna, Chilean interim health minister Maria Teresa Valenzuela said.
In Europe, Russian health authorities have shortened the required isolation period for those who come in contact with COVID-19 patients from 14 days to seven, a move that comes as an unprecedented surge of coronavirus infections, driven by the highly contagious Omicron variant, rips through the vast country.
Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced the shift Tuesday. It only changes the rules for those who had close contact with someone who has COVID-19, not for those with a confirmed infection. Those who test positive were still required to isolate for 14 days, with a mandatory test on day 10 or 11.
A woman wearing a face mask walks in Moscow on Monday as Russia reported a substantial increase in COVID-19 cases. (Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP/Getty Images)
In the Asia-Pacific region, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam defended herself for not wearing a mask at news conferences, saying it was so people could see how “solemn” she was when talking about COVID-19.
South Korea’s daily count of new coronavirus cases topped 8,000 for the first time, as the Omicron variant spreads rapidly despite the recent extension of strict physical-distancing rules to slow infection.
Japan is set to more than double the number of regions under enhanced coronavirus curbs on Tuesday, even as it sought to modify strategies to contend with the infectious Omicron variant that has fuelled record numbers of cases.
In the Middle East, an Israeli government advisory panel has recommended offering a fourth vaccine dose to all adults, on condition that at least five months have passed since they received the third or recovered from the illness.
On Monday, Israel’s health minister said he did not think Israel would offer a fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose to most people after the government made it available to those older than 60 and other high-risk groups.
In Africa, the Health Ministry in South Africa reported 1,332 cases of COVID-19 on Monday, and 88 additional deaths.
-From Reuters, The Associated Press and CBC News, last updated at 3:40 p.m. ET
EDMONTON – Ontario country artist Jade Eagleson has won album of the year at the 2024 Canadian Country Music Association Awards in Edmonton.
The singer from Bailieboro, Ont., was up for six awards alongside Alberta’s MacKenzie Porter.
Eagleson took home album of the year for “Do It Anyway” and says he’s thankful to his wife and management team for helping him reach the level he’s at.
The James Barker Band from Woodville, Ont., also won fans’ choice and group of the year at the award show, held in Edmonton.
During their acceptance speech, frontman Barker hinted at new music and a possible tour in 2025.
Another Ontario crooner, Josh Ross, has taken home a trio of awards, receiving entertainer of the year, male artist of the year and single of the year.
He says he and his band play roughly 150 shows every year and are never home, but says taking home entertainer of the year makes the hard work worth it.
Porter took home female artist of the year, ending the five-year streak of Tenille Townes being awarded the coveted hardware.
Porter had been nominated seven times previously for the award in the past decade but hadn’t won until tonight.
The artist from Medicine Hat, Alta., says it takes a lot of hard work and hustle to succeed as a female in the country music industry and gave a shout out to her fellow singers and her newborn daughter.
Joining the two artists in the winners’ circle was Ontario singer-songwriter Owen Riegling, who won for breakthrough artist of the year.
The show began with American artist and co-host Thomas Rhett being dubbed an honorary Canadian by Edmonton Oilers players Corey Perry and Leon Draisaitl.
Rhett donned an Oilers jersey that was gifted to him by the pair.
The return of k.d. lang and the Reclines was expected to be a highlight of the show.
The appearance will mark the first time the Alberta songstress has teamed up with the band in 35 years and is tied to lang’s induction into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame.
The awards show is back in Alberta’s capital for the first time since 2014. It was held in Hamilton last year and in Calgary in 2022.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2024.
VANDERHOOF, B.C. – British Columbia Conservatives are promising changes they say will bring more stability to the province’s struggling forest industry.
Leader John Rustad announced his plan for the sector a week before the official launch of the provincial election campaign, saying a Conservative government would do away with stumpage fees paid when timber is harvested and instead put a tax on the final products that are produced.
Rustad said Saturday that under a provincial Conservative government, a small fee may be charged upfront, but the bulk would come at the end of the process, depending on what type of product is created.
He also promised to review how wildfires are managed, as well as streamline the permit process and review what he calls the province’s “uncompetitive cost structure.”
“British Columbia is by far the highest cost producers of any jurisdiction in North America. We need to be able to drive down those costs, so that our forest sector can actually be able to do the reinvestment, to be able to create the jobs and make sure that they’re still there to be able to support our communities,” he said.
The governing New Democrats meanwhile, say eliminating stumpage fees would inflame the softwood lumber dispute with the United States and hurt forestry workers.
In a statement issued by the NDP, Andrew Mercier, the party’s candidate in Langley-Willowbrook, said Rustad failed to support the industry when he was in government under the former BC Liberals.
“Not only will Rustad’s old thinking and recycled ideas fail to deliver, his proposal to eliminate stumpage would inflame the softwood lumber dispute — punishing forestry workers and communities,” Mercier said, accusing Rustad of ignoring the complexity of the challenges facing the industry.
The softwood lumber dispute between the U.S. and Canada stretches back decades. In August, the U.S. Department of Commerce nearly doubled duties on softwood lumber.
International Trade Minister Mary Ng has said Canada has taken steps to launch two legal challenges under the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement.
Rustad said a provincial Conservative government would push hard to get a deal with the United States over the ongoing dispute “whether it’s with the rest of Canada or by itself.”
He said his party’s proposed changes are in the name of bringing “stability” and “hope” to the industry that has seen multiple closures of mills in rural communities over the last several years.
Most recently, Canfor Corp. decided to shutter two northern British Columbia sawmills earlier this month, leaving hundreds of workers unemployed by the end of the year.
According to the United Steelworkers union, Canfor has closed 10 mills in the province since November 2011, including nine in northern B.C.
Jeff Bromley, chair of the United Steelworkers wood council, said Saturday the idea of changes in favour of taxing the final product has been floated in the past.
He said the finer details of the Conservative plan will be important, but that the system needs to be improved and “new ideas are certainly something I’d be willing to entertain.”
“Something needs to happen, or the industry is just going to bleed and wither away and be a shadow of its former self,” Bromley said.
“Politics aside, if (Rustad) can come up with a policy that enables my members to work, then I would be supportive of that. But then I’m supportive of any government that would come up with policies and fibre for our mills to run. Period.”
When Canfor announced its latest closures, Forests Minister Bruce Ralston said the sector was a “foundational part” of the province and the current NDP government would work to support both local jobs and wood manufacturing operations.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2024
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers placed All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey on injured reserve because of his lingering calf and Achilles tendon injuries.
The move made Saturday means McCaffrey will miss at least four more games after already sitting out the season opener. He is eligible to return for a Thursday night game in Seattle on Oct. 10.
McCaffrey got hurt early in training camp and missed four weeks of practice before returning to the field on a limited basis last week. He was a late scratch for the opener on Monday night against the Jets and now is sidelined again after experiencing pain following practice on Thursday.
McCaffrey led the NFL last season with 2,023 yards from scrimmage and was tied for the league lead with 21 touchdowns, winning AP Offensive Player of the Year.
The Niners made up for McCaffrey’s absence thanks to a strong performance from backup Jordan Mason, who had 28 carries for 147 yards and a touchdown in San Francisco’s 32-19 victory over the New York Jets. Mason is set to start again Sunday at Minnesota.
After missing 23 games because of injuries in his final two full seasons with Carolina, McCaffrey had been healthy the past two seasons.
He missed only one game combined in 2022-23 — a meaningless Week 18 game last season for San Francisco when he had a sore calf. His 798 combined touches from scrimmage in the regular season and playoffs were the third most for any player in a two-year span in the past 10 years.
Now San Francisco will likely rely heavily on Mason, a former undrafted free agent out of Georgia Tech who had 83 carries his first two seasons. He had at least 10 touches just twice before the season opener, when his 28 carries were the most by a 49ers player in a regular-season game since Frank Gore had 31 against Seattle on Oct. 30, 2011.
The Niners also have fourth-round rookie Isaac Guerendo and Patrick Taylor Jr. on the active roster. Guerendo played three offensive snaps with no touches in the opener. Taylor had 65 carries for Green Bay from 2021-23.
San Francisco also elevated safety Tracy Walker III from the practice squad for Sunday’s game against Minnesota.
