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Could the new coronavirus in China spread to Canada? – CTV News

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TORONTO —
A Chinese woman in Thailand has become the first person outside China diagnosed with a coronavirus that has affected more than 40 people in the country—raising concerns about whether the illness can be spread to other parts of the world.

Airport officials in an airport in Phuket, Thailand began using a thermoscanner on passengers coming from Wuhan, China earlier this month.

Anyone with a temperature over 38 degrees Celsius was taken to hospital.

The 61-year-old woman was one of those passengers. According to the World Health Organization, she was suffering from flu-like symptoms including fever, chills and a sore throat and was travelling with several family members in a tour group of 16 people.

While she told authorities she did visit a local fresh market, she did not go to the Huanan South China Seafood Market, which has been connected to most of the other cases of the novel coronavirus.

The woman is in quarantine and under observation in hospital.

Flight patterns between Wuhan and other parts of the world are the subject of a new study in the Journal of Travel Medicine. Public health infrastructure, disease dynamics and political factors were analyzed and used to rank various cities on an Infectious Disease Vulnerability Index (IDVI).

Dr. Isaac Boguch, one of the co-authors and an infectious diseases specialist with the University Health Network, says major cities like Bangkok, Tokyo and Seoul rank high on the index.

But should Canada worry?

“People can travel from any point on the planet to any other point on the planet in about 24 hours. Certainly people can travel from Wuhan China to Canada. I think the risk is really low, but it’s certainly not zero per cent,” Boguch said.

For Canadians, concerns are likely to be heightened by experiences with the Severe Acute Respitaroy Syndrome virus (SARS) SARS, which claimed hundreds of lives around the world in 2002, including 44 in Canada. SARS also originated in China.

But Dr. Michael Gardam, Chief of Staff at Humber River Hospital, says the world is very different in 2020.

“First of all, our lab technology has become a lot more sophisticated, so we’re much better and quicker,” Gardam said. “Also, we do much more detailed surveillance so now the world’s looking for these things all over the place.”

Boguch also points to the speed and openness of Chinese health officials with the new coronavirus, saying the genome for the virus was shared with the world in a matter of days at the start of January.

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RCMP arrest second suspect in deadly shooting east of Calgary

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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.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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26-year-old son is accused of his father’s murder on B.C.’s Sunshine Coast

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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.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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Metro Vancouver’s HandyDART strike continues after talks break with no deal

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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.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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