As infections fuelled by the Omicron variant threaten to overwhelm Canada’s health system, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is promising the provinces will have enough COVID-19 vaccines to provide everyone eligible booster shots and fourth doses if they become necessary.
Trudeau made the pledge in a statement issued late Monday after he spoke with provincial and territorial leaders, saying Ottawa will do all it can to help them cope with the fifth wave of the pandemic.
“(The premiers) expressed concern over the strain on health-care systems, businesses, workers and families across the country,” the statement said. “They raised the need to strengthen health-care systems, noting the particular challenges with health human resources capacity.”
The federal government has said provinces and territories will receive a combined 140 million rapid tests this month, although the statement did not provide details on when the deliveries will be scheduled.
Meanwhile, hospitalizations related to COVID-19 continued to surge throughout Canada on Tuesday.
Quebec reported an all-time high of 2,742 hospitalizations, 255 of whom were in intensive care, while Ontario reported 3,220 hospitalizations, with 477 patients in the ICU and 250 COVID-19 patients on ventilators.
On Monday, Quebec’s director of public health, Dr. Horacio Arruda, tendered his resignation, citing an erosion in public confidence in health-protection measures.
In recent weeks, the province has reinstated several stringent health measures including a curfew for the second year in a row. As well, the province has reported 12,028 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic — a per-capita death rate that is almost double that of Ontario.
Meanwhile, the provinces recorded a combined total of 20,279 new COVID cases on Monday, although the actual number is likely much higher due to a lack of access to testing.
In Alberta, the chief medical officer of health, Deena Hinshaw, said the active case count released Monday by the provincial government — 57,000 — is probably 10 times lower than the actual number.
“It’s my belief that we need to prepare for a significant impact (to the health system) at this point given the cases we’ve seen,” Hinshaw said, adding that only high-risk cases are now eligible for PCR tests, including continuing care residents and front-line health-care workers.
The rapid spread of Omicron across the country has prompted the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to advise Americans to avoid travelling to Canada.
In Ontario, Premier Doug Ford confirmed students will return to school classrooms on Jan. 17. The schools were shut last week as the government enacted other public health measures amid growing strain on the province’s health system and pandemic-related staff shortages across essential workforces.
The government said promised shipments of N95 masks were sent to all school boards and school authorities as of Monday, while some shipments to child-care centres were still to go out this week. As well, the province is accelerating boosters for education workers and installing more HEPA air filters.
Schools reopened across British Columbia and Alberta on Monday with slightly higher absence rates among students and teachers in some districts after a prolonged Christmas break.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 11, 2022.
MONTREAL – One expert says entry-level pay under the tentative deal between Air Canada and its pilots could be a stumbling block ahead of a union vote on the agreement.
Under their current contract, pilots earn far less in their first four years at the company before enjoying a big wage increase starting in year five.
The Air Line Pilots Association had been pushing to scrap the so-called “fixed rate” provision entirely.
But according to a copy of the contract summary obtained by The Canadian Press, the proposed deal announced Sunday would merely cut the four-year period of lower pay to two years.
John Gradek, who teaches aviation management at McGill University, says as many as 2,000 of Air Canada’s roughly 5,200 active pilots may earn entry-level wages following a recent hiring surge.
After the airline averted a strike this week, Gradek says the failure to ditch the pay grade restrictions could prompt pushback from rank-and-file flight crew and jeopardize the deal, which is up for a vote next month.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024.
ROME (AP) — Salvatore “Totò” Schillaci, the Italy striker who was top scorer at its home World Cup in 1990, has died. He was 59.
Schillaci had been hospitalized in Palermo following treatment for colon cancer.
The Palermo Civico hospital said in a statement that Schillacci died on Wednesday morning after being admitted 11 days ago.
Schillaci scored six goals for Italy during the 1990 World Cup. He came on as a substitute during Italy’s opener against Austria, scored in a 1-0 victory, and went on to earn the Golden Boot awarded to the tournament’s top scorer. He only scored one other goal for Italy in his career.
Italian soccer federation president Gabriele Gravina announced that a minute of silence would be held in memory of Schillaci before all games in the country for the rest of the week.
“The uncontrollable celebrations, in which his face was the symbol of shared joy, will remain forever part of Italian soccer (history),” Gravina said. “Totò was a great player, a symbol of tenacious desire and redemption. … His soccer was full of passion. And that fearless spirit made everyone appreciate him and will make him immortal.”
Schillaci also won the Golden Ball award at the 1990 World Cup as the tournament’s top player ahead of Lothar Matthaus and Diego Maradona.
Schillaci played for Messina, Juventus, Inter Milan and Japanese team Jubilo Iwata during his club career.
“You made an entire nation dream during the Magical Nights of Italia ’90,” Inter said on its social media channels.
West Germany won the 1990 World Cup, beating Argentina in the final, while Italy beat England for third place with a winning penalty kick from Schillaci.
Roberto Baggio, who scored Italy’s opening goal in the third-place match, wrote on Instagram, “Ciao my dear friend.”
Having been born and raised in Palermo, the Palermo soccer team announced that it would hold a public viewing of Schillaci at its Renzo Barbera stadium ahead of the funeral, the Gazzetta dello Sport reported.
French soccer player Wissam Ben Yedder will stay free ahead of his trial on charges of sexual assault while intoxicated, one of his lawyers told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
Marie Roumiantseva said Ben Yedder will remain under strict judicial supervision after a woman filed a lawsuit for sexual assault earlier this month.
The 34-year-old Ben Yedder, a prolific striker in the French league, was briefly detained then released after the alleged incident in his car on the French Riviera. Ben Yedder had been stopped by police after he first refused to do so. He was then put in a jail cell.
After he was summoned to appear in court on Oct. 15 and placed under judicial supervision, the Nice prosecutor’s office appealed the decision not to remand the player in custody. The investigative chamber of the Court of Appeal of Aix-en-Provence did not grant this request and kept Ben Yedder under judicial supervision.
Ben Yedder attended a hearing Tuesday during which he offered to go to rehab. He has admitted he drove while under the influence of alcohol but has denied any sexual assault.
In a separate legal case last year, Ben Yedder was charged with “rape, attempted rape and sexual assault” over another alleged incident in the south of France.
Ben Yedder has been without a club since his contract with Monaco expired at the end of last season.
