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Education minister aims to reassure Ontario parents after 46 Quebec schools see COVID cases – CBC.ca

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Ontario’s education minister is aiming to reassure parents that his province’s school reopening plan is different than Quebec’s, where 46 schools have at least one case of COVID-19 since opening.

Stephen Lecce reacted Saturday to a report from the Quebec government that showed dozens of schools — including preschool, elementary, secondary and adult career centres — reported one or more infections between Aug. 26 and Sept. 3.

Lecce noted that Ontario has mandated masking in classrooms while Quebec has not, and said more than 600 public health nurses will be stationed in schools this fall.

“We have unique differentiators in this province that they do not,” Lecce said of Quebec. “I wouldn’t draw a parallel. Not all things are equal.”

Speaking at an event in Toronto, Lecce urged parents to actively screen their children for virus symptoms before sending them to school.

With just days to go before classes start at some Ontario schools, the Ford government has faced increasing pressure over its COVID-19 back-to-school plan.

School boards, teachers’ unions and some parents have called on the government to mandate smaller class sizes to ensure physical distancing is possible in the classroom — and provide funding to make it happen.

Premier Doug Ford has repeatedly defended the plan, which he said has been put together with the help of medical experts.

Last week, the government released new guidance on how to deal with potential COVID-19 outbreaks in schools.

It emphasizes prevention and at-home screening, while teachers and principals will be asked to isolate any child that develops symptoms at school.

‘If a challenge arises, we will be decisive,’ minister says

Public health officials will be given discretion to send entire cohorts of students home from school, or potentially close schools, if they feel that is the best way to manage an outbreak.

In an interview with The Canadian Press on Friday, Lecce didn’t rule out taking further action if the situation in schools changes in the coming weeks, adding that “if a challenge arises, we will be decisive.”

But Lecce would not say what form that action could take.

“Week after week we’ve added more levels of protection,” he said. “Our aim is to prevent that type of disruption…. The premier and I have also indicated that we will continue to take action to further improve the safety of our schools based on the advice of the medical community.”

‘People are very anxious,’ NDP education critic says

But NDP education critic Marit Stiles said the government has been anything but decisive in its approach to reopening the province’s schools, changing plans regularly and confusing parents and educators alike.

The news out of Quebec will just add to the stress parents are feeling this weekend, Stiles said.

“What I’m hearing over and over is people are very anxious,” she said. “I imagine a lot of people will be talking about this over the Labour Day weekend and maybe revisiting their plans.”

Stiles said Ontario has yet to address key safety concerns about its plan, including the need to physically distance in the classroom.

“Are we as ready as (Quebec)? Is this going to happen here? I really hope not,” she said. “But I do think that the big issue that’s outstanding is the physical distancing part.”

Ontario reported 169 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, with Peel Region, Toronto and Ottawa each reporting dozens of new diagnoses.

There were also 106 cases newly marked as resolved in the provincewide report.

The total number of cases in Ontario now stands at 43,003, which includes 2,811 deaths and 38,847 cases marked as resolved.

Health Minister Christine Elliott said Peel Region is reporting 46 new cases, Toronto has 42 and Ottawa has 30 new cases.

She said 28 of the province’s 34 public health units are reporting five or fewer new cases.

The province was able to complete 28,672 tests over the previous day.

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Sixth-ranked Canadian women to face World Cup champion Spain in October friendly

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The sixth-ranked Canadian women will face World Cup champion Spain in an international friendly next month.

Third-ranked Spain will host Canada on Oct. 25 at Estadio Francisco de la Hera in Almendralejo.

The game will be the first for the Canadian women since the Paris Olympics, where they lost to Germany in a quarterfinal penalty shootout after coach Bev Priestman was sent home and later suspended for a year by FIFA over her part in Canada’s drone-spying scandal.

In announcing the Spain friendly, Canada Soccer said more information on the interim women’s coaching staff for the October window will come later. Assistant coach Andy Spence took charge of the team in Priestman’s absence at the Olympics.

Spain finished fourth in Paris, beaten 1-0 by Germany in the bronze-medal match.

Canada is winless in three previous meetings (0-2-1) with Spain, most recently losing 1-0 at the Arnold Clark Cup in England in February 2022.

The teams played to a scoreless draw in May 2019 in Logroñés, Spain in a warm-up for the 2019 World Cup. Spain won 1-0 in March 2019 at the Algarve Cup in São João da Venda, Portugal.

Spain is a powerhouse in the women’s game these days.

It won the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2022 and was runner-up in 2018. And it ousted Canada 2-1 in the round of 16 of the current U-20 tournament earlier this month in Colombia before falling 1-0 to Japan after extra time in the quarterfinal.

Spain won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2018 and 2022 and has finished on the podium on three other occasions.

FC Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati (2023) and Alexia Putellas (2021 and ’22) have combined to win the last three Women’s Ballon d’Or awards.

And Barcelona has won three of the last four UEFA Women’s Champions League titles.

“We continue to strive to diversify our opponent pool while maintaining a high level of competition.” Daniel Michelucci, Canada Soccer’s director of national team operations, said in a statement. “We anticipate a thrilling encounter, showcasing two of the world’s top-ranked teams.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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Former Oilers assistant GM Brad Holland follows his father out the door in Edmonton

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EDMONTON – The NHL’s Edmonton Oilers announced Tuesday that assistant general manager Brad Holland is leaving the club.

The move comes almost three months after the departure of former Oilers general manager Ken Holland, Brad’s father.

Oilers chief executive officer and president of hockey operations Jeff Jackson said in a statement that Brad Holland and the team parted ways so Holland could “explore other opportunities.”

Holland, 43, joined the Oilers as a scout in 2019. He was promoted to assistant GM in July 2022.

He had a hand in building the team that advanced to Game 7 of the 2023-24 Stanley Cup final before losing to the Florida Panthers.

The Oilers hired former Chicago Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman to replace Ken Holland on July 1.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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Dolphins place Tua Tagovailoa on injured reserve after latest concussion, AP source says

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MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins are placing Tua Tagovailoa on injured reserve after the quarterback was diagnosed with his third concussion in two years, a person familiar with the move told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team had not yet announced the move. Tagovailoa will be sidelined for at least four games with the designation.

He was hurt in the third quarter of a Thursday night game against the Buffalo Bills on a play where he collided with Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin. He ran for a first down and then initiated the contact by lowering his shoulder into Hamlin instead of sliding.

Players from both teams immediately motioned that Tagovailoa was hurt, and as he lay on the turf the quarterback exhibited some signs typically associated with a traumatic brain injury. He remained down on the field for a couple of minutes, got to his feet and walked to the sideline.

Tagovailoa this week began the process of consulting neurologists about his health. He was diagnosed with two concussions in 2022 and one while in college at Alabama.

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