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Ontario sees 195 new COVID-19 cases, 66% in people under 40 – CBC.ca

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Ontario reported an additional 195 cases of COVID-19 on Friday — the majority in people under 40 years old — as more parts of the province move into Stage 3 of the government’s reopening plan. 

Windsor-Essex alone confirmed 57 new cases and Ottawa 27, as well as another 31 in Toronto and 18 in Peel. 

With the exception of July 21, which saw 203 cases due to a reporting delay in Peel, it’s the most new cases on any single day since June 29. 

Health Minister Christine Elliott noted in a series of tweets this morning that 128 of the cases, or 66 per cent, are people under 40 years old.

Ontario has now confirmed 38,405 infections of the novel coronavirus since the outbreak began in late January. Of those, about 88.8 per cent are considered resolved by public health officials. Another 137 were marked resolved in today’s update. 

At a Friday afternoon news conference, Premier Doug Ford said the province is seeing numbers “fluctuate,” which is “concerning.”

Ford said most young people are acting responsibly, with a few exceptions.

“It’s not little Johnny I’m worried about, it’s little Johnny’s grandparents I’m worried about,” he said.

Seven more regions of Ontario formally entered Stage 3 of the province’s reopening plan at 12:01 a.m. today. Hamilton and Niagara are among them. Durham, York, Halton, Haldimand-Norfolk and Lambton are also now in Stage 3.

The easing of anti-COVID measures means indoor dining at a restaurant or drinking in a pub is allowed. Gyms and movie theatres are also allowed to reopen.

In all cases, physical distancing must be maintained among patrons.

Ford said Friday it was “great news” that more regions are moving to the next stage of reopening.

Toronto, Peel and Windsor-Essex, however, will remain in Stage 2 for the time being. Ford said many people were expecting an update on those regions heading into Stage 3 on Monday, but health officials have asked for more time to “analyze the numbers” in those areas.

“And I’ve always said, we can’t rush this,” Ford said, adding that an update will now come on Wednesday.

“I’m hopeful we’ll have some good news to share on Wednesday,” he said.

Hospitalizations dip slightly

The growing number of regions in Stage 3 comes as Ontario’s state of emergency — originally declared in mid-March — expired today.

After a steady rise in hospitalizations over the last five days, the number of patients in Ontario hospitals with confirmed cases of the illness dropped today, down to 141 from 156 — which had been the most since early July. 

Thirty-one patients are being treated in intensive care units, and 20 are on ventilators. 

LISTEN | Why is COVID-19 spreading among young people? 

COVID-19 cases are trending in the wrong direction in Ontario. The province has been calling out the 39-and-younger crowd for failing to physically distance, but others — including some epidemiologists — are blaming inconsistent public health messaging. Kate Mulligan, Director of Policy and Communications for the Alliance for Healthier Communities, tells us why. 7:13

The province’s official COVID-19 death toll grew by three, and is now 2,758. A CBC News count based on data provided directly by public health units, which avoids lag times in the provincial reporting system, puts the real current toll at 2,789 as of yesterday evening.

‘Stressful and concerning’ situation in Windsor-Essex

Windsor-Essex’s medical officer of health says that region now has the highest rate of COVID-19 cases in the province.

Dr. Wajid Ahmed said the region passed Toronto and Peel this week with 484 cases per 100,000 people, calling the situation “stressful and concerning.”

Ahmed explained the jump in cases can be attributed to outbreaks on local farms and increasing cases in the community likely due to reopening of the region weeks ago.

Hundreds of migrant workers in the region have tested positive for the virus over the past few months and two have died.

Ford also said the province is conferring with a constitutional lawyer to see if it can mandate testing of migrant workers on farms in the Windsor-Essex area.

“I would like to look into mandatory testing,” Ford said. “We can’t keep going this way.”

On Thursday, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health said an on-farm testing effort had recently been paused after only 19 of 176 in the region participated.

Dr. David Williams said a new communications package has been created for farms and their workers as the testing restarts.

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Bitcoin is at the doorstep of $100,000 as post-election rally rolls on

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NEW YORK (AP) — Bitcoin topped $98,000 for the first time Thursday, extending a streak of record after record highs since the U.S. presidential election. The cryptocurrency has rocketed more than 40% in just two weeks.

Now, bitcoin is at the doorstep of $100,000, just two years after dropping below $17,000 following the collapse of crypto exchange FTX. The recent, dramatic rally arrives as industry players expect the incoming Trump administration to bring a more “crypto-friendly” approach toward regulating the digital currency.

Bitcoin traded as high as $98,349 early Thursday, according to CoinDesk, and was slightly below that level at 1:25 p.m. ET.

As with everything in the volatile cryptoverse, the future is impossible to know. And while some are bullish, other experts continue to warn of investment risks.

Here’s what you need to know.

Back up. What is cryptocurrency again?

Cryptocurrency has been around for a while now. But, chances are, you’ve heard about it more and more over the last few years.

In basic terms, cryptocurrency is digital money. This kind of currency is designed to work through an online network without a central authority — meaning it’s typically not backed by any government or banking institution — and transactions get recorded with technology called a blockchain.

Bitcoin is the largest and oldest cryptocurrency, although other assets like ethereum, tether and dogecoin have also gained popularity over the years. Some investors see cryptocurrency as a “digital alternative” to traditional money — but it can be very volatile, with its price reliant on larger market conditions.

Why is bitcoin soaring?

A lot of the recent action has to do with the outcome of the U.S. presidential election.

Crypto industry players have welcomed Trump’s victory, in hopes that he would be able to push through legislative and regulatory changes that they’ve long lobbied for — which, generally speaking, aim for an increased sense of legitimacy without too much red tape.

Trump, who was once a crypto skeptic, recently pledged to make the U.S. “the crypto capital of the planet” and create a “strategic reserve” of bitcoin. His campaign accepted donations in cryptocurrency and he courted fans at a bitcoin conference in July. He also launched World Liberty Financial, a new venture with family members to trade cryptocurrencies.

How of this will actually pan out — and whether or not Trump will successfully act quickly on these promises — has yet to be seen.

“This is not necessarily a short-term story, it’s likely a much longer-term story,” Citi macro strategist David Glass told The Associated Press last week. “And there is the question of how quickly can U.S. crypto policy make a serious impact on (wider adoption).”

Adam Morgan McCarthy, a research analyst at Kaiko, thinks the industry is craving “just some sort of clarity.” Much of the approach to regulating crypto in the past has been “enforcement based,” he notes, which has been helpful in weeding out some bad actors — but legislation might fill in other key gaps.

Gary Gensler, who as head of the Securities and Exchange Commission under President Joe Biden has led a U.S. government’s crackdown on the crypto industry, penalized a number of crypto companies for violating securities laws. Gensler announced Thursday that he would step down as SEC chair on Jan. 20, Inauguration Day.

Despite crypto’s recent excitement around Trump, McCarthy said that 2024 has already been a “hugely consequential year for regulation in the U.S.” — pointing to January’s approval of spot bitcoin ETFs, for example, which mark a new way to invest in the asset.

Spot ETFs have been the dominant driver of bitcoin for some time now — but, like much of the crypto’s recent momentum, saw record inflows postelection. According to Kaiko, bitcoin ETFs recorded $6 billion in trade volume for the week of the election alone.

In April, bitcoin also saw its fourth “halving” — a preprogrammed event that impacts production by cutting the reward for mining, or the creation of new bitcoin, in half. In theory, if demand remains strong, some analysts say this “supply shock” can also help propel the price long term. Others note it may be too early to tell.

What are the risks?

History shows you can lose money in crypto as quickly as you’ve made it. Long-term price behavior relies on larger market conditions. Trading continues at all hours, every day.

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, bitcoin stood at just over $5,000. Its price climbed to nearly $69,000 by November 2021, during high demand for technology assets, but later crashed during an aggressive series of Federal Reserve rate hikes. And in late 2022 collapse of FTX significantly undermined confidence in crypto overall, with bitcoin falling below $17,000.

Investors began returning in large numbers as inflation started to cool — and gains skyrocketed on the anticipation and then early success of spot ETFs. But experts still stress caution, especially for small-pocketed investors. And lighter regulation from the coming Trump administration could mean less guardrails.

While its been a big month for crypto — and particularly bitcoin, which McCarthy notes has set record highs for ten of the last 21 days — there’s always risk for “correction,” or seeing prices fluctuate back down some. Some assets may also have more restrictions than others.

“I would say, keep it simple. And don’t take on more risk than you can afford to,” McCarthy said — adding that there isn’t a “magic eight ball” to know for certain what comes next.

What about the climate impact?

Assets like bitcoin are produced through a process called “mining,” which consumes a lot of energy. Operations relying on pollutive sources have drawn particular concern over the years.

Recent research published by the United Nations University and Earth’s Future journal found that the carbon footprint of 2020-2021 bitcoin mining across 76 nations was equivalent to the emissions from burning 84 billion pounds of coal or running 190 natural gas-fired power plants. Coal satisfied the bulk of bitcoin’s electricity demands (45%), followed by natural gas (21%) and hydropower (16%).

Environmental impacts of bitcoin mining boil largely down to the energy source used. Industry analysts have maintained that clean energy has increased in use in recent years, coinciding with rising calls for climate protections



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Transgender community gathers in remembrance, opposition to Alberta legislation |

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Members of Edmonton’s transgender community and their loved ones gathered to mark the international Transgender Day of Remembrance where they held candles and mourned for transgender people who have recently died from violence or suicide. In Alberta, the gathering was also about opposing proposed legislation in the province. (Nov. 21, 2024)



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Canadian basketball player Chad Posthumus dead at 33 after brain aneurysm

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WINNIPEG – Canadian basketball player Chad Posthumus, a founding member of the Canadian Elite Basketball League, died Wednesday. He was 33.

The CEBL’s Winnipeg Sea Bears said Thursday that Posthumus, the team’s captain, suffered a brain aneurysm during a training session in Winnipeg on Nov. 9.

He then battled complications from a corrective surgery that left him in critical condition in the intensive care unit and did not recover.

Posthumus, a Winnipeg native, played for the CEBL’s Saskatchewan Rattlers, Ottawa BlackJacks, Edmonton Stingers and Brampton Honey Badgers before joining his hometown team.

He also played for teams in Argentina and Japan.

Internationally, the six-foot-11 Posthumus played for the 3×3 national team, representing Canada at the 3×3 AmeriCup in 2023.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 21, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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