Confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Okanagan can’t — and won’t — keep travellers away from one of B.C.’s most popular summer vacation spots.
Tourists continue to flock to hotels and beaches in Osoyoos, which is only about four kilometres from the Canada-U.S. border. In fact, the city’s hotels are at 95 per cent capacity, according to Mayor Sue McKortoff, and the town looks like it would any other summer.
“We have tons of people in town,” McKortoff told Radio West producer Josh Pagé.
“Our businesses are certainly getting some business.”
Businesses in Osoyoos, B.C. are thriving as tourists flock to the city. (Submitted by Sue McKortoff)
Earlier this week, the Canadian government extended the U.S. border closure until August. Americans often visit the B.C. border town for a lakeside vacation, but with the recent boom in local tourism, McKortoff isn’t worried about businesses surviving. In fact, she said she was “quite happy” to find out the border would remain closed.
“We have maintained a much better ability to look after problems in this province and we think that it’s probably not safe for us to be crossing down to Washington. We’re not ready to have them back here yet.”
A recent cluster of COVID-19 cases reported in Kelowna, which impacted people from outside the community, hit close to home for people in Osoyoos, which is about 120 kilometres away.
“It was a bit of a wake-up call,” McKortoff said. “This can happen here.”
Even though the heavier traffic in Osoyoos is good for business, McKortoff said she is a “little bit nervous.”
“It is a little bit nerve-racking because we see how easily it happened in Kelowna and other places,” she said.
“I just don’t want it to happen here.”
Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer, said Thursday there are things communities and tourists can do to keep each other safe — and allow travel to continue — such as maintaining physical distance, wearing a non-medical mask and keeping gatherings small.
McKortoff expects tourism to continue through the fall and possibly even the winter as Canadian snowbirds may choose Osoyoos as an alternative to their usual destinations south of the border.
“We normally have a lot of snowbird traffic anyway,” she said, adding they’re primarily from other western provinces.
“We have a feeling that’s not going to be less than we’ve had, we could expect a lot more.”
MONTREAL – Quebec’s ombudsperson is warning that public services are becoming “dehumanized” in the province amid a rise in demand for them.
Marc-André Dowd released his annual report today, which highlights several examples of people receiving inadequate care across the health network in the 12 months leading to March 31.
One dying man who lived alone was denied help cleaning his cat’s litter box by his local health clinic, a service Dowd says should have been given for “humanitarian reasons.”
Dowd also describes staff at a long-term care home feeding residents “mechanically” and talking among each other — despite health ministry guidelines directing staff to maintain eye contact with residents.
The ombudsperson says his office received a record number of problems to investigate across the province’s public services — 24,867 compared with 22,053 last year.
He says his office investigated 13,358 cases between April 2023 and March of this year.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
OTTAWA – French President Emmanuel Macron will visit Canada next week after a planned trip in July was cancelled amid political turmoil in France.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in a statement today that Macron will be in Canada Wednesday and Thursday after the leaders attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York City.
Trudeau will welcome Macron in Ottawa on Wednesday, where they are expected to discuss collaboration on geopolitical issues including their ongoing support for Ukraine.
They are also expected to discuss ways to strengthen the response to emerging threats, such as disinformation.
In Montreal, Trudeau intends to show off the city’s artificial intelligence sector, while both countries reaffirm their commitment to work with counterparts on responsible use of AI.
The leaders will also discuss promoting the French language ahead of the Francophonie summit being held in France next month.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Health Canada has authorized Novavax’s updated COVID-19 vaccine that protects against currently circulating variants of the virus.
The protein-based vaccine, called Nuvaxovid, has been reformulated to target the JN.1 subvariant of Omicron.
It will replace the previous version of the vaccine, which targeted the XBB.1.5 subvariant of Omicron.
Health Canada recently asked provinces and territories to get rid of their older COVID-19 vaccines to ensure the most current vaccine will be used during this fall’s respiratory virus season.
Earlier this week, Health Canada approved Moderna’s updated mRNA COVID vaccine.
It is still reviewing Pfizer’s updated mRNA vaccine, with a decision expected soon.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version erroneously described the Novavax vaccine as an mRNA shot.
