Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is urging Canadians to be vigilant in following public health guidelines as COVID-19 cases climb across the country.
Speaking with reporters before a two-day cabinet retreat in Ottawa, Trudeau warned that as the number of new infections rises, “we are not out of the woods” when it comes to the health crisis. He said people need to “be there for each other” by maintaining physical distancing, washing hands and wearing masks.
“The last thing anyone wants is to go into this fall in a lockdown similar to this spring, and the way we do that is by remaining vigilant,” he said.
The cabinet retreat comes ahead of the Sept. 23 return of Parliament. Trudeau said the government’s focus is on keeping Canadians safe through the COVID-19 crisis by keeping transmission under control and not overloading the health care system.
In an interview with CBC Radio’s The Current, Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam said the current spread of the novel coronavirus is different from the first wave.
“What we’re experiencing right now is quite different from the initial escalation and that wave going up. What we have seen in the last weeks has been a slow but steady growth in cases, in particular the four big provinces, B.C., Alberta, Ontario and Quebec,” she told host Matt Galloway.
“So it’s not like this is a very rapid sort of escalation or the exponential growth that we had at the start of the first wave. At the moment, that means that we can do everything that we can to continue these sort of learned, effective public health measures personally, but also as a community, to keep things at a manageable level.”
In the country’s most populous province of Ontario, the average number of new COVID-19 infections has doubled in just three weeks. Ontario’s daily count has exceeded 200 on each of the past three days, something that hasn’t happened since early June. On Monday, the province reported 313 new cases.
Tam said the rise in cases coincides with the coming flu season, which typically sends many Canadians to emergency rooms across the country. While the public health measures in place for COVID-19 might help reduce the number of flu cases, she urged people to get the flu vaccine.
“Getting the flu shot will help protect yourself, your community and the health system from getting overwhelmed,” she said.
Acknowledging there is some fatigue with public health measures, Tam said that with the rise in cases affecting young Canadians aged 20-29, officials must step up outreach and communications efforts targeting that age group.
Tam is one of several public health and scientific experts who will be briefing cabinet at the retreat. Chief science adviser Mona Nemer also will be making a presentation to ministers.
The Liberal cabinet retreat, which is bringing most ministers together in person, will be followed by a news conference on Wednesday.
The parliamentary session will begin with a speech from the throne, which will lay out the government’s plan for an economic recovery from the massive disruption caused by the global pandemic.
Sources have told CBC News that the throne speech could promise investments in housing and a long-term overhaul of the employment insurance system.
The government is also expected to signal its intention to make child care more widely available and to launch a green recovery plan, while focusing on the ongoing public health crisis.
The speech from the throne will lead to a confidence vote — which could topple the government and trigger a fall election.
Trudeau prorogued Parliament to reset the government’s agenda, stating that the mandate had been knocked off course by the pandemic. He has said the government wants to come up with an ambitious plan to “build back better” through substantial green recovery efforts.
Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said the longer-term plan will promote resilience in the economy and work to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
“The government has said very clearly from the beginning that the focus is on ensuring that we’re supporting Canadians and Canadian businesses through this process,” he said.
“But of course, as we look forward, we have to think about the priorities and those priorities have to be around job creation, economic recovery, but they also have to be about the crises that we know are looming on the horizon, and that is the crisis of climate change and the global decline of biodiversity.”
Justice Minister David Lametti said the priority for the government is to tackle the twin challenges of controlling COVID-19 while planning the economic recovery.
“We have to map out where we’re going to take the country,” he said. “Obviously, we’re listening to Canadians and we’re going to do, we hope, some very positive things as we come out of COVID.”
It’s the first time the Liberal cabinet has met in person since the pandemic struck. Lametti said ministers have been told the gathering is “safe and compliant.”
Source: – CBC.ca
PORT ALBERNI, B.C. – RCMP say the body of a second person has been found inside their vehicle after a road washed away amid pouring rain on the west coast of Vancouver Island.
Police say two vehicles went into the Sarita River when Bamfield Road washed out on Saturday as an atmospheric river hammered southern B.C.
The body of the other driver was found Sunday.
More coming.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
The B.C. Greens say Sonia Furstenau will be staying on as party leader, despite losing her seat in the legislature in Saturday’s provincial election.
The party says in a statement that its two newly elected MLAs, Jeremy Valeriote and Rob Botterell, support Furstenau’s leadership as they “navigate the prospect of having the balance of power in the legislature.”
Neither the NDP led by Premier David Eby nor the B.C. Conservatives led by John Rustad secured a majority in the election, with two recounts set to take place from Oct. 26 to 28.
Eby says in a news conference that while the election outcome is uncertain, it’s “very likely” that the NDP would need the support of others to pass legislation.
He says he reached out to Furstenau on election night to congratulate her on the Greens’ showing.
But he says the Green party has told the NDP they are “not ready yet” for a conversation about a minority government deal.
The Conservatives went from taking less than two per cent of the vote in 2020 to being elected or leading in 45 ridings, two short of a majority and only one behind the NDP.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2024.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Toronto FC captain Jonathan Osorio is making a difference, 4,175 kilometres away from home.
The 32-year-old Canadian international midfielder, whose parents hail from Colombia, has been working with the Canadian Colombian Children’s Organization, a charity whose goal is to help disadvantaged youth in the South American country.
Osorio has worked behind the scenes, with no fanfare.
Until now, with his benevolence resulting in becoming Toronto FC’s nominee for the Audi Goals Drive Progress Impact Award, which honours an MLS player “who showed outstanding dedication to charitable efforts and serving the community” during the 2024 season.”
Other nominees include Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Sebastian Berhalter and CF Montreal goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois.
The winner will be announced in late November.
The Canadian Colombian Children’s Organization (CCCO) is run entirely by volunteers like Monica Figueredo and Claudia Soler. Founded in 1991, it received charitable status in 2005.
The charity currently has four projects on the go: two in Medellin and one each in Armenia and Barranquilla.
They include a school, a home for young girls whose parents are addicted to drugs, after-school and weekend programs for children in a disadvantaged neighbourhood, and nutrition and education help for underprivileged youth.
The organization heard about Osorio and was put in contact with him via an intermediary, which led to a lunch meeting. Osorio did his due diligence and soon got back to the charity with his decision.
“It was something that I wanted to be a part of right away,” said Osorio, whose lone regret is that he didn’t get involved sooner.
“I’m fortunate now that to help more now that I could have back then,” he added. “The timing actually worked out for everybody. For the last three years I have donated to their cause and we’ve built a couple of (football) fields in different cities over there in the schools.”
His father visited one of the sites in Armenia close to his hometown.
“He said it was amazing, the kids, how grateful they are to be able to play on any pitch, really,” said Osorio. “But to be playing on a new pitch, they’re just so grateful and so humble.
“It really makes it worth it being part of this organization.”
The collaboration has also made Osorio take stock.
“We’re very fortunate here in Canada, I think, for the most part. Kids get to go to school and have a roof over their head and things like that. In Colombia, it’s not really the same case. My father and his family grew up in tough conditions, so giving back is like giving back to my father.”
Osorio’s help has been a godsend to the charity.
“We were so surprised with how willing he was,” said Soler.
The TFC skipper has helped pay for a football field in Armenia as well as an ambitious sports complex under construction in Barranquilla.
“It’s been great for them,” Figueredo said of the pitch in Armenia. “Because when they go to school, now they have a proper place to train.”
Osorio has also sent videos encouraging the kids to stay active — as well as shipping soccer balls and signed jerseys their way.
“They know more about Jonathan than the other players in Colombia,” Figueredo said. “That’s the funny part. Even though he’s far away, they’ve connected with him.”
“They feel that they have a future, that they can do more,” she added. “Seeing that was really, really great.”
The kids also followed Osorio through the 2022 World Cup and this summer’s Copa America.
Back home, Osorio has also attended the charity’s annual golf tournament, helping raise funds.
A Toronto native, he has long donated four tickets for every TFC home game to the Hospital for Sick Children.
Vancouver’s Berhalter was nominated for his involvement in the Whitecaps’ partnership with B.C. Children’s Hospital while Montreal’s Sirois was chosen for his work with the Montreal Impact Foundation.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
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