CanadaJan 19, 2021
Tory MP Derek Sloan says he'll fight efforts to expel him from party ranks
Ontario Conservative MP Derek Sloan says he'll fight efforts by his party's leader to boot him from caucus.Sloan says a decision by leader Erin O'Toole that he should be tossed out over a donation to his leadership campaign by a known white supremacist is ridiculous.O'Toole announced he's launching the effort to remove Sloan late Monday, after news broke that Sloan's campaign had received a donation from Paul Fromm last year.O'Toole framed the decision as being a question of having no tolerance for racism within his party.But Sloan is raising questions about that approach, saying Fromm is a p
BCJan 19, 2021
B.C. COVID-19 immunizations still on track for end of March: Dr. Bonnie Henry
British Columbia's top doctor says production delays for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are a temporary setback that will slow down the delivery of first doses in the province over the next few weeks. But Dr. Bonnie Henry says B.C. is still on track to vaccinate its most vulnerable residents by the end of March, ahead of a significant expansion of the province's immunization program in April. She says a shortfall of about 60,000 doses of vaccine should be made up in March. B.C. has recorded 1,330 new cases of COVID-19 since Friday, including 301 in the last 24 hours, the lowest single-d
CanadaJan 18, 2021
Biden indicates plans to cancel Keystone XL pipeline permit on 1st day in office, documents show
Transition documents suggest president-elect Joe Biden plans to block the Keystone XL pipeline on his first day in the White House.The documents, seen by The Canadian Press, include a to-do list dated Wednesday that includes rescinding the construction permit signed by predecessor Donald Trump.Campaign officials promised in May that if elected, Biden would cancel the controversial cross-border project, but the timeline was never clear until now.The pipeline expansion would ferry up to 830,000 additional barrels a day of diluted bitumen from Alberta's oilsands to refineries along the U.S. Gulf
BCJan 16, 2021
B.C. crosses 60,000 COVID-19 cases since the start of pandemic; 509 cases and 9 deaths reported today
BC reported 509 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, bringing the province's total to 60,117. There have been nine new deaths from the virus since the province's last update. Health Minister Adrian Dix and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry say in a joint statement that there are 4,604 active cases of COVID-19. They say residents must continue to work together as short-term production delays affect the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. So far, 75,614 people have received COVID-19 vaccine shots in BC. 349 people are currently hospitalized, of those 68 are in intensive care.
CanadaJan 15, 2021
Dr. Theresa Tam says, BC is sending an important message to the rest of the country
Canada's top doctor says BC is sending an important message to the rest of the country as officials in this province explore limits on interprovincial travel. Doctor Theresa Tam, chief medical officer of health, says now is not the time for vacation travel, across the country or anywhere else. She says halting interprovincial travel would be a difficult decision but could limit potential contact with COVID-19 carriers, slowing the spread of the virus. Premier John Horgan said yesterday that his government is seeking legal opinions on whether restrictions can be placed on visitors to BC. This
CanadaJan 15, 2021
The goal to have enough vaccines for every Canadian who wants one by September, still on: PM Trudeau
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his government is working day in and day out to get vaccines delivered as quickly as possible. But he says with an undertaking this historic, it's only to be expected that there will be a few bumps along the way. Pfizer-BioNTech is temporarily reducing deliveries of its COVID-19 vaccine to Canada because of production issues in Europe.Trudeau says it is an issue out of our hands. Trudeau says this does not impact the goal to have enough vaccines for every Canadian who wants one by September.
CanadaJan 15, 2021
Pfizer cutting back vaccine deliveries to Canada due to production issues
Procurement Minister Anita Anand says production issues in Europe will temporarily reduce Pfizer-BioNTech's ability to deliver vaccines to Canada. Anand says the U.S drug-maker is temporarily reducing deliveriesbecause of issues with its European production lines.She adds that while the company says it will still be able to deliver four million doses by the end of March, that is no longer guaranteed.Anand says it's unfortunate, but such delays and issues are to beexpected when global supply chains are stretched well beyond their limits.Canada has received about 380,000 doses of the vaccine so
BCJan 15, 2021
B.C. reports first case of South African COVID-19 strain, four now from the U.K.
British Columbia's provincial health officer expressed concern as she reported the first South African strain of COVID-19 uncovered in the province. Dr. Bonnie Henry says the person who contracted the South African variant had not travelled or had contact with anyone who did. She says officials are investigating where this person might have picked up the virus. Another person has also tested positive for the British variant of the virus, bringing that total to four cases, all connected to travel. Dr. Henry says there doesn't appear to have been any community spread of those infections. Offici
BCJan 14, 2021
B.C. seeking legal advice on limiting interprovincial travel: Premier John Horgan
British Columbia's premier says his government is seeking legal advice on whether it can limit non-essential travel from people out of province during the pandemic. Premier John Horgan says there is concern about people coming from other provinces or territories and spreading COVID-19. Horgan says he and other premiers across the country have made the case for Canadians to stay home during the pandemic, but people continue to travel. He says the issue has been discussed for months and it's time to determine if the government can or can't act. The issue will be discussed during the NDP governm