CanadaFeb 17, 2022
More police presence in Ottawa; Freeland says banks are already freezing accounts
There are more police officers on the streets of downtown Ottawa today, and Quebec's public security minister confirms provincial police are being deployed to Gatineau, just across the river from the capital. In addition to the growing numbers of officers in position to begin clearing the protest in front of Parliament Hill, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland says banks are already freezing accounts. Freeland says the RCMP has shared the names of individuals, businesses and crypto wallets associated with the protest convoy. She's telling protesters there is a really easy way to avoid bei
CanadaFeb 17, 2022
PM Trudeau says this is not the time to hurt our communities; Bergen says all protesters want is to be heard
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau opened the debate in the House of Commons on the Emergencies Act by saying Canadians have made sacrifices for the past two years. He says with things starting to open up once again, this is not the time to hurt our communities and fellow citizens by setting up illegal blockades.Conservative Interim leader says protesters want to be heard Interim Conservative leader Candice Bergen says her party wants to lower the temperature across the country, while the prime minister wants to raise it. As debate got underway on the Emergencies Act, Bergen told the House that the
CanadaFeb 17, 2022
Novavax COVID-19 vaccine gets approval for use in Canada
The Novavax COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for use in Canada.The vaccine, which is protein-based, is the first of its kind to get approval in the country.Experts say a non-mRNA vaccine could win over some vaccine-hesitant people who have still not received a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.The U.S. company Novavax Inc. submitted its package for approval to Health Canada last November.The Novavax shots have already been cleared for use in other countries, including Britain, Europe, Australia and Singapore.Ottawa also signed a deal last year to produce the Novavax vaccine in Canada and a manufact
BCFeb 17, 2022
B.C. reports 750 new COVID-19 cases and 11 deaths
B.C. is reporting 750 new cases of COVID-19, including three epi-linked cases, for a total of 342,282 cases in the province.The new cases include:Fraser Health: 167Vancouver Coastal Health: 93Interior Health: 277Northern Health: 108Island Health: 105People who reside outside of Canada: zeroThere are 762 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 and 121 are in intensive care.In the past 24 hours, 11 new deaths have been reported, for an overall total of 2,777.There have been no new health-care facility outbreaks. The outbreaks at Queen’s Park Care Centre (Fraser Health), Arrowsmith Lodge and Woo
IndiaFeb 17, 2022
Police official says partially consumed bottle of liquor was recovered from the ill-fated car of Punjabi actor Deep Sidhu
A partially consumed bottle of liquor was recovered from the ill-fated car of Punjabi actor Deep Sidhu, who died in a road accident on Tuesday near Sonipat in Haryana. An FIR has been registered for rash and negligent driving against the driver of the truck with which the actor's car collided. Viscera samples of the actor have been collected. "We retrieved a partially consumed liquor bottle from Deep Sidhu's car. It is a case of rash and negligent driving. An FIR has been registered. The driver has been identified and police teams are trying to nab him. Viscera sample has been collected and fu
BCFeb 17, 2022
Victim of fatal stabbing in Abbotsford identified
The victim of a fatal stabbing in Abbotsford has been identified as a 30-year-old man who was known to police. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says it believes the stabbing of Cody Corbett yesterday in Inspiration Park was targeted and not random. But it says there is no known connection with the Lower Mainland gang conflict. Sergeant David Lee says Corbett lived a transient lifestyle but had contact with people in the community and anyone who knew of his activities is being asked to call I-HIT.
BCFeb 17, 2022
Lawyer says he didn't advise B.C. Speaker on clerk's retirement benefit
A lawyer who advised British Columbia's former Speaker about a retirement allowance that is the subject of a criminal charge says the name of then-clerk Craig James never came up in those conversations. Donald Farquhar told a B.C. Supreme Court trial for James that it was his legal opinion that all so-called table officers, who support the work of the clerk in the legislature, were eligible in 2011 for the retirement allowance, which has since been eliminated. He says he never advised then-Speaker Bill Barisoff specifically about James's eligibility. However, Farquhar says James had already a
BCFeb 17, 2022
BC's police watchdog and Coroner's Service investigating the death of a man after a traffic stop
BC's police watchdog and the Coroner's Service are investigating the death of a man following a traffic stop in Dawson Creek. The Independent Investigations Office says a member of the BC Highway Patrol arrested a driver without incident yesterday morning who was the subject of outstanding warrants. The agency says the man reportedly went into medical distress and was pronounced dead at the scene. It says it has begun investigating to determine what if any role police may have played in the death while the coroners service is working to determine the cause.
BCFeb 17, 2022
No vaccine passport means B.C. school events capped at 50% for spectators: minister
British Columbia's education minister says capacity at school-based events will be capped at 50 per cent for spectators to provide some physical distancing because proof of vaccination will not be required. Jennifer Whiteside says the measure is in contrast to the lifting of capacity limits starting at midnight for community-based gatherings, where COVID-19 vaccine passports must still be shown. Whiteside says the capacity cap applies to extracurricular events, whether they are on or off school property, and marks a return to the rules that were in effect last fall. Provincial health officer