Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos says the emergence of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 should be a big, red, flashing part of the radar screen for anyone planning a trip outside Canada. Duclos says while Omicron is still relatively rare here, it is a different story in other countries, where governments are re-imposing lockdowns and tightening public health restrictions. And he's warning anyone thinking of leaving Canada for a winter vacation that they will face delays and hassles on their return. Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam says there have been 87 confirmed cases of Omicro

Canada's chief public health officer says a resurgence of COVID-19 is forecast for Canada, and it could speed up even more if the Omicron variant replaces Delta. Doctor Theresa Tam says there have been 87 confirmed cases of Omicron in Canada so far.New federal modelling shows that if Omicron does not predominate over Delta, Canada could see between 2,900 and 15,000 daily cases by mid-January. Dr. Tam says if Omicron becomes dominant, Canada could see 26,000 daily cases by then. Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam says Canada could see up to 15,000 COVID-19 cases per day by mid-January

A report by the auditor general shows Canada failed to adequately enforce border measures designed to keep international travellers from importing cases of COVID-19. The AG says the Public Health Agency of Canada had no idea what became of 59 per cent of travellers suspected of flouting quarantine orders. The auditor assessed enforcement of quarantine and COVID-19 test mandates between July 1st, 2020, and June 30th, 2021. The report comes as Canada reinstitutes several stringent border measures, including mandatory quarantines, because of the emergence of the Omicron variant.

Olympic decathlon champion Damian Warner is the winner of the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada's Athlete of the Year. Warner won gold at the Tokyo Games last summer and became just the fourth man in history to top the elusive 9,000-point barrier in the 10-discipline event. The 32-year-old native of London, Ont., is the first Canadian to win the Olympic decathlon. He set an Olympic record and a national record with 9,018 points. Media members from across Canada voted Wednesday on the annual Toronto Star award. Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and Bayern Munich left back A

Canada is joining the United States, the United Kingdon and Australia in a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics over human rights concerns. The announcement came after the White House, the Australian government and the UK government confirmed diplomatic boycotts of the Winter Olympics in February to protest Chinese human rights abuses. China has vowed to react with ``firm countermeasures.'' Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his government has been talks with allies about it in recent months. The diplomatic moves by Canada, the U.S., Britain and Australia do not affect t

Military police say they have charged the former head of human resources for the Canadian Armed Forces with one count of sexual assault. Vice-Admiral Haydn Edmundson has also been charged with one count of indecent acts. Edmundson stepped down as head of military personnel command in March due to a police investigation after a CBC report of alleged sexual assault. He has denied the allegations. The charges come weeks after Defence Minister Anita Anand announced she had accepted a call to have the investigation and prosecution of military sexual assault cases transferred to civilian authoritie

A government bill seeking to ban conversion therapy has cleared the House of Commons and is on its way to the Senate. Bill C-4 was fast-tracked through the legislative stages in the House of Commons with the unanimous consent of all MPs after Conservative Rob Moore introduced a motion to do so. Erin O'Toole had been set to once again allow his caucus to have a free vote on the bill, but also pledged that his MPs would work to get it passed quickly. The so-called therapy is widely discredited as a harmful practice, aimed at trying to change an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity

Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos is expanding the COVID-19 travel ban and ordering new border testing rules as Canada tries to keep the new Omicron variant from spreading. Duclos is adding Malawi, Egypt and Nigeria to the banned travellers country list, and stepping up testing for air travellers who fly into Canada from anywhere but the United States. At least six cases of the new variant are now confirmed in Canada, so far all in people who had recently travelled from Nigeria. Duclos says we still don't know very much about the threat this new variant poses. The federal government is bannin

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada may need to do more at the border to protect against the Omicron variant of COVID-19 coming to Canada. The government has already banned foreign nationals who have recently travelled to several southern African countries. Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino told reporters public health advice will guide their actions.The World Health Organization warned against the potentially dangerous impact of the Omicron variant again today, though there are still many questions about its transmissibility and the severity of illness it causes.