COVID-19 cases are threatening to overwhelm hospitals in several parts of Canada, with hospitalizations nearing or reaching record highs in Quebec, Ontario, and New Brunswick. Former CEO of the University Health Network and Ontario deputy health minister Dr. Bob Bell says every Western country dealing with COVID's fast spreading Omicron variant has a stressed hospital system right now. But he says Canada will pursue lockdowns and restrictions sooner than places such as the United States because Canada has a lower tolerance for deaths from the virus. Meanwhile, students in British Columbia a

Canada's chief public health officer says the Omicron variant of COVID-19 is causing an "enormous" volume of cases. In a news conference this morning, Dr. Theresa Tam said the average daily case count has increased 65 per cent from last week.Tam says testing capacity is challenged in many areas of the country, but public health officials continue to use other indicators to measure the progress of the virus. Dr. Theresa Tam said the new variant is now "predominating and widespread" in much of the country.Tam says the portion of laboratory tests coming back positive is estimated at 29 per cent,

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has announced that he and his wife welcomed a baby girl into the world on Monday, a day after his own birthday. The NDP leader tweeted the news, saying their ``powerful little girl'' is basically his ``birthday present for life.'' Singh and his wife, fashion designer Gurkiran Kaur Sidhu, were married in February 2018. Jagmeet Singh on Twitter: @gurkirankaur and I want to let you know that we welcomed the newest addition to our family on January 3rd, 2022. Our powerful little baby girl is basically my birthday present for life lol. Momma bear and baby are healthy and o

Cineplex says it has temporarily laid off nearly five-thousand part-time employees because of mandated closures of its Ontario movie theatres. New COVID-19 public health measures announced by Ontario Premier Doug Ford to tackle the surge of the Omicron variant resulted in the closure of 67 Cineplex theatres. A spokeswoman says Canada's largest movie chain will get its employees back to work as soon as the restrictions are lifted. The new restrictions also closed indoor concert venues, museums, galleries and other attractions. Indoor dining is also closed, and restaurants and bars must cease s

Quebec Health Minister Christian Dube says he hopes to coerce unvaccinated people to get their first doses by bringing in new proof-of-vaccination rules at liquor and cannabis stores starting January 18th. Dube says more services will soon be added to the list for proof of vaccination requirements. He also says the health system is missing about 20-thousand workers who have been infected or exposed to the disease, and that the government is working with unions to find more staff to care for up to 2,500 COVID-19 patients. A provincial health-care research institute says that within two week

Surging cases of COVID-19 driven by the rapidly transmissible Omicron variant are pushing the health-care system to the brink and putting pressure on some police and transit services. With 170 personnel booked off on leave related to COVID-19, the Winnipeg Police Service declared a state of emergency Wednesday and the Edmonton and Calgary police services warned of staffing challenges after a growing number of members tested positive or were in isolation. Ontario's GO Transit says a temporary reduction in train and bus service in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton regions is set to begin within d

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau calls videos of a party on a recent Sunwing Airlines flight from Montreal to Cancun, Mexico a ``slap in the face'' to those who have tried to stay safe. Air Transat says passengers who were partying maskless on a recent Sunwing flight from Montreal to Mexico are not allowed on its planes as they attempt to return to Canada. Video on social media showed people partying on the flight swigging vodka from the same bottle and vaping. Videos of the December 30th flight shared on social media appear to show passengers not wearing masks as they sang and danced in the ais

Prime Minister Trudeau has reiterated that there are enough vaccine doses for every Canadian to get a booster. At his first COVID-19 update for 2022, Trudeau again called for people to get vaccinated. Trudeau also says rapid testing is part of the path through this latest wave of the pandemic. But Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole says the Liberals have shown a lack of leadership on rapid testing. He said today's announcement of 140 million tests being distributed this month hasn't come soon enough and also accuses the Trudeau government of incentivizing lockdowns by offering financial sup

Canada's chief medical officer of health says she understands why some provinces have shortened the isolation period for COVID-19 infection. Over the holidays, Ontario and Quebec cut the length of isolation periods for infected people by half, to just five days. Dr. Theresa Tam says the provinces are trying to pull off a balancing act for the economy. Tam's deputy, Dr. Howard Njoo, says the federal public health agency is in discussions with provinces and the Centers for Disease Control in the United States about the ideal isolation period.