BCApr 27, 2021
B.C. reports 17 deaths and nearly 2,500 new cases of COVID-19 over three days
British Columbia's top doctor says the province has confirmed that COVID-19 was a factor in the death of an infant from the Interior Health region. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says the baby was being treated in hospital in January and the B.C. Coroners' Service has since determined COVID-19 was a factor in the baby's death. Dr. Henry reported the death while addressing concerns raised in Ontario that people are dying at home of COVID-19, saying the coroners' service in B.C. has a process in place to investigate whether the illness was a factor in any unexpected deaths. She says
BCApr 26, 2021
Eby tells inquiry about money laundering information gaps between B.C. organizations
The cabinet minister who helped set in motion British Columbia's money laundering inquiry says he was getting very different versions about suspicious cash at casinos from officials when he became the minister responsible for gaming in 2017. Attorney General David Eby told the Cullen Commission that there were significant information gaps about suspicious cash at casinos during separate briefings with him from officials at the BC Lottery Corporation and the Gaming Policy Enforcement Branch. Eby testified officials at the lottery corporation told him anti-money laundering efforts were working
BCApr 26, 2021
Charges laid in targeted killing in busy Vancouver neighbourhood: police
A first-degree murder charge has been laid in what Vancouver police say was a "shocking and unnerving" shooting in a busy city neighbourhood last week.The victim, 31-year-old Harpreet Singh Dhaliwal of Abbotsford, B.C., was shot and killed outside a popular restaurant last Saturday.On top of the murder charge, 51-year-old Francois Gauthier is also accused of possession of a loaded prohibited weapon.Gauthier remains in custody until his next court appearance.Police say no one else was hurt in the targeted shooting, but safety was at risk for others in the public location.There have been three
CanadaApr 23, 2021
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says restricting travel from India, Pakistan necessary
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says suspending incoming passenger flights from India and Pakistan for the next month must be done to keep Canadians safe. Trudeau says it's necessary because there has been a concerning surge of COVID-19 cases and the emergence of more variants of concern in certain parts of the world.Also, the federal health minister has said half of the people who have tested positive for the novel coronavirus after arriving in Canada by plane have come from India.The new travel measures were announced yesterday following pressure from provincial leaders, who said not enough w
CanadaApr 23, 2021
Key measure suggests Canada's COVID-19 surge could be slowing down, says Tam
Canada's top public health doctor says there's been an increase of more than 200,000 COVID-19 cases since last month, but there are signs the epidemic is easing.Dr. Theresa Tam says average case counts have more than doubled over the past month, with upwards of 8,400 infections reported daily over the last week.But Tam says there's reason for hope due to Canada's declining reproduction rate, which represents how many people are infected by each new case.She says this measure has fallen below the key threshold of one for the first time in weeks, meaning the rate of transmission is trending dow
BCApr 23, 2021
Hundreds of scheduled surgeries in B.C. postponed; More than 1,000 COVID-19 cases reported in the province
Hundreds of scheduled surgeries in British Columbia have been postponed as the number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals reaches a new peak. Health Minister Adrian Dix says 1,750 surgeries at nine affected hospitals in the Fraser and Vancouver Coastal health regions have been delayed. There are 502 people in hospital and more than 160 of those are in intensive care units. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says pressure on B.C.'s health-care system is ``immense'' right now. The government is also asking specially trained health workers who are now in community settings to return to int
CanadaApr 22, 2021
Canada bans flights from India, Pakistan for 30 days
Transport Canada is halting all direct passenger air traffic from India and Pakistan for 30-days, starting at 11:30 tonight. Transport Minister Omar Alghabra says cargo flights will be allowed to ensure the continued supply of vaccines and PPE. Alghabra says passengers who depart from the two countries via an indirect route will need obtain a negative COVID-19 test at their last point of departure. The announcement comes just after MPs voted in favour of Canada suspending international flights from countries where COVID-19 outbreaks are raging.
BCApr 22, 2021
39 cases related to B.1.617 variant first identified in India reported in B.C.
The BC Centre for Disease Control and its public health lab are reviewing the genetic sequencing of what they are now calling a ``variant of interest'' that has made its way to this province. A statement from the Ministry of Health says 39 COVID-19 cases involving the B.1.617 variant first identified in India were found in B-C by April 4th, but the strain was not then considered a variant of concern or a variant under investigation. The statement says the ministry should be able to provide an update by later this week on the number and severity of cases linked to the latest variant. Quebec id
CanadaApr 22, 2021
Federal government needs to immediately stop admitting flights from countries like India and Brazil: Erin O'Toole
Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole says the federal government needs to immediately stop admitting flights from COVID-19 "hot spot" countries like India and Brazil. He says the move would buy time to figure out a better plan for stopping variants of concern from getting into Canada. O'Toole doesn't have specifics for what he thinks should happen to beef up border protections beyond not allowing flights to land from certain countries. Health Canada says about one per cent of arriving passengers are testing positive but can't say how many have tested positive after 10 days. Bloc Quebecois Leader
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