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Coronavirus

    • Canada's top doctor says cooler weather, easing restrictions creating 'turbulence'

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    TORONTO -

    Cooler weather and easing restrictions are contributing to a rise in COVID-19 infections in some parts of Canada, Canada’s top health official said on Friday during a Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) update.

    Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam said there was an 11 per cent rise in new daily cases this past week, but said bumps in Canada’s downward trajectory were expected as provinces continued to lift gathering limits and as the colder temperatures drive people to spend more time inside.

    “It looks like we may be experiencing a bit of turbulence this week,” Tam said.

    “Most notably, coverage is not the same everywhere, and where there are pockets of very low coverage, there is a higher risk of local surges in virus activity in the weeks ahead.”

    Ontario and New Brunswick are among the latest provinces to see their curves bend upwards. In the last couple of weeks, Yukon has seen a near-vertical spike in cases, while Quebec and Nova Scotia have also experienced an ascending trend. The number of picked up in recent weeks as well, following a slow but steady climb since late summer. The province introduced new public health restrictions Friday to reduce the number of new cases.

    Overall, the number of people with severe illness across Canada remains stable.

    Tam said the demographic with the highest number of new infections continue to be children under the age of 12, who are not yet eligible for immunization. They represent more than 20 per cent of new daily cases, PHAC said last week, despite only accounting for 12 per cent of the country’s population. While most cases remain mild, severe illness have struck some children in rare instances.

    A decision on whether to authorize the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children aged five to 11 is expected within “the next one to two weeks”, said Canada’s chief medical adviser, Dr. Supriya Sharma during the conference. Last week, the United States authorized the use of the Pfizer vaccine for that age group.

    BREATHING IN SUSPENDED “FINE AEROSOLS”

    Tam also reminded the public that the virus can linger and remain suspended in the air as a fine aerosol, and stressed the importance of wearing a well-fitted mask with enough layers to filter out the fine virus particles when spending time in indoor public spaces, especially if the ventilation is poor.

    “With a highly-contagious Delta variant continuing to predominate, the risk for surges in disease activity is likely to increase with more time spent indoors, particularly where there are pockets of low vaccine coverage,” she said, likening it to the way expelled cigarette smoke lingers in an enclosed space and inhaling secondhand smoke when in close proximity to someone infected.

    Signs of waning vaccine protection may also be contributing to an increase in risk for more severe illness, making continued proper masking an important measure, she added.

    More than 85 per cent of eligible Canadians are now fully vaccinated; just under 75 per cent if children under 12 are included. But with some having received the vaccine more than half a year ago, provinces and territories across Canada are now rolling out booster shots for eligible, vulnerable groups including long-term care residents, the immunocompromised, and front-line health-care staff. Earlier on Friday, Health Canada said it approved the booster shot for Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, Spikevax.  

    Tam said that sizable gaps in vaccinations remained, however, with more than five million Canadians who are eligible still unvaccinated and more than 4.3 million children waiting for the vaccines to be approved.

    With borders reopening, Tam also said that the pre-arrival PCR or molecular test requirement for travellers entering Canada was still being actively reviewed, and that there would be further information to come.

    CTVNews.ca ǿմý

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    The Montreal couple from Mexico and their three children facing deportation have received a temporary residence permit.

    Canada

    • Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

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    • The head of a committee monitoring the government's response to the inquiry into the 2020 Nova Scotia mass killing says she's pleased with progress made so far.

    • The University of Ottawa's special advisor on antisemitism says he has resigned following posts he made on social media celebrating the pager explosions in Lebanon this week.

    World

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    Health

    Sci-Tech

    Entertainment

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    Business

    Lifestyle

    • They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

    Sports

    • Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko says he's been working his way back from a rare lower-body muscle injury since being sidelined in last season's playoffs.

    • Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette returned to the 10-day injured list Thursday due to a right middle finger fracture.

    Autos

    • An Ontario man says it is 'unfair' to pay a $1,500 insurance surcharge because his four-year-old SUV is at a higher risk of being stolen.

    • Video of a brazen daylight auto theft which shows a suspect running over a victim in a stolen luxury SUV has been released by police west of Toronto.

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    Local Spotlight

    They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

    A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

    Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

    The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

    The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

    It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

    A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.

    David Krumholtz, known for roles like Bernard the Elf in The Santa Clause and physicist Isidor Rabi in Oppenheimer, has spent the latter part of his summer filming horror flick Altar in Winnipeg. He says Winnipeg is the most movie-savvy town he's ever been in.

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    • Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

    • The 'Namgis First Nation says a fish farm it owns near Port McNeill shows the potential of land-based aquaculture in B.C.

    • For the last seven-and-half months, Toronto resident Heather McArthur has been living out what she describes as her 'worst nightmare.' On Feb. 7, her then three-year-old son Jacob along with his father Loc Phu 'Jay' Le departed for what was supposed to be a week-long visit to Vietnam to celebrate the Lunar New Year with family, McArthur says.

    • An Ontario man says it is 'unfair' to pay a $1,500 insurance surcharge because his four-year-old SUV is at a higher risk of being stolen.

    • In the middle of the small crowd — near the tents, the lineup of kids awaiting face painting, the snack table — stood a jubilant Chiara Padovani. 'When I say 'tenant, you say 'power,'' she commanded to several dozen tenants, who chanted back with gusto. What looked like a summer block party in front of two north-end Toronto apartment buildings last month was a celebration of what renters who withheld payments for months called a 'huge victory.'

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    • BREAKING NEWS

      BREAKING NEWS

      A man has been taken to hospital in life-threatening condition following a stabbing incident that happened on Baseline Road in the early hours of Friday morning, according to the Ottawa Paramedic Service.

    • Police say a man who was taken to hospital in critical condition after being shot Thursday night has died.

    • Higher than average temperatures are in the forecast for Ottawa this Friday.

    • The Montreal couple from Mexico and their three children facing deportation have received a temporary residence permit.

    • The province's public security minister said he was "shocked" Thursday amid reports that a body believed to be that of a 14-year-old boy was found this week near a Hells Angels hideout near Quebec City.

    • Premier François Legault's approval rating continued to rise this summer, according to the Angus Reid Institute. After reaching a low at the end of 2023, his support rose by three percentage points over the summer to 39 per cent.

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    • A mother and daughter say they woke up to flames encroaching on their third-floor apartment near Commonwealth Stadium early Friday morning.

    • An Edmonton man who is charged with sexually assaulting a teen boy is a member of the Alberta sheriffs, CTV News Edmonton has confirmed.

    • Gas prices increased in all three Maritime provinces for the first time in more than a month.

    • A Nova Scotia woman has applied for a medically assisted death, saying after years of battling to receive out-of-country surgery for an illness that causes "indescribable" pain, she struggles to maintain the will to live.

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    • Manitobans are continuing to mop up after a deluge of rain hit southern Manitoba earlier in the week.

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    • As northern Ontario gets ready to welcome autumn this weekend, it’s still feeling a lot like summer as provincial forest fire crews continue to battle blazes.

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    • James Bay Ontario Provincial Police have charged four commercial vehicle drivers with impaired, including one who was hauling 36,000 kilograms of ammonia hydrate.

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    • Ontario Provincial Police executed a search warrant in Walkerton.

    • On Thursday, just after 9:30 a.m., a man was found and taken to police headquarters, where he was released with conditions and a future court date.

    • Standing up, speaking out, and showing solidarity — survivors and supporters gathered in the core to take back the night in Windsor. The city is just one of a growing list of communities that have declared intimate partner violence (IPV) an epidemic.

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    • In a rare move, the Greater Victoria School District Board of Education has been slapped with a ministerial order from the province requiring it to update a student safety plan – drawing concern around political posturing leading up to an election.

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    • A Vulcan, Alta., man has been charged with a Lethbridge woman's murder after her body was found in the Oyen area.

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    N.L.

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