Another peak in COVID-19 case counts in B.C., six more deaths - Vancouver Sun

Active cases have surged to 7,253 across B.C.

Author of the article:

The Canadian Press

Publishing date:

Dec 22, 2021  •  6 hours ago  •  2 minute read  •  16 Comments

This illustration shows the novel coronavirus. Photo by file photo /Getty Images

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British Columbia has recorded its highest-ever daily COVID-19 case count with 1,528 new infections reported Wednesday as the Omicron variant takes over.

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The fast-spreading variant led provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry to impose new rules, closing bars, dance studios and fitness facilities until at least Jan. 18.

The Health Ministry notes the number of new cases reported Wednesday was provisional due to a “delayed data refresh” and would be confirmed once verified .

B.C. seniors advocate Isobel Mackenzie released a statement in response to rising case numbers, calling on the province to make rapid antigen tests widely available for people to use before visiting older loved ones at highest risk of severe illness.

Mackenzie also asked the government to reduce the requirement that at least six months must pass between someone’s second dose of vaccine and their booster dose in conjunction with its plan to speed up the rollout of third shots.

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Provincial officials had announced plans earlier this week to expand the availability of both rapid tests and booster shots to the broader public starting next month.

Active COVID-19 cases have surged to 7,253 across B.C., including 187 people in hospital, and six more people have died, bringing the province’s death toll to 2,409.

The biggest jump of 711 new infections and the highest number of active cases were located in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, followed by Fraser Health.

The Health Ministry says in a statement that 86.7 per cent of eligible people aged five and up have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, while 82.7 per cent have had two shots and 18 per cent of eligible adults have had a booster.

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It says people who have received two doses of vaccine made up nearly 72 per cent of new COVID-19 cases from Dec. 14 to 20, while people who had not been vaccinated accounted for almost 68 per cent of hospitalizations from Dec. 7 to 20.

Also Wednesday, the University of British Columbia announced that most classes would move temporarily online at both its Vancouver and Okanagan campuses.

In a statement, university president Santa Ono says campuses will remain open but instruction after the holiday break will be provided online until at least Jan. 24.

Ono says they intend to allow in-person learning after that, but university officials will monitor the situation and provide an update in the first week of the new year.

Some courses, including those with clinical or performance and studio components, are set to continue in-person with safety protocols in place.

1. 

   COVID-19: UBC team drills down to what makes Omicron so transmissible

2. 

   COVID-19: More restrictions, more boosters, more rapid tests for B.C.

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B.C. Green Party leader pushing for more transparency, collaboration and climate-framed policy in 2022 - CBC.ca

B.C. Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau says, for her, the need for more transparency and collaboration in government are two of the biggest takeaways from the province's three states of emergency this year.

Collaboration was the order of the day when, in 2017, then B.C. Green Party leader Andrew Weaver and NDP Leader John Horgan entered into an historic agreement which allowed the New Democrats to form government with support from 41 NDP MLAs and three Green members of the legislature.

But a majority win for the B.C. NDP in the October 2020 provincial election changed that dynamic. It was no longer necessary to consult to get legislation passed.

"The level of collaboration is obviously significantly less under this majority government, despite the efforts of both of the opposition parties to present that .... opportunity over and over again," she said in a year-end interview with CBC News. 

As one of only two Green MLAs in the provincial legislature, Furstenau is pushing to have the party's voice heard as the majority NDP government moves ahead on key issues affecting the province, including changes to forestry practices and the establishment of a new system of forest landscape plans being developed alongside First Nations and local communities.

The new framework would replace the existing forest stewardship plans that had largely been developed by industry.

Furstenau called it a "disappointing year for the government" and criticized the speed of its agenda and the lack of opportunity for opposition parties to scrutinize pending legislation, including a bill that was passed allowing government to impose a $10 application fee for access-to-information requests.

Furstenau maintains the application fee restricts access to information and transparency and the government should not have closed debate on it in order to push it through.

"I'm concerned about some of the trends we've seen over the course of this year, the closing of debate ... the changes to the FOIPPA  bill."

Better policy-making to deal with climate driven events

Fursteanu said it's clear there is an urgent need to start dealing effectively with climate change after a year in which the province had to cope with devastating wildfires, a heat dome that killed more than 500 people and catastrophic flooding following a series of atmospheric rivers.

She said the government needs to do more to anticipate climate-related disasters instead of classifying them as "unprecedented."

A lamp post stands in front of the ruins of a burned building in Lytton, B.C., on July 9, 2021. (Bethany Lindsay/CBC News)

"The scientists have been very clear. We will see more severe and more frequent weather-related events," she said.

"We have to shift our decision-making and our policy-making to recognize and acknowledge that that this is the reality that we are in now, and it is costly because we have failed to make good decisions."

Furstenau said she'd like to see the government address inequity when dealing with climate change policies affecting people living in small communities like Lytton, B.C., which will need to be completely rebuilt after a massive fire tore through the town in late June.

A larger city has more options to deal with these types of events, she said, including a bigger tax base and more money to replace infrastructure and build improvements.

Green goals for 2022 

As B.C. enters its fifth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic with the arrival of the Omicron variant, Furstenau said she is looking for more accountability from the Ministry of Health in 2022 and an explanation why some data is not being released to the public.

B.C. Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau campaigns with supporters in Duncan, B.C., on Friday, October 23, 2020. (Chad Hipolito/Canadian Press)

She said the government is being reactive, not proactive, in its approach by not taking measures such as providing take-home, rapid-test kits.

"There's a lot of areas where they have not been transparent about data, about the hospitalization of people after they are considered no longer infectious. We have had a longstanding challenge with this government to be clear about why they are not providing rapid tests to people the way that other provinces are right now."

Among its major goals, Furstenau said, the party has prioritized the protection of old-growth forests and supports for mental health and has been pushing hard on that front.

She said she'd also like to see the party expand and diversify its base of supporters.

"It's really important for us to obviously to attract more people, but importantly diversity. And we've had a number of approaches that we're taking, but mostly it is about connecting with diverse communities," she said.

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Toronto senior being deported after more than 20 years in Canada: ‘I belong here’ - Global News

A Toronto senior is facing deportation after more than 20 years in Canada on work permits that were consistently granted by Immigration, Refugees Citizenship Canada.

“I love this country more than any other country – it’s my home, so why?” explained Samuel Nyaga with tears running down his face during an interview with Global News in Toronto’s Little Jamaica.

The 75-year old escaped Kenya in 2000 as a refugee during the height of democracy movements and the push for a multi-party system. He says he left due to fears of political prosecution after an attempt on his life.

“I got advice: ‘you have to run away.'”

“They injured me I have a scar here they wanted to kill me,” added Nyaga pointing to his right thigh.

Read more: LBTGQ+ refugee in Quebec facing deportation says he will be killed if sent back to Jordan

Nyaga’s lawyer Ariel Hollander says for 17-years the federal government issued work permits for the senior up until 2017 when he lost his job as a security guard at a condominium in Toronto because his work permits expired. Applications and appeals to remain in Canada on humanitarian grounds have been turned down.

“They just don’t know their rights and that was this case. He didn’t know that applying again for a humanitarian and compassionate application was an option, he didn’t know that if a work permit application is denied that he can apply again,” Hollander said.

In a five-page decision obtained by Global News, the Canadian Border Service Agency (CBSA) outlined the reasons for deportation and why the Inland Security Officer wouldn’t grant a deferral of the deportation. The officer states the senior knew of his impending removal since 2010, the officer also felt through risk assessment the man’s life would not be in danger if he returned to Kenya.

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“While I acknowledge that it may take some time for him to reintegrate back to Kenyan society, it has to be understood that this is an unfortunate yet inherent result of the removal process and it does not constitute unusual or disproportionate hardship upon him,” wrote the Inland Security Officer.

“I am unable to conclude that removal to Kenya at this time would expose the applicant to risk of death, extreme sanction or inhumane treatment.”

Read more: Ex-Nazi death squad member Helmut Oberlander seeks adjournment in deportation hearing

Hollander says he doesn’t understand why Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) continued to issue work permits up until 2017.

“He was out of status for more than ten years. I do not know why suddenly it’s so important, so urgent to deport him?” questioned Hollander.

The CBSA cited privacy reasons as to why they wouldn’t discuss Nyaga’s case. In a more generalized sense, the agency wrote;

“Those being removed have either exhausted or chosen not to pursue further legal recourse and have no legal right to remain in Canada. The removal order remains valid until it is enforced or the foreign national becomes a permanent resident,” wrote Jacqueline Roby, CBSA communications advisor.

“The process to obtain a travel document involves three principal groups: the Government of Canada; the person ordered removed from Canada; and, the foreign government who is being asked to issue the travel document. The process of obtaining travel documents will vary.”

Nyaga says he hopes the IRCC will review the application to stay but that process can take up to two years. So, as it is, Nyaga says he will report to Pearson International Airport on Jan. 4 in hopes of someday returning to the country he calls home.

“Honestly, I belong here,” Nyaga said.

© 2021 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

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Devils need more consistency, leadership from veteran players, GM says - NHL.com

The New Jersey Devils need greater consistency and leadership from their veteran players, general manager Tom Fitzgerald said Monday.

"I need to see the experience gained over the years they've played and parlay that into consistency," Fitzgerald said. "They're the leaders. The young guys follow the older guys. We don't have a very loud room and I respect that but saying the right things and then doing the right things are what tight teams do."

Devils veterans include forwards Jesper Bratt (eight goals, 24 points), Pavel Zacha (nine goals, 16 points), Tomas Tatar (six goals, 14 points) and captain Nico Hischier (three goals, 16 points), and defensemen Dougie Hamilton (six goals, 17 points), Damon Severson (three goals, nine points) and P.K. Subban (two goals, 11 points).

Hamilton, who signed a seven-year, $63 million contract ($9 million average annual value) on July 28, averages 22:11 in ice time and is minus-9 in 27 games.

"I don't know what was said during training camp or said the first 15 games of the regular season (when the Devils started 7-5-3) but we need to find those words and say them again," Fitzgerald said. "I think once we're back in a rhythm as a group, I believe we'll find the group that started the year the way we did. That was a fun team to watch."

The Devils (10-15-5) have lost six straight and 15 of their past 18 games (3-12-3). They aren't scheduled to play until Dec. 27 at the St. Louis Blues after games this week against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday and Montreal Canadiens on Thursday were postponed because of COVID-19 concerns.

New Jersey has four players in NHL COVID-19 protocol: defensemen Ryan Graves, Christian Jaros and Subban, and Hischier, a forward.

Fitzgerald said he won't use the virus or other recent non-COVID related illnesses as an excuse for New Jersey's struggles. 

"Coming out of training camp, we were rewarded for our structure, our commitment to structure, commitment to details, commitment to each other," Fitzgerald said. "I think that's slipped. I absolutely believe that we don't defend like we were defending earlier in the year. We don't come through the neutral zone like we did, and we're asking two inexperienced goaltenders to help us through this."

Jon Gillies, who made 19 saves in a 3-2 loss to the Penguins on Sunday, played his first game since he was acquired in a trade with the Blues on Dec. 15. He's the sixth goalie to start for the Devils this season (Mackenzie Blackwood, Jonathan Bernier, Nico Daws, Akira Schmid, Scott Wedgewood), which set a team record. Blackwood and Bernier, the top two goalies on the roster, are each injured.

"We've got enough experience to know how to play the right way," Fitzgerald said. "We can be the youngest team in the League, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't play the right way, play with good habits. We just need to find that team that was playing the right way and doing a lot of good things."

Jack Hughes, the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, has scored eight points (five goals, three assists) in 13 games, including five points (three goals, two assists) in his past 10 after missing 17 games because of a dislocated shoulder. The 20-year-old center signed an eight-year, $64 million contract Nov. 30.

Devils center Dawson Mercer has been a pleasant surprise, ranking sixth among NHL rookies with 16 points (eight goals, eight assists) while averaging 16:25 in 30 games.

Ruff defended the leadership of coach Lindy Ruff, who was hired July 9, 2020.

"The communication from Lindy to his players is second to none," Fitzgerald said. "But I'll speak right now as an ex-player, not as the general manager ... the reality is, players need to play the right way game in and game out and want to win games, 1-0 or 2-1. They need to keep each other accountable, be committed to one another and lay it all out there.

"The results usually come from teams that are consistently doing the right things and playing the structure they're supposed to play. We did that the first 15-16 games. We all liked the team we had then; I want my team to keep each other accountable in that locker room."

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People’s Party in line for more than 500K refund on election campaign expenses - National Post

Elections Canada refunds up to 60% of the expenses that local riding associations spend in a campaign, provided the candidates receive at least 10 per cent of votes in that election

Author of the article:

Ryan Tumilty

Publishing date:

Dec 20, 2021  •  7 hours ago  •  3 minute read  •  7 Comments

In the 2019 campaign, the PPC cleared the election refund threshold in only one riding in the country, but in 2021 the party of Maxime Bernier expanded that to 26 ridings. Photo by Patrick Doyle/Reuters/File

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OTTAWA — The People’s Party of Canada will go into the next campaign with more money and more resources, thanks in large part to Canada’s system of election refunds for political parties.

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Elections Canada refunds up to 60 per cent of the expenses that local riding associations spend in a campaign, provided the candidates receive at least 10 per cent of votes in that election. That includes money spent on signs, literature and offices and is returned to the local riding associations.

In the 2019 campaign, the PPC cleared that threshold in only one riding in the country, but in 2021 the party of Maxime Bernier expanded that to 26 ridings. A portion of that refund is issued shortly after the final votes are tallied, while the rest is subject to audits by Elections Canada to determine exactly how much of the expenses qualify.

More significantly for parties, Elections Canada also offers 50 per cent refunds on national campaign expenses, like advertising campaigns, leader’s tours and other major expenses, for parties that receive at least two per cent of votes nationwide.

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The PPC didn’t clear that threshold in 2019, but in the most recent campaign received just under five per cent of the vote, enough to allow the party to claim that 50 per cent refund.

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PPC spokesman Martin Masse said the party spent approximately $1.3 million on its national campaign, and looks forward to receiving a refund for approximately half that amount.

“For us, like more than half a million dollars is really a lot of money, obviously,” he said. “We already hired two more people working at HQ.”

Masse said the party hopes to take a closer look at the data it has on voters and be able to be more targeted during the next campaign. In the fall election, the party ran on a platform that fought against COVID-19 lockdowns, mandatory vaccination and vaccine passports.

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Bernier, who collects a $104,000 annual salary from the party, started the PPC in 2018 after quitting the Conservative party following a failed run for the leadership.

National campaign expense refunds are significant for parties, in 2015 the last year for which the figures have been made publicly available, the Conservatives and Liberals both got more than $20 million in refunds from Elections Canada and the NDP got nearly $15 million.

Masse said local riding associations will be able to keep the refunds Elections Canada sends them. Some political parties ask riding associations to give a portion or all of those funds back to the national party.

He said they’re optimistic the candidates that broke through the 10 per cent barrier in the fall election will be even more competitive in the next campaign, and he said they’re asking those candidates to put their names on the ballot again.

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“We’re going to let them keep the money,” he said. “We’ve already started asking the candidates who want to run again, and we were planning to get them approved early.”

The riding associations where the PPC cleared the 10-per-cent threshold include leader Bernier’s riding, but also ridings in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, southwestern Ontario and Nova Scotia.

All of the other major political parties from the last campaign are also set to get refunds. The Liberals had 315 ridings where their candidate cleared the 10 per cent threshold, the Conservatives hit that mark in 319 contests and the NDP hit the mark in 263.

Most of the other parties either increased the ridings where they achieved 10 per cent or lost just a handful, but the Green Party’s fortunes declined dramatically.

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In 2019, the Greens had 50 ridings across the country that received at least 10 per cent, but in this past campaign just six ridings hit that benchmark. They also received just 2.3 per cent of the vote nationally, enough to qualify for a national refund, but well below the 6.55 per cent they received in 2019.

The Green campaign was hurt by internal party infighting, as members of the party’s executive attempted to oust leader Annamie Paul, who ultimately resigned after the election.

That infighting led to lawsuits, which limited the amount of money available for the campaign. The party did not respond to multiple enquiries about its financial situation.

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Omicron surge: More restrictions, boosters in provinces today - CTV News

Canada's battle to contain the Omicron variant continues on multiple fronts today, with three provinces reintroducing public health restrictions and a fourth expanding eligibility for COVID-19 vaccine boosters.

British Columbia and Quebec are both capping capacity at bars and restaurants at 50 per cent as of today, while Newfoundland and Labrador has limited bars to 50 per cent and restaurants to 75 per cent with physical distancing in effect.

B.C. is also limiting indoor social gatherings to a maximum of 10 people.

Ontario, meanwhile, is expanding COVID-19 vaccine booster eligibility to all adults, provided it's been at least three months since they received their second dose.

That province introduced similar public health restrictions Sunday, with capacity limits and reduced hours at restaurants and bars.

Canada reported thousands of new cases of COVID-19 over the weekend as the Omicron variant continued its rapid spread.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 20, 2021.

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Philippines storm: More than 200 dead after typhoon - CTV News

MANILA, PHILIPPINES -- The death toll following the strongest typhoon to batter the Philippines this year has risen to more than 200, with 52 other people still missing and several central towns and provinces grappling with downed communications and power outages and pleading for food and water, officials said Monday.

At its strongest, the typhoon packed sustained winds of 195 kilometres (121 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 270 km/h (168 mph) before it blew out Friday into the South China Sea.

At least 208 people were killed, 52 remained missing and 239 were injured, according to the national police. The toll was expected to increase because several towns and villages remained out of reach due to downed communications and power outages although massive clean-up and repair efforts were underway.

Many died due to falling trees and collapsing walls, flash flood and landslides. A 57-year-old man was found dead hanging from a tree branch and a woman was blown away by the wind and died in Negros Occidental province, police said.

Governor Arlene Bag-ao of Dinagat Islands, among the southeastern provinces first hit by the typhoon, said Rai's ferocity on her island province of more than 130,000 was worse than that of Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful and deadliest typhoons on record and which devastated the central Philippines in November 2013 but did not inflict any casualties in Dinagat.

"If it was like being in a washing machine before, this time there was like a huge monster that smashed itself everywhere, grabbed anything like trees and tin roofs and then hurled them everywhere," Bag-ao told The Associated Press by telephone. "The wind was swirling north to south to east and west repeatedly for six hours. Some tin roof sheets were blown away then were tossed back."

At least 14 villagers died and more than 100 others were injured by flying tin roofs, debris and glass shards and were treated in makeshift surgery rooms in damaged hospitals in Dinagat, Bag-ao said. Many more would have died if thousands of residents had not been evacuated from high-risk villages.

Like several other typhoon-hit provinces, Dinagat remained without electricity and communications and many residents in the province, where the roofs of most houses and buildings were ripped off, needed construction materials, food and water. Bag-ao and other provincial officials travelled to nearby regions that had cellphone signals to seek aid and coordinate recovery efforts with the national government.

More than 700,000 people were lashed by the typhoon in central island provinces, including more than 400,000 who had to be moved to emergency shelters. Thousands of residents were rescued from flooded villages, including in Loboc town in hard-hit Bohol province, where residents were trapped on roofs and trees to escape from rising floodwaters.

Coast guard ships ferried 29 American, British, Canadian, Swiss, Russian, Chinese and other tourists who were stranded on Siargao Island, a popular surfing destination that was devastated by the typhoon, officials said.

Emergency crews were scrambling to restore electricity in 227 cities and towns, officials said. Power has been restored in only 21 areas so far. Cellphone connections in more than 130 cities and towns were cut by the typhoon but at least 106 had been reconnected by Monday, officials said. Two local airports remained closed except for emergency flights, but most others have reopened, the civil aviation agency said.

Bag-ao and other officials were concerned that their provinces may run out of fuel, which was in high demand due to the use of temporary power generators, including those used for refrigerated warehouses with large amounts of coronavirus vaccine stocks. Officials delivered vaccine shipments to many provinces for an intensified immunization campaign, which was postponed last week due to the typhoon.

At the Vatican, Pope Francis expressed his closeness Sunday to the people of the Philippines, referencing the typhoon "that destroyed many homes."

About 20 storms and typhoons annually batter the Philippines, which lies between the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea. The Southeast Asian archipelago also lies along the seismically active Pacific "Ring of Fire" region, making it one of the world's most disaster-prone countries.

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