Alberta doctors, teachers express interest in leaving the province

Ontario’s science advisory table says.Dr. Peter Juni told Global News that it will likely take some time to see the impact of the first phase of reopening on the province’s health-care system, adding that it is something that will have to be carefully monitored.

COVID-19-related hospitalizations as the province is set to start lifting public health measures as of Monday.The Health Department says 2,895 people are in hospital on Sunday, a decline of 80 from Saturday.#COVID19 – En date du 29 janvier, voici la situation au Québec: https://t.co/pwoUoaBgaF pic.twitter.com/1J3fxUu4yy— Santé Québec (@sante_qc) January 30, 2022The number of people in intensive care climbed by two over the past 24 hours to 233.Authorities are reporting 11 additional deaths linked to the virus.Officials say 2,838 new cases were detected today, though they warn that number is not reflective of the actual situation because molecular testing has been limited to certain higher-risk groups.They say 28,491 tests were analyzed in the previous 24 hours, with 11.4 per cent coming back positive.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have called out Spotify for allowing ‘Covid misinformation’ to be spread on its platform. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have weighed into the mounting controversy surrounding the Joe Rogan Experience podcast and its false claims about the Covid vaccine. Musician Neil Young has removed his entire catalogue from the streaming service while other stars have spoken out against the lack of action taken against the misinformation on its platform. Now in their own statement released through their Archewell Foundation, Meghan and Harry said: ‘Since the inception of Archewell, we have worked to address the real-time global misinformation crisis.‘Hundreds of millions of people are affected by the serious harms of mis- and disinformation every day.‘Last April, our co-founders began expressing concerns to our partners at Spotify about the all too real consequences of Covid misinformation on its platform.’ The couple continued: ‘We have continued to express our concerns to Spotify to ensure changes to its platform are made to help address this public health crisis.‘We look to Spotify to meet this moment and are committed to continuing our work together as it does.’The statement comes a week after it emerged Spotify had Meghan and Harry’s podcast into its own hands as the pair have not produced any content for it.The streaming giant was said to be recruiting in-house staff to work with Harry and Meghan’s Archewell audio, for a podcast that features ‘the voices of high profile women,’ according to The Sun.The couple previously made an £18million deal with Spotify.A source said: ‘Spotify has been waiting a long time for some content from Harry and Meghan and now it appears they have finally taken matters

Covid-19 cases for a year and a half on Sunday, as the Chinese capital gears up to host the Winter Olympics in five days.

As Ontario prepares to ease pandemic restrictions on Monday, there is a sense of deja vu among many in the business community. Some are frustrated about the back-and-forth between lockdown and reopening. Albert Delitala reports.

COVID-19.But after sending his daughter to school on a day where it was -40 C with the wind chill, he decided to act, calling his local member of the provincial legislature and posting a video on Facebook encouraging others to do the same.“We have a serious problem, our children are freezing in our schools, and it’s unacceptable,” he said in an interview Friday.For Gagnon, the solution is simple. He thinks Quebec should install air exchangers in classrooms, something that’s been done in other provinces.Heidi Yetman, the president of the Quebec Provincial Association of Teachers, a union that represents teachers at English-language schools in the province, said that while the Education Department has installed carbon dioxide detectors in around 50 per cent of classrooms, it hasn’t acted to improve air quality.Quebec has said it plans to install air exchangers in some classrooms, but Yetman said she doesn’t know how many of the 400 devices the province says it has received have been installed.“The teacher that feels unsafe in their classroom and has a CO2 detector that says 2,000 parts per million, and we’re told if it goes higher than 1,500 parts per million then open your windows, that teacher is going to open windows, because she does not feel safe,” she said in an interview Friday.Asked to comment on Gagnon’s video, Florent Tanlet, a spokesman for Quebec Education Minister Jean-Francois Roberge, emailed a link to a Jan.

Nearly three years after the Chuckegg Creek wildfire forced thousands of people to flee the High Level area of northwestern Alberta, the town is still waiting on the Alberta government to cover millions of dollars in emergency response costs.

Alberta’s premier is heading to Washington to try to convince political leaders in the U.S. to help bring an end to cross-border COVID-19 vaccine mandates for truckers. Tom Vernon has details on Jason Kenney’s plans this weekend.

After Premier Jason Kenney said he hopes to lift most COVID-19 public health restrictions this spring, several epidemiologists give their take. Breanna Karstens-Smith reports.

COVID-19 restrictions could be eased by the end of March and that may include the removal of the province’s Restrictions Exemption Program. But while some health officials are cautiously hopeful, others say it’s too soon to put a timeline on any such decisions.The premier made the comments Thursday, as Alberta hit yet another all-time high when it comes to the number of people in hospital with COVID-19 at 1,469. On Friday, hospitalizations increased once again to 1,496. “I’m one of the people that wants to see an end to the Restrictions Exemption Program and as quickly as possible,” the premier said Thursday.However, Kenney also stressed that now is not the time to ease restrictions, noting hospitalizations in Alberta are at the highest they’ve been throughout the entire COVID-19 pandemic.“I very much hope that we can move towards widespread relaxation of public health measures, including the proof of vaccination program, in the foreseeable future once we start to see the pressure on hospitals trend down,” the premier said.

Convoys of truckers from across Quebec rolled by the Montreal area on Friday on their way to Ottawa for a weekend rally.They’ll be joining hundreds of others on Parliament Hill to protest against COVID-19 government vaccine mandates.From coast to coast, truck drivers against COVID-19 vaccination regulations have gathered. COVID situation stabilizing, but restrictions must be eased slowly, Quebec health director says As of Jan.

PITTSBURGH - A bridge with multiple vehicles on it collapsed early Friday in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, causing several "minor" injuries and occurring hours ahead of a visit from President Joe Biden to discuss the country’s need for updated infrastructure. Pittsburgh Public Safety shared a Twitter post about the incident reported around 6 a.m., asking all to "avoid the area" of Braddock and Forbes avenues near Frick Park. Authorities later said that "three to four" vehicles were on the two-lane bridge at the time, including a commuter bus.Photos from the scene showed the bus upright on a section of the collapsed bridge.A commuter bus is pictured on the collapsed bridge in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Jan.

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney discusses the opening of a pandemic response unit in Edmonton as COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to hit record highs.

Alberta’s chief medical officer of health announces expanded eligibility for children under two to receive COVID-19 PCR testing.

COVID-19 update, the Saskatchewan government announced changes in COVID-19 protocols to take into effect on Friday.The province said those who received a positive COVID-19 test result on either a PCR or a rapid antigen test will be required to self-isolate for five days regardless of vaccination status.Those who are close contacts of positive COVID-19 cases will no longer be required to self-isolate regardless of vaccination status. Health officials also said that parents and caregivers will no longer be required to inform schools about positive test results.

Ontario’s government gave the greenlight to loosen restrictions next Monday. The changes will also come with different directions on contact tracing, with the CMOH saying the province can’t eliminate the threat of Omicron.

Both Sinn Féin and the Labour Party have said that a solution to assessment for this year's Leaving Certificate cannot include school profiling.

Experts are calling for transparency and change after Global News revealed doctors in Ontario and BC are spreading information about COVID-19 that contradicts public health advice… and some were alleged to be heading out falsified mask and vaccine exemptions.

Student, parents say they feel abandoned as K-12 Alberta kids head back to class Nearly one in six, or 16.4 per cent, of respondents said they will have retired by next year. One in seven — 14.3 per cent — planned to leave teaching to join another profession.

Alberta’s top court will hear an urgent appeal Thursday, led by advocates racing to stop a provincial policy change for supervised drug consumption sites that they say will have deadly consequences. Morgan Black spoke with a woman who will be directly impacted by the change.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Will mortgage rates go up? How about car loans? Credit cards?How about those nearly invisible rates on bank CDs — any chance of getting a few dollars more?With the Federal Reserve signaling Wednesday that it will begin raising its benchmark interest rate as soon as March — and probably a few additional times this year — consumers and businesses will eventually feel it.The Fed’s thinking is that with America’s job market essentially back to normal and inflation surging well beyond the central bank’s annual 2% target, now is the time to raise its benchmark rate from near zero.The Fed had slashed its key rate after the pandemic recession erupted two years ago. The idea was to support the economy by encouraging borrowing and spending. But now, by making loans gradually costlier, the Fed hopes to stem the surging price increases that have been squeezing consumers and businesses.Here are some questions on what this could mean for consumers and businesses.Probably, but it's hard to say.

Saskatoon Tribal Council’s (STC) Emergency Wellness Centre. The Saskatchewan Government declared a COVID-19 outbreak at the site on Jan.

COVID-19.According to data posted on the provincial government’s website on Wednesday afternoon, 3,505 people in Alberta have now died of the disease since the pandemic began, up from 3,483 a day earlier.The number of people in hospital with the coronavirus rose to 1,418 on Wednesday, up from 1,377 on Tuesday. However, the number of COVID-19 patients in Alberta requiring intensive care dropped slightly, down to 109 on Wednesday from 111 on Tuesday.Alberta Health reported Wednesday that 3,341 new lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases were identified over the past 24 hours.

Bank of Canada kept its trendsetting interest rate at rock-bottom levels on Wednesday, holding off on planned increases aimed at controlling surging inflation.The central bank’s overnight rate remains at 0.25 per cent, a rate it adopted in a drastic drop in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.The move is in keeping with the signal from the Bank of Canada late last year that it would begin to hike interest rates toward the middle of 2022. However, some economists predicted officials would move earlier in an effort to cut off surging inflation on housing and other consumer goods.

Beijing reported 14 local confirmed Covid-19 cases, the highest daily count in its current outbreak, less than two weeks before the Winter Olympics are due to commence in the Chinese capital and in neighbouring Hebei province.

Families of Canadian diplomats along with military personnel in Ukraine are being ordered out of the country, as Ottawa considers its next steps to respond to a possible Russian invasion. Mercedes Stephenson reports on what aid Canada has planned for Ukraine, and the possible Russian retaliation its bracing for.

There’s a surplus of rapid antigen COVID-19 tests in Saskatchewan, but one province over in Alberta, a shortage has left residents desperate to find them. Lisa MacGregor reports.

Health Minister Jason Copping addresses a patient died while waiting for care in the emergency room of the Red Deer Regional Hospital this past weekend.

Health Minister Jason Copping responds to questions regarding the possible discrepancy in availability of at-home COVID-19 test kits in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Health Minister Jason Copping responds to a question about current COVID-19 restrictions in Alberta and when the government may consider relaxing rules.

Alberta’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw announces details surrounding the antiviral medication Paxlovid and which COVID-19 patients will be eligible.

in-person learning.“Everyone else is allowed to go back to school right now, I feel like it’s discriminatory,” said student Megan Myers.“Being online means we don’t have equal access to education, and as people who are already a minority in society this is a major setback,” said student Jade Ondrick.In an interview with Global News, 18-year-old Ondrick said she is losing out on important life skills because the school’s lodging program has been shut down.“Being able to be in the lodging program means that I get to help with cooking on Thursday nights and I get to learn proper cutting techniques and all that kind of independent skills that people who are abled and who are fully visual take for granted,” she said. Mental health must be part of curriculum as students cope with COVID-19 pandemic, say experts W.

COVID-19 safety concerns as students and staff members returned to in-person learning with less transparency about the virus in schools.Teachers say they’re concerned about lack of information on cases now that the province has cut back on testing and contact tracing, as well as ventilation standards and student mask quality. They consider individual labour action one of the last options they have to advocate for stronger safety standards in schools — but remain worried that student safety issues are falling through the cracks.

COVID-19 Tuesday afternoon.Jason Copping and Dr. Deena Hinshaw are scheduled to speak at 3:30 p.m.

Lisa Jarvis, the former executive editor of Chemical & Engineering News, writes about biotech, drug discovery and the pharmaceutical industry for Bloomberg Opinion.

Canadians in Ukraine should “evaluate if (their) presence is essential” as tensions with Russia continue to rise, according to an updated travel advisory issued Monday evening.

The original version of this story incorrectly said Alberta added 22,955 cases of COVID-19 on the weekend. That is the number of tests that were completed.

On average last fall, no ambulances were available in Calgary and Edmonton up to 17 times every day, according to the NDP. A red alert emergency response crisis last week is bringing more attention to the strain EMS services are under in Alberta.

On Monday, Nunavut’s government penned a deal with Ottawa for more affordable child-care. The Ford government is the only province or territory to not find common ground, leading to more frustrations and political jockeying.

The convoy of semis continues moving east towards Ottawa fighting the mandate that truck drivers have to be vaccinated to cross the border. While many people in that camp are showing support, data suggests most Canadians want to see stricter rules on the unvaccinated.

Jennifer Garner is showing her appreciation for first responders.

Hundreds of B.C. truckers took to the road Sunday kicking off what they called a “freedom convoy” to Ottawa in protest of the federal government’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for cross-border truckers. Paul Johnson reports.

COVID-19-related hospitalization rates in the province came to an end amid declining patient numbers.Most Quebec stores reopened their doors following a three-week ban on Sunday shopping imposed by the government in a bid to curb hospitalization rates that soared once the pandemic’s Omicron-driven wave took hold.The province closed non-essential businesses for three Sundays starting Jan. 2, making exceptions only for pharmacies, convenience stores and gas stations.The move — one of a suite of measures implemented to bring hospitalizations under control — appeared to be bearing fruit, as the number of patients in provincial facilities has declined for four days in a row.Christophe Fiore, the co-owner of grocery store Fruiterie Roger in Montreal, shared mixed feelings about reopening on Sundays.He said that while the provincial restriction helped to address a staffing shortage, it also produced a counter-effect by forcing more customers to do their shopping on Saturdays and Mondays.“It’s not a good solution when it comes to COVID,” Fiore said.

The United States on Sunday said it was ordering the departure of eligible family members of staff from its embassy in Ukraine and that all citizens should consider leaving due to the threat of military action from Russia.

WASHINGTON (AP)g - The State Department on Sunday ordered the families of all American personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine to leave the country amid heightened fears of a Russian invasion.The department told the dependents of staffers at the U.S.

Shortly after the start of the new school year last September, Pam Johnson started noticing soap dispensers were going missing from bathrooms at the New Westminster, B.C. high school where she teaches Grade 8.

COVID-19 vaccine mandate for cross-border truckers.Scores of big rigs gathered in pre-dawn fog in Delta before rolling out, and will be joined by groups from Vancouver Island and communities in the B.C. Interior as they make their way east.Colin Valentim, a truck owner-operator, said he will be helping lead the convoy to Calgary.

If you’ve been to the grocery store lately and noticed some empty shelves, expect to see more of that. Several large retail grocery stores in Alberta are reporting supply chain challenges making it harder to find some of your favourite foods.