It’s been a year since the first case of COVID-19 showed up in B-C and health officials are urging residents to keep their guard up against allowing the virus to spread. A joint statement from provincial health officer Doctor Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix says there are infection hot spots in the province, including Fernie, Williams Lake and Whistler Fraser Health reports that nine inmates and two staff at the Fraser Regional Correctional Centre in Maple Ridge have tested positive. B-C recorded 485 new case yesterday and four more COVID-19 related deaths for a total of 1-thousand-172 fatalities.
There are growing concerns the federal government can’t put new restrictions on international travel in place fast enough. Health Canada data is showing a steady climb in infections directly connected to foreign arrivals, despite mandatory two-week quarantine rules. There are now more than 50 cases of new COVID-19 variants from the United Kingdom and South Africa confirmed in Canada. The U-S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning the U-K variant might become dominant there by March.
Despite pre-flight testing and 14-day quarantine rules, Health Canada data is suggesting a worrying uptick of infections is directly connected to foreign arrivals. In the first three weeks of this month, the agency has confirmed 384 travel cases and 607 traveler-contact cases of COVID-19. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been promising stronger measures for international arrivals, as fears grow about the spread of new variants. N-D-P Leader Jagmeet Singh says the trend of more travel-related cases is alarming and Trudeau can’t wait any longer to act.
- The Longhorn Saloon: Jan. 16 to 25 during operating hours.
- Hy’s Steakhouse & Cocktail Bar: Jan.13, 15 and 16 during operating hours.
- El Furniture Warehouse: Jan.12 and Jan. 14 to 21 during operating hours.
Vancouver Coastal Health says the possible exposures listed on the site are believed to be low risk, but it asks anyone who was at the locations at the relevant times to self-monitor for symptoms.
The International Olympic Committee and Tokyo organizers will roll out a detailed plan next week on how to hold the Games during a pandemic. One of the biggest unanswered questions is whether it includes allowing fans in the stands. Olympic and Paralympic athletes will be kept in a sterile bubble, but thousands of judges, officials, sponsors, media and broadcasters will not. Fans are the most problematic and risky, with the Olympics shaping up as primarily a television event.
During a public meeting on Monday, Surrey City Council approved the measure of permitting city staff to proceed with the process of obtaining a loan of $150.6 million to fund three new major community and recreational facilities. This includes the new replacement $90-million Newton Community Centre, as well as the full costs of the $40-million City Centre Sports Complex.Another $20.6 million will be borrowed to help cover the $50.1-million Cloverdale Sport and Ice Complex, with the remaining $29.5 million funded through pay-as-you-go city financing. Another $500,000 has been set aside in 2014 for the design of a potential second expansion phase of the City Centre Sports Complex project. All three projects will be under a 25-year period, with the BC Municipal Finance Authority providing financing at under 1.5% annually.
Make that two in a row, Vancouver Canucks fans! The Vancouver Canucks beat the Senators last night 5-1. The team is now on its first winning streak of the season, and there seems to be a positive energy surrounding them now. Of course, we need to keep in mind that these two wins have come from playing the Senators, who most people predicted to come in last in the Canadian division. The Canucks face off against the Senators AGAIN tonight hopefully for another big win, puck drop is 7pm.
Vancouver Coastal Health says 288 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Whistler from the start of the year through Tuesday. It says most of them are young people in their 20s and 30s who live, work and socialize together. The health agency is urging Whistler residents and potential visitors to continue to follow public health restrictions to lower the rising number of COVID-19 infections. It says Whistler experienced a similar spike in cases in November, which was resolved in early December.
The mother of a young bystander killed in the Surrey Six gangland murders says she has to keep believing justice will prevail despite a BC Court of Appeal ruling today. The province’s highest court has denied a request for a new trial for Matthew Johnston and Cody Haevischer after they were convicted of six counts of first-degree murder. But it says they will be allowed to argue the case should be thrown out because their rights were violated by police and correctional officers. Eileen Mohan — the mother of 22-year-old victim Christopher Mohan — says she’s been waiting more than 13 years and is still trying to believe the courts will uphold the law.
A government-commissioned panel looking into the idea of a basic income in B-C says it’s not the cure-all that some advocates
believe. The panel’s report says a basic income project would cost the province 52-billion dollars and would require a system to track down those who don’t file taxes or aren’t known to the tax system. It says a more successful and far less costly strategy would be to reform current policies and programs, with a top priority of targeting a basic income for youth aging out of care.
The province says it’s reviewing the recommendations.
Norman Lear made his mark as a TV producer who strived to explore race relation issues through his famed sitcoms ”All in the
Family” and ”Good Times.” The Golden Globes is preparing to honour him with its T-V special
achievement trophy. Lear will receive the Carol Burnett Award during the 78th annual ceremony on February 28th. The 98-year-old six-time Emmy winner’s shows confronted war, sexuality, abortion and poverty with topical humour. His other popular series include ”Maude,” ”One Day at a Time”
and ”Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.”