A fungus that has led to some Canadian bat populations becoming endangered has been found in British Columbia. The fungus that causes the deadly white-nose syndrome has been detected in bat guano in the Grand Forks area. The syndrome has spread to 38 American states and eight provinces since 2006 and is responsible for three Canadian bat species being listed as “endangered” under the federal Species at Risk Act. It is primarily spread by bat-to-bat contact and doesn’t affect humans but can spread through the movement of contaminated clothing and gear.
The University of British Columbia is encouraging students to uninstall the TikTok app from their mobile phones, citing concerns about data sharing with the social media platform’s Chinese parent company. The university says the video platform has sparked security and privacy concerns about its data collection practices and data sharing with corporate parent ByteDance. UBC says although these risks are “not yet” proven, its privacy and information security teams “believe that TikTok does pose a risk to UBC’s systems and its stakeholders.” The school says the app is one of its fastest-growing social media platforms, used by students, staff and faculty for entertainment, research, outreach and recruitment.
A man accused of slashing a person’s throat on a bus in Surrey on Saturday has been charged with terrorism-related offences. Court documents show Abdul Aziz Kawam is accused of acting “for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with” the Islamic State. RCMP Superintendent David Teboul, acting deputy criminal operations officer for the federal policing branch, calls the attack a disturbing and unprovoked assault. The terror charges carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
The Yukon government is providing more than 35-million dollars to the First Nation School Board for operations and the development of language and cultural educational programs. The government says First Nations language and culture curriculum will benefit all schools operated by the Department of Education. The board says the money will ensure students get an enriched learning environment that incorporates localized and Yukon First Nations world view and sets them up for success in life. The First Nation School Board operates eight schools under its authority with three being added in September.
Yukon pharmacists are now able to prescribe and administer vaccines. The territory temporarily expanded pharmacists’ scope of practice in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and those measures are now permanent. Pharmacists must complete mandatory training before ordering or administering publicly-funded vaccines. So far four pharmacists in the territory have completed the training.