B-C health officials say staying active and connected is important for physical and mental well-being despite the challenges of COVID-19. The advice to stay active comes as officials reported 446 new COVID-19 cases and 9 more deaths. The total number of COVID-19 infections in the province now stands at 58-thousand-553 with one-thousand-and-19 deaths. To date, 62-thousand-294 people have received a COVID-19 vaccine in the province.
A few thousand are without power in parts of Surrey after an overnight windstorm. In the Cloverdale area, and heading out toward Langley, about 4,000 were without power at 7 a.m. While another 1,400 were without power along the South Surrey-Langley border. The cause, according to BC Hydro, is a downed tree across some wires. BC Hydro says crews are either on their way or already on-site to restore power. The strong winds have left about 100,000 customers without power in the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and the Southern interior this morning.
A motion from Surrey Coun. Jack Hundial to ensure Aboriginal lands are recognized at the start of council and committee meetings was voted down by Mayor Doug McCallum and his followers Monday. According to Hundial, he presented the following motion to council after hearing no objections when it was first tabled last month: “That the City of Surrey develop a meaningful, respectful acknowledgment before every council and committee meeting of our commitment as a city to reconciliation and recognition that the land we are on is the traditional territory of the Coast Salish people.” Hundial took to Twitter late Monday, saying he was shocked and disappointed by the vote.
White Rock RCMP officer tasked with seeking out signs of racial bias. During the height of the Black Lives Matter movement, which took place across the U.S. and in Canada in 2020 following the brutal police killing of George Floyd, who was black and unarmed, the White Rock RCMP launched a review of its own policies and street checks to look for any indication of racial bias. At City of White Rock’s regular meeting Monday, SRGT Pauls provided an update on the review and the new role of Const. Amarjit Nijjar as the bias-free policing advisor, in addition to his front-line duties as an officer. They say that Nijjar views matters through an informed lens, based on his lived experience with racism and discrimination, and some policies have already been adjusted as a result of the review.
A small but significant number of Republican leaders and politicians are breaking with the party to join Democrats set to impeach U-S President Donald Trump for a historic second time. They say Trump violated his oath to protect and defend U-S democracy a week ago today when he encouraged a mob of loyalists to — quote — “fight like hell” against election results just before they stormed the U-S Capitol. Trump faces a single charge of incitement of insurrection. He has been unapologetic and has offered no condolences for the five people who died, only saying he wants no violence.
New poll numbers reveal more Canadians are reporting their mental health is bad or very bad as the pandemic drags on. The survey by Leger and the Association for Canadian Studies finds women, single parents, the unemployed, some immigrants and racialized people may be faring worse than others. The founder of the global group Black Moms Connection says man parents are feeling stretched by having to work from home while overseeing virtual learning — and if you’re a single parent, there are no breaks.
Air Canada says it is reducing its first-quarter capacity by 25 per cent, a move that will mean the loss of about 1,700 jobs at the airline. The Montreal-based carrier says the cuts will also affect more than 200 employees at its Express carriers. Air Canada says with the cuts its capacity in the first quarter of 2021 will be about 20 per cent of what it operated in the first quarter of 2019. Air Canada’s executive vice president and chief commercial officer, said in a statement that increased travel restrictions by federal and provincial governments have had an immediate impact on the company’s bookings.