Justin Trudeau has put an end to months of speculation about a pandemic election, asking the governor general to dissolve Parliament and send Canadians to the polls next month. Trudeau said yesterday that Canadians deserve a say on how to finish the fight against COVID-19 and build back the shattered economy. But opposition leaders accuse him of putting his desire for a majority government ahead of the health and safety of Canadians. Federal opposition leaders have come out swinging, accusing Justin Trudeau of calling an unnecessary and reckless election that puts his desire to form a majority government ahead of the health and safety of Canadians. Yesterday, Governor General Mary Simon agreed to Trudeau’s request to dissolve Parliament for a 36-day campaign, the shortest allowed by law, that will culminate in a September 20th vote. Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole accuses Trudeau of risking the progress Canada has made on COVID-19 as a fourth wave of the illness strikes parts of the country. N-D-P Leader Jagmeet Singh says the“selfish summer election” was triggered because Trudeau is fed up with New Democrats forcing his government to do more to financially support people hurt by the pandemic.
Gusty winds in several parts of B-C are fuelling wildfires, prompting evacuation orders and alerts for residents near several of the larger blazes. The B-C Wildfire Service says there are approximately 270 active wildfires burning in the province, scorching nearly seven-thousand square kilometres. That’s about seven times more than the 10-year average. Hundreds of properties in BC have been ordered evacuated as multiple wildfires spread across the province, driven by high winds. An evacuation order has been issued in Kamloops for 734 properties due to the sudden growth of the Treemont Creek wildfire, while officials with the Thompson-Nicola regional district issued an order of their own for at least 166 properties near Cherry Creek. The Okanagan Indian Band near Vernon has ordered residents of about 80 properties to leave immediately. Other Evacuation alerts are in place for Merritt, Logan Lake, and West Kelowna and the Coquihalla Highway remains closed between Merritt and Hope.
Hundeds of people rushed the Tarmac at Kabul’s international airport in Afghanistan as the Taliban seized power in the country’s capital. People were seen struggling to get aboard airplanes leaving the country in an attempt to flee the now Taliban controlled state. This marks the end of over 20 years of occupation from Western countries. Women across the country are worried about their future under the insurgent’s rule. When the militants governed more than 20 years ago, women’s rights were all but eliminated. One Afghan university student described feeling betrayed as she watched the evacuation of the U-S Embassy, saying she doesn’t know if she’ll be able to graduate in two months. Canadian embassy staff are safely out of Afghanistan, but Afghans
who helped Canada during the war are still in the country and fear for their lives as the Taliban seizes control. Ottawa says it is working with the US and other allies to keep
an immigration program for interpreters going, as well as making allowances for up to 20,000 refugees.
The Canadian Real Estate Association reports home sales continued to cool in July, with sales falling 3.5 per cent from June. mIt’s the fourth month in a row that sales declined after hitting
a peak in March. July sales are down 28 per cent from that peak but CREA says last month still marked the second-best July on record.
Mandatory vaccinations are the first major wedge issue between political parties on the federal campaign trail. Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau outlined plans to mandate vaccines for federal employees and those under federal jurisdiction. He chided Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole who favours rapid testing over mandatory vaccines. O’Toole says Trudeau is politicizing the pandemic.
Police say a male victim is in hospital after a shooting in Surrey. The R-C-M-P say officers responded to a shots fired call on 152nd Street just after midnight. Police say a male with a gunshot wound was found at the scene. They say they believe the victim was targeted.
Strong winds fanned several of B-C’s largest fires overnight forcing hundreds to leave their homes. The City of Kamloops issued an evacuation order for about 700 properties, hundreds of homes were also ordered evacuated in Spallumcheen Township, and the Okanagan Indian Band told residents in 80 properties to leave. Wildfire Information Officer Erika Berg says strong winds kicked up mid-afternoon Sunday pushing flames past containment lines in several fires. The City of Armstrong with a population of about five thousand people has also been placed on evacuation alert as the massive White Rock Lake fire comes to within about 20 kilometers of the city.
The Vancouver Whitecaps say they are sickened by allegations that three of their academy players were assaulted in a racially-motivated incident on Saturday. Burnaby R-C-M-P say they are still working to establish a motive for a confrontation between several people on Saturday night at an outdoor gathering before a stabbing occurred. A 17-year-old member of the Whitecaps academy was taken to hospital in stable condition and another 17-year-old boy was arrested. The team said in a statement yesterday that it strongly condemns all forms of discrimination and will do everything in its power to support the players affected. (Global)
British Columbia health officials announced on Monday that there have been 1,434 new test-positive COVID-19 cases since Friday, bringing the total number of recorded cases in the province to 156,513. In a written statement, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix said that there are 5,090 active cases of COVID-19 in the province. Of the active cases, 104 individuals are currently hospitalized, 47 of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation. There were 532 cases between Friday and Saturday, 441 between Saturday and Sunday, and 461 between Sunday and Monday. New cases, as well as total active cases, broken down by health region, are as follows:
- Fraser Health: 316 new cases, 882 total active cases
- Vancouver Coastal Health: 198 new cases, 715 total active cases
- Interior Health: 734 new cases, 2,982 total active cases
- Northern Health: 74 new cases, 197 total active cases
- Island Health: 112 new cases, 307 total active cases
- Outside of Canada: No new cases, seven total active cases
There has been one new COVID-19-related death in Fraser Health, for a total of 1,780 deaths in British Columbia. To date, 82.6% of all eligible people 12 and over have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 73.2% have received their second dose. 149,553 people who tested positive have now recovered.
Selma Blair says she’s in remission from multiple sclerosis as a result of undergoing stem cell transplantation. The 49-year-old actor was diagnosed with the disease in 2018. Blair is best known for such movies as “Cruel Intentions,” “Legally Blonde” and “Hellboy.” She told a Television Critics Panel that her prognosis is “great” and that she’s in remission.