Category Archives: Prairies/BC
Manitoba releases list of areas to be prioritized for COVID-19 vaccination
WINNIPEG — The Manitoba government is, for the first time, targeting geographic COVID-19 hot zones for vaccine distribution. Anyone 18 and older who lives in three Winnipeg neighbourhoods — Downtown East, Point Douglas South and Inkster East — can sign...
Police union concerned about B.C.’s provincial travel ban
VICTORIA — Non-essential travel is being restricted between three regional zones in British Columbia to try to curb the spread of COVID-19, but the union representing RCMP officers says the ban lacks clarity. The government is using the boundaries of t...
Alberta auditor general finds CT and MRI tests confused, antiquated
EDMONTON — The auditor general says Alberta’s MRIs and other diagnostic imaging tests are plagued by poor communication and weighed down by handwritten forms and fax machines. Doug Wylie is urging doctors and the government to work together to fix long...
B.C. cancels scheduled surgeries in nine hospitals as COVID patient count jumps
VICTORIA — Hundreds of scheduled surgeries in British Columbia have been postponed as the number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals reaches a new peak. Health Minister Adrian Dix said Thursday that 1,750 surgeries at nine affected hospitals in the Fras...
Alberta bill would protect health workers, care homes from some COVID-19 lawsuits
EDMONTON — Alberta has introduced a bill that would give legal protection to health workers, including long-term care-home operators, facing lawsuits over COVID-19. Richard Gotfried, a United Conservative backbencher, says the proposed legislation offe...
Former minister tells inquiry money laundering on B.C. radar, but so were guns, gangs
VANCOUVER — Reports of money laundering at British Columbia casinos had the attention of the government a decade ago, says the interim leader of the Liberal party who was then the minister in charge of gaming. But Shirley Bond said Thursday
Alberta didn’t consider impact of mountain coal mining on tourism: official
EDMONTON — Alberta revoked a long-standing policy that protected its mountains and foothills from open-pit coal mines without considering how that might affect its most popular tourist attraction, a government official has acknowledged. "There was no ...
Joint message: Prairie Opposition leaders want more support for farmers
The three NDP Opposition leaders on the Prairies are urging premiers to increase compensation to farmers through a program that protects them from large declines in income. Last month, the Prairie provinces came to a partial agreement with Ottawa to ma...
Manitoba’s COVID-19 case numbers rise, premier rejects call for immediate steps
WINNIPEG — Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister rejected calls Thursday to immediately toughen public-health orders as daily COVID-19 case counts continued to rise. Pallister said he is willing to impose tighter rules if need be, but Manitoba already has a...
Yukon officials call for overdose prevention sites, decriminalization
WHITEHORSE — Health officials, Indigenous leaders and police are calling on the incoming Yukon government to take "urgent steps" to combat the worsening opioid crisis. Heather Jones, Yukon's chief coroner, says 10 people died from overdoses in 2020, a ...
