Category Archives: Prairies/BC

Staffing played significant role in deadly Manitoba care home COVID outbreak: report

WINNIPEG — Manitoba’s health minister says the government is committed to meeting all the recommendations in a report on how COVID-19 was able to rapidly spread during a deadly outbreak at a personal care home. The report says 56 residents of

Former B.C. Lottery Corp. board chair says government ‘ill-suited’ to run gaming

VANCOUVER — A former chairman of the board at the British Columbia Lottery Corp. says the government is not suited to run gaming operations and should get out of the high-stakes business where bet limits reach $100,000. Bud Smith told the

Saskatchewan has 3rd case of COVID variant; nurses union calls for more transparency

REGINA — The head of Saskatchewan's main nurses' union is urging provincial leaders to explain how they plan to deal with a more infectious strain of COVID-19 following a report of a third variant case. The Ministry of Health announced Thursday

No COVID cases, but Yukon restrictions remain as variants, outbreaks surge elsewhere

WHITEHORSE — Premier Sandy Silver says almost one-quarter of Yukon's population has been vaccinated against COVID-19, but it's still too early to consider lifting restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of the pandemic. Silver says nearly 10,000 resid...

Alberta top doctor expects close contacts of variant cases will obey longer isolation

EDMONTON — Alberta's top doctor says she believes, with education and support, household contacts of people infected with more transmissible COVID-19 variants will abide by new quarantine rules.  Chief medical officer Dr. Deena Hinshaw clarified Wednes...

Burnaby Hospital reports new COVID-19 flare-up two days after declaring outbreak over

BURNABY, B.C. — Just a few days after a COVID-19 outbreak was declared over at the hospital in Burnaby, B.C., another flare-up has been reported at the health centre.  The Fraser Health authority says nine patients in the medicine unit at

UCP co-founder urges Alberta premier to ‘fire yourself’ from intergovernmental post

EDMONTON — Alberta Premier Jason Kenney is getting some unsolicited advice from the co-founder of the United Conservative Party: fire yourself as the intergovernmental affairs minister. Brian Jean says Kenney’s “fight everyone” approach is not getting ...

New program offers B.C. businesses grants to build or expand online stores

VICTORIA — The British Columbia government is introducing a new grant program to support small and medium-sized businesses in expanding or pivoting to online sales.  Ravi Kahlon, minister of jobs, economic recovery and innovation, said Wednesday the go...

‘No basis in reality:’ Opposition decries Saskatchewan premier’s COVID-19 response

REGINA — The Opposition says Premier Scott Moe's response to Saskatchewan's current spread of COVID-19 has "no basis in reality." The NDP says national data shows that Saskatchewan has had the worst rate of deaths over the last seven days in

Charan Gill, labour and human rights pioneer in British Columbia, dies at 84

LANGLEY, B.C. — A longtime labour and human rights leader in British Columbia has died. The family of Charan Gill say he died in hospital on Feb. 2, following a battle with cancer. Gill was 84. Born in Hong Kong and raised in

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