Category Archives: Prairies/BC
Refusing COVID-19 vaccine hurts wider population, B.C. health minister says
VANCOUVER — British Columbia's health minister admonished on Thursday those who refuse to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and have staged protests against the province's vaccine passport outside hospitals. Adrian Dix also said the province is reviewing...
Edmonton doctors form opioid response committee to address spiking overdoses
EDMONTON — Spiking overdose deaths and inaction by the Alberta government have prompted a group of Edmonton physicians to form an opioid poisoning committee to address the escalating crisis. The Edmonton Zone Medical Staff Association said the committe...
B.C. opens consultation on anti-racism legislation as groups praise data collection
VANCOUVER — The British Columbia government is asking residents to provide input on proposed anti-racism legislation as members of marginalized communities say the collection of data will help groups flourish. Rachna Singh, the parliamentary secretary ...
Alberta to move hospital patients to homes, care centres as COVID-19 crisis worsens
EDMONTON — Alberta will move more patients to other care settings to free up space in hospitals so overrun with COVID-19 cases that some children's surgeries, cancer surgeries and transplant operations are being cancelled. Dr. Verna Yiu, the president ...
‘Boiling point’: Alberta doctors warn of health system collapse as COVID cases climb
CALGARY — Alberta's health-care system is on the verge of collapse, warns a group of physicians who are pleading with the government to strengthen public health measures to fend off a relentless fourth wave of COVID-19. Dr. Shazma Mithani, an emergency...
Alberta backs off demand for nurse pay cuts in latest round of collective bargaining
EDMONTON — The Alberta government has backed down from demanding salary cuts from nurses. But the nurses' union said the province still wants concessions, including an end to lump-sum payments, which amount to a two per cent reduction in their take-hom...
Twelve Alberta mayors call for province to implement COVID-19 vaccine passport
EDMONTON — Twelve Alberta mayors are calling for Premier Jason Kenney to bring in provincewide COVID-19 vaccine passport rules, while a member of his United Conservative caucus is telling him to back away from them entirely. The mayors in Edmonton and
Manitoba health officials say new data shows the power of COVID-19 vaccines
WINNIPEG — Manitoba continues to avoid the kind of fourth-wave surge in COVID-19 cases seen in most other provinces, although health officials say the numbers will likely rise in the coming weeks. The province is reporting 36 new infections — the
Former Liberal MP Kent Hehr running to be Calgary’s next mayor
CALGARY — Former member of Parliament Kent Hehr is throwing his hat in the ring to become Calgary's new mayor. Hehr has become the 28th candidate seeking to replace longtime Mayor Naheed Nenshi, who announced earlier this year he did not
B.C. teachers, parents want data on COVID-19 in schools to be publicly available
VANCOUVER — Parents and educators are anxious about no longer receiving notices about COVID-19 exposure in schools even as the number of overall cases in the province is expected to rise this fall, the head of the B.C. Teachers Federation
