Category Archives: Social
Omicron wave of COVID-19 could be flattening on First Nations, says top doctor
OTTAWA — The top doctor for Indigenous Services Canada says he's cautiously optimistic the Omicron-driven wave of the pandemic may be flattening across First Nations. Dr. Tom Wong, the department's chief public health officer, says for this to happen ...
Spike in deaths causes Yukon to declare overdose emergency
WHITEHORSE — The Yukon government has declared a substance-use health emergency after toxic drugs pushed overdose deaths to new peaks. Health Minister Tracy-Anne McPhee said Thursday the drugs are killing people and creating a mental health crisis in ...
Ottawa inks deal to share more residential school records with reconciliation centre
OTTAWA — Canada's Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller announced Thursday Ottawa has entered into an agreement with the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation to hand over thousands more records on residential schools that the federal ...
Ottawa and First Nations in P.E.I. sign agreement to establish national park reserve
LENNOX ISLAND, P.E.I. — A pristine chain of islands with white-sand beaches, described as Prince Edward Island's last coastal wilderness, could soon become Canada's next national park. Parks Canada signed a provisional agreement Wednesday with two Firs...
Fitness centres can reopen in B.C., other COVID restrictions remain
VANCOUVER — A group representing the fitness industry is hailing the reopening of gyms and other fitness facilities in British Columbia while the province's top doctor described her decision Tuesday as a "cautious step" in lifting COVID-19 restrictions...
Homeless shelters face added strain amid Omicron, high rates of people on streets
OTTAWA — Staff at shelters and homeless agencies are struggling to support people living on the streets as the highly transmissible Omicron COVID-19 variant sweeps through communities. Deirdre Freiheit, president and CEO of Shepherds of Good Hope in Ot...
Synagogues told ‘be vigilant’ after Texas hostage siege; Toronto police boost patrols
OTTAWA — Jewish community leaders have advised Canadian synagogues to increase their level of vigilance in case of a copycat attack following a hostage taking at a Texas synagogue this weekend. Police in Canadian cities including Toronto have also inc...
N.S. government seeks delay in housing rights hearing for people with disabilities
HALIFAX — Nova Scotia's government is asking to delay a human rights case involving access to housing for people with disabilities until the country's top court rules on the matter. The province's Court of Appeal ruled in October that the long
Study suggests Alberta First Nations people tend to get lower level of emergency care
EDMONTON — Hospital emergency rooms in Alberta are likely to assess complaints from First Nations people as less urgent than those from other patients, even when their problems are the same, says a new study that looked at millions of
Iqaluit seeks alternate water source after recurrence of fuel odour issue
IQALUIT, Nunavut — The City of Iqaluit says it is working to find an alternate source of drinking water following a recurrence of fuel odours in its municipal water distribution system. In an update posted to social media on Sunday, the
