Local News from Across the Rainy River District
Canada’s federal government offered a lifeline to businesses struggling amid the latest wave of the COVID-19 pandemic by expanding eligibility for two benefit programs. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and several members of his cabinet announced Wednesday that, due to the increasingly widespread Omicron variant and spiking COVID-19 cases, the government […]
Zahir Alizai is frustrated. His family fled Afghanistan for neighbouring Pakistan earlier this year and he’s been trying for months to bring them to Canada as refugees but his attempts have been unsuccessful. He’s one of many Canadians trying to privately sponsor loved ones who left Afghanistan for neighbouring countries […]
Signs of strain on COVID-19 testing capacity emerged in Ontario and Quebec on Monday, prompting calls for limited resources to be prioritized for those who needed it most. In Ontario, Ottawa Public Health advised the public of an “unprecedented surge” at testing sites that’s left the centres unable to keep […]
TORONTO – Ontario is reporting 3,453 new COVID-19 cases and 11 deaths from the virus. Health Minister Christine Elliott says 805 of the cases are in people who aren’t vaccinated and 148 people have an unknown vaccination status. The new numbers are based on 49,285 completed tests. There were 165 […]
OTTAWA – It’s the end of days for plastic grocery bags and Styrofoam takeout containers in Canada. The federal government is publishing the draft regulations that will ban the manufacture, import and sale of six single-use plastic items that are difficult to recycle and have more environmentally friendly alternatives. Plastic […]
TORONTO – Ontarians 18 and older can now book a COVID-19 vaccine booster through the provincial portal, as long as it has been at least three months since they had their second shot. But many social media users who logged in to reserve a spot Monday morning reported facing a […]
Large parts of Canada are starting to hunker down, with new restrictions coming into effect as a fifth wave of COVID-19 fuelled by the Omicron variant saw thousands of new cases across the country over the weekend. Quebec and Nova Scotia set new records for their daily case counts on […]
WASHINGTON – The Prime Minister’s Office isn’t saying anything about a key U.S. senator’s decision to put President Joe Biden’s controversial electric-vehicle incentives on ice. West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, a key Democratic vote in the evenly divided Senate, confirmed today that he’s a “No” on the $1.75-trillion Build Back […]
JERUSALEM (AP) – Israeli ministers on Monday agreed to ban travel to the United States, Canada and eight other countries amid the rapid, global spread of the omicron variant. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s office announced the decision following a Cabinet vote. The rare move to red-list the U.S. comes amid […]
TORONTO — In response to the rapidly-spreading and highly transmissible Omicron variant, the Ontario government, in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health, is applying additional public health and workplace safety measures, including capacity and social gathering limits. These measures will help curb transmission and continue to safeguard the […]
TORONTO – All eligible adults in Ontario can book COVID-19 booster shots starting Monday, part of an accelerated rollout of third doses the premier is touting as the centrepiece of the province’s response to the highly infectious Omicron variant. Premier Doug Ford called on business owners to offer spaces for […]
TORONTO – Some Ontario universities are delaying the start of in-person classes planned for January amid a rise in COVID-19 cases driven by the Omicron variant. York University’s president said the school is making “modest adjustments” to plans for the winter semester, which aims to deliver most classes in-person and […]
