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Here are Ontario’s loosened restrictions, capacity limits as of Feb. 17 Meanwhile, Ontario also reported 2,327 new lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases on Thursday, though that is an underestimate of the true widespread transmission of the virus due to recent testing restrictions.

Ontario to end COVID proof of vaccination March 1, mask mandate to remain in place Ontario’s vaccine certificate system is ending March 1, when proof of vaccination will no longer be required in public settings, though businesses may choose to keep it in place on their own. But those are very different places than institutions caring for vulnerable patients, Gaskin said.“It’s also a choice,” he said.

Wednesday night all eyes were on Ottawa as new measures were put in place to remove protesters from the capital. Earlier in the day, police were warning protesters they faced arrest, if they continued their occupation next to Parliament Hill.

Ottawa‘s interim police chief says officers will clear the streets of people who oppose the government and COVID-19 restrictions in the next few days, warning they are ready to use methods people are not used to seeing in the capital.

As the Emergencies Act aims to end occupying protests in the capital, Ottawa police began issuing paper pamphlets to lingering protesters, warning them to leave the city or face possible arrest. But as Abigail Bimman reports, despite the stern messages, many occupiers refuse to budge.

A couple from Middle Sackville were surprised when their dog had eight puppies. That may have only been one more than they were anticipating, but the real shock came when they saw the last puppy… It caused them worry — but eventually a sense of pride.

COVID-19 public health indicators such as a decline in hospitalizations, cases, test positivity and the waste water signal.The province announced Ontario would move into the next phase four days ahead of schedule. This includes increasing or removing capacity limits in several settings.

Canada’s Marielle Thompson won the silver medal in women’s ski cross at the Beijing Olympics on Thursday.

Canada won the gold medal in women’s hockey at the Beijing Olympics on Thursday in a thrilling 3-2 match against archrivals the United States.

Ottawa city council has voted to oust Councillor Diane Deans as chair of the local police services board amid the so-called “freedom convoy” protests that have taken over much of downtown Ottawa for weeks.The move on Wednesday comes after a report that Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson was seeking to replace Deans as the chair of the police services board at a special city council meeting to address the ongoing blockade of the city’s downtown core, according to Deans’ office. Ottawa police pressed for answers on end to convoy blockade: ‘This will take time’ Jessica Bradley, a spokesperson for Deans, a city councillor planning to run for mayor later this year, confirmed a CBC News report that she was called into Watson’s office Wednesday and was asked to resign from her leadership role at the police services board, but she refused.Councillors who voted to remove her said they were concerned after learning the board agreed to hire a new interim chief to bolster the senior command at the Ottawa Police Service without a consultation process.They also suggested the board was not effective in its oversight of the Ottawa police, who have faced heavy criticism for its inaction in the ongoing demonstrations in the city.Somerset Coun.

ongoing convoy protests a “threat” to Canadian democracy in a letter justifying emergency powers to the country’s premiers.The letter, released by the federal government late Wednesday night, said fatigue and frustration with COVID-19 public health measures and vaccine mandates are “no longer the motivation of many of the (protest) participants and organizers.” Ottawa police issue new warning amid convoy blockade: ‘leave the area now’ “We are seeing activity that is a threat to our democracy and that is undermining the public’s trust in our institutions,” Trudeau wrote.“The Government of Canada believes firmly in the right to peaceful protest. But as we discussed, the activities taking place across the country have gone well beyond peaceful protest.”Trudeau declared a public order emergency on Monday, giving federal authorities exceptional powers aimed at bringing the convoy protests to an end after almost three weeks of unrest.

the ongoing blockades in Ottawa and elsewhere, and some Canadians have been left scratching their heads about the impact it will have on their lives.Meanwhile, police are already notifying demonstrators in the downtown core that the new order will affect their blockade. In a pamphlet wedged into truck doorways and slapped under windshield wipers, police warned the blockaders that they “must leave the area now.”“The Federal Emergencies Act allows for the regulation or prohibition of travel to, from or within any specified area,” it warns.

trucker protesters as discussions on how best to implement them continue.The government published details late Tuesday on the requirements covering a wide range of the financial industry including banks, credit unions, insurance companies, portfolio managers and investment counselling services.The Canadian Bankers Association said in a statement Wednesday that, as with other financial service providers, banks will “need to diligently implement the required measures.”“Banks in Canada follow all applicable laws and regulations in carrying out their operations, in keeping with their commitment to protect the integrity of Canada’s financial system,” the association said.

An Edmonton security firm is warning that critical infrastructure such as airports could be the next target of so-called freedom protesters, and a threat assessment that included a covert operation at the Coutts border blockade also found links between some protest organizers and far-right extremist groups. Breanna Karstens-Smith explains.

As concerns over government overreach swirl for the now-invoked Emergencies Act, debates are set to ensue in Parliament on whether it is necessary. David Akin explains the new measures the government hopes will end the disruptive protests, and which political parties will be supporting or pushing back against them.

We have more details on just what the Emergencies Act, invoked by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday, will allow officials to do about truckers protests. Aaron McArthur has the latest.

Paislee Shultis, a child who was kidnapped two years ago at the age of four, was found alive in a makeshift room underneath a closed staircase that led to the basement of a home in the town of Saugerties in upstate New York, police said.

People still participating in the so-called “Freedom Convoy” blockade of downtown Ottawa are being warned by police to “leave the area now” in flyers distributed to the demonstrators and in the door jams of trucks participating in the protest Wednesday morning.

COVID-19.The preventive isolation policy had been criticized by family members who said their relatives’ health declined during the isolation period.Dr. Luc Boileau, Quebec’s interim public health director, told reporters Wednesday that residents will only have to isolate if they are in contact with someone who later tests positive for COVID-19 for more than 10 minutes without a mask.

The province says it has more than 20 million take home COVID-19 tests on the way. How will those tests get into the hands of British Columbians though? Richard Zussman has more on the plan.

Edmonton Police Service Chief Dale McFee is defending officer’s actions at the recent convoy demonstrations and counter-protests, saying his top priority is safety for everyone. As Sarah Komadina explains, on Wednesday he shrugged off suggestions of selective enforcement.

While many COVID-19 restrictions are lifting in Alberta, some businesses are taking a cautious approach, including Edmonton’s Varscona Theatre. This comes as Alberta’s chief medical officer of health is reminding us that people have different risk tolerances.

B.C. health officials release a written report Wednesday, Feb. 16, with the daily COVID-19 case numbers. Legislative bureau chief Keith Baldrey has analysis and how the province is looking as most restrictions are dropped tonight at 11:59 p.m.

Concordia University student unions say students don’t feel safe about heading back to campus.They say they believe the university is not doing enough to keep them safe from COVID-19 transmission since they returned to in-person classes on Feb.

The firing of a senior staff member in the Solicitor-General’s office over an apparent donation to the ‘Freedom Convoy’ has opposition members demanding more answers from the Ford Government. Matthew Bingley reports.

Ford government to provide more details after the leak of donations made to the so-called “Freedom Convoy” GiveSendGo campaign cost a senior staff member her job.The solicitor-general’s now-former director of communications, Marion Isabeau-Ringuette, reportedly donated $100 to the online fundraising platform on Feb. 5.First reported by QP Briefing, the alleged donation came a day after GoFundMe suspended another fundraising campaign over concerns the protest in Ottawa had become an occupation, and just ahead of blockades at the Ambassador Bridge.Ontario’s attorney general eventually stepped in to seek an injunction, freezing the funds for the GiveSendGo campaign several days later.

The province has released more numbers showing just how effective the vaccine has been in Manitoba.

Quebec opposition parties call for end of COVID-19 state of emergency In another volatile question period, the leader of the Official Opposition lobbed stinging accusations.“The premier has forgotten what it means to govern in a democracy,” said Liberal Leader Dominique Anglade.“(The state of emergency) allows the premier to decide there will be a curfew without debate at the National Assembly, without the opinion of public health,” she continued.However, the government says it needs the state of emergency to uphold things it has already brought in by decree, like salary bonuses for nurses and mask mandates. Premier François Legault said the government intends to lift the state of emergency in a few weeks.

Quebec health experts stress COVID-19 booster shot still necessary despite vaccine passport removal The other puts in place a ban on outdoor cooking and consuming alcohol in parks and in public spaces that Marchand says will be revisited this summer.Quebec City police issued 170 tickets and made three arrests during protests in front of the legislature during the first weekend in February. 

The federal government’s move to invoke the Emergencies Act marks an attempt to cut off funds directed to the “Freedom Convoy,” including new cryptocurrency channels.

COVID-19-related deaths on Wednesday, lifting the death toll in the area to 387.“Today we are reporting two deaths in our community related to COVID-19. One individual was a male in his 60s.

COVID-19 hospitalizations in Quebec is expected to continue to decline over the next two weeks, a government health-care research institute projected Wednesday.By the end of the month, the number of people in Quebec hospitals with COVID-19 should drop by about 500, to 1,500 patients, according to the Institut national d’excellence en santé et services sociaux. There should be about half the number of intensive care patients by that time, or about 60, it added.“For all of Quebec, the projections suggest a slight decrease in new hospitalizations,” INESSS said in a news release, adding that it expected the number of new hospitalizations to reach around 90 per day within the next two weeks.The research institute said its projections should be interpreted with caution as it cannot forecast the effect of changes to COVID-19 restrictions. Quebec reopened gyms and spas on Monday, shortly after lifting restrictions on private gatherings and limits on the number of people who can dine together at restaurants.A separate health-care research institute said Wednesday that preliminary results from a vaccine study indicate three doses of COVID-19 vaccine offer more protection compared with two doses against severe and mild forms of the disease caused by the Omicron variant.“The effectiveness is highest against serious COVID-19 infections — those that lead to hospitalizations,” the Institut national de santé publique du Quebec said in a news release.

Guelph General Hospital says they are hopeful and cautiously optimistic as COVID-19 restrictions begin to lift in the province.But Melissa Skinner said in an interview this week that capacity issues the hospital had pre-pandemic have not gone away.“Over the past several years, based on the size of our hospital and the size of our community, each day we have struggled with having enough beds,” she said. “COVID has just exacerbated that and really shown how much pressure there really is on a system and on our hospital.” Doctors’ group proposes Ontario fund new surgical centres to catch up on procedures Even before the pandemic, one official described the situation at Guelph General in October 2019 as “bursting at the seams.”For example, the hospital’s emergency room was seeing 15,000 more annual visits than it was originally designed to handle.Construction to expand the department by 6,400 square feet is currently underway to address overcrowding.As for the current COVID-19 situation, Skinner said the hospital is still seeing high volumes in the emergency department but added that it is manageable and an improvement from just a few weeks ago while Omicron COVID-19 cases were peaking in the community.“The impact of COVID — we are seeing a decline.

Middlesex-London Health Unit reported no new deaths on Wednesday and 85 COVID-19 cases.This marks just the fourth day this month that no new virus-related deaths were reported by the MLHU, with the other days being Feb. 7, 9 and 14.

COVID-19 testing clinic on Holiday Inn Drive was forced to close on Wednesday afternoon after its phones and internet access went down.A spokesperson for the hospitals says all of the tests and assessments for the afternoon have been cancelled.

Ontario fund a new model for outpatient health-care centres to help tackle a growing backlog of surgeries and other procedures.A new report from the Ontario Medical Association outlines a proposal to create Integrated Ambulatory Centres across the province, which would work with local hospitals to perform medical services insured by the province.

City of Toronto workers will start heading back to the office next week.In a statement issued Wednesday, City officials said that workers will begin returning to the office on Tuesday under a “hybrid model.”Office spaces will be opened to allow for maximum capacity based on health guidelines, the statement said. City of Toronto delays return to office after province issues new public health advice Office workers make up about 20 per cent of the City of Toronto’s total workforce.

COVID-19 patients in the hospital are dropping, he still figures it could be months before the facility will be able to return to pre-pandemic surgical volumes.Dr. Craig Ainsworth, director of the cardiac care unit at Hamilton General Hospital, told 900 CHML’s Hamilton Today that Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) is still only operating at 50 to 60 per cent of surgical activity levels which will delay some non-urgent and non-emergent services.“It would be silly for me to say we’ll be back at 100 per cent by tomorrow or next week, but we’re trying very hard to get to get there as fast as we can, but it’s likely going to be months,” said Ainsworth.

Freedom Convoy” blockade of downtown Ottawa are being warned by police to “leave the area now” as questions heat up about when police will act to remove the demonstrators who have paralyzed the nation’s capital for 20 days.“You must leave the area now. Anyone blocking streets, or assisting others in the blocking streets, are committing a criminal offence and you may be arrested.

Ottawa blockade that has kept the capital at a standstill for nearly three full weeks are calling the federal government’s use of the Emergencies Act a scare tactic.Trucks, RVs and other vehicles with Canadian flags or banners with the word “freedom” in giant letters along their front grilles remain on Wellington Street in front of Parliament Hill, with drivers saying they will stay put until all COVID-19 vaccine mandates and restrictions are lifted.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the act on Monday for the first time in Canadian history, with details of the regulations contained in cabinet orders published Tuesday night.Under the act, bringing children to the antigovernment blockades, participating in the protests directly, or bringing aid such as food or fuel to those involved could result in a fine of up to $5,000 or five years in prison Bringing children, food or fuel to convoy blockades prohibited under Emergencies Act Blockades are not allowed on Parliament Hill and surrounding streets, official residences, war monuments, airports, harbours, border crossings, piers, lighthouses, canals, interprovincial and international bridges, hospitals and COVID-19 vaccine clinics, trade corridors and infrastructure needed for the supply of utilities including power generation and transmission.The cabinet orders are now in effect but must all be confirmed by motions to be put to both the House of Commons and the Senate for a vote.The government could take until next week to table the motion invoking the act itself, but has only until Thursday to do so for the motions on the specific powers being enacted, which will remain in place for 30 days unless the government revokes them sooner.

As the Emergencies Act is invoked to stop the convoy protests in Ottawa, the federal government is aiming to cut off the movement’s financial resources.

COVID-19 as the province began phasing out its vaccine passport system Wednesday.The daily tally showed pandemic-related hospitalizations stood at 1,995, a drop of 57 compared with the previous day. This includes 129 patients in intensive care units, a decrease of three.Officials say 130 people were admitted to hospitals in the past 24-hour period, while 187 were discharged.The province reported 2,328 new novel coronavirus cases, but the number isn’t representative of the situation since only high-risk groups can access government-run screening clinics.On that note, 23,053 tests were administered Monday.

Manitoba COVID-19 hospitalizations and ICU admissions down while no new deaths reported Global News will stream the press conference on this page.

A covert operation conducted by an Edmonton security firm determined some protesters occupying the Coutts border had become so emboldened by the blockade’s success they discussed blocking cargo terminals at airports across the country in an ongoing attempt to force a change of government in Ottawa.

Paislee Shultis, a young girl kidnapped two years ago at the age of four, has been found alive in her home state of New York.

COVID on Wednesday, with 364 in intensive care units as overall figures continue to trend downwards.This is down by 147 hospitalizations but a decrease of 20 in ICUs since the previous day. Last Wednesday, there were 2,059 hospitalizations with 449 in ICU.The province recently began distinguishing between those who were admitted to hospital directly because of COVID, and those who were admitted for other reasons but tested positive for the virus.Of the 1,403 people in hospital with COVID-19, 54 per cent of them were admitted because of the virus, while 46 per cent were admitted for other reasons but tested positive for COVID-19.Of the 364 people in ICUs with the virus, 82 per cent were admitted because of COVID, while 18 per cent were admitted for other reasons.

Statistics Canada says annual pace of inflation topped five per cent for the first time in more than 30 years.The agency says the annual inflation rate rose to 5.1 per cent in January compared with a gain for 4.8 per cent in December.Driving much of the increase in January were prices for housing, gasoline and groceries.

Charles Hamelin added to his Olympic legacy on Wednesday after helping Canada win gold in the men’s 5,000-metre relay speed skating final in Beijing.Hamelin, Steven Dubois, Jordan Pierre-Gilles and Pascal Dion took home the top prize with a time of six minutes 41.25 seconds. South Korea finished with silver after skating 6:41.69, and Italy clocked in at 6:43.431 for bronze.The short-track event was the last Olympic competition for 37-year-old Hamelin, and the medal win places him alongside Cindy Klassen as the most decorated winter Canadian Olympian.“I just think if you put the work in, anything is possible,” Hamelin told reporters after the win.“Finishing on top of the podium with these guys, it is living your dream.”A five-time Olympian, the Sainte-Julie, Que., native has now won six Olympic medals, including four gold, making him Canada’s most decorated male winter Olympian.