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After being hit with a double whammy of slumping oil prices and the COVID-19 pandemic, the energy and forestry industry driven town of Drayton Valley went bust over the last few years. But as restrictions ease and industry picks up, the western Alberta town is once again buzzing.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 27: (L-R) Co-teachers at Yung Wing School P.S. 124 Marisa Wiezel (who is related to the photographer) and Caitlin Kenny give a lesson to their masked students in their classroom on September 27, 2021 in New York City.

Ford government promised it would deliver its budgets by the end of Ontario’s fiscal year, but an amendment quietly added onto its legislation to axe licence plate sticker fees will allow the government to miss the target without penalty, presenting the budget much closer to the provincial election.The Tories introduced a law in 2019, requiring the delivery of budgets by a March 31 deadline. That target has been missed before and the government said it will be missing it again, because it wants more time to take get a clear picture of Ontario’s recovery following the March 1 reopening.

Alberta Teachers’ Association says he is cautiously optimistic after seeing COVID-19 cases go down in classrooms a little over a week after the province lifted a mask mandate in schools.But Jason Schilling says a major lesson he learned about the pandemic is that some waves have worsened after a brief downward trend so the association will continue paying close attention to case numbers. Reality check on Alberta politicians’ statements on schools, COVID-19 transmission and vaccines Education Minister Adriana LaGrange said on Twitter that none of the more than 2,500 schools in Alberta are currently shifted to temporary at-home learning to address operational challenges brought on by the virus.I am pleased to confirm what the Chief Officer of Health reported yesterday.

It was a special day on Abemama Island when community leaders gathered in the ‘maneaba’, the meeting house at the heart of every community in Kiribati. Tekinano Karereiti, a primary health care worker, was facilitating a discussion about mental health. Community dialogue, the practice of listening and talking to each other on important issues, is deeply grounded in the history and culture of the Pacific Islands and this was a good opportunity to raise awareness of an increasingly important issue for islanders.

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This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the textNever miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!!

Nicola Sturgeon yesterday announced a series of important dates as Scotland continues to emerge from the worst of the coronavirus pandemic.

ELVERSON, Pa. - A Chester County high school is feeling a strong push to change its mascot that many argue is an offensive characterization of Native Americans. More than 50 people showed up to a meeting Tuesday night and many joined online as Twin Valley High School Senior Arden Wolfe continued her two-year campaign to switch the school's ‘Raider’ mascot. "It just kind of portrays harmful stereotypes of Native Americans," Wolfe said. "I think it is really important to represent Native Americans in a good way and not use people as mascots."She isn't alone, Wolfe has collected thousands of signatures on an online petition that moves to upend the Raider namesake and the imagery associated with it. A Twin Valley High School Senior is leading the charge to get the school's Raider mascot changed.

Donuts are on display inside the new Krispy Kreme flagship store amid the coronavirus pandemic in Times Square, New York, September 15, 2020. (TIMOTHY A.

@Emmabarnett asks @WHO Chief Scientist @doctorsoumya about the Covid-19 pandemic.Watch Emma Barnett Meets... tonight at 8 p.m. ET for more https://t.co/winDqX0y29 pic.twitter.com/6n7Kqlbf6M

Nicola Sturgeon is set to lay out her new strategic framework for dealing with covid later today.

After more than 24 hours, he and a group of other South Asian Canadian truckers approached authorities to find out when they could pass.“That’s when another guy, he came out of his truck and he was, like, being racist. He was saying, ‘Go back to your truck, go back to India,”’ recalled Singh, a 28-year-old driver from Edmonton.Disturbed, he and his co-driver set out for another crossing — an option unavailable to some, since oversize loads can only move through certain checkpoints — on a route that added more than 500 kilometres to their trip.

Thrift Store on Berry Road has become a victim of the pandemic and will close by the end of April.“The past two years have been really tough,” said Joy Haxton, Lake Country Food Bank, executive director.“The issue that we had with COVID was the number of people we could have in the store and that’s made it really difficult. I think we’ve had the store closed for 12 months over the last two years.” The Great Backyard Bird Count is on again Since the thrift store opened eight years ago it has had a huge impact on the community and surrounding area.

The sun is setting on one of the sources of revenue for the Lake Country Food Bank, their thrift store has become a victim of the pandemic and will be closing by the end of April.

Boris johnson today (February 21) said that the response to the pandemic would be "vaccine led" as he announced that all lockdown restrictions will be ending by Thursday. Speaking after he announced all remaining Covid restrictions will be axed, the PM said there "may be significant resurgences" and "it's very possible that those will be worse than Omicron".Whitty said at a Downing Street press conference that new strains were to be expected and while some "will just disappear" others could escape vaccines and result in a fresh wave in hospitalisations.Prof Whitty said: “Some of those new variants will just disappear, but some of them will cause us significant problems and they could be either more vaccine escaping but as severe as Omicron, but the net effect would be actually more people end up in hospital because a lot of our protection is from vaccination, or it could be more intrinsically severe, because Omicron came from a much earlier variant.”He added we “could certainly end up with something which is more likely to lead to hospitalisations than Omicron”, adding that winters are expected to be “tricky” even in the absence of significant new variants due to the combination of Covid, flu and other respiratory problems.The Chief Medical Officer also urged Brits who test positive for Covid to self-isolate, even though they will no longer be forced to do so under law.“As we look at the next weeks, we still have high rates of Omicron and I would urge people in terms of public health advice, and this is very much the Government’s position, that people should still if they have Covid try to prevent other people getting it and that means self-isolating," he said.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggested on Monday that while protests surrounding Parliament Hill in Ottawa have mostly dispersed and the horns are no longer sounding, the work to heal the pandemic divisions in the country that the convoy exposed must now begin.

PHILADELPHIA - The spike in gun violence during the pandemic has unnerved residents, elected officials and community leaders alike, but the concern is growing over firearms described as ghosts."Ghost guns are essentially a firearm that comes in two separate parts with a couple of screws to drill the gun together and you have a firearm in just a few minutes," Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro told FOX 29.Shapiro is concerned about the growing threat because ghost guns are untraceable and sold online in kits that do not require a criminal background check to purchase.For him, the main point of the issue is that people with criminal backgrounds, who cannot own a gun legally, can obtain one this way. Ghost guns do not have serial numbers etched on them that provide the gun's make, model and history.Critics argue ghost guns flow in the underground stream of crime guns and vanish when subjected to the tracking and tracing investigators use to combat gun crime."Typically, people are buying them at gun shows by the duffle bags, taking them back to a facility, putting them together and selling them on the streets," Shapiro said.The numbers show a startling rise in ghost guns, also referred to as privately made firearms.MORE LOCAL HEADLINESThe Philadelphia Police Department reported recovering 95 ghost guns in 2019 and 250 in 2020.

A rise in problem drinking during the Covid lockdown is being tackled by the Scottish whisky industry.

Weeks of protests and counter protests have exposed deep divisions in this country, particularly over pandemic health measures. In Alberta where the Coutts border crossing was blocked by demonstrators, the Edmonton police chief issued a plea to the public.

The Prime Minister is expected to revoke all coronavirus regulations that restrict public freedoms in England when he lays out his vision for the future on Monday.

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach gives a speech during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony on Day 16 of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics at Beijing National Stadium on February 20, 2022 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)BEIJING (AP) - "We welcome China as a winter sport country," Bach said, closing the Games. He called their organization "extraordinary" and.

Bill Gates during at Germany’s annual Munich Security Conference. 

BALTIMORE (MARYLAND) :

With B.C.’s pandemic picture looking more optimistic for the spring and summer, Keith Baldrey has the details on what Dr. Bonnie Henry says might be ahead for the fall.

There’s been an increased police presence over the last couple of weeks downtown, amid protests over pandemic restrictions and mandates. Shallima Maharaj reports.

An analysis of prescribing data from more than 80 countries found that global antimicrobial consumption declined prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers reported today in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.For the cross-sectional time-series analysis, researchers

Unlike a lot of people, Christian Siriano didn’t take a bit of a step back over the pandemic.

World Health Organization (WHO) said. Genomic sequencing is one of the best methods to identify new variants of the virus. 

What is ‘COVID-somnia’? Why some can’t sleep during the pandemic The frequency of nightmares was similar for the two groups before the outbreak of the pandemic. However, the frequency of nightmares increased by 50 per cent in the group that had COVID-19 and by 35 per cent in the control group.

West Health and Gallup. The survey was conducted by web Sept. 27-30 and Oct.

Windsor, Ont., is calling for residents to treat one another as human beings after police charged a woman for allegedly threatening to bomb his home over COVID-19 mandates.Windsor police said they arrested the 31-year-old woman Thursday for a social media post on a thread about COVID-19 and pandemic mandates. They allege she made the comments Monday, a day after a protest was cleared at the Ambassador Bridge.“Regardless of your opinion on vaccinations or Justin Trudeau or myself or Doug Ford, we all just have to step back and take a breath and realize that we’re dealing with human beings and that we all have more in common than differences,” Mayor Drew Dilkens said in a phone interview.

Ontario’s education minister says the province is providing the education system with more than $26 billion. As Morganne Campbell reports, the province is also reinstating EQAO testing for Grade 3 and 6 students.

FILE - Traffic moves along Interstate 80 on Feb. 16, 2022 in Berkeley, California.

Derren Brown had people blaming him for Covid. The mastermind illusionist has been keeping our mouths agape for more than two decades in TV shows like Apocalypse, The Heist, Pushed to the Edge and Russian Roulette.

Terminal V Festival is all set to welcome techno fans back through its gates after an extremely difficult and trying two years through the coronavirus pandemic.

The mystery illness ‘Russian flu’

Addressing the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors’ meeting being held virtually, Sitharaman urged for a need to evolve methodologies to plug funding gaps between multilateral institutions as low and middle income countries did not have enough resources to face these challenges on their own. Sitharaman emphasized on addressing structural bottlenecks to reduce the pandemic’s scarring effects and building resilience.She suggested that the economic recovery measures be built around a long term vision. Sitharaman pressed for a need for a pool creation so a future pandemic wouldn't make it worse for middle or low income countries.Emphasizing multilateral support, Sitharaman said that the World Health Organisation (WHO) needed to augment its capacity and mobilise global resources, especially as low and middle income countries had limited fiscal space to fund health and climate issue related matters.The Finance Minister said that it was crucial to address the gaps in global pandemic preparedness and said that the work of the G20 Joint Finance and Health Task Force should progress in that direction.However, Sitharaman pointed out that India prioritized spend and allocated $29 billion towards health infrastructure mission, where health insurance was assured for the poor and for the low income groups.

Seven of 10 US physicians say that the COVID-19 pandemic has heightened drug supply chain problems, limiting their ability to provide quality patient care, according to a new US Pharmacopeia (USP) survey.

RELATED: Remote schooling means snow days could become optional in NJIn Washington Township, New Jersey, Superintendent Jeffrey Mohre said remote learning or not, he’ll still call snow days."Easiest decision I’ve had to make all year," Mohre said in 2020.Young lions at the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, made the most of recent snowy weather on Jan. 19, running around and playing in the powder.

CNBC, he said, "I think that is a reasonable scenario." “There’s an 80% chance that as omicron evolves or SarsCov-2 virus evolves, we are going to see less and less virulent viruses," the Moderna CEO said.

HARRISBURG, Pa. - Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced charges against five out-of-state residents accused of attempting to illegally get Pandemic Unemployment Assistance through funds from the CARES Act.Shapiro announced the charges against the five people on Tuesday in coordination with federal and local law enforcement agencies. A total of nine people conspired to illegally take PUA funds totaling $925,000. According to the Attorney General’s office, investigators learned seven of those people claimed to work for the same trucking company from January 2020 to March 2020. They then claimed their employment ended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As B.C. drops most public health restrictions, including indoor gathering limits, provincial health officer Dr.

Gemma Collins has revealed she had to be put on a drip as she continues to battle post-Covid exhaustion. The former Towie star, 41, has recovered after having the coronavirus but said she has days where she "literally can't do a thing".

LOS ANGELES - Like nearly every industry negatively impacted by the ongoing pandemic, pharmacies are no exception. According to a recent report from The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) and the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations (NASPA), pharmacists and pharmacy personnel say they are being stretched thin and it could impact your health. According to a 2022 National Pharmacy Workplace Survey published in December, many pharmacy technicians and personnel working in the industry shared concern over stress leading to "occupational burnout."75% of respondents answered negatively to questions regarding them receiving enough time and personnel to safely perform or meet duties.Because of the concern of burnout, both the APhA and the NASPA say they identified many factors that could lead to technicians making medication errors that could negatively impact consumers. These factors that could contribute to medication errors include: "Addressing pharmacy personnel harassment and bullying by patients/consumers is critical. Pharmacy personnel should not fear for their safety when providing patient care and serving their community’s health care needs," said Rebecca Snead, RPh, executive vice president and CEO of NASPA.

Justin Trudeau consulted premiers about using the Emergencies Act Monday, while an Ontario judge granted an injunction to enforce noise and idling bylaws related to the ongoing anti-vaccine mandate protests in Ottawa.City solicitor David White requested the injunction Friday, saying the protesters were flagrantly violating bylaws against relentless noise, idling of trucks, setting off fireworks, and open air fires.The injunction, which does not have an end date, was designed to give the police and bylaw officers an extra tool to enforce city bylaws, lawyers acting for the city of Ottawa said Monday. Trudeau expected to invoke Emergencies Act to aid convoy blockade response: sources The Attorney General’s office intervened in the court hearing to make it clear that the injunction would also apply to federal property in Canada’s capital city.The protest by antigovernment demonstrators blockading city streets around Parliament Hill is now in its third week and has spread to several Canada-U.S.

“Freedom Convoy” protests, started by Canadian truckers opposing a vaccinate-or-quarantine mandate for cross-border drivers, have turned into a rallying point for people opposing the policies of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau‘s government, covering everything from pandemic restrictions to a carbon tax.Meanwhile a social media outcry has been triggered by images of police mingling with a sea of protesters in Ottawa, helping some put a fallen tent back up, and one video showing an Ontario Provincial Police officer telling demonstrators “I support you guys 100%.”The police department said the officer’s comments were “not in line with the OPP’s values” and they were investigating.At least two members of Canada’s Special Operations Forces are also under investigation for allegedly supporting the protests, the military said. Windsor’s Ambassador Bridge border crossing reopens following COVID-19 protest Hundreds of counter-protesters on Sunday blocked vehicles trying to join the protest in downtown Ottawa, frustrated by what they said was police inaction.“We need to come together as people and say this will not stand,” said one demonstrator in front of the city’s police headquarters who said he was an Ottawa resident, but declined to give his name, fearing reprisals.