Tag: Ontario

Published by: Ottawa Citizen
Published on: February 8, 2024
By Aedan Helmer

Convoy protest organizers defending a proposed class-action lawsuit now argue the Ottawa Police Services Board should be on the hook for any potential damages to be paid out, claiming protesters were following police directions when they parked hundreds of trucks in downtown Ottawa during the 2022 demonstration.

“None of the defendants … had originally expected to park any vehicles on the streets of downtown Ottawa as part of the protest,” according to a new third-party claim filed by the lawyer for the defendants, which include organizers Tamara Lich, Chris Barber and Pat King.

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Ottawa-Gatineau

COVID-19 cases continue downward trend

Published February 8, 2024

Published by: Ottawa Citizen
Published on: February 8, 2024

COVID-19 infections showed another drop in the last seven days, with Ottawa Public Health reporting 144 new cases as of Tuesday.

That compares with 177 new cases reported last week and 264 new cases the week before.

The health agency reported five new deaths from COVID-19, compared with four a week earlier.

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convoy occupation

Judge tosses motion to dismiss proposed class-action lawsuit against convoy participants

Published February 6, 2024

Published by: Ottawa Citizen
Published on: February 6, 2024
By Aedan Helmer

Downtown Ottawa residents and business owners who launched a proposed class-action lawsuit against organizers of the 2022 convoy protest moved one step closer to having their day in court as a judge tossed a defence motion to dismiss the lawsuit.

“There is sufficient basis to conclude that the plaintiffs have a meritorious case,” Superior Court Justice Calum MacLeod said in his ruling, released Monday.

“There is evidence that certain plaintiffs were subjected to what they contend to have been extreme amounts of noise, horn honking, incessant diesel fumes and other pollution, blockage of the streets and intimidation.

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convoy occupation

Lawsuit against convoy organizers moves forward

Published February 6, 2024

Published by: CBC News
Published on: February 6, 2024
By David Fraser

There is evidence that certain plaintiffs were subjected to what they contend to have been extreme amounts of noise, horn honking, incessant diesel fumes and other pollution, blockage of the streets and intimidation. There is evidence that plaintiffs had difficulty accessing their properties and that business was disrupted, reservations cancelled, and revenue negatively impacted.

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Toronto

Homeless people in Toronto more likely to get COVID again compared to housed population: study

Published February 2, 2024

Published by: CBC News / The Canadian Press
Published on: February 2, 2024
By Nicole Ireland

People who are homeless have high rates of COVID-19 reinfection, putting the health of an already vulnerable population at further risk, a study published Friday in the BMC Infectious Diseases journal says.

Homeless people in Toronto who had COVID-19 were more than twice as likely to get it again as people who had housing, said lead author Lucie Richard, a senior research associate at the MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions at St. Michael’s Hospital.

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Ottawa: Don’t trash the COVID-19 dashboard

Photo of Ottawa City Hall, accompanied by some graphs and the text: Don’t trash the COVID-19 dashboard!

take action

Ottawa: Don’t trash the COVID-19 dashboard

Published February 1, 2024

📣 Let Ottawa Public Health, Ottawa’s mayor, and city councillors know you want continued access to the city’s COVID-19 dashboard.

✉️ Send letters to let them know you want continued access to updated data in the COVID-19 dashboard, and elsewhere on the City of Ottawa’s website. You can use your own email software to send the letters.

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Ottawa-Gatineau

Will Ottawa Public Health stop updating its COVID-19 dashboard?

Published January 30, 2024

Published by: CTV News
Published on: January 30, 2024
By Toula Mazloum

Ottawa Public Health is clarifying the confusion that has been circulating on social media around its plans to phase out its COVID-19 dashboard.

While the current COVID-19 dashboard will be discontinued in February, the health unit pledges to continue to give updates about COVID-19 and respiratory illnesses circulating in the capital.

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Ottawa-Gatineau

High COVID levels persist as other illnesses dip

Published January 25, 2024

Published by: CBC News
Published on: January 25, 2024
By Andrew Foote

Flu numbers dropped again over the last week, according to the latest data from Ottawa Public Health (OPH), and RSV trends did the same. Flu levels remain high and RSV’s are more moderate.

The COVID-19 picture remains generally high and stable.

Meanwhile, both the number of respiratory-related and overall emergency room visits in the city have dropped for three straight weeks.

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convoy occupation

Federal government’s decision to invoke Emergencies Act against convoy protests was unreasonable, court rules

Published January 23, 2024

Published by: CBC News
Published on: January 23, 2024
By Catharine Tunney

A federal judge says the Liberal government’s use of the Emergencies Act in early 2022 to clear convoy protesters was unreasonable.

“I conclude that there was no national emergency justifying the invocation of the Emergencies Act and the decision to do so was therefore unreasonable and ultra vires,” Federal Court Justice Richard Mosley wrote in a Tuesday decision. “Ultra vires” is a Latin term used by courts to refer to actions beyond the scope of the law.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland told reporters at a cabinet retreat in Montreal that the government plans to appeal the decision.

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Toronto

Toronto may be past its flu peak, but COVID-19 remains high, public health agency says

Published January 16, 2024

Published by: CBC News
Published on: January 16, 2024
By Lane Harrison

Toronto likely reached its influenza season peak in December, but according to Toronto Public Health’s latest respiratory illness update, COVID-19 infections are expected to remain high for now.

The percentage of positive influenza tests dropped to 6.6 per cent the week of Dec. 31 to Jan. 6, down from 15.6 per cent the week prior, Toronto Public Health (TPH) told the city’s Board of Health Monday. When it comes to COVID-19, positivity dropped only slightly to 17.6 per cent for the week of Dec. 31 to Jan. 6 from 18.6 per cent the week before.

But getting over the influenza peak doesn’t mean there aren’t still high levels of the illness in the city.

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Ontario

Arguments begin in proposed class action against 304 long-term care homes

Published January 15, 2024

Published by: The Trillium
Published on: January 15, 2024
By Jack Hauen

Lawyers representing long-term care residents who suffered or died during the COVID-19 pandemic argued a class-action suit against hundreds of homes is the best way for those patients — and their loved ones — to get justice.

On Monday, plaintiff lawyers laid out their case before a Superior Court judge who will decide whether or not the proposed class action can go ahead. The suit, which is actually eight proceedings combined, names 304 independent and municipal homes, capturing almost half of the long-term care facilities in Ontario.

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Ontario

Ford government under fire over ER wait times

Published January 11, 2024

Published by: CityNews
Published on: January 11, 2024
By Richard Southern, Mike Visser

Calls are growing for the Ontario government to recall the legislature and deal with rising emergency room wait times.

“We’re extremely busy,” said Dr. Kashif Pirzada, an emergency room physician at one Greater Toronto Area hospital. “I walk in, there’s usually 10, 15 ambulances outside waiting to bring patients in.”

The situation is so bad that some hospitals like Markham Stouffville and Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay are advising patients to consider alternatives to the emergency room if their condition isn’t urgent.

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Ontario

More than 260 Ontario long-term care residents died after getting COVID-19 in last four months

Published January 3, 2024

Published by: CTV News
Published on: January 3, 2024
By Katherine DeClerq

Respiratory virus outbreaks in Ontario’s long-term care homes remains dominated by COVID-19, with nearly 16,000 cases of the virus reported in the last four months.

According to a newly released report by Public Health Ontario, there have been 850 confirmed outbreaks in long-term care homes since Aug. 27, 2023.

This is compared to 32 influenza outbreaks and 32 Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) outbreaks.

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Ontario

More COVID infections now than during some pandemic points, wastewater data shows

Published January 2, 2024

Published by: CBC News
Published on: January 2, 2024
By Isha Bhargava

As COVID wastewater data hits significant highs in the Middlesex-London area, more cases of the virus and other respiratory infections can be expected in the new year, says the region’s top doctor.

The start of 2024 will be the midst of respiratory virus season, with continued COVID activity and an increase in influenza infections and other cold and cough viruses, said medical officer of health Dr. Alex Summers.

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Waterloo Region

COVID-19 outbreaks on the rise in Waterloo Region

Published December 29, 2023

Published by: Waterloo Region Record
Published on: December 29, 2023

The number of active COVID-19 outbreaks in high-risk settings increased by more than 50 per cent this past week, according to the Waterloo Region public health unit’s weekly dashboard update.

There are 15 outbreaks in high-risk settings — up from seven last week — including two in congregate settings, such as group homes or shelters, one in hospital and 12 in long-term care/retirement homes.

One new death was reported. So far this year, COVID-19 has been a direct or contributing cause in 41 deaths reported by public health in the region.

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Ontario

BCHU winds down COVID-19 vaccination clinics

Published December 27, 2023

Published by: The Brantford Expositor
Published on: December 27, 2023
By Expositor staff

Community COVID-19 vaccine clinics operated by the Brant County Health Unit are winding down at the end of this month due to cessation of provincial funding.

Starting January 2, the BCHU will only offer COVID-19 vaccine appointments for children ages six months to 12 years of age. Bookings for that age group can be made online at bchu.org/covid-19-vaccines/.

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Waterloo Region

Waterloo region’s COVID booster rate lags behind national average

Published December 26, 2023

Published by: CBC News
Published on: December 26, 2023
By Kate Bueckert

The number of people in Waterloo region who have received their most recent COVID-19 booster shot is just under 11 per cent, which is below the national average.

The region’s vaccination dashboard shows 10.9 per cent of people in the community are up-to-date on their vaccinations as of Dec. 7. The region notes “up to date” means a person has completed their primary series and received a booster dose within the previous six months.

The number of people who have received the updated XBB.1.5 COVID-19 vaccine sits at 10.8 per cent, the region told CBC News in an email.

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Ontario

Almonte General Hospital temporarily closing ER Saturday afternoon into Sunday morning

Published December 23, 2023

Published by: CTV News
Published on: December 23, 2023
By Ted Raymond

The emergency department at the Almonte General Hospital in Almonte, Ont. will be temporarily closed Saturday.

The Mississippi River Health Alliance (MRHA) said in a news release Saturday that the closure would be in effect from 3 p.m. Saturday until 7 a.m. Sunday. The rest of the hospital will remain open and care for patients continues.

The emergency department will be closed because of a staffing shortage, the hospital says.

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