Ottawa Observations: Wednesday, December 29, 2021

Our compilation of some of the stories of note from the day, reviewing the political developments from the Federal scene for Wednesday, December 29, 2021

Canada / China tensions                 

Canada's Huawei decision will be a moment of reckoning for the country

Vancouver MP 'hearthbroken' by arrest of Hong Kong Journalists

Arrest of Canadian Denise Ho and compatriots in Hong Kong enrages democracy activists 

Time for PM to decide on Huawei

Liberals called on to act as Canadian arrested in crackdown on Hong Kong pro-democracy media outlet

China 'playing' Western countries against one another, says Trudeau

Beijing says Canada-China relations 'at a crossroads' after Trudeau's 'coercive diplomacy' comment

Vancouver East MP Jenny Kwan expresses sadness and dismay over arrests of Stand staff and ex-directors

Police arrest Hong Kong pop star, actor and human rights activist Denise Ho

The Global Coronavirus (COVID-19)

BC latest province to delay school reopening amid rise in COVID-19 cases

World Junior hockey championship cancelled due to COVID-19 cases on multiple teams

Nearly 40 percent of Canadians went to their workplace sick during the COVID-19 pandemic, poll suggests

School closures during the COVID-19 pandemic are having a detrimental effect on students and families, research shows

Provinces weigh shorter isolation for those infected with COVID-19

US has shortened COVID-19 isolation period. Should Canada follow suit?

Despite the sense of déjà vu, Omicron may well be the storm before the calm

Moderna will drive majority of Canada's COVID-19 booster campaign

Now is not the time to give in to Omicron despair

Canada Border Services Agency closes 2 Atlantic offices due to COVID-19

World Junior Hockey Tournament cancelled as more players test positive for COVID-19

BC reports record-breaking 2,994 new cases of COVID-19 in one day

Record setting 2,775 COVID-19 cases reported in Alberta, pushing total active cases to 17,396

Manitoba marks another pandemic high with 947 new cases of COVID-19

Ontario reports pandemic high of 10,436 new COVID-19 cases, jump in hospitalizations 

Return to in-person schooling in doubt as Omicron cases spike across Ontario

BC delays return to classroom for most K-12 students until January 10

BC Bracing for increase in COVID hospitalizations amid 5th wave, says health minister 

BC delays return to class for most students until January 10 over COVID

Back to school in Ontario? Rising case counts make some hesitate but others say. in-person learning is needed

Toronto announces service changes as it braces for Omicron's impact on staffing levels

Nunavut extends lockdown as COVID-19 infections surge in the territory

New COVID-19 health measures announced amid another record break-in day in Canada

Quebec allows some health-care workers back to work seven days after testing positive 

Brampton Mayor speaks out on Ontario's misleading COVID hospital data

US COVID-19 cases hit record high, hospitalizations creep up

Ontario reports new daily record of COVID-19 cases

South Africa's Omicron mortality data offers fresh hope as much smaller percentage of hospitalized patients die

Federal government silently 'gave up' on COVID Alert app months ago due to low uptake

World Junior hockey championship cancelled due to COVID-19 cases

With the World Juniors undone by Omicron, how are they going to pull off the Olympics?

BC delaying start of school until January 10 fo r most K to 12 students

BC confirms at least 2,944 new cases along with five more deaths

BC weighs allowing COVID-19 positive  health care workers back on the job

World Juniors cancelled in Edmonton, Red Deer due to COVID-19 cases

Globe and Mail

Why are CPP premiums getting a bigger bump than planned in 2022?

Immigration will help Canada build back better, but only if the country has all hands on deck

Yann Martel, Murray Sinclair among 135 new Order of Canada recipients

Canada must do its part to defend the Arctic. That requires F-35 purchases and NORAD modernization

Public Safety Minister urges Twitter Canada to crack down on abuse of health care workers 

Minister Harjit Sajjan brings lived perspective to International development file 

Parents will still need Canada Child Benefit alongside national daycare system: Gould

Bill 21 failed Fatemeh Anvari. But it also fails her students like my son, and Quebec secularists like me

How Francois Legault remade politics in Quebec and Canada in 2021

CBC                                             

Nothing concentrates the mind like a crisis - or a lot of them landing at once 

As Ukraine crisis heats up, so will cyberattacks, experts warn

Yann Martel, Murray Sinclair top list of those named to Order of Canada for extraordinary contributions

Fifth Estate co-host Bob McKeown appointed to the Order of Canada

Public Safety minister calls on Twitter Canada to address 'abusive' tweet directed at CMA President  

A Cold War in a hotter world: Canada's intelligence sector confronts climate change

Tourism industry may have to live off domestic travel until the fall, says minister

Federal Labour Minister Seamus O'Regan tests positive for COVID-19

Canada wasn't prepared for natural disasters run 2021 - and next year threatens a repeat

Drug users and health workers question government-issued merchandise in Stop Overdose campaign

Toronto/Vancouver Star

Flood disaster takes bite out of BC economy, sends infrastructure wake-up call

BC pushes for black market cannabis to go legal, faces criticism from craft growers

She lost her job. His building sold. These are some of the thousands of people who became homeless in Toronto this year

An inside look at how the COVID-19 vaccine mandate became the breaking point for the TTC's largest union

Canadian warships starting to show age, replacement years away, Navy Commander says

Air Force reporting progress in fight for pilots as COVID-19 ravages airlines 

Toronto announces service changes as it braces for Omicron's impact on staffing levels

A full list of the newest additions and promotions to the Order of Canada

Why Canada gets less for more when it comes to building transit

IIHF cancels world junior tournament following trio of forfeitures

Toronto Sun

Trudeau's 2022 climate plan - more carbon taxes

2021 a challenging year for food industry

Trudeau's economic mismanagement will be a big problem throughout 2022

Governments can't change the weather, but we can adapt to it

Fearless prediction for 2022

Without fossil fuels, the pandemic would be far worse

Health care, education reform is badly needed in the years ahead

It's time to immediately downgrade isolation rules in Canada

National Post

The pandemic changed how Canadians work - and how they want to work: Poll

Vast majority of Canadians worried about inflation and rising costs: poll

These delivery robots are a hazard to no one, but Toronto banned them anyway

Conservative MPs question government delay setting up suicide hotline as COVID crisis calls continue

Canada makes major guarantees, including tax exemptions to host FIFIA 2026 games

Macleans                           

Canada's veterinarian shortage is shaping up to be a full-on crisis

Global 

Snowfall added to list of BC weather warnings as extreme cold persists

Heat still not fully restored at Vancouver SRO where residents have been cold since Christmas

BC paramedics respond to 50 hypothermia, frostbite calls in four days

Staff crunch forces some BC restaurants to close amid surging COVID-19 case numbers

Officer dragged by drunk driver suspects vehicle during traffic stop, say Victoria police

Vancouver snow clearing staff getting priority reminder after some pedestrian paths unplowed 

Advocates seek Victoria church to help test new shelter option for the unhoused

COVID-19 freezes out numerous BC polar bear swims for 2nd year

MPs push for suicide hotline as COVID-19 continues to take mental toll

Attempt to improve COVID Alert App stalls for lack of interest by provinces

Twitter account behind 'abusive' tweet targeting prominent doctor no longer active

Canada Child Benefit still needed along with national child-care program: minister

Miscellaneous            

An urgent case for action on Canada's health data

Vancouver extends operating days for emergency warming centres into new year during freezing weather

$8.3 million Surrey mansion sets record for home with most washrooms sold in 2021

Judge dismisses petition by BC resort owner who claimed that former employees concocted stories of racism

Three Supreme Court of Canada rulings in 2021 that helped frame criminal law across the country

City warming centres and extreme weather response shelter information 

Poll shows Quebec and BC residents most likely to feel that Trudeau's doing too little to address climate

Realtors share notable deals from a record year in Metro Vancouver 

Sonia Furstenau Reflects on Kindness and Trust in Government

The Kenney Countdown: Alberta's top 10 scandals of 2021

Shirley Bond reflects on her Party's Opposition record

Canadian Taxpayers Federation is Anti-Indigenous. Why do media quote them?