Ottawa Observations: Friday, January 7, 2021

Our compilation of some of the stories of note from the day, reviewing the political developments from the Federal scene for  Friday, January 7, 2022

Canada / China tensions                 

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The Global Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Canada's health care system 'stretched too thin' health minister says, as hospitals grapple with Omicron wave

Under a COVID-19 curfew in Montreal, a doorman stands watch over an empty city

A glimpse into Quebec's COVID-19 curfew on four dark nights in two lonely cities

Situation in Ontario hospitals expected to worsen as doctors isolate and COVID-19 admissions rise

Parents pull children out of Ontario daycares because of COVID-19 testing changes  

Denying health care to the unvaccinated is one step too far 

The dance of the 'do-we-haftas'- no matter how artfully we try to avoid it, the reality of COVID is inescapable 

For COVID-19 to become endemic, we will also need to focus on how we can treat it

Provinces could make vaccination mandatory, says federal health minister 

BC officials announce return to in-class learning, order businesses  to reactivate COVID safety plans

Feds to send military to Bearskin Lake First Nation 'very quickly' says Minister 

Half of all people offered Moderna COVID-19 vaccine refuse it, Ontario pharmacists say

Why testing sewage for COVID-19 could be more useful than ever 

Manitoba extends pubic health orders for 3 more weeks

Pediatrician urges parents to have the COVID talk as Omicron cases hit new highs

BC Schools to have enhanced safety measures and monitor attendance as kids return

'It breaks my heart as a physician': What the Omicron wave looks like inside our emergency rooms

'We've cheaped out on hospital beds. COVID shows that must stop

Calling a Code Orange for nursing and staff shortages is an abuse of the system

Why Canada is shutting down during Omicron while the US stays open: their health care systems

Governments won't have pandemic scapegoats like Djokovic to kick around much longer

Premier Kenney vows Alberta will not mandate COVID-19 vaccinations 

'I see it coming': Mandatory vaccinations on the horizon, federal health minister says

There is no convincing case for compulsory COVID-19 vaccinations

When it comes to anti-vaxxers we need to talk about numbers - but in a civil tone

Production delayed at federal government's new $126M COVID vaccine plant in Montreal

Hospitalizations mount as BC confirms 9deaths, 3,144 new cases

BC to only notify families of COVID school exposures when attendance drops

Fraser Health reopens mass vaccine clinics as BC ramps up booster rollout

Health officials apologize after hours-on wait at Vancouver COVID-19 vaccine clinic 

'With lack of COVID testing, BC is 'completely flying blind' say experts 

Globe and Mail

Sunwing plan party passengers could face fines up to $100,000, jail time

We're going to hear a lot more about the financialization of housing this year

Dream of a new home is torn apart in Cambie corridor neighbourhood  

CBC                                             

RCMP detachments across the country brace for pandemic-driven staff shortages 

Grocers pressured to Bring back 'hero pay' amid Omicron surge

Vancouver seawall damaged as high tides, winds pummel BC's South Coast

Files on Sunwing party flight passengers sent to Quebec prosecutor, says federal health minister 

Could a new tax on homes worth $1M and up help fix Canada's housing crisis?

Toronto/Vancouver Star

Unifor demands further delay on tighter green rules for container trucks

A 12 year old's plan to the Ontario government around school closures and safety

Toronto Sun

Liberals keep flirting with taxing your home while denying it's on the agenda

People are at a breaking point

Ontario offers $10Gs grant to businesses forced to close, hydro break

27 of 130 passengers on party flight to Mexico back in Canada: Duclos

Mr D returns to classrooms across Canada 

Canadians are dying while they wait for surgery

National Post

Canada calls for 'restraint and escalation' in Kazakhstan amid deadly protests

US museum makes Justin Trudeau bobbled at request of his 'cult following'

Canada may not have a very good health-care system

Macleans                           

Who's still angry at Ottawa

Global 

Powerful winds Brin Metro Vancouver flooding, park closures and ferry cancelations 

'Serious workplace accident' at Vancouver city works yard under investigation

Freezing rain, winter storm leaves thousands without power on BC's South Coast  

Miscellaneous            

2 Vancouver homes with rezoning application for Cambie Corridor project listed at $12.8 million

Waves pound the seashore as Vancouver windstorm forces closure of Stanley Park and sections of the seawall

David Eby tells Vancouver man losing rental home to Cambie Corridor rezoning: 'sorry about the stress'

BC Schools Reopen Monday. Some parents and experts are worried

'Tax Me,' says prof whose home jumped $500,000 in one year