Sunday 22 May 2022

Canada's COVID-19 travel restrictions: doctor says time to re-examine


Global News Channel on Youtube shows that excessively long line-ups and delays continue to plague many airports across Canada, especially at Toronto's Pearson Airport. COVID-19 measures like random testing and health questions are just one of the reasons. But do we still need them?

Dr. Sumon Chakrabarti says at this phase of the pandemic, the measures are not medically useful - with the vast majority of Canadians vaccinated and the others "largely immune" from exposure, and it's time to re-examine and "scrap a lot of this theatre."

"I don't think we're actually doing anything that's medically useful, and it's obviously causing a lot of delay in travel, making travel very difficult."

On the vaccine mandate for travel at this point in the pandemic, Chakrabarti called it discriminatory:

"You're basically now just keeping people who are unable to get or who don't want to get vaccinated or are unable to get vaccinated off a plane for no good medical reason...I think it's time to now drop that mandate and allow people who haven't gotten the vaccine to now board planes and trains to be able to go see their loved ones."

Canadians at passport offices: more long lines


Global News Channel on Youtube shows that it has become a common sight at Service Canada offices: long lines of people trying to get or renew their passports as the need to travel resurfaces.

But even in May, online appointments remain scarce and the line ups are still as long as ever - with no change on the horizon. Some travel experts say the government was also not prepared for thousands of passport applications to be filed in March and April.

Mike Drolet reports why speeding up the process is not as simple as just hiring more staff.

4 people died in Canada Thunderstorm


WION Channel on Youtube shows that at least four people died and 900,000 homes are without power after heavy storms hit the eastern Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The dangerous storm lasted more than two hours and left a trail of destruction; uprooting many trees, disrupting traffic and damaging homes.

See more from Wion News Online:

#Canada #Storm #WIONClimateTracker

Friday 20 May 2022

Canada's inflation rate jumps to 31-year high of 6.7%


CBC News on Youtube shows that Canada's inflation rate rose to 6.7 per cent in March, far more than economists were expecting. It is the highest year-over-year increase in the cost of living since the GST was created in 1991.

Canada addresses worsening housing affordability


ABS-CBN News on Youtube shows that as housing affordability continues to worsen in Canada, the government is allotting $4 billion dollars to build more homes. Rowena Papasin tells us more.

Could 3D-printed homes help solve Canada’s affordable housing crisis?


Global News on Youtube shows a Kingston, Ont.-based project is using 3D printing technology to build homes for residential use in Canada. 

With the provincial election campaign in full swing, Kingston’s outgoing NDP MPP Ian Arthur is leaving politics to delve into this new venture, moving from advocating for affordable housing as a politician - to building it. 

As Global’s Fawwaz Muhammad-Yusuf explains, Arthur’s tech company is seeking to change the face of building in Canada.

Flooding in Canada's North forces thousands to evacuate


Global News on Youtube shows news on this episode of Global National: Thousands of residents have been forced to flee from their homes, as frigid and catastrophic flooding batters the town of Hay River in the Northwest Territories. Heather Yourex-West looks at the widespread damage and the concerns that even more water is on the way.

Are there signs that Canada is heading toward a recession?


CBC News on Youtube shows that CIBC chief economist Avery Shenfeld and RBC chief economist Craig Wright join Power & Politics to discuss the state of Canada's economy.

Tuesday 17 May 2022

Canada could approve Finland, Sweden NATO bids within days


CBC News on Youtube shows that Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, who is in Brussels with her EU counterparts, says Canada could give approval for Finland and Sweden to join NATO within days. 

NATO is the famous military alliance. Its Anthem is the "The NATO Hymn." The so-called "The NATO Hymn" is really the organizational anthem of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It is an instrumental piece, composed in 1989 by André Reichling, a Luxembourgian military officer and a member of its military band. It was used unofficially for really many years before being formally adopted in January 2018.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO; French: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states - 28 European states, the United States, and Canada. Established in the aftermath of World War II on the insistence of the Truman administration in the United States, the organization implements the North Atlantic Treaty, which was certainly signed on 4 April 1949.

NATO is really a system of collective security. Its independent member states agree to defend each other against attacks by third parties. The organization's motto is "animus in consulendo liber" (Latin for "A mind unfettered in deliberation").

Since its founding, the admission of new member states has increased the alliance from the original 12 countries to 30. Members agreed indeed that their aim is to reach or maintain the target defence spending of at least 2 per cent of their GDP by 2024.


News from 17 May 2022 - Finland and Sweden will submit their bids to join NATO together on Wednesday at the military alliance’s headquarters in Brussels, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson has said.

"I’m happy we have taken the same path and we can do it together," Andersson said on Tuesday during a joint news conference with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto.

Niinisto said that a quick ratification of their applications for NATO membership by the United States would help the whole process go faster.

Niinisto and Andersson are due to meet President Biden in Washington on Thursday to discuss the applications.

Countries of Sweden and Finland, which sought membership in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, need each of NATO’s 30 members to approve their applications. The ratification process had been expected to take up to a year, though Turkey’s objections have thrown that into doubt, indeed.

New Omicron Subvariant Fueling Covid Surge Across Much of U.S.


NBC News on Youtube shows that the CDC forecasts Covid hospitalizations and deaths will rise over the next four weeks. This comes as the Covid death toll in the U.S. surpasses 1 million. In Maine, an elementary school shifted to remote learning after 30 percent of its students and staff got sick.

Stocks are down again after hot USA inflation data


CNBC Television on Youtube shows that stocks rose early despite hot U.S. inflation data. But by mid-day, the markets had turned negative. April's consumer price index showed an 8.3% jump, higher than the 8.1% that was expected. Here's what four experts say about the move.

USA confronts highest inflation in decades


ABC News on Youtube shows that President Joe Biden called the soaring inflation his "top domestic priority" and said he is squarely focused on lowering costs. A gallon of gas has reached a new record-high at $4.37 a gallon.

1 million COVID-19 deaths in the United States


ABC News on Youtube shows that in less than two and a half years, one million people in the United States have died from COVID-19. More than 250,000 children have lost a parent or caregiver to the virus.

Monday 9 May 2022

Bitcoin falls to more than 50 per cent below its all-time high


Bitcoin certainly fell to more than 50 per cent below its all-time high. Crypto plunges again and again, it seems.

The valuable Bitcoin cryptocurrency was down 10 per cent Monday after decreasing again over the weekend. Bitcoin prices have now plummeted nearly 20 per cent in the past week. At a price of about US$31K, bitcoin is really more than 50 per cent below its record high of near US$69K from late last year and at its lowest point since July 2021.

Other important cryptocurrencies, sometimes referred to as altcoins, also decreased a lot. Ethereum, binance, solana and cardano are all down about 15 per cent in the past week, while Elon Musk's so-called dogecoin fell 10 per cent.

Keep in mind, it seems that Bitcoin is not immune to the global inflation risk spreading across most other asset classes. The falling Bitcoin trend is likely to continue.

Bitcoin seems to be hit by the same problems that certainly cause falling stocks.

Inflation fears, worries about big interest rate hikes from the Federal Reserve and fears of a possible economic slowdown certainly exist.

Some investors think that Bitcoin could fall as low as US$20K by the end of the year.

Broker Coinbase Stock price fell 17 per cent Monday and is down really more than 65 per cent this year.

"Robinhood" (also used to trade cryptocurrencies) has fallen more than 45 per cent in 2022.

Is COVID-19 becoming more like the flu?


CBC News on Youtube shows how Respirologist Dr. Samir Gupta discusses COVID-19 on Canada Tonight. 'We are becoming a more immune population,' he said.

Majority of Canadian non-homeowners have “given up” on buying a home, poll finds


Global News in Canada shows that the dream of homeownership is looking increasingly bleak for a majority of Canadians shut out of the housing market, according to a new poll from Ipsos.

The survey conducted exclusively for Global News shows six out of 10 (63 per cent) non-homeowners have "given up" on ever owning a home. 

That sentiment is highest in British Columbia, Quebec and Ontario, the polling shows.  

Anne Gaviola reports on the new findings, and whether measures meant to clear a path to homeownership will have an impact.

High-tech gear to protect Canada's naval ship from rust


CBC News on Youtube shows that the Canadian government is seeking high-tech solutions such as ultrasound devices, magnetic sensors and drones to protect the ships of the Royal Canadian Navy from corrosion.

Gas prices across Canada hitting near or above $2


CBC News on Youtube:

CBC News looks at rising gas prices across the country and discusses how long they'll continue to climb.

Canada’s COVID-19 emergency benefits come to an end


Global News on Youtube:

On this episode of Global national: They were a lifeline for countless Canadians during the pandemic. But Canada’s remaining COVID-19 emergency benefits expire this weekend. The federal government points to Canada’s record-low unemployment as evidence the programs are needed no longer. Abigail Bimman reports.

Ukraine’s deputy prime minister says all women, children and seniors were evacuated from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol. The plant has been under siege for weeks and remains the last Ukrainian outpost in the strategic port city. As Reggie Cecchini reports, Russian forces are working to complete their conquest of Mariupol in time for Victory Day.

Ukrainians are relying heavily on foreign donations to repel the Russian invasion. But, Ukrainians themselves are also providing supplies and transporting them across the country to people in need. As Crystal Goomansingh reports, those volunteers are proving to be a critical link in the conflict.

The Conservative leadership candidates are gathering this week for the party’s first official debate. All six candidates are expected to be there and after this week’s unofficial debate descended into a verbal brawl, many are expecting more fireworks. Eric Sorensen spoke to former leadership candidate Peter McKay on the West Block to hear his thoughts on the debate.

Russia’s war in Ukraine has caused turmoil in international commodity markets, raising prices at the grocery store. The latest item affected is cooking oil. Ukraine makes up nearly half the world’s sunflower oil exports and with those supplies stalling, the price for other oils has skyrocketed. As Dan Spector explains, a major move by another player in the global market could have significant consequences in Canada.

How far would you go for your favourite slice of pizza? One Ontario-born man who now lives in British Columbia went to extreme lengths for a taste of home. Kylie Stanton explains.