#Opinion by @bruce_arthur: Though he normally avoids the spotlight, Steini Brown — co-chair of Ontario’s science table — has become the province’s strongest pandemic conscience, stepping up when a government was flying more or less blind. thestar.com/opinion/star-c…
When Brown gives regular public briefings about COVID-19, it is a serious, honest, even dour comfort; he tells you what the science says about the pandemic as best he can. thestar.com/opinion/star-c…
Equity, action to avoid lockdowns, preserving hospital capacity, protecting the vulnerable: all are supported by the science, and while no model is perfect, the table has accurately captured where the pandemic is headed. thestar.com/opinion/star-c…
Dr. Allison McGeer, an infectious diseases legend at Sinai Health, says one of Brown’s great and rare gifts is translating science to policymakers, partly because he truly understands how to listen to people. thestar.com/opinion/star-c…
Imagining Ontario’s pandemic without this group of volunteers is a grim exercise, even given everything that has happened. It is impossible to imagine without Brown bridging those gaps. thestar.com/opinion/star-c…
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Behind Ontario's rapidly falling daily case counts lies a concerning pattern that suggests a new, more transmissible variant of COVID-19 is poised to take over from the one that fuelled the province’s third wave, experts say.
Now, as we see a decline in B.1.1.7, “what’s filling the void is probably all B.1.617,” @BogochIsaac said. “It’s here. It’s spreading. It’s important to recognize and it just means that we’ve got to hustle on getting second doses of vaccines out.”
NEW from @alex_mckeen and @alex_n_boyd: The mass grave of 215 children in Kamloops, B.C., was brought to light through a technology called ground-penetrating radar, a tool some hope has the potential to uncover other burial sites across the country. thestar.com/news/canada/20…
While the Tk’emlups te Secwépemc First Nation has not disclosed who did the work that found the 215 children, there are a handful of experts in the country using this technology to find gravesites.
The process of finding unmarked graves can be profound — and certain First Nations communities across Canada are calling for funds for such searches on a wider scale. thestar.com/news/canada/20…
A federal vaccine advisory panel has changed its guidance on “mismatched” COVID-19 vaccines, giving provinces the green light to offer Canadians different vaccine combinations for first and second doses. thestar.com/politics/feder…
The advice means Canadians can now have a vaccine cocktail.
Those who initially got the AstraZeneca vaccine or its India-made COVISHIELD brand can follow up with an mRNA vaccine — either Pfizer-BioNTech’s or Moderna’s — as a second shot. thestar.com/politics/feder…
Those who got first doses of either mRNA vaccine — from Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech — may also receive either company’s vaccine as a second dose.
The option to stick with the same vaccine for first and second shots will remain. thestar.com/politics/feder…
Air Canada’s top executives and management received $10 million in bonuses and stock awards to compensate for salary cuts over the past year. torstar.co/6mM250F0hx8
The company said it was providing a “COVID-19 Pandemic Mitigation Bonus” to executives and management for their “exceptional performance” during the pandemic. thestar.com/business/2021/…
The board of directors approved $20 million in awards, but has only distributed half.
The payout comes after a disastrous fiscal year for the company that culminated in a major bailout package from the federal government. thestar.com/business/2021/…
While sources close to the premier said Ford wanted children back in classrooms for the first time since mid-April, public health officials have warned him that can only occur if the broader opening of the economy is delayed. thestar.com/politics/provi…
On Monday night, the cabinet’s policy and priorities committee recommended keeping students learning online from home because the school year ends in a few weeks.
“This way we can still save summer sports and summer camps for kids,” the insider said. thestar.com/politics/provi…
Lyle Keewatin Richards, the child of a residential school survivor, is part of a group trying to preserve an unmarked cemetery near the former Red Deer Industrial School in Alberta. thestar.com/news/canada/20…