NEW: Ontario NDP is calling for a parliamentary investigation into an $80-million, sole-sourced contract for unproven COVID testing devices produced by a now-insolvent company that hired a lobbying firm with ties to Doug Ford’s government thestar.com/business/2021/…
Richard Warnica explains how Ontario taxpayers likely lost $10 million in COVID-19 tests they’ll never see.
The contract was awarded in March 2020 to Spartan Bioscience after pressure from Wellington Advocacy, which employs many former conservative insiders. As revealed by the Star, Public Health Ontario agreed to pay Spartan a $10-million deposit upon signing.thestar.com/business/2021/…
“Doug Ford handed $10 million to a company whose only qualification seems to have been that Ford Conservative insiders were on their payroll as lobbyists,” said NDP health critic France Gélinas in a press release. thestar.com/business/2021/…
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This is what wildfire smoke is doing to your body.
@alex_mckeen spoke with Dr. Chris Carlsten, Professor and Head of the Respiratory Medicine Division at UBC, and Director of the Legacy for Airway Health program at Vancouver Coastal Health. thestar.com/news/canada/20…
The scenario: A runner heads out for a 5k, and as her breathing increases, she takes in more wildfire smoke.
It has combustion products that could be irritating — gaseous chemicals and small, solid particles from trees or other types of fuel that burned. thestar.com/news/canada/20…
Her eyes start to water, as if pollen was out in full force. She feels a burn in her throat when she takes a breath, which takes more effort than usual.
She powers through, and the particles in the smoke begin to irritate her nose, eyes, and throat. thestar.com/news/canada/20…
The Star has tracked the spread of these online communities that many fear could catch the cluster of unsure Canadians - sometimes called the vaccine-hesitant - who are caught in a tug of war between public health authorities and anti-vaxxers. thestar.com/news/investiga…
What helped fuel the spread? Hashtags. Like the COVID itself, #nomorelockdowns has spread across borders and oceans.
Our analysis found the hashtag intensified once it became a fixture of anti-lockdown social media rhetoric in Ontario. thestar.com/news/investiga…
A GTA mental health line saw a 70% spike in daily calls for help from men after the onset of the pandemic, according to a new Wellesley Institute report. thestar.com/news/gta/2021/…
Financial hardship from job loss and reduced hours may have contributed to the surge in calls from men, said Dr. Kwame McKenzie, CEO of the Wellesley Institute and professor in the department of psychiatry at the University of Toronto. thestar.com/news/gta/2021/…
Researchers found women and working people among the groups most impacted during the first wave, with women’s daily calls increasing 54% after the pandemic began. thestar.com/news/gta/2021/…
Dozens arrested after protesters, police clash as city removes encampment at Lamport Stadium thestar.com/news/gta/2021/…
In recent weeks, the city has forcibly ejected occupants of the encampments, arguing that its actions were need because of health, safety and the need to use the parks for purposes like summer camps. thestar.com/news/gta/2021/…
The effort at Lamport was the second major operation in as many days, after one at Alexandra Park on Tuesday. thestar.com/news/gta/2021/…
Several countries have made vaccines mandatory for health-care workers. Why not Canada? dlvr.it/S49z5D
So far in Canada, only Quebec has mandated that staff in certain hospitals be immunized or they might be put on unpaid leave or face other consequences such as having to undergo frequent COVID-19 testing. thestar.com/news/gta/2021/…
British Columbia said this month it is considering making vaccination mandatory for long-term-care workers. thestar.com/news/gta/2021/…
The group of experts supplying the province with science-based policy recommendations is asking the premier to consider letting those who are double-vaxxed relax — and get priority entrance to movies, restaurants and gyms. thestar.com/politics/provi…
They released a 21-page brief suggesting that the province’s power brokers issue a “vaccine certificate” to help differentiate between those who’ve gotten both of their shots — and those who haven’t. thestar.com/politics/provi…