FREDERICTON — The People's Alliance party says the New Brunswick government's recent decisions to curb the spread of COVID-19 are confusing for the public. Leader Kris Austin has been a member of the all-party COVID-19 cabinet committee for the last 10 months but says he's confused and frustrated by some of the government's actions. "We have to have rules that make sense," Austin said in an interview Wednesday. "They have to be concise and they have to be clear and they have to be consistent. If we're changing rules on the fly it just creates confusion." New Brunswick has been reporting more than 20 new infections every day since Jan. 13. Austin said the decision this week to move more than half the province into the "red" pandemic-alert level has closed churches and hair salons without evidence they are hot spots. "My understanding was when you went to red, that was the lockdown," he said. "That was the final step. But now we're hearing red is the new version of orange and there's a lockdown that could be coming. People are just scratching their heads unsure of what it all means." Premier Blaine Higgs said this week that the government would consider imposing a lockdown if current measures to control the spread of the virus aren't effective. The COVID cabinet committee meets Thursday morning to discuss whether more restrictions are needed and if so, what they would look like. "A lockdown is an extreme measure," Austin said. "I supported it last spring because this whole thing was new. We were trying to grapple with the health-care system to ensure it was ready should COVID cases spike. I think it was justified back then. I'm not so sure it's justified at this time." Health officials reported 21 new infections Wednesday and said the province had 317 active reported cases. Two patients were hospitalized with the disease, including one in intensive care. There have been 13 COVID-related deaths and 1,025 reported infections since the start of the pandemic. Officials said Wednesday a case had been identified at Edith Cavell School in Moncton and one at Ecole Saint-Jacques in Saint-Jacques, N.B. They declared an outbreak at Manoir Belle Vue, a special care home in Edmundston, following a recent confirmed case of COVID-19 there. Meanwhile, the Opposition Liberals are calling on the Higgs government to provide financial support for businesses impacted by the pandemic. Gilles LePage, critic for economic development and small business, says people are following advice to stay home and only go out for essentials, and that's affecting businesses. "The province has the duty to step up and provide the financial aid necessary to keep these businesses afloat," LePage said in a statement. He said it's more critical than ever for the government to identify what businesses need help and to provide temporary financial aid. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 20, 2021. Kevin Bissett, The Canadian Press
Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], January 21 (ANI): Former Arunanchal Pradesh Governor Mata Prasad died following multi-organ failure at Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) here on Wednesday. He was 95 years old.
Stocks rose Wednesday, extending Tuesday’s advances as investors looked ahead to the first actions of the incoming Biden administration.
Defiance ETFs announces that the First 5G ETF (NYSE: FIVG) surpassed $1 billion in AUM in less than two years, making it one of the most successful thematic ETF launches in recent years.
Evacuations start in Manchester as Storm Christoph hits UKSome residents in south Manchester suburb of Didsbury to be moved to temporary accommodation
GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany — American teenager Matthew Hoppe scored for the third consecutive Bundesliga game but couldn’t prevent Schalke from slumping to a 2-1 loss to fellow struggler Cologne on Wednesday. Jan Thielmann struck in the third minute of injury time for Cologne to end its five-game run without a win and leave the relegation zone. Schalke remains in last place with seven points at the halfway stage of the season. The 19-year-old Hoppe grabbed his fifth goal of 2021 in the 57th minute, nipping in to sweep home the equalizer after Amine Harit combined with Suat Serdar. Hoppe is the third American to score in three consecutive German league games after Eric Wynalda with Saarbrücken in 1992 and Clint Mathis with Hannover in 2004. He already has more goals this year than compatriot Weston McKennie managed as Schalke’s top scorer with three in 2020. Hoppe started up front for Schalke despite the club re-signing veteran Dutch striker Klaas Jan Huntelaar from Ajax the day before. A calf problem prevented the 37-year-old forward making his second Schalke debut. Cologne defender Rafael Czichos scored in the 31st after the home team failed to properly clear a corner. It was Cologne’s first goal in six games. Kingsley Ehizibue almost made it 2-0 shortly afterward but was blocked at close range by Schalke goalkeeper Ralf Fährmann. ___ More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports The Associated Press
Kylie Jenner finally reacted to the internet’s jokes about her shower. Jenner posted a follow-up video on Instagram after facing a wave of criticism about her shower’s water pressure this week. In a move nobody worth $700 million has probably ever thought of doing, the beauty mogul clarified that the pink marble shower she posted on Jan. 17 was actually in her office.
OTTAWA — The head of the Ontario Medical Association says dangerous misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines is spreading on social media among all age groups. The association's analysis of more than 65,000 recent online posts in Ontario shows that conspiracy theories about the origin of the novel coronavirus and fears that vaccines are dangerous and untested run particularly rampant among people under the age of 35. Dr. Samantha Hill says any delay to vaccinating Canadians will cost lives, whether it stems from untruths that dissuade people from getting a shot in the arm or current issues slowing down delivery of doses to Canada. Canada's small supply of vaccine from Pfizer-BioNTech will shrink even more over the next four weeks as the company slows production while upgrading its facility in Belgium. Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau isn't doing enough to pressure Pfizer to limit the effect on Canada and is urging him to get company CEO Albert Bourla on the phone right away. A Trudeau spokesman says they will not confirm who Trudeau has spoken to about the matter, and will not negotiate in public. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 20, 2021. Mia Rabson, The Canadian Press
The two provinces hardest hit by COVID-19 are seeing a decline in new cases this week as Canada grapples with delays in its immunization plans. Quebec and Ontario, which account for the bulk of the country's COVID-19 cases, have both seen new infections trend downwards compared to last week's totals. Quebec is reporting 1,467 new cases today, and has logged fewer than 2,000 for the last four days. Ontario recorded 2,655 today, higher than Tuesday's count but a decline from last week, where it saw around 3,000 new cases each day. Health officials across the country are also having to deal with an impending pause in deliveries of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. In Manitoba, health officials said Wednesday that no vaccine appointments are being cancelled, though the province will receive roughly half the doses it expected over the next four weeks. The federal government has said Canada won't receive any doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine next week after the company advised it is slowing production at its Belgium facility to make upgrades that will eventually boost its output. Ottawa further noted it can't tell provinces how many doses they'll get over the next month as a result of the changes at Pfizer. Canada was scheduled to get 417,000 doses over the next two weeks, and now expects to receive about 171,000. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 20, 2021. The Canadian Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes remains in the NFL's concussion protocol, but practiced in a limited capacity on Wednesday, raising hopes that the reigning Super Bowl MVP can play in Sunday's AFC title game against Buffalo. The Chiefs typically breeze through practice on Wednesday with little contact before ramping things up on Thursday, and coach Andy Reid said that fit perfectly with what Mahomes was able to do. Reid didn't say what phase of the five-step process Mahomes is in to be cleared to play, but the work he described his quarterback doing coincides with the fourth step. That involves a player resuming non-contact football activities, such as throwing and running, and is the final step before a player is deemed ready to go. Mahomes was hurt in the third quarter of last Sunday's 22-17 victory over the Cleveland Browns. Chad Henne finished the game and would be the starter if Mahomes was unable to play against the Bills. ___ More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL Dave Skretta, The Associated Press
The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq hit highs on Wednesday as Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th U.S. president, while solid results from Netflix sparked a rally in shares of stay-at-home winners. Shares of the world's largest streaming service Netflix surged 18.08% and added nearly $40 billion to its market capitalization after it said it would no longer need to borrow billions of dollars to finance its TV shows and movies.
Inauguration milestone begins a vice presidency unlike any other
New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - January 20, 2021) - The Klein Law Firm announces that a class action complaint has been filed on behalf of shareholders of Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. (NYSE: NAK) alleging that the Company violated federal securities laws.Class Period: December 21, 2017 and November 25, 2020Lead Plaintiff Deadline: February 2, 2021Learn more about your recoverable losses in NAK:http://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/northern-dynasty-minerals-ltd-loss-submission-form?id=12297&from=5The filed complaint alleges that Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. made materially false and/or ...
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ inauguration was almost star-studded enough to take place on the red carpet. So, it’s no surprise prominent Hollywood figures and celebrities took to social media to weigh in on the ceremony. The event, which began with fanfare prior to Wednesday morning, featured events and performances from a host of artists, […]
Lady Gaga singing the national anthem is a major moment for America
The polarizing footwear has Gomez's stamp of approval.
The Irwin family presented Rhino, the 40-year-old rhinoceros iguana, with a Guinness World Record for his longevity
"There is a complete refusal at the highest levels to grant permission for second doses before 12 weeks’
Profiles of Donald Trump’s departure from Washington will read more like obituaries. As Joe Biden prepared to preach about unity in front of a sea of flags, Mr Trump headed for the hills, or rather the haven of Mar-a-Lago - a MAGA oasis. Biden used it try to convince the many Republicans who still think he stole the election, that they have a stake in it.
WestJet Airlines Ltd. says it will operate the first commercial flight of the Boeing 737 Max in Canada since the aircraft was cleared to fly again in Canadian airspace.The flight will take off from Calgary on Thursday and land in Vancouver, where company executives will hold a press event, WestJet said in a news release Wednesday.Starting Jan. 22, WestJet plans to fly the Max three times weekly between Calgary and Toronto.The Boeing 737 Max was grounded in Canada in March 2019 following two deadly crashes that investigators said was caused by a faulty sensor system.Transport Canada lifted its grounding order for the Max on Jan. 20 after approving a number of changes to the airplane's design, including allowing pilots to disable an alarm system found to be central to the crashes.Max pilots will also be required to undergo additional training in flight simulators before they can operate the plane in Canadian airspace.Air Canada, which has 24 Max aircraft in its fleet, has said it intends to start flying the plane as of Feb. 1.U.S. airlines began operating the Max in December, with some carriers implementing new policies to notify passengers if they are scheduled to fly on the aircraft.WestJet said earlier this month that it intends to offer flexibility to its change and cancellation policies for customers who are uncomfortable flying on the Max.WestJet also released a marketing video outlining the changes to the Max in an effort to ease passengers' concerns about travelling on the plane.The European Union is expected to clear the Max to fly next week, while China has said it still has no timeline for approving the aircraft.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 20, 2021.Companies in this story: (TSX:AC) Jon Victor, The Canadian Press