After a year of watching Rylin, her four-year-old daughter, struggle with masks and online learning, Lori Campbell was thrilled this week to hear that come September, kids may be able to return to class in-person and without face coverings. Or having to keep their distance. “That would be great,” said Campbell, a single mother of…
Category: Community News
Ontario’s COVID-19 vaccinations are trending downward. Experts explain why
Dr. Andrew Boozary has witnessed many people walk away from vaccination clinics upon hearing that their second dose would be a different brand than their first. Boozary, who is with the University Health Network, told the Star misinformation about mixing brands is one of the factors contributing to Ontario’s vaccination numbers trending downward and on…
How Ontario taxpayers likely lost almost $10 million on COVID-19 tests they’ll never see
It was hailed in the early, chaotic days of the pandemic as a true breakthrough in the fight against COVID-19: a portable, Ontario-made testing platform, half the size of a lunch box, that could detect the deadly virus that causes COVID in less than an hour. But 16 months into the pandemic in Ontario, that…
Don’t want to get vaccinated? Maybe you need to find another line of work
Why is Canada going to such great lengths to accommodate the tiny minority of our fellow citizens who refuse to get vaccinated? Consider this example from Quebec: Nearly 90 per cent of the province’s public-sector health care workers have had their two shots, but fewer than 6,000 employees have chosen to remain unvaccinated. And they’re being…
With the law unclear, businesses face tricky questions about mandating vaccines
Employment lawyer says both employers and workers could have strong legal cases As businesses in Ottawa reopen, employers are facing the question of whether to mandate vaccines for their employees — and the law doesn’t yet provide a clear answer. In Ontario, COVID-19 vaccines aren’t mandatory but are heavily suggested. Currently in Ottawa, more than 80 per…
People have embraced Ontario’s parks during the pandemic, but are they loving them to death?
1 person walking off a trail is bad, but thousands doing it ‘can create some damage’ Chris Lemieux doesn’t like crowds and it’s why he’ll avoid visits to provincial parks in southern Ontario during July and August. He’s watched the trend of people flocking to Ontario Parks and Parks Canada sites in recent years, particularly…
Ontario’s universities and colleges told to prepare for normal fall — with backup plans
Masks will still be required for indoor settings, memo from province says Ontario colleges and universities should prepare for all in-person classes and activities to resume this fall without capacity limits or physical distancing requirements, the government says. However, the Ministry of Colleges and Universities has told the institutions to have plans for how learning…
Indoor spaces are now open in Ontario. Here’s how to reduce your risk of spreading COVID-19
On Friday, Ontario enters Step 3 of its reopening plan, which means that indoor spaces like gyms, movie theatres and indoor dining areas can start welcoming guests again. These environments, however, still come with health risks. Unlike outdoor spaces, indoor spaces aren’t as spacious or well-ventilated. There are measures all indoor environments should enforce, including…
CCNCTO is hiring FT/PT community organizer
CCNCTO is looking to fill two positions in community organizing. The position(s) will begin as soon as possible. The contracts will end on March 31, 2022, with the possibility of extension. CCNCTO is an organization of Chinese Canadians in the City of Toronto that promotes equity, social justice, inclusive civic participation, and respect for diversity….
Is it OK to ask about someone’s COVID-19 vaccine status? Experts weigh in
Nicole Hunt thought she was just making small talk with the next person in line when she asked whether he’d been vaccinated. But she soon found she’d run afoul of the shifting social mores surrounding this prickly question. Hunt said she and the stranger were waiting for ice cream when they started commiserating over how…