Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
A highly contagious and deadly virus that affects rabbits and hares has been detected in Ontario for the first time.
Two cases of rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus – 2 (RHDV-2) were reported earlier in June in southwestern Ontario's Lambton County. Previously recorded in Alberta, B.C. and Quebec, rabbit hemorrhagic disease is not known to affect humans or other species.
"This is the first time RHDV-2 has been diagnosed in Ontario," the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) said in a statement to CTVNews.ca. "The origin of the infection is not known at this time."
The infected pet rabbits were in the same household, which was placed under quarantine after the diagnoses.
"An investigation has been completed and no high risk contacts have been identified that could result in spread of the disease from this premise," the CFIA spokesperson said. "The CFIA is collaborating with the province and continues to monitor the situation."
According to the CFIA, rabbit hemorrhagic disease "is a sudden, highly contagious and fatal viral disease" that's spread through contact with infected bodily fluids, feces and objects. Symptoms include fever, loss of appetite, blood spots in the eyes, frothy and bloody discharge from the nose, and neurological signs like difficult walking and paralysis.
"After being exposed to the virus, rabbits usually become sick within one to five days," a CFIA fact sheet explains. "Death is common after a short period of illness. Death may also occur suddenly without signs."
The CFIA says pet rabbits and European breeds are most at risk of infection. Anyone who suspects their rabbit is ill with rabbit hemorrhagic disease should immediately contact their veterinarian.
"The best way for owners and producers to protect their rabbits is to routinely follow strict biosecurity measures as outlined on our website," the CFIA spokesperson told CTVNews.ca. Those measures include thoroughly disinfecting equipment and restricting contact with animals.
Rabbit hemorrhagic disease vaccines are available in Europe and the U.S, but not commercially approved in Canada. Canadian veterinarians are able to request vaccines through the CFIA. In 2018, vaccines were imported from France amid an outbreak in B.C.
Although consumption has been steadily declining in Canada, rabbit meat is not uncommon in countries like China, Italy, Spain and France. According to Statistics Canada, there were nearly 1,500 rabbit farms in Canada in 2021, down from almost 6,400 in 1996; Ontario has the most.
"While meat from rabbits infected with [rabbit hemorrhagic disease] is not known to cause illness in humans, the handling and movement of their meat can contribute to the spread of the virus," the CFIA fact sheet states. "Since the virus is very resistant in the environment and survives temperature extremes, including freezing, anyone handling rabbits or rabbit meat is strongly encouraged to follow good hygiene practices."
Rabbit hemorrhagic disease is found throughout Europe and in Australia, New Zealand, Cuba, and parts of Africa and Asia. Outbreaks have occasionally occurred in Canada and the U.S., including in 2011, 2016 and 2018.
"Rabbits can become infected by direct contact with other infected rabbits or by contact with the virus in their environment, including bedding, housing, dishes, insects such as flies and mosquitos, etc." a spokesperson from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs told CTVNews.ca. "People can accidently bring the virus into the home on clothing and footwear. RHDV-2 can also be transmitted on fresh or foraged feed and hay that comes from an endemic area."
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
A group of SaskPower workers recently received special recognition at the legislature – for their efforts in repairing one of Saskatchewan's largest power plants after it was knocked offline for months following a serious flood last summer.
A police officer on Montreal's South Shore anonymously donated a kidney that wound up drastically changing the life of a schoolteacher living on dialysis.
Since 1932, Montreal's Henri Henri has been filled to the brim with every possible kind of hat, from newsboy caps to feathered fedoras.
Police in Oak Bay, B.C., had to close a stretch of road Sunday to help an elephant seal named Emerson get safely back into the water.
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.