COVID-19 in Ontario: 'We're definitely seeing a surge,' warns ER doctor
As health-care workers in British Columbia receive notifications they will once again be expected to wear masks in medical settings, an emergency room doctor is urging Ontario to follow suit, warning that infections are on the rise across the province.
"We're definitely seeing a surge," Dr. Steve Findall, a physician in Ontario told CTV News Channel's Marcia MacMillan on Thursday. "Our test positivity has risen sharply."
- COVID-19 Brief newsletter: Sign up for fresh insights and analysis on the pandemic
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
Findall said hospital mask mandates are a "smart move" as infections rise with many health-care settings filled with "extremely vulnerable" people seeking treatment.
"There should be every expectation that all the protections we can afford our patients are brought forward."
HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF?
Many Canadians may be tired of getting COVID-19 vaccines -- according to the Public Health Agency of Canada, only 22 per cent of people five years and older got the bivalent booster dose – but Findall said that it remains his top suggestion.
"If you haven't had a booster shot against COVID in the last year, I'd suggest a booster," Findall advised. "If you're medically vulnerable… I'd suggest you even look to get a booster shot every six months."
MASKING STILL WORKS
Findall also said masking remains an "exceptionally helpful" strategy to reduce the spread of cases, especially ahead of respiratory virus season in the fall and winter – particularly good quality, well-fitted N-95 masks.
"I've been in the middle of this pandemic since it started," Findall said. "I have never contracted COVID through work."
Click the video at the top of this article for the full interview and additional coverage.
Shopping Trends
The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at CTV News. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Winter weather forecast: A warm start thanks to El Nino, but then what?
Chilly nights and snow-covered slopes may not be easy to come by in much of Canada during the first part of the winter season, according to the winter outlook from one of Canada's prominent forecasters.
Three in four Canadians say higher immigration is worsening housing crisis: poll
A large majority of Canadians agree that higher immigration is fuelling the housing crisis and putting pressure on the health-care system, a new Leger poll suggests.
Homes near ski hills are increasing in price across Canada. Here's where
A new report from Royal LePage predicts the cost of homes near ski hills will not cool in 2024, but instead heat up across in many regions. Here's where.
Alberta town to put proposed bylaw banning symbols such as Pride crosswalks, flags to plebiscite
A group in Westlock, Alta., is trying to ban crosswalks painted in rainbow colours and other symbols.
Sask-wide emergency alert was 'unintentional,' town says
An emergency alert concerning drinking water in Maple Creek sent to phones across Saskatchewan Tuesday afternoon was a mistake.
Andre Dawson wants to be remembered as a Cub, not an Expo in Hall of Fame
Andre Dawson wants to be immortalized in the Baseball Hall of Fame as a Chicago Cub – not a Montreal Expo.
U.S. military Osprey aircraft with 6 aboard crashes off southern Japan, at least 1 dead
A crew member who was recovered from the ocean after a U.S. military Osprey aircraft carrying six people crashed Wednesday off southern Japan has been pronounced dead, coast guard officials said.
Mediators look to extend truce in Gaza on its final day, with one more hostage swap planned
International mediators worked Wednesday to extend the truce in Gaza, hoping the territory's Hamas rulers will keep freeing hostages in return for the release of Palestinian prisoners and further respite from Israel's air and ground offensive. It will otherwise expire within a day.
OPINION
OPINION Advice on dealing with 'quiet hiring' in the workplace
In a column for CTVNews.ca, personal finance writer Christopher Liew tackles 'quiet hiring' -- a term referring to companies that quietly hire from their own talent pool rather than look elsewhere -- and outlines some tips for employees on how to take advantage of the practice.
Canada
-
Winter weather forecast: A warm start thanks to El Nino, but then what?
Chilly nights and snow-covered slopes may not be easy to come by in much of Canada during the first part of the winter season, according to the winter outlook from one of Canada's prominent forecasters.
-
Homes near ski hills are increasing in price across Canada. Here's where
A new report from Royal LePage predicts the cost of homes near ski hills will not cool in 2024, but instead heat up across in many regions. Here's where.
-
Alberta Health Services issues measles alert in Calgary
Alberta Health Services is warning the public about a lab-confirmed case of measles in the Calgary area, adding that the public may have been exposed.
-
Three in four Canadians say higher immigration is worsening housing crisis: poll
A large majority of Canadians agree that higher immigration is fuelling the housing crisis and putting pressure on the health-care system, a new Leger poll suggests.
-
Alberta town to put proposed bylaw banning symbols such as Pride crosswalks, flags to plebiscite
A group in Westlock, Alta., is trying to ban crosswalks painted in rainbow colours and other symbols.
-
Sask-wide emergency alert was 'unintentional,' town says
An emergency alert concerning drinking water in Maple Creek sent to phones across Saskatchewan Tuesday afternoon was a mistake.
World
-
DEVELOPINGDEVELOPING Live updates: Mediators try to extend Gaza truce, which could expire within a day
With hours left to go before a truce in Gaza expires, international mediators worked to extend it to facilitate the release of militant-held hostages and Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. The ceasefire has paused the deadliest fighting between Israel and Palestinians in decades.
-
U.S. military Osprey aircraft with 6 aboard crashes off southern Japan, at least 1 dead
A crew member who was recovered from the ocean after a U.S. military Osprey aircraft carrying six people crashed Wednesday off southern Japan has been pronounced dead, coast guard officials said.
-
At least 40 civilians killed by al-Qaida-linked rebels in a Burkina Faso town, UN rights office says
At least 40 civilians were killed last weekend by al-Qaida-linked rebels trying to take control of a besieged town in Burkina Faso's hard-hit northern region, the United Nations rights office said, calling the attack a war crime.
-
U.K.'s Sunak ramps up criticism of Greek leader in Parthenon Marbles spat
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak escalated his war of words with the leader of Greece on Wednesday, accusing Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis of trying to "grandstand" over the disputed Parthenon Marbles and breaking a promise to the U.K. government.
-
An ailing Pope Francis tells the public he's better than a day earlier but has aides read speeches
Pope Francis presided at his weekly audience with the public at the Vatican, but he said that he's still unwell and asked an aide to read his remarks for him on Wednesday, a day after cancelling an overseas trip.
-
India opens an investigation after U.S. says it disrupted a plot to kill a Sikh separatist leader
India has set up a high-level inquiry after U.S. authorities raised concerns with New Delhi that its government may have had knowledge of a plot to kill a Sikh separatist leader on American soil, an Indian official said on Wednesday.
Politics
-
Liberals 'committed' to pharmacare, looking at 'responsible ways' to proceed: Trudeau
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his government has 'been committed' but is looking at 'responsible ways' to proceed with its promised pharmacare bill.
-
Poilievre calling on 'unelected' Senate to 'immediately' pass farm fuels carbon tax bill
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is pushing for MPs to call on senators to 'immediately' pass a bill that would exempt certain farm fuels from the carbon price.
-
Lawyers spar over conspiracy allegation in 'Freedom Convoy' organizers' trial
The lawyers in the criminal trial of two 'Freedom Convoy' organizers are expected to continue their debate today over whether Tamara Lich and Chris Barber were co-conspirators in the protest.
Health
-
Alberta Health Services issues measles alert in Calgary
Alberta Health Services is warning the public about a lab-confirmed case of measles in the Calgary area, adding that the public may have been exposed.
-
B.C. planned to send 50 cancer patients per week to the U.S. It has sent a fraction of that
Leah Rowntree was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer in April, shortly before B.C. announced it would send patients like her to Bellingham, Washington for radiation therapy. On Tuesday, Rowntree had her first radiation treatment. But she chose to pay for it in Houston, Texas, not trusting the B.C. system to get her into treatment in the province—or in Bellingham—in time.
-
Preparing for illness: Here's what happens when you see a person who is sick
New research suggests that just being around a sick person is enough to trigger your body to start preparing to fight the illness.
Sci-Tech
-
Google will start deleting 'inactive' accounts in December. Here's what you need to know
Under Google's updated inactive-account policy, which the tech giant announced back in May, accounts that haven't been used in at least two years could be deleted. Accounts deemed inactive will be erased in a phased-approach beginning Friday.
-
Elon Musk visits Israel to meet top leaders as accusations of antisemitism on X grow
Elon Musk, who's been under fire over accusations of antisemitism flourishing on his social media platform X, paid a visit Monday to Israel, where he toured a kibbutz that was attacked last month by Hamas militants and was set to meet with top leaders.
-
Court document claims Meta knowingly designed its platforms to hook kids, reports say
Facebook parent Meta Platforms deliberately engineered its social platforms to hook kids and knew -- but never disclosed -- it had received millions of complaints about underage users on Instagram but only disabled a fraction of those accounts, according to a newly unsealed legal complaint described in reports.
Entertainment
-
Taylor Swift is Spotify's most-streamed artist of 2023, ending Bad Bunny's 3-year reign
According to Spotify Wrapped, Taylor Swift was 2023's most-streamed artist globally, raking in more than 26.1 billion global streams since January. That means the pop superstar has dethroned Puerto Rican reggaetonero Bad Bunny, who held the coveted title for three years in a row since 2020.
-
'The Last of Us' named the 'largest series ever filmed in Canada'
The monumental effort it took to bring the first season of 'The Last of Us' to the small screen paid off big time for Alberta, a new report says.
-
Morgan Wallen tops Apple Music's 2023 song chart while Taylor Swift and SZA also top streaming lists
Country singer Morgan Wallen's 'Last Night' topped Apple Music's global song chart in 2023 as the giant music streamer released year-end lists Tuesday and provided listeners with data on their own most listened-to tunes.
Business
-
Scotiabank asks group to end campaign seeking Elbit divestiture
Bank of Nova Scotia has asked an advocacy group to end a campaign demanding the Canadian lender divest from Israel-based weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems, accusing the campaign of spreading misinformation and saying protesters endangered staff and customers safety, according to an e-mail seen by Reuters.
-
Alberta introduces carbon capture program offering industries 12% in project grants
The Alberta government said Tuesday it would give major industries up to 12 per cent in grants on eligible capital costs for carbon capture, utilization and storage.
-
Government impersonation, phishing are top financial scams, Interac survey finds
Government impersonation is one of the most common financial scams plaguing people across Canada, a new survey from payment processing company Interac Corp. has found.
Lifestyle
-
Future barbers? Montreal high school students learn how to cut hair
A small group of Montreal high school students are completing a 10-week program on cutting hair, learning everything from basic techniques to what it's like to run a barber shop.
-
What's Merriam-Webster's word of the year for 2023? Hint: Be true to yourself
In an age of deepfakes and post-truth, as artificial intelligence rose and Elon Musk turned Twitter into X, the Merriam-Webster word of the year for 2023 is "authentic."
-
In the U.S., Hmong 'new year' recalls ancestral spirits while teaching traditions to new generations
For the annual fall renewal of her shaman spirit, Mee Vang Yang will soon ritually redecorate the tall altar in her living room where she keeps her father's ring-shaped shaman bells.
Sports
-
Chicago Blackhawks to terminate Corey Perry's contract after finding 'unacceptable' conduct
The Chicago Blackhawks said Corey Perry engaged in unacceptable conduct and took a step Tuesday toward terminating his contract, the latest twist involving the veteran winger who was mysteriously scratched and sent home last week without explanation.
-
Andre Dawson wants to be remembered as a Cub, not an Expo in Hall of Fame
Andre Dawson wants to be immortalized in the Baseball Hall of Fame as a Chicago Cub – not a Montreal Expo.
-
Sports Illustrated deletes articles published under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
Sports Illustrated on Monday said it had deleted several articles from its website after a report found the once-celebrated legacy magazine had published the pieces under fake author names and profile images generated by artificial intelligence.
Autos
-
GM says strike cost US$1.1B, but it can absorb rising labour costs as it raises dividend
General Motors says pretax earnings took a $1.1 billion hit this year from a six-week strike by autoworkers, but the company expects to absorb the costs of a new contract and is even raising its dividend.
-
Tesla sues Swedish agency as striking workers stop delivering licence plates for its new vehicles
Tesla on Monday filed a lawsuit against the Swedish state via Sweden's Transport Agency as striking postal workers in the Scandinavian country halted the delivery of licence plates of new vehicles manufactured by the Texas-based automaker.
-
Honda recalls select Accords and HR-Vs over missing piece in seat belt pretensioners
Honda is recalling select 2023-2024 Accord and HR-V vehicles due to a missing piece in the front seat belt pretensioners, which could increase injury risks during a crash.
