WATCH LIVE Federal government to announce funding to help Toronto host six 2026 World Cup games
The federal government is set to announce funding to help Toronto host six matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Rising rates of COVID-19 in the remote Ontario community of Kashechewan is highlighting just how hard the virus has hit First Nations.
The current rate of positive COVID-19 cases on First Nations reserves as of June 1 is 188 per cent of the rate of the Canadian population -- although the fatality rate is 61 per cent of the rate of the Canadian population, according to Indigenous Services Canada.
“It’s not surprising that more people in First Nations communities are affected by COVID-19,” Lynne Innes, Weeneebayko Area Health Authority’s president and CEO, told CTVNews.ca. “I’ve worked in many remote First Nations and I’ve seen the issues and the struggle with the lack of infrastructure, overcrowded housing, and water issues.”
A report released Thursday shows that since the start of the pandemic, there have been more than 31,300 COVID-19 cases on First Nations reserves and over 1,400 hospitalizations. There are also currently 868 active COVID-19 cases in these communities, with the proportion of cases in Kashechewan taking up approximately 25 per cent of all active cases on First Nations reserves.
“That community was hit hard with COVID-19,” said Innes. “In our region [northern Ontario], the majority of the cases -- I say at least 80 per cent of our cases -- are children between the ages of 12 to 17.”
Alberta reported the most cumulative cases so far, with a total of nearly 8,800 cases and followed closely by Manitoba. Although Ontario has cumulated a total of just over 2,600 cases, there were 56 positive COVID-19 cases reported this week in First Nations communities in the province and 212 cases last week.
Federal Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller said that these communities were highly impacted during the second wave, and though cases are starting to slow down, it’s important to stay vigilant.
“Knowing what the science was pointing to, generally speaking, Indigenous peoples [are] 3.5- to five-times more susceptible to getting COVID-19 and then suffering worse effects of that,” Miller told CTVNews.ca. “There is a pretty bright light at the end of the tunnel, but we're not out of the woods yet.”
Throughout the pandemic, individuals in First Nations communities between the ages of 20 and 39 years of age reported the highest number of COVID-19 cases, accounting for more than 30 per cent of cases. Positive COVID-19 cases were particularly seen in females in this age category.
Breakdown of COVID-19 cases by age and sex in First Nations communities.
Currently, 687 First Nations communities are receiving vaccinations. As of Friday, nearly 589,000 doses have been administered, with 39 per cent of shots administered being a second dose.
Miller said that more than 80 per cent of adults have now been vaccinated with a single dose, and approximately 72-73 per cent for individuals 12 years of age and older. But, there’s still concern for the younger population who have been contracting the virus and are unable to get the vaccine.
“We’ve worked with Chief Leo Friday and his community to get isolation tents and medical tents, and the Armed Forces where the Rangers have been activated since June,” he said. “We will stop at nothing to help them.”
As vaccinations continue in First Nations communities, more than 40 per cent of individuals have been vaccinated with two doses. With the support from the Rangers and the continued vaccination efforts, Miller said that he hopes to have all who are willing to get their shot fully vaccinated by the fall and to curb the spread of the virus in First Nations reserves.
The federal government is set to announce funding to help Toronto host six matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
A new poll suggests a majority of Canadians feel their right to freedom of speech is in danger.
Here are the latest recalls Canadians should watch out for, according to Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit has released new details about a wrong-way collision in Whitby on Monday night that claimed the lives of four people.
Tiger Woods accepted a special exemption for the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, the first time the three-time champion has needed an exemption to play.
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.
Emotional support animal registrations in the United States reached 115,832 last year, by an industry group’s count. But in the eyes of reptile rescuer Joie Henney, there’s only one: 'Wally Gator.'
With the sheer number of passwords needed today, it may come as no surprise that over 60 per cent of Canadians feel overwhelmed, and over a third reportedly forget their passwords monthly.
William Nylander scored twice and Joseph Woll made 22 saves as the Toronto Maple Leafs downed the Boston Bruins 2-1 on Thursday to force Game 7 in their first-round series.
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.
The lawyer for a residential school survivor leading a proposed class-action defamation lawsuit against the Catholic Church over residential schools says the court action is a last resort.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.