B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
All fully vaccinated players and staff can stop wearing masks in dugouts, bullpens and clubhouses under the latest change to Major League Baseball's coronavirus protocols.
In addition, fully vaccinated players and staff may eat in restaurants without restrictions and attend sporting events as spectators at venues with government approved safety protocols, the commissioner's office and players' association said in a memo sent Wednesday night.
Kinexon electronic tracing devices and monitor testing are being eliminated, and compliance officers no longer have to accompany teams on trips.
Social distancing and mask requirements have been eliminated for team busses involving fully vaccinated players and staff, and players and staff can resume arriving at clubhouses more than five hours before game time.
Unvaccinated and partially vaccinated players and staff still must wear masks but it will not be considered a violation to remove or pull down the mask to briefly eat or drink, before entering or leaving a shower or at the direction of the medical or training staff.
Clubhouse social distancing was eliminated for all teams reaching 85% vaccination among tier 1 individuals such as players, managers, coaches and training staff. As of last Friday, 22 of the 30 teams had reached 85% among tier 1 individuals.
Restrictions on team individuals dining together also were eliminated, with the exception that non-vaccinated individuals must still wear masks when not eating or drinking.
Fully vaccinated players and staff also can resume commercial travel without PCR intake testing when they rejoin the team, unless they show COVID-19 symptoms or are known to have been exposed. Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated family may stay with fully vaccinated players and staff on the road, and players and staff can use hotel pools and fitness centers, with provisions that masks are required in fitness centers if they are open to the public and that physical distancing is required in pools.
The five-day quarantine was eliminated for free agents and players selected to a team's 40-man roster who were not in the COVID testing program previously.
The Seattle Mariners said Thursday they will return to 100% capacity at T-Mobile Park on July 2, the 29th of the 30 teams to return to full capacity.
Only Texas began this season at 100% after fans weren't permitted during the shortened 2020 regular season because of the coronavirus.
Others announcing the move to full capacity in-season have been Atlanta (May 7), Arizona (May 25), Boston (May 29), Kansas City (May 31), Baltimore (June 1), Cincinnati and Cleveland (June 2). Philadelphia (June 4), Detroit (June 8), the Chicago Cubs and Washington (June 11), Philadelphia (June 12), St. Louis (June 14), the Los Angeles Dodgers (June 16). the Los Angeles Angels and San Diego (June 17), the New York Yankees (June 18), the New York Mets (June 21), the Chicago White Sox, Houston, Milwaukee and San Francisco (June 25), Colorado (June 28), Oakland (June 29), Pittsburgh (July 1) and Minnesota and Tampa Bay (July 5).
Only Toronto will not be back to normal capacity. The Blue Jays have not played in Toronto since 2019 due to Canadian government coronavirus restrictions. They played last season at their Triple-A affiliate's ballpark in Buffalo, New York, going 17-9, then started their season 10-11 at their spring training stadium in Dunedin, Florida, through May 24 before switching back to Buffalo this month. They will play home games in Buffalo through at least July 21.
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
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.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.