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    • 'We're a careful country': Freeland contrasts Omicron responses of Canada, U.S.

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    Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland sought to make a clear delineation between the Canadian and American approach to fighting the fifth wave of COVID-19 on Wednesday.

    Speaking to reporters about Ottawa鈥檚 response to the recent surge of Omicron cases, Freeland was asked to explain why the White House is reassuring Americans that holiday gatherings are safe if vaccinated, and that the variant is not a cause for panic, while the Canadian government is urging people to stay home and reduce contacts.

    鈥淚 do want to sort of strongly push back against this notion that the federal government, and I would also say provincial governments too, that any of us are in any way offering a counsel of panic or a counsel of despair. That is totally not the case,鈥 she said.

    鈥淨uite the contrary, I think Canadians should be reassured that we are ready for this as a country鈥.we鈥檙e a careful country, and I think that鈥檚 a really good thing.鈥

    She and Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos also referenced Canada鈥檚 low mortality rate through the pandemic.

    鈥淲e have the second-lowest mortality rate in the G7. That鈥檚 really meaningful. We, by sticking together, by supporting each other, by being resilient, we have managed to save a lot of lives and we鈥檝e kept our economy really intact,鈥 she said.

    Duclos added that 鈥渋n the United States, the death rate is three times what we have seen in Canada.鈥

    Their statements come a day after U.S. President Joe Biden addressed Americans about what the White House is doing to improve vaccination and testing access and how Americans should navigate the holiday season.

    鈥淚 know some Americans are wondering if you can safely celebrate the holidays with your family and friends. The answer is, yes, you can 鈥 if you and those you celebrate with are vaccinated. Particularly if you've gotten your booster shot,鈥 he said.

    Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, also present at the press conference on Wednesday, said he plans to adjust his own festivities.

    鈥淭here have been lots of conversations about not seeing friends, not gathering for New Years, not gathering outside immediate family for Christmas in our household like in a lot of households,鈥 he said.

    A number of provinces have begun yet again to implement a host of capacity restrictions and gathering limitations in an attempt to slow the spread of the variant.

    Freeland also fielded questions about what lessons the government has learned from earlier waves of the pandemic, given that the reality faced by many Canadians today looks similar to that experienced a year ago.

    鈥淚 do not want, in any way, to minimize how hard things are right now, nor to minimize the fact that we are in for some even tougher times ahead鈥ut I do think that it鈥檚 also really, really important for Canadians to be reassured by the progress we鈥榲e made in the 21 months we鈥檝e been fighting COVID, and to be reassured by the fact that we have a lot of tools,鈥 she said.

    She pointed to Canada鈥檚 high vaccination rate, stockpiles of rapid tests and more scheduled shipments to come, and an eventual supply of therapeutics, as some of those tools.

    IN DEPTH

    Opinion

    opinion

    opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike

    When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.

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    Four people are dead and another is in hospital after a Tesla driving through downtown Toronto at a high rate of speed crashed into a guardrail and struck a concrete pillar on Lake Shore Boulevard.

    It's a dream for many Canadians, trying to save up enough money for a down payment on their very first home. That was also the dream for the Esmeralda family, a family of five with two dogs who currently live in a Scarborough apartment building.

    Donations are quickly pouring in for the family of a young woman who was found dead inside a Walmart in Halifax last weekend.

    A haunted house in the Ontario Town of Innisfil is causing a real scare for some people a week before Halloween.

    Canada

    • Four people are dead and another is in hospital after a Tesla driving through downtown Toronto at a high rate of speed crashed into a guardrail and struck a concrete pillar on Lake Shore Boulevard.

    • Donations are quickly pouring in for the family of a young woman who was found dead inside a Walmart in Halifax last weekend.

    • Another local homeowner says trees owned by the City of Regina have caused damaged to his property for years and has resulted in tens of thousands of dollars spent from his own pocket.

    • The parents of an infant who was found to be malnourished and abused are facing charges.

    World

    Politics

    Health

    Sci-Tech

    • Vancouver Fire Rescue Services received its first shipment of new firefighting gear on Wednesday, advancing the department's plans to reduce cancer risk for its members.

    • A meteor lit up our region's sky last night 鈥 with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.

    Entertainment

    Business

    Lifestyle

    • A new resident at a Manitoba animal rescue has waddled her way into people's hearts.

    • The Radium Hot Springs in British Columbia's Kootenay National Park has undergone a $29-million makeover.

    Sports

    • Chris Boucher was back, for at least one game. The veteran forward spent most of last season at the far end of the Toronto Raptors' bench, rarely seeing playing time.

    • Hundreds of people ran to the music of German composer and pianist Beethoven Wednesday night in a unique race in Halifax.

    Autos

    Local Spotlight

    Hundreds of people ran to the music of German composer and pianist Beethoven Wednesday night in a unique race in Halifax.

    He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

    A meteor lit up our region's sky last night 鈥 with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.

    Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.

    A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.

    A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.

    A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.

    Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.

    Looking for a scare with good intentions this Halloween season? The ghosts and ghouls of Eganville, Ont. invite families to tour the Haunted Walk at Lekbor Manor.

    • A University of British Columbia employee and members of the Jewish community are speaking out following a protest that targeted a campus event featuring guest speakers with ties to Israel.

    • Legend has it that on a dark evening in 1988, friends of Supt. Joe Atherton quietly buried his body on the site of the old provincial RCMP headquarters in Vancouver.

    • Four people are dead and another is in hospital after a Tesla driving through downtown Toronto at a high rate of speed crashed into a guardrail and struck a concrete pillar on Lake Shore Boulevard.

    • It's a dream for many Canadians, trying to save up enough money for a down payment on their very first home. That was also the dream for the Esmeralda family, a family of five with two dogs who currently live in a Scarborough apartment building.

    • Richard Robert Mantha, accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting several women at a rural property east of Calgary, has fired his legal counsel again.

    • WEATHER

      WEATHER

      A consistent weather pattern will have Thursday turn out to be very similar to Wednesday.

    • Ottawa police are asking for the public鈥檚 help to identify a vehicle and its driver and passenger, as the investigation continues into a homicide late last month in Ottawa鈥檚 south end.

    • Quebec鈥檚 Bureau of Independent Investigations (BEI) is investigating after police in Gatineau, Que. shot and killed a man who allegedly stabbed an officer during an investigation.

    • An investigation into a climate of fear at a Montreal primary school has reignited a debate about secularism in Quebec's education system, with the provincial government pledging to consider new measures to keep religion out of classrooms.

    • 愛污传媒 Montreal is compiling a photo gallery of the best Halloween displays in the region. Send your pics this way.

    • WEATHER

      WEATHER

      Wind looks to be the big weather story today. We should get gusts in the 30-40 km/h range starting late this morning and continuing through to early evening (7p.m.'ish).

    • Public feedback is divided on proposed changes to Jasper council鈥檚 pay, which includes increasing the base salary and eliminating per diems.

    • Donations are quickly pouring in for the family of a young woman who was found dead inside a Walmart in Halifax last weekend.

    • WorkSafeNB is investigating after a man was killed in a workplace incident at a tire shop in Moncton, N.B., last week.

    • What once was Hurricane Oscar is now a strong, post-tropical low-pressure system. The centre of the system is holding east of the Atlantic coastline of Nova Scotia. Some of the outermost bands of rain are expected to build into the Eastern Shore of the mainland and Cape Breton Thursday night into Friday.

    • A sentencing hearing for a Manitoba man who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the killings of his common-law partner and their two young children is set to begin Thursday.

    • The Manitoba government is extending its retail theft initiative.

    • The parents of an infant who was found to be malnourished and abused are facing charges.

    • WATCH LIVE

      WATCH LIVE

      Regina police says officers will provide an update Thursday in its search for the suspect of a homicide that took place in the city during the summer of 2023.

    • Another local homeowner says trees owned by the City of Regina have caused damaged to his property for years and has resulted in tens of thousands of dollars spent from his own pocket.

    • Eligible voter turnout for Saskatchewan provincial elections has declined nearly 30 per cent since 1982, according data from Elections Sask.

    • Detective Robert Hofstetter examined Erb鈥檚 home after her death and came to several conclusions based on the blood stains he found there.

    • A psychologist who recently assessed Geovanny Villalba-Aleman believes he may have experienced a psychotic break before stabbing three people in a gender studies class at a University of Waterloo.

    • Corrections Service Canada has confirmed a women鈥檚 prison in Kitchener is in lockdown.

    • Federal housing minister Sean Fraser says he鈥檚 going to work directly with the cities of Saskatoon and Regina to tackle homeless encampments, after the province ignored his funding offer last month.

    • Eligible voter turnout for Saskatchewan provincial elections has declined nearly 30 per cent since 1982, according data from Elections Sask.

    • Canada's discount airline is suspending operations to and from Saskatoon.

    • Sudbury police say a weapons call about a man pointing a gun at a woman in the city鈥檚 West End on Tuesday afternoon led to multiple charges.

    • The president and CEO of New Brunswick-based Covered Bridge Potato Chips is taking an 'extended leave of absence' after being charged with domestic violence this past weekend.

    • A 72-year-old driver was charged Wednesday with following two closely after a five-vehicle crash sent several people to hospital in Parry Sound.

    • David Musyj said the process of establishing a new board continues, stressing that it took a longtime for the hospital group to get into the situation it's in and it will take time to make things right.

    • A 27-year-old man is miraculously alive after his pickup went over Hawk Cliff near Port Stanley. Fire fighters estimate that from the top to bottom of the embankment is around 270 feet.

    • Under tough cross-examination at the London courthouse on Wednesday, Rachel Johnson, 21, was asked a number of times why there was a delay in calling 911

    • A haunted house in the Ontario Town of Innisfil is causing a real scare for some people a week before Halloween.

    • Barrie police conducted a search on Wednesday of the last place Autumn Shaganash was seen in hopes of giving her family some answers to her mysterious disappearance.

    • Causing a disturbance at an Orillia shop drew the attention of local police.

    • The Windsor Police Traffic Enforcement Unit was cracking down on various driving infractions across the city on Thursday.

    • In the Town of Tecumseh, residents and athletes alike are facing a pickleball problem that may prove costly.

    • About 3,155 threats have been detected by the artificial intelligence-powered security system at Windsor Regional Hospital over the past year.

    • Legend has it that on a dark evening in 1988, friends of Supt. Joe Atherton quietly buried his body on the site of the old provincial RCMP headquarters in Vancouver.

    • Two B.C. RCMP officers won鈥檛 face criminal charges for their use for force that left a man who had been arrested for public intoxication with a concussion, a torn shoulder and a chunk of his hair missing 鈥 but they could face professional discipline.

    • Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.

    • A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.

    • Nearly two years after a man was stabbed to death in downtown Kelowna, RCMP have made an arrest in the case.

    • A Lethbridge recovery centre, tasked with helping residents struggling with addictions, is celebrating its first year of success in the community.

    • Graduate students looking to become mental-health professionals will have more opportunities to study in the University of Lethbridge鈥檚 Master of Education Counselling Psychology program.

    • A dazzling light display is making its return to Lethbridge this holiday season.

    • An annual event held in Sault Ste. Marie is back for the 29th year to ensure local kids get the winter clothing they need as the temperature dips.

    • The lack of 24-hour public washrooms has been a long-standing issue in the Sault, especially considering the rise in homelessness.

    • The union representing the fire rangers with the Ministry of Natural Resources says money won鈥檛 fix the systemic problems in the workplace.

    N.L.

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