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[ "TORONTO -- An arrest has been made in connection with the murder of a 43-year-old Markham, Ont. woman in Jamaica last week.\nLatoya Alcindor was found dead on Jan. 21 in an apartment complex she was renting in Runaway Bay, a town on the north coast of Jamaica. At the time, police confirmed that her death was being investigated as a homicide, but did not provide further details about the case.\nOn Thursday, the Jamaica Constabulary Force confirmed that Alcindor’s body was found around 4:30 a.m. when the other occupants of the apartment “noticed an anomaly” in her room and called police.\nInvestigators said the body was found in a “pool of blood with stab wounds.”\nPolice also confirmed that a suspect had been taken into custody in connection with the incident.\n“Detectives have collected several statements and are in the final stages of preparing the case file,” police said in a statement. “However, the suspect’s identity is being withheld.”\n“Investigations are ongoing.”\nNo information has been provided regarding charges in connection with the death.\nAlcindor has been described by friends as a caring mother and a prominent member of the Caribbean community in Toronto.\n\"She promoted Caribbean culture her entire life, and she was always a part of the Caribana parade since she was a young child,” her god-sister and friend Tashia Antoine told CTV News Toronto.\nFamily confirmed that Alcindor travelled to Jamaica on Dec. 27. Antoine added that she went there to pursue some business opportunities and met a friend “who she was seeing.”", "Arrest made in murder of Markham, Ont. resident in Jamaica", "An arrest has been made in connection with the murder of a 43-year-old Markham, Ont. woman in Jamaica last week." ]

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[ "TORONTO -- Voters are heading to the polls in Ward 22 today to select a new city councillor in the first Toronto election held during a lockdown.\nPolls opened across Scarborough-Agioncourt at 10 a.m. and will be running until 8 p.m.\nWhile at least one candidate called for the byelection to be postponed due to a provincial stay-at-home order and emergency declaration that came into effect this week, the city said that the election was essential and would proceed as planned.\n“Government services, including elections, are essential for the continuity of government. Ward 22 Scarborough-Agincourt has been without representation since September 24, 2020, and it is important that the electors are able to exercise their democratic right to vote,” the city said in a statement earlier this week.\nIn a tweet Friday morning shortly after the polls opened, the city said that it is “confident that the voting place health & safety measures will keep electors, candidates, scrutineers & election staff safe.”\nVoters are being asked to wear masks, maintain physical distance from others and follow other health measures in place at voting stations.\nThere are 27 candidates running to fill the seat left vacant when former councillor Jim Karygiannis was removed from office over campaign expenses.\nMore than 2,200 people have already cast a ballot in advance voting that was held last week and more than 4,000 mail-in ballots were requested.", "Voters head to polls in Scarborough-Agincourt byelection", "Voters are heading to the polls in Ward 22 today to select a new city councillor in the first Toronto election held during a lockdown." ]

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[ "TORONTO -- It’s the biggest gathering of new tech products in the world, but this year the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is a virtual event.\n“A lot of companies were concerned, not just if attendees would show up in Las Vegas, but there were also concerns from employees, there was a lot of anxiety,\" Gary Shapiro, the CEO of the Consumer Technology Association, said.\nDespite the COVID-19 pandemic, many tech companies did well in 2020 as people bought laptops, headphones and big screen TVs to work and self-isolate at home.\nIn 2021, many companies are looking to showcase new products that are related to curbing the spread of the novel coronavirus, which have to do with sanitizing, air filtration and killing germs.\nDespite being a virtual show, organizers were able to get 2,000 different companies to take part in online events.\n5G will continue to get a lot of attention because the higher speeds will open up new doors of innovation for entertainment, smart home technology and telemedicine.\nThe pandemic is also influencing some products with more touchless technology, germ killing UV lighting and built-in sanitizing.\nSamsung is showcasing a new refrigerator that as well as being loaded with technology has different coloured panels available to match your kitchen or allow you to change the colour if you renovate.\nSamsung also released a new robotic smart vacuum that can tell them difference between certain objects so it can decide if it should try to get as close to them as it can or avoid them entirely.\nLG has a new smartphone with an rollable display. It can go from a 6.7 inch to 7.8 inch with simple tap of a finger. The company also unveiled a scrolling display product that can unroll and retract.\nTech experts like Paul Gray said there is a lot to check out, but it will really depend on what consumers want in the long-term.\n“Of course, what we've got to work out is what consumers really want out of these things. What's the gimmick? What sticks?\" Gray said.\nWhen it comes to face masks LG has also unveiled a mask that comes with wearable air purifier technology.\nThe company claims it is “designed for personal protection and peace of mind wherever you go.\"\nShow organizers say they're not sure what next year holds, but they're already saying it could be a hybrid event. People could still travel to Las Vegas to show case products in person, but many others products could be unveiled online.", "New tech products featured at this year's virtual Consumer Electronics Show", "It's the biggest gathering of new tech products in the world, but this year the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is a virtual event." ]

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[ "TORONTO -- The Ontario government is considering issuing a directive that would require all international travellers arriving at Toronto Pearson airport to get tested for COVID-19.\nA government source told CP24 Wednesday evening that Dr. David Williams, Ontario's chief medical officer of health, is looking into issuing a section 22 order under the Health Promotion and Protection Act to mandate testing for travellers arriving from outside the country.\nPremier Doug Ford has repeatedly called on Ottawa to implement mandatory testing at the airport as new variants of the novel coronavirus emerged in other countries.\nThe federal government's slow response on the issue has led Ontario to consider taking action, the source said.\nThe premier also wants the federal government to impose a temporary ban on direct flights from countries where the variants are found as well as flights with multiple stops in countries with a known variant.\n\"While we've made steady progress through this pilot program, thousands of people continue to pass through Pearson every week without being tested, creating a real risk to all Ontarians,\" Ford said on Tuesday.\n\"That's why, in addition to pre-departure testing, we're asking the federal government to adopt mandatory testing upon arrival for all international travellers and impose a temporary ban on flights coming from countries where new COVID-19 strains are being detected.\"\nAs of Wednesday afternoon, Public Health Ontario said there have 51 cases of the UK variant in Ontario.\nThe province also provided an update on its voluntary COVID-19 testing pilot project at the airport on Tuesday. Of the 6,580 tests conducted, 146 came back positive, including four that have been screened as potential UK variants.\nAccording to the federal government, at least 156 flights have landed in Canada between Jan. 10 and Jan. 23 that had passengers who tested positive for COVID-19 after arriving in the country. Seventy-six of those flights landed in Toronto.\nInternational travel has been linked to 1.8 per cent of all COVID-19 cases in Ontario, according to the recent data from the province.\nMayors and chairs of the 11 municipalities in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area echoed Ford calling for stricter travel measures.\nOn Wednesday, Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie said mandatory testing would add an extra layer of community protection.\n\"What's clear is that we haven't come close to exhausting all the tools we have in the fight against COVID-19,\" Crombie said at a news conference.\nPrime Minister Justin Trudeau urged Canadians Tuesday to avoid non-essential travel abroad as new travel restrictions will be announced in the coming days.\nExisting measures include requiring international air travellers to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of departure and a 14-day mandatory quarantine upon arrival.\n- with files from CTV News and CP24 staff", "Ontario mulls mandatory COVID-19 testing for all international travellers at Pearson airport", "The Ontario government is considering issuing a directive that would require all international travellers arriving at Toronto Pearson airport to get tested for COVID-19." ]

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[ "TAMPA, FLA -- Kyle Lowry became the third player to reach the 10,000-point milestone as a Raptor, scoring on Toronto's second shot attempt against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday.\nLowry sank a three-pointer from 24 feet just 51 seconds into the game after a steal by Fred VanVleet.\nDeMar DeRozan (13,296) and Chris Bosh (10,275) are the only others to score 10,000 in Raptors colours.\nLowry actually came into the game with 13,730 points, having scored 1,217 in two-plus seasons with Memphis and 2,515 in three-plus campaigns with Houston.\n\"He's had a heck of career and this is another landmark,\" Raptors coach Nick Nurse said before the game at Amalie Arena.\n\"I think he's made himself into a heck of a player and the scoring part of it is what he's worked on,\" he added. \"He's improved his shooting going both ways. He's improved the depth of it. He's improved his finishing at the rim. And that all adds up to him getting to a special landmark of 10,000 (points).\n\"A hell of a player in a Raptors jersey, that's for sure.\"\nThe 34-year-old guard from Philadelphia is already Toronto's all-time leader in three-pointers made (1,425), assists (4,032) and steals (842). Lowry, in his 15th NBA season, came to the Raptors in a July 2012 trade that sent Gary Forbes and a 2013 first-round pick to Houston.\nGolden State's Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, Portland's Damian Lillard, Washington's Bradley Beal and Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo are the only active players with 10,000 points with their current team.\nThe 26-year-old Antetokounmpo reached 11,000 points for his career on Sunday against the Atlanta Hawks, becoming just the sixth player in Milwaukee franchise history to reach 11,000 points.\nAntetokounmpo came into Wednesday's game with 11,007 points.\nLowry had been ejected in the dying seconds of the Raptors' previous game, a 129-114 loss in Indiana on Monday. The six-time all-star had missed the two games before that with a foot injury,\nThis report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 27, 2021", "Kyle Lowry becomes third player to reach 10,000-point plateau as a Toronto Raptor", "Kyle Lowry became the third player to reach the 10,000-point milestone as a Raptor, scoring on Toronto's second shot attempt against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday." ]

[ "Nicole Thompson" ]

[ "TORONTO -- Every day, Jessy Duncombe has to figure out how to put food on the table, help her two school-aged kids navigate the complexities of online learning, and keep her three-year-old daughter occupied and out of trouble.\nAnd that's all before lunch.\nAs a single parent with three kids at home all day, there's no way for her to go to work as a chef, she said, so she's been forced to turn down job offers and manage her household on her recovery benefit cheques alone.\n\"I sometimes feel hopeless, but because I know the kids are looking up to me, I try to keep a smiling face,\" she said. \"I keep a good attitude around them, but when I get by myself, it's like, 'what am I supposed to do?' It's really tough.\"\nThe government's move to extend online learning for at least another two weeks across southern Ontario has added to her workload, she said, as her middle child -- a 10-year-old girl -- needs to be supervised for about half the school day, and her three-year-old daughter isn't exactly self-sufficient.\nHer eldest, aged 17, is more or less able to manage on his own, but she said that's far from ideal.\n\"He needs more of me than he's getting,\" she said, but feels she's given everything she has.\nDuncombe said she has been in Canada for several years on a work visa and doesn't have family here to help with child-care.\nSending her two youngest to her home country of the Bahamas like she did during the pandemic's first wave is no longer an option.\nGetting them back was a logistical nightmare that lasted months, and ended only in December when she scrounged up the money for a round trip to collect them and bring them home to Vaughan, Ont.\nShe said she couldn't bear to be apart from her girls any longer. Her older daughter had to celebrate her tenth birthday without her mom.\nAs for finances, she said she's getting by on the $2,000 and change she gets each month from the Canada Recovery Caregiver Benefit and other child tax benefits.\nSome temporary rent relief from her landlord is easing the crunch for now, but Duncombe notes that rent will still need to be repaid further down the line.\nThe Ontario government announced the two-week extension to online schooling on Thursday, hours after Premier Doug Ford said he'd learned about troubling rates of COVID-19 among school-aged children.\nOne in five who were tested towards the end of the winter holiday were COVID-19-positive, he said, making classrooms a potential danger zone.\n\"The number one priority is not to put our kids in jeopardy and I will never do that, especially at the rates we're seeing,\" Ford said during an appearance at a Toronto hospital.\nBut the current system is putting single parents -- predominantly women such as Duncombe -- in precarious situations, said Beyhan Farhadi, a postdoctoral visitor at York University's faculty of education.\n\"The impact on women is something I think about a lot,\" she said. \"A lot of the labor that's taking place right now and over the next two weeks and beyond is going to be disproportionately borne by women.\"\nFarhadi said the current model of online learning places too much emphasis on synchronous learning, during which a teacher delivers a live lesson to students over video chat.\nThat one-size-fits-all approach means there's little flexibility for parents who need to be around to help their kids manage the technology and stay on task.\n\"The younger the child, the more the teacher relies on a an adult in the home to support the learner,\" she said.\nFarhadi is also concerned that some kids will suffer academically as they struggle to adapt to remote learning. \"It's important to remember that in March of last year there was explicit direction from the province that the work that a student produces cannot lower their grade,\" she said, referring to a provision that was lifted for the current academic year. \"So there was a very, very different scene taking place.\"\nFarhadi said she's experiencing these changes up close. Her two kids are in elementary school, and she needs to be with them almost all the time.\n\"We're well-resourced, privileged, I have expertise in online learning, and I have a flexible work schedule. And I still struggle,\" she said.\nThis report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 9, 2021.", "Ontario's mandatory online learning leaves some single parents with impossible choice", "Every day, Jessy Duncombe has to figure out how to put food on the table, help her two school-aged kids navigate the complexities of online learning, and keep her three-year-old daughter occupied and out of trouble." ]

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[ "TORONTO -- As some front-line health-care workers and long-term care home residents await their COVID-19 vaccinations, critics are decrying the fact that some non-front-line staff, including those who have been working from home, are rolling up their sleeves for a shot.\n“It is an absolute gong show,” Mount Sinai’s Director of Geriatrics Samir Sinha said Tuesday.\nIn an internal email, the University Health Network invited researchers to get vaccinated; the William Osler health system, meanwhile, invited any team member to get a vaccination, writing “this includes any back-office/administrative staff or volunteer.”\nWilliam Osler said in a statement \"with considerable progress made, Osler has begun to administer vaccinations to hospital staff and physicians as well as volunteers who spend time within hospital facilities.\"\nMichael Garron Hospital, meanwhile, said that it initially only vaccinated “patient-facing” staff, and that it has now vaccinated all long-term care home residents under its jurisdiction. It is now offering the vaccine to non-frontline staff.\n“Since the beginning of this pandemic, our best defense against this deadly virus has been to operate with speed, not perfection,” Dr. Ian Fraser, Chief of Staff at Michael Garron Hospital, told CTV News Toronto in a statement.\nThe provincial guidelines, according to Fraser, allow for the vaccination of “any regulated health professionals and any staff member, contract workers, student/trainee, registered volunteer, or other essential caregiver currently working in a health care organization, including workers in non-direct patient care roles such as cleaning staff, food services staff, information technology staff, security, research staff, and other administrative staff.”\nDr. Jennifer Kwan, a family physician in Burlington, said many of her colleagues were “rightfully frustrated.”\n“I’m hearing from so many frontline healthcare workers who have not heard about when they will be able to get access to the COVID-19 vaccine,” she said. “So it’s very disheartening to hear that people who are not working on the frontlines, who are lower-risk, for example, in an administrative role, are being given the vaccination.”\nSinha, meanwhile, questioned the decision to vaccinate health-care workers—especially non-frontline ones—before all long-term care home residents.\n“It boggles my mind, because frankly by allowing this to happen, we are participating in allowing seniors to unnecessarily die and that sickens me greatly,” Sinha said. “We need precision when we don’t have enough vaccines, and precision to get the vaccines into the right arms, not just any arms.”\nThe Ministry of Health did not respond to CTV News Toronto’s request for comment Tuesday. The province has vowed to immunize all health care workers and long-term care residents and staff in the four priority regions by Jan. 21.", "'An absolute gong show': Employees working from home get COVID-19 shot ahead of Toronto doctors, front-line workers", "As some front-line health-care workers and long-term care home residents await their COVID-19 vaccinations, critics are decrying the fact that some non-front-line staff, including those who have been working from home, are rolling up their sleeves for a shot." ]

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[ "TORONTO -- Canada's Wonderland says its plans to reopen in May as scheduled if the Ontario government gives them the green light.\nThe amusement park released a statement on Thursday saying they are scheduled to open on May 14 and will continue to monitor the province’s COVID-19 guidelines.\n“We continue to monitor provincial guidelines and work with industry and government officials to ensure our reopening plan meets all required health and safety regulations,” the park said in a statement. “Further details will be announced this spring.”\nDue to the COVID-19 pandemic, the amusement park was closed for its 2020 season, which resulted in the cancelation of the park’s Halloween Haunt and Winterfest events.\nIn August, Wonderland officials spoke publicly about it’s disappointment in the Ontario government’s decision to keep amusement parks closed.\nA spokesperson for the Toronto-area theme park said at the time that they submitted “a comprehensive reopening plan” to the provincial government on several occasions and that they were “disappointed” to hear they hadn’t received approval.", "Canada's Wonderland says it plans to reopen for May if province allows", "Canada's Wonderland says its plans to reopen in May as scheduled if the Ontario government gives them the green light." ]

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[ "TORONTO -- Ontario is reporting a single-day drop in new COVID-19 case numbers.\nHealth officials logged 2,578 infections of the novel coronavirus Monday after recording more than 2,900 cases daily for most of the month of January.\nMonday’s report marks the lowest number of new COVID-19 cases in Ontario since Jan. 1 when 2,476 were logged.\nAnother 24 deaths related to the disease were documented across the province in the last 24-hour period and 2,826 other cases are now considered to be resolved by the Ministry of Health.\nOntario’s COVID-19 case total now stands at 240,364, including 5,433 deaths and 206,310 recoveries.\nThere are currently 28,621 active cases of the virus in Ontario.\nMeanwhile, 40,301 tests for COVID-19 were processed in the previous day pushing the province’s positivity rate to 6.6 per cent.\nThis is a breaking news story. More to come.", "Ontario reports single-day drop in new COVID-19 cases with fewer than 2,600 infections logged", "Ontario is reporting a single-day drop in new COVID-19 case numbers." ]

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[ "TORONTO -- This week, the Toronto Police Service issued body-worn cameras and began training officers in four divisions as it continues to roll out the service-wide program.\n“In this day and age it’s so vital that we work as a service to have that relationship with our communities, and that trust. And this is something that shows transparency towards beginning that,” said Sgt. Chris McCann from 52 Division.\nThe service took the further step of publicly releasing its internal procedures, saying it’s the first force in Canada to do so. The lengthy 13-page document explains rationale, context of recording, retention of video, and penalties for non-compliant service members.\n“It will assist those that may have police lawsuits in the future to come, especially on the civil side,” said barrister and solicitor Rocco Achampong. “More often than not, they are not entitled to police disclosure, unless by third-party motion, and that’s an added layer and added cost.”\nAccording to the document, officers are to advise a member of the public their body-worn camera is recording, and that they’re being recorded. They’re also to provide someone in a private place the opportunity to refuse to be recorded.\nIn addition, service members are advised to start recording at the earliest opportunity, prior to contact with a member of the public, “where that contact is for an investigative or enforcement purpose.” Beyond that, when the camera is recording, it is not to be “stopped, muted or deliberately re-positioned until the event has concluded.”\n“It’s pretty comprehensive,” said criminology PhD candidate Erick Lamping, who specializes in police use of force, oversight and accountability.\n“They’ve covered a lot of the most important points and they’ve made it easily digestible and consumable for the public to take in. Because a lot of policies that exist include a lot of legal lingo that makes no sense to people. So I do commend the policy makers here to do it in an easy fashion.”\nWhen the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) is not involved, the Chief of Police may release recordings if he or she sees a compelling public interest; for example, “where there are allegations of discreditable conduct, misconduct or excessive or improper use of force by Service Members.”\n“That’s a great benefit, I think, on the body cams,” said Toronto Police Association President Jon Reid. “What experience we’ve had, so far, is they do reduce complaints for our officers. You know, this day and age has cameras everywhere. And this way allows our officers and TPS to provide a full picture of what has actually transpired.”\nOfficers are to be trained and equipped with the cameras for 60 calendar days before they can receive any punishment for non-compliance, which could include a minimum eight-hour penalty.\n“It’s a new process and a new system, and we’ll have to kind of deal with things as they unfold on a case-by-case basis,” said Reid.\nAll recordings are to be retained for a minimum of two years plus one day. And all actions (ie. recording, viewing, copying or deleting) will be logged and auditable. Audit logs will be retained “indefinitely.”", "Toronto Police Service says it's the first in Canada to publicly unveil body camera procedures", "This week, the Toronto Police Service issued body-worn cameras and began training officers in four divisions as it continues to roll out the service-wide program." ]

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[ "TORONTO -- With fitness clubs closed due to COVID-19 many people are investing in workout equipment for their home and if you want one of the most popular connected fitness bikes you could be waiting months to get it.\n“It's an expensive item and my biggest frustration is they are not communicating with me,” Elizabeth Staples of Grimsby, Ont. said.\nStaples has been trying to stay healthy and keep in shape during the pandemic and while she uses an elliptical, in October she purchased a Peloton bike, which cost her almost $3,000.\nShe was told the bike would be delivered in December, but when the delivery date came the bike wasn't available. Staples was then told it would be delivered in February unless there is another delay.\n\"They are promoting the sale of the bikes, but not letting people know about the expected delivery date delays and what customers can expect after paying for such a big ticket item,” Staples said.\nIt's not just Peloton bikes, sales of ellipticals, treadmills, free weights and other exercise equipment are in high demand as more people create home gyms.\nPeloton has seen a massive increase in sales and has become a billion dollars business with almost four million clients who pay a monthly subscription fee to workout with trainers or celebrities.\nCTV News Toronto reached out to Peloton to ask about the delays in shipping bikes to its customers.\n\"The unexpected rise in demand for our products has led to increases in delivery times,” a Peloton spokesperson said. \"Our goal is to continue to scale production and be able to deliver bikes to as many people as possible.”\"\nStaples said she wanted others to know if they order a Peloton bike they may not receive it for three to four months.\n\"It's not fair. I want others to know because you don't know about the delays until you give them your money,\" Staples said.\nPeloton has just purchased the fitness company Precor to help it manufacturer the exercise bikes. It's planning to build them in the U.S. by the end of the year to be closer to American and Canadian customers.", "Peloton bike deliveries months behind schedule as demand surges due to pandemic", "With fitness clubs closed due to COVID-19 many people are investing in workout equipment for their home and if you want one of the most popular connected fitness bikes you could be waiting months to get it." ]

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[ "TORONTO -- If you bought a PC between 1998 and 2010, chances are it came with Microsoft products already installed. And if it did, you could be eligible to get back hundreds of dollars without proof of purchase.\nA class-action lawsuit alleges that Microsoft and Microsoft Canada inflated prices and were engaged in anti-competitive behavior.\nAs a result, Canadians are now eligible to get back up to $250, without a receipt, for PC versions of Microsoft software they purchased individually or that came pre-installed on computers.\n“It almost sounds too good to be true, but it is legit,” said Carmi Levy, a tech expert and director with Info-Tech Research Group of London, Ont.\nThe class-action that began in Canada 15 years ago has settled with Microsoft agreeing to pay an amount capped at $517 million with more than $400 million available for Canadians.\nLevy said “the allegation is that Microsoft drove prices up and reduced consumer choice.\"\n“The company admits no wrong doing here, but is paying the amount to avoid long-term litigation and just wants this chapter to be over with,” said Levy.\nThe eligible software includes Windows, Office, Word, Excel, Works Suite, Home Essentials and MS-DOS, among others.\nNaomi Kovak, a lawyer for Camp Fiorante Matthews Mogerman LLP, one of the firms handling the settlement, said more than 150,000 Canadians have filed claims against Microsoft since the lawsuit’s application period opened.\n“We know that most people don't have the proof of purchase for the products, so you can make a claim of up to $250 without receipts,\" Novak said.\nCompanies that bought Microsoft software licences in bulk for multiple employees can file claims of up to $650 without receipts, but any claim above that number must include proof of purchase.\nTo make a claim, go to the website www.thatsuitemoney.ca.\nAfter providing your contact information click on the products you purchased between December 23, 1998 and March 11, 2010.\n“I would just like to encourage people to go to the website and make their claims,\" said Novak.\nClaimants must swear the information is accurate. Levy says if you owned a computer at that time, it's worth checking.\n“If you bought a computer in that 12 year span you may as well take a look,\" said Levy.\nCanadians have until Sept. 23, 2021 to submit a claim, but the law firm say the claims process will not be completed until early 2022.\nAfter the end of the claims period, some K-12 schools and post-secondary institutions in Canada will be eligible to claim vouchers to purchase software if there are settlement funds remaining.\nWith files from CTV's Brooklyn Neustaeter", "Did you buy Microsoft PC software between 1998 and 2010? You could be eligible to claim up to $250", "If you bought a PC between 1998 and 2010, chances are it came with Microsoft products already installed. And if it did, you could be eligible to get back hundreds of dollars without proof of purchase." ]

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[ "TORONTO -- Ontario health officials say the U.K. variant of COVID-19 “could very well become the predominant strain” as a new case unrelated to travel is confirmed in the province.\nThe new case was found in London, Ont., Ontario’s Associate Medical Officer of Health Dr. Barbara Yaffe confirmed at a news conference held Monday afternoon.\n“We are now reporting a total of 15 cases of the U.K. variant, or B.1.1.7 COVID-19 in Ontario,” Yaffe said. “The most recent case reported residents in London, Ontario and has no history of travel outside of Canada.”\n“We do expect more cases to be identified in the weeks to follow, as there is evidence now of community transmission.”\nYaffe added that the new case is “concerning” as the B.1.1.7 strain appears to be much more easily transmittable than other variants.\nModelling data presented to the public last week indicates that if the variant spreads in the community, the number of infections in Ontario could start doubling every 10 days by March.\n“It could very well become the predominant strain, we don’t know,” Yaffe said, adding that labs are doing more genomic sequencing and reporting on new COVID-19 variants. “We’re going to do our best to avoid that.”\nAs of Monday, health officials say that anyone with a travel history or who has a connection to a travel case has been tested for the U.K. variant. Officials are also testing for the strain as it relates to “super spreader events” and are analyzing some tests by random.\nPublic Health Ontario is conducting genomic sequencing on about 500 to 600 samples per week to look for new variants, officials said previously.\nAs it stands, no other variants have been confirmed in Ontario.\nOn Monday, the province logged 2,578 infections of the novel coronavirus, the lowest number of new cases in Ontario since Jan. 1 when 2,476 were logged.", "New case of U.K. COVID-19 variant confirmed in London, Ont. linked to community transmission", "Ontario health officials say the U.K. variant of COVID-19 “could very well become the predominant strain” as a new case unrelated to travel is confirmed in the province." ]

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[ "TORONTO -- Ontario health officials are recording another record-breaking number of COVID-19 cases in the province as they report more than 3,900 new infections.\nThe province confirmed 3,945 cases of the novel coronavirus on Sunday, which breaks the previous provincial daily case count record of 3,799 new cases reported on Friday.\nThe province had actually reported 4,249 new infections on Friday, but clarified that 450 of those cases were due to a data backlog and there were actually 3,799 new case, which was still a record-breaking number at the time.\nThe province saw daily case counts climb above the 3,000 mark over the past six days.\nHealth officials also reported on Sunday that 61 more people have died due to COVID-19, bringing the total number of deaths in the province to 4,983.\nThere were 62,308 COVID-19 tests completed in the province in the last-recorded 24-hour period.\nThe province’s test positivity rate now stands at about 6.2 per cent, according to health officials.\nThis is a breaking news story. More to come...", "Ontario reports record-breaking number of COVID-19 cases with more than 3,900 new cases", "Ontario health officials are recording more than 3,900 new COVID-19 cases in the province, as well as 61 more deaths due to the disease." ]

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[ "TORONTO -- Two men have been transported to a trauma centre with serious but non-life-threatening injuries after a stabbing took place in Scarborough on Thursday night.\nThe incident occurred in the area of Midland and Sheppard avenues just after 9 p.m., officials said.\nThe two adult males were taken from the scene to hospital for treatment, Toronto paramedics said. Their exact ages have not been released by officials.\nToronto police confirmed one person has been taken into custody in connection with the incident.\nNo further information has been released by officials at this time.", "Two men in hospital after stabbing in Scarborough", "Two men have been transported to a trauma centre with serious but non-life-threatening injuries after a stabbing took place in Scarborough on Thursday night." ]

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[ "TORONTO -- Premier Doug Ford delivered a grim warning Friday as COVID-19 cases in Ontario surge to unprecedented levels.\nHe said that if basic public health measures “continue to be ignored” in the province, the consequences “will be dire.”\n“The shutdown won’t end at the end of January, and we will have to look at more extreme measures,” he said.\n“This is the most serious situation we’ve ever been in since the beginning of the pandemic.”\nThe premier made the comments while saying that new COVID-19 modelling would be released on Monday or Tuesday of next week and that the data would be so shocking, residents will “fall off their chair” upon its release.\n“Everything is on the table right now. There will be further measures, because this is getting out of control and we have to do whatever it takes,” Ford said.\n\"We are in a crisis. It it is scary. And we need to work together.\"\nOntario shattered its COVID-19 record Friday as more than 4,200 cases were logged, citing a data backlog that accounts for about 450 of the new infections. However, even if those 450 cases were removed from Friday’s total there would still be a record 3,799 new infections logged.\nFord stopped short of saying which public health restrictions his government is considering, but has said that a curfew, similar to the one imposed in Quebec earlier this week, is an option.\nAssociate Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Barbara Yaffe said that the current spread of COVID-19 in the province has forced health officials to consider the more stringent measures and that such restrictions could resemble those seen in the spring.\n\"Today's numbers, to be frank, are scary,\" she said, while underscoring that hospitals across the province are struggling to provide care for both COVID-19 and non COVID-19 patients.\n\"The hospitals are starting to have to cut back on elective surgeries and other very important procedures that require ICU care.\"\nIn a memo obtained by CTV News Toronto on Thursday, Ontario Health’s President and CEO Matthew Anderson told hospitals to prepare to accept COVID-19 patients from across the province as space in intensive care reaches capacity.\nMore to come.", "Ontario Premier Doug Ford says 'more extreme measures' needed as COVID-19 situation worsens", "Premier Doug Ford delivered a grim warning Friday as COVID-19 cases in Ontario surge to unprecedented levels." ]

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[ "TORONTO -- Metrolinx says it is making some service adjustments to respond to plummeting ridership numbers amid a stay-at-home order to reduce the spread of COVID-19.\nIn a statement Thursday, Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney’s office said ridership on GO Transit and UP Express has dropped off by more than 90 per cent because of the pandemic.\nA stay-at-home order came into effect for Ontario on Jan. 14, two days after a new state of emergency was declared due to soaring rates of COVID-19.\nThe service changes will come into effect on Jan. 23.\nBuses will replace trains along the Barrie, Stouffville and Kitchener lines on weekday evenings and on weekend periods.\nService will also be reduced for UP Express during non-peak times. Service hours will be reduced and trains will run hourly during less busy times.\nBetween Monday and Friday, UP trains will run hourly in the midday and late evening hours, with the last trains departing Union Station at 10 p.m. and from Pearson at 10:27 p.m.\nOn weekends, UP trains will operate hourly in the mornings and evenings, with the first train departing at 6 a.m. and the last trains departing from Union at 10 p.m. and from Pearson at 10:27 p.m.\nIn an email to CP24.com, Metrolinx spokesperson Anne-Marie Aikins said the agency doesn’t believe crowding will be a problem, but they have taken measures to make sure that there is proper distancing.\n“Ridership is below 10 per cent so we expect there will be plenty of room for customers. However we are closely monitoring,” Aikins said.\nShe said the agency will be checking in with drivers, station staff and CCTV live feeds to ensure there are no crowds and that additional buses and drivers will be on standby in case they need to be deployed to accommodate extra riders.\n“We have also put barriers between seats on buses and trains so that also helps protect customers and we have good compliance with wearing of masks,” Aikins said.\nShe said the drop in ridership does not come as a surprise and is the result of people heeding the orders.\n“We’ve been asking customers since before the holidays to stay home except for essential travel only,” Aikins said. “We don’t require special documentation but frankly we know people are staying at home. Many of our coaches are empty. Our goal is to keep both our staff and our customers safe. And we’re confident when it is safe customers will come back.”\nIn a statement, NDP Transportation Critic Jessica Bell took aim at the Ford government for reducing service.\n“Our essential workers who can’t work from home, including health care workers, PSWS and first responders, rely on public transit. They are going to work to help our province get through this crisis, and we need to do everything possible to keep them safe and prevent the virus spreading in our communities,” Bell said.\nShe called on Premier Doug Ford to maintain GO Transit at current service levels to ensure there is no crowding.", "Metrolinx to replace some GO trains with buses and reducing UP service as ridership plummets", "Metrolinx says it is making some service adjustments to respond to plummeting ridership numbers amid a stay-at-home order to reduce the spread of COVID-19." ]

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[ "TORONTO -- COVID-19 infection numbers in Ontario dropped to levels unseen in weeks Tuesday though the province says there is likely an “underreporting of cases today” due to a technical issue at Toronto Public Health.\nOf the 1,913 new infections reported only 550 were found in Toronto.\n“For your reference, over the past several days Toronto has reported 815, 1035 and 903 cases,” the Ministry of Health said in an email.\nToronto Public Health has regularly reported the most COVID-19 infections per day in Ontario throughout the pandemic.\nAt the same time, testing for COVID-19 has fallen well below the province’s capacity with only 34,531 tests processed in the last 24 hours. The last time testing was this low was back on Dec. 29 when only 34,112 tests were completed.\nThis brings Ontario’s COVID-19 positivity rate to 6.8 per cent.\nThe province's COVID-19 case total now sits at 242,277, including deaths and recoveries.\nForty-six deaths related to COVID-19 occurred in the previous day. At least 20 of those who died were residents of a long-term care home which pushes Ontario's COVID-19 death toll to 5,479.\nAs well, 2,873 more cases are now considered to be resolved by the Ministry of Health. Since the beginning of the pandemic, 209,183 people previously infected with the virus have recovered.\nWhere are the new COVID-19 cases?\nCase numbers were generally low across Ontario Tuesday, though the Ministry of Health said it is not aware of any other reporting issues in regions of the province, with the exception of Toronto.\nFor example, Niagara Region reported just 52 cases a day after reporting 151 infections. Meanwhile, Peel Region reported 346 infections, far lower than the 507 cases logged a day earlier.\nConversely, 235 cases were found in York Region, marking a sharp increase over the 151 reported on Monday.\nThere are currently 1,626 patients in hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 400 patients are being treated in intensive care and 292 are breathing with the assistance of a ventialltor.\nThis marks the first time since the beginning of the pandemic that the province has reported 400 patients in intensive care.\nThe province has previously said that when there are more than 300 patients in the ICU, non-COVID-19-related care becomes impossible to facilitate.\nOn Monday, the government announced the addition of 500 ICU beds to relieve the strain on the province’s hospital network.\nAt least 35 of those beds will go online on Feb. 7 following the opening of Mackenzie Health's new Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital.\nIt’s unclear when the remaining 465 beds will be open for patients or where they will be housed.", "Ontario reports fewer than 2,000 new COVID-19 cases, cites technical issue in Toronto", "COVID-19 infection numbers in Ontario dropped to levels unseen in weeks Tuesday though the province says there is likely an 'underreporting of cases today' due to a technical issue at Toronto Public Health." ]

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[ "TORONTO -- Premier Doug Ford delivered a grim warning Friday as COVID-19 cases in Ontario surge to unprecedented levels.\nHe said that if basic public health measures “continue to be ignored” in the province, the consequences “will be dire.”\n“The shutdown won’t end at the end of January, and we will have to look at more extreme measures,” he said.\n“This is the most serious situation we’ve ever been in since the beginning of the pandemic.”\nThe premier made the comments while saying that new COVID-19 modelling would be released on Monday or Tuesday of next week and that the data would be so shocking, residents will “fall off their chair” upon its release.\n“Everything is on the table right now. There will be further measures, because this is getting out of control and we have to do whatever it takes,” Ford said.\n\"We are in a crisis. It it is scary. And we need to work together.\"\nOntario shattered its COVID-19 record Friday as more than 4,200 cases were logged, citing a data backlog that accounts for about 450 of the new infections. However, even if those 450 cases were removed from Friday’s total there would still be a record 3,799 new infections logged.\nFord stopped short of saying which public health restrictions his government is considering, but has said that a curfew, similar to the one imposed in Quebec earlier this week, is an option.\nAssociate Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Barbara Yaffe said that the current spread of COVID-19 in the province has forced health officials to consider the more stringent measures and that such restrictions could resemble those seen in the spring.\n\"Today's numbers, to be frank, are scary,\" she said, while underscoring that hospitals across the province are struggling to provide care for both COVID-19 and non COVID-19 patients.\n\"The hospitals are starting to have to cut back on elective surgeries and other very important procedures that require ICU care.\"\nIn a memo obtained by CTV News Toronto on Thursday, Ontario Health’s President and CEO Matthew Anderson told hospitals to prepare to accept COVID-19 patients from across the province as space in intensive care reaches capacity.\nOntario 'quickly running out' of COVID-19 vaccines\nMeanwhile, Ford addressed the ongoing rollout of COVID-19 vaccines in Ontario and said that the supply coming into the province is drying up.\n“Every single day, we’re getting more and more needles into people’s arms and protecting more and more of our front-line health-care workers, long-term care residents and most vulnerable,” he said.\n“But, we’re quickly running out.”\nMore than 87,500 doses have been administered since inoculations began last month, the most in the country, Ford said.\n“Dr. Kevin Smith, at UHN [University Health Network], has said he’ll exhaust his supply today. Southlake [Regional Health Centre ] in York Region, the Ottawa Hospital and others told us they will do the same by the end of the week.”\nAt the current rate, Ford believes that all of Ontario will be out of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine by the end of next week.\nFord explained that he is hopeful that the federal government will procure more vaccines for the province in the coming days, otherwise hospitals will have to begin cancelling appointments to administer the shots.\n“All the progress we’ve made, getting out daily vaccine numbers up, will be lost as clinics standby waiting for vaccines from the feds.”\nEarlier this week, Retired Gen. Rick Hillier announced that all long-term care residents, workers and essential caregivers in COVID-19 hot spots would be vaccinated by Jan. 21.\nIn fact, Hillier doubled down on that deadline while speaking to CTV News Toronto on Wednesday, saying that those 161 high-risk long-term care homes would get the shots ahead of schedule\nIt’s unclear if that timeline has changed given Ford’s comments today.", "Ontario Premier Doug Ford warns 'more extreme measures' needed as COVID-19 situation worsens", "Premier Doug Ford delivered a grim warning Friday as COVID-19 cases in Ontario surge to unprecedented levels." ]

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[ "TORONTO -- Ontario reported more than 2,600 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, but health officials say that number includes infections from previous days due to a technical issue.\nThe province logged 2,632 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Thursday, but officials said 102 of those cases were supposed to be reported on Tuesday. They were not added at that time due to a technical issue, which has now been resolved.\nWith more than 70,000 tests completed in the past 24 hours, the province’s positivity rate has dropped to 4.3 per cent, according to the Ontario Ministry of Health.\nHealth officials reported that 46 more people have died due to COVID-19, including 33 people who were residents in long-term care homes.\nThis is a breaking news story. More to come...", "Ontario reports more than 2,600 new COVID-19 cases, cites technical issue in Toronto", "Ontario reported more than 2,600 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, but health officials say that number includes infections from previous days due to a technical issue." ]

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[ "TORONTO -- The Halton Police Board will meet behind closed doors again today to discuss a decision by Chief Steve Tanner to go to Florida over the holidays despite public health officials warning against non-essential travel.\nTanner has said that he sought the approval of Oakville mayor and police board chair Rob Burton before travelling south to attend to a “property matter.”\nBut Burton resigned as chair of the board on Jan. 11 as criticism of the trip grew, noting that he was “deeply regretful” for his decision to authorize it.\nThe board then met for a total of 15 hours over the course of Friday and Saturday to discuss the matter but were unable to come to a decision.\nTanner, for his part, has said travelling in “light of the ongoing COVID-19 situation was a poor decision but he told CP24 earlier this month that he took the trip “for essential reasons, and with prior approval.”\n“I look forward to continuing to lead our organization in the years ahead and continuing to make this the very best and most professional police service possible while looking after the needs of our members and the citizens we serve,” he said at the time.\nSeveral politicians and public officials, including former Ontario finance minister Rod Phillips and the president and CEO of St. Joseph’s Health System, have already been forced to resign after it came to light that they travelled outside the country amid a global pandemic.\nThe Halton Regional Police Association has not called for Tanner’s resignation at this point, though president Clay Gillis has said that some members have told him that they believe it is necessary.", "Halton Police Board holds special meeting to discuss Chief Steve Tanner's trip to Florida", "The Halton Police Board will meet behind closed doors again today to discuss a decision by Chief Steve Tanner to go to Florida over the holidays despite public health officials warning against non-essential travel." ]

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[ "TORONTO -- Flower shops report business is growing steadily during the COVID-19 pandemic, attributing the sales boost to people wanting to brighten up their homes.\n\"Everybody's home, everybody is working from home and they want to see nice things, when they come by that's what they tell me,\" Kathy Ninaka, owner of The Kingston Road Flower Market, said.\nThe want to brighten up the home comes as many people are now working from home.\nDavid Gonzalez picked up a bouquet to cheer up his partner. He says they now regularly buy flowers for their place.\n\"I'm working from home now, and I have a nice bouquet in front of me, it's really nice, it helps with the mental health and being stuck inside all the time.”\nThe Kingston Flower Market buys it product from the Ontario Flower Grower (OFG) at its regular Tuesday auction. Farmers bring their product to the Mississauga warehouse where the flowers are distributed to independent flower shops around the GTA.\nThe OFG's general manager says he is \"kind of surprised, we didn't think it was going to go so well.”\nJack Vandermass says he was expecting the worst when the province shut down.\n\"We didn't think this was going to happen because a lot of the events did not go ahead like weddings and funerals, and that's our main business basically.\"\nHe says it is the independent flower shops and their loyal local customers who are behind the sales surge.\nThen there is a whole in generation showing interest.\n\"Millennials are finally buying plants. It took a pandemic to do it,” Paul Gellatly, of The Toronto Botanical Garden, said.\nHe said they are even growing plants in their homes and selling them online, \"a way for them to make money\" while off work during the pandemic.", "Business is blooming at flower shops amid pandemic, retailers say", "Flower shops report business is growing steadily during the COVID-19 pandemic, attributing the sales boost to people wanting to brighten up their homes." ]

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[ "TORONTO -- The employment status of a Durham, Ont. doctor who tested positive for the UK variant of COVID-19 is under review at two long-term homes where she has worked after she was charged with allegedly misleading public health officials about how she may have caught the highly-contagious strain.\nDr. Martina Weir, a physician with privileges at Lakeridge Hospital, the Fairview Lodge and Hillsdale Terraces long-term care homes, has been charged with provincial offences under the Health Protection and Promotion Act. Her husband Brian Weir, who works for Toronto Paramedic Service in a non-patient facing role, has also been charged.\nThe couple each face two counts of \"failing to provide accurate information on all persons that the defendant may have had contact with during their period of communicability for COVID-19” and one count of obstruction “by providing false information to the Durham Region Associate Medical Officer of Health in relation to contact tracing involving the UK variant strain of COVID-19.”\nThe Weirs were diagnosed with Ontario’s first two cases of the highly-contagious UK variant in December, and provincial officials originally said the couple had no known exposure to the virus. However, they later learned that the Weirs had been in close contact with someone who had recently arrived in Canada from the UK—and alleged the couple had withheld that information during contact tracing interviews.\nMartina Weir was on site at the Whitby’s Fairview Lodge long-term care home as recently as Wednesday, but the Regional Municipality of Durham, which operates the facility, said she had not worked there between Dec. 11 and Jan. 17, which included her self-isolation period. Dr. Weir was also absent from Oshawa’s Hillsdale Terraces site during that time, and the operator said there was no risk to patients.\nSouthlake Hospital, meanwhile, said that Dr. Weir did not provide patient care during the month of December. Every physician undergoes a screening process upon entry, said a spokesperson, which involves confirming whether they had had contact with anyone who had travelled outside the country.\nThe College of Physicians and Surgeons told CTV News Toronto in a statement that “countering public health best practices at anytime–including during a pandemic–represents a risk to the public and is not acceptable behaviour.”\nThe Regional Muncipality of Durham said that Dr. Weir would not be working at any of its long-term care homes until its internal review was complete.\nNone of the allegations has been proven in court. The Weirs are expected to appear in court Mar. 10.", "Doctor diagnosed with UK variant under review by LTC homes following provincial offence charges", "The employment status of a Durham, Ont. doctor who tested positive for the UK variant of COVID-19 is under review at two long-term homes where she has worked after she was charged with allegedly misleading public health officials about how she may have caught the highly-contagious strain." ]

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[ "TORONTO -- Ontario Premier Doug Ford confirmed the province will make an announcement Thursday afternoon about whether students will return to in-person learning amid a surge in COVID-19 cases.\nFord made the comment on Thursday after sources told CTV News Toronto new provincial data has raised \"significant concerns\" about the spread of COVID-19 among school-aged children over the Christmas holidays.\nFord said the announcement will come from Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Williams, who is scheduled to speak to reporters via teleconference at 3 p.m. The education minister is not scheduled to attend the briefing.\nAs of now, elementary students province-wide are scheduled to return to the classroom on Jan. 11. Secondary students in southern Ontario aren’t slated to return until Jan. 25, while students in northern Ontario are expected to return Jan. 11.\n\"The chief medical officer will be announcing his decision today, but I support the chief medical officer, as I always have,\" Ford said. \"The number one priority is not to put our kids in jeopardy, and I will never do that.\"\n\"Young kids under 13, the positivity rate is up towards 20 per cent.\"\nFord blamed the increased positivity rates in children is a result of people getting together over the holidays.\nSources told CTV News Toronto that new data currently being reviewed by Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health shows the positivity rate among children aged 12 to 13 quadrupled over the course of December, building the case for an extended closure of in-school learning.\nA senior government source told CTV News Toronto the dramatic increase in the positivity rate is \"alarming\" and has \"raised significant concerns about kids returning to school next week.\"\n\"Most troubling, the positivity rate for kids aged 12-13 years old increased from 5.44 per cent in late-November, early December to nearly 20 per cent in the early new year,\" the source told CTV News Toronto.\nThe data under review shows a steady increase in the number of positive cases and the positivity rate among elementary students over the course of December.\nDuring the week of Nov. 29, the positivity rate among children between the ages of four and 11 was 5.22 per cent, after 580 children tested positive for COVID-19. By the week of Dec. 27, the province recorded a 116 per cent increase in the positivity rate among the same age group, jumping up to 15.66 per cent, with 720 positive cases.\nSimilarly, during the week of Nov. 29, 187 children aged 12 to 13 tested positive for COVID-19 in the province putting the group's positivity rate at 5.22 per cent. By the week of Dec. 27, there was a 98 per cent increase in the positivity rate among that age group, up to 19.78 per cent after 284 children tested positive.\nThe Ford government continues to insist that schools are not a source of transmission, despite the increase in positivity rates taking place while students were still in school.\nOn Wednesday, the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario penned an open letter to the premier, minister of education and provincial health officials asking for an extension of virtual learning amid a rapid rise of COVID-19 cases in the community.\n\"We have taken the extraordinary step to ask Public Health Units to use their authority to reconsider the decision to resume in-person learning for elementary students on Jan. 11, particularly in communities where the rate of community transmission is high and where other extreme public health measures have been deemed necessary,\" the letter reads.\n\"We ask that you reconsider your decision to resume in-person learning for elementary students on January 11.\"", "Ontario will announce this afternoon whether students will return to in-person learning amid 'significant concerns' about spread of COVID-19", "Ontario Premier Doug Ford confirmed the province will make an announcement Thursday afternoon about whether students will return to in-person learning amid a surge in COVID-19 cases." ]

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[ "TORONTO -- Alicia Cuzner of Ontario Virtual School covers how families can switch to online learning and how they’re supporting staff and students.\nMore from Ontario Virtual School here.", "How to get the most out of online learning", "Alicia Cuzner of Ontario Virtual School covers how families can switch to online learning and how they’re supporting staff and students." ]

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[ "TORONTO -- As new emergency orders to slow the spread of COVID-19 come into effect across Ontario, TTC riders and operators are expressing concern that more measures may be needed to keep transit safe.\nSpeaking with CP24 Thursday, Shelagh Pizey-Allen of the group TTCRiders said that transit users in the city are concerned about crowding, inadequate mask use among riders and the resumption of TTC fare inspections.\n“Transit is safe if everyone is wearing a mask and it's not too crowded, but as people have been reporting, not everyone is wearing a mask and people have some crowding on routes,” Pizey-Allen said.\nShe said in the early days of the pandemic, the TTC made transit safer by distributing masks, implementing rear-door boarding and pausing fare inspections. She said she'd like to see some of those measures re-introduced.\n“The biggest concern we're hearing about is that not everybody is wearing a mask and so people do get too crowded, and that's a concern,” Pizey-Allen said.\nTransit operators have also been expressing concern that many people are not wearing masks as prescribed while using the TTC.\n“Our customers are getting on vehicles and many of them are not wearing masks or when they are wearing masks they're putting it below their nose, and reading a book or something,” Carlos Santos of ATU local 113, which represents TTC operators, told CP24. “What we want is to make sure that customers that are wearing masks, keep that mask on. We're also getting lots of photos of overcrowded vehicles.”\nSantos said the union also wants to see rear-door boarding, proper blocking of the seats closest to operators, another pause on cash fares and transfers and better education and enforcement around mask use.\n“We've been asking for the same safety precautions that we had back in March last year, and it's just absurd that the TTC and (CEO) Rick Leary would not re-implement the same safety precautions that we had a year ago or 10 months ago, when we had 300 cases a day in Ontario and now we're at, you know we're averaging 3,000, which is 10 times the amount.”\nHe said drivers are frustrated that they face close scrutiny over their mask wearing while they look around to see many customers not wearing masks properly or not wearing masks at all.\nHe said there should be physical distancing audits of TTC Spaces rather than audits of TTC employees.\nSpeaking with CP24, TTC Spokesperson Stuart Green said the commission has been working to keep the system safe and there is no indication that current practices are contributing to the spread of the virus.\n“We also work with Toronto Public Health and if they were giving us any indication that our practices are contributing to spread, we would absolutely change them,” Green said. “But we’ve been very fortunate. There's no link to the TTC, riding the TTC and transmission of the COVID virus. That's very good news. We're not taking that for granted but we continue to work to keep the system safe for our employees and our customers.”\nHe said all-door boarding of vehicles helps to increase airflow and to reduce customer bunching. The TTC also continues to distribute masks to customers, he said.\nIn terms of crowding, Green said the latest TTC figures indicate that around 96 per cent of all bus trips have fewer than 25 people on them.\nHe said when buses do get crowded, the TTC faces a choice between letting on a few more people or leaving people at their stops, somethings they don't want to do.\n“So we've only got about four per cent of our bus trips that have more than that number. Our aim obviously is to keep that number as low as humanly possible,” Green said. “We've put extra buses out, our budget this year increases the amount of bus service over last year. As well, we're retraining operators right now so we'll have even more bus service out there in the coming weeks and months.”\n- With files from CP24 Reporter Jee-Yun Lee", "TTC facing calls from riders, operators for better safety measures", "As new emergency orders to slow the spread of COVID-19 come into effect across Ontario, TTC riders and operators are expressing concern that more measures may be needed to keep transit safe." ]

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[ "TORONTO -- Coach bus companies across the country have been forced to hit the brakes during the pandemic, shedding revenue and jobs, and threatening some of the country’s transportation infrastructure.\nThe industry says existing COVID-19 government aid isn’t enough to stop hundreds of job losses and buses repossessed by banks already, hoping that federal relief can jump-start the ailing business.\n“We are struggling to hold things together,” said Larry Hundt, the co-ower of Great Canadian Coaches in Kitchener, Ontario. “COVID has basically shut our operations down.”\nThere have been almost no passengers on Great Canadian Coaches since the pandemic began in March. The company has laid off nine-tenths of their workers, Hundt said. What was a $28 million business just last year is making almost no money, he said.\nIt’s the same story across the country at Wilson’s Bus in B.C. Operator John Wilson said at least four of his $600,000 buses have been repossessed.\n“It’s reached a crisis point. Financial institutions are coming for buses that payments can’t be made on,” Wilson said.\nTwenty-one Canadian senators from the Maritimes have urged the federal government to provide financial assistance to Maritime Bus, worried that a company that provides essential service won’t last through the pandemic without drastic changes.\nIndustry representatives say a major company has all but shut down its Mississauga operations, shedding over 100 jobs that won’t be coming back for years, even after the pandemic is over.\nThe bus companies have almost no revenue so there’s no point in keeping workers despite the wage subsidy, representatives said. And other measures, including joint provincial-federal funding that has helped public transit service, don’t apply because these are private companies.\nNevertheless, they are an important part of a sustainable transportation system that could disappear if nothing is done, including asking banks to stop seizing assets if loan payments aren’t made, said Green Party MP Elizabeth May.\n“An entire part of our transportation infrastructure is at risk of falling apart, imminently,” May said as part of a question in Question Period in the House of Commons to the Transport Minister, Omar Alghabra.\nThe minister agreed with her, while pointing out that the bus industry itself is regulated by the provinces.\n“She is right. The passenger bus service has been hit very hard by the pandemic,” he said. “It’s important to our cities and our provinces therefore we will continue to monitor the situation and work with her on ideas we can work together on.\"\nThe crashing bus industry is making tourism operators worried, said Beth Potter, the President and CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario. Attractions in Niagra could see major drops without a functioning bus service, as could the Stratford Festival, she said.\n“The charter bus system is incredibly important not for just moving people to attractions and group tours but locally moving students on field trips, and sport tourism,” Potter said. “Those are very important and contribute to the tourism economy overall.”\nOntario’s Ministry of Transportation said it had made available $10 billion in support for people and businesses through tax and other deferrals, a spokesperson said. He pointed to a bill that would largely deregulate the intercity bus sector as something that could help the province’s struggling bus industry.\n“Deregulating…will provide more opportunities for carriers to access markets across the province and make it easier for carriers to address service gaps for passengers, as Ontario recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic,” the spokesperson said.\nThe challenge for Great Canadian Coaches is to last that long, said Hundt.\n“It’s still going to be a long time before we come out of this,” he said.", "Bus companies on the verge of collapse amid COVID-19 pandemic, industry says", "Coach bus companies across the country have been forced to hit the brakes during the pandemic, shedding revenue and jobs, and threatening some of the country’s transportation infrastructure." ]

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[ "TORONTO -- Ontario Provincial Police say they've charged three of their own veteran officers and suspended four others over allegations of corruption related to the province's tow truck industry.\nThe force alleges the accused officers provided preferential treatment to towing companies within the Greater Toronto Area.\nThe charges and suspensions stemmed from an investigation first launched in October 2019.\nThe officers facing charges all have at least 20 years of service with the OPP and served with either its Highway Safety Division or the Toronto detachment.\nConst. Simon Bridle and Const. Mohammed Ali Hussain were both arrested this past week, while a warrant is out for the arrest of Const. Bindo Showan who is believed to be out of the province.\nAll three are charged with secret commissions and breach of trust, while Bridle faces an additional charge of obtaining sexual services for consideration.\nOPP says the four other officers remain under investigation, but are not currently facing any criminal charges.", "OPP charges three officers, suspends four others over towing industry allegations", "Ontario Provincial Police say they've charged three of their own veteran officers and suspended four others over allegations of corruption related to the province's tow truck industry." ]

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[ "TORONTO -- The trial of Hedley frontman Jacob Hoggard, who is facing three sex-related charges, has been pushed back three months.\nEarlier this week, Crown Attorney Jill Witkin confirmed the trial will now begin on April 12 “at the request of Hoggard who has changed counsel.”\nHoggard’s Toronto trial was expected to begin on Monday.\nIn the summer of 2018, Hoggard was arrested and charged after allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced, suggesting inappropriate encounters with young fans.\nThe 35-year-old, whose career started on the reality show Canadian Idol, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of sexual assault causing bodily harm and one count of sexual interference. He has previously denied engaging in any non-consensual sexual behaviour, but said, in the past, he has acted in a way that objectified women.\nPolice said the charges are related to three separate incidents involving a woman and a girl under the age of 16 that allegedly occurred in the Toronto area in 2016.\nHoggard has opted to be tried by a jury rather than a judge alone.\nLast month, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice suspended jury trials in most parts of the province, including Toronto, until February.\nHedley has been on an indefinite hiatus since March 2018. The band, which is based in Vancouver, was dropped by its management teams and banned from multiple radio stations in the wake of the allegations against Hoggard.", "Hedley frontman Jacob Hoggard, who faces sex-related charges, will now stand trial in April", "The trial of Hedley frontman Jacob Hoggard, who is facing three sex-related charges, has been pushed back three months." ]

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[ "TORONTO -- Police broke up large gatherings connected to an anti-lockdown demonstration in downtown Toronto on Saturday and arrested the organizers as authorities step up enforcement of gathering restrictions and the provincial stay-at-home order.\nVideos posted on social media show hundreds of demonstrators marching through the streets, condemning public health measures and denouncing the COVID-19 pandemic. The protest, which has been happening weekly since the fall, is in contravention with the new restrictions prohibiting outdoor public gatherings and social gatherings of more than five people.\n\"At this time we can confirm that the Toronto Police Service dispersed crowds at two large gatherings,\" Toronto police Const. Karoline de Kloet said in e-mail to CP24.\nVideo captured at Yonge-Dundas Square by CTV News Toronto appears to show police taking several protesters away with at least one person in handcuffs.\nThe gathering limit came into effect earlier this week, as is a stay-at-home order requiring residents only to leave their homes for essential purposes. The province also declared a second state of emergency.\nAhead of the protest, Toronto police issued a statement posted to Twitter and said they would be present and prepared to respond.\n“The COVID-19 pandemic is not just a public health issue; it is a public safety issue,” police said.\n“Participating in large gatherings, including protests, is not just in contravention of these orders but also puts attendees and the broader community at risk.”\nA few hours later, and as the protest went underway, police issued another statement, saying that they are enhancing their enforcement when it comes to gatherings. Police said they would be dispersing attendees and issuing tickets and summonses when there is evidence of non-compliance.\nIn a news release, police said 49-year-old Lamont Daigle was arrested at Nathan Phillips Square while 38-year-old Kelly Anne Farkus was arrested at Yonge-Dundas Square.\nBoth have been charged with common nuisance.\nToronto Public Health reported 975 new COVID-19 cases and 25 more deaths on Saturday.", "Police make arrests, disperse big crowd of anti-lockdown protesters in downtown Toronto", "Police made arrests and broke up large gatherings connected to an anti-lockdown demonstration in downtown Toronto on Saturday as authorities step up enforcement of gathering restrictions and the provincial stay-at-home order." ]

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[ "TORONTO -- As the province continues to administer the COVID-19 vaccine to long-term care residents and staff, there are concerns that other vulnerable residents in congregate care settings and the workers who care for them are being forgotten.\nUnder the province’s framework for the vaccine rollout, group homes are included in the second phase, but the executive director of Participation House in Markham argues their facilities should be included in the first phase.\n“We serve some of the most at-risk, vulnerable individuals in society, with our population largely comprised of high-risk seniors with serious disabilities, resulting in extremely high personal and medical care needs 24/7,” Shelley Brillinger told CTV News Toronto.\n“COVID-19 poses an incredible ongoing threat to the health and well-being of our residents and clients, who share all of the risk factors identified for those living in LTC.”\nParticipation House experienced a deadly outbreak at its Markham group home during the first wave of the pandemic, resulting in six deaths and nearly every resident being infected with the virus.\n“With new viral variants, the prospects of new outbreak events is all too real,” Brillinger said. “Our dedicated staff, who provide care for our residents and clients should be vaccinated, as indicated in Phase 1, to ensure their health and prevent any unwanted spread from the community into our vulnerable congregate settings.”\nWith confirmation of variants of the virus in Ontario, the wait for the vaccine is worrisome for Leea Nutson, whose 40 year-old daughter Berge lives at Participation House group home.\n“This particular sector of society is always overlooked, so is their life less valuable less viable because they are disabled,” Nutson said.\nThe group home Bergen has lived at for 12 years experienced an outbreak in November, but fortunately Bergen did not test positive.\nNutson believes vulnerable residents like her daughter should be included in the first phase.\n“The virus is spreading in congregate care settings.”\nThe Ministry of Health says “due to limited supply, the province initially focused on vaccinating those who are at highest risk, including long-term care and retirement home residents and the staff who provide care to these groups.”\nComplicating matters is the current delay of the Pfizer vaccine as the company has been upgrading its manufacturing plant in Europe.\n“In response to the significant reduction in allocations by the federal government as well as significant uncertainty regarding future shipments, the province and vaccination sites have worked together to develop a plan to accelerate vaccination of the province’s most vulnerable and continue to administer second doses based on availability of supply provided by the federal government,” a ministry spokesperson said in a statement.\nYork Region Public Health had planned to start rolling out the vaccine to congregate care settings including Participation House, on Jan.20 after immunizing long-term care residents and staff. However, that plan was halted due to the vaccine shortage and direction from the province with long-term care remaining the priority.\n“The province has have to have some line of sight on any potential vaccine doses that it can reallocate to health units where they have insufficient doses,” said Dr. Karim Kurji, York Region’s medical officer of health. “When vaccine supplies get restricted and many health units haven't immunized all their long term care residents we have to with other health units.”\nYork Region Public Health continues to work on a plan to rollout the vaccine to congregate care settings, but Dr. Kurji says that will depend on shipments and supply and may not be available until late February or March.\n“I don't see any great movement occurring until after the province gets some reassurance the Pfizer supplies they are now being promised in mid February will be here,” Dr. Kurji said. “ It is our intention at the earliest opportunity to immunize the congregate settings that are high risk.”", "'Is their life less valuable?': Staff question why group homes won't get the COVID-19 vaccine until Phase 2", "As the province continues to administer the COVID-19 vaccine to long-term care residents and staff, there are concerns that other vulnerable residents in congregate care settings and the workers who care for them are being forgotten." ]

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[ "TORONTO -- After playing the same lottery numbers for 20 years that came to her husband in a dream, a 57-year-old Toronto woman is $60 million richer.\n“All the hardship is over now,” Deng Pravatoudom said through a translator while accepting her giant cheque on Monday.\nPravatoudom immigrated to Canada from Laos in 1980, along with her 14 siblings.\n“My family was sponsored by a local church and because we had nothing, I am thankful for the great support they provided us over the years,” she said.\n“My husband and I have worked long hours as general labourers for over 40 years, trying to save what we could for our family.”\nAmid the COVID-19 pandemic, the mother of two adult children and grandmother to two grandchildren was laid off from her job last spring.\nWhile unemployed and praying her luck would turn around, Pravatoudom continued to play the same lottery numbers she had been for the past two decades, which she said came to her husband one night in a dream.\nThen, one day after leaving her temple she went to a nearby mall on Yonge Street in North York for some errands and checked her latest Lotto Max ticket. She found out she had won a “Free Play” ticket and decided to add “Encore.”\n“I couldn’t believe a few days later that free ticket would be worth $60 million,” she said.\nAnd, it was her husband who got to tell her the great news.\n“I went to line up at the bank. I gave the ticket to my husband to check. After I came out to the car, that’s when he told me,” she said.\nPravatoudom said she was “ecstatically happy and crying at the same time\" when she found out she won the $60-million jackpot from the Dec. 1, 2020 draw.\n“I have always prayed for a blessing that my family would be taken care of.”\nWith the big winnings, Pravatoudom said her and her husband plan to move out of their apartment and buy a house, pay off some bills, help out their family, and travel once it is safe to do so.\n“With this money I will be capable of helping my children out more, whatever they want I will be able to buy it for them, a car and new clothes,” she said, adding “not like before when I was unable to help them out as much.”\nAs a special treat, Pravatoudom added she will also be buying herself some diamonds.", "Toronto woman wins $60-million Lotto Max jackpot with numbers husband dreamt of 20 years ago", "After playing the same lottery numbers for 20 years that came to her husband in a dream, a 57-year-old Toronto woman is $60 million richer." ]

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[ "TORONTO -- Ontario health officials are reporting less than 2,700 new cases of COVID-19 as the province’s positivity rate dropped for the third day in a row.\nThe province logged 2,662 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Friday, as well as 87 more deaths related to the disease.\nWith more than 71,000 COVID-19 tests conducted, Ontario Ministry of Health said the positivity rate for the province dropped to 3.3 per cent on Friday, the lowest seen since Dec. 12 when it stood at 3.2 per cent.\nThe province’s seven-day average for the number of infections recorded is now 2,702, down from 3,273 one week ago.\nOf the 87 COVID-19-related deaths reported on Friday, health officials said that 43 were residents in long-term care homes.\nIn total, the province has recorded 5,701 deaths related the disease.\nOfficials reported that 1,512 people are currently in hospital due to the disease. Of those patients, more than 383 are in intensive care, and 291 are breathing with the assistance of a ventilator.\nHealth-care workers have said some hospitals are currently struggling to provide medical care not related to COVID-19 to patients due to the volumes of people battling the disease in intensive care units.\nThe province warned that when more than 300 COVID-19 patients are in intensive care, medical care in hospitals not related to the disease becomes nearly impossible to handle.\nThe province also deemed 3,375 more cases of the disease to be resolved as of Friday, bringing Ontario’s number of recovered patients up to 219,262.\nFriday’s case count brings the total number of lab-confirmed cases in Ontario to 250,226, including deaths and recoveries.\nWhere are the COVID-19 cases in Ontario?\nOf the 2,662 cases reported on Friday, health officials said that 779 were in Toronto, 542 were in Peel Region and 228 were in York Region.\nSeveral other regions in Ontario reported COVID-19 cases numbers in the triple digits, including Waterloo (128), Windsor-Essex (118) and Halton Region (102).\nOntario Premier Doug Ford implemented a stay-at-home order for the province on Jan. 14. The order will remain in effect for at least 28 days.\nEarlier this week, Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Williams said the number of new COVID-19 cases reported daily should be “around or below 1,000” before the lockdown orders can be lifted.\nThere were 71,750 COVID-19 tests completed in the province in the last-recorded 24-hour period. There are 41,819 COVID-19 tests under investigation.\nIn total, Ontario has processed more than 9.1 million tests since the pandemic began in January.\nAs of 10:30 a.m. on Friday, 264,985 initial doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Ontario, including 11,168 doses administered in the past 24 hours. The vaccine requires a booster shot and, as such, 49,292 complete vaccinations have been completed as of Friday.", "Ontario reports fewer than 2,700 new cases of COVID-19 as positivity rate continues to drop", "Ontario health officials are reporting fewer than 2,700 new cases of COVID-19 as the province’s positivity rate dropped for the third day in a row." ]