Tam updates the sixth wave
Canada’s top doctor is urging all Canadians to help lessen the blow of COVID-19’s sixth wave by getting boosted.
Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam says we need to be prepared for a resurgence of the virus in the fall and winter.
Tam says as Ramadan continues, and with Passover, Easter and other celebrations where people gather, Canadians should keep doing their best to protect each other.
Exchange for troops
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is offering to trade a detained opposition leader for Ukrainian troops being held in Russia.
Viktor Medvedchuk was captured in what’s being called a “special operation,” after escaping from house arrest on charges of treason.
Medvedchuk is the leader of Ukraine’s pro-Russian opposition party and a close friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Meantime, U-S President Joe Biden is accusing Russia of genocide in Ukraine.
He says Putin appears to want to wipe out the idea of being Ukrainian.
A balanced budget
The province’s Financial Accountability Office says Ontario is on the way to balancing its budget.
After suffering a 16-billion dollar deficit in 2020-2021, the office says we could see an end to the red ink by 2024, thanks to revenue growth outweighing spending.
However, that could change as the June 2nd provincial election approaches.
The latest Ontario budget is to be presented later this month with what the government calls an “updated path to balance.”
Reduce overnight electricity rates proposal
Night owls will benefit, as the Ford government moves ahead with a proposal to institute an “ultra-low” overnight electricity rate.
Energy Minister Todd Smith says he has asked the Ontario Energy Board to come up with a plan to charge 2.5-cents per kilowatt-hour between 11 pm and 7 am.
That’s about 70 percent lower than the lowest rate currently being offered.
Smith says it should save Ontario families an average of 90 dollars a year and make it cheaper to charge electric vehicles.
The new price is to go into effect next April.
Blizzard in Manitoba
People in southern Manitoba are bracing for what’s being described as the worst blizzard in decades.
The storm striking the area today is expected to bring between 30 and 50 centimeters of snow….with some western areas receiving up to 80 centimeters.
All that will be blown around by high winds.
Highways across the region have already been closed and school cancelled for the day.
Many urban services have also been shut down, and officials are urging everyone to stay home.