The R-C-M-P say a 20-year-old man has been charged with manslaughter in the death of a 14-year-old Langley boy. Mounties say the circumstances of Carson Crimeni’s death in August 2019 were a shock to the community. They say investigators interviewed more than 100 witnesses and received more than 100 tips, culminating in evidence being presented to the B-C Prosecution Service. Police say the accused is set to appear in court on October 20th but cannot be named because he was a youth at the time of Crimeni’s death and that no further information can be released due to a publication ban.
The Health Ministry says over 86 per cent of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in B-C during the first two weeks of September were not fully vaccinated. It recorded 706 new cases of the virus yesterday, along with four more deaths to total one-thousand-877 fatalities in the province since the start of the pandemic. The northern health region has the highest number of cases per capita, and Health Minister Adrian Dix says that’s a reflection of lower vaccination rates that have driven up hospitalizations there. A modelling group that includes experts from three universities in B-C says the northern region’s cases are growing in a similar way to those in Alberta — which has declared a public state of emergency.
Environment Canada is forecasting extra wet and windy conditions for British Columbia’s south coast today. It says in a weather warning that a robust frontal system will bring heavy rain and gusty winds that should ease tonight. The warning says 50 to 70 millimetres of rainfall is expected from eastern Vancouver Island to the Fraser Valley and up to Whistler — with potentially higher amounts over Howe Sound and the North Shore mountains. It warns heavy downpours can cause flash floods and water pooling on roads and says drivers should turn on their lights if visibility is reduced and maintain a safe distance.
Health Canada has authorized brand name changes for three COVID-19 vaccines approved for use. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will now be named Comirnaty, the Moderna vaccine will be named SpikeVax, and the AstraZeneca vaccine will be named Vaxzevria, Health Canada said in a tweet Thursday. “These are only name changes. There are no changes to the vaccines themselves,” the agency tweeted. Pfizer and Moderna say that this change also marks the full approval of their vaccines for those 12 years old and up in Canada, which had been previously approved under an interim approval set to expire Thursday. The new vaccine names are already being used for promotional purposes in the EU and the United States. Vials of the vaccines will still contain the terms we are more used to for a period of time in order to minimize confusion.
Health Minister Adrian Dix says B-C won’t be taking any COVID-19 patients from Alberta as that province grapples with the highest number of cases in the country and braces for the possible collapse of its health-care system in just over a week. Dix says B-C has its own pandemic demands but will try to help in other ways and maybe take patients in the future. Alberta has reintroduced restrictions on gatherings and elements of a vaccine passport. There have been massive cancellations of non-urgent surgery across Alberta as staff are reassigned to COVID care.
The B-C Lions have commissioned a special orange T-shirt with an Indigenous rendition of the team’s logo to help raise awareness of the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30th. Ten-thousand of the T-shirts will be handed out at the Lions’ home game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders on September 24th. Team vice-president George Chayka says members of both teams will wear orange tape to raise awareness of the day established to honor survivors of Canada’s residential school system. The Lions are also providing 350 tickets to survivors and their families to attend the game and making a 20-thousand dollar donation to the Orange Shirt Society.
BC health officials announced 768 new test-positive COVID-19 cases on Friday, bringing the total number of recorded cases in the province to 177,954. In a written statement, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix said that there are 6,031 active cases of COVID-19 in the province. Of the active cases, 298 individuals are currently hospitalized, 135 of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation. New cases and total active cases, broken down by health region, are as follows:
- Fraser Health: 239 new cases, 1,846 total active cases
- Vancouver Coastal Health: 83 new cases, 1,043 total active cases
- Interior Health: 183 new cases, 1,499 total active cases
- Northern Health: 161 new cases, 933 total active cases
- Island Health: 102 new cases, 700 total active cases
- Outside of Canada: No new cases, 10 total active cases
There have been 11 new COVID-19-related deaths for a total of 1,888 deaths in British Columbia. Of the new deaths, two were in Fraser Health, four were in Vancouver Coastsal Health, and five were in Interior Health. From September 9 to 15, people not fully vaccinated accounted for 75.9% of cases, and from September 2 to September 15, they accounted for 86.2% of hospitalizations. Health officials in BC also shared additional data on COVID-19 cases in vaccinated and unvaccinated people:
Past week cases (September 9 – 15) – Total 4,804
- Not vaccinated: 3,288 (68.4%)
- Partially vaccinated: 358 (7.5%)
- Fully vaccinated: 1,158 (24.1%)
Past two weeks cases hospitalized (September 2 – September 15) – Total 384
- Not vaccinated: 310 (80.7%)
- Partially vaccinated: 21 (5.5%)
- Fully vaccinated: 53 (13.8%)
Past week, cases per 100,000 population (September 9 – 15)
- Not vaccinated: 312.9
- Partially vaccinated: 91.5
- Fully vaccinated: 29.5
After factoring for age, people not vaccinated are 35.1 times more likely to be hospitalized than those fully vaccinated. To date, 86.5% of all eligible people 12 and over have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine; 78.9% have received their second dose. 169,653 people who tested positive have now recovered.
The Liberals have asked a Toronto candidate to pause his campaign after a newspaper reported on a 2019 sexual assault charge that was later withdrawn. Leader Justin Trudeau says the party was not aware of the charge against Spadina-Fort York candidate Kevin Vuong until the Toronto Star published a report yesterday. Vuong says the allegations are false and their resurfacing just before the election is deeply troubling to himself and his family. The questions around the candidate came as both Trudeau and Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole urged voters not to cast ballots for smaller parties on Monday to avoid another minority government. N-D-P Leader Jagmeet Singh thinks Canadians preferred the previous minority government and that his party was able to push the Liberals to get things done. Singh was asked if he would consider forming a coalition in another minority situation and replied the N-D-P would continue to fight to make things better for people.
Ontario’s New Democrats want COVID-19 vaccination to be mandatory for people entering the provincial legislature. Opposition house leader Peggy Sattler wrote to her counterparts in other parties today with her position. She says Queen’s Park can’t afford to send “mixed messages” about vaccine efficacy. Premier Doug Ford has said all Progressive Conservative caucus members and candidates must be vaccinated against the virus or prove a medical exemption.
Allies of former U-S president Donald Trump are planning a rally tomorrow at the Capitol to support about 60 people behind bars following the January 6th riot. Trump’s allies are calling them “political prisoners.” Many people on online platforms popular with the far right have disavowed the rally, saying they believe police are promoting the event to entrap Trump supporters.