Pulse FM News Update for Tuesday, June 1

As the administration of second doses begins to ramp up nationwide, new guidance on COVID-19 vaccine mixing could be coming imminently. Multiple reports suggest the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) will update its guidance to recommend that a second shot of an mRNA vaccine, Moderna or Pfizer, can be the follow-up to a first dose of AstraZeneca. The new guidance will also reportedly advise that people who got one of the mRNA shots as their first dose will be able to take either as their second. The current NACI guidance states that mixing should only be an option between mRNA vaccines if the same first dose is unavailable. Federal officials are expected to share the updated guidance this morning at 9am.

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There will be a “take-note” debate in Parliament today on the recent discovery of the remains of 215 children on the grounds of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in B-C. But Indigenous leaders are demanding more than speeches in Parliament. Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde says it’s time for the Liberals to immediately dedicate more resources, both financial and human, to fully investigate all Indigenous child deaths at residential schools. He’s calling the tragic discovery in Kamloops a catalyst.

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B-C has reported another 11 deaths linked to COVID-19, pushing the death toll in the province to one-thousand, 703. Another 708 new infections were diagnosed between Friday and monday – he province recorded 258 new infections on Saturday, 238 on Sunday, and 212 on Monday, – for a total of two-thousand-953 active cases. There are 249 people in hospital, including 78 in intensive care. More than 3.2 million doses of vaccine have been administered in B-C, amounting to nearly 70 per cent of all adults.

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B.C.’s minimum wage is set to surpass $15 an hour on June 1, the highest of any province in Canada. The increase is an extra 60 cents an hour, going from $14.60 to $15.20 an hour on Tuesday. Over the last four years, the province’s minimum wage has steadily gone up from $11.35 an hour in 2017 as part of the NDP government’s pledge to give the province’s lowest paid workers a pay boost. After this wage hike, the minimum wage will be tied to inflation. The wage increase means B.C. will have the highest minimum wage in Canada with the exception of Nunavut, which has a minimum wage of $16 an hour.

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Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says it’s unfortunate that a dozen youth recently received the wrong COVID-19 vaccine, though it’s not believed they will suffer any clinical harm from the Moderna shot. Vancouver Coastal Health confirmed that 12 young people mistakenly received doses of Moderna rather than the Pfizer vaccine, which is the only COVID-19 vaccine approved for use in those between 12 and 17 in Canada. It says the people who administered the shots recognized their error and disclosed it to the clients and their families, and additional education and processes are now in place to help make sure it doesn’t happen again. Henry says she expects the Moderna vaccine will soon be approved for minors, but that’s not an excuse for the errors.

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Vancouver Police posted a warning to social media saying if you’re going to film yourself driving 170 km an hour, you will be identified & can expect further punishment. This comes after a video was posted to social media of a Toyota Supra driver going 170km an hour on main streets in Vancouver, swerving in an out of oncoming traffic racing a Tesla who was doing the exact same thing. Police made sure to make it clear in their social media post, you can expect a visit from us in the future. So if you’re thinking of street racing right in the city in broad daylight, just don’t

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Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie says she struggles to find words to express her horror and grief at the discovery of the remains of 215 children at the site of the former Kamloops residential school. Instead of words, Henry says she’s offered a commitment to actions that disrupt the deeply rooted beliefs of what she called “settler supremacy.” Henry says Canadian systems and laws continue to perpetuate racism and discrimination that hurts Indigenous peoples in countless ways. She says we must all deliberately take meaningful actions that uphold Indigenous rights and serve to heal, rather than harm Trudeau also weighed in saying: He says he plans to speak with his three cabinet ministers who oversee Indigenous policy and funding on what steps must be done to support survivors, families and Indigenous Peoples