Toronto Public Health has dismissed all classes at Thorncliffe Park Public School due to an ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.
In a letter sent to parents and guardians on Thursday, public health says the East York elementary school is being closed until December 10 and students and staff are to self-monitor for symptoms of coronavirus.
The decision comes after three of 30 staff members at the school refused to work on Thursday due to COVID-19 concerns.
Jennifer Brown, the president of the Elementary Teachers of Toronto, said the staff members were on site but remained in their cars. She said the teachers are “very concerned” for their safety.
Toronto District School Board spokesperson Ryan Bird said in a brief statement to CityNews that the classes were covered by “other non-core staff” at the school. He added that they were working with the Ministry of Labour to address their concerns.
The Ministry of Labour said health and safety inspectors visited the school and that their investigation is “ongoing.”
“The government’s top priority is ensuring the health and well being of students, teachers and support staff. The Ministry of Labour, Training Skills and Development’s neutral role is to ensure that workplaces are safe,” read a brief statement issued late Thursday afternoon.
There are currently 26 cases of COVID-19 among staff and students at the school.
Brown says 18 classes are in self-isolation including 27 teachers and 348 of the 750 students who are enrolled for in-person learning.
Brown wanted the school to be closed, calling on the provincial government and public health officials to be more proactive instead of reactive.
Education minister Stephen Lecce said the decision to close the school is in the hands of the local public health unit.
“That is the authority that should be making these decisions,” Lecce said. “In that case, Toronto Public Health, Dr. [Vinita] Dube, Dr. [Eileen] de Villa, have provided context for why the school remains open and they’re really best positioned to provide that scientific advice, not politicians.”
The education minister said he has full confidence in these public health officials to do what’s right.
Testing of asymptomatic students and staff at the school over two days last week led to the discovery of 19 positive cases of COVID-19 – 18 students and 1 staff member.
Principal Jeff Crane said 433 tests were conducted on a voluntary basis under a Ministry of Education pilot program to test students and staff without symptoms for COVID-19. Thorncliffe Park PS is the first school that is part of the program.
On Thursday, the province reported 122 new COVID-19 cases related to schools, including at least 94 among students.
That brings the number of schools with a reported case to 755 out of Ontario’s 4,828 publicly funded schools.
Premier Doug Ford is expected to unveil Ontario’s COVID-19 vaccine task force today.
Ford said yesterday the team is being finalized and the province will be ready to distribute the vaccine whenever it arrives.
The task force will include medical, information technology, and logistics experts.
Earlier this month, the province announced retired Gen. Rick Hillier will lead the task force.
Health Minister Christine Elliott says the team will also include a bioethicist who will make recommendations about who should receive access to the vaccine first.
The province’s chief medical officer of health has also said some regions of the province could be moved today into further restricted measures in the province’s pandemic response.
Small businesses are the cornerstone of our economy and our communities, but they have faced unprecedented challenges due to the pandemic.
Many have had to find creative ways to survive! As we head into the holiday season, it’s more important than ever to support small businesses, which is why we’ve launched operation support local in partnership with Scotiabank.
To showcase small businesses in our communities, we have compiled a list of businesses that you can support this holiday season.
CULINARY
Blackbird Baking Co.
635 Queen St E Unit 101, Toronto, ON M4M 1G4
https://blackbirdbakingco.com/
Bluebird Cafe
2072 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON M6R 1W9
https://bluebirdcafe.com/
Courage Cookies
28 Bathurst St #1-104, Toronto, ON M5V 0R4
https://www.couragecookies.ca/
Chocolat de Kat
881 St Clair Ave W, Toronto, ON M6C 1C4
http://chocolatdekat.com/
Craft Beer Market
1 Adelaide St E, Toronto, ON M5C 2V9
https://www.craftbeermarket.ca/toronto
Culinary Adventure Co.
92 Front St E, Toronto, ON M5E 1C3
http://www.culinaryadventureco.com/
Gaspar Cafe
10 Sousa Mendes St, Toronto, ON M6P 3Z5
https://gasparcafe.ca/
Golden Ears Cheesecrafters
22270 128 Ave, Maple Ridge, BC V4R 2R1
https://cheesecrafters.ca/
Great Canadia Pizza
278 Lakeshore Rd E, Mississauga, Ontario L5G 1H1, Canada
647 234 6145
905-274-1291
http://greatcanadianpizza.ca
HOOKED
MULTIPLE LOCATIONS ACROSS ONTARIO
hookedinc.ca
Hooked Inc.
888 Queen St E, Toronto, ON M4M 1J3
https://hookedinc.ca/
Hotmess Tex Mex
615 COLLEGE STREET
TORONTO, ONTARIO M6G 1B5
https://www.hotmesstexmex.com/
King Cole Ducks LTD.
15351 Warden Ave, Whitchurch-Stouffville, ON L3Y 2V5
http://www.kingcoleducks.com/
LoveChix
1588 Dupont St, Toronto, ON M6P 3S6
http://www.lovechix.ca/
Monastery Bakery
1133 Monastery Dr, Oakville, ON L6M 2A2
http://www.monasterybakery.com/
Old Firehall Confectionary
170 Main St Unionville, Markham, ON L3R 2G9
http://www.oldfirehallconfectionery.com/
Piadina By Monti
6 Markham St, Toronto, ON M6J 1E4
https://piadinabymonti.com/
Simone’s Carribean Restaurant
596 Danforth Ave, Toronto, ON M4K 1R1
https://www.simonescaribbeanrestaurant.ca/
Sugo
1281 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON M6H 1N7
http://www.sugotoronto.com/
Sweet ‘n Nice
28 Bathurst St, Toronto, ON M5V 0C6
https://www.sweetnnice.ca/
Tala Toronto
294 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON M5T 1G2
http://talatoronto.com/
The Simple Kitchen
73 Roncesvalles Ave, Toronto, ON M6R 2K6
http://simplekitchento.com/
Unionville Arms Pub & Grill
189 Main St Unionville, Unionville, ON L3R 2G8
http://www.unionvillearms.ca/
Venga Cucina
3076 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON M6P 1Z8
http://www.vengacucina.ca/
SHOPPING
Aqua Essence Swim Academy
1416 Mathers Bay E, Winnipeg, MB R3M 2J9
http://www.aquaessence.ca/contact.php
Blackbird Vintage Finds
11 Trinity St, Toronto, ON M5A 3C4
http://blackbirdvintage.com/
BODYBLUE
199 Danforth Ave, Toronto, ON M4K 1N2
bodyblue.ca
Cheekbone Beauty
http://www.cheekbonebeauty.ca/
The Christmas Tree Market
10801 McCowan Rd., Markham Fairgrounds, Markham, ON
https://thechristmastreemarket.com/
Deco Vero
https://www.decovero.ca/
Endless Pawzabilities
17 Lock St unit 108, St. Catharines, ON L3C 3G8
http://www.facebook.com/endlesspawzabilities
Fair in The Square
100 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M5H 2N1
https://fairinthesquare.ca/
GoYoga Orangeville
169 Broadway, Orangeville, ON L9W 1K2
http://www.goyogaorangeville.com/
Green & Frugal
2432 Kingston Rd, Toronto, ON M1N 1V3
http://greenandfrugal.com/
Labour of Love
223 Carlton St, Toronto, ON M5A 2L2
http://www.thelabouroflove.ca/
L’il Monkeys Personalized Gifts Inc.
https://www.lilmonkeys.ca/
Little Otavalo
3 Byng Ave, Toronto, ON M1L 3A2
http://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/littleotavaloshop
Major League Socks / Babsocks
TORONTO, ON
majorleaguesocks.com
Miller Island
4 Caroline St W, Creemore, ON L0M 1G0
http://www.millerislandcompany.com/
Ms Fit For Life
871 Equestrian Ct Unit 4, Oakville, ON L6L 6L7
https://msfitforlife.ca/
Natural Mattress & Furniture
3503 62 Ave SE, Calgary, AB T2C 1P5
https://www.naturalmattress.ca/pages/about-natural-mattress-furniture
Over The Rainbow
55 Bloor St W Suite 123, Toronto, ON M4W 1A5
http://www.rainbowjeans.com/
Patrick Hunter Art and Design
https://www.patrickhunter.ca/
Pilot Pet Gear
https://pilotpetgear.com/
Playful Minds Toy Store
657 St Clair Ave W, Toronto, ON M6C 1A7
https://playfulmindstoys.ca/
Poppy & Olive
1595 Bedford Hwy, Bedford, NS B4A 3Y4
http://www.shoppoppyandolive.com/
Pretty Thingz
178 Main St, Unionville, ON L3R 2G9
http://www.prettythingz.ca/
Queenies Cards
1808 Danforth Ave, Toronto, ON M4C 1H8
https://queeniescards.com/
Shop Local Labels
https://www.shoplocallabels.com/
Sisters Sage
https://sisterssage.com/
Terrae Home
8550 Keele St Building B, Concord, ON L4K 2N2
http://www.terraehome.com/
The 6 Oceans Gallery
962 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M6J 1G8
http://www.the6oceansgallery.com/
Thyme Studio
28 Bathurst St, Toronto, ON M5V 0C6
https://thymestudio.ca/
Valhalla Pure Outfitters
https://vpo.ca/
West Wind Gallery & Gifts
7 Bridge St W, Bancroft, ON K0L 1C0
http://www.westwindonline.ca/
Wuxly Coats
890 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M6J 1G3
https://wuxly.com/
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
Central Hair Salon
1700 King Rd, King City, ON L7B 0N1
Grocery & Laundry Concierge
63 Colgate Ave, Toronto, ON M4M 0B1
https://www.laundry-concierge.com/
Presidential Gourmet Catering
7351 Victoria Park Ave #6, Markham, ON L3R 3A5
https://presidentialgourmet.ca/
Quince Flowers
660 Queen St E, Toronto, ON M4M 1G5
http://quinceflowers.com/
STEM Aces Vancouver
stemaces.com
The Canadian Armed Forces received formal orders last week to start planning for the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, though the military’s top commander says preparations have been underway for longer — and that his force will be ready.
The order is contained in a planning directive issued last week by chief of the defence staff Gen. Jonathan Vance. It lays out in detail for the first time how the military expects to help with vaccine distribution.
It notes the possibility of having to pick up COVID-19 vaccine doses from the United States and Europe on short notice, and outlines concerns the military will be asked to help distribute the vaccine while also responding to floods and other emergencies.
The emergence of the directive comes ahead of an expected fight Thursday between the federal Liberal government and the Opposition Conservatives, who are set to introduce a motion in the House of Commons demanding details of Ottawa’s vaccine rollout.
The Conservatives say Canadians need, and deserve, to know when they can expect to be vaccinated against COVID-19, and who can expect to receive the shots first. That includes how the government is setting up a distribution network.
While that distribution plan is being led by the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Canadian Armed Forces is expected to play a significant role — as outlined by Vance’s order on Nov. 27 establishing what has been called Operation Vector.
The directive was obtained by The Canadian Press and confirmed to be authentic by multiple sources, including the defence chief.
Canada isn’t alone in turning to its military for help with vaccines. The U.S. military has been credited with having laid the groundwork in recent months for creating a distribution network that will get vaccines to Americans quickly once they are ready.
Despite having issued his directive on Operation Vector only last week, Vance said in an interview with The Canadian Press that Ottawa has been working for months on planning the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. Those plans are now “well advanced,” he said, adding Canada’s military will be ready when the first shipment of doses are ready.
“We are as well poised as any country,” he said. “And when the vaccines arrive, we’ll be able to support the federal-provincial-territorial rollout plans. ? The actual logistics of rolling it out, we are in the same position that our allies are in.”
Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan also described the workaround Operation Vector as “ongoing planning,” saying in a statement that it will complement what “the Canadian Armed Forces has done and continues to do to help Canadians through COVID-19.”
Vance’s order lays out a series of tasks for different parts of the military, all aimed at ensuring the Forces are ready to respond when vaccines become available to Canada.
Those include flying doses “on short notice” from Spain, Germany, the U.S. and elsewhere “to designated points of distribution in Canada.” It also means providing personnel to help with distribution in remote, northern and coastal communities.
Military planners are also preparing to have troops work at vaccine-storage facilities, deliver freezers and other medical supplies to various regions _ all while standing ready to also respond to other emergencies.
“Track 1 vaccines are likely to be delivered to Canadians at the height of the second wave of the pandemic and in the midst of the spring 2021 thaw _ a period of heightened flooding risk for many communities,” Vance’s order reads.
It goes on to say that the “essential challenge” will be anticipating where to position troops and equipment “while preserving adequate capacity to surge in scale to respond to other unforeseen domestic emergencies.”
In the interview, Vance acknowledged the potential challenge posed by the spring flood season coinciding with a potential surge in COVID-19 cases and efforts to get vaccines to Canadians most at risk of the illness.
To that end, the defence chief said orders will start flowing to different parts of the military for Operation Vector in the coming weeks so individual troops know exactly what their specific jobs will be in a given situation.
Despite the advance planning, Vance said there remains a large number of unknowns, starting with the specific needs of individual provinces and territories when the actual delivery of a vaccine occurs and doses start flowing into communities.
“The details of the Armed Forces’ plan become firm when we understand what support will be required by the provinces and territories,” he said.
Last week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau named Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin, a former NATO commander, to lead the Canadian military in its role co-ordinating logistics for distributing a COVID-19 vaccine.
Health Canada is in the final stages of reviewing vaccine candidates from pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Moderna, with a decision expected by the end of the month. Federal officials expect vaccines to begin rolling out early next year.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 3, 2020.
Adam Skelly, the owner of Adamson Barbecue currently facing a bevvy of charges for defying Toronto’s indoor dining ban, is making news again.
It has been confirmed by city officials that Skelly has never operated under a business licence for his original Leaside restaurant, located at 176 Wicksteed Avenue in East York.
Toronto spokesperson Brad Ross revealed during Wednesday’s COVID-19 briefing that Skelly has received three summonses from the city regarding this matter. Carlton Grant, executive director of municipal licensing and standards, said that the Adamson Barbecue owner has been defying regulations for some time.
“It’s disappointing that he’s flouting the law like this,” Grant said through Zoom. “We have issued charges in the past. We are continuing to work with him to bring him in to compliance. There is a zoning issue in the Leaside location where it’s not permitted, where he would be required to get a change of use permit.”
Skelly tells the Toronto Star he tried to get a business licence at the Leaside location but was told the area was “not suitable” for a restaurant. Skelly blamed an old bylaw that disallows dining establishments despite a new, recently enforced city-wide bylaw that allows them.
Despite his attempts to rectify the situation in court, Skelly said the zoning “contradictions” have yet to be solved and getting a licence “is his preferred solution but has not been possible.”
The Star notes that Skelly has been fined $800 since 2016, which they say is much less than what an actual business licence would cost (just over $510 for the initial license and around $300 to renew annually over the last five years).
The town of Aurora, home to another Adamson Barbecue location, revealed that officials do not require physical restaurants to operate under similar laws.
“The Town of Aurora does not licence physical dining establishments. At this time, there are no requirements to operate these types of businesses in Aurora other than passing health inspections and any inspections related to the construction process,” a spokesperson told 680 NEWS in an email.
“Currently, our licensing bylaw only speaks to mobile food establishments such as food trucks, ice cream trucks, and hot dog cart type uses.”
According to York Region’s health inspection records, Adamson Barbecue in Aurora failed multiple health regulations during its last inspection on Aug. 20 of this year.
York Region’s latest health report says Adamson Barbecue “failed to provide adequate protection against the entrance of pests”, “failed to remove garbage/liquid waste when necessary to maintain sanitary condition”, and “failed to ensure floors are kept clean/in good repair.”
The records show that under the ‘handwashing’ compliance item, Adamson Barbecue initially failed to provide a handwashing station with adequate supplies, but was corrected during inspection of the restaurant.
Grant says with Skelly receiving multiple summonses, there remains an opportunity for him to be officially licenced under the city, disputing Skelly’s claim that he’s shown the willingness to do so.
“There is a vehicle to get licenced. We need to work with the proponent, but the proponent does not seem to want to work with the government,” Grant added.
“It’s something we’re going to have to press on.”
Skelly was arrested last week after he broke into his own restaurant, kicking down his drywall and breaking the locks that were changed by Toronto officers.
He is facing several charges including mischief and obstructing police after breaking health regulations imposed by the city and the province.
Skelly was released on $50,000 bail and under the conditions must stay at least 200 metres away from Adamson Barbecue and is forbidden from communicating on social media.
The Liberal government is set to introduce long-awaited legislation Thursday to enshrine the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Canadian law.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised during the 2019 election campaign to introduce such a bill, developed with Indigenous people, by the end of this year.
The bill is expected to echo a private member’s bill introduced by former NDP MP Romeo Saganash, which the House of Commons passed two years ago.
That bill stalled in the Senate, where Conservative senators argued it could have unintended legal and economic consequences, and then died when Parliament dissolved.
The UN declaration, which Canada endorsed in 2010, affirms the rights of Indigenous Peoples to self-determination and to their language, culture and traditional lands.
It also spells out the need for free, prior and informed consent from Indigenous Peoples on anything that infringes on their lands or rights.
The key witness for the defence in Toronto’s van attack trial is set to testify for the fourth straight day on Thursday.
Psychiatrist Dr. Alexander Westphal has stopped short of saying Alek Minassian is not criminally responsible for his actions on April 23, 2018.
CityNews reporter Adrian Ghobrial is covering the trial, follow his tweets below:
He says Minassian does not truly understand the moral wrongfulness of killing 10 people by using a van as a weapon.
But Westphal says criminal responsibility is a legal opinion, not a psychiatric one.
Minassian has pleaded not guilty to 10 counts of first-degree murder and 16 of attempted murder.
He argues he should be found not criminally responsible due to autism spectrum disorder.
Minassian’s state of mind is the sole issue at trial after he admitted to planning and carrying out the attack.
British officials authorized a COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use on Wednesday, greenlighting the world’s first shot against the virus that’s backed by rigorous science and taking a major step toward eventually ending the pandemic.
The go-ahead for the vaccine developed by American drugmaker Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech comes as the virus surges again in the United States and Europe, putting pressure on hospitals and morgues in some places and forcing new rounds of restrictions that have devastated economies.
The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, which licenses drugs in the U.K., recommended the vaccine could be used after it reviewed the results of clinical trials that showed the vaccine was 95% effective overall _ and that it also offered significant protection for older people, among those most at risk of dying from the disease. But the vaccine remains experimental while final testing is done.
“Help is on its way,” British Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the BBC, adding that the situation would start to improve in the spring.
“We now have a vaccine. We’re the first country in the world to have one formally clinically authorized but, between now and then, we’ve got to hold on, we’ve got to hold our resolve,” he said.
Other countries aren’t far behind: Regulators in the United States and the European Union also are vetting the Pfizer shot along with a similar vaccine made by competitor Moderna Inc. British regulators also are considering another shot made by AstraZeneca and Oxford University.
Hancock said Britain expects to begin receiving the first shipment of 800,000 doses “within days,” and people will begin receiving shots as soon as the National Health Service gets the vaccine.
Doses everywhere are scarce, and initial supplies will be rationed until more is manufactured in the first several months of next year.
A government committee will release details of vaccination priorities later Wednesday, but Hancock said nursing home residents, people over 80, and healthcare workers and other care workers will be the first to receive the shot.
Pfizer said it would immediately begin shipping limited supplies to the U.K. _ and has been gearing up for even wider distribution if given a similar nod by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, a decision expected as early as next week.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla called the U.K. decision “a historic moment.”
“We are focusing on moving with the same level of urgency to safely supply a high-quality vaccine around the world,” Bourla said in a statement.
While the U.K. has ordered 40 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, enough for 20 million people, it’s not clear how many will arrive by year’s end. Hancock said the U.K. expects to receive “millions of doses” by the end of this year, adding that the actual number will depend on how fast Pfizer can produce the vaccine.
One concern about the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is that it must be stored and shipped at ultra-cold temperatures of around minus 70 degrees Celsius (minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit), adding to the challenge of distributing the vaccine around the world.
Pfizer says it has developed shipping containers that use dry ice to keep the vaccine cool. GPS-enabled sensors will allow the company to track each shipment and ensure they stay cold, the company says.
“Pfizer has vast experience and expertise in cold-chain shipping and has an established infrastructure to supply the vaccine worldwide, including distribution hubs that can store vaccine doses for up to six months,” the company said in a statement.
The company also says it has agreed to work with other vaccine makers to ensure there is sufficient supply and a range of vaccines, “including those suitable for global access.”
Every country has different rules for determining when an experimental vaccine is safe and effective enough to use. Intense political pressure to be the first to roll out a rigorously scientifically tested shot colored the race in the U.S. and Britain, even as researchers pledged to cut no corners. In contrast, China and Russia have offered different vaccinations to their citizens ahead of late-stage testing.
The shots made by U.S.-based Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech were tested in tens of thousands of people. And while that study isn’t complete, early results suggest the vaccine is 95% effective at preventing mild to severe COVID-19 disease. The companies told regulators that of the first 170 infections detected in study volunteers, only eight were among people who’d received the actual vaccine and the rest had gotten a dummy shot.
“This is an extraordinarily strong protection,” Dr. Ugur Sahin, BioNTech’s CEO, recently told The Associated Press.
The companies also reported no serious side effects, although vaccine recipients may experience temporary pain and flu-like reactions immediately after injections.
Final testing must still be completed. Still to be determined is whether the Pfizer-BioNTech shots protect against people spreading the coronavirus without showing symptoms. Another question is how long protection lasts.
The vaccine also has been tested in only a small number of children, none younger than 12, and there’s no information on its effects in pregnant women.
A woman and a child have been taken to hospital after a two-alarm house fire in Brampton.
Firefighters were called to Nevada Court near Bovaird Drive just before 8 p.m. Tuesday.
It’s believed the fire began in the basement. The woman and child were rescued from the basement. An occupant upstairs was able to get out and call emergency services.
The woman suffered critical injuries while the child was taken to hospital in serious condition. Their conditions have both been upgraded to stable.
Fire crews have extinguished the majority of the fire. The Brampton fire investigator has also been called in.
One man has died and a woman has been rushed to hospital after being shot in broad daylight on Tuesday in the north end of the city.
Police were called to Dufferin Street and Lawrence Avenue just after 3:30 p.m. for reports of a shooting.
The male victim was pronounced dead on the scene. The woman has been transported to hospital in life-threatening condition.
Both victims were reportedly in a vehicle at the time of the shooting, but it’s unclear if it was stationary or moving.
Officers are looking for a male suspect wearing a grey sweat suit with a hood who left the area in a grey hatchback.
Homicide investigators are being called to the scene.
