Friday’s talk on Omicron from Dr. John Campbell focuses in part on Ontario and Quebec. Campbell foresees a downturn in the current rampage of infection here by around the end of January. It is much easier for him to speak candidly of course because he is not a politician nor answerable to one. He says Omicron has peaked in the UK. Most interesting.
Chief Public Health Officer of Canada Dr. Theresa Tam doesn’t pull any punches in this 22-minute French and English update about Omicron. Her clear warning is that the worst is yet to come, especially for hospitals. But the broad nature of her message would seem to have been well reported for many weeks. On the critical issue (for most people) of when it all might subside, federal modelling does not say. It predicts “weeks” of Omicron spiral. Whether this includes the two weeks just past or hints at more of the same well into February or beyond is unstated.
Saturday will see bitter cold weather across Toronto and Monday holds the possibility — not yet confirmed — of a major snowfall. The storm that’ll affect Eastern Canada is rooted in what’s happening across the US this week. Two systems—one swooping in from the Pacific Northwest, and another rolling off the Prairies—will merge over the southern states and kick off this disruptive system. Weather Network
Proposed plans for the redevelopment of the Canadian Tire site at 839 Yonge St at Church St. may or may not see a new CTC built at the site. As expected, this valuable downtown property will see towers raised above it. The existing store was recently renovated to reflect the more modern design seen in some Canadian Tire locations. A historic component known as the Grand Central Markets Building was built in 1929 and is heritage protected. It is notable for its Spanish Colonial Revival-style type architecture. It’s hoped the Central Market Building will be preserved and incorporated into the new proposal — Retail Insider
Video has emerged of a genuinely terrifying rescue of a pilot of a small plane that missed the runway and landed instead on busy railway tracks in Los Angeles.
Tony Staffieri has been made permanent CEO of Rogers Communications, the firm has announced. Staffieri replaces Joe Natale, who left the company in November amid a family squabble between Chairman Edward Rogers and his mother and two sisters, who are also board members.
Tony Staffieri replaces Joe Natale, who left the company in November amid a family squabble between Chairman Edward Rogers and his mother and two sisters, who are also board members.https://t.co/UTdLGhWe5V
— Globalnews.ca (@globalnews) January 11, 2022
Rogers Communications said it’s appointing Tony Staffieri to lead the company through its takeover of Shaw Communications https://t.co/J7Nx2h4k8n
— Bloomberg (@business) January 11, 2022
Faces. All of Ottawa is trying to deal with the crushing reality of Josée El-Kada’s death in an Ottawa park where kids toboggan all the time even though it’s illegal. Then, Molly Davis is seen with her mom. Mrs Davis does not have long and she has managed to have Molly’s picture placed on a billboard in Times Square in search of a suitable husband. Finally, the creator of the Ontario Place landmark, Eberhard Zeidler, has died at age 95.
Novak Djokovic, the 20-time Serbian major tennis champion, had his visa cancelled by Australian Border Force officials who rejected his evidence to support a medical exemption from the country’s strict COVID-19 vaccination rules. But how did he get into Australia in the first place? Suspicion grows that somebody got special treatment
Sidney Poitier’s remarkable life and accomplishments
Sidney Poitier has died after a long and full life. In this well-done obituary, Poitier is seen speaking modestly about his enormous showbusiness breakthrough.
Study suggests women more likely to die if surgeon is male
A study done at Toronto hospitals has found that women patients may be 30 percent more likely suffer fatal post-operative complications if their surgeon is a man. The reasoning offered is that women surgeons can communicate better with the patient. Or, as mentioned well down in the story, does the 90 percent male dominance of this field make that outcome an inevitable matter of chance?
There was no winner for Saturday’s $32 million 649 jackpot but Friday the $50 million Lotto Max jackpot was won by a ticket holder in Canada’s West. There were also two Maxmillions prizes of $1 million in Saturday’s draw but neither was won. The jackpot for the next Lotto Max draw on Jan. 11 will be an estimated $12 million.
The Leaside Garden Society will explore the subject of rain gardens at its next virtual meeting on Zoom on March 10 at 7 p.m. A rain garden is an area in the landscape that collects rainwater from a roof, driveway or street and allows it to soak into the ground. The speaker will be Centennial College English Professor Marc Yamaguchi. In 2015, he headed up the East Danforth Rain Gardens Project now called Rain Gardens United. This project and has grown from an initial 11 gardens to 31 today. Leaside Garden Society
Faces in the news this Friday include Korean actress Kim Mi-soo. She has died mysteriously at the age of 30 and her studio, in announcing the news, has asked fans to refrain from “sharing rumors or speculative reports” on the cause. At centre are NDP leader Jagmeet Singh and his wife Gurkiran Kaur Sidhu. They are seen with their new baby girl. At the right is Micheal Melling, a nearly 20-year veteran of CTV News who has been appointed vice-president of that firm’s news department replacing Wendy Freeman. No age is given for Mr. Melling.
