Ontario’s premier is expected to announce today what new restrictions the province’s COVID-19 hotspots will face amid soaring case numbers.
Doug Ford had said on Wednesday that an announcement regarding new health and safety measures is on the horizon.
“We’re continuing to see extremely, extremely troubling numbers in Peel, Toronto and York Region,” Ford said on Wednesday.
“The virus is spreading at an alarming rate in these areas and I can’t stress this enough; this situation is extremely, extremely serious. Last week, I asked the chief medical officer of health to come back with his recommendations and what we need to do to flatten the curve in a second wave.”
Ford said the new measures, which could be aimed specifically at Toronto and Peel, will be discussed at cabinet and announced in the coming days.
Peel Public Health data – Nov. 18
Of the several regions currently in the province’s ‘Red Zone‘, the regional breakdown had Peel back out in front of Toronto with 463 cases compared to 410 in those two areas alone, accounting for 62 per cent of the province’s new infections.
“We’re going to get advice off the chief medical officer and bring it to cabinet and will have an announcement on Friday,” Ford said.
“I have mentioned it before, I won’t hesitate to lock things down, to protect the health and safety of every person in this province. Without the health and safety, we don’t have an economy. We will take a more targeted approach in the hotspots.”
Ontario said 33,4400 tests were completed on Wednesday, up from Tuesday but down from last week’s averages. Test positivity is at 4.5 per cent province-wide and down from yesterday’s increase to 6.1 per cent.
Last week, the Ford government announced sweeping modifications to its COVID-19 colour-coded framework and thresholds, adding several regions — including York, Halton and Hamilton — to its ‘Red Zone.’
Ontario epidemiology report – Nov. 1 – Nov. 7
Toronto Public Health updated its case records from Nov. 14, when there were 40 unreported cases resulting in an overestimation of counts. The City is seeing a decline in cases compared to Tuesday with 410, down from 569 cases.
“My friends, we need to hunker down. We need to stick together because together, we’ll get through this.”
Peel Regional Police is dissolving its School Resource Officer (SRO) program because it “caused a negative impact on segments of our student population,” they said in a release on Wednesday night.
Earlier this year the decades old program was paused because the force said it had not changed it 20 years and “required significant review.” They acknowledged that there were long-standing concerns about systemic racism in the SRO program and “and the disproportionately punitive effects this type of traditional programming can produce.”
The review focused specifically on police interactions with students and a community-facing committee worked with police to understand the lived experiences of those affected by the program.
“Based on recommendations made by those most negatively impacted by this programming, the SRO program no longer exists,” they said in the release.
The force says it is publicly acknowledging that “change is necessary.”
“Moving forward, PRP will continue to work with our community regarding student engagement programming,” they said.
Ontario students will not have an extended winter holiday, Education Minister Stephen Lecce announced on Wednesday.
The idea of extending the annual break was being considered as a way to impede the spread of COVID-19 in the province, but Lecce announced Wednesday that after consulting with health officials it wasn’t deemed necessary.
“We have consulted with the Chief Medical Officer of Health as well as the Public Health Measures Table and have determined that an extended winter holiday is not necessary at this time, given Ontario’s strong safety protocols, low levels of transmission and safety within our schools,” Lecce said in a release.
Lecce stressed that Ontario schools have been “remarkably successful at minimizing outbreaks” during a second wave of the virus that’s seen record-breaking daily counts, most notably in Toronto and Peel Region.
“As we safeguard the progress we’ve made in our schools, we will continue to closely monitor all indicators, trends and numbers to protect the safety of our children, their families and all frontline staff in Ontario’s schools,” he added.
The decision comes on the same day that the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) announced the death of a Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) staff member from COVID-19.
“CUPE Ontario’s 280,000 members mourn the loss of our sister, a CUPE education worker at who passed away after contracting COVID-19. Our solidarity and condolences to her family, friends, and all her union colleagues,” the union said in a tweet Wednesday afternoon.
As of Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. provincial statistics reveal a total of 3,626 school-related COVID-19 cases so far in the province.
Of those cases, 2,077 have involved students and 670 schools have had at least one case. That represents almost 14 per cent of all Ontario schools.
So far, three schools have had to close as a result of COVID-19 outbreaks.
Warning: Details of the trial are graphic in nature, discretion is advised
A psychiatrist hired by the defence will continue testifying Thursday in the Toronto van attack trial.
The trial centres around whether Alek Minassian can be held criminally responsible for the 10 murders and the injuries of 16 others.
The defence said he should be found not criminally responsible — due to autism — for his actions that day.
Minassian has admitted in court to planning and carrying out the attack.
The only issue to be decided at trial is his state of mind at the time of the attack.
Dr. Rebecca Chauhan testified Wednesday that Minassian’s autism spectrum disorder left him struggling to understand emotions and vulnerable to the writings of a mass killer.
She told the court that in her conversations with Minassian, he admitted that he intended to kill every single person he struck with a rental van in April of 2018, especially young, attractive women.
The defence’s case rests on the argument that his autism spectrum disorder means he couldn’t fully understand the consequences of his actions during the attack.
In her assessment of Minassian’s autism, she concluded he suffers from a certain level of “mind blindness,” meaning he seems to “struggle with grasping the internal world of others and why they’d be so distressed.”
The doctor also made it clear to the court that she’s “not suggesting people with autism spectrum disorder are immoral. They learn from people around them the difference between right and wrong. They’re still able to make moral decisions but with less sophistication.” She added that when a situation is more complex, it can overwhelm a person with autism.
A woman has died and a man has been taken into custody after a stabbing at a bar near Christie Pits.
Police were called to the scene near Bloor and Shaw Streets just after 5 p.m. to reports of an altercation between a man and a woman.
The woman was found without vital signs and emergency responders preformed CPR. She was pronounced dead on the scene.
One man was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Police say he has also been arrested.
Homicide investigators will be taking over the investigation. Emergency responders were focused in on the area around Jolly Bar on Bloor Street, but did not confirm where the stabbing took place.
It’s unknown what led to the altercation or whether the two people were known to each other.
Warning: Details of the trial are graphic in nature, discretion is advised
The defence of the man who killed 10 people in Toronto’s van attack continues Wednesday.
Alek Minassian has pleaded not criminally responsible to 10 counts of first-degree murder and 16 counts of attempted murder, with his defence team arguing that he lacked the capacity to rationally decide whether the act was right or wrong.
The defence said he should be found not criminally responsible for his actions that day due to autism.
He has admitted in court to planning and carrying out the attack.
On Tuesday, the cross-examination of Alek Minassian’s father, Vahe or “Vic” as he’s known, centered around whether or not he actually witnessed his son display that emotion following the attack.
The defense’s ‘not criminally responsible’ case rests on its claim that the accused lacks the ability to empathize and to understand the impact his actions have on the world.
The Crown pressed Vahe on Tuesday, alleging that he changed his opinion on whether Alek cried to help his son evade responsibility for his actions.
Vahe earlier admitted that at his initial meeting with forensic psychiatrist, Dr. John Bradford, he told the doctor it looked like Alek was crying in the interrogation video.
During Monday’s testimony, however, Vahe told the court after watching the video again, he realized his son wasn’t actually crying, but was merely talking to himself.
Vahe also testified earlier that his son claimed he didn’t do anything wrong, showed no remorse and offered no apology for the attack.
Alek’s state of mind at the time of the attack is the only issue at play in trial.
A Toronto woman convicted of killing her seven-year-old stepson is expected to present her case to the Parole Board of Canada today.
Marcia Dooley is to address the board roughly 10 months after she was granted four unescorted, five-day absences from prison to help prepare her for life in a halfway house.
At the time, the board said Dooley had followed the rules while out on escorted absences from the minimum-security facility, and should be given a chance to become familiar with the routine and community at the halfway house.
The panel nonetheless imposed several conditions, including that she not take a position of trust over minors and that she refrain from contacting any of her stepson’s relatives or her accomplice, her husband Edward (Tony) Dooley.
Dooley and her husband were convicted in 2002 of second-degree murder for the death of Tony’s son, Randal.
They were both sentenced to life in prison, with Marcia Dooley able to apply for parole after 18 years and her husband after 13.
Toronto police have charged a 27-year-old man in connection with three separate homicides in 2020, including the recent shooting death of a 12-year-old boy who was struck by a bullet in the neck while shopping with his mother in North York.
CJay Hobbs, of Toronto, was arrested earlier this week in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
He is alleged to be the getaway driver in the deaths of 12-year-old Dante Andreatta, 21-year-old Dimarjio Jenkins and 27-year-old Hamdi Zakarie.
Insp. Hank Idsinga says Hobbs has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder.
Just before 2:30 p.m. on November 7, 2020, police said more than 30 rounds were fired at a moving vehicle in the area of Jane Street and Stong Court near Finch Avenue West.
Two men and a 17-year-old male from the targeted vehicle were injured. They have since been released from hospital.
The 12-year-old boy, Andreatta, who was walking in the area with his mother at the time when he was shot, died less than a week later in hospital.
Two suspects, 24-year-old Rashawn Chambers and 25-year-old Jahwayne Smart, were arrested and are facing 30 charges, including one count of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder.
Jenkins, a popular Toronto rapper known as “Houdini” was shot to death on May 26, 2020 at 375 King Street West. Two other people were also shot in the same incident, but survived.
Zakarie was shot and killed on October 1, 2020 on Patika Avenue. Police say he was standing outside of his vehicle putting his baby in a rear seat when suspects opened fire from a vehicle. He died at the scene.
“This arrest would not be possible without the diligent and dedicated work of Homicide investigators, as well as support from the Centralized Shooting Response Team,” Idsinga said.
“Our work does not stop here and we will continue to find those responsible and provide the families with the answers they deserve.”
Hobbs is expected to appear in court on Wednesday.
The Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) has cancelled exams for all secondary students for both semesters of the 2020-2021 school year.
In a letter to parents posted on their website, HWDSB Director of EducationManny Figueiredo says students from grade nine to 12 will instead be graded on assignments and learning activities throughout the semester and “any final activities that demonstrate overall learning.”
“Teachers will use their professional judgment to decide on the appropriate activities that best allow students to demonstrate their learning, and scheduled exam days will be used to provide additional opportunities for students to complete assignments,” he said.
The board said the decision was made in accordance with The Ministry of Education’s guidelines allowing school boards to modify how students will be evaluated, taking into account attending school during the “uncertainties of a pandemic.” They added that the move was based on feedback from students, staff as well as parents.
Changes to graduation requirements
Graduation requirements have also been changed due to the challenges presented by the pandemic.
Instead of 40 hours of community involvement, student will have to complete just 20. In addition, students graduating in this school year will not be expected to complete the Ontario Secondary School Grade 10 Literacy Test (OSSLT). The test will be administered in the spring of 2021 for grade 10 students and those graduating in future years.
Grade 9 students will still have to take the EQAO math test because they are testing a new format this year. However the results of the test will not be part of a student’s final course mark “unless the student and teacher agree.”
Two 16-year-old boys and an 18-year-old man are facing a slew of charges in connection to a brazen drive-by shooting at a Toronto bakery that injured six people last September.
Emergency crews were called to the scene at Eglinton and Oakwood avenues, west of Allen Road, around 2 a.m. on Wednesday, September 2, 2020.
According to police, a black vehicle drove past a 24-hour bakery and someone in the vehicle began firing numerous shots.
At the time, Toronto Police Superintendent Shaun Narine said the 24-hour bakery was open and filled with customers, adding that investigators were treating it as a “gang-related and targeted event.”
Narine said a group of people had gathered under the front alcove of the bakery to take shelter from heavy rain at the time of the shooting. He stressed that it is “not a gang-related location” and that some of the people gathered in the crowd were believed to be innocent bystanders.
The six victims ranged in age from 30 to 69 years old. Luckily, none of their injuries were life-threatening.
Illia Ayo, 18, of London, is facing numerous charges, including aggravated assault, discharge firearm recklessly and unauthorized possession of a firearm.
Two 16-year-old boys, who can’t be named, are facing similar charges.
