Saskatchewan's chief medical health officer cries as he presents COVID-19 modelling
REGINA -
Saskatchewan's chief medical health officer broke down in tears today as he made a presentation during a teleconference on COVID-19 modelling in the province.
Dr. Saqib Shahab says it's distressing to see what is happening in Saskatchewan's hospitals and intensive care units.
The province continues to have the highest death rate among the provinces, and has started transferring patients to Ontario as the health authority runs out of hospital beds and staff.
The province's COVID-19 modelling, which is based on current data, shows hospitalizations will continue to increase unless more restrictions on gathering sizes are implemented.
Shahab says at this rate the health-care system will not return to sustainable levels until March 2022.
Tearing up, he says he has no shame in pleading with the public to keep a small bubble of two or three households and to get vaccinated.
Shopping Trends
The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at CTV News. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
W5 Investigates
W5 Investigates 'I never took part in beheadings': Canadian ISIS sniper has warning about future of terror group
An admitted Canadian ISIS sniper held in one of northeast Syria’s highest-security prisons has issued a stark warning about the potential resurgence of the terror group.
Trudeau talks border, trade in surprise dinner with Trump at Mar-a-Lago
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau discussed border security and trade during a surprise dinner with U.S.-president elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago in West Palm Beach, Fla. on Friday evening, according to senior government sources.
Are scented candles bad for you? What the science says
Concerns about the safety of candles are rooted in the chemical reactions that occur when you burn them, as well as in the artificial fragrances and colorants that contribute to the various scents you may love.
Magic can't save 'Harry Potter' star Rupert Grint from a US$2.3 million tax bill
Former 'Harry Potter' film actor Rupert Grint faces a 1.8 million-pound (US$2.3 million) bill after he lost a legal battle with the tax authorities.
Postal workers union files unfair labour practice complaint over Canada Post layoffs
The union representing Canada Post workers has filed an unfair labour practice complaint with the Canada Industrial Relations Board over the layoffs of striking employees.
'Absolutely been a success': Responders looks back at 988, Canada's Suicide Crisis Helpline, one year later
In its first year, responders for Canada's Suicide Crisis Helpline, known as 988, have answered more than 300,000 calls and texts in communities nationwide.
Indonesian fishermen rescue 116 Rohingya refugees
Indonesian fishermen on Saturday rescued 116 Rohingya refugees, mostly hungry and weak women and children, after their rickety boat sank, officials said.
From inside a Cameroon jail, gay youth say police exploit homophobia to seek bribes
Cameroon's penal code criminalizes 'sexual relations with a person of the same sex,' with a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $450 fine.
Face facts: Statues of stars like Kane and Ronaldo don't always deliver. Sculptors offer advice
One art critic compared the new Harry Kane bronze statue to a bulging-jawed comic strip character.
Saskatoon
-
Saskatoon temporary smudge location to be taken down
While the City of Saskatoon says it granted a temporary permit for smudging and a ceremonial open fire, that expired at 6p.m. Tuesday night.
-
'A huge value addition': Sask. scientists develop way to make canola meal more profitable
Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan are looking at making the canola crop more profitable.
-
Missing 60-year-old Sask. man found dead
The Saskatchewan RCMP says 60-year-old Clayton Cameron, reported missing earlier this week, has been found dead.
Winnipeg
-
True North officially buys Portage Place Mall
True North Real Estate Development (TNRED) has officially purchased Portage Place Mall.
-
Parts of southwestern Manitoba under extreme cold warning, temperatures could feel like -40
Much of southwestern Manitoba is under an extreme cold warning as the wind chill could make temperatures feel close to minus 40.
-
'Very alarming:' Online scams spike during the holidays
Shoppers are out looking for the best deals on gifts for their loved ones. However, the RCMP and the Better Business Bureau are warning people that the deals they’re seeing online might be too good to be true.
Edmonton
-
Massage therapist charged in connection with sexual assault at Mill Woods clinic
An Edmonton massage therapist has been charged with sexual assault in connection with an incident earlier this year.
-
Lights, markets and parades: Here's what's happening in and around Edmonton this weekend
The holiday magic never stops in Edmonton and the city, and surrounding communities, has plenty happening to keep people busy this weekend.
-
Armed convenience store robber sought by Edmonton police
Police are searching for the man who robbed a convenience store in southwest Edmonton last weekend.
Calgary
-
Man who died trying to help stranded motorist identified as Khalid Farooq, father of 5
The man who lost his life trying to help a stranded motorist Wednesday has been identified as Khalid Farooq.
-
Cautious optimism? Alberta energy sector prepping for a turbulent 2025
Energy sector leaders say they're happy with how 2024 went but fear the stretch of good fortune could end in 2025.
-
3 injured in southeast Calgary stabbing; 1 in potentially life-threatening condition
Three people were injured in a stabbing incident in southeast Calgary on Friday. It happened in the 100 block of Walden Square S.E. at 4:40 p.m.
Lethbridge
-
City of Lethbridge launches 'Goosinator' tool to manage waterfowl at lakes
While it may look colourful and cartoonish to humans, a new tool is designed to represent a predator for geese and other species at Henderson Lake to improve water quality.
-
Western Slam basketball tournament tips off in Lethbridge
The inaugural Western Slam tournament got underway Thursday evening at the VisitLethbridge.com Arena.
-
Unattended candle led to fire inside Lethbridge home: officials
An investigation is underway after a fire at a Lethbridge home on Friday.
Toronto
-
Why this Toronto man ran so a giant stickman could dance
Colleagues would ask Duncan McCabe if he was training for a marathon, but, really, the 32-year-old accountant was committing multiple hours of his week, for 10 months, to stylistically run on the same few streets in Toronto's west end with absolutely no race in mind. It was all for the sake of creating a seconds-long animation of a dancing stickman for Strava.
-
'A huge, huge hit:' Ontario would be disproportionately impacted by Trump’s proposed tariffs, expert says
If U.S. President-elect Donald Trump follows through on a threat to impose a 25 per cent tariff on all Canadian imports, Ontario will likely see the brunt of the impact, a business professor at Carleton University says.
-
BREAKING
BREAKING Feds announce $758 million in funding for new Line 2 TTC subway trains
The TTC will get funding from the federal government to replace aging trains on Line 2, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland has announced.
Ottawa
-
NEW THIS MORNINGNEW THIS MORNING Canadian Army vehicles on roads and highways in the Ottawa area starting this weekend
Attention eastern Ontario drivers! You may see an increased number of Canadian Army vehicles on roads and highways in the Ottawa area starting this weekend, warns the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).
-
'We will always be a downtown store': Steve's Music Store moving from Rideau Street after 42 years
A staple of the Rideau Street corridor, Steve's Music Store, is packing up and moving out after 42 years in business. The store will not be closing, its manager says, but rather moving to a new location that is yet unannounced.
-
Flurries in the forecast for Ottawa this Saturday
Flurries are in the forecast for Ottawa this Saturday.
Montreal
-
Buying a home? Here's everything you need to know about Quebec's 'welcome' tax
Anyone who has bought a home in Quebec knows the rollercoaster high of making that big, life-changing purchase – and the sudden crash that occurs when the welcome tax bill comes in the mail, alongside its 30-day payment deadline.
-
Montreal researchers make breakthrough discovery in fighting HIV
Researchers in Montreal have made a breakthrough discovery in HIV research by finding a way to expel the virus from its hiding places and destroy it.
-
Hit man offered $100,000 to kill Montreal crime reporter covering his trial
Political leaders and press freedom groups on Friday were left shell-shocked after Montreal news outlet La Presse revealed that a hit man had offered $100,000 to have one of its crime reporters assassinated.
Vancouver
-
Students push for AEDs at Vancouver schools following friend's death
Following the tragic death of their friend, a group of students is pushing for automated external defibrillators, or AEDs, to be installed in all Vancouver schools.
-
Health authority apologizes after hospital sends blind senior to Downtown Eastside shelter
The Fraser Health authority has issued an apology after 86-year-old Gwendalyn Deraspe was released on Tuesday from Ridge Meadows hospital and sent in a cab by staff to live at a Downtown Eastside women’s shelter.
-
Calgary man claims B.C. trucking company compromised his safety
A Calgary man says a B.C. trucking company did not not listen to his safety concerns during a recent shift.
Vancouver Island
-
Yuletide festivities help kick off holiday season in Greater Victoria
Greater Victoria has a host of yuletide festivities this weekend for residents ready to kick off the holiday season.
-
Supreme Court clears way for B.C. to include other governments in opioid lawsuit
B.C. Attorney General Niki Sharma says a Supreme Court of Canada victory has cleared a "pathway" for governments across the country to go after opioid makers and distributors for damages arising from the opioid crisis.
-
Study of 2023 Okanagan wildfires recommends limiting development in high-risk areas
A study into the devastating wildfires that struck British Columbia's Okanagan region in 2023 has recommended that government and industry limit development in high-fire-risk areas.
Kelowna
-
Study of 2023 Okanagan wildfires recommends limiting development in high-risk areas
A study into the devastating wildfires that struck British Columbia's Okanagan region in 2023 has recommended that government and industry limit development in high-fire-risk areas.
-
Kelowna, B.C., to host the Memorial Cup in the spring of 2026
The Western Hockey League's Kelowna Rockets will host the Memorial Cup in the spring of 2026, the Canadian Hockey League said Wednesday.
-
545 vehicles impounded in 332 days: BC Highway Patrol pleads for drivers to slow down
Mounties with the BC Highway Patrol in Kelowna say they've impounded more than 545 vehicles for excessive speed and aggressive driving so far this year. That works out to more than 1.6 per day.
London
-
City and Byron property owner approach agreement after years of disputes
A settlement appears to be in the works between the city and a property owner in Byron who leveled a historic barn.
-
CTV News London’s top stories from this week
In case you missed it, CTV News London has gathered all of the top local stories from this week into one video for your convenience.
-
Parts of region bracing for up to one metre of snow this weekend
It’s a day for digging in Bruce County. School buses across Bruce and Grey counties were cancelled Friday due to snowsqualls that dumped as much as 15 centimetres of snow on the region overnight.
Kitchener
-
Traffic chaos on Highway 401 through Kitchener
Highway 401, through Kitchener, was brought to a standstill Friday due to an investigation by Ontario Provincial Police.
-
Family of Guelph, Ont. man killed in B.C. crash pushing for case review
The family of a Guelph, Ont. man who was killed in a car crash in British Columbia is pushing for a review of the case, after learning about the charge that a driver involved is now facing.
-
Region of Waterloo considers reducing, and even cutting, some services to keep tax increase down
The Region of Waterloo is considering reducing or eliminating some services in an effort to lower the potential 2025 tax increase.
Northern Ontario
-
Man fined $10K for abandoning homemade barge in Lake Nipissing
A man from Lavigne, Ont., has been fined $10,000 for abandoning a homemade barge in Lake Nipissing.
-
Another 60 cm of snow possible in the Sault as severe weather continues
Closures and cancellations are piling up in Sault Ste. Marie as a major winter storm continues for another day Friday.
-
Heavy police presence on road in Iroquois Falls
Members of the public are being asked to avoid the area of Nellie Lake Road West in Iroquois Falls.
Atlantic
-
Man charged after Halifax high school placed in hold and secure
A man has been charged after a high school in Halifax was placed in hold and secure Friday morning.
-
Teen arrested in connection with weapons call at Fredericton High School
Fredericton Police Force arrested a 14-year-old boy Thursday in relation to a weapons call at Fredericton High School.
-
New book puts the lens on historic N.S. filmmaker Margaret Perry
A Nova Scotia artist known as one of Canada’s most prolific early filmmakers is having the focus put on her story.
N.L.
-
Newfoundland's LGBTQ2S+ bar paid drag queens $37.50. Tara Nova called them out.
If the screaming crowd in the twinkling Majestic Theatre in downtown St. John's was any indication, Newfoundland drag queen Tara Nova will never have to accept $37.50 for a show again.
-
'Who profits on hunger?': Inuit send pleading emails to minister about food costs
People in Nunavut and northern Labrador have been writing to Canadian government officials this year to say grocers were charging exorbitant prices despite receiving a federal subsidy.
-
As N.L. firm pivots, scientists say Canada's green hydrogen dreams are far-fetched
A Newfoundland energy company's embrace of data centres is raising doubts about eastern Canadian hopes of harnessing the region's howling winds to supply Germany with power from green hydrogen.
