PFIZER RELEASES IMPROVED RESULTS ON ITS COVID VACCINE

The latest news from pharmaceutical giant Pfizer on its new coronavirus vaccine seems to be a game of one upmanship with Moderna, with their big news on a vaccine that’s 94.5 per cent effective on Monday of this week.  That follows Pfizer’s results being pegged at 90 per cent last week.  But today, Pfizer says its new COVID vaccine is now shown to be 95% effective in third-phase trials, and that means it’ll protect human health 28 days after the first vaccination.  It plans to apply to U-S authorities for approval within the next few days.

 

NOW THAT IT’S HITTING SCHOOLS, COVID IN NS IS “COMMUNITY SPREAD” – STRANG

Doctor Robert Strang is confirming we now have the much-feared “community spread. “  He says there are seven cases that cannot be traced to travel, so experts say they have to be coming from social contacts within the province. Strang says the monthly totals tell the story….Nova Scotia had 3 new cases in September….21 new cases in October and so far, we have 42 new infections in November.  As of today, there are 24 active cases in the province. Strang says that’s a coronavirus trajectory that Nova Scotia cannot continue to follow, as separate clusters have become linked together in social circles, and that has to stop. He also says we need to stop with the rumours, speculation and finger-pointing and follow the scientific facts, so we don’t have to return to the days of full lock-down. (NS Govt Photo)

In addition to Nova Scotia’s first pair of classroom-related COVID cases reported Monday evening, there are also 3 other new cases in the latest update, for a total of 5 new infections so far this week.  Those non school-related cases are people who are close contacts of previously-reported cases.  The 2 cases in Halifax-area classrooms have caused those classrooms to shut down, and Strang says it appears the parents of those students are the reason they picked it up.  The Premier says COVID is not just creeping into our schools, it’s showing up in our neighbourhoods and he understands why Nova Scotians are afraid.  If it continues, Premier McNeil says he will not hesitate to shut down the province’s economy sector by sector to protect peoples’ health. Here is a list of where to find locations where exposure to the virus is most likely: https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/alerts-notices/#possible-exposures

With Christmas shopping now getting underway, Dr. Strang says if you’re going into a downtown store or into a shopping mall, you need to ask the question, “What am I doing to keep myself and other shoppers safe?”  Out of control pandemic numbers in the larger provinces have brought the idea into focus in a major way, and Dr. Strang says Nova Scotians who cannot wear a mask are “very few and far between”.   So he says people need to stop making excuses for not wearing a protective mask.  Strang says that doesn’t mean a faceshield, but a mask that firmly covers your mouth and your nose.  He says the low COVID numbers of the summer are over, and it’s time to “up our game. “

 

ARREST MADE IN THEFT FROM TRURO HOMELESS SOCIETY

An arrest has been made after a home was searched in Truro Heights following a high-profile theft from a non-profit group in Truro. Police are confirming the money taken from the Truro Homeless and Outreach Society (THOS). Police were alerted in September that an undisclosed amount was missing from the group’s bank account.

 

OTTAWA THREATENS TO LEVY HEAVIEST FINES IN G-7 IN PRIVACY LAW PROPOSAL

Ottawa is threatening to impose fines that could run to millions of dollars on private companies who violate the privacy of Canadians, and there are also rules allowing us to demand that our personal online data be destroyed. Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains introduction of the Digital Charter Implementation Act is turning heads.  Legal experts say it’s one of the biggest shakeups in Canada’s privacy law in decades.  If the bill passes, companies would face fines of up to five per cent of revenue or $25 million — whichever is greater — for the most serious offences. The legislation also gives the federal privacy commissioner order-making powers,  including the ability to force an organization to comply and even to order a company to completely stop collecting data or using personal information. The Trudeau government is also planning for the law to give Canadians the option of demanding that their personal online footprint be “destroyed”.

 

QUESTIONS ABOUND ON TORY LEADER’S LABOUR STANCE

Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole is facing calls from both sides of the labour debate to explain his past support for two Conservative bills that were criticized as anti-union.  The news is turning heads in light of his recent call for increased unionization and stronger rights for workers. Mr. O’Toole voted in favour of two Conservative private member’s bills that became law during Stephen Harper’s final year as Prime Minister.  They were criticized by unions at the time for putting stringent rules around financial reporting and secret ballots, making it harder for workplaces to unionize.  Once the Trudeau Liberals came into power, they repealed both laws. (Photo credit – HuffPost Canada)

 

Erica Honoway, who is the sibling of former Conservative leader Andrew Scheer’s wife, was hired in the former leader’s office in 2007 to do bookkeeping work. After the news became public, Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole was pressed for his thoughts on his predecessor’s decision, saying he expects all members of his team “…to live up to and exceed the expectations Canadians have for us.”  Meanwhile, there are further reports that while Scheer was still Speaker of the House of Commons, he also hired his younger sister, Anne Marie Grabetz, through the Speaker’s office itself.  This follows similar accusations against a Liberal M-P over the past few weeks.  That prompted a letter of concern from the federal ethics watchdog. (with files from Global News, CBC)

 

OTTAWA GETS HIGH-PROFILE BACKING ON ANIMAL WELFARE LAW

World-renowned primatologist Jane Goodall is joining forces with Manitoba Sen. Murray Sinclair to press Canada to adopt a more ambitious animal welfare law that would effectively ban keeping great apes and elephants in captivity in this country. If passed, would ban zoos and other establishments from acquiring new great apes or elephants unless they’re doing that to keep the animals safe or for conservation reasons. (FILE PHOTO)

TRUMP DISMISSES TOP ELECTION OFFICIAL 

While abrupt, outgoing President Donald Trump’s dismissal of Christopher Krebs, the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, was not a surprise late yesterday. Since his loss, Trump, like a mafia boss,  has been ridding his administration of officials seen as insufficiently loyal and has been denouncing the conduct of an election that led to an embarrassing defeat to Democrat Joe Biden.

That made Krebs a prime target. He had used the imprimatur of Trump’s own Department of Homeland Security, where his agency was based, to issue a stream of statements and tweets over the past week attesting to the proper conduct of the election and denouncing the falsehoods spread by the president and his supporters — without mentioning Trump by name.

Krebs stood by those assertions after his ouster.“Honoured to serve. We did it right,” he said in a brief statement on Twitter. “Defend Today, Secure Tomorrow.” He closed with the phrase “#Protect 2020,” which had been his agency’s slogan ahead of the election. (Cdn Press)

FORMER U-S FIRST LADY SAYS TRUMP NEEDS TO GO

Former First Lady Michelle Obama is taking some shots at Donald Trump.  She says one of the great responsibilities of the presidency” is to listen when the American people speak and she recalls when Trump took over four years ago that she and her husband had instructed their staffs to “run a respectful, seamless transition of power — one of the hallmarks of American democracy.” Obama admits that none of that was “easy” for her, as Trump had spread racist lies about her husband that had put the Obama family in danger.  She’s quoted as saying this week…“That wasn’t something I was ready to forgive. But I knew that, for the sake of our country, I had to find the strength and maturity to put my anger aside.”  She’s now calling on Trump to quit spreading his conspiracy theories about winning the election, and move on to private life.

 

COLCHESTER COUNTY FIRM GETS ACOA CASH FOR GOURMET MUSHROOM EXPANSION

Maritime Gourmet Mushrooms of Great Village, Colchester County,  is getting some money to expand its operations by 3,000 square feet to meet consumer demand for plant-based, healthy food.

The company produces exotic varieties of specialty mushrooms in an environmentally controlled setting. It also supplies substrate, a wood-based nutrient block that indoor mushrooms are grown in.  That products gets shipped out to clients across the Atlantic Region, Quebec, Ontario and the northeastern U-S.   ACOA is providing a loan of $200,000 to help with automation to decrease production costs.  This money will enable the company to add 3,000 square feet to its facility and install automated equipment to process specialty mushroom substrate, according to a news release. The company is 6 years old and has, on average, added one new employee for each of those years. It produces 11 types of fresh mushrooms, including oyster, shiitake, lion’s mane, cinnamon cap and hen of the woods. They are sold in farmers markets, and also to restaurants and specialty retailers across the four Atlantic provinces.

(Photo Credit – Halifax Farmers’ Market)