Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 04 Jul, 2023 12:21 PM
R-C-M-P in Prince George say the Canada Day long weekend was especially busy for them.
A statement from the detachment says officers were called to everything from robberies and attempted robberies to the torching of a vehicle -- possibly by a suspect already wanted on two other warrants.
In all, Mounties say they answered 374 calls around Prince George between July 1st and July 3rd.
That's up from the 350 calls they received in the same period last year.
There are 4,282 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 202,898 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 407 individuals are in hospital and 121 are in intensive care.
Though shoplifting remains vastly under-reported, Vancouver Police have seen a surge in people using violence while stealing from stores. Cases involving weapons – things like knives, needles and bear spray – have shot up 550 per cent since 2019. Commercial robberies have gone up 126 per cent during that same time.
Statistics Canada says more than 19,000 Canadians lost their lives during COVID-19 than would have been expected had the pandemic never happened. The report highlights the deadly toll COVID-19 has taken directly and indirectly on Canadian lives.
O'Toole remains the lone leader in Parliament who refuses to disclose how many of his 118-member caucus are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Immunization will be a requirement for MPs wishing to take their seat in the House of Commons when it resumes Nov. 22.
Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne offered the assessment in an interview Monday from Germany, part of a weeklong, three-country European swing that will take him to Paris later in the coming days for a major international conference on the future of AI.
Research has indicated significantly less uptake in COVID-19 vaccines among racialized Canadians — particularly those who are Black — said Dr. Kwame McKenzie, CEO of policy think tank Wellesley Institute.