Category: COVID-19 Mandates

Mask Mandates Extended in Quebec and PEI

Quebec and Prince Edward Island are extending their provincial mask mandates as a result of the rapid spread of Omicron subvariant BA.2. Mandatory masking in indoor public spaces will last until at least April 30 in Quebec, the province’s interim public health director Dr. Luc Boileau said in a press conference on April 5. He said…


Ontario Police Officer Faces Disciplinary Charges for Posting Video Praising Freedom Convoy

An Ontario police officer is facing disciplinary charges for recording a video while in uniform in which she voiced support for the truckers’ Freedom Convoy protest earlier this year. Constable Erin Howard of the Durham Regional Police is charged with two counts each of discreditable conduct, insubordination, and breach of confidence under the Police Service…


Outrage Follows Ohio Restaurant Group’s Endorsement of Gov. DeWine

Thousands of restaurants and bars have closed amid Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s COVID-19 shutdowns and restrictions. Many restaurant and bar owners across the state are expressing outrage after the Ohio Restaurant Association announced it is endorsing DeWine and Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted for re-election. “They have betrayed the very businesses they claim to represent,” said…


Ohio Restaurant Group’s Endorsement of Gov. DeWine Sparks Outrage

Many restaurant and bar owners across the state are expressing outrage after the Ohio Restaurant Association (ORA) announced that it’s endorsing Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted for reelection. Thousands of restaurants and bars have closed amid DeWine’s COVID-19 shutdowns and restrictions. “They have betrayed the very businesses they claim to represent,”…


Conservatives Introduce Motion to End All Federal Vaccine Mandates

The Conservative Party has introduced a motion to end all federal vaccine mandates, including the ability for Canadians to travel without proof of vaccination. Tory MP Michael Barrett, who brought forward the motion in the House of Commons on March 24, said the federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates have continued to keep Canada locked down, prevented Canadians…


Setting a Benchmark for Lifting COVID-19 Mandates ‘Complicated,’ Federal Health Minister Says

Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos says it’s too “complicated” to set a benchmark of specific metrics towards ending the federal vaccine mandates. On March 21, opposition members of the House of Commons health committee hammered the minister with questions about a timeline, a benchmark, or a set of conditions that would lead to the end of…


Here’s What Travellers Need to Know as Canada Cancels Pre-Entry Tests

The federal government scrapped the pre-arrival COVID-19 testing requirement for all fully vaccinated travellers coming into Canada, taking another major step back to normalcy. Federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said in a virtual press conference on Thursday that the country is “entering into a transition phase of this pandemic,” as he announced the removal of pre-entry COVID-19 testing…


13 Charged With Weapons Possession During Coutts Border Blockade Appear in Court

Thirteen individuals accused of possession of a weapon during the Coutts border blockade in Alberta in February appeared in court on March 15. They made a brief appearance virtually in a Lethbridge court. All of them face charges of possession of a weapon and mischief to property over $5,000. Four among the accused also face…


Canadians Were ‘Persuaded to Fear COVID-19 Too Much’: Constitutional Rights Group

Two years have passed since Canadian governments first imposed lockdown measures across the country in mid-March 2020, among other COVID-19 restrictions—a deviation from the initial order of a two-week lockdown to “flatten the curve” that calls for an apology from officials, a constitutional rights group says. On March 15, the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedom…


Ontario to Lift Mask Mandate for Most Settings on March 21

Ontario will lift its mandatory masking requirements for most settings on March 21, says the province’s chief medical officer of health, as COVID-19 indicators continue to improve. Dr. Kieran Moore made the announcement in a press conference on March 9, saying that the number of positive cases in the province remains stable and new admissions…