Provinces not yet following U.S. on gatherings and the Junos: In The News for March 9

In The News is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to kickstart your day. Here is what’s on the radar of our editors for the morning of March 9 …

What we are watching in Canada …

The president of the Ontario Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists is applauding the province’s move to include pregnant women on its priority list of recipients in the next phase of its COVID-19 vaccination plan.

Dr. Constance Nasello says that although pregnant women were excluded from initial trials of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, there is increasing evidence that the vaccines are safe for them.

Ontario health authorities listed pregnancy as a factor putting someone at risk for hospitalization or death from COVID-19 as they released details of the province’s vaccination plan Friday.

That means pregnant women would be eligible for a vaccine during the second phase of the vaccine rollout.

Also, New U.S. guidelines say people fully inoculated against COVID-19 can drop some precautions when gathering with others, but at least two provincial health ministers say existing public health advice holds for now.

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday that Americans who have waited two weeks since their second required shot can spend time with other immunized people indoors without masks or social distancing. The same applies to gatherings by those at low-risk of severe disease, such as fully vaccinated grandparents visiting healthy grandchildren.

British Columbia Health Minister Adrian Dix said Monday that physical distancing and other public health guidelines will be around for some time.

He said about 15 per cent of B.C.’s eligible residents are expected to be immunized by the end of the month, which is “nothing like herd immunity.”

“The future is bright, but we can’t live the future right now. We’ve got to live the now right now.”

University of Alberta infectious diseases specialist Dr. Lynora Saxinger said evidence on which the U.S. health agency based its advice is “very much in evolution” and such recommendations might not work everywhere.

Virus variants with the potential to break through vaccine protection are also a “wild card,” she said.

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Also this …

TORONTO — Nominees for the 50th Juno Awards will be revealed this morning.

The annual celebration of Canadian music is set to be held in Toronto this year, marking its golden anniversary in the city where it started.

Some of the music industry’s biggest names could be among the contenders, including the Weeknd, Justin Bieber, Grimes and Jessie Reyez, who all released albums last year.

Other potential nominees could include a flurry of breakout newcomers, among them teen singer Tate McRae, Grammy-nominee JP Saxe and Polaris Music Prize winner Backxwash.

The nominations for the Junos will be announced in a pre-recorded showcase that streams on CBC Gem and cbcmusic.ca/junos.

The Juno Awards will be broadcast on the CBC from Toronto on May 16.

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What we are watching in the U.S. …

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — The trial of a former Minneapolis police officer charged in George Floyd’s death is forging ahead with jury selection, even though a looming appellate ruling could halt the case and delay it for weeks or even months as the state tries to add a third-degree murder count. 

Prosecutors are asking the Court of Appeals to put Derek Chauvin’s trial on hold until the issue of adding the third-degree murder count is resolved. The appeals court did not immediately rule on that request, and Judge Peter Cahill said Monday that he intends to keep the trial on track until he’s told to stop. 

Jury selection is expected to begin today, a day later than scheduled.  

Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter in Floyd’s death. The Court of Appeals last week ordered Cahill to consider reinstating a third-degree murder charge that he had dismissed. Legal experts say reinstating the charge would improve the odds of getting a conviction. Chauvin’s lawyer, Eric Nelson, said Monday he would ask the state Supreme Court to review the issue.  

On Monday, prosecutors and defence lawyers agreed to dismiss 16 of the first 50 jurors they reviewed “for cause,” based on their answers to a lengthy questionnaire. The dismissals weren’t debated in court, but such dismissals can be for a host of reasons, such as views that indicate a juror can’t be impartial.  

Floyd was declared dead on May 25 after Chauvin, who is white, pressed his knee against the Black man’s neck for about nine minutes, holding his position even after Floyd went limp. Floyd’s death was captured on widely seen bystander video and sparked sometimes violent protests in Minneapolis and beyond, leading to a nationwide reckoning on race.  

Chauvin and three other officers were fired; the others face an August trial on aiding and abetting charges.  

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What we are watching in the rest of the world …

LONDON — Prince Harry and Meghan’s explosive TV interview divided people around the world on Monday, rocking an institution that is struggling to modernize with claims of racism and callousness toward a woman struggling with suicidal thoughts. 

During the two-hour appearance with Oprah Winfrey, Harry also revealed the problems had ruptured relations with his father, Prince Charles, and brother, Prince William, illuminating the depth of the family divisions that led the couple to step away from royal duties and move to California last year.  

The palace has not yet responded to the interview, in which Meghan described feeling so isolated and miserable inside the Royal Family that she had suicidal thoughts and said a member of the family had “concerns” about the colour of her unborn child’s skin.  

The family member was not the Queen or Prince Philip, Harry confirmed, sparking a flurry of speculation about who it could be.  

Leaders around the world were asked about the interview, and citizens of many countries had an opinion.  

In Accra, Ghana, Devinia Cudjoe said that hearing that a member of the royal family was worried about the colour of the skin of an unborn child was insulting to people of the Commonwealth.  

“That is pure racism,’” Cudjoe said. “(The) Commonwealth is supposed to foster unity, oneness amongst Black people, amongst white people. But if we are hearing things like this … I think that is below the belt.” 

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On this day in 1929 …

Alberta premier J. E. Brownlee refused to introduce a law for an eight-hour workday, saying it was unfair to farmers.

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In entertainment …

Canadian sitcom “Kim’s Convenience” is set to close up shop after its fifth season.

The show’s producers say the popular series will come to an end on April 13 with the final episode of the current season.

It’s a full season shorter than what was planned in early 2020 when the comedy was renewed for two additional seasons at the CBC.

“Kim’s Convenience” stars Paul Sun-Hyung Lee and Simu Liu as members of a Korean-Canadian family who run a corner store in Toronto.

The producers say in a statement that they decided they couldn’t move forward with another season after two of the show’s co-creators left to pursue other projects.

Liu, who will lead Marvel’s upcoming “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” tweeted that he was “heartbroken” by the decision, saying he felt his character’s journey was “cut short.”

He wrote that while he felt “Kim’s Convenience” fans “deserved better,” he was proud of everything the show’s team had accomplished.

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ICYMI …

Alberta’s top court has ordered a third trial for a couple who said they thought their toddler son had croup and were treating him with natural remedies before he died.

David and Collet Stephan were accused of not seeking medical attention sooner for 19-month-old Ezekiel, who died in 2012.

A jury convicted them in 2016, but the Supreme Court of Canada overturned that verdict and ordered a second trial. A judge hearing the case without a jury found then not guilty in 2019.

The Alberta Court of Appeal on Monday granted a request by the Crown to overturn the acquittal. 

In acquitting them at their second trial, Justice Terry Clackson accepted the testimony of a defence expert, who said the boy died of a lack of oxygen, not bacterial meningitis as reported by Dr. Bamidele Adeagbo, the original medical examiner in the case. 

Clackson noted in his decision that Adeagbo, who was born in Nigeria, spoke with an accent and was difficult to understand. 

The judge also called out Adeagbo for “body language and physical antics … not the behaviours usually associated with a rational, impartial professional imparting opinion evidence.” 

The Appeal Court judges ruled that the judge’s critical comments about Adeagbo demonstrated the need for a new trial and for the not guilty verdicts against the Stephans to be set aside.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 9, 2021

The Canadian Press