Beyond Local

The Bloc leader noted premiers have asked Ottawa for an immediate $28-billion injection into their struggling health-care systems. They have also demanded the federal government raise its share of funding for provinces' health-care costs to 35 per cent from 22 per cent.

The Liberals will have to gain enough opposition support to get their agenda through Parliament. The party's platform outlined about $78 billion in new spending over five years, and hoped to ease the burden on the federal treasury by raking in $25 billion in new tax measures. 

“There’s lots of kids that bike to school using the trail system and on the odd occasion they are bumping into bears. We need parents to remind them to keep their eyes open, make lots of noise and preferably bike in groups.”

Some of Kenney’s caucus members have criticized his health measures as being too little too late, while others say he has gone too far and violated individual rights by imposing a form of voluntary vaccine passports.

The regulator has also spoken to doctors who gave into pressure from patients wanting an exemption letter.

A record number of people voted by mail in the election. 

Kenney is not facing a party leadership review until late next year unless at least 22 United Conservative constituencies vote to hold one earlier. Joel Mullan, the UCP's vice-president of policy, said more than 30 constituency associations have said they intend to call for a review.

Both Pfizer and Moderna are studying COVID-19 vaccines for those as young as six months old. Results are expected later in the year.

The two schools are closed to in-person learning for students in Grades 1 through 9 until Oct. 1 due to large numbers of students absent due to COVID infection.

Elections Canada will start counting more than 780,000 mailed-in ballots Tuesday, and it expects most to be finished by Wednesday, but officials did warn some ridings could take up to four days for final counts.