COVID-19 in Quebec: What you need to know Friday
CBC
Note: Quebec's Health Ministry does not publish the number of vaccines administered on weekends and public holidays.
The Quebec government says it has added more than 2,100 full-time nurses to the public system since offering bonuses nearly a month ago.
The latest figures released Thursday show 2,164 nurses have agreed to come back full-time to the public health network, including 83 retirees and 453 people recruited from the private sector.
The others, the 1,628 workers, are part-timers who agreed to switch to full-time hours.
Health Minister Christian Dubé said in a statement that 408 more nurses have been added since an update last week, and discussions are ongoing with another 2,800 potential candidates.
The province was short about 4,000 nurses in the public system on Sept. 23 when it announced its program offering one-time bonuses of up to $18,000 to help fill critical labour shortages in the network.
However, health groups have repeatedly called for a ban on forced overtime for health-care workers, adding that the move would help entice and retain more staff in the system than money would.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he's "very confident" countries around the world will accept Canadians' proof of vaccination.
On Thursday, the federal government announced that Canadians will be able to use a standardized provincial or territorial proof-of-vaccination documentation to travel internationally — although it will be up to foreign governments to accept them or not.
The government is working with other countries to ensure acceptance abroad. Already the government said that as of Thursday, Ontario, Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan, Nunavut, Northwest Territories and Yukon are issuing the standardized proof of vaccination.
Canadians will be able to use the system both within Canada and for international travel, officials said.
As part of a list of incentives the Quebec government introduced last month to make the public health sector more attractive, health-care facilities and institutions in seven Quebec regions will be required to prioritize desirable work shifts for public health-care workers and unfavourable ones (such as evenings, nights and weekends) for those in private agencies.
Facilities in Montreal, Laval, Montérégie, the Laurentians, Lanaudière, Capitale-Nationale and Chaudière-Appalaches must have a transition plan in place by Dec. 1.
Agency contracts will be renewed for a maximum of six months to allow for this transition.
When Premier Tim Houston recently raised the idea of reconsidering the province's ban on uranium exploration, the suggestion may have left some people scratching their heads.
Former Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Paul Hodgson has a couple of reasons to celebrate Family Day — and Black History Month, for that matter.
A year ago, then Gatineau mayor France Bélisle abruptly resigned, citing a hostile political climate. This week she has spoken out, offering more details of her complaints about municipal politics in Quebec.
One man is dead and three others are in police custody after a deadly assault on a Manitoba First Nation.
When Piper sends her son to school every morning, she calls out a similar refrain: "I love you, try your best, I'll be here to pick you up when school is done," hoping he will be safe and supported.
A downtown Edmonton business advocacy group is worried about how a series of planned bridge closures due to construction could impact the city.
Vancouver resident Tara Garofano says she made a dinner reservation on Valentine's Day — not for romance, but to take advantage of the final hours of the federal government's temporary Goods and Services Tax (GST) holiday.
Students at McMaster University in Hamilton are questioning the institution's commitment to the prevention of sexual violence after staffing changes at the office responsible for that work on campus.
Windsor-Essex could see its biggest snowfalls of the year in what Canada's weather agency is calling a "highly impactful" storm.
Alberta Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Services (FWES) is looking into reports of two young cougars that were spotted alone near Canmore this week.
All crew members of the MSC Baltic III have been rescued after their vessel ran aground close to the Lark Harbour shoreline off Newfoundland and Labrador's west coast.
Here's a look at some of the closures, and special events, happening in Thunder Bay on the Family Day weekend:
If you live in or around Toronto, you may want to keep that shovel nearby.