Sask. health minister says he takes responsibility, but stops short of direct apology
CBC
After disappearing from the media radar for more than a month, Saskatchewan Health Minister Paul Merriman was grilled by journalists on Wednesday about his whereabouts since Aug. 25 and his responsibility during the province's fourth wave of COVID-19.
On Tuesday Saskatchewan recorded one of its worst days in the COVID-19 pandemic, while breaking another ICU record on Wednesday.
"I absolutely do take responsibility for everything, the good, the bad and everything in between that happens within the health care system," said Merriman, who stopped short of an apology when asked about it by reporters.
Saskatchewan's health minister said he takes all his responsibilities as well as the current COVID-19 situation seriously, even though he hasn't been addressing the media in person for over a month.
"There hasn't been a day this year where I haven't been in contact with my officials, with my chief of staff, with people within the healthcare system," he said.
"It's the first thing that I wake up to in the morning and the last thing I think about before I go to bed if I happen to sleep that night."
When asked about his specific whereabouts in the last couple of weeks, Merriman said he has been in Saskatoon and Regina, dealing with COVID-19 as well as non-pandemic related health care issues.
Hudson's Bay Company filed for creditor protection last week, saying it's struggling to pay landlords, vendors and employees — and it's a process that could lead to the sale or closure of Canada's oldest company.
Still sleepy from this week's time change?
RCMP say a man died while in police custody on Wednesday in downtown Yellowknife, and Alberta RCMP are investigating the incident.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford and federal officials left an hours-long meeting with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick saying they feel more positive about the Canada-U.S. trading relationship after weeks of bad blood and heated rhetoric.
The Alberta government wants to cut more than $400 million in the fees it pays to doctors, according to a confidential memo obtained by The Canadian Press.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says Canada's incoming prime minister needs to immediately and urgently negotiate a way to avoid China's planned tariffs on Canadian canola — even before an election call.
A judge has sentenced a 48-year-old man to life in prison for brutally stabbing his ex-wife and daughter to death in North York in 2022.
Ontario is seeing a massive surge in measles cases as an ongoing outbreak spreads in the province among mostly unvaccinated people.
Prince Edward Island's Affordable Housing Development Program fell short of its intended purpose, the province's Auditor General says.
Not even cracking open a cold one is safe from tariffs.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a farewell message to Canadians Thursday as he marks his last full day in office.
The Association of Yukon Fire Chiefs says about 80 per cent of volunteer firefighters in the territory are wearing expired protective equipment, putting them in danger and in violation of occupational health and safety regulations when they respond to emergencies.
Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault will be given a new portfolio in Mark Carney's cabinet, a source with knowledge of the decision told Radio-Canada.