By Colin Perkel
TORONTO New COVID-19 infections maintained a downward trend in Canada’s two most populous provinces on Wednesday, although authorities reported more than 100 new deaths from the disease.
Ontario reported another 49 deaths even as its daily case count continued an ongoing downward trend, with 1,670 new cases recorded.
Quebec, which saw 53 more COVID-19-related deaths, reported 1,328 new cases.
The province said on Wednesday it would not challenge a court order exempting the homeless from a provincewide curfew.
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“Since the start of the curfew, our desire has been for people experiencing homelessness to be guided to the right resources and not to judicialize them,” said Lionel Carmant, the junior health minister.
Indigenous Services Min. on COVID-19, Racism in Health Care – Jan. 27, 2021
In a news conference on Parliament Hill, Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller provides an update on the federal government’s response to COVID-19 (coronavirus disease), focusing on the pandemic’s impact on Indigenous communities in Canada. He also responds to questions about systemic racism in the health-care system. The update comes as the federal government begins two days of virtual meetings with Indigenous leaders, provincial and territorial health ministers, and health experts aimed at addressing the issue. The minister is joined by Valerie Gideon (the senior assistant deputy minister for the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch of Indigenous Services Canada) and Dr. Tom Wong (the chief medical officer of public health for Indigenous Services Canada).
Second meeting on anti-Indigenous racism in health to focus on solutions yorktonthisweek.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from yorktonthisweek.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Posted: Jan 20, 2021 8:04 PM ET | Last Updated: January 21
Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller says he would have liked to have seen more flexibility on the part of Premier François Legault, when it comes to the curfew and homeless people.(Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)
The federal government is adding its voice to those calling on Premier François Legault to relax how curfew rules are applied to homeless people in Montreal, after a man died over the weekend, just steps away from a shelter that was closed for the night.
On Wednesday, Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller said the death could have been avoided and joined Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante in asking Quebec to be more lenient with the city s homeless population.