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<body><p class="D(f)!"><main class="W($mainColWidth) Mend($gridMargin)"><div id="module-moreStories" class="wafer-rapid-module Mb($gridMargin)"><div id="stream-wrapper" class="stream wafer-sticky"><ul class="common simple-list Pstart(0)"><li class="common simple-list-item stream-item D(n):e stream-list Mt(20px) Mt(0):fc Mb(25px) Mih(144px) js-stream-content"><div class="item-hover-trigger Pos(r)"><div class="item-img-wrapper Pos(r) Fl(start) Mend(16px) Ov(h) Fxs(0) Bdrs(8px) Z(0)"><img class="Mah(168px) W(257px) H(144px) D(b) item-hover-trigger:h_Scale(1.05) Trs(listItemTransformTransition) wafer-img" src="https://s.yimg.com/cv/apiv2/default/20190501/placeholder.gif" alt></div><div class="simple-item-content Mih(124px)"><p class="M(0) C($summaryColor) Fz(14px) Lh(1.43em) LineClamp(3,60px)">Donald Trump is now a history-making loser.His doomed crusade to overturn the U.S. election result crossed a milestone following electoral college meetings Monday that formally selected Joe Biden as the next president.Not in a century and a half, since the post-Civil War era, has a defeated presidential candidate continued to challenge the results past those electoral college meetings.That's where Trump now finds himself. He has persisted in peddling the idea he can still win even after losing Monday in the formal electoral votes.He not only denied the electoral college reality in a flurry of defiant tweets. Trump's campaign also convinced groups of Republicans to organize their own parallel meetings in various swing states and declare him the winner.It's part of a no-hope effort to persuade the U.S. Congress to call the election result erroneous and to vote to overturn it.  "This is off the charts," said Alexander Keyssar, a professor at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government and author of a book on the history of the electoral college."It's very unusual." Trump expected to continue fight into JanuaryKeyssar said there have often been arguments about elections, and recounts, and even court fights like the one in 2000 between George W. Bush and Al Gore.There was also a protest from a few Democrats who delayed, by a couple of hours, congressional certification of Bush's win in Ohio in 2004.But what's novel, he said, is the losing candidate insisting on fighting after 538 voters of the electoral college formalize the results across the country.That threshold was breached Monday.Trump allies suggested they intended to keep the struggle going until a final showdown: when members of Congress meet on Jan. 6 at 1 p.m.ET to complete the final step in the selection of the president.Several election experts dismissed Trump's alternate slate gambit as futile. WATCH | Trump supporters gather in Washington, D.C., to protest election results:The congressional numbers simply aren't there for him. For Trump to get the required simple majority in both houses of Congress to nullify certain states' votes, he would need a string of unprecedented and, frankly, unfathomable developments.For starters, the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives would have to agree to it. It's highly unlikely he would even get the tiny Republican Senate majority to go along, given that several Senate Republicans, including Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, have already recognized or even congratulated Biden on his win.Both chambers would need to nullify the results in at least three states, strip Biden of at least 37 electoral votes to keep him under the 270 majority, and then to force what's called a contingent election in which each state delegation in Congress gets a vote."Not gonna happen. It's just not gonna happen," Keyssar said.Republicans in several states acknowledged Biden as winnerThere's no sign Trump has the required support even within his own party — as a growing number of Republican lawmakers declared Monday, either bluntly or tentatively, that it's over and Biden has won.In state capitals, a number of top state-level Republicans have also made clear they won't help Trump fight the result through their own legislatures. Republican leaders in Michigan issued statements calling Biden the election winner Monday — it drew a torrent of angry comments online from Republican voters.The author of a two-year old paper that previewed how mail-in ballots could prompt legal feuds and chaos said this is it for Trump.Edward Foley said that after dozens of court losses, and after Monday's 306-232 loss in the electoral college, Trump can try whatever he wants with Congress."It's still not going to affect the result," said Foley, director of Ohio State University's election-law program and author of different books on the electoral college and disputed elections.But he said the prolonged feud can still damage the country.Electoral college votes under cloud of securityAt least four people were stabbed and one was shot last weekend during election-related street confrontations between opponents and supporters of the president in Washington, D.C., and Washington State.Security concerns prompted authorities to take unusual precautions to protect members of the electoral college.In Arizona, the meeting took place in an undisclosed location.In Michigan, Chris Cracchiolo accepted a police escort to the event in the state legislature; police had urged lawmakers to avoid the building because of credible threats of violence."I wouldn't have believed it," Cracchiolo said in an interview, referring to the tension surrounding the vote. "So many things over the last four years have shocked me. … So many things [where] I just shake my head and say, 'I've never seen this before.'"Cracchiolo, a sales representative for three decades for AT&T, is now a volunteer with the state Democratic Party. At a meeting this past summer, he was selected by members in his area to be one of Michigan's 16 electors.He said he felt a bit nervous during the three-hour drive Monday from his home in northern Michigan to Lansing, the state capital.Ultimately, though, he saw very few pro-Trump protesters on the way into the legislature; after the meeting, he waved off the offer of a police escort and walked back, unsupervised, to the parking lot.He said he's hopeful American politics will get back to a calmer place after the pandemic. He said the incoming president, Biden, is well-suited to that nation-soothing task.Yet events elsewhere on the Michigan legislature grounds suggested dreams of national unity may have to wait a while. A group of Michigan Republicans arrived for a planned meeting to choose a competing slate of Trump electors and were told to leave by a police officer.  At the Trump campaign's request, such unofficial electoral college meetings were held by Republicans in different states, in Arizona, Pennsylvania, Georgia and elsewhere.Trump aide Stephen Miller described the latest plan in an interview with Fox News."We're going to send those [competing lists] up to Congress," Miller said.Security and secret sitesMeanwhile, the campaign will keep fighting in court, arguing that states failed to follow election laws, and hope that some court victories persuade Congress to appoint Trump in its Jan. 6 votes.The Trump campaign has lost dozens of court cases so far.In Pennsylvania, Marian Moskowitz arrived for her meeting at an undisclosed location.As a member of the electoral college she knew the plan was to meet at the Forum auditorium in the state capital of Harrisburg.But the site was kept secret from the public for security precautions. Moskowitz, an early Biden supporter, got a call from the party last month inviting her to be an elector. "It was just so overwhelming," she said. "So humbling and exciting. All these emotions go through you."She expressed pride in being able to cast a vote for the first female vice-president, and first Black vice-president, Kamala Harris.'Just the craziest year'She pulled up to a parking garage and a shuttle transported her to the meeting location where 20 Pennsylvanians voted for Biden."It's just just the craziest year. Don't you feel like you're living in a novel somewhere?" Moskowitz said, referring to the unusually high security precautions. "I am concerned. I think we can see now with this president how vulnerable our democracy truly is. That one person can change the way we function."Biden, for his part, saluted the resiliency of the U.S. electoral system. In a speech Monday night, he said there's now evidence that nothing — not even a pandemic, or an abuse of power — can extinguish American democracy.</p></div></div></li><li class="common simple-list-item stream-item D(n):e stream-list Mt(20px) Mt(0):fc Mb(25px) Mih(144px) js-stream-content"><div class="item-hover-trigger Pos(r)"><div class="item-img-wrapper Pos(r) Fl(start) Mend(16px) Ov(h) Fxs(0) Bdrs(8px) Z(0)"><img class="Mah(168px) W(257px) H(144px) D(b) item-hover-trigger:h_Scale(1.05) Trs(listItemTransformTransition) wafer-img" src="https://s.yimg.com/cv/apiv2/default/20190501/placeholder.gif" alt></div><div class="simple-item-content Mih(124px)"><p class="M(0) C($summaryColor) Fz(14px) Lh(1.43em) LineClamp(3,60px)">EDMONTON — Alberta Premier Jason Kenney says the province's first doses of COVID-19 vaccine have arrived.Kenney made the announcement in a video released late Monday, which showed him standing next to a cargo jet at Calgary International Airport just after sunset and wearing a UPS reflective vest."We've just watched UPS unload our first 3,900 doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine," Kenney said, calling it "a game changer.""We hope to have our first Albertan to get the first dose of the vaccine within the next 24 hours," he added, saying that intensive care nurses are queued up to be the first to receive the vaccine."This is a happy day after these nine tough months, to show that there really is a light here."Earlier in the day Alberta’s health minister said another 25,000 are coming doses are coming next week.“These next few weeks are going to be the toughest yet, but relief is on the way, and it’s starting this week,” Tyler Shandro said during a virtual news conference earlier Monday.“We’re going to give the first dose of the vaccine to 29,000 health-care professionals by the end of December."Shandro noted the first shipments need to be distributed at their point of arrival, so they cannot be transported to treat long-term care home residents, who have been especially vulnerable to the novel coronavirus.“With this strategy, we’ll directly protect those providing care and also start to protect patients indirectly by reducing the risk of transmission from staff,” he said.Unspecified amounts of the Moderna vaccine, which still needs approval from Health Canada, are expected by the end of December, Shandro said.“We’re getting these vaccines out as fast as humanly possible,” he said.“But I have to emphasize this is a process that will take months.”Alberta plans to vaccinate the highest-risk group first, including health-care workers, care home residents and the elderly.The rest of the population is to be vaccinated in two phases throughout the spring and summer as more doses become available.The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines each require two shots weeks apart to be effective.Last week, Kenney announced tighter public-health restrictions to choke off many community contact points. Museums, gyms, hair salons, spas and casinos had to close as of Sunday. Retail businesses are limited to 15 per cent capacity, and restaurants and bars to takeout and delivery.No indoor or outdoor gatherings are allowed, although people can ski, walk or do other fitness pursuits as long as they maintain physical distancing.Alberta has been leading the country in infection rates of late. Daily case counts have been well over 1,000 for almost a month. On Monday, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, chief medical officer of health, reported a new daily high of 1,887 cases.There were 716 people in hospital, 136 of whom were in intensive care. There were 15 more deaths, bringing that total in the province to 734.The new retail restrictions that took effect Sunday led to reports and photos on social media of packed parking lots and crowded shopping malls. “Malls do need to comply with the 15 per cent capacity cap,” Hinshaw said. “That would include all those who were inside the mall, in both common areas and stores.”She said officials will be following up with store and mall owners and noted that the province has increased the number of peace officers able to hand out health-violation tickets.Last week, the United Conservative government announced $500 million in added supports for businesses affected by the shutdown.The Opposition NDP said more bridging help is needed for workers who find themselves laid off due to the recent changes. NDP labour critic Christina Gray urged the province to give workers suddenly facing unemployment $1,000 each to tide them over until employment insurance or other federal COVID-19 aid kicks in.  “Instead of being able to spend some money on gifts this holiday season, many Albertans will just be trying to keep a roof over their head and food on their table,” said Gray. “Right now people don’t have weeks (to wait). "They need help immediately.”This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 14, 2020.Dean Bennett, The Canadian Press</p></div></div></li><li class="common simple-list-item stream-item D(n):e stream-list Mt(20px) Mt(0):fc Mb(25px) Mih(144px) js-stream-content"><div class="item-hover-trigger Pos(r)"><div class="item-img-wrapper Pos(r) Fl(start) Mend(16px) Ov(h) Fxs(0) Bdrs(8px) Z(0)"><img class="Mah(168px) W(257px) H(144px) D(b) item-hover-trigger:h_Scale(1.05) Trs(listItemTransformTransition) wafer-img" src="https://s.yimg.com/cv/apiv2/default/20190501/placeholder.gif" alt></div><div class="simple-item-content Mih(124px)"><p class="M(0) C($summaryColor) Fz(14px) Lh(1.43em) LineClamp(3,60px)">China's Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) plans to invest $5 billion in a lithium battery plant in Indonesia, Indonesia's deputy minister at the coordinating ministry of maritime and investment affairs said on Tuesday. The lithium battery plant will start production in 2024, deputy minister, Septian Hario Seto, told a virtual briefing.</p></div></div></li><li class="common simple-list-item stream-item D(n):e stream-list Mt(20px) Mt(0):fc Mb(25px) Mih(144px) js-stream-content"><div class="item-hover-trigger Pos(r)"><div class="item-img-wrapper Pos(r) Fl(start) Mend(16px) Ov(h) Fxs(0) Bdrs(8px) Z(0)"><img class="Mah(168px) W(257px) H(144px) D(b) item-hover-trigger:h_Scale(1.05) Trs(listItemTransformTransition) wafer-img" src="https://s.yimg.com/cv/apiv2/default/20190501/placeholder.gif" alt></div><div class="simple-item-content Mih(124px)"><p class="M(0) C($summaryColor) Fz(14px) Lh(1.43em) LineClamp(3,60px)">BRUSSELS (Reuters) -U.S. technology firms including Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google face fines of up to 10% of annual turnover and could even be broken up under draft European Union rules announced on Tuesday aimed at curbing their powers. The rules are the most serious attempt by the 27-country bloc to rein in tech companies that control troves of data and online platforms relied on by thousands of companies and millions of Europeans for their work and social interactions. They show the European Commission's frustration with its antitrust cases against the tech giants, notably Alphabet's Google, which critics say have not addressed the problem.</p></div></div></li><li class="common simple-list-item stream-item D(n):e stream-list Mt(20px) Mt(0):fc Mb(25px) Mih(144px) js-stream-content"><div class="item-hover-trigger Pos(r)"><div class="item-img-wrapper Pos(r) Fl(start) Mend(16px) Ov(h) Fxs(0) Bdrs(8px) Z(0)"><img class="Mah(168px) W(257px) H(144px) D(b) item-hover-trigger:h_Scale(1.05) Trs(listItemTransformTransition) wafer-img" src="https://s.yimg.com/cv/apiv2/default/20190501/placeholder.gif" alt></div><div class="simple-item-content Mih(124px)"><p class="M(0) C($summaryColor) Fz(14px) Lh(1.43em) LineClamp(3,60px)">China's Baidu Inc is considering making its own electric vehicles and has held talks with automakers about the possibility, three people with knowledge of the matter said, the latest move in a race among tech firms to develop smart cars. The search-engine leader, which also develops autonomous driving technology and internet connectivity infrastructure, is considering contract manufacturing, one of the people said, or creating a majority-owned venture with automakers. The initiative would be a step up from internet peers such as Tencent Holdings Ltd, Amazon.com Inc and Alphabet Inc, which have also developed auto-related technology or invested in smart-car startups.</p></div></div></li><li class="common simple-list-item stream-item D(n):e stream-list Mt(20px) Mt(0):fc Mb(25px) Mih(144px) js-stream-content"><div class="item-hover-trigger Pos(r)"><div class="item-img-wrapper Pos(r) Fl(start) Mend(16px) Ov(h) Fxs(0) Bdrs(8px) Z(0)"><img class="Mah(168px) W(257px) H(144px) D(b) item-hover-trigger:h_Scale(1.05) Trs(listItemTransformTransition) wafer-img" src="https://s.yimg.com/cv/apiv2/default/20190501/placeholder.gif" alt></div><div class="simple-item-content Mih(124px)"><p class="M(0) C($summaryColor) Fz(14px) Lh(1.43em) LineClamp(3,60px)">WASHINGTON — For weeks, President Donald Trump has put America's democratic institutions under unprecedented strain as he fights to hold power despite losing his bid for reelection. But the institutions so far are holding firm.On Monday, the Electoral College did its part, formally confirming President-elect Joe Biden's victory over Trump. Electors in all 50 states cast ballots that reflected the will of their voters, despite pressure from Trump to subvert the results.“The flame of democracy was lit in this nation a long time ago, We now know nothing, not even a pandemic or an abuse of power, can extinguish that flame," Biden said shortly after the final electors cast their votes.The Electoral College vote was indeed the most important affirmation to date of Biden’s victory and the integrity of the U.S. election, which has come under sustained and baseless assault from Trump and his allies. Yet historians and democracy experts said they feared that the tumultuous post-election period had exposed the fragility of the instruments of democracy set up to protect the will of the voters.“There’s certainly some relief in the short term but I am deeply worried about how these institutions could buckle under further strain,” said Alex Keyssar, a professor of history and public policy at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. “We’ve seen a willingness to depart from norms that are necessary to keep fairly creaky institutions functioning well.”Trump and some of his allies made clear Monday that their attack on the election will continue — perhaps up until Biden takes the oath of office on Jan. 20. They signalled they intend to challenge the electors and may contest their final approval by Congress on Jan. 6.Anything less than certification of Biden's victory would amount to an unprecedented undermining of a free and fair American election. Yet many Republicans have indeed stood with Trump's efforts thus far, including 126 House GOP lawmakers who backed his calls for the Supreme Court to overturn Biden's wins in four battleground states.There were signs Monday that some Republicans were ready to move on. Several GOP senators who have previously refused to plainly acknowledge Biden's victory affirmed Monday evening that the Democrat was indeed the president-elect, including South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close ally of Trump.That was little comfort to Edward Watts, a history professor at the University of California San Diego, who said Trump has likely laid the predicate for future leaders to challenge election results with little evidence to back up their claims.Trump's tactics “are quite likely to be tried again by other people,” Watts said. "And when they are, the attempt will be more effective and powerful and we need to be prepared for that.”Trump's attempts to derail Biden's victory were thwarted from the start, with the courts and a handful of Republicans in key positions forming the guardrails of American democracy.The courts were particularly aggressive in fending off Trump's baseless charges of election fraud, which is notable because the president has pointed to his packing the federal courts with Republican judges as a signature achievement of his time in office. Nearly every lawsuit filed by the president and his allies has been rejected, with some judges showing little patience with GOP attorneys.“Voters, not lawyers, choose the president. Ballots, not briefs, decide elections,” Judge Stephanos Bibas wrote when the 3rd U.S. Circuit panel refused to stop Michigan from certifying its results for Biden. Bibas, a Trump-appointed judge, called the demand “breathtaking.”Some Republican officials have also stood up to the president, including the governors of Georgia and Arizona, two key states carried by Biden. After both governors certified the Democrat’s victory, Trump cast them as traitors to his cause.Attorney General William Barr, one of Trump’s closest allies and most forceful defenders in the administration, said in an interview with The Associated Press that there was no evidence of fraud that would overturn the outcome of the election. Shortly after Biden's Electoral College victory was confirmed, Trump announced that Barr was departing the administration before Christmas.Barr and other Republicans, however, have been outliers. Huge swaths of Trump’s party have either rallied to his side or stayed silent, giving him space to attack the integrity of the election and challenge Biden’s legitimacy. Last week, 126 House Republicans backed a lawsuit asking the Supreme Court to invalidate the vote in four states Biden won. The high court rejected the request.Former Rep. Jim Leach, an Iowa Republican who backed Biden in the election, said the GOP lawmakers who backed Trump’s legal efforts have been “very injurious to our country.”“I’ve never known an institution of governance that has so embarrassed the country as this one has at this time,” said Leach, a moderate who served for 30 years before his defeat in 2006. “It also appears to have a movement that’s going to continue. How long-lasting and embittered it’s going to be is a question mark.”The nation’s democratic elections have come under serious strain before. In 1876, as the nation was still working past the divisiveness of the Civil War, both Republicans and Democrats claimed victory in the presidential election and each submitted their own slate of electors. That election is widely viewed as one of the most contentious in U.S. history, with a congressional committee ultimately deciding the election in favour of Rutherford B. Hayes, whose supporters had made a dubious bargain to effectively end Reconstruction in exchange for support.More recently, the 2000 election between Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore hinged on the outcome of an exceedingly close contest in Florida and ultimately landed before the Supreme Court. The court ruling gave Bush the edge, and Gore quickly conceded and issued a call for national unity.It's all but certain that Trump won't follow Gore's example in the weeks to come. It's unclear even whether he'll attend Biden's inauguration and he has floated the prospect of immediately starting a campaign for the 2024 Republican nomination.Steven Feldstein, a former State Department official during Barack Obama’s presidency who is now a senior fellow at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said the scope of the strain on America's institutions will depend on what happens after Biden is sworn in.“The question is, is this a moment in time that fades away as Trump leaves the presidency, or is this the beginning of a new authoritarian foundation that people build upon and use in the future to undermine the essence of democracy,” Feldstein said._AP writer Colleen Long contributed to this report.Julie Pace, Thomas Beaumont And Brian Slodysko, The Associated Press</p></div></div></li><li class="common simple-list-item stream-item D(n):e stream-list Mt(20px) Mt(0):fc Mb(25px) Mih(144px) js-stream-content"><div class="item-hover-trigger Pos(r)"><div class="item-img-wrapper Pos(r) Fl(start) Mend(16px) Ov(h) Fxs(0) Bdrs(8px) Z(0)"><img class="Mah(168px) W(257px) H(144px) D(b) item-hover-trigger:h_Scale(1.05) Trs(listItemTransformTransition) wafer-img" src="https://s.yimg.com/cv/apiv2/default/20190501/placeholder.gif" alt></div><div class="simple-item-content Mih(124px)"><p class="M(0) C($summaryColor) Fz(14px) Lh(1.43em) LineClamp(3,60px)">Citing unnamed sources, Nikkei said the company had asked suppliers to produce around 95 million to 96 million iPhones. Apple, which stopped disclosing iPhone unit sales data two years ago, did not respond to a Reuters request for comment, but the report comes at a time when analysts are debating the likely extent of a boost from its launch of 5G handsets. Nikkei also said Apple plans to build up to 230 million iPhones in total next year, a 20% rise from 2019, though the target will be regularly reviewed and revised in response to consumer demand.</p></div></div></li><li class="common simple-list-item stream-item D(n):e stream-list Mt(20px) Mt(0):fc Mb(25px) Mih(144px) js-stream-content"><div class="item-hover-trigger Pos(r)"><div class="simple-item-content Mih(124px)"><div class="provider-logo C(#000) My(7px) Fw(600) H(18px)"><span class="D(ib) Mt(2px) Mb(4px) C($c-fuji-grey-m)">Initiative de journalisme local</span></div><p class="M(0) C($summaryColor) Fz(14px) Lh(1.43em) LineClamp(3,60px)">Le Conseil régional de l’environnement (CRE) de Laval a tenu à présenter officiellement ses excuses pour les désagréments provoqués par les récents survols d’hélicoptère dans la partie sud de la ville. «Le bruit causé par ces vols en basse altitude a créé de l’émoi et des inquiétudes chez plusieurs», reconnaît l’organisme dans un communiqué publié le 14 décembre. Cela s’est produit durant la nuit des mardi 8 et mercredi 9 décembre dans le cadre d’un projet de thermographie mené conjointement avec le département de géographie de l’Université du Québec à Montréal (UQÀM). «Malgré la participation de la Ville à ce projet, celle-ci ne connaissait pas les dates des vols et n’a donc pu avertir d’avance les acteurs concernés, écrit la direction tout en précisant que la technique utilisée pour établir le portrait de la performance énergétique du parc immobilier lavallois implique des vols de nuit.  Le CRE de Laval constate et assume pleinement ce manque de communication et en est réellement désolé.» Cela dit, le Conseil régional de l’environnement dit en tirer des leçons et assure qu’à l’avenir il tiendra au fait les autorités municipales et policières de ses plans de vol. (S.ST-A.)Stéphane St-Amour, Initiative de journalisme local, Courrier Laval</p></div></div></li><li class="common simple-list-item stream-item D(n):e stream-list Mt(20px) Mt(0):fc Mb(25px) Mih(144px) js-stream-content"><div class="item-hover-trigger Pos(r)"><div class="item-img-wrapper Pos(r) Fl(start) Mend(16px) Ov(h) Fxs(0) Bdrs(8px) Z(0)"><img class="Mah(168px) W(257px) H(144px) D(b) item-hover-trigger:h_Scale(1.05) Trs(listItemTransformTransition) wafer-img" src="https://s.yimg.com/cv/apiv2/default/20190501/placeholder.gif" alt></div><div class="simple-item-content Mih(124px)"><p class="M(0) C($summaryColor) Fz(14px) Lh(1.43em) LineClamp(3,60px)">ANCHORAGE, Alaska — On a tiny speck of a frozen runway on the north bank of the Yukon River, nearly a hundred miles northwest of Fairbanks, Christmas was delivered in a most unusual way.An Alaska National Guard helicopter descended through a rotor-whipped cloud of snow in Stevens Village, a tiny community of about 30 people. Townspeople rushed to the airstrip on their snowmobiles after seeing the helicopter land and then watched as Guardsmen wearing flight helmets unloaded boxes containing wrapped gifts for just about everyone in the community.Then they flew off.This year’s edition of Operation Santa Claus didn’t have the pomp and grandeur of previous incarnations, but the mission of delivering gifts here and two other largely Alaska Native villages was completed with COVID-19 safety precautions in place.“For 65 years we have not missed a beat,” said Chief Master Sgt. Winfield Hinkley, Jr., command senior enlisted leader of the Alaska National Guard.“And I will tell you, COVID is rough,” he said, “but it will not stop us from carrying out this tradition. It is an honour to do it.”Operation Santa Claus was born out of hard times in 1956, when residents in the village of St. Mary’s faced a tough choice: food or gifts for the children after flooding, then drought, devastated subsistence activities. They chose food.The Alaska Air National Guard then stepped in, delivering donated gifts and supplies to the community,Since then, the program has grown, and in 1969, The Salvation Army became a partner in providing toys and other items to children across rural Alaska.Each year, Operation Santa Claus attempts to deliver gifts to two or three villages that are selected for varying reasons, such as having a particular hardship in the last year or high poverty levels.More than 90 villages have hosted Operation Santa Claus since St. Mary’s. Stevens Village, and the other two selected this year, Birch Creek and Nanwalek, were first-time participants.This year, volunteers packed toys, stocking stuffers, backpacks, knit hats, toothbrushes and toothpaste and books for 127 children.In a normal year, the arrival of Operation Santa Claus is a community event, with locals driving Santa and Mrs. Claus and helpers in the back of pickups or on sleds pulled by snowmobiles to the local school for a party. All village residents are invited to have their photos taken with Santa and eat an ice cream sundae, and children get a gift.But during the pandemic, COVID-19 protocols dictated the gifts be delivered to airstrips, where locals picked up and distributed them.Stevens Village First Chief David Kriska said having the National Guard call and see if they would be interested was reassuring.“It was great because just being so locked down and with travel, you know, so out of touch with the outside world,” he said. “Having someone that even reached out and wanted to do something like that was like, 'Whoa, hey, awesome!'”However, he wishes it could have been the full experience, including having his children sit on Santa's lap.“It would have been great for my kids to interact with them because they’re needing that social interaction,” he said. “I would have loved to have that picture with my daughters.”Mark Thiessen, The Associated Press</p></div></div></li><li class="common simple-list-item stream-item D(n):e stream-list Mt(20px) Mt(0):fc Mb(25px) Mih(144px) js-stream-content"><div class="item-hover-trigger Pos(r)"><div class="item-img-wrapper Pos(r) Fl(start) Mend(16px) Ov(h) Fxs(0) Bdrs(8px) Z(0)"><img class="Mah(168px) W(257px) H(144px) D(b) item-hover-trigger:h_Scale(1.05) Trs(listItemTransformTransition) wafer-img" src="https://s.yimg.com/cv/apiv2/default/20190501/placeholder.gif" alt></div><div class="simple-item-content Mih(124px)"><p class="M(0) C($summaryColor) Fz(14px) Lh(1.43em) LineClamp(3,60px)">Which winter sports are safest to play during the pandemic?The best physical activities for limiting the risk of coronavirus infections are the ones you do alone or with members of your household, says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Staying active during the pandemic is important for mental and physical health, says Dr. Michael Terry, who specializes in sports medicine at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Winter activities that limit the risk of infection include individual sports such as skiing, snowshoeing, and figure skating, he says.With solo activities, such as running or skiing, Terry says to “be courteous” by wearing a mask and distancing yourself when you pass others.There are also ways to mitigate risks if you choose an activity that involves other people, he says. Wear a mask, try to socially distance and wash your hands. Also avoid sharing equipment, the CDC says.For one-on-one sports like squash or basketball, limit who you play with, preferably to someone in your household.Contact sports like hockey or wrestling with people who live outside of your household raise the possibility of spreading the virus.___The AP is answering your questions about the coronavirus in this series. Submit them at: [email protected] previous Viral Questions:Should I wipe down groceries during the pandemic?Is shopping in stores safe during the pandemic?Are dining tents a safe way to eat out during the pandemic?The Associated Press</p></div></div></li><li class="common simple-list-item stream-item D(n):e stream-list Mt(20px) Mt(0):fc Mb(25px) Mih(144px) js-stream-content"><div class="item-hover-trigger Pos(r)"><div class="item-img-wrapper Pos(r) Fl(start) Mend(16px) Ov(h) Fxs(0) Bdrs(8px) Z(0)"><img class="Mah(168px) W(257px) H(144px) D(b) item-hover-trigger:h_Scale(1.05) Trs(listItemTransformTransition) wafer-img" src="https://s.yimg.com/cv/apiv2/default/20190501/placeholder.gif" alt></div><div class="simple-item-content Mih(124px)"><p class="M(0) C($summaryColor) Fz(14px) Lh(1.43em) LineClamp(3,60px)">WASHINGTON — U.S. government agencies and private companies rushed Monday to secure their computer networks following the disclosure of a sophisticated and long-running cyber-espionage intrusion suspected of being carried out by Russian hackers.The full extent of the damage is not yet clear. But the potential threat was significant enough that the Department of Homeland Security’s cybersecurity unit directed all federal agencies to remove compromised network management software and thousands of companies were expected to do the same.What was striking about the operation was its potential scope as well as the manner in which the perpetrators managed to pierce cyber defences and gain access to email and internal files at the Treasury and Commerce departments and potentially elsewhere.The intrusion was stark evidence of the vulnerability of even supposedly secure government networks, even after well-known previous attacks.“It’s a reminder that offence is easier than defence and we still have a lot of work to do,” said Suzanne Spaulding, a former U.S. cybersecurity official who is now a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.The identity of the perpetrator remained unclear. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of an ongoing investigation, told The Associated Press on Monday that Russian hackers are suspected.The Washington Post, citing unnamed sources, said the attack was carried out by Russian government hackers who go by the nicknames APT29 or Cozy Bear and are part of that nation’s foreign intelligence service.The intrusion came to light after a prominent cybersecurity firm, FireEye, determined it had been breached and alerted that foreign governments and major corporations were also compromised. The company did not say who it suspected, though many experts believed Russia was responsible given the level of skill involved.A FireEye senior vice-president, Charles Carmakal said the company was aware of “dozens of incredibly high-value targets that have been compromised” by the hackers and was “pro-actively helping a number of organizations respond to their intrusions.”He said he expects many more to learn in coming days that they, too, were hacked.U.S. authorities acknowledged that federal agencies were affected by the breach on Sunday, providing few details. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, known as CISA, said in an unusual directive that the widely used network software SolarWinds had been compromised and should be removed from any system using it.The national cybersecurity agencies of Britain and Ireland issued similar alerts.SolarWinds is used by hundreds of thousands of organizations around the world, including most Fortune 500 companies and multiple U.S. federal agencies. The perpetrators were able to embed malware in a security update issued by the company, based in Austin, Texas. Though SolarWinds estimated 18,000 customers were infected, most of the malware was not activated.When it was, the hackers could impersonate system administrators and have total access to the infected networks.Carmakal said the highly disciplined hackers — though they made few mistakes in masking their presence in networks — only chose targets with highly coveted information because every time they activate the tool remotely the likelihood of detection increases.“Quite honestly, my heart sank when I saw some of the details, just the amount of information they could potentially have if they are reading everyone’s emails and they are accessing sensitive files within places like Treasury or Commerce,” said Ben Johnson, a former National Security Agency cyber-engineer who is now chief technology officer of software security firm Obsidian.SolarWinds has said its customers include all five branches of the U.S. military, the Pentagon, the State Department, NASA, the National Security Agency, the Department of Justice and the White House, along with the top U.S. telecommunications and accounting firms.National Security Council spokesman John Ullyot said Monday that the Trump administration was working with CISA, U.S. intelligence agencies, the FBI and government departments affected by the intrusion to co-ordinate a response.“It’s obviously incredibly significant and widespread,” said Chris Painter, who co-ordinated cyber-policy at the State Department during the Obama administration. “How much was compromised? How much was exfiltrated? There are lots of open questions now.”Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday that Russia had “nothing to do with” the hack.“Once again, I can reject these accusations,” Peskov told reporters. “If for many months the Americans couldn’t do anything about it, then, probably, one shouldn’t unfoundedly blame the Russians for everything.”Federal agencies have long been attractive targets for foreign hackers looking to gain insight into American government personnel and policymaking.Hackers linked to Russia, for instance, were able to break into the State Department’s email system in 2014, infecting it so thoroughly that it had to be cut off from the internet while experts worked to eliminate the infestation. A year later, a hack at the U.S. government’s personnel office blamed on China compromised the personal information of some 22 million current, former and prospective federal employees, including highly sensitive data such as background investigations.Cybersecurity experts said the goal of the months-long effort appeared to be espionage and not profit or inflicting damage.In terms of scale alone, the operation seems similar to the 2105 Office of Personnel Management hack that authorities blame on the Chinese government, said Ben Buchanan, a Georgetown University cyber-espionage expert.“These operators are experienced and capable, adept at finding a systemic weakness and then exploiting it quietly for months,” said Buchanan, author of “The Hacker and The State.”Members of Congress were pressing the government for more information. “If reports are true and state-sponsored hackers successfully snuck malware-riddled software into scores of federal government systems, our country has suffered a massive national security failure that could have ramifications for years to come,” said Sen. Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat who is a prominent voice on cyber issues.If it was carried out by a foreign government, and the U.S. has the proof, then it becomes a question of what to do about it.Some obvious options would include expelling diplomats of the offending country, imposing sanctions or filing criminal charges for cyber-espionage, steps that Washington and the European Union have taken against Russia in the past.“I’m sure that the departments like NSA and Cyber Command are coming up with options, that the Treasury Department is looking at sanction options, that the State Department is looking for how they will send a strong signal,” Spaulding said. "Whether they will get approval for all these things from the White House remains to be seen.”In the meantime, SolarWinds and its many private-sector clients were working to close any breaches and repair the damage.The company said in a financial filing that it believed fewer than 18,000 customers installed the compromised product update earlier this year.“We anticipate this will be a very large event when all the information comes to light,” said John Hultquist, director of threat analysis at FireEye.___Associated Press writer Eric Tucker contributed to this report.Bajak reported from Boston.Ben Fox And Frank Bajak, The Associated Press</p></div></div></li><li class="common simple-list-item stream-item D(n):e stream-list Mt(20px) Mt(0):fc Mb(25px) Mih(144px) js-stream-content"><div class="item-hover-trigger Pos(r)"><div class="simple-item-content Mih(124px)"><p class="M(0) C($summaryColor) Fz(14px) Lh(1.43em) LineClamp(3,60px)">At least 274 journalists were in jail as of Dec. 1, the most since the New York-based group began collecting data in the early 1990s, the report said, up from at least 250 last year. At least two journalists died after contracting the disease in custody, the report said. "It's shocking and appalling that we are seeing a record number of journalists imprisoned in the midst of a global pandemic," CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon said in a statement.</p></div></div></li><li class="common simple-list-item stream-item D(n):e stream-list Mt(20px) Mt(0):fc Mb(25px) Mih(144px) js-stream-content"><div class="item-hover-trigger Pos(r)"><div class="simple-item-content Mih(124px)"><div class="provider-logo C(#000) My(7px) Fw(600) H(18px)"><span class="D(ib) Mt(2px) Mb(4px) C($c-fuji-grey-m)">Initiative de journalisme local</span></div><p class="M(0) C($summaryColor) Fz(14px) Lh(1.43em) LineClamp(3,60px)">Le bilan 2019 du Fonds Place-du-Souvenir témoigne d’un effet de levier important en matière de développement social à Laval. Créé en juin 2017 à même les 10 M$ alors récupérés auprès d’un ex-maire corrompu et de corrupteurs qui ont longtemps imposé leur loi à Laval, ce fonds a redistribué en 2019 une somme de 472 300 $ auprès de jeunes défavorisés. Mais en prenant en compte l’effet de levier de cet instrument financier, c’est plus de 1,5 M$ qui a été engagé dans la communauté l’an dernier. «Je salue le travail du comité consultatif de ce fonds, a indiqué par voie de communiqué la conseillère municipale de Concorde–Bois-de-Boulogne et membre du comité exécutif, Sandra Desmeules. Ses membres ont concrétisé des ententes afin de soutenir l’épanouissement des jeunes Lavallois issus de milieux défavorisés.» Déposé à la séance du conseil municipal de décembre, le bilan de l'année 2019 témoigne de trois ententes majeures dont celle impliquant la Fondation Cité de la Santé, la Fondation du Centre jeunesse de Laval et le Centre de réadaptation en dépendance autour d’un projet estimé à plus de 750 000 $ qui se déploiera jusqu’en 2024. Un autre partenariat, liant cette fois la Ville au Centre de bénévolat et moisson Laval, au Centre communautaire Hochelaga et à la Société Saint-Vincent de Paul, a généré des retombées de plus d’un demi-million de dollars en soutien à la rentrée scolaire des deux dernières années. Enfin, de concert avec le Centre de bénévolat et moisson Laval, la 3e entente a permis en 2019-2020 d’injecter très précisément 228 714 $ dans un programme de soutien alimentaire auprès des enfants de 0-4 ans. Pas moins de 9500 jeunes ont été rejoints via différentes interventions liées à la persévérance scolaire et la réussite éducative, la lutte contre la pauvreté et la sécurité alimentaire. En collaboration avec le Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux (CISSS) de Laval, le Fonds a également contribué à mettre en chantier un projet visant à dresser le portrait socio-sanitaire et démographique des jeunes de moins de 18 ans sur le territoire. Une fois complété, cet outil permettra de mieux cibler les enjeux et, conséquemment, les actions à mettre en place pour pallier les besoins. Mis à contribution afin de répondre à l’augmentation de la demande et aux besoins émergents des enfants et de leur famille en cette année pandémique, le Fonds a aussi financé 5000 trousses de jeux et jouets destinées aux enfants de 5 à 11 ans et l’achat d’articles pour les jeunes du Centre jeunesse de Laval. Parallèlement, la fondation a soutenu en 2020 les travaux d’élaboration du premier Plan d’action intégré jeunesse (2021-2023) de la Ville qui, depuis 2014, est reconnue comme Mu​nicipalité amie des enfants (MAE) en plus de financer deux projets d’intégration sociale visant de jeunes immigrants et la lutte contre l’exclusion sociale.Stéphane St-Amour, Initiative de journalisme local, Courrier Laval</p></div></div></li><li class="common simple-list-item stream-item D(n):e stream-list Mt(20px) Mt(0):fc Mb(25px) Mih(144px) js-stream-content"><div class="item-hover-trigger Pos(r)"><div class="simple-item-content Mih(124px)"><div class="provider-logo C(#000) My(7px) Fw(600) H(18px)"><span class="D(ib) Mt(2px) Mb(4px) C($c-fuji-grey-m)">Local Journalism Initiative</span></div><p class="M(0) C($summaryColor) Fz(14px) Lh(1.43em) LineClamp(3,60px)">“Are you sure it was 15 minutes? It wasn’t 14 minutes? Or 13?” A Winnipeg teacher clearly recalls that specific query during a line of questioning from a public health nurse on a call earlier this fall to find out if any of the woman’s students were close contacts to a peer who tested positive for COVID-19. Anyone who has spent 15 minutes or more within two metres of a positive case during an infectious period is considered a close contact in Manitoba. The Winnipeg educator, explaining the phone conversation to the Free Press, said she identified five students who sat near the infected child. The students all struggle with keeping their masks on, need additional support from their teacher, and often wander around the classroom, she said. But despite her concerns, none was asked to self-isolate. Only the teacher, who worked closely with the young student who tested positive, as well as some students who take the same school bus as the individual, had to quarantine. “I called my public health officer back and asked her why, and she said, ‘Well I spoke to your admin and they assured me that there was two metres,’” said the teacher, who agreed to an interview on the condition of anonymity, on a recent school night. “(My principal’s) amazing, but (the administration) gave the information they could honestly give, which was the seating plan and the fact (students are) two metres apart. They’re not in my room, they don’t see what happens. “My explanation should trump theirs because I’m watching, constantly.” As the tally of schools with COVID-19 exposures grows, school staff are raising concerns about inconsistent contact-tracing practices. When pressed on the subject Monday, the province’s top doctor said public health nurses are investigation experts. “They wouldn’t be trying to deter someone from naming someone as a close contact, but they’ll go through what actually is a close contact — what requirements need to have occurred to be a close contact,” said Dr. Brent Roussin, following the daily COVID-19 briefing at the Manitoba legislature. Echoing similar concerns as the first teacher, a Grade 1/2 teacher in another metro division said she questions the process after her classroom expertise was ignored during a recent investigation. Last week, the teacher (who asked not to be named to protect her job) was told one of her students had tested positive and the school was in touch with public health about the situation. She said she told her boss who the child plays with at recess and who they are in close contact with in the classroom, in which masks are not required and students are spaced out by approximately 1.5 metres. No classmates were deemed close contacts. “They decided my classroom has done a really good job of social distancing, which is really bull----,” said the Grade 1/2 teacher, who is currently self-isolating with symptoms, although she has tested negative for COVID-19. The teacher then took matters into her own hands and contacted the family of a close peer of the individual who tested positive to let them know about the situation, without identifying the case. She added, “I told my principal that I felt my class was being punished because we could keep our chairs two metres apart.” Meantime, at the first teacher’s school, a colleague who learned of an exposure in the classroom on the same November day that the original educator did had a completely different experience. The first teacher said her colleague provided a list of names of students who sat near the child and public health followed-through to ask the individuals to self-isolate. The contradictory experiences and related worries about her students’ health make her feel ill, she said. A public spreadsheet of cases linked to schools in Manitoba, which is being compiled by an anonymous parent who draws from Manitoba Public Health data, crowdsourcing, and news reports, indicates at least 367 buildings have had an exposure since Labour Day. The province makes available its latest school statistics on Tuesdays and Thursdays; as of Dec. 10, there are a total of 1,771 cases. There are no active outbreaks — a title now only given to a school that is experiencing widespread transmission within the building. Maggie Macintosh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Winnipeg Free Press</p></div></div></li><li class="common simple-list-item stream-item D(n):e stream-list Mt(20px) Mt(0):fc Mb(25px) Mih(144px) js-stream-content"><div class="item-hover-trigger Pos(r)"><div class="simple-item-content Mih(124px)"><div class="provider-logo C(#000) My(7px) Fw(600) H(18px)"><span class="D(ib) Mt(2px) Mb(4px) C($c-fuji-grey-m)">Initiative de journalisme local</span></div><p class="M(0) C($summaryColor) Fz(14px) Lh(1.43em) LineClamp(3,60px)">Selon le bilan quotidien du Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux (CISSS) du Bas-Saint-Laurent, 14 nouveaux cas s’ajoutent au bilan portant le total à 1119 cas.  Cas par MRC :  Kamouraska82Rivière-du-Loup210Témiscouata69 (+2)Les Basques18 (+1)Rimouski-Neigette456 (+8)La Mitis54La Matanie195 (+3)La Matapédia30Inconnu5Bas-Saint-Laurent1119 (+14)Le CISSS du Bas-Saint-Laurent compte 940 cas rétablis au Bas-Saint-Laurent depuis le début de la pandémie, en date du 14 décembre. Le nombre de décès n’a pas bougé, restant au nombre de 24. Deux personnes sont à présent hospitalisées pour cause de COVID-19. Enfin, 433 dépistages ont été réalisés pendant la journée du dimanche. Le seul milieu en éclosion restant se situe au CHSLD de Matane, où le bilan est actuellement stable. En tout, 32 cas sont survenus au Centre d’hébergement de Matane dont 19 résidents, 8 décès et 13 travailleurs de santé. 10 usagers et 11 travailleurs sont désormais rétablis.Claudie Arseneault, Initiative de journalisme local, Mon Matane</p></div></div></li><li class="common simple-list-item stream-item D(n):e stream-list Mt(20px) Mt(0):fc Mb(25px) Mih(144px) js-stream-content"><div class="item-hover-trigger Pos(r)"><div class="item-img-wrapper Pos(r) Fl(start) Mend(16px) Ov(h) Fxs(0) Bdrs(8px) Z(0)"><img class="Mah(168px) W(257px) H(144px) D(b) item-hover-trigger:h_Scale(1.05) Trs(listItemTransformTransition) wafer-img" src="https://s.yimg.com/cv/apiv2/default/20190501/placeholder.gif" alt></div><div class="simple-item-content Mih(124px)"><p class="M(0) C($summaryColor) Fz(14px) Lh(1.43em) LineClamp(3,60px)">Even as coronavirus infections in Japan hit record highs and government support ratings slipped, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga defended a government tourism campaign, defying experts and denying links to the spread of the virus. In a stunning about-face on a policy aimed at helping small businesses that he took credit for when assuming the premiership in September, Suga said he would halt the subsidy programme over the year-end, the latest wrangle to mar his first months in power. The decision was likely prompted by another steep drop in opinion polls over the weekend, showing respondents highly critical of Suga's handling of the pandemic and, for the first time, those against the government outnumbering those in favour.</p></div></div></li><li class="common simple-list-item stream-item D(n):e stream-list Mt(20px) Mt(0):fc Mb(25px) Mih(144px) js-stream-content"><div class="item-hover-trigger Pos(r)"><div class="item-img-wrapper Pos(r) Fl(start) Mend(16px) Ov(h) Fxs(0) Bdrs(8px) Z(0)"><img class="Mah(168px) W(257px) H(144px) D(b) item-hover-trigger:h_Scale(1.05) Trs(listItemTransformTransition) wafer-img" src="https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/2nT_DDusuZ9cNjXw4BuF0Q--~B/aD01OTt3PTEwNTthcHBpZD15dGFjaHlvbg--/https://s.yimg.com/hd/cp-video-transcode/prod/2020-12/15/5fd855e20da6381b330754f0/5fd855e20da6381b330754f1_o_U_v2.jpg" alt><span class="Pos(a) Start(50%) T(50%) Translate(translate50PerNeg) Bgi(simpleListItemPlayIconBgGradient) Bxsh(simpleListItemPlayIconBoxShadow) W(60px) H(60px) Bdrs(50%) D(f) Jc(c) Ai(c)"><svg class="Fil(simpleListItemPlayIconFilter) Mstart(2px) Cur(p)" width="24" height="26"><path/></svg></span></div><div class="simple-item-content Mih(124px)"><p class="M(0) C($summaryColor) Fz(14px) Lh(1.43em) LineClamp(3,60px)">At least 181 public health leaders have resigned, retired or been fired since April. An investigation by The Associated Press and Kaiser Health News also found that lawmakers in 24 states have crafted legislation to weaken public health powers. (Dec. 15)</p></div></div></li><li class="common simple-list-item stream-item D(n):e stream-list Mt(20px) Mt(0):fc Mb(25px) Mih(144px) js-stream-content"><div class="item-hover-trigger Pos(r)"><div class="simple-item-content Mih(124px)"><p class="M(0) C($summaryColor) Fz(14px) Lh(1.43em) LineClamp(3,60px)">A third of Japanese residents want the Tokyo Olympics to be scrapped amid fears that an influx of foreign arrivals may cause a further spike in COVID-19 cases, a poll by public broadcaster NHK showed on Tuesday.The Japanese government and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided in March to postpone the 2020 Olympics by a year due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, with the global showpiece now slated to take place from July 23-Aug. 8.But as Japan grapples with a third wave of infections, the NHK poll, conducted from Dec. 11-13, showed 32 per cent of respondents wanted the Summer Games to be cancelled entirely.Only 27 per cent said they should go ahead as scheduled, while 31 per cent favoured another delay.According to an NHK poll in October, 40 per cent said the Olympics should be held as planned, with only 23 per cent favouring cancellation and 25 per cent preferring further postponement.While Japan has avoided the vast number of infections and deaths seen in many other countries across the world, a recent resurgence in cases has forced the government to re-introduce steps such as requesting bars and restaurants to close early.Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Monday suspended a much-criticized travel subsidy program to help contain mounting case numbers as his approval rating plummets over his handling of the pandemic.</p></div></div></li><li class="common simple-list-item stream-item D(n):e stream-list Mt(20px) Mt(0):fc Mb(25px) Mih(144px) js-stream-content"><div class="item-hover-trigger Pos(r)"><div class="simple-item-content Mih(124px)"><div class="provider-logo C(#000) My(7px) Fw(600) H(18px)"><span class="D(ib) Mt(2px) Mb(4px) C($c-fuji-grey-m)">Local Journalism Initiative</span></div><p class="M(0) C($summaryColor) Fz(14px) Lh(1.43em) LineClamp(3,60px)">Visitor restrictions in Alberta Health Services facilities are set to get more strict on Monday to help curb the spread of COVID-19. In the wake of surging cases in Alberta, AHS will be allowing one designated support person for all patients in acute care settings and two support persons for critical care, pediatrics and in the neonatal ICU. "We know these restrictions will be difficult, especially during the holiday season, but they are needed to stop spread of the virus and to keep patients safe," Alberta chief medical officer of health Deena Hinshaw said. "We must do everything possible to bend down the curve, there is no other option." The new restrictions come just days before many of the most recent restrictions go into place, including the closing of in-person dining services, casinos, recreation facilities and businesses offering personal services. The restrictions will be in place for at least four weeks. Hinshaw said Albertans should not wait until midnight on Sunday to start doing their part and encouraged residents to not to rush to malls or plan gatherings in advance of restrictions coming into effect. The  province-wide mask mandate and ban on all private and public social gatherings went into effect after they were announced on Tuesday afternoon. On Friday, Alberta reported 1,738 new cases of COVID-19, with 20,161 active cases across the province. There are currently 684 people in the hospital and 123 of those are in the intensive care unit (ICU) In the past 24 hours, another 18 Albertans died from the disease. Some 21,000 tests were run in the past 24 hours with a provincial positivity rate of 8.3 per cent. There are currently 458 schools with active alerts or outbreaks, which accounts for 19 per cent of school in the province. In total, there are 1,947 active cases in provincial schools. To help curb the spread of the virus, the province has launched new ads urging Albertans not to gather over the holidays. "Our goal is to get people's attention, to help them see common situations from a different perspective, and as a result to influence their behaviour," Hinshaw said. "The campaign uses humour because the situation is serious and we need to use every tool at our disposal to reach all Albertans." The ads target Albertans between the ages of 20 and 39.Jennifer Henderson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, St. Albert Gazette</p></div></div></li><li class="common simple-list-item stream-item D(n):e stream-list Mt(20px) Mt(0):fc Mb(25px) Mih(144px) js-stream-content"><div class="item-hover-trigger Pos(r)"><div class="simple-item-content Mih(124px)"><div class="provider-logo C(#000) My(7px) Fw(600) H(18px)"><span class="D(ib) Mt(2px) Mb(4px) C($c-fuji-grey-m)">Local Journalism Initiative</span></div><p class="M(0) C($summaryColor) Fz(14px) Lh(1.43em) LineClamp(3,60px)">The son of Aylmer’s controversial Church of God pastor, who has been outspoken against COVID-19 safety restrictions, has been charged with assault after an incident last Thursday. Elgin OPP said Monday that Herbert Hildebrandt, 37, of Malahide Township, had been charged with assault following a police investigation into an assault complaint stemming from a Dec. 10 incident. An 84-year-old Malahide man said he was pushed to the ground by a man after putting up pro-mask signs with friends on a property across from the Aylmer Church of God on Imperial Road last Thursday. Hildebrandt's father Henry is pastor of the church. Jack Dykxhoorn said that within a couple of minutes after the signs were put up, a man showed up in a truck and blocked him in the driveway. "He got out of his truck, he rolled up his sleeves. I guess he was ready to fight and I wasn’t, I kept my hands in my pockets," Dykxhoorn said He said the man then pushed him twice and he fell to the ground. He returned home after the incident, but Dykxhoorn was then taken to hospital, suffering a few cracked ribs. Dykxhoorn said he still feels sore days after the incident. “It takes a while to get over a cracked rib,” he said. A group of Dykxhoorn’s friends were at a farmhouse on the property across the street from the church, where they’d met up for coffee, and witnessed the altercation Thursday. Walt Morgan said the man was “quite irate” about the pro-mask sign and “got right in Jack’s face” before pushing Dykxhoorn into a truck and then to the ground. Fellow friend Dave Peters recalled the same set of events, describing the altercation as “unbelievable.” A former Malahide Township councillor, Dykxhoorn said he feels for those in the Aylmer community suffering over divisions between anti-restriction and pro-science groups. “I feel very, very bad for the people in Aylmer,” he said. “So many people are getting hurt by this. It’s just not right.” Elgin OPP Const. Troy Carlson said an investigation took place after complaints of an assault at a property on Imperial Road in Elgin County, just north of Aylmer, on Dec. 10. He would not confirm the exact location or provide further details on Hildebrandt's assault charge or the incident. Hildebrandt was arrested, charged and released on Saturday, Carlson said. He is due in court Jan. 19, 2021. The allegations against Hildebrandt have yet to be proven in court. Contacted Monday afternoon, Hildebrandt declined to comment, deferring to his lawyer. “There’s a proper form and place and time to respond to these matters and that’s in a court of law,” said London lawyer Lakin Afolabi. “People can form their own opinions in the court of public opinion. We look forward to answering to the court of law where it really matters.” Afolabi declined to comment further on the charges. “Mr. Hildebrandt and his family have taken some stances that the community may have trouble with,” he said. “Not only are there two sides to every story, there is also a lot of context to every story.” The charges aren’t the first laid against the Hildebrandt family in recent weeks related to divisions over COVID-19 safety restrictions. Late November, Hildebrandt was charged by Aylmer police for his alleged role in organizing the massive 2,000-person anti-restriction rally that took place Nov. 7. His father also faces charges for his participation in anti-restriction rallies. Herbert Hildebrandt live-streamed a video showing London police officers issuing a court summons to his father for participating in an anti-restrictions rally in London on Nov. 21. The Hildebrandt family and their Church of God have been figureheads in the anti-restriction movement, protesting and decrying safety measures designed to protect the public against COVID-19. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of CanadaMax Martin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, London Free Press</p></div></div></li></ul></div></div></main><aside id="AsideStream" class="W(300px) Pos(r)"></aside></p> <template id="wafer-lightbox-wrapper-template"></template></body>