First ministers meeting and Hanukkah during a pandemic : In The News for Dec. 10

In The News is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to kick-start your day. Here is what’s on the radar of our editors for the morning of Dec. 10 …

What we are watching in Canada …

A first ministers meeting today that was supposed to be devoted to long-term, federal health care funding  seems destined to be hijacked by a more urgent priority: surviving the COVID-19 pandemic.

Premiers asked for the meeting in September and wanted it focused exclusively on their unanimous demand that Ottawa add at least $28 billion a year to its annual health transfer payment to provinces and territories.

But while Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he’s willing to discuss the issue, he has been clear that getting through the pandemic is more pressing, as far as he’s concerned.

As host of the daylong meeting, he’s scheduled the first half to focus on the rollout of vaccines to inoculate Canadians against COVID-19, the first of which is slated to begin delivery next week.

The second half of the meeting, to be conducted via teleconference, will be devoted to health care funding and improving health care in general.

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Also this …

From parading through the streets in menorah-adorned cars to learning to make traditional holiday treats over Zoom, Jews across Canada are finding creative ways to safely celebrate Hanukkah during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“The whole message of Hanukkah is that a little bit of light dispels a lot of darkness,” says Chana Borenstein, who co-directs the Chabad Jewish Centre of Durham Region, east of Toronto, with her husband Rabbi Tzali Borenstein.

Hanukkah, which begins today at sundown, commemorates the rededication of the second temple in Jerusalem after a Jewish revolt during the second century BC drove out rulers who forced the worship of Greek gods. 

As the legend goes, there was only enough oil left to light the temple’s multi-branched lamp, or menorah, for one day after the victory. But, miraculously, the oil lasted for eight days. 

During a normal Hanukkah, the Chabad centre would invite dignitaries and hundreds of community members for a menorah lighting in downtown Whitby, Ont., says Borenstein. 

This year, the Durham Chabad is one of the organizations leading a Hanukkah car parade. Participants can purchase or rent light-up menorahs to place on roofs or in windows. Flags and goody bags are also being given out. 

Calgary’s PJ Library, part of a global organization that provides free Jewish books to children, has put together 230 “Hanukkah at Home” bags for kids that include candles, crafts, dreidels, chocolate coins and educational materials.

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What we are watching in the U.S. …

The giant tech companies whose services are woven into the fabric of social life are now the targets of a widening assault by government competition enforcers. Regulators filed landmark antitrust lawsuits Wednesday against Facebook, the second major government offensive this year against once seemingly untouchable tech behemoths.

The Federal Trade Commission and 48 states and districts sued the social network giant, accusing it of abusing its market power to squash smaller competitors and seeking remedies that could include a forced spinoff of Facebook’s prized Instagram and WhatsApp messaging services. The company’s conduct has crimped consumers’ choices and harmed their data privacy, the regulators charged.

Once lionized as innovators and job creators — and largely left alone by Washington for nearly two decades — Big Tech companies have seen their political fortunes plummet. Facebook, Google, Amazon and Apple have come under scrutiny from Congress, federal regulators, state attorneys general and European authorities. Their once-considerable political support in Congress has eroded.

Lawmakers of both major parties are championing stronger oversight of the industry, arguing that its massive market power is out of control, crushing smaller competitors and endangering consumer privacy.

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What we are watching in the rest of the world …

Britain’s medical regulator warned Wednesday that people with a history of serious allergic reactions shouldn’t get the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech, and investigators looked into whether two reactions on the first day of the U.K.’s vaccination program were linked to the shot.

The advice was issued on a “precautionary basis,” and the people who had the reactions had recovered, said professor Stephen Powis, medical director for National Health Service in England.

Pfizer and BioNTech said they were working with investigators “to better understand each case and its causes.?

Also on Wednesday, Canada’s health regulator approved the vaccine, with Dr. Supriya Sharma, chief medical adviser at Heath Canada, calling it “a momentous occasion.”

Canada is set to receive up to 249,000 doses this month and Canadian officials expect to start administering them next week as soon after they are shipped from Belgium on Friday.

Britain’s Medical and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has said people should not receive the shot if they have had a significant allergic reaction to a vaccine, medicine or food, such as those who have been told to carry an adrenaline shot _ such as an EpiPen or other similar devices _ or others who have had potentially fatal allergic reactions. The medical regulator also said vaccinations should be carried out only in facilities that have resuscitation equipment.

Such advice isn’t uncommon; several vaccines already on the market carry warnings about allergic reactions, and doctors know to watch for them when people who’ve had reactions to drugs or vaccines in the past are given new products.

The two people who reported reactions were NHS staff members who had a history of significant allergies and carried adrenaline shots. Both had serious reactions but recovered after treatment, the NHS said.

Stephen Evans, a professor of pharmacoepidemiology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said the regulator had done the right thing, but the general public shouldn’t be worried about getting the vaccine.

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On this day in 1957 …

Liberal MP Lester Pearson received the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway. While serving the previous year as Canada’s external affairs minister, he led efforts at the United Nations to set up an international peacekeeping force and end the attack by Israeli, British and French forces on Egypt.

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In entertainment …

CBC personalities Carol Off, Mark Kelley, Nahlah Ayed and Jeannie Lee are among a growing number of staff urging the public broadcaster to drop efforts to sell more branded content.

The marquee hosts and reporters have joined about 500 current and former employees including Peter Mansbridge and Alison Smith who warn that a new marketing division called Tandem will erode the integrity of CBC journalism.

An open letter to the general public warns that producing paid content — advertising that looks like news — is “insidious.” The group of mostly journalists accuse the CBC of using its resources “to help advertisers trick Canadians.” 

Another letter from 35 broadcast executives, producers and reporters asks Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault to order the CRTC to investigate Tandem.  

CBC management have insisted that editorial and advertising content would remain separate, and stressed a critical need to generate revenue amid big financial pressures.  

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ICYMI …

Test results from five mink samples taken from a farm in British Columbia’s Fraser Valley have come back positive for the virus that causes COVID-19 in humans. 

The provincial Ministry of Agriculture said Wednesday the animal samples were gathered after several workers at the mink farm tested positive for COVID-19.

B.C.’s chief veterinarian has placed the farm under quarantine, prohibiting the movement of animals and materials from the property, the ministry said in a statement. 

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said earlier this week the outbreak was concerning because transmissions between humans and mink have occurred in other countries and there’s a potential for mutations of the virus.

Denmark, the world’s largest supplier of mink fur, decided last month to cull all of its farmed mink, about 15 million animals.

Spain culled about 100,000 farmed mink, and in the U.S., about 10,000 mink in Utah died as the virus spread across farms.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 10, 2020

The Canadian Press