GOOD NEWS
Iran negotiator: based on accords so far, U.S. sanctions on oil, banks would be lifted


Meeting of the JCPOA Joint Commission in Vienna


By Francois Murphy
Sat., May 1, 2021

VIENNA (Reuters) -Iran's chief nuclear negotiator said on Saturday Tehran expects U.S. sanctions on oil, banks and most individuals and institutions to be lifted based on agreements so far in Vienna talks, Iranian media reported, while Washington again played down the prospect of an imminent breakthrough.

Russia and Western European powers meanwhile gave contrasting accounts of the task ahead in the talks to bring Iran and the United States fully back into compliance with a 2015 nuclear deal, as the talks adjourned for six days.

"Sanctions ... on Iran's energy sector, which include oil and gas, or those on the automotive industry, financial, banking and port sanctions, all should be lifted based on agreements reached so far," Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi was quoted as saying by Iranian state media.

Araqchi did not say under which mechanism sanctions would be lifted or refer to how Tehran would meet Washington's demands and return to its commitments under the deal.

"We will negotiate until the two sides' positions come closer and our demands are met," he said. "If they are met there will be an agreement, if not there will naturally be no agreement."

Asked to comment, the U.S. State Department referred back to past statements, including remarks on Friday from the U.S. national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, who said the talks were in "an unclear place."

"We've seen willingness of all sides, including the Iranians, to talk seriously about sanctions relief restrictions and a pathway back into the JCPOA," Sullivan said, referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the nuclear deal's title.

"But it is still uncertain as to whether this will culminate in a deal in Vienna," he said.

The State Department also referred to remarks by State Department spokesman Ned Price on Thursday, when he said the sides were "not on the cusp of any breakthrough" and there was "a potentially long road ahead."

President Joe Biden is seeking to return to the deal that former President Donald Trump withdrew from in 2018. Trump reimposed sanctions against Tehran and Iran responded by breaching many of the deal's limits on its nuclear activities.

Talks began last month in Vienna with the remaining parties to the deal - Iran, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany - meeting in the basement of a luxury hotel, and the United States based in another hotel across the street. Iran has refused to hold direct meetings with U.S. officials.

"We have much work, and little time, left. Against that background, we would have hoped for more progress this week," senior diplomats from the so-called E3 - France, Britain and Germany - said in a statement.

Officials have said they hope to reach a deal by May 21, when an agreement between Tehran and the U.N. nuclear watchdog on continued monitoring of some Iranian nuclear activities is due to expire.

"We have yet to come to an understanding on the most critical points. Success is by no means guaranteed, but not impossible," they added.

Russia's ambassador to the U.N. nuclear watchdog, Mikhail Ulyanov, told reporters after a meeting of the remaining parties wrapping up the third round of talks that breakthroughs should not be expected in the days to come. He said the talks would reconvene on Friday.

"We need simply to continue diplomatic, day-to-day work, and we have all the reasons to expect that the outcome, (the) final outcome, will be successful and it will come quite soon, in a few weeks," said Ulyanov, one of the more optimistic voices at the talks.

The break in talks was widely expected as diplomats said officials from several countries are also involved in the Group of Seven foreign ministers' meeting in London that begins on Monday and ends on Wednesday.

In his remarks, Araqchi said that "There are individuals and institutions that have been specifically sanctioned and their (the U.S.) list is long. Talks on the list are still ongoing". He added that under what had been agreed so far, more than a majority of the list would have the sanctions lifted.

(Additional reporting by John Irish in Paris, Dubai newsroom and Davbid Brunnstrom in Washington; Writing by Francois Murphy; Editing by John Stonestreet, David Holmes, Frances Kerry and Daniel Wallis)

Homeland Security to repair damage created by TRUMP'S border wall




SAN DIEGO — The Biden administration said Friday that it will begin work to address the risks of flooding and soil erosion from unfinished sections of the wall on the U.S. border with Mexico and will cancel military-funded contracts as it shuts down one of President Donald Trump's signature domestic projects.

Construction under the Trump administration “blew large holes" into the flood barrier system of low-lying regions in Texas' Rio Grande Valley, the Homeland Security Department said. It said it will “quickly repair” the flood barrier system without extending the wall.

Hidalgo County, Texas, officials have expressed alarm about flooding risks during the hurricane season starting in June from breaches in a levee system after Biden halted border wall construction immediately upon taking office in January.

The department said it would also fix “improper compaction of soil and construction materials” along parts of a 14-mile (22. 4-kilometre ) barrier in San Diego and soon unveil plans to address additional damage from border wall construction during Trump's presidency. The San Diego wall is largely in unpopulated stretches in areas restricted to Border Patrol agents.

Biden ordered a pause on all wall construction on his first day office, leaving billions of dollars of work unfinished — but still under contract — after Trump worked feverishly last year to build more than 450 miles (720 kilometres ), a goal he said he achieved eight days before leaving office.

Biden gave aides until late March to determine how much it would cost to cancel contracts and whether money could be spent elsewhere. Answers began emerging Friday.

The Defence Department said it in a statement that it is cancelling contracts and will use unobligated money for military construction projects for its initial purpose. It is reviewing which of the billions of dollars in delayed projects would get priority.

As of Jan. 15, the government had spent $6.1 billion of the $10.8 billion in work it signed contracts to have done, according to a Senate Democratic aide with knowledge of the contracts who spoke on condition of anonymity because details have not been made public. The full amount under contract would have extended Trump’s wall to 664 miles (1,069 kilometres ).

Publicly, the Trump administration said it secured $15 billion for the wall. The Senate aide said it was actually $16.45 billion, $5.8 billion of which was appropriated by Congress and the rest diverted from the Defence and Treasury departments.

Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez recently told Border Report that there were at least four breaches in the levee system protecting Hidalgo County’s low-lying region from floods during a major storm.

The dirt levee was built under 2006 legislation to protect the delta region from flooding but was also a staging ground for Trump’s border wall. Cortez said the areas were left vulnerable when Biden halted work.

Environmental advocates welcomed Friday's announcement.

“This long overdue reprieve is a huge step toward justice for people and wildlife in the borderlands,” said Laiken Jordahl of the Center for Biological Diversity. “We’re grateful that the Biden administration has stopped this senseless destruction."

Elliot Spagat, The Associated Press

Fri., April 30, 2021

#ENDCUBAEMBARGO

Pandemic and economic crisis dampen May Day in Cuba

Marc Frank and Nelson Acosta
Sat., May 1, 2021

May Day in Havana


By Marc Frank and Nelson Acosta

HAVANA (Reuters) - For a second consecutive year Communist-run Cuba canceled its emblematic May Day march though Havana's Plaza de la Revolution Square on Saturday as it battles a surge in COVID-19 cases and a scarcity of basic goods.

Across the island, small groups of dignitaries gathered at abandoned squares that would usually be filled by crowds of banner-waving citizens marking International Workers Day, the country's most important holiday after Jan. 1, victory day of former leader Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution.

"Congratulations workers! It is monumental what has been done to survive the pandemic under a reinforced blockade and still move forward," President Miguel Diaz-Canel, who is also first secretary of the Communist party, wrote on Twitter.

Cuba's economy shrunk 11% last year under the weight of the coronavirus pandemic, harsh U.S. sanctions and its Soviet-style system.

The country has recorded more COVID-19 cases and deaths this year than in all of 2020, though the mortality rate remains among the best in the world and two homegrown vaccines are in final trials.

Ulises Guilarte de Nascimiento, head of the official and only trade union federation, said on state-run television on Friday that workers faced layoffs and inflation and some struggled to "meet their basic needs". He blamed U.S. sanctions and said hard work and greater efficiency would lead to better days.

Speaking on Saturday morning to a small group of national leaders gathered in front of the monument to independence hero Jose Marti in Revolution Square, he was defiant.

"We workers are aware that we are going through a complex and challenging scenario, but we also carry the conviction that Fidel taught us, that only those who fight, resist and do not give up have the right to succeed," he said.

State-run media urged citizens to turn their homes into squares and share their celebrations on social media. Small groups of workers rallied at some workplaces. People hung flags from balconies and played the national anthem.

"Today is a special day, a sad day, because in all this time of the pandemic we have lost valuable workers," Havana resident Enrique Tondique Domínguez said early Saturday at a small rally in front of the Mining and Energy Ministry.

"It is a happy day because it is May Day, but it is also a sad day because many workers are no longer with us," he said.

(Reporting by Marc Frank; Editing by Daniel Wallis)

Haida Gwaii hobby farmer invites guests to spend time with her baby goats

CBC Sat., May 1, 2021, 

During her time with the baby goats, Rose said she noticed how happy she was interacting with them and felt it was too selfish not to share the joy with others. (Submitted by Harmonie Rose - image credit)

A hobby farmer in Haida Gwaii is offering a new way to kick the COVID-19 blues and is welcoming guests to her farm to spend some time with her new baby goats.

Harmonie Rose said seven baby goats were all born within a span of one week and she felt it was too selfish to be enjoying them all to herself, especially during a time when everyone could use some extra joy.

"It always made me feel good watching them play, watching them nuzzle around, picking them up, holding them, and listening to their little noises," Rose said on the CBC's Daybreak North.

"I thought this is too good to hoard to myself."

She said she made a post on the Haida Gwaii Communities Facebook page and invited "all fellow Islanders" to come see, hold and cuddle her baby goats — with safety measures like social distancing in place.

"I said hey, you know, if you want some goat lovin,' I've got seven babies so just drop by and I'll keep my distance and you can have some goat time," Rose said.

Rose said she immediately got three or four messages and she's already had a few families come for a visit.

"A couple of families came up and spent a bit of time last weekend and it was great," she said. "I also had a little boy [visit]. He was two and he really loved the farm. He was really, really upset about having to leave."

She said there's no end date to her invitation and anyone needing some time with the goats is welcome to visit her hobby farm.

LISTEN | Harmonie Rose talks about offering goat therapy to the community on Daybreak North:

Watch | Harmonie's baby goats parade around a Haida Gwaii boardwalk:

Subscribe to Daybreak North on CBC Listen or your favourite podcast app, and connect with CBC Northern British Columbia on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

1. Haida Gwaii - Wikipedia

   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haida_Gwaii
   • Overview

   Haida Gwaii is an archipelago located between 55–125 km (34–78 mi) off the northern Pacific coast of Canada. The islands are separated from the mainland to the east by the shallow Hecate Strait. Queen Charlotte Sound lies to the south, with Vancouver Island beyond. To the north, the disputed Dixon Entrance separates Haida Gwaii from the Alexander Archipelago in the U.S. state of Alaska.
   Haida Gwaii consists of two main islands: Graham Island (Kiis Gwaay) in the north and Moresby Island(T'…

   Wikipedia · Text under CC-BY-SA license

NOT A TROPHY HUNT

'I hit him good': Trophy elk nets Alberta bowhunter a world record


The math doesn't matter too much to O'Shea. He was happy to have meat to feed his family through the winter and a good story to tell. He plans to have a taxidermist create a full-body mount.

THAT'S ONE OLD BULL I WONDER HOW TASTY IT WAS

Sun., May 2, 2021

Shawn O'Shea poses with the elk that would soon earn him a world record. (Submitted by Shawn O'Shea - image credit)

An Alberta farmer who waited three years for a clean shot at an elusive elk now holds a world record for bowhunting.

Last month, the U.S-based Pope and Young Club confirmed Shawn O'Shea's trophy is the largest bow-harvested non-typical American elk ever in North America.

It scored 449 4/8 inches, beating the previous record by 7 4/8 inches.

O'Shea, a 55-year-old former oilfield worker, killed the animal last fall, not far from his farm near Vegreville, 100 kilometres east of Edmonton.

"In 2017 I got some trail cam pictures of it just passing through the area that I hunt," he said. "No idea that it would ever be a record of any kind; just knew that it was huge and something we wanted to pursue."

The bull made a few more trail-cam cameos but continued to elude O'Shea and his sons Tyson, Keefe, Ryan and Timothy.

Shawn O'Shea first learned of the big bull when his trail camera snapped a photo of the animal rubbing a tree that draws elk.(Submitted by Shawn O'Shea)

Last September, Tyson and Keefe spotted the elk. They got close, but not close enough. O'Shea caught up with it a week later.

"When I first saw him, my heart was just beating like crazy out of my chest, and I'm like 'Holy, I've got to calm down,'" he said.

"He just stood there for probably the better part of three or four minutes and I was able to regain my composure and think about the shot I had to make."

He was hidden in a blind, with the elk at 35 yards and closing.

It was dusk; the light was fading.

"He couldn't see me and I had his wind perfect so I didn't have to worry about him smelling me. He had to walk just to get past me before I could draw with the bow, otherwise he'd sense movement."

O'Shea had his elk call at the ready.

"I just let out a little chirp and he stopped, and as soon as he stopped I was drawn and ready to shoot."

'Amazing is the only word I can think of'

"He was at 18 yards which is pretty much even a chip shot for me," O'Shea said. "Everything can go wrong. You've still got to get him perfect with the bow but I hit him good."

Tyson and Keefe, hunting nearby, joined their father at the site.

"Lots of guys hoot, holler and whatever but we walked up to it as a group, the three of us, and everybody just kind of looked at it and we just looked at each other," O'Shea said. "Amazing is the only word I can think of."

They field-dressed the elk and got it to Tyson's home after midnight. A closer look at the antlers told them they had something special.

A neighbour asked O'Shea if he was interested in getting it officially scored.

That's how he learned he had beaten the previous world record.

Official measurers with the Pope and Young Club pose with O'Shea's trophy antlers.(Pope and Young Club)

In an email, Pope and Young record chair Roy Grace explained how trophy elk are measured.

"All qualified points that are grown on an elk's antler structure are measured to the nearest ⅛-inch," Grace wrote.

"First the typical frame (normal points) is measured and deductions occur for side-to-side symmetry. Once that is completed, the abnormal, or 'non-typical' points are added to the net typical score for the final net non-typical score."

The math doesn't matter too much to O'Shea. He was happy to have meat to feed his family through the winter and a good story to tell. He plans to have a taxidermist create a full-body mount.

The trick will be finding room for it in his home.

Grand Canyon opens lottery for shooting bison in the park

TOO BAD YOU KILLED ALL  THE WOLVES

Fri., April 30, 2021



FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — The National Park Service is opening a rare opportunity for skilled shooters to help reduce the number of bison roaming the far reaches of northern Arizona.

Come Monday, potential volunteers will have 48 hours to submit an application to kill the massive animals at Grand Canyon National Park this fall. Thousands of people from across the country are expected to apply. Only 12 will be chosen through a lottery system and notified in mid-May.

“It's a unique experience and you can walk a long ways before you see one, then you gotta get a shot,” said Dave Arnold, a Sun City resident and hunter who harvested a bison in 2002 in South Dakota. “That's where the fun ends. ...It's going to be a lot of work if they get a good-size animal."

The non-physically fit need not apply. Much of the work will be done on foot in elevations of 8,000 feet (2,438 metres ) or higher at the Grand Canyon's North Rim. Volunteers can't use motorized transportation or stock animals to retrieve the bison that can weigh up to 2,000 pounds (907 kilograms).

Each volunteer can choose a support crew and will have to prove firearms proficiency.

Officials at the Grand Canyon say the bison increasingly have been trampling archaeological resources, creating deep ruts and wallows in meadows, and spoiling ponds. They can be hunted on the adjacent national forest, which has pushed them to make their homes almost exclusively within the Grand Canyon.

“They are very skilled climbers. They can get down in places humans can’t,” Grand Canyon spokeswoman Kaitlyn Thomas said.

The park service released a plan in September 2017 that called for a mix of corralling the animals near the highway that leads to the North Rim and relocating them, and for skilled volunteers to shoot.

Hunting is prohibited within national parks. But the agency has authority to kill animals that harm resources, using park staff or volunteers.

Other national parks have turned to volunteer shooters to reduce the number of wildlife, including mountain goats at Olympic National Park in Washington, and elk at Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado and Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota.

Between 300 and 500 bison are on the Grand Canyon's North Rim. The park wants to reduce the number to 200, and it has made progress with corralling and relocating the animals.

Grand Canyon Superintendent Ed Keable revived talks over the lethal option after they had stalled. An agreement reached last year between the park and the Arizona Game and Fish Department lets each volunteer shooter keep up to one full bison. The work will happen in September and October.

Native American tribes will have a separate opportunity to become volunteer shooters, but those agreements aren't finalized, Thomas said.

The state wildlife office will select and vet 25 applicants and forward those to the park service, which will choose 12 in a lottery. Employees of the Arizona Department of Game and Fish and the park service aren't eligible.

Unlike hunting, volunteers won't have to pay for a bison tag that can top $5,400 for non-Arizona residents. Shooting a bison at the Grand Canyon also won't count against the one bison lifetime limit for hunters.

“None of the things that a person has to think about when they're getting drawn for a regular bison hunt through the Arizona Game and Fish Department apply,” said Larry Phoenix, a regional supervisor for the department.

Environmental groups have said lethal removal appeases the state wildlife agency and is far less efficient than other methods. They also contend the sound of gunshots will affect other wildlife that aren’t the targets.

“It’s not the appropriate way to go about this in our eyes,” said Alicyn Gitlin of the Sierra Club.

Volunteer shooters must bring their own equipment and use non-lead ammunition to avoid the risk of poisoning the endangered California condor that scavenges on gut piles. The park service will provide cold storage for the work week.

Wildlife officials say shooting bison within the park should pressure the animals to move back to the Kaibab National Forest. The bison are descendants of those introduced to northern Arizona in the early 1900s as part of a ranching operation to crossbreed them with cattle and are owned by the state.

Arnold, the Sun City resident, said a few people in his sportsmen's group have said they are interested in applying for the volunteer effort. But at 78, he won't be a contender.

“It’s going to be very appealing to some people,” Arnold said. “If I was 20 years younger, I would be right there in line.”

Felicia Fonseca, The Associated Press

Myanmar protesters march three months after coup; U.N. warns of 'standstill'


FILE PHOTO: Demonstrators march to protest against the military coup, in Dawei


(Reuters) - Protesters against military rule marched in Myanmar on Saturday three months after a coup ended a democratic transition, with several small blasts compounding a sense of crisis that a U.N. envoy warned could bring state administration to a halt.

The military has tried to end dissent and impose its authority on a people largely opposed to the return of rule by the generals after 10 years of democratic reforms that included a government led by democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi.

Despite a relentless crackdown in which at least 759 protesters have been killed, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) advocacy group, crowds come out day after day to reject the junta.

"Our cause, democracy, our cause, a federal union. Free arrested leaders," protesters chanted at one of two rallies in the main city of Yangon.

Suu Kyi, 75, has been detained since the coup the along with many other members of her party. The AAPP says more than 3,400 people have been detained for opposing the military.

People also rallied in the second city of Mandalay and the southern town of Dawei, media reported.

There were no immediate reports of violence.

Media reported several small blasts in different places including Yangon late on Friday and on Saturday. There were no immediate reports of casualties and no claims of responsibility.

A spokesman for the junta did not answer calls seeking comment. The military has accused pro-democracy activists of planting bombs.

The U.N. special envoy on Myanmar told the Security Council on Friday that in the absence of a collective international response to the coup, violence was worsening and the running of the state risked coming to a standstill, according to diplomats who attended the private meeting.

Christine Schraner Burgener briefed the 15-member council from Thailand, where she has been meeting regional leaders. She hopes to travel to Myanmar but the military has yet to approve a visit.

"The general administration of the state could risk coming to a standstill as the pro-democracy movement continues in spite of the ongoing use of lethal force, arbitrary arrests and torture as part of the military's repression," Schraner Burgener said, according to diplomats.

She told diplomats that reports of a continuing crackdown risked undermining momentum toward ending the crisis following a meeting of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on April 25 with the junta leader, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.

Schraner Burgener, expressing concern about rising violence, cited reports of bomb attacks and of civilians, mostly students from the urban areas, getting weapons training from ethnic minority insurgents.

U.N. special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Tom Andrews, said Min Aung Hlaing had used the summit as a "propaganda ploy".

"Indeed, he tried to appear to be what he is not - a legitimate leader," Andrews said in a post on Twitter.

"The good news: Those who ARE legitimate are ready to engage: the National Unity Government."

Ousted members of parliament from Suu Kyi's party, politicians representing ethnic minorities and democracy activists set up the unity government but it has yet to win the international recognition it says it is due.

The U.N. Security Council reiterated its "deep concern" at the situation and its support for Myanmar's democratic transition. The council has issued several statements since the coup but diplomats say Russia and China are likely to prevent any stronger council action against Myanmar.

Feds, CFL in talks for potential support this year: Carr

., April 30, 2021

While the federal Liberal government’s special envoy to the Prairies spent Thursday morning touting Ottawa’s 2021-22 budget, Winnipeg MP Jim Carr Thursday afternoon said the feds are in talks with the Canadian Football League about a possible funding arrangement this year.

“(Conversations are) ongoing and the relationships are good and the line of communication is fluid. There are a lot of variables out there,” Carr said in an interview.

On Thursday morning, the Saskatchewan, Regina and Saskatoon chambers of commerce hosted Carr in a virtual videoconference in which he touted pieces of the federal budget and fielded attendees’ questions.

Among the items he highlighted was Ottawa’s $1 billion for Canada’s tourism sector.

In an interview, Carr refuted the suggestion the CFL is an important part of the country’s tourism sector and any money for the league to operate would not come from those dollars. “They’re different issues and different discussions,” he said, referencing the league's funding request to Ottawa last year.

But he hinted there could be, under the tourism file, federal money earmarked for festival activities in the week leading up to the championship Grey Cup game.

“I'm giving you the view from a Prairie guy who understands the importance of that league to our identity and the Grey Cup itself — speaking of festivals — is a major national event that has meaning for a lot of Canadians,” he said.

Part of this year’s tourism funding pot sets aside “$200 million for large festivals,” Carr said.

The CFL did not respond to the Leader-Post's request for comment before deadline.

The nine-team football league asked the feds last year for financial support to help with economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic but was denied. The CFL, which cancelled its 2020 season due to the pandemic, had proposed Ottawa give it either $30 million in the event of a truncated season, or top up that amount to $150 million upon its full 2020 cancellation.

Last week the league said it is delaying the start of its 2021 season to Aug. 5, almost two months from the original June 10 start. It also plans to delay this year’s Grey Cup, to be played in Hamilton, to Dec. 12.

Carr also addressed how the pandemic has killed airport budgets, as consumer airline travel has remained more or less grounded.

He mentioned his government’s bailout loans for Air Canada and Transat — $5.9 billion and $700 million, respectively — while teasing more potential airline support.

“Conversations continue with other airlines,” he said, declining to comment if a deal will happen for Calgary-based carrier WestJet.

“That's being handled by the Ministry of Finance. These are complex negotiations and I’m pleased with where we landed on Air Canada discussions and now Transat.”

eradford@postmedia.com

— with files from Murray McCormick, Regina Leader-Post

Evan Radford, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Regina Leader-Post, The Leader-Post

US DUMPING FAKE VACCINES 

Canada receives J&J's COVID-19 vaccine from plant where FDA halted production

Fri., April 30, 2021


FILE PHOTO: Vials labeled "COVID-19 Coronavirus Vaccine" 

and syringe are seen in front of displayed J&J logo in this illustration


(Reuters) -Canada's drug regulator said on Friday that doses of Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine recently delivered to the country were produced at a Baltimore plant where the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) halted production.

Health Canada said in a statement that it will hold the vaccine doses until it is satisfied they meet its standards, and is consulting with J&J and the FDA. The first shipment of 300,000 J&J vaccine doses arrived in Canada earlier this week.

The FDA halted production of the vaccines at a U.S. manufacturing plant owned by Emergent BioSolutions earlier this month as it investigates an error that led to millions of doses being ruined in March.

Late on Friday, Health Canada said it had learned that the active ingredient in the vaccine had been made at the Emergent site, and the final vaccines were manufactured at a different site outside the United States.

J&J was not available for immediate comment.

Many COVID-19 vaccines are made at one site and packaged into vials at another site.

(Reporting by Trisha Roy in Bengaluru and Allison Martell ; Editing by Devika Syamnath and Cynthia Osterman)

One COVID-19 case confirmed in Ekati mine worker


Fri., April 30, 2021

An aerial view of the Ekati mine, 300 kilometres northeast of Yellowknife. One new case was confirmed at the site on Friday. The infected person and 25 others are self-isolating on site. (Dominion Diamond Corporation - image credit)

A case of COVID-19 has been confirmed in a worker at the Ekati Diamond Mine in the Northwest Territories.

Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Kami Kandola said in a news release Friday evening that an investigation and contact tracing show no risk to the public.

The person did not get infected at the mine, the release says, and all screening measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 were in place.

The infected person and 25 other people identified as contacts are self-isolating at the mine site.

"The OCPHO [Office of the Chief Public Health Officer] is working closely with the Ekati mine to gather information, ensure measures that mitigate risk of transmission are in place, and, monitor the situation," the release says.

In a news release issued Wednesday evening, Kandola said she is now treating all new infections in the territory as variants of concern until confirmed otherwise.

The case won't be included in the territory's COVID-19 statistics as the individual is not an N.W.T. resident.

As of Friday evening, there are nine active cases in the territory, six of which are N.W.T. residents.

So far, 25,857 people in the territory have received one dose of the vaccine and 20,943 people have received the second dose.