Top Stories – Dec 16 – Travel Sector Furious

The travel and hospitality sector was left fuming after the federal government advised against non-essential trips abroad due to rising numbers of COVID cases. WestJet CEO Harry Taylor railed against the advisory, predicting it will create ‘unnecessary disruption and chaos as fully vaccinated Canadians are being singled out for choosing to take part in a safe activity.’ He added that Canada’s travel measures are out of step with border policies in the European Union, U-K & U-S.

Health Minister Adrian Dix says the BC government supports the federal guidelines regarding travel. He reiterated that people exercise caution in gatherings over the holidays. The province is not changing the timeline for people getting the booster dose of vaccine so it remains at 6 months after the second dose.

There were 584 new cases of Covid-19 in BC yesterday. There were 92 in Interior Health where 295 people have died from the virus. Almost 78-thousand kids between 5 and 11 in the province have received their first dose of vaccine. The government is considering changes to certain health orders such as capacity limits at hockey games.

Work to repair the Coquihalla Highway is progressing faster than initially expected. Transportation Minister Rob Fleming says thanks to the incredible work by crews he expects it to reopen to commercial traffic including trucks and intercity buses only, no later than sometime next Monday. 21 sites were affected by the flooding and slides one month ago. The essential travel restrictions for Highway 3 will be lifted sometime on Tuesday.

A panel of engineers says better forecasting and co-ordination could help prepare BC for natural disasters. They also warn that the spring thaw and rain could compound damage caused by recent floods. They add we can learn from places like Hong Kong and Rio de Janeiro, where centralized warning systems protect the public from hazards and storms.

The pandemic is making us drink more. A study suggests alcohol consumption in BC is at its highest levels in at least two decades, partly due to COVID. Researchers at the U-Vic analyzed sales data during the first year. Consumption was equivalent to 547 cans of beer or 104 bottles of wine per year for each person aged 15 and over in the province.

We told you yesterday that Central Okanagan Search and Rescue has had a record 100 call outs this year. Among them were the nine-day search for a missing scuba diver in Okanagan Lake, they helped recover 7 bodies and helped Regional Districts in the area with evacuation orders and alerts during wildfires. COSAR has wrapped up a recruiting drive and 15 prospects will begin training next month.

Some might be tempted to say ‘you first’ as Time Magazine’s Person of the Year is musing about bringing animals and humans to Mars “like a futuristic Noah’s ark.” Right now Elon Musk’s plan for his SpaceX project is to land rockets on Mars within the next five years. The company has been given a licence to conduct an experimental orbital demonstration and recovery test of its Starship rocket.

Sports

Can the Canucks make it six wins in a row? They get a chance when they take on the Sharks in San José as new head coach Bruce Boudreau makes his first road trip with the team. Puck drops at 7:30.

It’s a battle of the two top AFC teams in Thursday Night Football. The 9 & 4 Kansas City Chiefs, who are #1 in the West, take on the 8 & 5 L-A Chargers, who are #2. The Chargers have won the past two meetings.

With the number of coronavirus cases and game postponements climbing, the NHL is reintroducing enhanced COVID-19 protocols. They include restricting players to staying in their hotels while on the road in a bid to limit a growing outbreak among players and staff.

Tiger Woods tees it up this week for the first time since his car accident earlier this year. He and son Charlie are playing at the PNC Championship. Woods will play in a pro-am tomorrow, then will partner with Charlie, who’s now 12, for the weekend 36 hole event.

The Calgary Flames have now had 4 games postponed as the covid outbreak continues to grow, with the team placing 17 members in protocol yesterday. The Flames added seven players, seven support staff, and three coaches, including head coach Darryl Sutter, to the list.

The CFL announced its 2021 All-Star team and once again, the Grey Cup champion Winnipeg Blue Bombers led the way with 11 selections, seven more than any other team. Wide receivers Brian Burnham and Lucky Whitehead were the selections from the BC Lions.