Good morning. This is Hanna Lee.
It might feel like everyone you know is sick right now, if you yourself aren't already. The flu season is hitting Canada particularly hard, doctors say, with some hospitals preparing for a holiday surge in cases. We'll get into that below. Then, a look at what's wrong with the Canada Border Services Agency's IT systems, and why the Canadian military is considering permanent bases in Latvia.
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This year's flu is packing a punch. How hospitals are trying to deal with surging cases
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(George Rudy/Shutterstock)
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Flu cases are climbing across Canada, potentially pushing hospitals to their limits over the holidays and into the new year.
What's happening: Health officials in regions across the country are warning people not to visit emergency rooms unless it's absolutely necessary. There has been a large week-over-week jump in hospitalizations, according to data from the Public Health Agency of Canada released Dec. 19. People over 65 and kids under four accounted for the most influenza-related admissions.
Why it matters: It's not totally unusual to see flu cases spike at this time of the year. But an early start to the flu season, along with some provinces seeing just 20 per cent of eligible people getting vaccinated, have likely contributed to a quicker uptick and thus, greater pressure on hospitals. Doctors are warning that the strain of flu hitting this country is more severe, as we have been dominated by influenza A. Meanwhile, COVID-19, measles and RSV are still circulating. So what to do if you've got the flu? Stay home and rest, says Toronto doctor Raghu Venugopal.
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CBSA says 'fragile' IT systems are a 'top government risk' following border outages
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(CBC)
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An internal review of technical outages at the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has exposed critical flaws with its IT services.
What's happening: The review was ordered after outages over the early fall that caused significant delays at airports and international land borders. It found that neither the CBSA nor Shared Services Canada (SSC) was prioritizing solutions to dated technology that should be declared a "top government risk." It said the border agency's response to the outages was inadequate and inconsistent across the country.
What caused the outage: Two separate, planned IT changes. An SSC staffer didn't apply the necessary patch to CBSA databases ahead of a routine upgrade in late September, significantly corrupting live traveller and commercial data. That, in turn, led to cascading outages and failures at inspection points in international airports and land borders, delaying travellers because airlines had to manually look people up on Transport Canada's no-fly list. It also led to a weeklong backlog at highways, marine ports and air and rail yards, as importers couldn't submit manifests electronically for shipments entering Canada. The review has listed 12 action items to be completed by next fall.
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Military considers permanent bases in Latvia as part of Canada's NATO commitment
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(Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press)
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Canada is looking into how its NATO deployments in Latvia can be realistically sustained into the future — and one of those options could mean more permanent basing, a senior commander said.
What's happening: The analysis is just beginning, Lt.-Gen. Steve Boivin of the Canadian Joint Operations Command told CBC News in a year-end interview, and they haven't yet made any recommendations. But the move, if it were to happen, would mean the first permanent Canadian military presence in Europe since 1993.
Why it matters: There have been warnings that the Baltic states are among the most likely targets of future Russian aggression. And while Canada already has a near-permanent rotational presence in Latvia, the shift could be a deterring signal, wrote Daniel Kochis of the Hudson Institute in a recent report. NATO promised Russia after the Cold War that it wouldn't create permanent bases in Europe. But that has essentially been voided since the country's invasion of Ukraine began in 2022. Still, the move wouldn't be made instantly. It would need legal agreement from Latvia, as well as input from NATO itself. It would also be a major decision domestically, and would likely need to be put before Parliament for a non-binding vote.
- In related news: More than 30 years after the Canadian military first allowed women in combat roles, it's specifically designing uniforms and body armour to fit their bodies. Ashley Burke has more.
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IN LIGHTER NEWS
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He gave away his art after learning he had 18 months to live. Now his cancer's in remission
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(Francis Ferland/CBC)
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