kek. see what you did there.
baker
Canadian Armed Forces deployed to Quebec to help with COVID-19 vaccination campaign
Monday, January 3, 2022 11:03AM EST
The federal government is sending in the armed forces to help with the COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Quebec.
Minister of Emergency Preparedness Bill Blair made the announcement via Twitter Monday morning.
"Following our approval of Quebec’s request for federal assistance, Canadian Armed Forces personnel will begin their deployment today to provide support to the province’s vaccination campaign,” he wrote. “Our officials continue to assess what other federal resources can be utilized to help the province combat COVID-19.”
In an email, spokesperson Lt. Daniel Alejandro Pineda Revelo told CTV News that the Forces looked at "several scenarios involving different regions" but at the request of the province will be "focusing on the Montreal area [spoopy McGill U?] for the time being."
Pineda Revelo said the Canadian Armed Forces are assessing the current needs before deploying troops.
"Once the reconnaissance is complete, we will be able to deploy the appropriate number of military personnel to the locations targeted by the province," he said, adding that "some members could receive their familiarization session as early as tomorrow."
Tasks could include welcoming people to the vaccination centre, guiding them through the steps to be vaccinated and cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and areas, he explained.
The move to deploy military personnel comes following a request made two weeks ago by Quebec’s public safety minister, Geneviève Guilbault, who asked for help ramping up the number of shots administered daily in the province.
"Omicron threatens the hospital capacity of Quebec. We must speed up the vaccination of Quebecers," Guilbault said on Twitter on Dec. 21.
As of Monday active cases in Quebec surpassed 100,000, and hospitalizations are on the rise, with nearly 1,400 patients in hospital, including 181 people in intensive care.
The clock is ticking to get booster shots to Quebecers as quickly as possible, said infectious diseases expert Dr. Donald Vinh.
"Right now we are not only try to catch up but we’retrying to grab the last lifejacket on a sinking ship,"he said. "Hopefully by having the armed forces available we can address the personnel issue. We can address the number of mass vaccination sites available and that will help people avoid the bottlenecks that they’ve encountered."
Monday morning, Quebecers stood in line for hours sometimes outside in the cold as they waited to get vaccinated against COVID-19. [IQ test FAIL]
The province announced last week that it was rolling out booster shots, a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, to all Quebecers 18 [666] and up.
Appointments are already available for those 60 and up and other priority groups, including those in certain professions and people with some health conditions, and will open incrementally from Tuesday until Jan. 21 for younger age group
sauce at https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/canadian-armed-forces-deployed-to-quebec-to-help-with-covid-19-vaccination-campaign-1.5726240
lotta spoop in Montreal
Quebec National Assembly hears how child sexual exploitation a problem in Montreal
August 24, 2020
Child sexual exploitation is the focus of a special commission digging into the issue in Quebec.
Monday was the last day of National Assembly public hearings, where the commission heard just how big the problem is in Montreal.
What makes Montreal an attraction to international visitors can also make it a destination for sex tourism, according to a cyber crime expert, Paul Laurier, the CEO of Vigiteck.
“It’s very close to New York City, it’s beautiful, it’s French, it’s cheaper,” he said.
The commission heard from Laurier and other experts Monday, who explained how Montreal is a hotbed for underage sex trafficking.
“We see more and more victims from Montreal that have been sent all over Canada,” said Dominic Monchamp, lieutenant detective with the SPVM for the integrated team against procuring.
Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) MNA Ian Lafrenière, a longtime police officer turned politician, is chair of the cross-party committee, but he says he can’t help approaching this issue as a father. His own daughters are 10 and 12.
“You say, ‘No, this is my hometown. It’s impossible,'” said Lafrenière.
“During the hearings, we (heard from) a police officer from Ottawa. She was a former member of the anti-trafficking unit. Her daughter was recruited within two weeks on social media,” he said.
“So as a parent, you go back home, you feel horrible about that because you understand that no one, no one is safe.”
For those already working in the sex trade, the committee heard how the pandemic made things more dangerous for them.
Many sex workers still needed an income, forcing them to see clients which put them at risk of getting and spreading COVID-19.
“We’ve heard and seen that some of the girls have been asked to lower their prices and perform other services that they don’t want to,” Monchamp explained.
“And because there was, at the beginning of the pandemic, less of a demand, some of them were forced to do so because they needed to make more money or the same amount of money as the pre-COVID period,” he said.
With many hotels closed, these activities took place in less secure locations.
“There was more demand to do services in private homes or places like Airbnb’s,” he said.
The police officer said parents need to be aware that young girls — and boys — can be lured into sex trafficking by online predators.
“We have a recruiter each in our own homes,” Monchamp said.
“We have to save those victims one at a time,” said Laurier.
The commission says it will soon table multiple recommendations to address this tragic and complex issue.
https://globalnews.ca/news/7295520/quebec-national-assembly-child-sexual-exploitation-montreal/
used to have the official Bod & Doug toque in high school in the 80's. dunno where it got to with all the moves over the years.
happy memories. o7