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january

Quebec Wants You To Watch Out For Scammers Offering Fraudulent COVID-19 Vaccines For A Fee

As COVID-19 vaccination ramps up in Quebec, watch out for scams. According to the provincial government and Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC), fraudsters are calling people up to offer vaccines for a fee — and nothing about it is legit.  

The CAFC told MTL Blog that between September 2020 — prior to the COVID-19 vaccine rollout in Canada — and January 2021, it received reports of fraud calls offering "vaccine kits," "vaccine sign-up links" and scam-artists posing as the World Health Organization.

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5 Things To Know About The Possible 'Lifting' Of Some COVID-19 Measures In Quebec

As Quebec's latest round of restrictions approaches its original February 8 end date, Premier François Legault expects to introduce a new phase of lockdown. While he has all but promised an extension of some major COVID-19 measures in Quebec, some regions could see their rules relaxed — at least partially.

Ahead of the expected announcement on Tuesday, here's what officials have said so far about the next lockdown phase.

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Legault Hopes To Announce 'Breathing Room' For Quebec Retailers On Tuesday

Premier François Legault hinted at the possibility of reopening some Quebec shops in a Facebook post on January 30. 

The Facebook post serves as a potential preview of upcoming decisions regarding which rules will stay and which will go post-February 8, the original cut-off date for the current lockdown — however, the premier said things could change between now and next week's announcement.

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A Viral Video Of A Montreal Teacher Questioning His Student's Name Sparked Racism Claims

A video of a Vanier College teacher questioning a student on his surname made waves when it was published on the Armenian Report's Instagram page on January 26, amassing over 38,000 views — and many commenters call the interaction discriminatory. 

The video shows the teacher, Afshin Matlabi, asking the student why his hyphenated last name does not list his father's surname first, ahead of his mother's surname. According to the Armenian report, the mother's surname is Armenian while the father's surname is not. 

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33 International Flights With Infected Passengers Landed In Montreal In The Last 2 Weeks

Weeks after the federal government ordered all travellers flying into Canada to provide a negative test before boarding, authorities continue to report flights into Montreal that carried passengers with COVID-19. 

Over 30 international flights carrying infected passengers have landed in Montreal since January 12, according to the government’s online database.

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Quebec Just Reported Its Lowest Daily COVID-19 Case Count In Weeks

On Tuesday, officials reported Quebec's lowest daily COVID-19 case count of 2021 so far: 1,166 new cases.

According to figures from the Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ), this would be the lowest daily case count since the end of November.

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Here's The Ultimate Bucket List Of Activities You Can Do In Your Region This Winter

Despite a relatively mild and slow start to this winter season, Montrealers are delighted to see their city finally covered in successive waves of freshly-fallen, silent shrouds of snow. But unlike Paul Simon, we are not rocks or islands, and we can't fight the urge to get out there and break the surface of this immaculate, powdery blanket as we roll around in it. After all, we northerners enjoy filling our lungs with fresh air, as much as filling our phone's memories.

But as we begin the new year with another quarantine, you might be wondering how you can take advantage of this most magical season and still follow restrictions.

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Quebec Police Shared 7 Clues For Spotting A Potential Drug Lab In Your Area

La Surêté du Québec took to Twitter on January 25 to let the province's population know that "synthetic drug labs can be located anywhere."

In order to help locals attempt to spot such laboratories, a few "clues" were shared.

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Legault Got Mixed Reactions To A Post Comparing Quebec COVID-19 Numbers With Other Places

Premier François Legault has often made a point to compare Quebec's COVID-19 numbers with those in other countries. In response to a recent such post on Twitter, some people expressed confusion about the point of the comparisons.

While some have celebrated the information, many other people questioned the premier's intentions when, on January 15, he posted a screenshot of a spreadsheet showing that Quebec is supposedly doing better managing the second wave of the pandemic than some other countries.

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A Quebec Woman Allegedly Received A Pfizer Vaccine Dose After Getting A Moderna Dose First

While some people may be upset by the fact that the provincial government doesn't want to give citizens both doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, one Quebec woman accidentally got one of each.

Antonietta Pollice, 97, who lives with dementia, was recently transferred between care facilities. Her daughter, Patrizia Di Biase, said the first facility, CHSLD Herron, gave Pollice a dose of the Moderna vaccine on January 7.

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Decriminalizing Simple Drug Possession Will Be Debated At Montreal's Next City Council

In the agenda for Montreal's City Council on Monday, January 25, a "Non-partisan motion calling on the City of Montreal to urge the government to Canadian to decriminalize simple possession of drugs for personal use" is set to be debated.

A press release about the subject asks that the City of Montréal "undertake as quickly as possible steps to request a city-wide exemption from the Government of Canada to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act."

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Daily COVID-19 Cases In Quebec Have Dipped Below 2,000 For Almost A Week

The province has reported fewer than 2,000 daily COVID-19 cases in Quebec for almost a week now, after frequently reporting more than 2,000 new cases per day — and sometimes more than 3,000 — over the past month or so. 

Quebec recorded 1,631 new COVID-19 cases on January 21, marking the sixth consecutive day that new cases of the virus have remained below 2,000.

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