Amid promising news that Canada has received its first COVID-19 vaccine shipment, the government’s new forecast says the country could hit close to 15,000 deaths by Christmas, and a total number of cases of between 531,300 and 577,000.

Canada could also reach 12,000 new cases of COVID-19 a day by early January, followed by increases in hospitalizations and deaths, if current measures are maintained. The current daily average is about 6,500 new cases.

Scarsin is a Markham-based forecasting and modelling technology company working with the University of Toronto’s Institute for Pandemics (IFP) to advise on and support the deployment of world leading pandemic response tools, technology, research and training. They are currently working with York Region to support its pandemic response planning as well as with the federal and provincial levels.

GUEST: Paul Minshull, CEO of Scarsin  

How to deal with information overload, how to identify misinformation, how to deal with someone you know sharing misinformation

GUEST: Matthew Johnson, Dir. of Education at Media Smarts

The Ontario government is committing $20 million to a new grant program aimed at addressing labour shortages in the province’s skilled trades.

The program is intended to help small- and medium-sized employers cover the costs of training and sponsoring apprentices.

Funding for the program is tied to a recovery plan announced in the 2020 Ontario budget aimed at repairing the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

ALSO: The Detrimental Impact of Covid-19 on Gender and Racial Equality

GUEST: Jill Dunlop, Associate Minister of Children & Women’s Issues

Canada’s first batch of coronavirus vaccine doses have now arrived in the country, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says. Those vaccines will then be sent to 14 distribution sites across the country’s provinces. There are no sites in the territories however, due to what health officials cite as a distribution challenge in stocking the vaccine which needs a constant -70 C storage temperature.

ALSO: Health Canada is warning people with allergies to ingredients in the COVID-19 vaccine to forgo getting the shots

GUEST: Dr. Jason Ohayon, Pediatrician with Hamilton Allergy and a fellow in Allergy & Clinical Immunology

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Two people have died and four others remain in hospital following a partial building collapse at a construction site in southwest London on Friday. Police confirm that a sixth person was assessed at the scene with minor injuries and not transported to a hospital.

Its website described the building as “brand new premium apartments” under construction in southwest London, set to open in spring or summer 2021.

GUEST: Sawyer Bogdan, reporter for Global News in London, 980 CFPL

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau today released the government's strategy to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 — and its centrepiece is a gradual hike in the federal carbon tax on fuels to $170 a tonne by that year.

Beyond the carbon tax hike, the government is promising $15 billion in new spending on climate initiatives over the next 10 years — money earmarked for improvements to the country's electric vehicle charging infrastructure, rebates and tax write-offs for zero-emissions vehicles and funding for home retrofits, among dozens of other proposed policies.

GUEST: Andrew Brander, Crestview Strategies

The Ontario government’s current coronavirus lockdown restrictions in areas like Toronto and Peel Region are not as effective as the previous provincial lockdown, officials say, leading to concerns about higher case growth.

GUEST: Dr. Michael Warner, Head of ICU with Michael Garron Hospital Re: new modelling

Canada Post is experiencing an unprecedented number of transactions at post offices across the country as Canadians look to safely connect with loved ones through the mail this holiday season.

GUEST: Jon Hamilton, Canada Post spokesperson

Waiting for treatment has become a defining characteristic of Canadian health care. In order to document the queues for visits to specialists and for diagnostic and surgical procedures in the country, the Fraser Institute has—for over two decades—surveyed specialist physicians across 12 specialties and 10 provinces.

Waiting Your Turn: Wait Times for Health Care in Canada, 2020 Report

 Bacchaus Barua, Associate Director of Public Policy with the Fraser Institute