Canada: 5 things to know for Thursday, August 12, 2021

Canada has now fully vaccinated 70.82 per cent of the country’s eligible population. Here’s what else you need to know to start your day.

1. Vaccine passports: Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino says fully vaccinated Canadians will soon be able to get a government document certifying their COVID-19 vaccine history for the purpose of international travel.

2. Fourth wave: With cases of COVID-19 across Canada on the rise after a summer drop, doctors say the country has entered a fourth wave of the pandemic.

3. ‘Hostage diplomacy’: Canada is being urged by legal and international experts to apply diplomatic pressure on both China and the United States to secure the release of Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, following Spavor’s 11-year prison sentence by a Chinese court.

4. B.C. wildfires: More than 600,000 hectares of forest have been burned by wildfires in British Columbia this summer, amid warnings they could become more common if nothing is done to address climate change.

5. Remote work: After more than 1.5 years of working from home, millions of people are facing the prospect of heading back to the grind in an office — but with work-life patterns upended during the pandemic, remote work in some form appears to be here to stay.

One more thing…

What is …: After weeks of guest hosts on ‘Jeopardy!’ that included celebrities from TV, sports and journalism, the daily syndicated quiz show chose its executive producer Mike Richards as the successor to beloved host Alex Trebek, with actor Mayim Bialik also getting a role.

Source: CTV News