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Protesters block Canada-bound traffic on Ambassador Bridge

Truckers and other protesters started blocking Canada-bound traffic on the Ambassador Bridge, which links Windsor, Ont., and Detroit, and calling for an end to COVID-19 restrictions. 1:18

The mother of an unvaccinated Ontario trucker who died of COVID-19 is urging other drivers protesting vaccine mandates across Canada to get their shots to protect their families, colleagues and the public. 
Margaret Makins said her 70-year-old son Dave Mitchell, who was from Ayr, had no major health issues before contracting COVID-19. He died in October after battling the virus for weeks. Quick-witted, popular and “generous to a fault,” Mitchell “lived by his own rules,” according to his mother. She believes his rebellious spirit is part of what made him say no to getting vaccinated. Makins wants those participating in the convoy protests to know that pandemic mandates exist to protect families from severe illness and death — to prevent the kind of giant chasm left by the loss of her son. “Dying of COVID is not a pleasant experience. It’s absolutely horrible,” said Makins. “If my story would convince just one of them to get vaccinated, I would feel that David’s dying has some value. “No one can force them to vaccinate and I can appreciate that, but for the sake of your families, your partners, your employers, every single person you meet, it is better for you to be vaccinated so you can help them continue to live.” Read more about Makins’s plea here.

Ontario should aim to build 1.5 million new homes in the next decade by increasing density in urban and suburban areas and by drastically overhauling how cities approve housing projects, says a new report commissioned by Premier Doug Ford’s government. The Housing Affordability Task Force makes 55 recommendations aimed at reining in home prices by dramatically boosting the supply of housing. The cost of buying the average home in Ontario has nearly tripled over the past 10 years. “We are in a housing crisis and that demands immediate and sweeping reforms,” says a letter in the report from task force chair Jake Lawrence, CEO of Scotiabank Global Banking and Markets. Immediate reforms could be in place before Ontario’s provincial election on June 2. Ford’s Progressive Conservatives intend to bring in legislation responding to the task force report during the upcoming sitting of Queen’s Park, a senior government official told CBC News. Read details of the recommendations here.

Trips departing from Canadian airports in March have spiked by more than 700 per cent compared to bookings the same time last year, according to Canadian-based travel agency Flight Centre, but travellers still face a test when returning to Canada. To return home, Canadians must show proof of a negative molecular test (such as a PCR test) within 72 hours of their departing flight or planned arrival at the land border. Due to Omicron’s rapid spread and an increase in international travel, Canadians may face difficulty booking their pre-entry test or getting their results in time. Flight Centre spokesperson Allison Wallace advises travellers pre-book their test at a clinic near their travel destination well in advance to avoid any holdups. “I highly recommend booking your appointment before you even take your trip,” she said. Snowbird Dianne Fine said the best solution would be for the federal government to nix the pre-entry test requirement for fully vaccinated travellers — something several politicians and travel industry groups have previously lobbied for. “Anyone who has three vaccines should not need to take a PCR test,” said Fine. “They’re responsible and they’ve done their duty.” Read more about the border rules here.

Now here’s some impressive school attendance to start your Tuesday: Leo Scantlebury has walked the corridors of Howard S. Billings Regional High School for more years than its current student population has been alive. From student, to teacher, and now to vice-principal, Leo Scantlebury has devoted much of his life to the high school in Châteauguay, Que., on Montreal’s South Shore. He’s determined to help improve the school and enhance its reputation. Scantlebury graduated from Howard S. Billings in 1989, returning two decades later, in 2008, to teach physical education, math and ethics, as well as to coach several sports teams. He’s had his current role since 2019. Scantlebury is “very mindful” of the fact that he’s a leader in a school with a large Black population — as far as he knows, he’s the first Black person in a senior administrative role at the New Frontiers School Board. “A lot of the kids are of a West Indian background, African background, so it’s easy to relate to them. I understand a lot of their struggles,” he said. “I try to be kind of like a role model to all of the kids, as well to let them know that I’m here for them.” Read more about Scantlebury here.