Global National: Jan. 9, 2022 | In-classroom learning proves difficult as Omicron spreads

After an extended Christmas break triggered by surging cases of the Omicron variant, students across much of Canada will return to school tomorrow. Most students will be back to online education, but in western Canada, schools will be open for in-person learning once again. Most doctors agree opening schools should be a priority for kids, but keeping those classrooms open may be more challenging. Heather Yourex-West reports.

A remote COVID-stricken First Nation in northwestern Ontario is getting some military help, but not as much help as it asked for. Bearskin Lake First Nation is about 600 kilometres north of Thunder Bay. More than half of the community’s 400 residents have tested positive and nearly the entire community is in self-isolation. David Akin has more.

Quebec is reporting a sharp jump in COVID-19 hospitalizations today, climbing by 140 since yesterday. The situation outside Montreal is especially dire, forcing some regions to make tough decisions.

Kazakhstan’s health ministry says 164 people were killed during a week of deadly protests that began over a sharp rise in fuel prices. Kazakhstan will be a key sticking point during top level talks between the U.S. and Russia that begin tomorrow. But the biggest will be Russia’s potential threat against Ukraine and how Russian President Vladimir Putin is amassing troops along the border. Jennifer Johnson joins us with the latest.

Conservationists are praising the federal government for helping to save endangered sharks. At a recent international meeting, Canada successfully lobbied for the protection of Shortfin mako sharks. It can be found worldwide including off the coast of Nova Scotia and even into the Gulf of the St. Lawrence. As Ross Lord explains, mako numbers are declining leading to fears they could soon be extinct.

The effects of man-made climate change is expected to be felt most severely in the developing world in the coming decades. Droughts in Africa are already impacting a giant project that itself is trying to hold back the effects of Mother Nature. The so-called Great Green Wall Initiative involves re-planting billions of hectares across the width of the continent. But as Redmond Shannon reports, the long-term consequences of the plan are still unknown.

A big wallop of winter isn’t exactly the norm for Vancouver Island so when it does happen it can be difficult to deal with. In one seaside town a group of Good Samaritans put their shovels, musical talents and a borrowed B.C. transit bus to work to clear out all the recent snow. Kylie Stanton reports.

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