News

From the heart of Prince Edward County, I'm Debbie Ormsby with
your County FM News (Jan 5 )

In local news: Quinte Health continues to experience extremely high and increasing
patient volumes across all four hospitals, with Emergency Departments under significant
pressure. As a result, wait times are longer than usual and continue to fluctuate based
on patient volumes, acuity, staffing and inpatient capacity.
Community members visiting the Emergency Department will experience prolonged
waits — particularly for non-urgent concerns — as teams prioritize the most critically ill
and injured patients.
If you are experiencing a medical emergency, it is recommended you go to the
Emergency Department. You will be assessed as quickly as possible. For less urgent
health concerns, wait times will be long.  Please be patient during these challenging
conditions.
This just in…. Emergency watermain repairs will take place on Wharf Street between
Niles Street and Noxon Avenue in Wellington on Tuesday. Repairs will begin tomorrow
at approximately 9 am on January 6, with an expected completion time of 6 pm.
Wharf Street will be closed except for local traffic at the Niles Street intersection. For
more information, please visit the county website.

We continue to follow the story on the deposed Venezuelan President Nicolas
Meduro….
During a brief court appearance in New York, ousted the Venezuelan leader and his
wife, Cilia Flores, each pleaded not guilty to narco-terrorism, drug trafficking and
weapons charges.
U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has used the criminal charges to justify
Maduro's capture and removal to U.S. soil. Maduro has long denied any involvement in
drug trafficking.
Maduro's lawyer has predicted a complex legal fight over his "military abduction," and is
expected to argue he is immune from prosecution as a sovereign head of state.
Neither Maduro nor Flores requested immediate release, but their lawyers said they
may do so at a later time.
The UN Security Council also debated the implications of the raid, which was
condemned by Russia, China and other allies of Venezuela.

Maduro loyalists remain in charge of Venezuela, and interim president Delcy Rodriguez
has demanded that the U.S. return him, though she has offered to work with the
country. "on a co-operative agenda." Different than her first public statement where she
gave no indication that she would co-operate with Trump, referring to his government as
“extremists” and maintaining that Maduro was Venezuela’s rightful leader.

Airlines in Canada could soon be under pressure from customers to improve their
services as the federal government opens its skies to more competition from the Middle
East as Ottawa is loosening restrictions on the number of flights coming from Saudi
Arabia and the United Arab Emirates after past diplomatic spats had limited flights.
Airlines from the Middle East are considered the "envy of the world" because of the
services they offer, which may force Canadian airlines to do more if they want to go
head-to-head with these foreign carriers.
Canadian MPs and senators through parliamentary committees have studied a series of
issues hitting Canada's airline industry in recent years including a lack of competition,
high fares, accessibility complaints and passengers' rights.
Airlines such as Emirates are famous online for their first-class seats. Videos created by
YouTubers and influencers have garnered millions of views showing off Emirates' caviar
meals, fancy sleeping pods and showers onboard.

North American oil prices climbed by more than one per cent today following the
upheaval in Venezuela over the weekend, while stock prices of some large Canadian oil
and gas companies have fallen.
A barrel of West Texas Intermediate, the North American benchmark, was trading about
1.5 per cent higher by midday, up nearly $1 to just over $58 US.  Prices remain
relatively cheap and are about $15 lower than compared to one year ago.
Meanwhile, several Canadian oil and gas companies are taking a hit to their stock price.
The Toronto Stock Exchange's energy index was down about 4.5 per cent by midday
today
The weekend removal of President Nicolas Maduro is impacting oil markets, because
the country has some of the largest oil reserves around the world followed by Saudi
Arabia second and Canada in third.

Venezuela, was 0nce a major producer but last year only pumped about 900,000
barrels per day out of the ground last year, following many years of declining investment
because of sanctions and failed government policies.At its peak, Venezuela produced
3.7 million barrels per day in 1970.Overall, the Toronto Stock Exchange and North
American markets all rose in value today.