Around Ontario

TORONTO — Mayors in an Ontario COVID-19 hot spot are joining calls for the government to reduce the vaccine dosing interval for Oxford-AstraZeneca recipients as a more infectious variant spreads in the province.

TORONTO — Canada named its first Olympic skateboard team on Friday. Andy Anderson of White Rock, B.C., Matt Berger of Kamloops, B.C., and Micky Papa of Vancouver will represent Canada when skateboarding makes its debut at the 2020 Tokyo Games.

TORONTO — The Toronto Raptors say forward Pascal Siakam will miss approximately five months after he underwent surgery last week to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder.

TORONTO — Ontario is extending a wage increase for personal service workers for another two months. It was set to expire on June 30 but that period is being extended to Aug. 23.

TORONTO — After running his UFC win streak to five with a split decision win over Zubaira (Warrior) Tukhugov at UFC 253 last September in Abu Dhabi, Calgary featherweight (Mean) Hakeem Dawodu was asked who he wanted to face next.

Ontario is reporting 574 COVID-19 cases and four deaths from the virus today. Health Minister Christine Elliott says there were 109 cases reported in Toronto, 84 in Peel Region, 79 in Waterloo and 51 in the Porcupine Health Unit.

TORONTO — Ontario legislators interrupted their summer break to kick off a marathon sitting Thursday as the government prepared to invoke the notwithstanding clause to restore parts of a law that restrict third-party election advertising.

TORONTO — The Canadian Elite Basketball League has received the green light from health officials to tip off its season.

TORONTO — Make room, van Gogh. A new immersive art experience will celebrate the masterworks of Claude Monet. A massive installation dubbed "Beyond Monet" makes its world premiere Aug. 5 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

TORONTO — Indigenous writer Jesse Wente will challenge the notion of reconciliation in a new book described as "part memoir, part manifesto.