Novavax is first to post a redacted deal Did someone forward you this newsletter? Sign up here to get it delivered weekday mornings. Every single federal official who's asked about the details of COVID-19 vaccine contracts insists that confidentiality clauses forbid them from saying a peep. Somebody forgot to tell Novavax, the manufacturer that will eventually see its vaccine produced in a National Research Council plant in Montreal. A redacted version of Canada's contract with Novavax, which the Globe and Mail reports was only finalized in January, was disclosed as part of regulatory filings south of the border. Much of the contract remains a mystery, including the price Ottawa paid for each dose and the precise delivery schedule. There appears to be a great deal of flexibility on Novavax's obligations. Meanwhile, Procurement Minister Anita Anand told Bloomberg that an accelerated vaccine timeline in Canada is "highly likely." The daily press conferences with federal officials have a habit of making headlines—or at least laying the ground work for big news. Yesterday, Health Canada's chief medical advisor, Supriya Sharma, told reporters that she expects to have news on the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine "within the next seven days or so." Spoiler alert: The shot will probably be green-lit. Howard Njoo, the deputy public health officer, tried to clarify recent confusion about the role of the National Advisory Committee on Immunization. NACI made waves for recommending up to four-month intervals between doses for Canada's three approved vaccines. Is that the panel's final word on the matter? "We expect that NACI recommendations will complement, not mirror, those of Health Canada," said Njoo. "NACI will continue to monitor evidence on effectiveness of a delayed second dose and will adjust recommendations as needed." Translation: The science, and advice, might change. CTV News reported that Ontario has so far wasted 1,500 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, enough to fully inoculate 750 people. The province has also successfully administered more than a million doses, and blames malfunctioning freezers and damaged vials for the waste. Alternate headline: Ontario doesn't waste 99.9 per cent of vaccines. Bailout with a b: CBC News quoted Unifor president Jerry Dias as saying a federal airline bailout was originally worth $7 billion in repayable loans—with 1 per cent interest over a decade—but that the final number could end up closer to $9 billion. Money pleeeease! Canada's provinces are formally asking—once again—for increased federal health transfers. Last September, the premiers hoped the Throne Speech would pledge the dough. They spent the fall asking for a meeting with the PM, and were mostly disappointed after a December phone call with Trudeau. Now, the premiers say the federal budget is the right moment to announce a 35-per-cent hike in transfers to $70 billion a year. They claim Ottawa's fiscal position will "improve rapidly" after the pandemic, while provincial health-care costs will lead to "successive increasing deficits." Harsh words: Huffington Post Canada's Ottawa bureau chief, Althia Raj, tweeted Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister's recollection of a conversation with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Pallister says he explained the human cost of painful wait times. Trudeau's apparent response: "I'm not your banker." The PMO response: "We don't know what the premier is talking about." Cleared for takeoff: The Royal Canadian Air Force's "flying Taj Mahal", formally known as Can Force One, is once again ready to ferry the Prime Minister around the world (once that's a thing again). The plane had been out of service since Oct. 18, 2019, when its parking brake failed and the runaway jet rolled into a hangar wall, striking a tow tractor along the way. Boom! Defence Research and Development Canada is looking for some engineering help at its Experimental Proving Grounds in southern Alberta. The agency is in the midst of underwater explosion experiments that study warship and submarine vulnerability. (The facility shouldn't be confused with the Super Pond at an American proving ground.) Yes, there's a video of Canada's proving grounds. And yes, that video features lots of explosions. Happy ending: Ottawa Police have found NDP leader Jagmeet Singh's bike. Win at all costs: Politicians love to figuratively shift the goal posts on a debate they can't win. This tiny tyke made it literal. Not content to guide a puck into the net, the budding hockey superstar brought the net to the puck. Genius. —Nick Taylor-Vaisey | 