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2 new COVID-19 cases reported in Nova Scotia Saturday – CBC.ca

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Nova Scotia reported two new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday.

Both cases are in the central health zone. One is a close contact of a previously reported case, while the other case is under investigation, according to a provincial release.

The province has 17 known active cases.

The Nova Scotia Health labs completed 2,000 tests on Friday.

“Today is the first day of spring, case numbers continue to stay low and the remaining restrictions in parts of HRM and surrounding communities were lifted this morning,” Premier Iain Rankin said in a release.

“However, that does not mean we can let our guard down.”

No one is in hospital in Nova Scotia related to the virus.

As of Friday, 58,036 doses of vaccine had been administered, and of those, 20,050 Nova Scotians had received a second dose.

Faulkner is shown in the waiting area after her vaccination. The Truro clinic is one of the first primary care clinics in the province to offer COVID-19 vaccine. (Communications Nova Scotia)

The first COVID-19 vaccinations in a primary care clinic took place Saturday at a walk-in clinic in Truro.

Ten community clinics and 15 pharmacies are administering COVID-19 vaccine to all Nova Scotians who are 80 and older based on birth month, while 25 pharmacies and physician offices are bringing AstraZeneca vaccine to those ages 60 to 64.

All appointments need to be booked in advance, and can be done online here.

Various restrictions on long-term care, restaurants, sports and other areas were lifted as of 8 a.m. Saturday for those in the Halifax Regional Municipality and other designated areas. 

New Brunswickers coming into Nova Scotia also now no longer have to self-isolate when entering Nova Scotia.

But, Nova Scotians going to New Brunswick will still have to self-isolate for two weeks upon arrival there. While Nova Scotia has reopened its border, New Brunswick is not planning to do the same. 

New exposure sites

Nova Scotia Health reported five new potential exposure sites on Saturday. 

Anyone who worked at or visited the following locations on the specified dates and times should book a COVID-19 test on the self-assessment website or by contacting 811, regardless of whether they have COVID-19 symptoms. 

Individuals who were at the following locations during the listed times do not have to self-isolate while they await test results, unless they have symptoms of COVID-19.

  • Dollarama Clayton Park at 278 Lacewood Dr., Halifax, on March 14 between noon-2 p.m. Anyone exposed may develop symptoms through March 28.
  • Atlantic Superstore at 650 Portland St., Dartmouth, on March 16 between 6:30-8 p.m. Anyone exposed may develop symptoms through March 30.
  • Costco Dartmouth Crossing at 137 Countryview Dr., Dartmouth, on March 16 between 1:30- 4:30 p.m. Anyone exposed may develop symptoms through March 30.
  • Dave’s Fruit & Vegetable Market at 322 Main St., Dartmouth,  on March 16 between 3:30-4:45 p.m. Anyone exposed may develop symptoms through March 30.
  • Sobeys at 752 Sackville Dr., Downsview Mall,  Lower Sackville, on March 16 between 12:30-4:30 p.m. Anyone exposed may develop symptoms through March 27.

Woman fined under Health Protection Act

On Saturday, New Glasgow police charged a 57-year-old woman for failing to quarantine for 14 days after she travelled to Nova Scotia from Alberta.

Responding to a complaint, police found the woman at a parking lot on Westville Road. She was charged under the Health Protection Act. 

Atlantic Canada case numbers

  • New Brunswick reported three new cases on Saturday for a total of 49 known active cases. Two people are in hospital with the virus.
  • Newfoundland and Labrador reported no new cases on Saturday. The province has five known active cases, and one person is in hospital with the virus.
  • P.E.I. reported four cases on Friday. There are now eight known active cases on the Island.
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Japan’s SoftBank returns to profit after gains at Vision Fund and other investments

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TOKYO (AP) — Japanese technology group SoftBank swung back to profitability in the July-September quarter, boosted by positive results in its Vision Fund investments.

Tokyo-based SoftBank Group Corp. reported Tuesday a fiscal second quarter profit of nearly 1.18 trillion yen ($7.7 billion), compared with a 931 billion yen loss in the year-earlier period.

Quarterly sales edged up about 6% to nearly 1.77 trillion yen ($11.5 billion).

SoftBank credited income from royalties and licensing related to its holdings in Arm, a computer chip-designing company, whose business spans smartphones, data centers, networking equipment, automotive, consumer electronic devices, and AI applications.

The results were also helped by the absence of losses related to SoftBank’s investment in office-space sharing venture WeWork, which hit the previous fiscal year.

WeWork, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2023, emerged from Chapter 11 in June.

SoftBank has benefitted in recent months from rising share prices in some investment, such as U.S.-based e-commerce company Coupang, Chinese mobility provider DiDi Global and Bytedance, the Chinese developer of TikTok.

SoftBank’s financial results tend to swing wildly, partly because of its sprawling investment portfolio that includes search engine Yahoo, Chinese retailer Alibaba, and artificial intelligence company Nvidia.

SoftBank makes investments in a variety of companies that it groups together in a series of Vision Funds.

The company’s founder, Masayoshi Son, is a pioneer in technology investment in Japan. SoftBank Group does not give earnings forecasts.

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Trump campaign promises unlikely to harm entrepreneurship: Shopify CFO

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Shopify Inc. executives brushed off concerns that incoming U.S. President Donald Trump will be a major detriment to many of the company’s merchants.

“There’s nothing in what we’ve heard from Trump, nor would there have been anything from (Democratic candidate) Kamala (Harris), which we think impacts the overall state of new business formation and entrepreneurship,” Shopify’s chief financial officer Jeff Hoffmeister told analysts on a call Tuesday.

“We still feel really good about all the merchants out there, all the entrepreneurs that want to start new businesses and that’s obviously not going to change with the administration.”

Hoffmeister’s comments come a week after Trump, a Republican businessman, trounced Harris in an election that will soon return him to the Oval Office.

On the campaign trail, he threatened to impose tariffs of 60 per cent on imports from China and roughly 10 per cent to 20 per cent on goods from all other countries.

If the president-elect makes good on the promise, many worry the cost of operating will soar for companies, including customers of Shopify, which sells e-commerce software to small businesses but also brands as big as Kylie Cosmetics and Victoria’s Secret.

These merchants may feel they have no choice but to pass on the increases to customers, perhaps sparking more inflation.

If Trump’s tariffs do come to fruition, Shopify’s president Harley Finkelstein pointed out China is “not a huge area” for Shopify.

However, “we can’t anticipate what every presidential administration is going to do,” he cautioned.

He likened the uncertainty facing the business community to the COVID-19 pandemic where Shopify had to help companies migrate online.

“Our job is no matter what comes the way of our merchants, we provide them with tools and service and support for them to navigate it really well,” he said.

Finkelstein was questioned about the forthcoming U.S. leadership change on a call meant to delve into Shopify’s latest earnings, which sent shares soaring 27 per cent to $158.63 shortly after Tuesday’s market open.

The Ottawa-based company, which keeps its books in U.S. dollars, reported US$828 million in net income for its third quarter, up from US$718 million in the same quarter last year, as its revenue rose 26 per cent.

Revenue for the period ended Sept. 30 totalled US$2.16 billion, up from US$1.71 billion a year earlier.

Subscription solutions revenue reached US$610 million, up from US$486 million in the same quarter last year.

Merchant solutions revenue amounted to US$1.55 billion, up from US$1.23 billion.

Shopify’s net income excluding the impact of equity investments totalled US$344 million for the quarter, up from US$173 million in the same quarter last year.

Daniel Chan, a TD Cowen analyst, said the results show Shopify has a leadership position in the e-commerce world and “a continued ability to gain market share.”

In its outlook for its fourth quarter of 2024, the company said it expects revenue to grow at a mid-to-high-twenties percentage rate on a year-over-year basis.

“Q4 guidance suggests Shopify will finish the year strong, with better-than-expected revenue growth and operating margin,” Chan pointed out in a note to investors.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:SHOP)

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RioCan cuts nearly 10 per cent staff in efficiency push as condo market slows

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TORONTO – RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust says it has cut almost 10 per cent of its staff as it deals with a slowdown in the condo market and overall pushes for greater efficiency.

The company says the cuts, which amount to around 60 employees based on its last annual filing, will mean about $9 million in restructuring charges and should translate to about $8 million in annualized cash savings.

The job cuts come as RioCan and others scale back condo development plans as the market softens, but chief executive Jonathan Gitlin says the reductions were from a companywide efficiency effort.

RioCan says it doesn’t plan to start any new construction of mixed-use properties this year and well into 2025 as it adjusts to the shifting market demand.

The company reported a net income of $96.9 million in the third quarter, up from a loss of $73.5 million last year, as it saw a $159 million boost from a favourable change in the fair value of investment properties.

RioCan reported what it says is a record-breaking 97.8 per cent occupancy rate in the quarter including retail committed occupancy of 98.6 per cent.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:REI.UN)

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