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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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Telus prioritizing ‘most important customers,’ avoiding ‘unprofitable’ offers: CFO

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Telus Corp. says it is avoiding offering “unprofitable” discounts as fierce competition in the Canadian telecommunications sector shows no sign of slowing down.

The company said Friday it had fewer net new customers during its third quarter compared with the same time last year, as it copes with increasingly “aggressive marketing and promotional pricing” that is prompting more customers to switch providers.

Telus said it added 347,000 net new customers, down around 14.5 per cent compared with last year. The figure includes 130,000 mobile phone subscribers and 34,000 internet customers, down 30,000 and 3,000, respectively, year-over-year.

The company reported its mobile phone churn rate — a metric measuring subscribers who cancelled their services — was 1.09 per cent in the third quarter, up from 1.03 per cent in the third quarter of 2023. That included a postpaid mobile phone churn rate of 0.90 per cent in its latest quarter.

Telus said its focus is on customer retention through its “industry-leading service and network quality, along with successful promotions and bundled offerings.”

“The customers we have are the most important customers we can get,” said chief financial officer Doug French in an interview.

“We’ve, again, just continued to focus on what matters most to our customers, from a product and customer service perspective, while not loading unprofitable customers.”

Meanwhile, Telus reported its net income attributable to common shares more than doubled during its third quarter.

The telecommunications company said it earned $280 million, up 105.9 per cent from the same three-month period in 2023. Earnings per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 was 19 cents compared with nine cents a year earlier.

It reported adjusted net income was $413 million, up 10.7 per cent year-over-year from $373 million in the same quarter last year. Operating revenue and other income for the quarter was $5.1 billion, up 1.8 per cent from the previous year.

Mobile phone average revenue per user was $58.85 in the third quarter, a decrease of $2.09 or 3.4 per cent from a year ago. Telus said the drop was attributable to customers signing up for base rate plans with lower prices, along with a decline in overage and roaming revenues.

It said customers are increasingly adopting unlimited data and Canada-U.S. plans which provide higher and more stable ARPU on a monthly basis.

“In a tough operating environment and relative to peers, we view Q3 results that were in line to slightly better than forecast as the best of the bunch,” said RBC analyst Drew McReynolds in a note.

Scotiabank analyst Maher Yaghi added that “the telecom industry in Canada remains very challenging for all players, however, Telus has been able to face these pressures” and still deliver growth.

The Big 3 telecom providers — which also include Rogers Communications Inc. and BCE Inc. — have frequently stressed that the market has grown more competitive in recent years, especially after the closing of Quebecor Inc.’s purchase of Freedom Mobile in April 2023.

Hailed as a fourth national carrier, Quebecor has invested in enhancements to Freedom’s network while offering more affordable plans as part of a set of commitments it was mandated by Ottawa to agree to.

The cost of telephone services in September was down eight per cent compared with a year earlier, according to Statistics Canada’s most recent inflation report last month.

“I think competition has been and continues to be, I’d say, quite intense in Canada, and we’ve obviously had to just manage our business the way we see fit,” said French.

Asked how long that environment could last, he said that’s out of Telus’ hands.

“What I can control, though, is how we go to market and how we lead with our products,” he said.

“I think the conditions within the market will have to adjust accordingly over time. We’ve continued to focus on digitization, continued to bring our cost structure down to compete, irrespective of the price and the current market conditions.”

Still, Canada’s telecom regulator continues to warn providers about customers facing more charges on their cellphone and internet bills.

On Tuesday, CRTC vice-president of consumer, analytics and strategy Scott Hutton called on providers to ensure they clearly inform their customers of charges such as early cancellation fees.

That followed statements from the regulator in recent weeks cautioning against rising international roaming fees and “surprise” price increases being found on their bills.

Hutton said the CRTC plans to launch public consultations in the coming weeks that will focus “on ensuring that information is clear and consistent, making it easier to compare offers and switch services or providers.”

“The CRTC is concerned with recent trends, which suggest that Canadians may not be benefiting from the full protections of our codes,” he said.

“We will continue to monitor developments and will take further action if our codes are not being followed.”

French said any initiative to boost transparency is a step in the right direction.

“I can’t say we are perfect across the board, but what I can say is we are absolutely taking it under consideration and trying to be the best at communicating with our customers,” he said.

“I think everyone looking in the mirror would say there’s room for improvement.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

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TC Energy cuts cost estimate for Southeast Gateway pipeline project in Mexico

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CALGARY – TC Energy Corp. has lowered the estimated cost of its Southeast Gateway pipeline project in Mexico.

It says it now expects the project to cost between US$3.9 billion and US$4.1 billion compared with its original estimate of US$4.5 billion.

The change came as the company reported a third-quarter profit attributable to common shareholders of C$1.46 billion or $1.40 per share compared with a loss of C$197 million or 19 cents per share in the same quarter last year.

Revenue for the quarter ended Sept. 30 totalled C$4.08 billion, up from C$3.94 billion in the third quarter of 2023.

TC Energy says its comparable earnings for its latest quarter amounted to C$1.03 per share compared with C$1.00 per share a year earlier.

The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 95 cents per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

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BCE reports Q3 loss on asset impairment charge, cuts revenue guidance

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BCE Inc. reported a loss in its latest quarter as it recorded $2.11 billion in asset impairment charges, mainly related to Bell Media’s TV and radio properties.

The company says its net loss attributable to common shareholders amounted to $1.24 billion or $1.36 per share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared with a profit of $640 million or 70 cents per share a year earlier.

On an adjusted basis, BCE says it earned 75 cents per share in its latest quarter compared with an adjusted profit of 81 cents per share in the same quarter last year.

“Bell’s results for the third quarter demonstrate that we are disciplined in our pursuit of profitable growth in an intensely competitive environment,” BCE chief executive Mirko Bibic said in a statement.

“Our focus this quarter, and throughout 2024, has been to attract higher-margin subscribers and reduce costs to help offset short-term revenue impacts from sustained competitive pricing pressures, slow economic growth and a media advertising market that is in transition.”

Operating revenue for the quarter totalled $5.97 billion, down from $6.08 billion in its third quarter of 2023.

BCE also said it now expects its revenue for 2024 to fall about 1.5 per cent compared with earlier guidance for an increase of zero to four per cent.

The company says the change comes as it faces lower-than-anticipated wireless product revenue and sustained pressure on wireless prices.

BCE added 33,111 net postpaid mobile phone subscribers, down 76.8 per cent from the same period last year, which was the company’s second-best performance on the metric since 2010.

It says the drop was driven by higher customer churn — a measure of subscribers who cancelled their service — amid greater competitive activity and promotional offer intensity. BCE’s monthly churn rate for the category was 1.28 per cent, up from 1.1 per cent during its previous third quarter.

The company also saw 11.6 per cent fewer gross subscriber activations “due to more targeted promotional offers and mobile device discounting compared to last year.”

Bell’s wireless mobile phone average revenue per user was $58.26, down 3.4 per cent from $60.28 in the third quarter of the prior year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

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