OTTAWA —
Ottawa Public Health says 40 more people in the city have tested positive for COVID-19 and one more person has died.
The figure comes as 1,185 new cases of COVID-19 were reported across Ontario on Tuesday. Health officials also reported six additional deaths and 972 newly resolved cases. Ontario added 45 new cases of COVID-19 to its count in Ottawa. Figures from OPH and the province often differ due to different data collection times.
No new variants of concern were confirmed in Ottawa on Tuesday. To date, Ottawa has seen eight confirmed cases of the B.1.1.7 variant and two confirmed cases of the B.1.351 variant, according to the province.
Ottawa Public Healh’s COVID-19 dashboard shows a total of 15,207 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the city since the first case was confirmed on March 11, 2020. Since the pandemic began 444 residents of Ottawa have died.
OTTAWA’S COVID-19 KEY STATISTICS
Ottawa is in “Orange-Restrict” status under Ontario’s COVID-19 framework.
Ottawa Public Health data:
COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days): 36.8 (down from 37.9 on Monday and 37.3 on Sunday)
Positivity rate in Ottawa: 2.2 per cent (March 1-7)
Reproduction number: 1.04 (seven day average)
Reproduction values greater than 1 indicate the virus is spreading and each case infects more than one contact. If it is less than 1, it means spread is slowing.
The Orange-Restrict category of Ontario’s COVID-19 framework includes a weekly rate of cases per 100,000 between 25 to 39.9, a percent positivity of 1.3 to 2.4 per cent, and a reproduction number of approximately 1 to 1.1.
VACCINES IN OTTAWA
As of March 8:
Vaccine doses administered in Ottawa (first and second shots): 63,576
COVID-19 doses received (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna): 71,180
*OPH says staff were able to extract additional doses out of several vials, which were given to residents. In a statement on its dashboard, OPH said, “Vaccine inventory is based on an expected 5 dose per vial supply. Occasionally, an additional dose (6th dose) is successfully extracted and administered to clients.”
HOSPITALIZATIONS IN OTTAWA
There are currently 27 people in Ottawa hospitals with COVID-19 complications, including two in the intensive care unit.
Of the people in hospital, one is in their 20s, one is in their 50s (this person is in the ICU), seven are in their 60s, four are in their 70s, seven are in their 80s (one is in the ICU), and seven are 90 or older.
ACTIVE CASES OF COVID-19 IN OTTAWA
The number of people with known active cases remains above 500. There are 512 active cases of COVID-19, down from 513 cases on Monday.
Forty more people have recovered after testing positive for COVID-19. Ottawa Public Health reports 14,251 resolved cases of COVID-19 in the capital.
The number of active cases is the number of total cases of COVID-19 minus the numbers of resolved cases and deaths. A case is considered resolved 14 days after known symptom onset or positive test result.
COVID-19 TESTING
The Ontario government says 33,264 COVID-19 tests were performed provincewide on Monday.
The Ottawa COVID-19 Testing Taskforce said Tuesday that 2,378 swabs were processed at assessment centres in Ottawa on March 8 and 2,848 lab tests were performed in Ottawa on that date.
The average turnaround from the time the swab is taken at an Ottawa testing site to the result is 23 hours.
COVID-19 CASES IN OTTAWA BY AGE CATEGORY
0-9 years old: Two new cases (1,137 total cases)
10-19 years-old: Three new cases (1,882 total cases)
20-29 years-old: 11 new cases (3,318 total cases)
30-39 years-old: Seven new cases (2,135 total cases)
40-49 years-old: Four new cases (1,951 total cases)
50-59 years-old: Five new cases (1,836 total cases)
60-69-years-old: Five new cases (1,108 total cases)
70-79 years-old: Three new cases (667 total cases)
80-89 years-old: Zero new cases (709 total cases)
90+ years old: Zero new cases (461 total cases)
Unknown: Zero new cases (3 cases total)
COVID-19 CASES ACROSS THE REGION
Eastern Ontario Health Unit: 10 new cases
Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox and Addington Public Health: 1 new case
Leeds, Grenville & Lanark District Health Unit: 7 new cases
Renfrew County and District Health Unit: 3 new cases
CISSS de l’Outaouais (Gatineau and western Quebec): 15 new cases
INSTITUTIONAL OUTBREAKS
Ottawa Public Health is reporting COVID-19 outbreaks at 28 institutions in Ottawa, including long-term care homes, retirement homes, daycares, hospitals and schools.
One new outbreak was declared at the St. Vincent Hospital. An outbreak at the Maycourt Hospice has ended.
There are four active community outbreaks: one is linked to a construction workplace, one is linked to a restaurant, one is linked to a community organization and one is at a multi-unit dwelling.
The schools and childcare spaces currently experiencing outbreaks are:
École élémentaire catholique La Vérendrye
École élémentaire catholique Saint-Jean-Paul II
École secondaire publique Gisele-Lalonde
Gloucester High School
Mothercraft Ottawa home childcare – 34081
Ottawa Islamic School
Rodnichok childcare – 34075
The long-term care homes, retirement homes, hospitals, and other spaces currently experiencing outbreaks are:
Bearbrook Retirement Residence
Chartwell Duke of Devonshire
Extendicare Laurier Manor
Extendicare New Orchard Lodge
Forest Hill
Group Home – 32782
Madonna Care Community
Manotick Place Retirement
Perley Rideau Veteran’s Health Centre – Gatineau Building
Riverpark Retirement Residence (NEW)
Rockcliffe Retirement Residence
Sarsfield Colonial Home
Shelter – 28778
Shelter – 29677
Shelter – 29770
Shelter – 33435
Shelter – 33687
St. Vincent Hospital (NEW)
The Ottawa Hospital – Civic Campus – A2
The Ottawa Hospital – Civic Campus – A4 (Medicine)/A5/B5/Ama
The Ottawa Hospital – General Campus – Single Unit 7Ncc/Ccu
A single laboratory-confirmed case of COVID-19 in a resident or staff member of a long-term care home, retirement home or shelter triggers an outbreak response, according to Ottawa Public Health. In childcare settings, a single confirmed, symptomatic case in a staff member, home daycare provider, or child triggers an outbreak.
Under provincial guidelines, a COVID-19 outbreak in a school is defined as two or more lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases in students and/or staff in a school with an epidemiological link, within a 14-day period, where at least one case could have reasonably acquired their infection in the school (including transportation and before or after school care).
Two staff or patient cases of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 within a specified hospital unit within a 14-day period where both cases could have reasonably acquired their infection in hospital is considered an outbreak in a public hospital.
TORONTO – Roots Corp. may have built its brand on all things comfy and cosy, but its CEO says activewear is now “really becoming a core part” of the brand.
The category, which at Roots spans leggings, tracksuits, sports bras and bike shorts, has seen such sustained double-digit growth that Meghan Roach plans to make it a key part of the business’ future.
“It’s an area … you will see us continue to expand upon,” she told analysts on a Friday call.
The Toronto-based retailer’s push into activewear has taken shape over many years and included several turns as the official designer and supplier of Team Canada’s Olympic uniform.
But consumers have had plenty of choice when it comes to workout gear and other apparel suited to their sporting needs. On top of the slew of athletic brands like Nike and Adidas, shoppers have also gravitated toward Lululemon Athletica Inc., Alo and Vuori, ramping up competition in the activewear category.
Roach feels Roots’ toehold in the category stems from the fit, feel and following its merchandise has cultivated.
“Our product really resonates with (shoppers) because you can wear it through multiple different use cases and occasions,” she said.
“We’ve been seeing customers come back again and again for some of these core products in our activewear collection.”
Her remarks came the same day as Roots revealed it lost $5.2 million in its latest quarter compared with a loss of $5.3 million in the same quarter last year.
The company said the second-quarter loss amounted to 13 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended Aug. 3, the same as a year earlier.
In presenting the results, Roach reminded analysts that the first half of the year is usually “seasonally small,” representing just 30 per cent of the company’s annual sales.
Sales for the second quarter totalled $47.7 million, down from $49.4 million in the same quarter last year.
The move lower came as direct-to-consumer sales amounted to $36.4 million, down from $37.1 million a year earlier, as comparable sales edged down 0.2 per cent.
The numbers reflect the fact that Roots continued to grapple with inventory challenges in the company’s Cooper fleece line that first cropped up in its previous quarter.
Roots recently began to use artificial intelligence to assist with daily inventory replenishments and said more tools helping with allocation will go live in the next quarter.
Beyond that time period, the company intends to keep exploring AI and renovate more of its stores.
It will also re-evaluate its design ranks.
Roots announced Friday that chief product officer Karuna Scheinfeld has stepped down.
Rather than fill the role, the company plans to hire senior level design talent with international experience in the outdoor and activewear sectors who will take on tasks previously done by the chief product officer.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, are set to resume today as a strike that has stopped most services drags into a second week.
No timeline has been set for the length of the negotiations, but Joe McCann, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they are willing to stay there as long as it takes, even if talks drag on all night.
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people unable to navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last Tuesday, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
Hundreds of drivers rallied outside TransLink’s head office earlier this week, calling for the transportation provider to intervene in the dispute with Transdev, which was contracted to oversee HandyDART service.
Transdev said earlier this week that it will provide a reply to the union’s latest proposal on Thursday.
A statement from the company said it “strongly believes” that their employees deserve fair wages, and that a fair contract “must balance the needs of their employees, clients and taxpayers.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
MONTREAL – Travel company Transat AT Inc. reported a loss in its latest quarter compared with a profit a year earlier as its revenue edged lower.
The parent company of Air Transat says it lost $39.9 million or $1.03 per diluted share in its quarter ended July 31.
The result compared with a profit of $57.3 million or $1.49 per diluted share a year earlier.
Revenue in what was the company’s third quarter totalled $736.2 million, down from $746.3 million in the same quarter last year.
On an adjusted basis, Transat says it lost $1.10 per share in its latest quarter compared with an adjusted profit of $1.10 per share a year earlier.
Transat chief executive Annick Guérard says demand for leisure travel remains healthy, as evidenced by higher traffic, but consumers are increasingly price conscious given the current economic uncertainty.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
