Starting Friday, Ontario will enter Step 3 of its reopening plan ahead of schedule, arguably the province’s most ambitious step toward reopening since the pandemic’s third wave subsided.
The move will see a number of indoor venues open their doors, while restrictions on gathering sizes in many places will be increased.
While COVID-19 restrictions continue to loosen in both provinces, there are differences in the rules depending on which side of the border you’re on.
Here is a guide to the rules affecting Ottawa and Gatineau, as of Friday.
Gatherings inside/outside at private residences
In Ottawa, a maximum of 25 people will be allowed to get together inside private homes for parties and other occasions when the province enters Step 3. For backyards and balconies, gathering limits increase to a maximum of 100 people from different households.
In Gatineau, people are allowed to have up to 10 people, or all the occupants from three different households, at private indoor gatherings. A maximum of 20 people are allowed to gather outdoors.
The Quebec government recommends people who are not fully vaccinated wear a mask when they are within one metre of others.
(Leah Hansen/CBC News)
Restaurants, bars and nightclubs
Starting Friday, indoor dining and drinking at restaurants and bars will be allowed in Ottawa for the first time in several months. The province has set no limit on the number of people allowed per table or in the restaurant, as long as physical distancing can be maintained between different groups. Restaurants can offer buffet service.
Nightclubs with dance floors can also reopen with capacity limits indoors set at 25 per cent capacity to a maximum of 250 people. The province says patrons are exempt from physical distancing requirements when dancing, but that face coverings must be worn.
In Gatineau, a maximum of 10 people, or the occupants from three different households, can sit at the same table inside restaurants and bars.
At bars and breweries, customers must remain seated at their tables, except when they are going to the washroom, which means no mingling. Dancing and singing, including karaoke, isn’t permitted at the moment.
Another major difference is that alcohol sales must stop at midnight in Gatineau, whereas in Ottawa and the rest of Ontario, establishments can serve alcohol until 2 a.m. as per normal.
Gyms, sport and fitness facilities
People looking to work out, play sports or attend fitness classes indoors in Ottawa will be able to do so as of Friday. Indoor capacity at sport and fitness facilities like gyms will be capped at 50 per cent.
For the first time in months, spectators will be permitted at indoor sports and recreational facilities, with capacity limited to 50 per cent to a maximum of 1,000 people. Spectator limits at outdoor facilities with fixed seating will be 75 per cent of their usual capacity to a maximum of 15,000 people. At outdoor events without fixed seating, the capacity will be 75 per cent to a maximum of 5,000 people.
Gyms in Ottawa can reopen on Friday when Ontario moves to Step 3 of its COVID-19 reopening plan. (AP)
In Gatineau, people can already work out inside a gym and do other training activities at fitness centres either individually or in pairs. Lessons may be provided to individuals and to groups of no more than 25 people, while maintaining physical distance.
Fifty players are now allowed for outdoor sports and recreational activities in Quebec, including guided lessons and training. This number excludes any officials, staff or volunteers. Organized games and matches as well as leagues, competitions and tournaments are also permitted, with 50 spectators allowed to watch the same match or game.
For indoor sports, the limit is 25 players and 25 spectators.
(Leah Hansen/CBC News)
Cinemas
Movie theatres in Ottawa will be able to reopen with a maximum capacity of 50 per cent inside each auditorium with a cap of 1,000 people within the entire building. All moviegoers will be required to wear masks when they aren’t sitting down.
Quebec allows a maximum of 250 people inside each auditorium, or up to 3,500 people if the room can be divided into areas of 250 people each. People from different households must have an empty seat between them and face coverings are also required.
Starting Friday, cinemas in Ottawa can operate at a maximum capacity of 50 per cent inside each auditorium and a cap of 1,000 people within the entire building. (CBC/Evan Mitsui)
Live performances and large events
Ottawa’s performing arts venues, including concert venues like the National Arts Centre and theatres, are limited to 50 per cent capacity, with a cap of 1,000 people indoors.
Outdoor concert venues and theatres can host audiences at 75 per cent capacity or 15,000 people outdoors for events with fixed seating. For unseated events, spectators permitted at a maximum capacity of 75 per cent or 5,000 people.
In Gatineau, auditoriums and indoor stadiums with assigned seating are allowed to present shows and sporting events before an audience of up to 3,500 people. Spectators must be subdivided into sections with a cap of 250 people and one seat must remain empty between people from different households.
Masks are mandatory in indoor events, but may be removed once seated.
Outdoor events are allowed to start admitting up to 3,500 attendees while enforcing physical distancing between people from different households and with no separate sections.
Festivals and major outdoor events where spectators are standing or sitting with no assigned seating can be held, subject to compliance with specific health measures.
TORONTO – Canada Goose Holdings Inc. says it has signed a deal that will result in the creation of its first eyewear collection.
The deal announced on Thursday by the Toronto-based luxury apparel company comes in the form of an exclusive, long-term global licensing agreement with Marchon Eyewear Inc.
The terms and value of the agreement were not disclosed, but Marchon produces eyewear for brands including Lacoste, Nike, Calvin Klein, Ferragamo, Longchamp and Zeiss.
Marchon plans to roll out both sunglasses and optical wear under the Canada Goose name next spring, starting in North America.
Canada Goose says the eyewear will be sold through optical retailers, department stores, Canada Goose shops and its website.
Canada Goose CEO Dani Reiss told The Canadian Press in August that he envisioned his company eventually expanding into eyewear and luggage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Almost seven years since news broke of an alleged conspiracy to fix the price of packaged bread across Canada, the saga isn’t over: the Competition Bureau continues to investigate the companies that may have been involved, and two class-action lawsuits continue to work their way through the courts.
Here’s a timeline of key events in the bread price-fixing case.
Oct. 31, 2017: The Competition Bureau says it’s investigating allegations of bread price-fixing and that it was granted search warrants in the case. Several grocers confirm they are co-operating in the probe.
Dec. 19, 2017: Loblaw and George Weston say they participated in an “industry-wide price-fixing arrangement” to raise the price of packaged bread. The companies say they have been co-operating in the Competition Bureau’s investigation since March 2015, when they self-reported to the bureau upon discovering anti-competitive behaviour, and are receiving immunity from prosecution. They announce they are offering $25 gift cards to customers amid the ongoing investigation into alleged bread price-fixing.
Jan. 31, 2018: In court documents, the Competition Bureau says at least $1.50 was added to the price of a loaf of bread between about 2001 and 2016.
Dec. 20, 2019: A class-action lawsuit in a Quebec court against multiple grocers and food companies is certified against a number of companies allegedly involved in bread price-fixing, including Loblaw, George Weston, Metro, Sobeys, Walmart Canada, Canada Bread and Giant Tiger (which have all denied involvement, except for Loblaw and George Weston, which later settled with the plaintiffs).
Dec. 31, 2021: A class-action lawsuit in an Ontario court covering all Canadian residents except those in Quebec who bought packaged bread from a company named in the suit is certified against roughly the same group of companies.
June 21, 2023: Bakery giant Canada Bread Co. is fined $50 million after pleading guilty to four counts of price-fixing under the Competition Act as part of the Competition Bureau’s ongoing investigation.
Oct. 25 2023: Canada Bread files a statement of defence in the Ontario class action denying participating in the alleged conspiracy and saying any anti-competitive behaviour it participated in was at the direction and to the benefit of its then-majority owner Maple Leaf Foods, which is not a defendant in the case (neither is its current owner Grupo Bimbo). Maple Leaf calls Canada Bread’s accusations “baseless.”
Dec. 20, 2023: Metro files new documents in the Ontario class action accusing Loblaw and its parent company George Weston of conspiring to implicate it in the alleged scheme, denying involvement. Sobeys has made a similar claim. The two companies deny the allegations.
July 25, 2024: Loblaw and George Weston say they agreed to pay a combined $500 million to settle both the Ontario and Quebec class-action lawsuits. Loblaw’s share of the settlement includes a $96-million credit for the gift cards it gave out years earlier.
Sept. 12, 2024: Canada Bread files new documents in Ontario court as part of the class action, claiming Maple Leaf used it as a “shield” to avoid liability in the alleged scheme. Maple Leaf was a majority shareholder of Canada Bread until 2014, and the company claims it’s liable for any price-fixing activity. Maple Leaf refutes the claims.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Companies in this story: (TSX:L, TSX:MFI, TSX:MRU, TSX:EMP.A, TSX:WN)
TORONTO – TD Bank Group, which is mired in a money laundering scandal in the U.S., says chief executive Bharat Masrani will retire next year.
Masrani, who will retire officially on April 10, 2025, says the bank’s, “anti-money laundering challenges,” took place on his watch and he takes full responsibility.
The bank named Raymond Chun, TD’s group head, Canadian personal banking, as his successor.
As part of a transition plan, Chun will become chief operating officer on Nov. 1 before taking over the top job when Masrani steps down at the bank’s annual meeting next year.
TD also announced that Riaz Ahmed, group head, wholesale banking and president and CEO of TD Securities, will retire at the end of January 2025.
TD has taken billions in charges related to ongoing U.S. investigations into the failure of its anti-money laundering program.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
