Article content
Ontario reported 172 additional cases of COVID-19 Sunday, bringing the seven-day average for new cases to 159 daily – up from 153 a week ago.
Ontario reported 172 additional cases of COVID-19 Sunday, bringing the seven-day average for new cases to 159 daily – up from 153 a week ago.
In terms of active cases, the hardest-hit regions are Porcupine (42 active cases per 100,000 people), Grey Bruce (26 per 100,000), Hamilton (22), Waterloo (21) and North Bay Parry Sound (15).
Ottawa, comparatively, has five active cases per 100,000, according to provincial reporting.
Two additional COVID-19-linked deaths were added to the provincial total, which sits at 9,313 lives lost since the pandemic began.
There are 92 COVID-19 patients in ICU testing positive, down from 107 a week ago. The latest ICU figure rises to 127, if you include those no longer testing positive.
In the last day in eastern Ontario, confirmed case counts rose by two in both Ottawa and the Eastern Ontario health unit region, and by one in Hastings Prince Edward. The case counts in Renfrew County and District and Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington were unchanged, while the count dropped by one in Leeds, Grenville & Lanark, which can happen when data is corrected or updated.
Close to 81 per cent of Ontario adults (18 and older) have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, while nearly 68 per cent are fully vaccinated.
Ottawa’s confirmed COVID-19 case count increased by one, in Sunday reporting by Ottawa Public Health. No additional COVID-19 deaths were logged in the last day.
The number of active cases across Ottawa’s population sits at 44, and there is one Ottawan with COVID-19 in hospital. OPH data lists no ongoing outbreaks.
Over the latest seven-day period (July 17 to 23), a total of 41 new cases were reported to OPH. That makes for a weekly rate of 3.9 per 100,000 people, well under the threshold for the green zone under the province’s old colour-coded COVID-19 response framework, which was associated with a weekly incidence rate of less than 10 per 100,000.
In the community, 0.5 per cent of Ottawans tested for COVID-19 got a positive result, for the week of July 16 to 22.
The latest seven-day average for estimated R(t) is 1.2. According to OPH, R(t) values greater than one indicate the virus is spreading faster, with each case infecting more than one contact.
There are plenty of places to secure a COVID-19 vaccination on Sunday.
Drop-in first and second doses are available between until 7 p.m. at the city-run Eva James Community Centre, Nepean Sportsplex, Orléans YMCA, and Ottawa City Hall clinics, and at the Queensway Carleton Hospital until 3 p.m.
Doses one and two are also available for drop-ins at a pop-up vaccination clinic at the AMA Community Centre (1216 Hunt Club Rd.) until 4:30 p.m.
And a note for people who’ve already been vaccinated: You still need to isolate and get tested for COVID-19 if you have symptoms, according to OPH guidance.
The health unit’s website advises that although the COVID-19 vaccines approved for use in this country are effective, it takes time to develop protection after getting the vaccine, and there will still be a small percentage of vaccinated people who are vulnerable to the virus.
“These people may be less likely to develop severe disease if infected with COVID-19. But they may still be able to spread COVID-19 to others,” OPH notes.
If you develop COVID-19 symptoms, even if you’re vaccinated, “it is important to understand that when you have close contact with people outside of your household, you are putting yourself and others at risk,” OPH says.
Ontario
(reported Sunday)
172: New confirmed cases
549,2328: Total cases
2: New deaths
9,313: Total deaths
127: In ICU
80.8 per cent: Percentage of Ontario adults with at least one vaccine dose
67.8 per cent: Percentage of Ontario adults who are fully vaccinated
Ottawa
(reported Sunday)
1: New confirmed cases
27,775: Total cases
0: New deaths
593: Total deaths
44: Active cases
1: In hospital
0: In ICU
83 per cent: Percentage of adult population with at least one vaccine dose
69 per cent: Percentage of adult population that is fully vaccinated
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.
Companies in this story: (TSX:ROOT)
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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.
Companies in this story: (TSX:TRZ)
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
k.d. lang gets the band back together for Canadian country music awards show
NATO military committee chair, others back Ukraine’s use of long range weapons to hit Russia
Cavaliers and free agent forward Isaac Okoro agree to 3-year, $38 million deal, AP source says
Liverpool ‘not good enough’ says Arne Slot after shock loss against Nottingham Forest
With a parade of athletes on Champs Elysées, France throws one last party for the Paris Olympics
‘Challenges every single muscle’: Champion tree climber turns work into passion
MPs to face new political realities on their return to Ottawa
Air Canada, pilots still far apart as strike notice deadline approaches