VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Despite plans in Quebec to introduce a COVID-19 vaccine passport, B.C.’s health minister remains reluctant to do the same.
Quebec Premier Francois Legault has said his province will introduce a vaccine passport system to prevent a fourth wave, with details expected in the coming days.
“People who have made the effort to get their two doses should be able to live a somewhat normal life, having access to all activities, including non-essential ones,” Legault said in explaining the vaccine passport plan, which is expected to require proof of vaccination to enter places such as gyms and bars in Quebec, where COVID-19 transmission is high.
When asked Thursday whether there was any interest in B.C. to bring in such a program, Health Minister Adrian Dix said his focus is on getting more people vaccinated and easy access to their personal immunization records.
He did not directly support nor denounce the idea of barring people from certain activities if they are not vaccinated against COVID-19 and instead pointed to previous announcements that there will be strict rules when it comes to health care workers and COVID-19 immunizations.
“No, you are not obliged to get vaccinated in B.C. or anywhere else in Canada [but] there are consequences if you don’t, and I think everyone will have to understand that,” Dix said.
“It will be increasingly necessary in many in many workforces in many forms work, particularly in health care, to be able to demonstrate that you’re vaccinated because there will be consequences if you’re not,” he later added.
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However, he didn’t close the door to the idea, saying “we are pursuing all options to address the transmission of COVID-19 and we’re looking at all those options.”
Delta variant confirmed among B.C. children
Cases across the province have been on the rise, with 342 recorded on Wednesday. That’s the highest figure we have seen in over two months. The highly contagious Delta variant has been a big concern and one of the reasons B.C. has been ramping up efforts to make it convenient for people to get vaccinated against the virus.
Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says there have been cases of the Delta variant found in children under the age of 12. While she did not provide any statistics, she maintained there haven’t been “very many.”
“What we are not seeing is increased rates of transmission in young children and children under 12, in particular. We’ve not seen very many cases in that age group,” she said.
Henry cautions changes will have to be made if hospitalization numbers spike and focus remains on preventing deaths, severe illness and keeping people working/kids going to school. She says models show what’s important and immunization makes a difference to manage cases. #bcpoli
The number of British Columbians hospitalized with COVID-19 and in the ICU have also been on the rise, standing at 55 and 23 as of Wednesday.
“We look at the Interior [where] all of the people who are ICU right now — and there are some younger people who have had quite severe disease — are unvaccinated,” Henry told NEWS 1130 on Wednesday.
Henry said despite the rising daily COVID-19 numbers, “we absolutely are on track” to enter stage 4 of B.C.’s reopening plans in early September.
“I’m confident that we’re going to be in a good place here in B.C.,” she said Wednesday, noting that could change if those who are vaccine hesitant remain that way.
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According the province’s re-opening plans, Sept. 7 is the earliest date we could enter stage 4, where masks go from recommended to being a personal choice, we return to normal social contact, and concerts would be allowed again.
Walk-In Wednesday hailed a ‘success’
The province now stands at 81.7 per cent of eligible British Columbians having at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 68.4 per cent having two doses. But Henry warns we’re not out of the woods yet.
“This virus is not gone, and we’ve seen that with the increasing cases that we’ve seen in the last few weeks, particularly in the Central Okanagan, where we see that this virus can take off easily,” she said.
Dix says 33,277 shots were administered Wednesday, 16,505 of which were at one of more than 50 walk-in clinics that were set up for “Walk-In Wednesday.” Dix called it a “success,” noting 20,000 doses were set aside for the one-day event.
Of all the shots administered Wednesday, 6,130 were first doses.
“This represents, I think, the effort to assist people in walking in to get their shots and focusing on first doses,” Dix said, adding “16,505 of those were walk-ins, significantly more than we usually get.”
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.
