OTTAWA —
Ottawa’s medical officer of health says it’s not too soon to start planning for a reopening of the economy, but there are still risks, including to the City’s supply of personal protective equipment (PPE).
Speaking with CTV Morning Live’s Leslie Roberts on Tuesday morning, Dr. Vera Etches said all levels of government need to start planning for a gradual return to normal.
“I don’t think it’s too soon to be thinking about the safest way to go about opening our economy,” she said. “We know people have been suffering financially. We need to get people back to work. It’s a conversation we need to have with federal, provincial and local partners to make sure we do it safely.”
However, she cautioned health-care workers are still concerned about their PPE supply.
“There are some things we don’t have in place as much as we’d like,” she said. “We still hear health-care workers saying they’d like a better supply of masks; health-care workers who want to be assured that as we ease off on some restrictions that they’ll have that protection that they need.”
Dr. Etches wouldn’t say there’s a definite shortage, but said the possibility of one is a concern.
“I think that the ongoing supply and the comfort with that is still a question for people. Absolutely, the situation’s improved, but those are the kinds of things we need to know, that we will have the supplies we need.”
On Monday, Dr. Etches said there’s no evidence yet Ottawa has reached its peak, when it comes to COVID-19 infections, despite modelling from the Province suggesting Ontario could start seeing case numbers begin to fall. She did say the worst appears to be over for the general population but there are still concerns for people living and working in long-term care homes.
“There are still populations that are very vulnerable to severe outcomes and we know that there are a lot of infections still possible out there in our community,” Dr. Etches said Tuesday. “When we stop treating it that way and forget about physical distancing, there’s that possibility infections could ramp back up.”
Dr. Etches says a slow return to a new normal is best, as Ottawa Public Health gauges the risk of a second or third wave of COVID-19 infections.
“I think we need to be carfeful; I think we need to go slowly, testing things out as we go and checking to see what the impact is on the infection rate,” she said.
Forty-three per cent of respondents said they would wait until no new cases are reported in their respective provinces for two weeks before getting back to their former social lives.
TORONTO – Strength in the base metal and technology sectors helped Canada’s main stock index gain almost 100 points on Friday, while U.S. stock markets also climbed higher.
The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 93.51 points at 23,568.65.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 297.01 points at 41,393.78. The S&P 500 index was up 30.26 points at 5,626.02, while the Nasdaq composite was up 114.30 points at 17,683.98.
The Canadian dollar traded for 73.61 cents US compared with 73.58 cents US on Thursday.
The October crude oil contract was down 32 cents at US$68.65 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was down five cents at US$2.31 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$30.10 at US$2,610.70 an ounce and the December copper contract was up four cents US$4.24 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
OTTAWA – Statistics Canada says wholesale sales, excluding petroleum, petroleum products, and other hydrocarbons and excluding oilseed and grain, rose 0.4 per cent to $82.7 billion in July.
The increase came as sales in the miscellaneous subsector gained three per cent to reach $10.5 billion in July, helped by strength in the agriculture supplies industry group, which rose 9.2 per cent.
The food, beverage and tobacco subsector added 1.7 per cent to total $15 billion in July.
The personal and household goods subsector fell 2.5 per cent to $12.1 billion.
In volume terms, overall wholesale sales rose 0.5 per cent in July.
Statistics Canada started including oilseed and grain as well as the petroleum and petroleum products subsector as part of wholesale trade last year, but is excluding the data from monthly analysis until there is enough historical data.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was up more than 150 points in late-morning trading, helped by strength in the base metal and energy sectors, while U.S. stock markets were mixed.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 172.18 points at 23,383.35.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 34.99 points at 40,826.72. The S&P 500 index was up 10.56 points at 5,564.69, while the Nasdaq composite was up 74.84 points at 17,470.37.
The Canadian dollar traded for 73.55 cents US compared with 73.59 cents US on Wednesday.
The October crude oil contract was up $2.00 at US$69.31 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was up five cents at US$2.32 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$40.00 at US$2,582.40 an ounce and the December copper contract was up six cents at US$4.20 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
