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Latest headlines:
- Toronto Transit Commission to lay off 1,000 drivers, 200 office staff
- Saskatchewan to outline plan for ‘gradual’ restart to economy
- Ottawa to announce new measures to mobilize scientists in COVID-19 fight
11:40 a.m. EDT
Canada Post sees ‘Christmas-level’ package volumes during COVID-19
Canada Post says it is experiencing Christmas-level parcel volumes as Canadians do more of their shopping online due to COVID-19.
The postal service says it delivered more than 1.8 million parcels to Canadians on Monday, similar to the biggest delivery days it sees during the holiday season.
Canada Post is advising customers to expect delays because it takes longer to process the heavy, incoming parcel volumes.
– Canadian Press
11:30 a.m. EDT
Feds pour $1.1-billion into COVID-19 vaccine work, tracking
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government will spend more than $1-billion to help develop, test and manufacture a COVID-19 vaccine, as well as to determine how widely the virus has spread through Canada.
The cash announced today is on top of $275-million in research funding the Liberals announced in March at the outset of the pandemic.
Most of the new money is aimed at funding vaccine development and clinical trials, including $600-million over two years through a federal innovation fund that the government says could help the country’s biomanufacturing sector.
Smaller amounts will go to tracking and identifying different strains of the virus and the different health impacts it has had on different patients.
Trudeau also says the government will create a task force of public health experts that includes Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, and Dr. David Naylor, who has advised Liberal and Conservative governments on health and science issues.
The task force will be asked to oversee country-wide blood test surveys to get a better handle on potential immunity and vulnerabilities in Canada.
– Canadian Press
11:15 a.m. EDT
Advocacy group files rights complaint on behalf of long-term care residents
A patients’ rights group has filed a human rights complaint on behalf of long-term care residents in Quebec.
The complaint filed today is for alleged discrimination and exploitation of those who live or have lived in long-term care or seniors homes since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis.
The Quebec Council for the Protection of Patients, headed by long-time advocate Paul Brunet, requests financial compensation for residents.
It alleges they have been deprived a right to receive “dignified and safe care” since last month.
The council says provincial authorities should have known long-term care homes and residences for the elderly would be at the heart of the COVID-19 fight, given what had happened elsewhere.
The province’s seniors homes have been the epicentre of the fight against novel coronavirus, accounting for nearly 80 per cent of deaths.
– Canadian Press
10:45 a.m. EDT
Ontario reports latest coronavirus figures
Ontario is reporting 634 new cases of COVID-19 today and 54 more deaths. That brings the total number of cases in the province to 12,879 — a 5.2 per cent increase over Wednesday. The total includes 713 deaths and 6,680 cases that have been resolved. Meanwhile, the province has extended a number of pandemic emergency orders that had been set to expire. The orders mean the closure of parks and recreational areas, non-essential workplaces and restaurants will continue until at least May 6. The extension also keeps in place restrictions that limit staff to working in only one long-term care or retirement home. –Canadian Press
10:26 a.m. ET
Municipalities ask for emergency funding
The Federation of Canadian Municipalities is asking the federal government to give local governments billions in emergency funding to stave off financial ruin. The organization says local governments need between $10 billion and $15 billion over the next six months to pay for services while they see revenue declines. Transit ridership, for instance, is down as people stay home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and municipal councils are considering or have approved delays in collecting property taxes to give residents a financial break. That’s why they’re asking for $2.4 billion for cities with transit systems. –Canadian Press
4:08 a.m. ET
New measures to boost COVID-19 research coming
OTTAWA – The federal government is expected to announce today new measures aimed at mobilizing the country’s scientists and researchers in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Scientists around the globe are scrambling to come up with tests, treatments to lessen the severity of the disease and, ultimately, a vaccine to protect against the coronavirus that has killed almost 2,000 Canadians and almost 200,000 people worldwide.
Today’s measures bolster previous efforts by the Trudeau government to marshal Canada’s scientific community in the battle against COVID-19.
In mid-March, it committed $275 million for research, as part of the first emergency aid package.
That was supplemented later in the month with the creation of a new strategic innovation fund, which provided another $192 million to specific companies and research institutions working on the development of drugs and vaccines.
As well, the government has provided $52 million through national granting councils to almost 100 research teams across the country.
With several provinces beginning to talk cautiously about re-opening the economy, which has been virtually shut down since mid-March, the pressure is on to find reliable, rapid tests to determine who is infected with the virus and who has developed immunity to it.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is poised to announce today a five-phase plan to re-open his province.
Public health experts say mass testing will be required to detect who is carrying the disease without showing symptoms, to prevent them spreading it to others and triggering a second surge in infections.
Canada is currently testing fewer than 20,000 people a day. Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam said Wednesday that 60,000 a day would be an initial target to aim for.
She also pointed out that reliable serology tests are needed to detect who has acquired an immune response to the virus. That will help determine who can safely return to work and when the population has developed “herd immunity.”
“Serologic testing offers the opportunity to get a handle on what the level of immunity may be in Canada,” Tam said.
“That’s definitely one of the key objectives. Our lab is working hard at validating the serologic tests that are being presented. Internationally we’re aware that some of them don’t work so we want to make sure the ones that we have actually are effective and can detect the antibody response in the Canadian population.” -Canadian Press
4:04 a.m. ET
Virtual commemoration planned for second anniversary of Toronto van attack
Mayor John Tory is set to deliver a statement on YouTube this morning and an online vigil is planned for tonight.
The city has asked mourners to follow physical distancing orders and avoid gathering or placing flowers and other items near the site of the attack.
Alek Minassian drove a rented van down a busy sidewalk on April 23, 2018, killing 10 people and injuring 16 others.
He told police he committed the attack for retribution against society after being shunned by women for years.
The judge overseeing the trial, which has been delayed due to the pandemic, says it will turn on Minassian’s state of mind — not whether he carried out the attack.
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