Premier Stephen McNeil is facing heavy pressure from opposition leaders to share his plan to reopen the economy with the public.
On Tuesday, Dr. Robert Strang, the province’s chief medical officer of health, said steps would be taken to reopen the provincial economy before June, provided the spread of COVID-19 virus remained contained.
But the province has yet to offer a detailed plan to the public. On Thursday, McNeil said the province and Strang continue to work closely with associations and groups representing businesses to ensure they meet new guidelines and protocols by the time reopening is announced.
“My goal is when we can start opening up this economy businesses will be ready to go on Day 1,” said McNeil. “I can tell you loud and clear, many of these businesses appreciated what we had to do to shut down the economy. They’re hurting. We know that.”
He said the province is working hard to protect businesses from an expected second wave of the virus and mitigate the effects.
“We are working diligently with them to understand the public health protocols so their businesses can operate.”
Neighbouring provinces have already reopened their economies and released plans to the public detailing the process.
Tory Leader Tim Houston said businesses need to be provided a plan with timelines from the province that includes public health protocols to be followed and corresponding equipment required to reopen. He said a plan should also include grants for businesses to help them get on their feet and timelines for the reopening process to follow.
“We need to make sure business owners have the time to plan and prepare,” said Houston.
He said that a comprehensive plan hasn’t been released shows “a lack of planning and a complete lack of understanding of how the economy works.”
NDP Leader Gary Burrill agreed, saying a proper plan shared with the public would “provide the framework for discussions as we move forward to reopening.”
Burrill said the absence of public plan is a symptom of the premier “conducting himself in a paternalistic, patronizing way towards the people of the province.”
“He’s acting as though the people are not worthy of being taken into the trust of the government,” said Burrill. “What are the steps by which we’re going to move toward reopening the economy but also our society as a whole?”
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.
