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Canada's top doctor calls for 'structural change' to address COVID-19 inequities – CTV News

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OTTAWA —
Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam is calling for “structural change” across health, social, and economic sectors in the wake of COVID-19, in a new report highlighting the successes and shortfalls in the country’s pandemic response to date.

“I do see COVID-19 as a catalyst for collaboration between health, social, and economic sectors, and I have observed at the federal level, but also from local levels, and provincial levels,” she told reporters during a press conference discussing the report.

Tam said that while there are examples of decisions taken that begin to address some of these shortcomings—such as increasing affordable housing availability and financial supports for low-income and precarious workers—these policies should be extended past the emergency phase of the pandemic.

“What I’m really, really keen to see is that this continues… The report is calling for this to be a more sustained approach,” she said. “Why can’t we have those governance structures beyond the crisis and into recovery?”

In the Public Health Agency’s annual report made public on Wednesday, Tam offers new insights and statistics related to Canada’s battle against the novel coronavirus over the last several months and the “serious threat” the virus continues to pose. 

For example, in Canada:

  • 80 per cent of COVID-19-related deaths have been residents of long-term care facilities;
  • 19 per cent of national cases are among health-care workers; and
  • 92 per cent of hospitalized COVID-19 patients had at least one underlying health condition.

The annual report is entitled “From Risk to Resilience: An Equity Approach to COVID-19,” and it gives an overview of COVID-19’s consequences so far, such as the disproportionate health impacts experienced by workers who provide essential services, racialized populations, people living with disabilities or mental illnesses, and women. 

It also includes recommendations on how to improve the country’s pandemic preparedness, response, and recovery. 

The report says the “structural change” should include improving employment conditions and conditions inside long-term care homes, increasing access to housing, as well as enhancing Canadians’ ability to access social and health services both in-person and online. 

Tam said she hopes that in future pandemic planning, “it can’t just be health and public health making it known that all other departments and different sectors, and different aspects of societies need to be part of the response. We need to sort of build it in explicitly so that, you know, future pandemics and health crises have those other supports come into play immediately.”

As Tam argues, Canadians’ health depends on their social and economic well-being and the severity of COVID-19 illness may be influenced by their access to these kinds of supports. 

“No one is protected until everyone is protected,” says Tam in the report. 

Tam’s overall recommendations are distilled into three calls:

  • Sustaining governance at all levels for “structural change” in health, social, and economic sectors. The report notes that the health of people in Canada was not equal before COVID-19, but that the pandemic has exposed and exacerbated existing shortcomings. Tam suggests that more data needs to be collected and used to inform policy decisions to eliminate inequities and mitigate some potential long-term pandemic impacts;
  • Harnessing “the power of social cohesion” to control and minimize the virus’ spread. She suggests this can be done by leaders sharing evidence and information to provide Canadians with confidence in taking public health precautions such as mask-wearing; and
  • Strengthening public health capacity. Tam says that more work is needed to ensure Canada’s public health system is able to handle case surges while having the capacity to deal with non-COVID-19 health issues, including re-evaluating “what sustained investments and the future of public health would look like.”

GLOBAL COMPARISONS 

The report also goes over the timeline from the first confirmed case in Canada and when community transmission began, to the various rolling restrictions and travel advisories imposed. 

From a global perspective, according to the report, Canada ranked 79th out of 210 countries with respect to total cases per million inhabitants, and 26th for total deaths per million, as of Aug. 22. The outbreaks in Canadian long-term care homes are cited as a driving factor in why Canada is so high on the list of countries when it comes to deaths. 

“Pandemic preparedness did not extend into these settings leaving residents vulnerable to the introduction, spread and impact of a novel virus,” the report states. 

In an interview on CTV’s Power Play, Tam was asked whether she thinks enough lessons from the first wave have been learned to prevent the same high rate of deaths in long-term care homes. She said that so far the scale of the outbreaks inside these homes is not as large, and efforts have been taken to improve infection control, but the virus is “very sneaky” and preventing more seniors’ deaths still depends on the actions all Canadians take.

“Right now the second resurgence, a lot of the cases are in the younger adult population, but what we’re seeing is that it’s beginning to permeate through other age groups including the elderly,” Tam said.  

Further, analysis of international travel-related cases between January and March found that 35 per cent of cases entered Canada from the United States, 10 per cent from the U.K. and France, and 1.4 per cent from China. Once travel restrictions were imposed, 91 per cent of reported cases by August originated in Canada.

COMMUNICATION STRUGGLES 

The report notes that in the absence of an effective treatment or vaccine, individual and collective public health measures need to be taken to control the pandemic. However, “accurate, timely and clear communication” has been a challenge. 

Tam notes that there have been “a number” of issues on this front, such as Canadians being exposed to a vast amount and varying quality of information and the confusion spawning from the frequently-moving goal posts when it comes to public health advice due to the evolving science. 

“Information needs to be tailored and locally contextualized, while at the same time balanced with consistent key messaging being shared across the country,” the report states. 

Tam is advising that as long as the virus is uncontrolled, public health officials and governments need to be transparent and provide regular updates on COVID-19 and up-to-date guidance. 

It’s a part of Tam’s mandate to provide Health Minister Patty Hajdu with a report on the state of public health in Canada annually, which then is tabled in Parliament.

The report is based on Canadian data available from January to the end of August, and notes that because the virus and evidence around it continues to rapidly evolve, “the report was written with the knowledge that the story of this pandemic is continuing to change every day.”

TIMELINE OF KEY MILESTONES

  • December 31, 2019: PHAC was notified of a pneumonia-like illness of unknown cause originating in Wuhan, China.
  • January 22, 2020: Canada implements novel coronavirus screening requirements for travellers returning from China. Residents are asked additional screening questions to determine if they have visited the city of Wuhan, China.
  • January 25, 2020: First presumptive confirmed case of 2019-nCoV related to travel to Wuhan, China confirmed in Ontario.
  • February 20, 2020: First COVID-19 case in Canada from travel outside mainland China, from Iran, reported in British Columbia.
  • February 23, 2020: First recorded COVID-19 case in Canada linked to community transmission.
  • February 24, 2020: Alberta records first COVID-19 case in Canada linked to travel to the U.S.
  • March 7, 2020: First COVID-19 outbreak at a long-term care home in Vancouver, British Columbia involving 79 cases.
  • March 11, 2020: Canada surpasses 100 reported COVID-19 cases.
  • March 12-22, 2020: Physical distancing measures are implemented across the country. All provinces and territories declare a state of emergency and/or public health emergency. Non-essential businesses close or have significantly reduced capacity; gatherings are restricted; schools close; advisory issued for those who can, to work from home.
  • March 13, 2020: The Government of Canada recommends avoiding non-essential travel outside of Canada,
  • March 16, 2020: Government of Canada advises all travellers entering Canada to self-isolate for 14 days.
  • March 18–19, 2020: Additional international travel advisories and border restrictions are implemented: Entry to Canada by air is prohibited to all foreign nationals (except those from the United States); Canada and the United States agree to temporarily restrict non-essential travel across the Canada-US border; International flights are redirected to only 4 airports.
  • March 28, 2020: First reported outbreak among temporary foreign workers in an agricultural setting, involving 23 people.
  • April 7, 2020: Council of Chief Medical Officers of Health issue a statement supportive of wearing non-medical masks as an additional layer of protection for other people in close proximity.
  • April 14, 2020: Largest known COVID-19 outbreak reported at homeless shelter in Toronto, Ontario, involving 164 cases.
  • April 15, 2020: Lockdown in response to largest known outbreak at a correctional facility in Laval, Quebec involving 162 cases.
  • April 17, 2020: First reported COVID-19 outbreak in an isolated northern community in Saskatchewan, affecting 117 residents.
  • April 24, 2020: New Brunswick is the first province to ease physical distancing restrictions.
  • May 6, 2020: Alberta reports a COVID-19 outbreak at a meat processing plant, which becomes the largest outbreak at a single location in Canada (by the end of August) with 1,560 people confirmed.
  • June 17, 2020: First COVID-19 outbreak in a religious-cultural community declared in Saskatchewan, involving 285 people.   

Timeline source: Public Health Agency of Canada. 

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Two dead after truck carrying seven teens crashes in eastern Alberta

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September 16, 2024

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CONSORT, Alta. – A 19-year-old and a 17-year-old are dead after police say a truck carrying seven teens crashed in eastern Alberta.

RCMP say officers responded to the single-vehicle crash early Sunday on a township road near Consort, approximately 260 km northeast of Calgary.

They say there were seven teenage occupants in the truck with various injuries, and two of them died.

Both were male and were from Consort, police say.

RCMP say their preliminary investigation suggests alcohol was a factor.

They say they are still investigating and are offering condolences to the victims’ families, friends and loved ones.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 15, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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Air Canada deal avoids shutdown, brings relief to passengers and business groups

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September 16, 2024

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MONTREAL – Travellers, business groups and politicians expressed fervent relief on Sunday after Air Canada and the union representing thousands of its pilots negotiated a new labour deal and averted a disruptive, countrywide shutdown.

Canada’s largest air carrier announced shortly after midnight Sunday that it had reached a tentative, four-year collective agreement with the Air Line Pilots Association.

The deal, reached after more than a year of contract negotiations, ended the possibility that the 5,200 Air Canada pilots represented by the union could be locked out or walk off the job. Any such move would have forced the airline to suspend nearly all operations, a prospect that raised concerns among business groups, passengers and even the prime minister.

At Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, travellers preparing for Sunday departures were breathing a sigh of relief.

“I wasn’t looking forward to an Air Canada strike, because I booked this ticket like a month and a half back, so a last-minute change would have been pretty bad,” said Arjun Pandit, who was heading to New York City for work. “It would have halted the entire trip.”

Donna Holloway, who had booked a connecting flight to Chicago, said she hadn’t made any back-up plans and would have tried to change her flight at the airport if a work stoppage had been announced. She received an email Sunday morning saying her flight was still scheduled. “I was really confident that they would settle the dispute and so far I’ve been happy,” she said.

Federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon issued a statement shortly after the deal was announced praising both sides for avoiding a work stoppage.

“Thanks to the hard work of the parties and federal mediators, disruptions have been prevented for Canadians,” MacKinnon said on social media. “I wish to salute the efforts of Air Canada and its pilots, who approached the discussions with seriousness and a resolve to get a deal.”

The tentative agreement averts a strike or lockout that could have begun as early as Wednesday for Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge, with flight cancellations expected before then.

“The new agreement recognizes the contributions and professionalism of Air Canada’s pilot group, while providing a framework for the future growth of the airline,” the carrier said in a statement.

It said Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge will continue to operate as normal while union members vote on the tentative four-year contract.

Air Canada said the terms of the new deal will remain confidential pending a ratification vote by the membership, expected to be completed over the next month, and approval by the airline’s board of directors.

The union issued a statement after midnight Sunday, saying if ratified, the tentative agreement will generate an approximate additional $1.9 billion of value for Air Canada pilots over the course of the agreement.

“The consistent engagement and unified determination of our pilots have been the catalyst for achieving this contract,” said First Officer Charlene Hudy, chair of the Air Canada ALPA MEC.

The deal also represents progress on several key issues including compensation, retirement and work rules, she added.

Air Canada said customers who changed flights originally scheduled between Sunday and Sept. 23 under its labour disruption plan can change their booking back to their original flight in the same cabin at no cost, provided there is space available.

A full-scale shutdown seemed likely in the days leading up to Sunday’s announcement. The two sides had said they remained far apart on the issue of pay, a central sticking point in the negotiations that had stretched for more than a year.

The pilots’ union argued Air Canada continued to post record profits while expecting pilots to accept below-market compensation. It had also said about a quarter of pilots report taking on second jobs, with about 80 per cent of those doing so out of necessity.

The airline said it had offered salary increases of more than 30 per cent over four years, plus improvements to benefits, and said the union was being inflexible with “unreasonable wage demands.”

Air Canada and numerous business groups had called on the government to intervene in the matter, including the Canadian Federation of Independent Business and the Canadian and U.S. Chambers of Commerce.

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce joined the chorus of those voicing relief on Sunday.

“We hope to see (the tentative agreement) ratified by membership in the coming month, putting an end to the uncertainty of Canadian travellers, as well as businesses and communities who depend on Air Canada’s cargo network every day,” CEO Candace Laing said in a statement.

The union vehemently opposed government intervention, with ALPA President Capt. Tim Perry issuing a Friday statement asking Ottawa to respect workers’ collective rights and refrain from getting involved in the bargaining process. He said government intervention violates the constitutional rights and freedoms of Canadians.

For his part, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said it was up to the two sides to hash out a deal.

Trudeau said Friday the government wasn’t just going to step in and fix the issue, something it did promptly after both of Canada’s major railways saw lockouts in August and during a strike by WestJet mechanics on the Canada Day long weekend.

He said the government respects the right to strike and would only intervene if it became clear no negotiated agreement was possible.

Air Canada had already begun preparing for a possible shutdown, saying its cargo service had stopped accepting items such as perishables and indicating a wind-down plan for passenger flights would take effect if a notice of a strike or lockout was issued.

The tentative deal averts travel disruptions for the 670 daily flights on average operated by Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge, and the travel of more than 110,000 passengers.

This report from The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 15, 2024.

— With files from Ritika Dubey in Toronto

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TIFF audience prizes for ‘Life of Chuck,’ Hip doc; Rankin among Canadian winners

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September 16, 2024

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TORONTO – “The Life of Chuck,” an offbeat drama from writer-director Mike Flanagan, is the People’s Choice Award winner at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.

The top TIFF award, which is voted on by audiences, was handed out Sunday as the 11-day festival rolled into its final hours. Other prizes were bestowed on Matthew Rankin’s “Universal Language,” Sophie Deraspe’s “Shepherds” and a Tragically Hip docuseries.

Flanagan is best known for his Netflix horror fare, including “The Haunting of Hill House” and “Midnight Mass.” His latest, which is adapted from a Stephen King story, strays from that genre with a quirky portrait of a divorced man, played by Chiwetel Ejiofor, who can’t escape a looming presence that’s infiltrated every corner of his life.

In announcing the award, TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey read a thank-you note from Flanagan who said he was “absolutely overwhelmed” and never expected to win the prize, which is considered a bellwether for Oscar attention.

Last year’s People’s Choice winner “American Fiction” went on to nab five Academy Award nominations and won best adapted screenplay, while other past People’s Choice picks include best picture winners “Green Book,” “12 Years a Slave” and “The King’s Speech.”

Runners-up for this year’s People’s Choice award were Jacques Audiard’s Spanish-language musical crime thriller “Emilia Pérez” and Sean Baker’s Palme d’Or winner “Anora.”

Coralie Fargeat’s twisted body-horror feature “The Substance,” starring Demi Moore as a washed-up Hollywood star who goes to extremes to keep her youth, won the audience award for best Midnight Madness film.

The People’s Choice for best documentary went to “The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal,” a four-hour docuseries directed by Mike Downie about his late brother Gord’s influential Canadian rock band.

The Hip doc, which debuts Friday on Prime Video, helped launch TIFF a little more than a week ago when a congregation of the band’s fans gathered for a singalong to “Bobcaygeon” and several of their other hits on a street near the TIFF Lightbox.

“It’s been a great ride,” Downie said as he reflected on the experience while clutching his award.

“(The Hip was) beloved in this country…. People believed in this band, and the band never did anything to jeopardize that trust. So yeah, the People’s Choice award seems very appropriate.”

“The Life of Chuck” is in an unusual position for a TIFF People’s Choice honouree.

Unlike many past winners, its producers came to the festival still seeking a distributor, which means it has no release date and may not be out in time for awards season.

However, like many past winners, TIFF’s CEO said “The Life of Chuck” has certain qualities that give audiences “big feels” that stick with them long after the film ends.

“With ‘The Life of Chuck,’ people reflect on their own lives and the lives of people they’re close to,” Bailey said.

“When you come out of a movie having that kind of emotional reaction, that’s what often prompts a vote.”

The Best Canadian Discovery Award, worth $10,000, went to Rankin’s second feature “Universal Language,” set in a Canada where Farsi and French are the two official languages and the two cultures coexist in a dreamlike alternate universe.

“This is a movie which we really did by our heart,” said Ila Firouzabadi, co-writer of the film.

“The message is really about solidarity and friendship. It’s something between a Tehran, Winnipeg (and) Montreal intersection and I hope from that intersection we are passing our compassion.”

The Best Canadian Feature Award, also worth $10,000, went to Sophie Deraspe’s “Shepherds,” about a young Montrealer frustrated with the emptiness of his marketing job who flees to the French Alps for a new life.

The juried FIPRESCI Award, from the International Federation of Film Critics, went to Somalia’s “Mother Mother,” directed by Somali-Canadian recording artist K’naan Warsame.

The $20,000 Platform Award, selected by an in-person international jury, went to “They Will Be Dust,” a co-production between Spain, Italy and Switzerland directed by Carlos Marques-Marcet.

The filmmaker has been caught in a whirlwind experience over the past week. He premiered his film at TIFF on its opening weekend and then returned to Madrid, only to get a call from TIFF organizers urging him to make his way back to Toronto for a big announcement.

“I was so tired, but I was so excited — and I wanted to meet Atom Egoyan,” he said of the Canadian director sitting on the three-person jury that unanimously selected his film.

Marques-Marcet’s “They Will Be Dust” is inspired by a real couple’s wish to embark on assisted death together. The film is also part contemporary-dance musical.

He recognizes those elements might make it a tough sell for some audiences, yet he’s hopeful the TIFF recognition will give his unconventional film a chance at greater exposure.

“Movies are not sports. It’s not about, ‘Who is the winner?'” he said.

“But obviously these things help a lot to try to push the barriers.”

Several awards introduced in recent years to elevate projects made by Black and Indigenous creators were not awarded at this year’s festival.

TIFF’s Amplify Voices awards, which honoured both the Best BIPOC Canadian Feature as well as the Best BIPOC Canadian First Feature, were removed from this year’s event.

Also missing was the Changemaker Award, which celebrated a festival film that tackled issues of social change.

Representatives for the festival declined to outline their decision to remove the awards.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 15, 2024.



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