CALGARY —
Health officials in Alberta have set out clear guidelines for residents to follow for Halloween, but Airbnb has taken a harder line with anyone planning to rent their properties out for events.
As soon as Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, announced that the spookiest season of the year could move ahead without a problem, many Albertans turned to their schedules to find out where they could celebrate the season.
However, with the pandemic continuing in the province, officials say strict rules must remain in place.
“Halloween gatherings must adhere to all of the public health measures in place,” said Tom McMillan, assistant director of communications for Alberta Health in an email to CTV News.
“If they are at a restaurant or pub, they must follow the public health guidance and limits in place. If they are at a household or other setting, there is a 15-person limit in Calgary and Edmonton.”
That means, as long as business owners play ball, costume contests and other events can go ahead without any problems.
That doesn’t mean the fun will be limitless on Saturday night, McMillan says.
“The limit applies to social gatherings are characterized by people from multiple cohorts coming together for the purpose of social activity, with people moving freely to associate, mix or interact with other cohorts; having two-way conversations amongst members from multiple cohorts; and sharing food, laughing and group activities.”
Those who do break the rules could face enforcement under the Public Health Act by any police agency in the province of Alberta.
“Complaints can also be directed to the Alberta Health Services for an investigation. The first focus will always on public education and to work with owners/operators before moving to enforcement action, which could ultimately include fines up to $1,000,” McMillan says.
AIRBNB CONTINUES BAN ON ONE-DAY BOOKINGS
Airbnb issued a reminder to all of its clients who were planning to post their properties for rent for a one-day period in order to help crack down on parties and events that could encourage the spread of COVID-19.
“The great majority of guests are respectful of our hosts’ homes and neighbors, and we understand that this initiative will disrupt many one-night reservations that might not have led to parties. This action is designed to help protect our hosts and the communities they live in,” the company said in a release.
The prohibition from Airbnb also capped occupancy at 16 people, which includes both overnight guests and visitors.
The province says evidence shows 45 per cent of current active cases in Alberta have come from household gatherings and private events.
Alberta Health has set out more specific rules regarding Halloween on its website, but the core principles of the guidelines are the same as they’ve always been during the pandemic – wash your hands often, use hand sanitizer and, if you’re feeling sick, stay home.
Rising cases of #COVID19AB can affect all of us. We must protect our health system from being overwhelmed & essential services being impacted. Please stick to all the health measures this weekend, including the gathering limits in #YEG & #YYC. Let’s all protect each other.
CALGARY – TC Energy Corp. has lowered the estimated cost of its Southeast Gateway pipeline project in Mexico.
It says it now expects the project to cost between US$3.9 billion and US$4.1 billion compared with its original estimate of US$4.5 billion.
The change came as the company reported a third-quarter profit attributable to common shareholders of C$1.46 billion or $1.40 per share compared with a loss of C$197 million or 19 cents per share in the same quarter last year.
Revenue for the quarter ended Sept. 30 totalled C$4.08 billion, up from C$3.94 billion in the third quarter of 2023.
TC Energy says its comparable earnings for its latest quarter amounted to C$1.03 per share compared with C$1.00 per share a year earlier.
The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 95 cents per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.
BCE Inc. reported a loss in its latest quarter as it recorded $2.11 billion in asset impairment charges, mainly related to Bell Media’s TV and radio properties.
The company says its net loss attributable to common shareholders amounted to $1.24 billion or $1.36 per share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared with a profit of $640 million or 70 cents per share a year earlier.
On an adjusted basis, BCE says it earned 75 cents per share in its latest quarter compared with an adjusted profit of 81 cents per share in the same quarter last year.
“Bell’s results for the third quarter demonstrate that we are disciplined in our pursuit of profitable growth in an intensely competitive environment,” BCE chief executive Mirko Bibic said in a statement.
“Our focus this quarter, and throughout 2024, has been to attract higher-margin subscribers and reduce costs to help offset short-term revenue impacts from sustained competitive pricing pressures, slow economic growth and a media advertising market that is in transition.”
Operating revenue for the quarter totalled $5.97 billion, down from $6.08 billion in its third quarter of 2023.
BCE also said it now expects its revenue for 2024 to fall about 1.5 per cent compared with earlier guidance for an increase of zero to four per cent.
The company says the change comes as it faces lower-than-anticipated wireless product revenue and sustained pressure on wireless prices.
BCE added 33,111 net postpaid mobile phone subscribers, down 76.8 per cent from the same period last year, which was the company’s second-best performance on the metric since 2010.
It says the drop was driven by higher customer churn — a measure of subscribers who cancelled their service — amid greater competitive activity and promotional offer intensity. BCE’s monthly churn rate for the category was 1.28 per cent, up from 1.1 per cent during its previous third quarter.
The company also saw 11.6 per cent fewer gross subscriber activations “due to more targeted promotional offers and mobile device discounting compared to last year.”
Bell’s wireless mobile phone average revenue per user was $58.26, down 3.4 per cent from $60.28 in the third quarter of the prior year.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.
TORONTO – Canada Goose Holdings Inc. trimmed its financial guidance as it reported its second-quarter revenue fell compared with a year ago.
The luxury clothing company says revenue for the quarter ended Sept. 29 totalled $267.8 million, down from $281.1 million in the same quarter last year.
Net income attributable to shareholders amounted to $5.4 million or six cents per diluted share, up from $3.9 million or four cents per diluted share a year earlier.
On an adjusted basis, Canada Goose says it earned five cents per diluted share in its latest quarter compared with an adjusted profit of 16 cents per diluted share a year earlier.
In its outlook, Canada Goose says it now expects total revenue for its full financial year to show a low-single-digit percentage decrease to low-single-digit percentage increase compared with earlier guidance for a low-single-digit increase.
It also says it now expects its adjusted net income per diluted share to show a mid-single-digit percentage increase compared with earlier guidance for a percentage increase in the mid-teens.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.
