As Canada continues to struggle to contain the second wave of the novel coronavirus pandemic, experts say the holiday season is going to look very different this year.
“We know that it’s going to be a modified Christmas, it’s pretty clear that that’s going to be the case,” Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious diseases faculty member at the University of Toronto said.
However, he said there are “certainly steps that we can do” to make the holidays as safe as possible.
First and foremost, Bogoch said people should educate themselves on the public health restrictions in their region, as they differ across Canada.
“Let’s just all know what’s expected of us and get that information from a credible source and act accordingly,” he said.
But regardless of where you are, Bogoch said everyone should be limiting their close contacts “as much as possible” and “really double down and adhere to our fundamental public health principles.“
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“Putting on a mask when we go into an indoor environment,” he said. “Keeping physically distanced and really having a sense of situational awareness about not getting into settings like where we know the virus can be transmitted — which are basically crowded indoor settings.”
1:31 COVID-19: Christmas light installers busy as people try to ‘raise up spirits’ during pandemic
COVID-19: Christmas light installers busy as people try to ‘raise up spirits’ during pandemic
Countdown to Christmas
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that there are “many weeks still until Christmas.”
“It’s right to give people hope that there might be ways we can gather at Christmas but so much depends upon what we are doing right now, immediately to reduce our contacts and get through these next weeks and see the cases that are right now spiking almost out of control get back under control,” he said.
Trudeau said a normal Christmas is “quite frankly, right out of the question.”
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“But what kinds of limits we have in place, what kinds of permissions public health is going to encourage us to have depends a lot on what we do right now.”
However, Dr. Colin Furness, an infection control epidemiologist and assistant professor at the University of Toronto, said while we may be able to slow the growth rate of the virus in the next few weeks, Canadians will need to be “disciplined in December” if the country hopes to get the outbreak under control and keep schools and businesses open.
He said suggesting we may be able to relax measures to gather for the holidays is not responsible messaging.
“I mean, I guess [Trudeau] wants to transmit hope, but I don’t think it’s responsible to get people looking forward to something that absolutely should not happen,” he said.
He said Canada is going to need to have “pretty significant restrictions” in place until at least April.
Bogoch echoed Furness’ remarks, saying he doesn’t think it’s “realistic” that the most heavily impacted areas of Canada would see enough improvement by Christmas that would allow public health policy to be modified.
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2:03 B.C. holiday attractions awaiting clarification on whether they can operate
B.C. holiday attractions awaiting clarification on whether they can operate
Virtual or outdoor gatherings
Furness said no one should be gathering indoors this holiday season.
“I’m concerned about gatherings because gatherings among people who know each other well tend to be mask-less,” he said. “That’s going to drive COVID really high.”
Dr. Timothy Sly, an epidemiologist and professor emeritus at Ryerson University’s School of Public Health said this will “not be a normal Christmas, by any stretch of the imagination,” but said Canadians should embrace using video-chat software like Zoom or Skype to connect with their loved ones.
“I think most of the joy of this time of year is getting together with other people maybe you haven’t seen for a while. But we’re going to see them in a two-dimensional screen,” he said.
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“I think that’s the way to do it.”
But, Furness said only connecting online can be a “bit depressing,” adding that outdoor visits are still possible if done from a safe distance.
“I think you can do porch things,” he said. “It’s easy to say ‘oh, it’s cold, we can’t be outside,’ but of course we can, just dress for it.”
Shopping for gifts
When it comes to shopping for gifts, Sly said Canadians should order online where possible.
If you need to shop in person, Furness said you should avoid large retailers and stick to smaller stores whenever possible.
“Small stores, I think can be far more responsive in terms of things like appointment only and doing curbside [pickup] more effectively,” he said.
By the numbers
On Saturday, Canada added 4,992 new cases of the virus, with four provinces — New Brunswick, Ontario, Saskatchewan and Alberta — reporting new highs for daily infections.
By Sunday at 12 p.m. ET, the total number of infections in the country stood at 326,943.
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Since the virus was first detected, it has claimed 11,420 lives in Canada.
On Friday the Public Health Agency of Canada released new modelling which said Canada could see 20,000 new cases per day by the end of December if people fail to limit their contacts.
In a statement on Saturday, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam said the modelling indicates a “stronger response is needed immediately” in order to “interrupt transmission and slow the spread of COVID-19 across the country.”
“Canada needs a collective effort, from individuals and public health authorities, to support and sustain the response through to the end of the pandemic, while balancing the health, social and economic consequences,” the statement said.
TORONTO – Will Taylor Swift bring chaos or do we all need to calm down?
It’s a question many Torontonians are asking this week as the city braces for the massive fan base of one of the world’s biggest pop stars.
Hundreds of thousands of Swifties are expected to descend on downtown core for the singer’s six concerts which kick off Thursday at the Rogers Centre and run until Nov. 23.
And while their arrival will be a boon to tourism dollars, it could further clog the city’s already gridlocked streets.
Swift’s shows collide with other scheduled events at the nearby Scotiabank Arena, including a Toronto Raptors game on Friday and a Toronto Maple Leafs game on Saturday.
Some locals have already adjusted their plans to avoid the area.
Aahil Dayani says he and some friends intended to throw a birthday bash for one of their pals, until they realized it would overlap with the concerts.
“Ultimately, everybody agreed they just didn’t want to deal with that,” he said.
“Something as simple as getting together and having dinner is now thrown out the window.”
Dayani says the group rescheduled the birthday party for after Swift leaves town. In the meantime, he plans to hunker down at his Toronto residence.
“Her coming into town has kind of changed up my social life,” he added.
“We’re pretty much just not doing anything.”
Max Sinclair, chief executive and founder of A.I. technology firm Ecomtent, has suggested his employees stay away from the company’s downtown offices on concert days, since he doesn’t see the point in forcing people to endure potential traffic jams.
“It’s going to be less productive for us, and it’s going to be just a pain for everyone, so it’s easier to avoid it,” he said.
“We’re a hybrid company, so we can be flexible. It just makes sense.”
Toronto Transit Commission spokesperson Stuart Green says the public agency has been preparing for over a year to ease the pressure of so many Swifties in one confined area.
Dozens of buses and streetcars have been added to the transit routes around the stadium, while the TTC has consulted with the city on how to handle potential emergency scenarios.
“There may be some who will say we’re over-preparing, and that’s fair,” Green said.
“But we know based on what’s happened in other places, better to be over-prepared than under-prepared.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2024.
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – Electronic Arts has incorporated the Professional Women’s Hockey League into its NHL 25 video game.
The six teams starting their second seasons Nov. 30 will be represented in “play now,” “online versus,” “shootout” and “season” modes, plus a championship Walter Cup, in the updated game scheduled for release Dec. 5, the PWHL and EA Sports announced Wednesday.
Gamers can create a virtual PWHL player.
The league and video game company have agreed to a multi-year partnership, the PWHL stated.
“Our partnership with EA SPORTS opens new doors to elevate women’s hockey across all levels,” said PWHL operations senior vice-president Amy Scheer in a statement.
“Through this alliance, we’ll develop in-game and out-of-game experiences that strengthen the bond between our teams, players, and fans, bringing the PWHL closer to the global hockey community.”
NHL 22 featured playable women’s teams for the first time through an agreement with the International Ice Hockey Federation.
Toronto Sceptres forward Sarah Nurse became the first woman to appear on the video game’s cover in 2023 alongside Anaheim Ducks centre Trevor Zegras.
The Ottawa Charge, Montreal Victoire, Boston Fleet, Minnesota Frost and New York Sirens round out the PWHL. The league announced team names and logos in September, and unveiled jerseys earlier this month.
“It is so meaningful that young girls will be able to see themselves in the game,” said Frost forward Taylor Heise, who grew up playing EA’s NHL games.
“It is a big milestone for inclusivity within the hockey community and shows that women’s prominence in hockey only continues to grow.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2024.
Maple Leaf Foods Inc. continued to navigate weaker consumer demand in the third quarter as it looked ahead to the spinoff of its pork business in 2025.
“This environment has a particularly significant impact on a premium portfolio like ours and I want you to know that we are not sitting still waiting for the macro environment to recover on its own,” said CEO Curtis Frank on a call with analysts.
Frank said the company is working to adapt its strategies to consumer demand. As inflation has stabilized and interest rates decline, he said pressure on consumers is expected to ease.
Maple Leaf reported a third-quarter profit of $17.7 million compared with a loss of $4.3 million in the same quarter last year.
The company says the profit amounted to 14 cents per share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared with a loss of four cents per share a year earlier. Sales for the quarter totalled $1.26 billion, up from $1.24 billion a year ago.
“At a strategic level … we’re certainly seeing the transitory impacts of an inflation-stressed consumer environment play through our business,” Frank said.
“We are seeing more trade-down than we would like. And we are making more investments to grow our volume and protect our market share than we would like in the moment. But again, we believe that those impacts will prove to be transitory as they have been over the course of history.”
Financial results are improving in the segment as feed costs have stabilized, said Dennis Organ, president, pork complex.
Maple Leaf, which is working to spin off its pork business into a new, publicly traded company to be called Canada Packers Inc. and led by Organ, also said it has identified a way to implement the plan through a tax-free “butterfly reorganization.”
Frank said Wednesday that the new structure will see Maple Leaf retain slightly lower ownership than previously intended.
The company said it continues to expect to complete the transaction next year. However, the spinoff under the new structure is subject to an advance tax ruling from the Canada Revenue Agency and will take longer than first anticipated.
Maple Leaf announced the spinoff in July with a plan to become a more focused consumer packaged goods company, including its Maple Leaf and Schneiders brands.
“The prospect of executing the transaction as a tax-free spin-off is a positive development as we continue to advance our strategy to unlock value and unleash the potential of these two unique and distinct businesses,” Frank said in the news release.
He also said that Maple Leaf is set on delivering profitability for its plant protein business in mid-2025.
“This includes the recent completion of a procurement project aimed at leveraging our purchasing scale,” he said.
On an adjusted basis, Maple Leaf says it earned 18 cents per share in its latest quarter compared with an adjusted profit of 13 cents per share in the same quarter last year.
The results were largely in line with expectations, said RBC analyst Irene Nattel in a note.
Maple Leaf shares were down 4.5 per cent in midday trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange at $21.49.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2024.
