Many of the COVID-19 restrictions that were in place just for the Halifax-area have ended and new regulations have kicked in province-wide. Here’s a detailed look at the rules we have to follow over the holidays.
Travel
The province continues to advise against unnecessary travel over the holidays, but there’s no longer a recommendation specifically around travel into and out of areas of HRM and Hants County.
“We know for lots of people, the holiday often means travel within the province to visit family,” Dr. Robert Strang said. “We’re not telling you that you can’t, we’re asking you to think twice about it.”
Those who choose to travel are asked to drive there directly and not make any unnecessary stops.
“And when you get there, stay there,” added Premier Stephen McNeil.
If you leave the province, you will need to abide by the regulations of the jurisdiction you are visiting, which may include registration and/or self-isolation.
Anyone who leaves Atlantic Canada for non-essential reasons will likely need to self-isolate for 14 days upon return to Nova Scotia. Adults and post-secondary students will also need to complete a Nova Scotia Safe Check-in Form (self-declaration) before they arrive.
Gathering limits for casual socializing
We are now allowed to have a close social group of up to ten people without physical distancing.
“This group is typically the people you live with and maybe a few more,” Strang explained. “You should try to keep this group consistent … it should not be one group today, another group tomorrow, and a third group in a couple of days.”
The number of people you can have in a home is also limited to ten.
“If there are more than ten people in your home, that’s fine, nobody needs to move out, but unfortunately that means you can’t have visitors,” Strang said.
Faith gatherings, wedding ceremonies and funeral services
The maximum number of people who can gather for weddings, funerals or religious ceremonies is 150 if it’s outside. If it’s inside, it’s 50 per cent of the venue’s capacity to a maximum of 100.
“These events must be held by a recognized business or organization, and all of the other COVID-19 protocols — physical distancing outside of the close groups of ten, handwashing, screening, etc. — must be in place,” said Strang.
However, large gatherings following any of these ceremonies are not currently allowed.
“So for the next three weeks, we are considering weddings and funeral receptions to be special events, which are not allowed,” he added.
“If you do want a reception, it will need to be with ten or less people at a home.”
Festivals, special events, arts/cultural events and sports events
There will be no special events for at least the next three weeks, which includes sports, arts and culture events, but practices and rehearsals are allowed with a maximum of 25 people.
“That means groups of up to 25 can practice, train or rehearse together without physical distancing, but there can be no games, tournaments or performances,” Strang explained.
Long-term care homes
Dr. Robert Strang said long-term care residents will not be allowed to go home to visit their families this holiday season.
“There is just too much risk of them bringing COVID back into the facility,” he stated.
“However, we recognize the importance of socialization and connecting with family for residents in long-term care facilities for their overall health and well being,” he added.
That means each resident will now be allowed to have two designated caregivers and facilities can now allow a limited number of visitors.
“This will be in small numbers, which means that they may not be able to accommodate having every family member there at once,” Strang explained.
“Each facility will manage the scheduling and the number of visitors based on their capacities, and we ask families to be understanding and patient with each of the homes they may want to visit.”
Restaurants and casinos
Casinos in the Halifax-area remain closed until 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 10.
Restaurants and licensed establishments also remain closed to in-person dining until that time. They can continue to offer takeout and delivery.
The affected area includes the western half of Halifax Regional Municipality, along with Elmsdale, Enfield and Mount Uniacke.
“What we need to do is reduce the chances that the virus has to spread between people,” Strang explained.
“So in restaurants and licensed establishments, we need to reduce the longer social interactions where people are not wearing masks because they’re eating and drinking.”
However, food courts in malls are allowed to reopen.
“We do know that people who are under-housed or homeless, often the only warm place they have during the winter are public places like malls,” Strang said. “So that’s why we are asking them to (reopen) food courts.”
If you’re heading elsewhere in the province over the holidays, restaurants and licensed establishments outside of the Halifax-area must stop service by 10 p.m. and close by 11 p.m.
Fitness facilities
Fitness facilities in the Halifax area, like gyms and yoga studios, are allowed to reopen, but must operate at 50 per cent capacity for in-person activities with physical distancing.
Virtual and outdoor classes are allowed with physical distancing.
“We are requiring that these fitness facilities and studios keep a three metre or close to ten feet distance between participants who are involved in high intensity activities, like a spin or boxing class,” said Strang.
“And in all fitness facilities and studios, masks must be worn, except for when people are actually exercising.”
Hair salons and spas
Hair salons and spas in the Halifax area can resume providing services that require the removal of a mask.
Retail businesses
Retail businesses in the Halifax area will need to continue operating at 25 per cent of their capacity, and that rule has now been expanded across the province.
“This will help avoid crowds forming during a period when there is traditionally a lot of shopping,” Strang said.
As mentioned above in the restaurant section, food courts in malls are allowed to reopen.
Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, museums and libraries
Museums, libraries and the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia are all allowed to reopen at full capacity in the Halifax area.
“But they have to maintain all the COVID precautions around physical distancing and the other public health measures,” said Strang.
TOKYO (AP) — Japanese technology group SoftBank swung back to profitability in the July-September quarter, boosted by positive results in its Vision Fund investments.
Tokyo-based SoftBank Group Corp. reported Tuesday a fiscal second quarter profit of nearly 1.18 trillion yen ($7.7 billion), compared with a 931 billion yen loss in the year-earlier period.
Quarterly sales edged up about 6% to nearly 1.77 trillion yen ($11.5 billion).
SoftBank credited income from royalties and licensing related to its holdings in Arm, a computer chip-designing company, whose business spans smartphones, data centers, networking equipment, automotive, consumer electronic devices, and AI applications.
The results were also helped by the absence of losses related to SoftBank’s investment in office-space sharing venture WeWork, which hit the previous fiscal year.
WeWork, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2023, emerged from Chapter 11 in June.
SoftBank has benefitted in recent months from rising share prices in some investment, such as U.S.-based e-commerce company Coupang, Chinese mobility provider DiDi Global and Bytedance, the Chinese developer of TikTok.
SoftBank’s financial results tend to swing wildly, partly because of its sprawling investment portfolio that includes search engine Yahoo, Chinese retailer Alibaba, and artificial intelligence company Nvidia.
SoftBank makes investments in a variety of companies that it groups together in a series of Vision Funds.
The company’s founder, Masayoshi Son, is a pioneer in technology investment in Japan. SoftBank Group does not give earnings forecasts.
Shopify Inc. executives brushed off concerns that incoming U.S. President Donald Trump will be a major detriment to many of the company’s merchants.
“There’s nothing in what we’ve heard from Trump, nor would there have been anything from (Democratic candidate) Kamala (Harris), which we think impacts the overall state of new business formation and entrepreneurship,” Shopify’s chief financial officer Jeff Hoffmeister told analysts on a call Tuesday.
“We still feel really good about all the merchants out there, all the entrepreneurs that want to start new businesses and that’s obviously not going to change with the administration.”
Hoffmeister’s comments come a week after Trump, a Republican businessman, trounced Harris in an election that will soon return him to the Oval Office.
On the campaign trail, he threatened to impose tariffs of 60 per cent on imports from China and roughly 10 per cent to 20 per cent on goods from all other countries.
If the president-elect makes good on the promise, many worry the cost of operating will soar for companies, including customers of Shopify, which sells e-commerce software to small businesses but also brands as big as Kylie Cosmetics and Victoria’s Secret.
These merchants may feel they have no choice but to pass on the increases to customers, perhaps sparking more inflation.
If Trump’s tariffs do come to fruition, Shopify’s president Harley Finkelstein pointed out China is “not a huge area” for Shopify.
However, “we can’t anticipate what every presidential administration is going to do,” he cautioned.
He likened the uncertainty facing the business community to the COVID-19 pandemic where Shopify had to help companies migrate online.
“Our job is no matter what comes the way of our merchants, we provide them with tools and service and support for them to navigate it really well,” he said.
Finkelstein was questioned about the forthcoming U.S. leadership change on a call meant to delve into Shopify’s latest earnings, which sent shares soaring 27 per cent to $158.63 shortly after Tuesday’s market open.
The Ottawa-based company, which keeps its books in U.S. dollars, reported US$828 million in net income for its third quarter, up from US$718 million in the same quarter last year, as its revenue rose 26 per cent.
Revenue for the period ended Sept. 30 totalled US$2.16 billion, up from US$1.71 billion a year earlier.
Subscription solutions revenue reached US$610 million, up from US$486 million in the same quarter last year.
Merchant solutions revenue amounted to US$1.55 billion, up from US$1.23 billion.
Shopify’s net income excluding the impact of equity investments totalled US$344 million for the quarter, up from US$173 million in the same quarter last year.
Daniel Chan, a TD Cowen analyst, said the results show Shopify has a leadership position in the e-commerce world and “a continued ability to gain market share.”
In its outlook for its fourth quarter of 2024, the company said it expects revenue to grow at a mid-to-high-twenties percentage rate on a year-over-year basis.
“Q4 guidance suggests Shopify will finish the year strong, with better-than-expected revenue growth and operating margin,” Chan pointed out in a note to investors.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
TORONTO – RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust says it has cut almost 10 per cent of its staff as it deals with a slowdown in the condo market and overall pushes for greater efficiency.
The company says the cuts, which amount to around 60 employees based on its last annual filing, will mean about $9 million in restructuring charges and should translate to about $8 million in annualized cash savings.
The job cuts come as RioCan and others scale back condo development plans as the market softens, but chief executive Jonathan Gitlin says the reductions were from a companywide efficiency effort.
RioCan says it doesn’t plan to start any new construction of mixed-use properties this year and well into 2025 as it adjusts to the shifting market demand.
The company reported a net income of $96.9 million in the third quarter, up from a loss of $73.5 million last year, as it saw a $159 million boost from a favourable change in the fair value of investment properties.
RioCan reported what it says is a record-breaking 97.8 per cent occupancy rate in the quarter including retail committed occupancy of 98.6 per cent.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
