It was going to be her first vacation since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.
Ishat Reza had her bags packed and was ready to enjoy time off in Portugal, but when the federal government decided to drop its mask mandate on planes and trains on Monday, doubt entered her mind.
Reza, who has a pre-existing mild traumatic brain injury, was expecting Ottawa to drop just its vaccine mandate and ArriveCAN, but was caught off-guard by the federal government’s decision over mandatory masking. Feeling she is at higher risk for serious COVID-19 outcomes, Reza decided it wasn’t worth the risk to fly right now and cancelled her trip just hours before takeoff.
Ottawa’s decision to ease pandemic restrictions is yet another sign individual Canadians are going to have to play a greater role in protecting themselves from COVID-19 in the future, health experts say. However, with an expected increase in infections as the cold weather sets in, Ottawa shouldn’t have dropped its mask mandate and its decision “disproportionately affects” vulnerable Canadians, Reza said.
“We now are in a position where the risk is higher to get it on a plane or on a train, and we have to decide: are we willing to take that risk? And for me, the answer to that was no, I’m not willing to take that risk at this time given how prevalent COVID is in our society,” said the Toronto woman, who added she would’ve faced a non-mask-mandated environment on her flight home next month.
“Now is not the time to be removing measures that protect us from getting a very serious illness on a plane.”
Mandatory masking no longer required Oct. 1
After having them in place for two years, Canada will drop its remaining COVID-19 travel restrictions come Oct. 1.
In the lead-up to Monday’s official announcement, Global News and other media reported that Ottawa had decided to scrap its vaccine requirement, and would make ArriveCAN optional. Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos confirmed those changes on Monday, but also announced Ottawa’s mask mandate on planes and trains would also be gone at the start of next month.
5:20 Masking and vaccine requirements for travellers coming to an end
Masking and vaccine requirements for travellers coming to an end
It was reported last week the Liberal government was debating whether to drop the masking requirement; masks are an effective tool in reducing COVID-19 transmission, especially indoors. Ottawa’s move follows the provinces, which have rolled back protective measures throughout the spring as the pandemic improved.
During the news conference, Duclos said federal data showed importations of COVID-19 no longer influence in a “significant way the evolution of the pandemic in Canada,” and that infections are being driven by “domestic transmission.”
Ottawa is now strongly recommending Canadians wear masks on planes and trains, and Duclos said the government would be ready to revisit restrictions if needed.
“If there’s no mask mandate, even if I’m wearing one, I know that most of the people around me wouldn’t be wearing one, and I just didn’t feel comfortable sitting in an enclosed space for eight hours without other people masking,” Reza said.
“I know there are worse things happening in the world and that this is a relatively minor thing, but to me, the bigger disappointment is the fact that I can’t count on the federal government to make science-based decisions around the pandemic anymore, and that’s really disappointing.”
Moving away from an ‘environment which has created pressures’
In a news release Monday, Ottawa said the removal of its border restrictions has been facilitated by several factors, including modelling that shows Canada has largely passed the peak of the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5-fuelled wave, Canada’s vaccination rates, lower hospitalization and death rates, as well as the availability and use of boosters, rapid tests, and treatments for COVID-19.
Meanwhile, Canada may be beginning to see early signs of COVID-19 resurgence following a slight increase in infections over the past week, said Dr. Howard Njoo, deputy chief public health officer of Canada, on Monday.
2:06 Masks mandates on planes, trains to end Sept. 30: transport minister
Masks mandates on planes, trains to end Sept. 30: transport minister
When pressed further on the mask mandate, Duclos said its enforcement has become a burden for air workers, many of whom have faced abuse throughout the summer as major demand for travel clogged Canadian airports.
“We’re moving away from an … environment which has created pressures and difficulties for air travellers and air workers in particular. … We have heard from the industry the difficulties in making sure that … measure is being followed by all travellers,” Duclos said.
“We believe that most travellers will continue to wear those masks, but there will be some travellers who will choose not to do so and that’s all right.”
The science is “clear” that masking reduces COVID-19 transmission, said Njoo alongside Duclos on Monday.
“The change is that it is no longer obligatory. … It is something that Canadians can choose,” he said in French.
“I hope Canadians will make an enlightened decision about this because for me, I think it’s very clear that in a context where it’s very crowded and where there is poor ventilation, it would be advisable to continue to wear a mask.”
Decision not ‘completely based on science’
Ottawa had an “incredibly hard decision” to make on its mask mandate, said Kerry Bowman, a professor of bioethics and global health at the University of Toronto. However, he doesn’t believe it was “completely based on science.”
“I think there was economic factors which affect all of us, there were scientific factors and there was credibility. They have to make sure people will accept public health mandates in the future, and I think they didn’t want to lose credibility,” he told Global News.
“It’s going to be impossible to keep everyone happy, but I think what they’re trying very hard to do is to not be heavy handed with restrictions in case we need them in the future, because they’ve really got to have public acceptance and support and a lot of the public don’t want to see a mask mandate, and a lot of the public do, so it’s very hard to say.”
Masking will remain an important layer of protection when it comes to COVID-19 this fall and winter, said Dr. Susy Hota, an infectious diseases specialist with the University Health Network in Toronto.
When it comes to mandates, governments will need to look not at just daily infections, but the impact the virus is having on Canada’s already “vulnerable” health-care system when considering whether to reintroduce them, she said.
“I think of them less as restrictions in many ways because the tools that we can use, things like masking, they’re not that restrictive,” she said.
“It’s not like a lockdown where we’re telling people you cannot go here, you can’t have more than five people in your home or in your circle. We’re going to be talking about things like masking and to be honest, of all the things that we could impose, it’s less restrictive than many other options.”
In the meantime, Canadians need to take advantage of updated COVID-19 vaccines to stay protected, said Omar Khan, a professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Toronto.
“Canadians have access to a better vaccine that’s more tailored to these new variants, and Canadians should consider getting that to offer them superior protection,” he said.
“As an individual, the best thing you can do now is to make sure your vaccinations are updated.”
2:23 Border officials can screen, advise people on COVID-19 if needed: Duclos
Border officials can screen, advise people on COVID-19 if needed: Duclos
As for Reza, she made it clear she doesn’t feel masking needs to be mandated forever, but until there’s a vaccine that can effectively prevent infections combined with less COVID circulating, it needs to remain.
“It’s really up to governments to protect Canadians and to really pay attention to the disproportionate effect that it can have on people who have disabilities, those who have pre-existing medical conditions and those who are older in our communities,” she said.
“This is what government is there for. This is why they removed smoking from indoor places. This is why we can’t smoke on airplanes. This is also why people have to wear seatbelts. There’s a reason why governments mandate certain things for your health and safety, and right now, this decision just does not make sense to me.”
VANCOUVER – Contract negotiations resume today in Vancouver in a labour dispute that has paralyzed container cargo shipping at British Columbia’s ports since Monday.
The BC Maritime Employers Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 are scheduled to meet for the next three days in mediated talks to try to break a deadlock in negotiations.
The union, which represents more than 700 longshore supervisors at ports, including Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Nanaimo, has been without a contract since March last year.
The latest talks come after employers locked out workers in response to what it said was “strike activity” by union members.
The start of the lockout was then followed by several days of no engagement between the two parties, prompting federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to speak with leaders on both sides, asking them to restart talks.
MacKinnon had said that the talks were “progressing at an insufficient pace, indicating a concerning absence of urgency from the parties involved” — a sentiment echoed by several business groups across Canada.
In a joint letter, more than 100 organizations, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Business Council of Canada and associations representing industries from automotive and fertilizer to retail and mining, urged the government to do whatever it takes to end the work stoppage.
“While we acknowledge efforts to continue with mediation, parties have not been able to come to a negotiated agreement,” the letter says. “So, the federal government must take decisive action, using every tool at its disposal to resolve this dispute and limit the damage caused by this disruption.
“We simply cannot afford to once again put Canadian businesses at risk, which in turn puts Canadian livelihoods at risk.”
In the meantime, the union says it has filed a complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board against the employers, alleging the association threatened to pull existing conditions out of the last contract in direct contact with its members.
“The BCMEA is trying to undermine the union by attempting to turn members against its democratically elected leadership and bargaining committee — despite the fact that the BCMEA knows full well we received a 96 per cent mandate to take job action if needed,” union president Frank Morena said in a statement.
The employers have responded by calling the complaint “another meritless claim,” adding the final offer to the union that includes a 19.2 per cent wage increase over a four-year term remains on the table.
“The final offer has been on the table for over a week and represents a fair and balanced proposal for employees, and if accepted would end this dispute,” the employers’ statement says. “The offer does not require any concessions from the union.”
The union says the offer does not address the key issue of staffing requirement at the terminals as the port introduces more automation to cargo loading and unloading, which could potentially require fewer workers to operate than older systems.
The Port of Vancouver is the largest in Canada and has seen a number of labour disruptions, including two instances involving the rail and grain storage sectors earlier this year.
A 13-day strike by another group of workers at the port last year resulted in the disruption of a significant amount of shipping and trade.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
The Royal Canadian Legion says a new partnership with e-commerce giant Amazon is helping boost its veterans’ fund, and will hopefully expand its donor base in the digital world.
Since the Oct. 25 launch of its Amazon.ca storefront, the legion says it has received nearly 10,000 orders for poppies.
Online shoppers can order lapel poppies on Amazon in exchange for donations or buy items such as “We Remember” lawn signs, Remembrance Day pins and other accessories, with all proceeds going to the legion’s Poppy Trust Fund for Canadian veterans and their families.
Nujma Bond, the legion’s national spokesperson, said the organization sees this move as keeping up with modern purchasing habits.
“As the world around us evolves we have been looking at different ways to distribute poppies and to make it easier for people to access them,” she said in an interview.
“This is definitely a way to reach a wider number of Canadians of all ages. And certainly younger Canadians are much more active on the web, on social media in general, so we’re also engaging in that way.”
Al Plume, a member of a legion branch in Trenton, Ont., said the online store can also help with outreach to veterans who are far from home.
“For veterans that are overseas and are away, (or) can’t get to a store they can order them online, it’s Amazon.” Plume said.
Plume spent 35 years in the military with the Royal Engineers, and retired eight years ago. He said making sure veterans are looked after is his passion.
“I’ve seen the struggles that our veterans have had with Veterans Affairs … and that’s why I got involved, with making sure that the people get to them and help the veterans with their paperwork.”
But the message about the Amazon storefront didn’t appear to reach all of the legion’s locations, with volunteers at Branch 179 on Vancouver’s Commercial Drive saying they hadn’t heard about the online push.
Holly Paddon, the branch’s poppy campaign co-ordinator and bartender, said the Amazon partnership never came up in meetings with other legion volunteers and officials.
“I work at the legion, I work with the Vancouver poppy office and I go to the meetings for the Vancouver poppy campaign — which includes all the legions in Vancouver — and not once has this been mentioned,” she said.
Paddon said the initiative is a great idea, but she would like to have known more about it.
The legion also sells a larger collection of items at poppystore.ca.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
