As the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread throughout several parts of Canada, the country hit more then 10,000 confirmed cases on Thursday.
Ontario announced 401 more cases on April 2, putting the total for country at over 10,000 cases. That’s a stark increase compared to where the country was on March 1, with only 24 confirmed cases at that time.
Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer acknowledged the country reaching over 10,000 cases in a press conference on April 2.
“These represent infections from previous exposures and not what is happening right now necessarily,” she said.
“So even if you’re not hearing of cases in your community, it doesn’t mean there is no risk of exposure. We must all consider that anyone could be infected and keeping our two-metre distance is the safest bet,” she explained.
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The provinces of Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec have the highest numbers of COVID-19 cases.
There also continues to be ongoing concern for Indigenous communities along with retirement homes and correctional facilities, where vulnerable people are in close quarters with others.
So far, there have been outbreaks and deaths in some of these spaces, said Tam at a press conference on March 31.
Multiple provinces including B.C., Alberta and Ontario have seen a string of COVID-19-related deaths stemming from outbreaks at nursing homes and long-term care facilities, raising concerns about how protected residents and care workers in those facilities are.
The chart below only includes confirmed cases, not presumptive cases. To see all the presumptive cases in the country, see Health Canada’s chart here.
The Public Health Agency of Canada reports that community transmission applies to 64 per cent of Canada’s COVID-19 cases, meaning those people were infected without travelling or being close to someone who has a confirmed case.
The extent of community spread cases can be difficult to track based on testing rates and if some people are asymptomatic, they know they are carrying the illness.
Thirty-six per cent of the cases are due to travel or a person being exposed to a traveller returning to Canada. So far, this data applies to 4,183 confirmed Canadian cases, according to the Public Health Agency.
As Canada’s total case count surpasses 10,000, Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam says what the new numbers don’t show is the point in time when people became sick, she said at a recent press conference.
“What you’re seeing today is what happened to someone when they were symptomatic at least two weeks ago,” she said.
Finding context in cases and the source of outbreaks can be difficult for public health agencies to discern and it will take some time to analyze whether social distancing and closures have made an impact in the last few weeks, she explained.
This week, however, is “crucial” to see whether these protocols have had any effect.
“There are still outbreaks connected to a number of high-risk settings in Canada, particularly in long-term care facilities. So there’s still an urgent need to double-down on precautions,” she said.
“While many cases occur in younger adults, it really is people over the age of 60 who account for 60 per cent of the hospitalizations and 90 per cent of deaths. The high-risk population needs to take every precaution.”
Testing efforts have also ramped up across the provinces, with more than 222,000 Canadians having been tested as of March 30. However, Ontario has faced criticism for their backlog of tests that had grown to just under 11,000 as of a week ago.
A Global News data analysis found that Ontario had the lowest testing rates at 351 per 100,000. In comparison, B.C. has a rate of 846 people tested per 100,000 as of April 1.
Ontario is still working through a backlog of cases, which is why the province is reporting increases in the hundreds recently, explained Christine Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott at a press conference on April 1.
On March 31, the province tested 6,245 people in one day, which is double the number of people tested from the day before.
“The cases that are currently being diagnosed are really historic cases, looking back at what has happened over the last week to 10 days,” said Elliott.
“What’s going to be most important is what we are going to see when the backlog is cleared over the next day or so. We will then be dealing with current information and that is what’s going to tell us where we are in terms of flattening the curve.”
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Do we know what will happen next?
On March 27, B.C.’s health officials released their own data predictions about what’s in store for the province. The modelling showed that the province’s transmission rate had dropped from 24 per cent to 12 per cent.
Researchers compared B.C.’s COVID-19 growth rate to other regions like South Korea, northern Italy and Hubei province in China to see how B.C.’s hospitals would be able to handle the spread of the virus. The results showed B.C. is similar to having a scenario like South Korea and if that analysis is accurate, the province would have enough hospital beds and ventilators.
However, Tam has warned that Canada is a “big country” and outcomes may vary starkly between provinces and territories.
While the B.C. data is “promising,” we should be “very cautious in making any definitive claims and even more so when it comes to generalizing these findings to other provinces,” said Dr. Suzanne Sicchia, an associate professor at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Health and Society at the University of Toronto Scarborough, in a previous Global News report.
This week and next week are crucial for health officials as they will give them a better sense of whether measures taken to flatten the curve are actually effective, she said.
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“To these ends, the experts will be watching to see if there is a decrease in the rate of new, confirmed cases,” Sicchia said..
This week we may also see many beginning to have symptoms based on what’s known about the virus’ incubation period, according to Dr. Jeff Kwong, an infectious disease specialist and associate professor in the department of family and community medicine at the University of Toronto in a previous Global News report.
“It’s going to be this week or the next week that we’re going to see a wave of people who are really sick,“ Kwong said.
“We know there’s lots cases out there — most are mild — but how many of all these cases are going to be severe?” he said. “That’s what we’re going to start to see this week.”
According to Public Health, COVID-19 is a “serious health threat” and numbers continue to change on a daily basis.
“The risk will vary between and within communities, but given the increasing number of cases in Canada, the risk to Canadians is considered high,” the organization noted.
However, Public Health wants to ensure the public understand not all Canadians will get the disease. The focus should continue to be flattening the curve by physical distancing, self-isolation if you have any symptoms or recently travelling and staying home as much as you can.
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4:34 Answering your coronavirus medical questions
Answering your coronavirus medical questions
Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
Health officials caution against all international travel. Returning travellers are legally obligated to self-isolate for 14 days, beginning March 26, in case they develop symptoms and to prevent spreading the virus to others. Some provinces and territories have also implemented additional recommendations or enforcement measures to ensure those returning to the area self-isolate.
Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out.
For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.
— With files from Global News’ Emerald Bensadoun, Patrick Cain, Hannah Jackson and Amanda Connolly.
CALGARY – Pembina Pipeline Corp. says it earned $385 million in its third quarter, up from $346 million a year earlier.
The Calgary-based company says its revenues rose to $1.84 billion, up from $1.46 billion during the third quarter of 2023.
Earnings per diluted share were 60 cents, up from 57 cents a year earlier.
The company narrowed its adjusted earnings guidance range for the year, citing prevailing forward commodity prices and the volume outlook for the fourth quarter.
Pipeline volumes during the quarter rose six per cent, which the company said was primarily due to its increased ownership interest in the Alliance Pipeline and the reactivation of the Nipisi Pipeline in late 2023.
The company says it’s poised to deliver a record financial year thanks in part to recent acquisitions and growing volumes.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.
REGINA – Two women told a jury trial Tuesday that a Regina chiropractor pulled their breasts during appointments.
Ruben Manz is accused of sexually assaulting seven women between 2010 and 2020 while they were under his care. The complainants cannot be identified due to a publication ban.
A 47-year-old woman, who described herself as a professional athlete, testified she went to see Manz in 2011 to treat pain in her neck, shoulders, lower back and hips.
She said she was sitting on an exam table when Manz placed a hand on her shoulder, pulled her head to one side and put a hand in her shirt.
He asked if she was OK, she said, and she replied yes but was hesitant.
Manz then moved his hand into her bra and pulled her breast, she told the jury.
“He said, ‘Just relax. It’s part of the treatment,’ And I said, ‘The hell it is,’” the woman testified. “I got up, grabbed my stuff and left the room.”
The woman said what happened to her was wrong and no other chiropractor had touched her that way.
She stopped seeing Manz immediately, she said.
“I didn’t trust him. He violated me.”
The woman said she reported Manz to a chiropractors association the next day. In 2021, after reading a news report about criminal charges against Manz, she went to police.
“He did this to somebody else, so I was mad,” she testified.
She said she regularly seeks treatment for muscle strain and adjustments to her shoulders, hips and spine.
“I have to work very hard to find the strength to trust people to put their hands on me,” she added.
Defence lawyer Kathy Hodgson-Smith questioned the woman about what she remembered, including how many appointments she had with Manz, the clothes she was wearing and how many people she told about her allegation.
The woman said she couldn’t remember exactly how many times she saw Manz. She recalled wearing a supportive bra meant to prevent pressure to her chest.
She said she’s been open about sharing what happened with others if the topic of bad experiences comes up.
“I remember that one incident with him like it was yesterday,” the woman testified. “I remembered it this whole time — not because it came up in a news report or because I talked about it.
“Because it wasn’t OK. And I haven’t had a chiropractor before then or since then do that to me.”
Hodgson-Smith said it’s possible the woman didn’t stop the doctor from touching her and didn’t storm out of his office.
“You left that office normal,” the lawyer said.
“I absolutely did not, and I take high, high offence in that,” the woman responded, wiping away tears.
“You’re asking me to defend myself, when I didn’t do anything wrong.”
A 50-year-old woman testified she started seeing Manz in about 2005 to address neck and back pain after getting into a car crash.
At her last appointment with the doctor, she said, one of his hands was inside her shirt while his other hand was pulling her head to one side.
His pinky finger went underneath her bra, she said, and she felt her breast lift.
“I said, ‘My boob, you’re pulling my boob out of my bra.’ And he let go,” said the woman.
“We just kind of, I don’t know, tried to act normal. He said, ‘OK, we’ll see you next time,’ and that was pretty much it.”
The woman said she never booked another appointment with Manz.
“I just felt very uncomfortable.”
The trial is scheduled to continue this week.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.
EDMONTON – Alberta’s surging population has the provincial government planning to add more seats to the legislature.
Justice Minister Mickey Amery introduced a bill Tuesday that calls for the creation of two additional electoral districts to bring the province’s seat total to 89 ahead of the 2027 general election.
There could also be widespread boundary changes, as the bill, if passed, would remove a provision that requires riding boundaries respect municipal boundaries as a guiding principle.
When asked by reporters if removing the provision is an attempt to dilute urban ridings with rural voters, who historically favour conservative representatives, Amery said the United Conservative Party government is aiming for manoeuvrability.
“A number of rural or semi-rural communities are very much closely connected to their urban cities that they’re nearby,” Amery said.
“The idea here is to build the flexibility for the commission to identify, for example, communities of interest, communities that share common transportation routes or common themes.”
Amery said the decision to increase seats is driven by Alberta’s recent surge in population, which is now at almost five million.
Government figures show that nine of Alberta’s current 87 constituencies are overpopulated, and Amery said having two additional representatives in the legislative assembly would improve voter representation.
Five of those overpopulated districts are in Calgary, three are in Edmonton, and the last is Airdrie-Cochrane, which covers all of Cochrane — a town that has seen its population grow by over 40 per cent since 2016.
Provincial rules dictate that the population of each constituency must be within 25 per cent of the average population of all electoral districts, though some exceptions are made for a couple rural districts where meeting that target isn’t feasible.
Should the bill pass, the government would establish a five-member commission to study and recommend where the boundaries of existing constituencies should be changed to create the two new districts.
Even if the bill is defeated, Premier Danielle Smith’s government would still need to establish a commission to review the electoral districts before the next election.
The commission would be made up of two members appointed by the Opposition NDP and three, including a committee chair, appointed by the United Conservatives.
NDP justice critic Irfan Sabir said he expects the UCP to go through the boundary redesign in good faith.
“We expect that it’s a fair process and these new ridings are given in the areas where we see the most population and growth pressures, and these are not just used for any political gains,” Sabir said.
The last election in 2023 saw results unfold along geographic lines, with the NDP taking Edmonton, the UCP dominating in rural areas and the two sides effectively splitting the key battleground of Calgary.
Political science professor Lisa Young said she isn’t surprised the government is looking to expand the legislature, as not doing so ahead of the necessary district review might have meant the loss of rural districts in favour of new urban ones where the population growth is being seen.
“It gets the government out of an immediate political problem,” said Young with the University of Calgary.
“If they didn’t, they were going to have to deal with a really messy situation that would have reduced the number of rural ridings, and that would have created problems inside UCP caucus.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.
