Over the last week, Canadian grocery stores have seen an unprecedented amount of panic buying, with hoards of customers stripping the shelves bare of food, cleaning supplies and toilet paper amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.
A new survey conducted between March 13 and 15 by Dalhousie University and Angus Reid found 71 per cent of Canadians are concerned about the COVID-19 pandemic, and that 41 per cent had purchased extra groceries and supplies as a result.
Sylvain Charlebois, professor at Dalhousie University and scientific director at Agri-Food Analytics Lab — who conducted the survey — said the panic buying indicates consumers are struggling to cope with the pandemic.
1:19 Coronavirus outbreak: Trump says on ‘the day’ COVID-19 is defeated, Americans ‘will know’ and say ‘wow’
Coronavirus outbreak: Trump says on ‘the day’ COVID-19 is defeated, Americans ‘will know’ and say ‘wow’
“It’s not every day that you actually have to deal with with a pandemic, and so people felt uneasy,” he said. “And frankly, it wasn’t clear as to what it meant to them and their loved ones, and that’s why they wanted to protect themselves by getting some supplies.“
Story continues below advertisement
But is panic buying necessary? Will there be food shortages in Canada? How are grocery stores adapting?
Here’s what experts say.
Should Canadians worry about food shortages?
Marc Fortin, president at the Retail Council of Canada in Quebec, said there are “no issues at this point” when it comes to Canada’s food supply.
1:40 Ontario government declares state of emergency amid coronavirus outbreak
Ontario government declares state of emergency amid coronavirus outbreak
“Warehouses are getting their goods delivered, orders are coming in,” he said. “So the question is getting the products back into the store.”
He said the amount of product that would have been sold in approximately four days was sold in a matter of hours.
Fortin said for the next little while, Canadians may see less variation at the grocery store as workers replenish their stock from warehouses, but that as the weeks go on, all products will be made available.
He said “Canadians do not need to panic” and that by this weekend stores should be “back to almost normal.”
In a statement on Monday, Galen Weston executive chairman at Loblaw Companies Ltd. too said Canadians should not worry.
“Our supply chain and store teams are responding to the spikes in volume and quickly getting the most important items back on the shelf,” he said. “Volumes are already normalizing somewhat, and we are catching up.
He said there are a few items, like hand sanitizer, that may take longer to get back, but said otherwise “we are in good shape.”
According to Fortin, grocery stores have also been monitoring sales and are increasing inventory by a week or two where necessary.
“We’re looking at where there will be continued velocity or increased velocity, to increase those goods or those products little more than some others, which will have less velocity,” he said.
Mike Von Massow, a professor of Food, Agriculture and Resource Economics at the University of Guelph, said we have likely seen the worst of the panic buying, and that as products are replenished, the panic may wane even more.
“I think as people see that there continues to be stock on the shelves there, they’re going to spend less time sort of buying huge quantities,” he said.
And Von Massow said we could see a dip in demand, as people start to use up their stock, instead of buying more.
Charlebois said it may also be time to implement rationing — limiting the number of certain items people can purchase — at grocery stores.
“Rationing is absolutely appropriate when you’re dealing with a situation like this. We see rationing all the time throughout the year because of promotions,” he said. “It’s important for grocers to discipline demand as much as possible, and this is the one power they have.”
Story continues below advertisement
What if the Canada-U.S. border closes?
One thing that could impact Canada’s food supply is its border and trade with the U.S., Charlebois said.
On Monday, both Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Donald Trump said the border will remain open to citizens and for trade and commerce.
5:30 Duane Bratt on why Trudeau didn’t close our border to U.S. travellers
Duane Bratt on why Trudeau didn’t close our border to U.S. travellers
However, Charlebois said that could change at any moment.
“I’m more concerned about Washington and how they decide to deal with this pandemic. Washington has been slow coming out of the gate,” he said. “We saw that with Donald Trump‘s address yesterday. You did a complete 180. And so what happens next is really a huge question mark.“
But Fortin said 70 per cent of the goods found in Canadian grocery stores are made in Canada.
“So it’s not going to be a big issue,” he said. “But where we’re going to be concerned is going to be with fresh fruits, vegetables, which a lot of them either transit through the U.S. or are coming from the U.S.”
He added, though, that the supply chain has “other tools” in its arsenal in case the border is closed completely.
Story continues below advertisement
“We have amazing retailers in Canada in terms of grocery retailers [and] farmer retailers,” he said. “They will find a way to get the goods into the store to people.“
4:09 Canada closes borders to most non-Canadians; U.S. citizens still allowed
Canada closes borders to most non-Canadians; U.S. citizens still allowed
And, according to Von Massow, even if the situation persists for months it would not have a large impact on Canada’s “robust” food supply chain.
“Canadian producers produce lots of good quality food,” he said. “And so I don’t see any reason that that would change.”
OTTAWA – Conservative MP Garnett Genuis told a federal inquiry today that parliamentarians who were targeted by Chinese hackers could have taken immediate protective steps if they had been informed sooner.
It emerged earlier this year that in 2021 some MPs and senators faced cyberattacks from the hackers because of their involvement with the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, which pushes for accountability from Beijing.
In 2022, U.S. authorities apparently informed the Canadian government of the attacks, and it in turn advised parliamentary IT officials — but not individual MPs.
Genuis, a Canadian co-chair of the inter-parliamentary alliance, told a federal commission of inquiry on foreign interference today that it remains mysterious to him why he wasn’t informed about the attacks sooner.
Liberal MP John McKay, also a Canadian co-chair of the alliance, said there should be a clear protocol for advising parliamentarians of cyberthreats.
Several weeks of public inquiry hearings will focus on the capacity of federal agencies to detect, deter and counter foreign meddling.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
TORONTO – After being drafted in the third round (61st overall) of the 2023 MLS SuperDraft, forward Charlie Sharp decided to put his dream of playing professional football on hold.
He spent a couple of weeks training with Toronto FC that summer and then returned for a fifth year at Western Michigan University.
“It was a really tough decision for me,” Sharp recalled. “Because I knew that going back to school, nothing was guaranteed. I could get injured or not perform well, but it seemed to really work out for me.”
Sharp scored 19 goals and added eight assists as a senior, leading the Broncos to a 17-2-3 record and a third-round appearance in the NCAA tournament where they eventually lost to national runner-up Notre Dame on penalty kicks. Sharp, who scored or assisted in nine of his last 10 matches, ranked first in the NCAA with 0.95 goals per game and 2.30 points per game and was tied for second with seven game-winning goals.
The 23-year-old Sharp, whose rights were retained by Toronto, spent time with the TFC first team in this year’s pre-season and signed with Toronto FC II in February. On Tuesday, he joined TFC 2 teammate Nate Edwards, a wingback from Brampton, Ont., in signing a first-team contract.
“We are happy to officially elevate Charlie at this time,” Toronto GM Jason Hernandez said in a statement Tuesday. “His strong mentality and mature playing style will be a welcomed addition to our young player group in the first team.”
Both players signed contracts that run through 2025 with club options for 2026 and 2027.
The deals were completed in advance of Friday’s MLS roster freeze but took their time working their way through the league office.
“A bit of unorthodox path that I chose,” said Sharp. “But I think you’re seeing it more now with players that get drafted.”
“I’m super-happy,” he added. “I think I made the right decision.”
As a senior, Sharp was one of three finalists for the 2023 MAC Hermann Trophy, which honours the top NCAA soccer player. The award eventually went to Clemson senior forward Ousmane Sylla.
The six-foot-five 185-pounder from Brighton, Mich., finished his collegiate career with 42 goals 22 assists, and 106 points in 89 games. He ranks first in career goals and games and tied for fourth in assists for Western Michigan.
In returning to Kalamazoo for a fifth year, Sharp also succeeded off the pitch by completing his degree in computer information systems.
Despite some niggling injuries, Sharp has five goals and two assists in 16 appearances with TFC 2 this season. He made his first-team debut off the bench May 15 against Nashville.
“I had a lot of friends and family watching,” he said.
“It’s been a journey,” Sharp added. “I’ve been thankful for every step of the way.,”
The 21-year-old Edwards has one goal and two assists in 23 games with TFC’s MLS Next Pro team.
“He has been a top performer with TFC II this season and we look forward to his continued growth within our environment,” said Hernandez
Edwards, who also joined TFC 2 in February, made his first-team debut May 21 in Canadian Championship play against Ligue1 Quebec champion CS Saint-Laurent.
The five-foot-eight 167-pounder split his college career between Syracuse University and Purdue University Fort Wayne. As a senior in 2023, he had one goal and four assists for Syracuse and was named to the 2023 All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Academic Team and College Sport Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team.
At Purdue University Fort Wayne, he had two goals and an assist in 40 appearances across three seasons (2020-2022) with the Mastodons.
—
Follow @NeilMDavidson on X platform, formerly known as Twitter
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
CALGARY – A Calgary man who pleaded guilty to sharing Islamic State recruitment videos and propaganda on TikTok will spend the next six years behind bars.
Zakarya Rida Hussein was sentenced during a court appearance on Friday after he pleaded guilty to one of four terrorism-related charges.
Hussein admitted that he owned social media accounts that posted ISIS recruitment videos and propaganda.
He also admitted to sharing a bomb-making video online.
The man was arrested in June 2023 after a joint investigation led by the RCMP and the Calgary Police Service.
Hussein will need to submit DNA results and will be under lifetime ban from owning firearms after he’s released.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
