Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Canada topped 50,000 on Tuesday.
Federal and provincial authorities said 2,859 had died from the virus by 6 p.m. ET, adding that 19,198 had recovered.
Quebec, the country’s hardest-hit province, has reported 27,757 confirmed cases and 1,682 deaths, accounting for more than half of all COVID-19-related deaths in Canada.
The United States — the epicentre of the virus — has over 1 million confirmed cases. Over 55,000 people in the U.S. have died from COVID-19 — a number higher than that of Canada’s total confirmed cases.
In total, more than 216,800 across the globe have died from the novel coronavirus.
But despite rising numbers of confirmed cases, health officials have said that Canada’s curve is flattening.
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“We are making clear progress to slow the spread and bring the epidemic under control,” chief public health officer Theresa Tam told reporters.
“[On April 9th], Canada’s confirmed case count was doubling every three to five days. At this time, the number of cases is doubling at a rate of every 16 days.”
Several provinces, like Ontario and British Columbia, have even begun deliberating what a new normal would look like.
Last week, Saskatchewan, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick announced tentative timelines that would ease restrictions and slowly reopen the economy.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford unveiled his framework for reopening on Monday, which included a three-stage plan that would ease restrictions, although no set dates were given.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urged caution after Quebec announced its plan to reopen parts of its economy as early as May 4, saying that Canada is “not there yet” when it comes to that ability to lift COVID-19 restrictions.
“It is natural that after a long time in isolation, we would want to see things move back towards normal,” he said.
“There are plans and there are hopes that we’re going to see certain parts of the country take steps, including Quebec around elementary schools — but we’re not there yet.”
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau clarified reopening the economy would be made in accordance with each province and territory’s individual COVID-19 situation, adding that returning to some semblance of normal would be a slow process.
0:51 Coronavirus outbreak: Trudeau cautions Quebec on reopening economy: ‘We’re not there yet’
Coronavirus outbreak: Trudeau cautions Quebec on reopening economy: ‘We’re not there yet’
Federal and provincial governments will be required to establish checklists and guidelines that follow health practices in order to prevent a resurgence of COVID-19 once they reopen.
“Let me be clear,” he said. “These are not the specific measures when you can go back to work or school or when you can see your neighbours or extended family or friends.”
“This framework will lay out the things that need to happen before we take any next steps. Restarting our economy will be gradual and careful and will be guided by science.”
Tuesday’s milestone in cases also comes amid reports of new cases across other provinces in Canada.
Alberta and British Columbia announced a total increase of 154 and 55 cases, respectively, while Saskatchewan and P.E.I. both reported an additional one case each.
Nova Scotia reported 15 additional COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, bringing its total to 915.
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.
