“As things stand now, we expect certain vaccines to become available in early 2021,” Health Canada deputy chief public health officer Dr. Howard Njoo said.
“However, it’s important to note that the initial supply of these vaccines will be limited … When a vaccine is ready, Canada will be ready.”
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According to the federal government on Thursday, Canada is expected to gain six million vaccine doses total in its first batch, to be distributed between provinces on a per capita basis.
Since two doses of a vaccine are necessary per person, the amount could treat up to three million Canadians total.
For now, though, provinces are seeing an uptick in cases across the country.
2:50 Coronavirus: Initial Canadian COVID-19 vaccine distribution to focus on three core groups
Coronavirus: Initial Canadian COVID-19 vaccine distribution to focus on three core groups
British Columbia set another single-day record on Thursday with 887 new cases and 13 deaths. The province now has 7,899 active cases.
Almost a third of the province’s 384 total deaths have been reported in November alone, with 64 deaths occurring in the last week. Eighty-four per cent of the fatalities are among people over 70 years old.
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Meanwhile, Alberta reported 1,077 new cases that occurred in the last 24 hours. There are currently 383 people in hospital due to the virus, with 84 of them in intensive care.
Ten deaths also occurred in the last 24 hours in the province, nine of which were connected to COVID-19 outbreaks in places such as long-term care homes. A total of 510 Albertans have now died from the virus.
Alberta premier Jason Kenney announced a state of public health emergency on Tuesday for the second time in the pandemic, which came with new restrictions on social gatherings as well as rules for masks in workplaces.
Ontario reported 1,478 new cases on Thursday and 21 more deaths.
The province has seen hospitalizations go up more than 63 per cent in the last four weeks, according to new provincial data, with those in intensive care expected to hit 200 next month. There are currently 556 people in hospitals in the province related to COVID-19.
In Quebec, 1,464 new cases were announced Thursday, setting a new record for daily infections for the province. The province also reported 32 more deaths, eight of which occurred in the last 24 hours.
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1:17 Coronavirus: Legault says he’ll prohibit holiday gatherings if cases increase too much
Coronavirus: Legault says he’ll prohibit holiday gatherings if cases increase too much
“If our numbers increase too much, we won’t allow gatherings,” Quebec Premier François Legault said. “[But] we have no magic answer.”
The province has seen 136,894 cases total so far and 6,947 deaths, the highest in the country. There are currently 675 hospitalizations, 90 of which are in intensive care.
Out east, the once-hailed “Atlantic bubble” has seemed to burst as cases have risen in the eastern provinces.
New Brunswick reported 12 new cases Thursday to bring its total active cases to 105. The increase is fuelled by young adults, the province’s chief of health said.
The uptick has caused New Brunswick to end its border deal with neighbouring provinces. Effective midnight, anyone travelling to New Brunswick from another province, including any Atlantic province, must self-isolate for 14 days unless exempt.
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Nova Scotia announced 14 new cases, bringing its total active cases to 114. The province said no one is currently in hospital due to the virus.
PEI reported no new cases, while Newfoundland and Labrador reported three new cases.
1:31 Coronavirus: Saskatchewan health officials warn province nearing ICU capacity
Coronavirus: Saskatchewan health officials warn province nearing ICU capacity
In the prairies, Saskatchewan reported 315 new cases, with 108 currently in hospital and 18 of them in intensive care.
The province also reported three additional deaths, bringing its total to 40.
Manitoba reported 383 new cases and 10 new deaths, bringing its total deaths to 266.
The province currently has a record-setting 307 in hospital due to the virus, with 46 in intensive care.
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.
