“This has been a wonderful week for Canadians. We are going to have vaccines in this country on Monday,” Anand said, speaking in the House of Commons during question period on Monday.
While officials had said that vaccines arriving on Monday was a good possibility, no government voice had given firm confirmation that Dec. 14 would definitively be the day the newly approved Pfizer coronavirus vaccine would be arriving on Canadian soil.
Speaking on Wednesday, Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin, who is leading Canada’s vaccine distribution plans, said the doses would ship from Belgium on Friday and could begin arriving on Monday or Tuesday.
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“We expect vaccines to be shipped very soon – by the end of the week,” he said, adding that the final details would become clear as the shipping process gets underway.
2:08 Coronavirus: Health Canada official outlines process for approving Pfizer vaccine
Coronavirus: Health Canada official outlines process for approving Pfizer vaccine
It appears those details may have been clarified, given that Anand spoke firmly about the vaccine doses arriving on Monday. Her confirmation comes just one day after officials announced the vaccine’s approval for use in Canada.
Dr. Supriya Sharma, chief medical advisor with the regulatory branch of Health Canada, announced the news in a press conference on Wednesday. She said the approval marked a “momentous occasion.”
“It’s an exceptional day for Canada,” Sharma said.
“In a year where we haven’t had a lot of good news, this is a bit of good news. And I think we should take a moment to acknowledge that — and then we’re all going to get back to work.”
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Since the approval, details about the vaccine’s distribution timeline have been trickling out. Ontario Premier Doug Ford confirmed on Thursday that health-care workers in Toronto and Ottawa would get the province’s first doses next Tuesday, while Alberta says it plans to distribute the doses starting next Wednesday.
The federal government has said that the plan is to roll out initial vaccine doses to four priority groups: residents and employees at long-term care homes, Canadians aged 70 and above, front-line health-care workers and adults in Indigenous communities.
7:46 Coronavirus: BioNTech CFO on vaccine shipments, doses Canadians can expect
Coronavirus: BioNTech CFO on vaccine shipments, doses Canadians can expect
The Public Health Agency of Canada added that the plan is to begin vaccinating the general population in April, with the goal of inoculating the entire country by the end of September.
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“I mean, the geek in me is amazed. No one would have thought, even when we looked back at the first discovery of the virus, that less than a year later we’d be authorizing and then distributing a vaccine,” Sharma said on Wednesday.
Health officials have also stressed that while the approval process happened fast, it was as thorough as the process for any other drug that has been given the go-ahead for use in Canada.
Still, some questions remain about the vaccine. The Pfizer vaccine, which is the first and only vaccine to be approved for use in Canada to date, is not approved for use on those under the age of 16 – that’s just shy of 17 per cent of Canada’s population.
1:13 Coronavirus: Trudeau praises Pfizer vaccine approval in House of Commons
Coronavirus: Trudeau praises Pfizer vaccine approval in House of Commons
The next steps for immunizing those under the age of 16 are still unclear, as well as the plans for inoculating those who are allergic to the Pfizer vaccine’s ingredients.
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The concern comes after two vaccine recipients in the U.K. had allergic reactions to the jab. While both had previous histories of significant allergic reactions, Health Canada is closely monitoring for any adverse reactions to the vaccine.
As it stands now, Sharma has said those with allergies to the vaccine’s active ingredient or any of the vaccine’s other ingredients “should not take it.”
Additionally, there is still more research required with respect to the longevity of the protection afforded by the newly approved vaccine – though Sharma said there are promising early findings in this area.
Canada is currently evaluating three other vaccine candidates from Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson. The approval of any of these vaccines could speed up the timeline of Canada’s vaccination efforts.
TORONTO – Canada Goose Holdings Inc. says it has signed a deal that will result in the creation of its first eyewear collection.
The deal announced on Thursday by the Toronto-based luxury apparel company comes in the form of an exclusive, long-term global licensing agreement with Marchon Eyewear Inc.
The terms and value of the agreement were not disclosed, but Marchon produces eyewear for brands including Lacoste, Nike, Calvin Klein, Ferragamo, Longchamp and Zeiss.
Marchon plans to roll out both sunglasses and optical wear under the Canada Goose name next spring, starting in North America.
Canada Goose says the eyewear will be sold through optical retailers, department stores, Canada Goose shops and its website.
Canada Goose CEO Dani Reiss told The Canadian Press in August that he envisioned his company eventually expanding into eyewear and luggage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Almost seven years since news broke of an alleged conspiracy to fix the price of packaged bread across Canada, the saga isn’t over: the Competition Bureau continues to investigate the companies that may have been involved, and two class-action lawsuits continue to work their way through the courts.
Here’s a timeline of key events in the bread price-fixing case.
Oct. 31, 2017: The Competition Bureau says it’s investigating allegations of bread price-fixing and that it was granted search warrants in the case. Several grocers confirm they are co-operating in the probe.
Dec. 19, 2017: Loblaw and George Weston say they participated in an “industry-wide price-fixing arrangement” to raise the price of packaged bread. The companies say they have been co-operating in the Competition Bureau’s investigation since March 2015, when they self-reported to the bureau upon discovering anti-competitive behaviour, and are receiving immunity from prosecution. They announce they are offering $25 gift cards to customers amid the ongoing investigation into alleged bread price-fixing.
Jan. 31, 2018: In court documents, the Competition Bureau says at least $1.50 was added to the price of a loaf of bread between about 2001 and 2016.
Dec. 20, 2019: A class-action lawsuit in a Quebec court against multiple grocers and food companies is certified against a number of companies allegedly involved in bread price-fixing, including Loblaw, George Weston, Metro, Sobeys, Walmart Canada, Canada Bread and Giant Tiger (which have all denied involvement, except for Loblaw and George Weston, which later settled with the plaintiffs).
Dec. 31, 2021: A class-action lawsuit in an Ontario court covering all Canadian residents except those in Quebec who bought packaged bread from a company named in the suit is certified against roughly the same group of companies.
June 21, 2023: Bakery giant Canada Bread Co. is fined $50 million after pleading guilty to four counts of price-fixing under the Competition Act as part of the Competition Bureau’s ongoing investigation.
Oct. 25 2023: Canada Bread files a statement of defence in the Ontario class action denying participating in the alleged conspiracy and saying any anti-competitive behaviour it participated in was at the direction and to the benefit of its then-majority owner Maple Leaf Foods, which is not a defendant in the case (neither is its current owner Grupo Bimbo). Maple Leaf calls Canada Bread’s accusations “baseless.”
Dec. 20, 2023: Metro files new documents in the Ontario class action accusing Loblaw and its parent company George Weston of conspiring to implicate it in the alleged scheme, denying involvement. Sobeys has made a similar claim. The two companies deny the allegations.
July 25, 2024: Loblaw and George Weston say they agreed to pay a combined $500 million to settle both the Ontario and Quebec class-action lawsuits. Loblaw’s share of the settlement includes a $96-million credit for the gift cards it gave out years earlier.
Sept. 12, 2024: Canada Bread files new documents in Ontario court as part of the class action, claiming Maple Leaf used it as a “shield” to avoid liability in the alleged scheme. Maple Leaf was a majority shareholder of Canada Bread until 2014, and the company claims it’s liable for any price-fixing activity. Maple Leaf refutes the claims.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Companies in this story: (TSX:L, TSX:MFI, TSX:MRU, TSX:EMP.A, TSX:WN)
TORONTO – TD Bank Group, which is mired in a money laundering scandal in the U.S., says chief executive Bharat Masrani will retire next year.
Masrani, who will retire officially on April 10, 2025, says the bank’s, “anti-money laundering challenges,” took place on his watch and he takes full responsibility.
The bank named Raymond Chun, TD’s group head, Canadian personal banking, as his successor.
As part of a transition plan, Chun will become chief operating officer on Nov. 1 before taking over the top job when Masrani steps down at the bank’s annual meeting next year.
TD also announced that Riaz Ahmed, group head, wholesale banking and president and CEO of TD Securities, will retire at the end of January 2025.
TD has taken billions in charges related to ongoing U.S. investigations into the failure of its anti-money laundering program.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
