Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced a new assistance program meant to help businesses offset monthly rent.
The Canadian Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance program will help small businesses offset rent in April, May and June, Trudeau said during his daily COVID-19 address. Ottawa will work with provinces to roll out the program, as it falls under provincial jurisdiction.
The announcement was made in conjunction with plans to loosen eligibility requirements to the Canadian Emergency Business Account (CEBA), in order to aid more small- and medium-sized businesses struggling with the fallout of the pandemic, and on the day the number of COVID-19 cases across the country exceeded 30,000.
CEBA will now cover businesses who spent between $20,000 and $1.5 million on payroll last year, Trudeau said. Previously, the threshold for businesses was a minimum payroll of $50,000 and a maximum of $1 million.
“We are expanding the the Canada Emergency Business Account by both increasing and decreasing the eligibility threshold,” said PM <a href=”https://twitter.com/JustinTrudeau?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@JustinTrudeau</a>. “Businesses who spent between $20K and $1.5M in total payroll in 2019 will now be eligible.” Read more: <a href=”https://t.co/gxUbItEFhw”>https://t.co/gxUbItEFhw</a> <a href=”https://t.co/rpN2tnZUhU”>pic.twitter.com/rpN2tnZUhU</a>
Trudeau spoke Thursday evening with premiers about how to boost pay for critical support workers in long-term care homes. He tweeted following the phone call, but gave no details of the discussion.
Just got off the phone with <a href=”https://twitter.com/cafreeland?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@cafreeland</a> and the Premiers again. We’re working together as Team Canada to get you the support you need, protect our most vulnerable, and support our economy. As we have from the beginning, we’ll stay in touch as the situation continues to evolve. ????????
Public Safety Minister Bill Blair received a request from Quebec last night, he said, asking for government to send both doctors and members of the Canadian Armed Forces to help.
“It is impossible to imagine the anguish that families, and indeed our elders, are going through in this situation,” Trudeau said. “There is just so much fear, so much uncertainty. We need to do a better job of being there for them.”
WATCH | Trudeau talks about Quebec’s request for military help:
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with reporters on Thursday. 0:47
In a later question-and-answer period, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said the government is “urgently” looking at that request, but doesn’t yet have details on what aid could be sent.
Trudeau had said Wednesday he would talk to provincial and territorial leaders about raising pay for essential workers making less than $2,500 a month. Quebec, where several long-term care homes are struggling with COVID-19 outbreaks, has already said it will increase pay for eligible workers.
Ontario announced more testing and infection control measures, as well as an emergency order that prevents long-term care staff from working at multiple facilities — though the provincial opposition said the order had a loophole around workers from temp agencies. Health-care worker unions have long raised the issue, saying staff often work at multiple facilities because they’re unable to get full-time positions.
“This is a temporary measure to allow for the reduction of the spread of COVID-19,” Long-Term Care Minister Merrilee Fullerton said.
The announcement came the same day news broke that a second health-care worker has died of COVID-19 in Ontario. The woman, in her 50s, worked at Altamont Care Community, a long-term care home in Scarborough Ontario. Last week, a 58-year-old health-care worker at Brampton Civic Hospital died of complications linked to COVID-19.
The province also announced a change to how it is tabulating data from its testing. Public health officials are now counting how many samples are being tested, rather than how many people. That means some of the 9,001 tests cited so far in the province could have come from the existing testing backlog or from hospitalized patients, from whom a minimum of two samples are collected and processed by labs.
Cautious optimism — and a reminder to stay vigilant
Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, has previously said around half of Canada’s COVID-19-related deaths are linked to long-term care. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people, but seniors and people with underlying health issues face a higher risk of severe disease and death.
On Thursday, Tam restated her belief that the epidemic appears to be slowing, but Canadians now need to “double-down” on social distancing to prevent outbreaks in high-risk settings. Alongside long-term care homes and seniors’ residences, those experiencing homelessness and precarious housing are at particular risk, Tam said. If there is not immediate action, she said, there will be broader outbreaks and avoidable deaths.
“If the measure of a society is in how it cares for its most vulnerable, this pandemic has revealed the chink in our armour,” Tam said.
5/10 In late March, when the <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#COVID19</a> growth rate was fastest, we saw case numbers doubling every 3 days, but in recent days we’ve observed a doubling time of over 10 days. This means the epidemic is slowing down. <a href=”https://t.co/OpOAn7Uxzq”>pic.twitter.com/OpOAn7Uxzq</a>
Despite President Donald Trump’s statement Wednesday that he would consider relaxing border restrictions at the Canada-U.S. border, Trudeau said Thursday that those restrictions will likely stand “for a good while to come.”
Those restrictions were initially put in place on March 21, and are due to be reviewed on April 19.
WATCH | ‘Significant amount of time still’ before looser border restrictions, Trudeau says:
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says there’s a “significant amount of time still” to go before Canada can consider loosening travel restrictions at the U.S.-Canada border, despite President Donald Trump saying they could ease soon. 2:26
Trudeau defends WHO
G7 leaders held a video teleconference Thursday and agreed the development of a vaccine will be crucial to stop the spread of the coronavirus, a British statement said following the virtual summit.
The White House said that the leaders also called for a review and reform process at the World Health Organization (WHO) and agreed to ensure a co-ordinated global approach to the pandemic. Earlier this week, Trump cut funding to WHO amid accusations it is too cozy with China, while other countries including Canada have defended the UN agency as vital to fighting the pandemic.
The prime minister defended WHO after the G7 meeting.
“I think we all recognized on the call how important it is to continue to co-ordinate and collaborate the science around the pandemic, to work on public health measures around the world, to share information around vaccine development, around treatments that can work,” Trudeau said.
“There is a need for international co-ordination and the WHO is an important part of that collaboration and co-ordination.”
That includes supporting international efforts “to develop a vaccine, expand treatment, expand testing and ensure the critical medical supplies get to the front lines,” he added.
As of 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, Canada had 30,106 presumptive and confirmed COVID-19 cases. Provinces and territories that provide data on recovered cases listed 9,742 as resolved or recovered.
A CBC News tally of COVID-19-related deaths based on provincial and regional public health data, as well as CBC’s reporting, stood at 1,273. There have also been two reported coronavirus-related deaths of Canadians abroad.
WATCH | How do you predict who will be hit hard by COVID-19?
Researchers can’t yet say who will be hardest hit by the coronavirus, says infectious disease specialist Dr. Isaac Bogoch, but a person’s immune system is key. 5:03
Read on to see what’s happening across Canada, in the U.S. and around the world.
Here’s what’s happening in the provinces and territories
Saskatchewan’s premier said it isn’t likely schools in that province will reopen this academic year. Scott Moe also said the province’s state of emergency will be in place at least another two weeks. Read more about what’s happening in Saskatchewan.
WATCH | What happens after Canadians flatten the curve:
The curve for COVID-19 cases in Canada is starting to flatten, but before cases see a major decrease in the number of deaths that number will continue to rise. 2:02
Manitoba is looking at expanding its testing. The province currently tests only symptomatic people in certain higher-risk categories, including health-care workers, recent travellers and known contacts of those with COVID-19. “To be frank, though, the opening of our economy is vital, and so this is an issue of importance and discussion that we’re undertaking right now,” Premier Brian Pallister said Thursday. People from remote communities, long-term care centres, jails and shelters also are being tested, as well as patients hospitalized for respiratory symptoms. Read more about what’s happening in Manitoba.
A 44-year-old Quebec doctor has died from complications of COVID-19, the province’s public health director said on Thursday. That doctor, who had not been treating patients, is the first doctor in Quebec to die from the disease. Read more about what’s happening in Quebec, which has also seen large-scale outbreaks in long-term care facilities.
P.E.I. declared a state of emergency on Thursday and renewed their state of public health emergency for an additional 30 days. Under the measures, anyone travelling to the province will need to disclose the purposes of their travel to determine if it is essential or not. Read more about what’s happening in P.E.I.
From Reuters and The Associated Press, updated at 5:30 p.m. ET
New White House guidelines outline a phased approach to restoring normal commerce and services, but only for places with strong testing and decreasing COVID-19 cases.
Trump unveiled his administration’s plans to ease social distancing requirements on a call Thursday with the nation’s governors. The new guidelines are aimed at clearing the way for an easing of restrictions in areas with low transmission of the coronavirus, while keeping them in place in harder-hit locations.
U.S. President Donald Trump issued guidelines Thursday to reopening the U.S. economy. (Leah Millis/Reuters)
Places with declining infections and strong testing would begin a three-phase gradual reopening of businesses and schools.
In phase one, for instance, the plan recommends strict physical distancing for all people in public. Gatherings larger than 10 people are to be avoided and nonessential travel is discouraged.
In phase two, people are encouraged to maximize distancing where possible and limit gatherings to no more than 50 people unless precautionary measures are taken. Travel could resume.
Phase three envisions a return to normalcy for most Americans, with a focus on identification and isolation of any new infections.
WATCH | Trump leaves it to states to decide when to reopen:
U.S. president says administration will provide guidance despite lack of widespread COVID-19 testing 1:16
Governors of both parties made clear they will move at their own pace. An audio recording of the conference call obtained by The Associated Press has the president telling the governors, “You’re going to call your own shots,” while his administration will be “standing alongside of you.”
The comments came after a week in which he clashed with governors over his claim that he has “total” authority over how and when the country reopens.
Governors, for their part, have been moving ahead with their own plans for how to safely revive normal activity. Seven Midwestern governors announced Thursday they will co-ordinate on reopening their economies. Similar pacts were announced earlier in the week in the west and northeast.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday extended an order closing businesses and schools by two weeks, until at least May 15, in co-ordination with other states in the region.
The number of people hospitalized for the novel coronavirus and related deaths in New York fell to their lowest levels in more than a week, adding to evidence that the hardest-hit state was controlling its spread, Cuomo said.
A total of 17,735 people were hospitalized across the state — the lowest total since April 6 — while 606 people died from the virus on Wednesday.
WATCH | The race for a COVID-19 vaccine:
There are at least 70 research teams around the world, including in Canada, racing to develop a COVID-19 vaccine in a year, something that has never been done before. 1:58
The overall U.S. death toll in the global pandemic is approaching 32,000, with more than 654,000 cases nationwide, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.
The country is grappling with the challenge of ramping up contact tracing. Experts have said it could require new public health employees numbering in the six figures, and potential measures could include employing Peace Corps members or students studying in related fields.
The U.S. is also struggling to contain transmission in long-term care homes. New Jersey is reported to have at least one COVID-19 case in nearly every nursing home in the state. At one facility alone in northern New Jersey, more than 100 residents and staff members have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the New York Times reported.
Here’s a look at what’s happening around the world:
From Reuters and The Associated Press, updated at 3 p.m. ET
More than one million COVID-19 tests will be rolled out startingnext weekin Africa to address the “big gap” in assessing the true number of cases on the continent, the head of the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday, while one projection estimates more than 10 million severe cases of the virus in the next six months.
“Maybe 15 million tests” will be required in Africa over the next three months, John Nkengasong said.
WATCH | Some good news from around the world on Thursday:
With much of the world struggling through the COVID-19 pandemic, there are still some good-news stories to report. Here’s a brief roundup. 2:18
Experts have said Africa is weeks behind Europe and the U.S., but the rise in cases has looked alarmingly similar.
The concern about how the outbreak will unfold in Africa comes as some European countries consider easing restrictions. WHO said countries that ease restrictions should wait at least two weeks to evaluate the impact, as some European countries including Spain and Austria have begun small-scale steps to reduce severe lockdowns.
Health-care workers put protective suits on before testing employees and residents for COVID-19 at the Hospital Sant Miquel care home for the elderly in Barcelona on Wednesday. (Lluis Gene/AFP/Getty Images)
In France, the overall death toll from the disease has risen to 17,167, including 10,643 at hospitals and 6,524 in nursing homes. National health agency chief Jerome Salomon says there were about 500 fewer people infected with the virus at hospitals than the day before, marking the first such decrease since the outbreak began.
Britain extended its nationwide lockdown for at least another three weeks on Thursday, as stand-in leader Dominic Raab ordered Britons to stay at home to prevent the spread of an outbreak that has already claimed more than 138,000 lives globally. The U.K. has the fifth-highest official death toll from COVID-19 in the world, after the United States, Italy, Spain and France, though the figure only covers hospital fatalities and the real number is probably much higher.
Spain said on Thursday the overall number of COVID-19 fatalities rose to 19,130, even as figures from Catalonia indicated the real total could be several thousand more. Catalonia’s health department announced late on Wednesday its tally of deaths had nearly doubled after they began including data from funerary services on suspected and confirmed coronavirus deaths in nursing homes and private homes. Until now, the Catalan health department was only reporting coronavirus deaths in hospitals and those confirmed by tests.
New Zealand reported just 15 new cases of coronavirus on Thursday as Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern began outlining what restrictions imposed during a strict four-week lockdown might be eased from next Wednesday. New Zealand has reported 1,401 cases of COVID-19 and nine deaths.
Lawmakers will make a final decision on Monday on whether to proceed with easing the restrictions. Under Ardern’s plan, primary schools would reopen but attendance would be voluntary, and some businesses could reopen, including drive-thru and delivery restaurants. Malls and retail stores would remain closed and large gatherings banned.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern uses hand sanitizer while arriving with health director Dr. Ashley Bloomfield for an update on COVID-19. Under the country’s COVID-19 Alert Level Four measures, all non-essential businesses are closed, including bars, restaurants, cinemas and playgrounds. (Mark Mitchell/Getty Images)
South Korea has confirmed 22 more cases of the coronavirus over the past 24 hours, raising the country’s total tally to 10,613 with 229 deaths. The new cases recorded Thursday mean that South Korea’s daily increase in virus infections has been below 30 for the fourth consecutive day. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says in a statement that 7,757 people have recovered and been released from quarantine.
Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe announced a state of emergency in the country that will take effect Friday and last until at least May 6, the end of Japan’s “golden week” holidays. He said the nationwide state of emergency is aimed at stopping cross-border movement of people and achieving as much as an 80 per cent reduction in social contact “to overcome this national crisis in an all-out national effort.”
Abe’s previous state of emergency declaration on April 7 only covered Tokyo and six other prefectures deemed at highest risk of infection. He initially issued a stay-home request only to the people in those areas, though later expanded the measure to the rest of the country.
Singapore has reported a record 447 new coronavirus cases, it’s third straight day of sharp daily spikes, to raise its tally to 3,699. The number of infections has jumped by 1,167 since Monday, mostly linked to crowded dormitories that house foreign workers from Bangladesh, India and other poorer Asian countries.
Despite successfully managing the first wave of infections, Singapore has overlooked this vast population of foreign workers who live in dormitories that typically house up to 20 men in a room with shared kitchen, toilets and other facilities. Tens of thousands of workers have been quarantined in their dormitories, while some were moved to alternative sites to reduce crowding.
WATCH | See what experts had to say to your questions about COVID-19 in a CBC News virtual town hall:
CBC News held a virtual town hall Wednesday evening to address some of the questions and concerns on the minds of Canadians across the country. 1:19:45
China reported 46 new virus cases on Thursday, 34 of them brought from outside the country, but no new deaths from the outbreak. Of the domestic cases, three were recorded in the capital Beijing, which has been enforcing strict quarantine and physical distancing measures. Four others were reported in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang, where authorities have been rushing to stem a new flare-up among Chinese citizens crossing the border from Russia.
China has now reported a total of 3,342 deaths from the virus among 82,341 cases, though it has faced questions about how it counts and reports cases. Around 3,000 people remain hospitalized with COVID-19 or under isolation and monitoring for showing signs of the illness or testing positive but not displaying symptoms.
Mexico’s government on Thursday said its health experts have recommended the country extend its current anti-coronavirus measures until May 30. But Deputy Health Minister Hugo Lopez-Gatell said restrictions could be eased in some parts of the country where there are no coronavirus cases or very few incidents of transmissions by May 17.
Haiti has decided to reopen its key textile industry next week, suggesting the country had escaped the worst of the pandemic by imposing a state of emergency early on.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Democrats who control both chambers of the Virginia legislature are hoping to make good on promises made on the campaign trail, including becoming the first Southern state to expand constitutional protections for abortion access.
The House Privileges and Elections Committee advanced three proposed constitutional amendments Wednesday, including a measure to protect reproductive rights. Its members also discussed measures to repeal a now-defunct state constitutional ban on same-sex marriage and ways to revise Virginia’s process to restore voting rights for people who served time for felony crimes.
“This meeting was an important next step considering the moment in history we find ourselves in,” Democratic Del. Cia Price, the committee chair, said during a news conference. “We have urgent threats to our freedoms that could impact constituents in all of the districts we serve.”
The at-times raucous meeting will pave the way for the House and Senate to take up the resolutions early next year after lawmakers tabled the measures last January. Democrats previously said the move was standard practice, given that amendments are typically introduced in odd-numbered years. But Republican Minority Leader Todd Gilbert said Wednesday the committee should not have delved into the amendments before next year’s legislative session. He said the resolutions, particularly the abortion amendment, need further vetting.
“No one who is still serving remembers it being done in this way ever,” Gilbert said after the meeting. “Certainly not for something this important. This is as big and weighty an issue as it gets.”
The Democrats’ legislative lineup comes after Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin, to the dismay of voting-rights advocates, rolled back a process to restore people’s civil rights after they completed sentences for felonies. Virginia is the only state that permanently bans anyone convicted of a felony from voting unless a governor restores their rights.
“This amendment creates a process that is bounded by transparent rules and criteria that will apply to everybody — it’s not left to the discretion of a single individual,” Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker, the patron of the voting rights resolution, which passed along party lines, said at the news conference.
Though Democrats have sparred with the governor over their legislative agenda, constitutional amendments put forth by lawmakers do not require his signature, allowing the Democrat-led House and Senate to bypass Youngkin’s blessing.
Instead, the General Assembly must pass proposed amendments twice in at least two years, with a legislative election sandwiched between each statehouse session. After that, the public can vote by referendum on the issues. The cumbersome process will likely hinge upon the success of all three amendments on Democrats’ ability to preserve their edge in the House and Senate, where they hold razor-thin majorities.
It’s not the first time lawmakers have attempted to champion the three amendments. Republicans in a House subcommittee killed a constitutional amendment to restore voting rights in 2022, a year after the measure passed in a Democrat-led House. The same subcommittee also struck down legislation supporting a constitutional amendment to repeal an amendment from 2006 banning marriage equality.
On Wednesday, a bipartisan group of lawmakers voted 16-5 in favor of legislation protecting same-sex marriage, with four Republicans supporting the resolution.
“To say the least, voters enacted this (amendment) in 2006, and we have had 100,000 voters a year become of voting age since then,” said Del. Mark Sickles, who sponsored the amendment as one of the first openly gay men serving in the General Assembly. “Many people have changed their opinions of this as the years have passed.”
A constitutional amendment protecting abortion previously passed the Senate in 2023 but died in a Republican-led House. On Wednesday, the amendment passed on party lines.
If successful, the resolution proposed by House Majority Leader Charniele Herring would be part of a growing trend of reproductive rights-related ballot questions given to voters. Since 2022, 18 questions have gone before voters across the U.S., and they have sided with abortion rights advocates 14 times.
The voters have approved constitutional amendments ensuring the right to abortion until fetal viability in nine states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Ohio and Vermont. Voters also passed a right-to-abortion measure in Nevada in 2024, but it must be passed again in 2026 to be added to the state constitution.
As lawmakers debated the measure, roughly 18 members spoke. Mercedes Perkins, at 38 weeks pregnant, described the importance of women making decisions about their own bodies. Rhea Simon, another Virginia resident, anecdotally described how reproductive health care shaped her life.
Then all at once, more than 50 people lined up to speak against the abortion amendment.
“Let’s do the compassionate thing and care for mothers and all unborn children,” resident Sheila Furey said.
The audience gave a collective “Amen,” followed by a round of applause.
___
Associated Press writer Geoff Mulvihill in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, contributed to this report.
___
Olivia Diaz is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative.
Vancouver Canucks winger Dakota Joshua is set to make his season debut Thursday after missing time for cancer treatment.
Head coach Rick Tocchet says Joshua will slot into the lineup Thursday when Vancouver (8-3-3) hosts the New York Islanders.
The 28-year-old from Dearborn, Mich., was diagnosed with testicular cancer this summer and underwent surgery in early September.
He spoke earlier this month about his recovery, saying it had been “very hard to go through” and that he was thankful for support from his friends, family, teammates and fans.
“That was a scary time but I am very thankful and just happy to be in this position still and be able to go out there and play,,” Joshua said following Thursday’s morning skate.
The cancer diagnosis followed a career season where Joshua contributed 18 goals and 14 assists across 63 regular-season games, then added four goals and four assists in the playoffs.
Now, he’s ready to focus on contributing again.
“I expect to be good, I don’t expect a grace period. I’ve been putting the work in so I expect to come out there and make an impact as soon as possible,” he said.
“I don’t know if it’s going to be perfect right from the get-go, but it’s about putting your best foot forward and working your way to a point of perfection.”
The six-foot-three, 206-pound Joshua signed a four-year, US$13-million contract extension at the end of June.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2024.
NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump says he will nominate anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, putting him in charge of a massive agency that oversees everything from drug, vaccine and food safety to medical research and the social safety net programs Medicare and Medicaid.
“For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it comes to Public Health,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social site announcing the appointment. Kennedy, he said, would “Make America Great and Healthy Again!”
Kennedy, a former Democrat who ran as an independent in this year’s presidential race, abandoned his bid after striking a deal to give Trump his endorsement with a promise to have a role in health policy in the administration.
He and Trump have since become good friends, with Kennedy frequently receiving loud applause at Trump’s rallies.
The expected appointment was first reported by Politico Thursday.
A longtime vaccine skeptic, Kennedy is an attorney who has built a loyal following over several decades of people who admire his lawsuits against major pesticide and pharmaceutical companies. He has pushed for tighter regulations around the ingredients in foods.
With the Trump campaign, he worked to shore up support among young mothers in particular, with his message of making food healthier in the U.S., promising to model regulations imposed in Europe. In a nod to Trump’s original campaign slogan, he named the effort “Make America Healthy Again.”
It remains unclear how that will square with Trump’s history of deregulation of big industries, including food. Trump pushed for fewer inspections of the meat industry, for example.
Kennedy’s stance on vaccines has also made him a controversial figure among Democrats and some Republicans, raising question about his ability to get confirmed, even in a GOP-controlled Senate. Kennedy has espoused misinformation around the safety of vaccines, including pushing a totally discredited theory that childhood vaccines cause autism.
He also has said he would recommend removing fluoride from drinking water. The addition of the material has been cited as leading to improved dental health.
HHS has more than 80,000 employees across the country. It houses the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Medicare and Medicaid programs and the National Institutes of Health.
Kennedy’s anti-vaccine nonprofit group, Children’s Health Defense, currently has a lawsuit pending against a number of news organizations, among them The Associated Press, accusing them of violating antitrust laws by taking action to identify misinformation, including about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines. Kennedy took leave from the group when he announced his run for president but is listed as one of its attorneys in the lawsuit.
