The federal government has announced a $1.1-billion plan to marshal Canada’s scientific community in the fight against the coronavirus, as some provinces with relatively fewer cases begin to weigh how they will relax restrictions put in place to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Scientists around the globe are scrambling to come up with tests, treatments to lessen the severity of the disease and ultimately, a vaccine to protect against the coronavirus that has killed more than 2,000 Canadians and almost 200,000 people worldwide.
At his Thursday news conference outside Rideau Cottage in Ottawa, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the government was putting in place a three-point medical and research strategy.
WATCH | Trudeau lays out the government’s strategy:
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a $1.1 billion strategy to fund COVID-19 medical research and a task force to study immunity. 3:53
This plan includes:
$155 million for research on vaccines and other treatments, support for clinical trials and expanding national testing and modelling.
$662 million for clinical trials led by Canada.
$350 million to expand national testing and modelling of COVID-19, including a COVID-19 immunity task force that includes Dr. David Naylor, Dr. Catherine Hankins, Dr. Tim Evans, Dr. Theresa Tam and Dr. Mona Nemer.
In mid-March, the Trudeau government committed $275 million for research, as part of the first emergency aid package.
That was supplemented later in the month with the creation of a new strategic innovation fund, which provided another $192 million to specific companies and research institutions working on the development of drugs and vaccines.
A laboratory technologist at LifeLabs demonstrates one of the steps taken when a specimen is tested for COVID-19 at the company’s lab in Surrey, B.C., on March 26. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press)
As well, the government has provided $52 million through national granting councils to almost 100 research teams across the country.
With several provinces beginning to talk cautiously about reopening the economy, which has been virtually shut down since mid-March, the pressure is on to find reliable, rapid tests to determine who is infected with the virus and who has developed immunity to it.
Saskatchewan’s reopening plan
Saskatchewan became the first province Thursday to outline a concrete plan for how some businesses and services could be allowed to resume next month provided the number of cases there stays low.
Premier Scott Moe said restrictions will be lifted May 4 for dentists’ offices, optometry clinics and physical therapy providers.
Golf courses will reopen May 15 and retail shops selling clothing, books, flowers and sporting goods might be allowed to open their doors on May 19.
A runner and walker keep their distance from each other on the Charlottetown boardwalk in late March. P.E.I. is among the provinces eyeing the relaxation of some COVID-19-related restrictions. (Brian McInnis/CBC)
Hairdressers and barbers could also start seeing clients again on May 19, but employees working directly with the public would have to wear masks.
Physical distancing and strict cleanliness standards would have to be maintained through every phase.
For the next phases — for which there are no start dates yet — officials would consider lifting restrictions on indoor and outdoor recreational and entertainment facilities and bumping up the size of allowable gatherings to 30 people from the current 10.
The final phase of the plan would include lifting restrictions on crowd sizes, visits to long-term care facilities and non-essential travel. Moe has already said those will stay put for some time.
The government’s plan doesn’t provide a timeline for when gyms might be allowed to operate or when daycare capacity might be increased. Nor does it give a time frame for food services and restaurants to reopen, but when they do, they will be expected to operate at half their capacity.
Prince Edward Island, where the COVID-19 caseload is low, is aiming to ease measures put in place to slow the spread in late April and reopen businesses in mid-May.
‘Not exactly islands’
Dr. Craig Jenne, an infectious disease researcher at the University of Calgary, said easing restrictions in one province could present challenges for others.
“Many provinces in Canada have no hard borders,” he said in an interview with The Canadian Press. “Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba — we are not exactly islands where we can cut off travel between provinces.
“We are going to have to make sure we’re on the same page with this.”
‘Failing our parents, our grandparents’: Trudeau
Trudeau said the military will respond to provincial requests for assistance at long-term care facilities. But he said the measure is a short-term solution and that Canada should not need soldiers to take care of seniors.
“If you’re angry, frustrated, scared, you’re right to feel this way. We can do better. We need to do better. Because we are failing our parents, our grandparents, our elders.”
WATCH | Should long-term care homes be federally regulated?
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with reporters on Thursday. 1:12
The comments today followed requests by Ontario and Quebec on Wednesday for hundreds of soldiers to help long-term care facilities that have been hit hard by COVID-19. The Canadian Armed Forces is now assessing what more it can provide to respond to these requests.
Trudeau said the government is sending the military to help in long-term care homes in Ontario and Quebec — 130 troops were sent to help five long-term care facilities in Quebec last week — but said it should never have come to this, and there are tough questions to be asked once the crisis is over.
The outbreak of COVID-19 in long-term care homes has outraged many Canadians and Trudeau said that outrage is not misplaced.
WATCH | Dr. Nathan Stall says there wasn’t enough attention paid to long-term care residences during pre-pandemic planning:
Dr. Nathan Stall, a geriatrician from Sinai Health System, says there wasn’t enough attention paid to long-term care residences during pre-pandemic planning. 1:16
During his daily briefing Thursday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, whose mother-in-law is in a long-term care home and has just tested positive for COVID-19, paused to gather himself before pledging to improve Ontario’s long-term care system.
“I recognize the system is broken,” he later said.
WATCH | Doug Ford’s full response:
His voice cracking, Ontario Premier Doug Ford vowed to ‘do better’ for the people in long-term care facilities. 1:27
Quebec resident Jonathan Marchand, who has muscular dystrophy, told CBC News that it’s not only the elderly who are vulnerable in those long-term care institutions.
“It’s not a safe environment,” he said. “What I want is to get out of here.”
WATCH | Quebec man talks about feeling unsafe in his long-term care home:
Quebec long-term care resident Jonathan Marchand, who has muscular dystrophy, says he wants the right to be cared for outside of an institution. 5:08
As of 7 p.m. ET Thursday, there were 2,232 COVID-19-related deaths in Canada, plus two reported COVID-19-linked deaths of Canadians abroad, according to a CBC News tally based on provincial and local health data, as well as CBC reporting.
There are 42,110 confirmed and presumptive cases, and 14,774 resolved cases among the provinces and territories that make such data public.
Here’s a look at what’s happening in Canada, the U.S. and around the world.
Here’s a look at what’s happening in the provinces and territories
WATCH | COVID-19 outbreak forces Alberta meat-processing plant to close:
A COVID-19 outbreak at the Cargill meat processing plant in High River, Alta., has forced the facility to temporarily close, raising concerns about beef prices and supply. 3:03
Ontario, environmental groups are raising concerns after the government changed its rules to allow it to approve some projects without public consultation. The provincial environment minister says the exemption is intended only for projects related to the pandemic that need to be built quickly, but the bulletin on the province’s website doesn’t specify that. Read about that issue here, and read more about what’s happening in Ontario here.
In Quebec, nurses in Montreal who have volunteered to work in a private long-term care home where more than half the residents have tested positive for COVID-19 say there is “shockingly little” protective gear available for employees. CHSLD Vigi Mont-Royal has more than 150 residents who have tested positive for the virus. Read more about the care home here, and read more about what’s happening in Quebec here.
New Brunswick officials warned the province is not in the clear, even though only 14 active cases remain there. Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jennifer Russell said the province’s success has “given us a chance to get ready for what comes next,” but that physical distancing will be in place for “weeks and months ahead.” Premier Blaine Higgs said businesses should prepare to reopen, while also respecting physical-distancing measures. Read more about what’s happening in N.B.
Nova Scotia‘s four new COVID-19 deaths are all connected to long-term care homes. The province has also seen higher infection rates among women, who account for 59 per cent of cases. Chief Medical Officer Dr. Robert Strang says it’s because more women live in long-term care homes and more women work in those facilities, too. Read more about what’s happening in Nova Scotia.
In the North, territorial health authorities are testing less than before, despite expanded criteria. Dr. Sarah Cook, the Northwest Territories’ territorial medical director, said that’s partly because other public health measures have been effective. Read more about what’s happening across the North.
Here’s a look at what’s happening in the U.S.
From The Associated Press and Reuters, updated at 7:30 p.m. ET
The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday passed a $484 billion US bill to expand federal loans to small businesses impacted by the coronavirus outbreak and hospitals overwhelmed by patients suffering from COVID-19.
By a vote of 388-5, the House passed the measure, which was unanimously approved on Tuesday by the Senate. It now goes to President Donald Trump for signing into law.
The House also approved a select committee, with subpoena power, to probe the U.S. response to the coronavirus. It will have broad powers to investigate U.S. preparedness, how federal dollars are being spent, and Trump administration deliberations.
Bronx Draft House manager Jonas Silva hands over a free meal to a first responder on April 23, 2020, in New York City. On Thursday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said a new study suggested 2.7 million residents across the state may already have antibodies for COVID-19. (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)
The figure brings the total number of newly jobless people in the United States in the past five weeks to more than 26 million. That’s more than the entire number of new jobs created in the U.S. economy since the financial crisis of 2008.
As of 9 p.m., there were more than 867,000 confirmed cases and nearly 50,000 deaths in the country, according to a Johns Hopkins University tally.
On Thursday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a screening of 3,000 people in the state found nearly 14 per cent tested positive for antibodies for the coronavirus, suggesting that 2.7 million residents across New York may have been infected with the disease.
Cuomo noted that the survey was preliminary and had limitations, though at least initially indicated a fatality rate of about 0.5 per cent of confirmed cases, far lower than some experts feared.
Visitors to the Department of Labor are turned away at the door by personnel due to closures over coronavirus concerns, Wednesday, March 18, 2020, in New York. Applications for jobless benefits are surging in some states as coronavirus concerns shake the U.S. economy. The sharp increase comes as governments have ordered millions of workers, students and shoppers to stay home as a precaution against spreading the virus that causes the COVID-19 disease. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) (John Minchillo/Associated Press)
Meanwhile, shares of American pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences fell more than four per cent Thursday, after the Financial Times reported its experimental coronavirus drug failed its first randomized clinical trial. The report cited draft documents published accidentally by the World Health Organization.
In a statement on Friday, Gilead said the post included inappropriate characterizations of the study and that the study was terminated early due to low enrolment and, as a result, it was underpowered to enable statistically meaningful conclusions.
Here’s what’s happening around the world
From The Associated Press and Reuters, updated at 7:30 p.m. ET
European Union leaders edged forward on Thursday toward joint financing of an economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic by agreeing to ask the European Commission to work out the details of such common support.
A pupil walks between distanced tables as she arrives for a test at a secondary school in Berlin on April 22. (Tobias Schwarz/AFP/Getty Images)
Still, a decision is likely months away as member countries disagree on how much financial aid should be given out.
Austria, Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands all opposed recovery aid through grants, while a broader northern camp — including Germany — were in favour of linking a new Recovery Fund to the bloc’s next long-term budget for 2021-27, sources said.
Hard-hit Italy called for a Recovery Fund of 1.5 trillion euros ($2.3 trillion Cdn) as well as grants to member states, while French President Emmanuel Macron said Europe’s response required financial transfers to the hardest-hit states, and not just loans. Macron also said the European project had no future if member states failed to respond to the “exceptional shock.”
The World Health Organization said it would announce a “landmark collaboration” on Friday to speed development of safe, effective drugs, tests and vaccines to prevent, diagnose and treat COVID-19.
The Geneva-based agency, in a brief statement issued late on Thursday, said the initiative with partners aims to make technologies against the disease caused by the novel coronavirus “accessible to everyone who needs them, worldwide,” but gave no details.
With more than 22,000 officially recorded deaths, officials in Spain are now preparing for rolling back some of the strict lockdown restrictions. The confinement has helped slow the daily contagion rate increase from more than 20 per cent to less than two per cent, although Spain has not been testing widely and the real contagion is believed to be higher.
Health-care workers attend a coronavirus patient at the intensive care unit of the Principe de Asturias hospital in Alcala de Henares, near Madrid, on April 22. (Pierre-Philippe Marcou/AFP/Getty Images)
China says Australian calls for an independent investigation into the cause of the coronavirus outbreak are politically motivated and unhelpful in dealing with the global pandemic. Australia is among a number of countries and localities that are calling for more information from China about where the virus originated and whether all efforts were made to stop it spreading across China and then around the globe.
China also said on Thursday it would donate a further $30 million US to the World Health Organization, about a week after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that U.S. funding would be halted while Washington reviewed the WHO’s role “in severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the coronavirus.”
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is planning to return to work as early as Monday after being hospitalized earlier this month with COVID-19, the Telegraph reported, even as the U.K. economy is crumbling under the strain of the coronavirus lockdown.
A business owner uses a thermal fogger as he disinfects trucks at a haulage firm in Barnsley, south Yorkshire, U.K., on April 22. (Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images)
North Korea has told the World Health Organization it tested 740 people for the new coronavirus as of April 17 but that all came out negative. That claim is being questioned by many outside experts.
South Korea‘s health authorities are planning to soon begin antibody tests to learn how widespread the coronavirus infection is within the population. They are also researching how long people maintain immunity after recovering from COVID-19.
South Africa‘s President Cyril Ramaphosa said the government will allow a partial reopening of the economy on May 1, with travel restrictions eased and some industries allowed to operate under a five-level risk system. International borders will remain closed while travel will be only allowed for essential services.
COVID-19 cases surged 43 per cent in the past week across Africa, reaching 26,000 according to the director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The figures underscored a recent warning from the World Health Organization that the virus could kill more than 300,000 people in the continent and push 30 million into desperate poverty.
Ecuador’s health minister said on Thursday the country’s coronavirus case total was twice as high as previously confirmed, as authorities added 11,000 new infections that resulted from delayed testing. With 560 confirmed deaths, the outbreak has ravaged the economy of the oil-producing country and overwhelmed sanitary authorities in the largest city of Guayaquil, where corpses remained in homes or for hours on the streets.
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Hearing the familiar sounds of clacking sticks and pucks banging off the boards and glass while watching Columbus Blue Jackets prospects from the stands of a cold rink on a warm late-summer afternoon was not enough to wash away the lingering residuals of grief for Don Waddell on Saturday.
That, the Blue Jackets’ general manager acknowledged, will take more time than anyone can guess — weeks, months, perhaps an entire season and beyond.
What mattered is how spending the weekend attending the Sabres Prospects Challenge represented a start to what Waddell called among the first steps in refocusing on hockey and the future in the aftermath of the deaths of Columbus star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, who were struck by a suspected drunken driver while riding bicycles on Aug 29.
“We got to play hockey,” Waddell said. “We’re not going to forget about Johnny and his family, the Gaudreau family.”
“Everybody knows that Johnny wants them to play hockey,” Waddell said. “And everybody’s rallying around that.”
The resumption of hockey in Columbus began last week, when most Blue Jackets players returned to their facility to be together and lean on each other at the urging of Waddell and team captain Boone Jenner. And it will continue on Thursday, when the team opens training camp, exactly three weeks since the Gaudreaus were killed.
“Tragic. Senseless. But now we got to focus on trying to get our team ready to play hockey this year,” Waddell said. “We all mourn and heal differently, but I think as a team being together like that is going to be critical for them to get moving forward.”
Waddell was general manager of the then-Atlanta Thrashers in 2003 when Dany Heatley lost control of his car and struck a wall, with the crash killing passenger and teammate Dan Snyder. In 2021, Blue Jackets goalie Matiss Kivlenieks died during a July Fourth fireworks accident.
Waddell placed the emphasis on himself and coach Dean Evason — both newcomers to Columbus this offseason — to guide the team through what will be an emotional season.
“Now, do I think there’s going to be some dark days? I won’t be surprised,” Waddell said.
Reminders of the Gaudreaus’ deaths remain apparent, and reflected in Buffalo on Friday night. A moment of silence was held in tribute to the brothers before the opening faceoff of a game between the Blue Jackets and Sabres.
Afterward, Columbus prospect Gavin Brindley recalled the times he spent with Johnny Gaudreau in Columbus and as teammates representing the United States at the world hockey championships in the Czech Republic in May.
“He was one of the biggest mentors for me at the world championships,” Brindley said. “I couldn’t tell you how many times we hung out with Meredith, pictures on my phone. It’s just so hard to look back and see that kind of stuff.”
The NHL and NHL Players’ Association are providing the Blue Jackets help in the form of grief counseling, crowd security at vigils and addressing hockey issues, such as potentially altering the league’s salary cap rules to provide Columbus relief from having to reach the NHL minimum payroll because of the void left by Gaudreau’s contract.
“The Blue Jackets, I don’t think anybody’s focused from an organizational standpoint, from a hockey standpoint as to what comes next, because I think everybody’s still in shock,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman told The Associated Press last week. “I don’t think anybody’s focused right now other than on the grieving part, which is understandable.”
Much of the burden has fallen to Waddell, who has been in discussions with the NHL and the NHLPA and dealing with outreach programs with the Blue Jackets’ partner OhioHealth, while also overseeing preparations for training camp and gauging his prospects in Buffalo.
There’s also his roster to attend to, which he said has two openings at forward, one involving Justin Danforth, who may miss the start of the season because of a wrist injury. Waddell didn’t have to mention the second opening.
Tiring and emotional as it’s been, Waddell found comfort being in his element, a rink, and looking ahead to the start of training camp.
“The guys are in really good shape. We’ve done a lot of testing already and they’re eager to get going,” Waddell said. “We have a reason to play for. And we’ll make the best of it.”
The Blue Jackets later Sunday signed veteran winger James van Riemsdyk to a one-year contract worth $900,000.
“James van Riemsdyk has been a very consistent, productive player throughout his career,” Waddell said. “Bringing him to Columbus will not only provide depth to our group up front, but also valuable leadership and another veteran presence in our dressing room.”
___
AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno in New York contributed to this report.
PARIS (AP) — Paris Saint-Germain defender Nuno Mendes was the target of abusive and racist comments on social media after a French league game.
The club condemned the abuse and expressed its “full support” Sunday for the Portugal left back, who was targeted following PSG’s 3-1 win against Brest on Saturday.
Mendes, who is Black, shared on his Instagram account a racist message he received.
During the match, Mendes brought down Ludovic Ajorque in the box for a penalty that Romain Del Castillo converted to give Brest the lead.
“Paris Saint-Germain doesn’t tolerate racism, antisemitism or any other form of discrimination,” the club said. “The racial insults directed at Nuno Mendes are totally unacceptable … we are working with the relevant authorities and associations to ensure those responsible are held accountable for their actions.”
MONTREAL – Tadej Pogacar was so dominant on Sunday, Canada’s Michael Woods called it a race for second.
Pogacar, a three-time Tour de France champion from Slovenia, pedalled to a resounding victory at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal.
The UAE Team Emirates leader crossed the finish line 24 seconds ahead of Spain’s Pello Bilbao of Bahrain — Victorious to win the demanding 209.1-kilometre race on a sunny, 28 C day in Montreal. France’s Julian Alaphilippe of Soudal Quick-Step was third.
“He’s the greatest rider of all time, he’s a formidable opponent,” said Woods, who finished 45 seconds behind the leader in eighth. “If you’re not at your very, very best, then you can forget racing with him, and today was kind of representative of that.
“He’s at such a different level that if you follow him, it can be lights out.”
Pogacar slowed down before the last turn to celebrate with the crowd, high-five fans on Avenue du Parc and cruise past the finish line with his arms in the air after more than five hours on the bike.
The 25-year-old joined Belgium’s Greg Van Avermaet as the only multi-time winners in Montreal after claiming the race in 2022. He also redeemed a seventh-place finish at the Quebec City Grand Prix on Friday.
“I was disappointed, because I had such good legs that I didn’t do better than seventh,” Pogacar said. “To bounce back after seventh to victory here, it’s just an incredible feeling.”
It’s Pogacar’s latest win in a dominant year that includes victories at the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia.
Ottawa’s Woods (Israel Premier-Tech) tied a career-best in front of the home crowd in Montreal, but hoped for more after claiming a stage at the Spanish Vuelta two weeks ago.
“I wanted a better result,” the 37-year-old rider said. “My goal was a podium, but at the same time I’m happy with the performance. In bike racing, you can’t always get the result you want and I felt like I raced really well, I animated the race, I felt like I was up there.”
Pogacar completed the 17 climbs up and down Mount Royal near downtown in five hours 28 minutes 15 seconds.
He made his move with 23.3 kilometres to go, leaving the peloton in his dust as he pedalled into the lead — one he never relinquished.
Bilbao, Alaphilippe, Alex Aranburu (Movistar Team) and Bart Lemmen (Visma–Lease) chased in a group behind him, with Bilbao ultimately separating himself from the pack. But he never came close to catching Pogacar, who built a 35-second lead with one lap left to go.
“It was still a really hard race today, but the team was on point,” Pogacar said. “We did really how we planned, and the race situation was good for us. We make it hard in the last final laps, and they set me up for a (takeover) two laps to go, and it was all perfect.”
Ottawa’s Derek Gee, who placed ninth in this year’s Tour de France, finished 48th in Montreal, and called it a “hard day” in the heat.
“I think everyone knows when you see Tadej on the start line that it’s just going to be full gas,” Gee said.
Israel Premier-Tech teammate Hugo Houle of Sainte-Perpétue, Que., was 51st.
Houle said he heard Pogacar inform his teammates on the radio that he was ready to attack with two laps left in the race.
“I said then, well, clearly it’s over for me,” Houle said. “You see, cycling isn’t that complicated.”
Australia’s Michael Matthews won the Quebec City GP for a record third time on Friday, but did not finish in Montreal. The two races are the only North American events on the UCI World Tour.
Michael Leonard of Oakville, Ont., and Gil Gelders and Dries De Bondt of Belgium broke away from the peloton during the second lap. Leonard led the majority of the race before losing pace with 45 kilometres to go.
Only 89 of 169 riders from 24 teams — including the Canadian national team — completed the gruelling race that features 4,573 metres in total altitude.
Next up, the riders will head to the world championships in Zurich, Switzerland from Sept. 21 to 29.
Pogacar will try to join Eddy Merckx (1974) and Stephen Roche (1987) as the only men to win three major titles in a season — known as the Triple Crown.
“Today gave me a lot of confidence, motivation,” Pogacar said. “I think we are ready for world championships.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 15, 2024.
