People in Quebec who aren’t fully vaccinated could be denied access to certain activities in the event of a COVID-19 outbreak, starting in September.
Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé outlined a plan on Thursday to introduce COVID-19 passports on a limited basis, saying they would help avoid widespread lockdowns.
Dubé said the plan would not be implemented until every Quebecer has been given the chance to receive two doses of a vaccine. He stressed proof of vaccination would only be needed in regions that experience outbreaks.
Still, some fear an infringement on fundamental rights.
While the intention may be to encourage more people to get vaccinated before a fourth wave hits, Kerry Bowman, a bioethicist at the University of Toronto, said vaccine passports raise ethical concerns as they “absolutely come with an element of surveillance to them.”
However, Vardit Ravitsky, a bioethicist who teaches at Université de Montréal and Harvard Medical School, said she thinks announcing the plan early was a good move and will encourage people to get vaccinated — something she said could prevent the passport’s use entirely.
WATCH | Quebec to roll out out vaccine passport if COVID-19 cases spike:
Quebec may start using digital vaccination passports to bar people who are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 from certain non-essential services as early as September, the province’s health minister announced on Thursday. 2:04
She said it’s the right approach to require proof of vaccination for specific locations and to lift the health order when an outbreak is over.
“This is such a targeted … finely nuanced proposition that it really takes care of all the worries that we sometimes have about discrimination, because it’s not meant to punish those who are not vaccinated,” she said.
“It’s meant to protect the health-care system while protecting our economy.”
She said it’s reasonable to prevent someone who chose not to get vaccinated from visiting a bar for a specific period of time. “The limitations that they will face will be so minor, that I think for the common good, it’s a very reasonable, proportional idea.”
In a news release Thursday, the province’s health department didn’t provide a concrete list of places where the vaccine passport would be required, but suggested it could be used at bars, gyms, restaurants, sporting events and festivals.
What’s happening across Canada
As of 4:25 p.m. ET on Friday, Canada had reported 1,419,796 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 5,447 considered active. National deaths stood at 26,419. More than 41.7 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered so far across the country, according to CBC’s vaccine tracker.
In British Columbia, health officials announced 59 new cases of COVID-19 and one new death on Thursday.
Alberta health officials on Thursday reported no new deaths from COVID-19 and 23 new cases, the lowest daily count in 13 months.
The Calgary Stampede officially kicked off Friday morning, returning after being cancelled last year for the first time in almost a century due to the pandemic.
New safety measures include cutting daily attendance in half, sanitation stations for the public and enhanced cleaning throughout the grounds. Staff and volunteers are required to wear masks and get COVID-19 rapid tests.
Officials in Manitoba reported 72 new cases and three additional deaths on Friday.
Saskatchewan reported 36 new cases of COVID-19 and one death Friday.
The province said the rise in cases is “largely attributable” to the previously reported outbreak at the Hatchet Lake Denesuline First Nation, which is located about 850 kilometres north of Saskatoon, near Wollaston Lake.
In Atlantic Canada, Nova Scotia logged one more case on Friday.
New Brunswick reported no new cases or deaths from COVID-19 on Friday. The province has vaccinated 79.1 per cent of its eligible population with at least one dose and 47.5 per cent with two doses.
WATCH | Provinces struggle to keep up vaccine momentum:
The rush of eager people trying to get that crucial first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine has slowed, so the provinces are trying to come up with new ways to get people to get the jab before the new variants make futher gains. 2:06
Newfoundland and Labrador on Friday confirmed two more cases of COVID-19 aboard the Iver Ambition cargo ship, currently anchored in Conception Bay.
This brings the total of confirmed positive cases aboard the ship to 14 of its crew members. All of them are still isolating on the ship, and there is no risk to the community, the Department of Health said in a media release.
Prince Edward Island reported no new cases on Friday. Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Heather Morrison said point-of-entry testing rules have been adjusted so that a COVID-19 test will not be required for anyone from within Atlantic Canada who has a PEI Pass. There has been no decision yet on how people from outside Atlantic Canada will be handled once they can enter the province with a PEI Pass as of July 18.
The province has also dropped the mandatory wearing of masks indoors. People will not be required to wear masks in most indoor spaces, but they will be encouraged to, based on vaccine status, personal heath status and the setting, Morrison said.
WATCH | Is Pfizer’s push for booster vaccines a good idea?:
Pfizer plans to ask U.S. regulators to authorize a booster dose of its COVID-19 vaccine within the next month, but infectious diseases specialist Dr. Zain Chagla says instead of investing in third doses, it’s important to get vaccines into countries where variants are emerging. 1:25
Across the North on Thursday, there were no new cases reported in Nunavut or the Northwest Territories,but Yukon recorded 10 new infections.
In Quebec, health officials on Friday reported 77 new cases, as well as one additional death that occurred prior to the last 24 hours.
Ontario registered 183 new cases of COVID-10 and nine new deaths on Friday, a day after government officials announced that more than50 per cent of adults in the province have had two vaccine doses. The province will further lift COVID-19 restrictions ahead of schedule on July 16, allowing for larger indoor and outdoor gatherings and for gyms and indoor dining to re-open.
A field hospital set up at Toronto’s Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre is seen on July 7. That mobile health unit, along with one in nearby Hamilton, will close due to declining hospitalizations and ICU rates due to COVID-19. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press)
What’s happening around the world
As of Friday, more than 185.7 million cases of COVID-19 had been reported around the world, according to a tracker from Johns Hopkins University. The reported global death toll stood at more than four million.
In the Middle East, U.N. children’s agency UNICEF says more than 1.4 million Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses will be delivered to Afghanistan on Friday as the country battles a third wave of infections. The COVID-19 vaccines are being donated by the United States and delivered through the U.N.-backed COVAX program. Since the third wave started last month, the country has averaged more than 2,000 new confirmed cases a day.
Having escaped the worst when the pandemic erupted last year, Southeast Asia is now suffering dramatic rises in deaths and cases, while vaccination shortfalls and highly contagious variants derail containment efforts.
A worker from a funeral home on Friday refills a disinfectant container for COVID-19 sterilization in Surabaya, Indonesia. (Robertus Pudyanto/Getty Images)
Indonesia will impose emergency restrictions in some areas outside of Java and Bali islands to curb the spread of COVID-19, a senior minister said on Friday.
The emergency measures will be similar to those in place on Bali and Java and will impact 15 cities in Sumatra, Kalimantan and Papua, chief economic minister Airlangga Hartarto told a news conference.
In the Americas, U.S. health officials say vaccinated teachers and students don’t need to wear masks inside school buildings. The guidance, announced Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, generally leaves it to local officials to figure out how to ensure the unvaccinated are using precautions while letting those who are fully protected go mask-free.
WATCH | Tokyo bans spectators at Olympics:
The Tokyo Olympics have been dealt another blow, with spectators now banned from attending events, two weeks before the Games are set to begin. The move comes after a state of emergency was put in place to curb rising COVID-19 cases. 3:29
In Europe, France’s health minister on Friday said the more contagious delta variant of the coronavirus will probably account for a majority of new COVID-19 cases in the country, starting this weekend.
Olivier Veran said the variant now represents nearly 50 per cent of new infections. He has said that a fourth wave of COVID-19 could hit France as early as the end of July and is urging as many people as possible to get vaccinated.
TORONTO – Will Taylor Swift bring chaos or do we all need to calm down?
It’s a question many Torontonians are asking this week as the city braces for the arrival of Swifties, the massive fan base of one of the world’s biggest pop stars.
Hundreds of thousands are expected to descend on the downtown core for the singer’s six concerts which kick off Thursday at the Rogers Centre and run until Nov. 23.
And while their arrival will be a boon to tourism dollars — the city estimates more than $282 million in economic impact — some worry it could worsen Toronto’s gridlock by clogging streets that already come to a standstill during rush hour.
Swift’s shows are set to collide with sports events at the nearby Scotiabank Arena, including a Raptors game on Friday and a Leafs game on Saturday.
Some residents and local businesses have already adjusted their plans to avoid the area and its planned road closures.
Aahil Dayani says he and some friends intended to throw a birthday bash for one of their pals until they realized it would overlap with the concerts.
“Something as simple as getting together and having dinner is now thrown out the window,” he said.
Dayani says the group rescheduled the gathering for after Swift leaves town. In the meantime, he plans to hunker down at his Toronto residence.
“Her coming into town has kind of changed up my social life,” he added.
“We’re pretty much just not doing anything.”
Max Sinclair, chief executive and founder of A.I. technology firm Ecomtent, suggested his employees avoid the company’s downtown offices on concert days, saying he doesn’t see the point in forcing people to endure potential traffic jams.
“It’s going to be less productive for us, and it’s going to be just a pain for everyone, so it’s easier to avoid it,” Sinclair said.
“We’re a hybrid company, so we can be flexible. It just makes sense.”
Swift’s concerts are the latest pop culture moment to draw attention to Toronto’s notoriously disastrous daily commute.
In June, One Direction singer Niall Horan uploaded a social media video of himself walking through traffic to reach the venue for his concert.
“Traffic’s too bad in Toronto, so we’re walking to the venue,” he wrote in the post.
Toronto Transit Commission spokesperson Stuart Green says the public agency has been working for more than a year on plans to ease the pressure of so many Swifties in one confined area.
“We are preparing for something that would be akin to maybe the Beatles coming in the ‘60s,” he said.
Dozens of buses and streetcars have been added to transit routes around the stadium, and the TTC has consulted the city on potential emergency scenarios.
Green will be part of a command centre operated by the City of Toronto and staffed by Toronto police leaders, emergency services and others who have handled massive gatherings including the Raptors’ NBA championship parade in 2019.
“There may be some who will say we’re over-preparing, and that’s fair,” Green said.
“But we know based on what’s happened in other places, better to be over-prepared than under-prepared.”
Metrolinx, the agency for Ontario’s GO Transit system, has also added extra trips and extended hours in some regions to accommodate fans looking to travel home.
A day before Swift’s first performance, the city began clearing out tents belonging to homeless people near the venue. The city said two people were offered space in a shelter.
“As the area around Rogers Centre is expected to receive a high volume of foot traffic in the coming days, this area has been prioritized for outreach work to ensure the safety of individuals in encampments, other residents, businesses and visitors — as is standard for large-scale events,” city spokesperson Russell Baker said in a statement.
Homeless advocate Diana Chan McNally questioned whether money and optics were behind the measure.
“People (in the area) are already in close proximity to concerts, sports games, and other events that generate massive amounts of traffic — that’s nothing new,” she said in a statement.
“If people were offered and willingly accepted a shelter space, free of coercion, I support that fully — that’s how it should happen.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2024.
TORONTO – Hundreds of Taylor Swift fans lined up outside the gates of Toronto’s Rogers Centre Wednesday, with hopes of snagging some of the pop star’s merchandise on the eve of the first of her six sold-out shows in the city.
Swift is slated to perform at the venue from Thursday to Saturday, and the following week from Nov. 21 to Nov. 23, with concert merchandise available for sale on some non-show days.
Swifties were all smiles as they left the merch shop, their arms full of sweaters and posters bearing pictures of the star and her Eras Tour logo.
Among them was Zoe Haronitis, 22, who said she waited in line for about two hours to get $300 worth of merchandise, including some apparel for her friends.
Haronitis endured the autumn cold and the hefty price tag even though she hasn’t secured a concert ticket. She said she’s hunting down a resale ticket and plans to spend up to $600.
“I haven’t really budgeted anything,” Haronitis said. “I don’t care how much money I spent. That was kind of my mindset.”
The megastar’s merchandise costs up to $115 for a sweater, and $30 for tote bags and other accessories.
Rachel Renwick, 28, also waited a couple of hours in line for merchandise, but only spent about $70 after learning that a coveted blue sweater and a crewneck had been snatched up by other eager fans before she got to the shop. She had been prepared to spend much more, she said.
“The two prized items sold out. I think a lot more damage would have been done,” Renwick said, adding she’s still determined to buy a sweater at a later date.
Renwick estimated she’s spent about $500 in total on “all-things Eras Tour,” including her concert outfit and merchandise.
The long queue for Swift merch is just a snapshot of what the city will see in the coming days. It’s estimated that up to 500,000 visitors from outside Toronto will be in town during the concert period.
Tens of thousands more are also expected to attend Taylgate’24, an unofficial Swiftie fan event scheduled to be held at the nearby Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
Meanwhile, Destination Toronto has said it anticipates the economic impact of the Eras Tour could grow to $282 million as the money continues to circulate.
But for fans like Haronitis, the experience in Toronto comes down to the Swiftie community. Knowing that Swift is going to be in the city for six shows and seeing hundreds gather just for merchandise is “awesome,” she said.
Even though Haronitis hasn’t officially bought her ticket yet, she said she’s excited to see the megastar.
“It’s literally incredible.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2024.
OTTAWA – Via Rail is asking for a judicial review on the reasons why Canadian National Railway Co. has imposed speed restrictions on its new passenger trains.
The Crown corporation says it is seeking the review from the Federal Court after many attempts at dialogue with the company did not yield valid reasoning for the change.
It says the restrictions imposed last month are causing daily delays on Via Rail’s Québec City-Windsor corridor, affecting thousands of passengers and damaging Via Rail’s reputation with travellers.
CN says in a statement that it imposed the restrictions at rail crossings given the industry’s experience and known risks associated with similar trains.
The company says Via has asked the courts to weigh in even though Via has agreed to buy the equipment needed to permanently fix the issues.
Via said in October that no incidents at level crossings have been reported in the two years since it put 16 Siemens Venture trains into operation.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2024.
