Ontario’s premier says the province is ending its vaccine certificate system on March 1, when capacity limits will lift as well. Doug Ford’s announcement came as several other provinces — including Alberta and Saskatchewan — on Monday moved ahead with previously announced lifting of public health measures.
The province will also remove its 50 per cent capacity limit on restaurants on Thursday, four days earlier than planned. Ford gave no timetable for dropping the requirement that people wear masks in public places.
“Let me be very clear: We are moving in this direction because it is safe to do so. Today’s announcement is not because of what’s happening in Ottawa or Windsor — but despite it,” Ford said.
A vaccine mandate for staff in long-term care homes will remain, the premier said.
BREAKING: The Ontario government is removing the province’s proof of vaccination system as of March 1, while also speeding up the second phase of its COVID-19 reopening plan to Thursday — a move that was set to happen later under the province’s timeline. <a href=”https://t.co/G1H3aSjNHg”>https://t.co/G1H3aSjNHg</a>
Meanwhile, Alberta’s mandatory mask requirement for children under 12 in all settings and for all students in schools ended Monday, while Saskatchewan’s use of a vaccine passport program is also ending.
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney announced the decision about masks last week as part of a phased plan to eliminate all COVID-19 restrictions. The provincial government has told school boards they don’t have the power to override the directive.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe announced last week his province’s proof-of-vaccination mandate would come to an end Feb. 14, while indoor masking and self-isolation rules would stay in place until the end of the month.
Moe has said the proof-of-vaccination policy helped increase vaccination rates in the province, but suggests its costs now outweigh its benefits.
Meanwhile Manitoba’s staged lifting of restrictions will see the current 50 per cent capacity limits in places like restaurants and hockey arenas end Tuesday. Caps on gatherings in people’s homes will also end.
COVID-19: Is it too early to end vaccine and mask mandates?
14 hours ago
Duration 2:31
Infectious diseases specialist Dr. Zain Chagla answers questions about whether it’s too soon for provinces to end COVID-19 vaccine passports and mask mandates, as well as whether they are still effective tools. 2:31
With lab-based testing capacity deeply strained and increasingly restricted, experts say true case counts are likely far higher than reported. Hospitalization data at the regional level is also evolving, with several provinces saying they will report figures that separate the number of people in hospital because of COVID-19 from those in hospital for another medical issue who also test positive for COVID-19.
For more information on what is happening in your community — including details on outbreaks, testing capacity and local restrictions — click through to the regional coverage below.
In Central Canada, Quebec on Monday reported 17 more deaths linked to the novel coronavirus. The daily COVID-19 update showed 2,095 patients in hospital with the disease, with 136 people in ICUs.
Earlier Monday, gyms and spas were allowed to reopen at half-capacity across Quebec, after they were closed in December to reduce transmission of the Omicron variant of the virus.
Indoor sports and recreation activities can also resume today, including at colleges and universities, with a maximum of 25 participants per group.
In Atlantic Canada, Nova Scotia is easing some restrictions as of Monday, part of a three-phase process to lift public health measures. A statement from the province last week said that the first phase will allow for events, with gathering limits increased.
The province also said “all border restrictions for domestic travellers will be lifted.”
Health officials across the North and in British Columbia are expected to provide updated COVID-19 information later Monday.
-From The Canadian Press and CBC News, last updated at noon ET
What’s happening around the world
Couples take part in a mass wedding ceremony a day before Valentine’s Day in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines. The Philippines has eased COVID-19 restrictions this month as daily cases gradually drop. (Getty Images)
As of early Monday afternoon, more than 412.3 million cases of COVID-19 had been reported worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University’s coronavirus tracker. The reported global death toll stood at more than 5.8 million.
In the Asia-Pacific region, South Korea will begin administering a fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose by the end of February and will supply millions of additional home test kits to ease shortages amid a surge in Omicron infections, authorities confirmed.
Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority said it has granted an interim authorization for Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine.
China’s National Immigration Administration said it will not be renewing passports for non-essential travel while the international COVID-19 epidemic situation is still severe and cross-border travel poses “great security risks.”
A snowman is seen wearing a face mask outside a COVID-19 testing booth in Beijing on Sunday. Heavy snowfall hit Beijing and surrounding areas on Sunday, leading to the postponement of a number of outdoor events at the Winter Olympics. (Annice Lyn/Getty Images)
In the Middle East, Kuwait’s cabinet has lifted many COVID-19 restrictions, including a ban on foreign travel. The move will also apply to those who are not vaccinated, Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Khalid al-Sabah said Monday.
Meanwhile, health officials in Iran on Sunday reported 148 additional deaths and 25,812 additional cases of COVID-19.
In Europe, the Duchess of Cornwall has tested positive for COVID-19, four days after her husband, Prince Charles, was confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus. The couple’s office said Monday that Camilla is self-isolating. Charles has been isolating since he tested positive on Thursday. But Camilla had continued with public engagements while taking daily tests. The 73-year-old Charles and 74-year-old Camilla are both triple-vaccinated.
Charles, who is heir to the British throne, previously contracted the coronavirus in March 2020, during the first wave of the pandemic.
Charles is believed to have met with his mother, Queen Elizabeth, early last week when both were at Windsor Castle.
Norway will scrap nearly all its remaining COVID-19 lockdown measures as high levels of coronavirus infections are unlikely to jeopardize health services, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said. The leader has previously said that as wealthier nations lift restrictions, they should continue to assist lower-income nations with access to vaccines, treatment and supplies as the pandemic continues to pose a risk to the world.
Sweden is recommending a fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose to people over 80 and those living in nursing homes or getting home care, authorities said Monday, adding it must be administered no earlier than four months after the previous shot.
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.
