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Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today…
Tourism operators face heavy debt, even as business roars back
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Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Tuesday – CBC.ca
The latest:
Manitoba’s top doctor is again warning people to stick with their households and keep track of their close contacts as the province struggles with growing COVID-19 case numbers and more hospitalizations.
“We should only be going out for essential purposes,” Dr. Brent Roussin said Monday as the province reported 10 more deaths and 392 new cases of COVID-19. “That’s our only way forward … we have to reduce our overall amount of contacts.”
The province’s health system is struggling as hospitalizations increase and more COVID-19 patients fill intensive care beds.
“In the last three days we’ve announced more than 1,000 cases,” Roussin said at his briefing. “We can’t sustain this number of cases in our health-care system.”
The government last week closed restaurants, bars, gyms, non-essential retail stores and other facilities in an attempt to reduce the increasing caseload. But even with public health orders and enforcement, Roussin said the province needs “buy-in” from residents to get case numbers moving in the right direction.
What’s happening across Canada
Canada’s COVID-19 case count — as of 11:15 a.m. ET on Tuesday — stood at 304,427, with 50,613 of those considered active cases. A CBC News tally of deaths based on provincial reports, regional health information and CBC’s reporting stood at 11,063.
Ontario reported 1,249 new cases of COVID-19 and 12 new deaths on Tuesday, bringing the total number of deaths in the province ot 3,383. There were 569 new cases in Toronto, 256 in Peel Region and 94 in York Region, according to Health Minister Christine Elliott.
The province’s COVID-19 website on Tuesday put the number of hospitalizations at 529, with 127 people in intensive care.
In Quebec, the number of daily COVID-19 cases dropped below 1,000 as health officials reported 982 new cases. The province reported 24 deaths, including five reported to have occurred in the last 24 hours.
COVID-19 hospitalizations were on the rise, though, reaching 638 with 100 in intensive care.
“We know why we had this horror back in the spring. It’s because of inadequate staffing, poor infrastructure… and what’s changed in the interim?” <a href=”https://twitter.com/picardonhealth?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@picardonhealth</a> on the lessons missed from the first wave of COVID-19: <a href=”https://t.co/CYSlwESLo8″>https://t.co/CYSlwESLo8</a> <a href=”https://t.co/XyStBvZYig”>pic.twitter.com/XyStBvZYig</a>
—@FrontBurnerCBC
In Atlantic Canada, New Brunswick reported four new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday.
In Prince Edward Island, which has just three active cases, officials said Tuesday that the province will be introducing a mask mandate for indoor public spaces.
Nova Scotia reported two new cases on Monday — both linked to schools. There were no new cases reported Monday in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Across the North, which has so far avoided the worst of the global pandemic, concern was mounting as Nunavut announced eight new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, bringing the number of cases in the territory to 26.
The territory, which announced its first confirmed case earlier this month, is tightening up restrictions to try and clamp down on the virus: schools will close, as will recreation facilities, bars and restaurants.
In neighbouring Northwest Territories, which has seen 15 cases to date, health officials are revising rules around travel to require most people coming from Nunavut to self-isolate for 14 days. The two northern governments had formed a “travel bubble” in the summer allowing for easy movement between the territories.
Yukon, which has seen 24 cases of COVID-19, reported no new cases on Monday.
In British Columbia, case numbers are on the rise — with the vast majority of new cases coming in the Lower Mainland. Health officials said Monday that 1,959 cases of COVID-19 and nine additional deaths were recorded in B.C. over a three-day period.
Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry, who has said it’s the “expectation” that people will wear masks in indoor public spaces but has not ordered it, said Monday that a provincewide mask mandate wouldn’t address one of the main areas of concerns around transmission: social settings.
“Many of the settings that we are talking about are settings where people would not naturally wear a mask, like in your home or at a party.”
WATCH | Dr. Bonnie Henry talks about COVID-19 in B.C. and why she’s not pushing for a mask mandate:
Dr. Bonnie Henry says current coronavirus transmission is largely driven by social gatherings in private spaces where a mask mandate would not have an impact. 2:05
In Alberta, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said the province has entered a “deeply concerning” period of “exponential growth” of COVID-19.
Health officials in the province on Monday reported 20 new deaths and 860 new cases of COVID-19.
Hinshaw said the province — which as of Monday had more than 10,000 active cases and more than 260 COVID-19 patients in hospital — is in a “second wave at this point in time.”
“But again it’s up to us where that wave peaks and how quickly we can bring it down.”
In Saskatchewan, health officials reported 181 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, bringing the number of active cases in the province close to 2,000. New restrictions came into effect on Monday, but Premier Scott Moe said his government is considering further measures.
The Saskatchewan Health Authority has said that, based on the test positivity rate, it’s preparing for more people to be hospitalized and to need intensive care over the next couple of weeks.
What’s happening around the world
From The Associated Press and Reuters, last updated at 9:25 a.m. ET
As of early Tuesday morning, more than 55 million cases of COVID-19 had been reported worldwide, with more than 35.4 million of those cases considered recovered, according to a tracking tool maintained by Johns Hopkins University. The COVID-19 tracking tool put the global death toll at more than 1.3 million.
In the Americas, U.S. president-elect Joe Biden said “more people may die” if outgoing President Donald Trump continues to block a transition of power as the pandemic worsens.
With Iowa hospitals filling up, Gov. Kim Reynolds has dropped her opposition to a statewide mandate for mask use to combat the spread of the coronavirus. Reynolds signed a proclamation Monday requiring that everyone over two years old wear masks when in indoor public spaces.
But South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is showing no sign of budging from her hands-off approach to the pandemic, despite her state having the nation’s highest death rate this month.
South Dakota has reported 219 deaths in November — about a third of all its deaths over the course of the pandemic. The COVID-19 deaths have sent the state to the top of the nation in deaths per capita this month, with nearly 25 deaths per 100,000 people.
Still, Noem, a Republican, has no plans to issue mask requirements
In California, meanwhile, Gov. Gavin Newsom said he was pulling the “emergency brake” on the state’s efforts to reopen its economy as coronavirus cases surge more dramatically than during a summer spike. Newsom will impose more restrictions on businesses across most of the state. He said masks would now be required outside homes with limited exceptions.
Newsom’s action, which takes effect Tuesday, will put most of the state’s 58 counties in the strictest of the four-tier system for reopening that is based on virus case rates. That tier closes many non-essential indoor businesses.
Counties with lower rates have had more freedom for businesses to operate, schools to open for classroom instruction and for formal gatherings like religious services.
In the Asia-Pacific region, South Korea said it will tighten physical distancing rules in the greater Seoul area and some parts of eastern Gangwon province to try to suppress a coronavirus resurgence there.
Tuesday’s announcement came as South Korea’s daily virus tally stayed above 200 for a fourth straight day. The country has been experiencing a steady increase in virus infections since it relaxed its physical distancing guidelines last month.
Health Minister Park Neung-hoo said it was necessary to adjust the distancing rules for two weeks.
Australia’s fifth most populous state reported one new COVID-19 case overnight, dampening fears of another deadly cluster emerging.
New Zealand, meanwhile, has made masks mandatory from Thursday for users of public transport in Auckland as well as on all domestic flights.
WATCH | Moderna COVID-19 vaccine shows positive early results:
A COVID-19 vaccine from biotech company Moderna has shown promising early results, appearing to be 94.5 per cent effective, and the company says that it may apply for emergency use in the U.S. within weeks. 3:24
In the Middle East, Beirut’s popular Sabra market teemed with shoppers this week, some of them unmasked, in apparent defiance of a full national lockdown imposed on Saturday to stem a resurgence of coronavirus infections.
The Lebanese government ordered the two-week restrictions, including a 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew on Sundays, as new daily infections rose above 1,000.
Lebanon reported 1,016 new infections on Monday, bringing its total to 106,446 cases and 827 deaths since Feb. 21.
Iran, which has seen more than 788,000 cases of COVID-19 since the beginning of the global pandemic, reported a record 13,053 new infections and 486 deaths over the previous 24 hours on Monday as the government planned tougher restrictions.
South Africa remained the hardest-hit country in Africa, with more than 752,000 cases reported and more than 20,000 deaths.
In Europe, Austria has started a new tough lockdown meant to slow the surging spread of the coronavirus in the Alpine nation. As of Tuesday, people are only allowed to leave their homes to purchase groceries, to go to jobs deemed essential, to exercise or to help people who need assistance.
Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said Monday ahead of the lockdown, which is to run through Dec. 6, that “all of social and public life will be brought down to a minimum.”
Austria currently is registering more than 527 new cases per 100,000 residents over seven days — more than 10 times the rate that authorities say is sustainable. Over the last seven days it has reported 46,946 new coronavirus infections.
Italian authorities have inspected more than 230 nursing homes as part of the health ministry’s anti-coronavirus controls, identifying 37 with violations and flagging 11 people to law enforcement for possible prosecution.
The violations included lack of protective equipment and training for health-care workers, insufficient hygiene and missing anti-COVID protocols. In addition, inspectors found other underlying violations of health norms, including overcrowding, abusive treatment of the elderly, expired medicine, poor food safety and unqualified staff.
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Published Apr 23, 2024 • 3 minute read
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Canadian tourism operators says the tourism sector hasn’t returned to what it was pre-COVID.
Many businesses report carrying a heavy debt load, with Vancouver-based ecotourism company Maple Leaf Adventures saying it’s carrying it’s heaviest debt load in 38 years.
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Co-owner Maureen Gordon says while she and her competitors are recovering, higher interest rates are putting a damper on the post-COVID rebound.
Tourism Industry Association of Canada C-E-O Beth Potter says while the sector brought in 109-billion dollars in revenue last year, the federal government must help out by bringing in a new low interest loan program.
Tourism Minister Soraya Martinez Ferrada has said tourism operators have been affected by the warmest winter on record, but will be helped by the federal carbon rebate.
Here’s what else we’re watching …
Trudeau to make announcement in Saskatoon today
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be in Saskatoon today, where he will make an announcement highlighting measures focused on youth, education, and health that were contained in last week’s budget.
Joining Trudeau at the announcement in Saskatchewan’s largest city are minister for northern affairs Dan Vandal and Women and Gender Equality and Youth Minister Marci Ien.
Trudeau has faced conflict with the Saskatchewan Party government, whose leader, Premier Scott Moe, has been a vocal and long-standing opponent of the federal carbon levy.
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Moe is one of several premiers who have asked Trudeau to host a meeting to discuss alternatives to the consumer carbon price.
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‘Perfect storm’: Quebec farmer protests continue
Quebec farmers are continuing a series of protests that have brought slow rolling tractors to communities across the province’s agricultural regions.
The president of Quebec’s farmers union Martin Caron says producers are struggling with higher interest rates, growing paperwork and fees on plastic products, like containers of seeds, fertilizer and pesticides.
His organization is asking the current Coalition Avenir Quebec government to ensure farmers can get loans with interest rates of three per cent.
A spokesperson for Quebec’s agriculture minister says farmers can get emergency financial aid through a new program and that the government is consulting with the farmers union about reducing paperwork.
—
Study shows caribou growth at wolves’ expense
New research suggests western Canada’s caribou population is growing.
But the same study also shows the biggest reason for the rebound is the slaughter of hundreds of wolves, a policy which will likely need to continue.
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Thirty-four researchers compared notes on herds in Alberta and British Columbia based on a study in Ecological Applications and found between 1991 and 2023, the caribou population dropped by half.
However, over the last few years the numbers have begun to slowly rise, as it’s estimated there are now more than 1500 caribou than there were had not restoration effort been made.
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Second World War hangar in Edmonton burns in fire
An aircraft hangar built during the Second World War at Edmonton’s former municipal airport has been destroyed by fire.
A spokesman for the City of Edmonton says in an email firefighters were called to Hangar 11 just before 7 p.m. Monday.
The city’s email says 11 fire crews were dispatched to the scene to deal with the heavy smoke and flames and the wooden building later collapsed.
—
How a Newfoundland town shaped creepy ‘King Tide’
A new movie shot in Newfoundland showcases a community heavily reliant on a magical child.
“The King Tide” is about an isolated villagers having their lives forever changed after a mysterious infant washes up on their shores, the sole survivor of a devastating boat wreck.
They name the baby Isla, raise and learn she has healing powers promising immunity from injury and illness.
As the years pass, they become reliant on Isla’s abilities, but when her powers start to fade, a panic sets in as the community begins to fracture.
The movie was shot by Newfoundlander Christian Sparkes in Keels, Newfoundland, a former bustling fishing community which he says he’s been looking to film in for years, but couldn’t until recently due to the cost.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 23, 2024.
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We're still stockpiling reusable bags. Big grocers have adopted solutions, but experts have concerns – CBC News
Canada’s plastic bag ban has had an unintended consequence: a proliferation of reusable bags piling up in basements, closets and, eventually, landfills.
“They’re everywhere,” said environmental researcher Tony Walker. “We’re drowning in them, and we shouldn’t be.”
To combat the problem, several of Canada’s big grocers have introduced solutions. Last week, Walmart launched a free national recycling pilot program for the retailer’s reusable blue bags. Competitors Sobeys and chains owned by Loblaw Companies Ltd. use recyclable paper bags for grocery delivery.
But some environmental experts argue that paper bags are also problematic and that the best solutions are those that help customers actually reuse their reusable bags.
“We just can’t keep giving [them] out,” said Walker, a professor at Dalhousie University’s School for Resource and Environmental Studies in Halifax. “We’re only meant to have a few of them, and we’re meant to use them until they fall apart.”
In late 2022, the federal government rolled out a ban on the manufacture, import and sale of several single-use plastics, including checkout bags. The regulations are being contested in court, but in the meantime, they remain in effect.
The regulations have made single-use shopping bags scarce in Canada, but they’ve also led to the proliferation of reusable bags, especially for grocery delivery.
“It just creates more waste, which is what we’re trying to avoid in the first place,” Walmart customer Udi Sela said in a CBC News interview in late 2022.
At the time, Sela, who lives in Maple, Ont., estimated his family had acquired about 300 reusable Walmart bags via grocery delivery.
“We can’t return them, we can’t do much with them.”
Now, a little more than a year later, Walmart has launched a pilot project to address the problem.
It allows customers to pack up their unwanted reusable Walmart blue bags and ship them — at no charge — to a facility where they’ll get a second life.
How it works
According to Walmart, bags in good condition will be laundered and donated to charity, primarily Food Banks Canada. Damaged bags will get recycled into other materials. Reusable bags typically can’t go in blue bins because they’re costly and difficult to recycle.
Customers must sign up for Walmart’s program, and enrolment is limited.
Jennifer Barbazza, Walmart’s senior manager of sustainability, said the retailer will fine-tune the details as the program progresses.
“[We] know that some customers have more reusable bags than maybe they need,” she said. “One of the things that we’re really excited to learn about from the pilot is customer acceptance and customer feedback.”
WATCH | Is your home overrun with reusable bags? Join the club:
Reusable bags are living rent free in closets and car trunks across the country. Most major retailers made the switch away from single-use plastic bags about a year ago, but it’s taking time for some customers to catch on. They’re forgetting to bring their bags with them, and buying more every week.
Udi Sela has already signed up.
“I definitely think it’s a step in the right direction,” he said in an interview on Friday. “It’s something that needed to be done a while ago. God knows we’ve got a ton of bags kind of piled up.”
He said he’s concerned that some customers may find mailing the bags a hurdle. However, it’s not deterring Sela, who soon plans to ship hundreds.
Passing the buck?
Not everyone is keen on Walmart’s project. Emily Alfred, a waste campaigner with Toronto Environmental Alliance, said donating the bags to the food bank is just passing on the problem.
“We need to remove waste from the system entirely, and just sending these somewhere else for someone else to deal with is not really a solution,” she said.
Alfred said a better option is a program Walmart piloted in Guelph, Ont., in 2022. For a fee, customers could check out reusable bags from an in-store kiosk and later return them to be cleaned and reused.
“That’s a real circular reuse system,” she said.
Walmart’s Barbazza said the retailer is continuing to explore different reusable bag programs, including ones placed in stores.
She also said she’s confident Canada’s food banks will make good use of the bags.
“There’s definitely a need for sturdy items to distribute materials to the food bank clients.”
The paper problem
Among Canada’s major grocers, only Walmart offers a reusable bag program for all customers.
Loblaw recently switched from reusable to recyclable paper bags for grocery delivery. Sobeys did not respond to requests for comment, but according to its website, the grocer also uses paper bags and “reusable options” for home delivery.
Several environmental experts say paper bags aren’t a good solution, because their production leaves a sizable carbon footprint.
“Paper bags are a problem,” Alfred said. “It takes a lot of energy to recycle paper, takes a lot of trees and energy to make new paper.”
Loblaw said it continues to explore a variety of more sustainable solutions. “It’s a challenge we’re committed to addressing,” spokesperson Dave Bauer said in an email.
Both Walker and Alfred applaud Metro for its grocery delivery program, because the grocer, which operates in Ontario and Quebec, reuses delivery materials.
Metro said customers can get their goods delivered in a cardboard box or reusable bags, which can be returned and used for another delivery. Or customers can opt for a plastic bin and remove their groceries from it upon arrival.
Metro does not offer similar programs for in-store shoppers.
Alfred said the federal government should introduce regulations that mandate retailers adopt effective reusable bag programs for all customers.
“It’s up to our governments and people to demand that these companies do better,” she said.
But Walker suggested that the regulations would be hard to enforce and that incentives could be a better tactic.
For example, if retailers increased the price of reusable bags, shoppers might be less likely to forget them when they head to the store, he said.
“When the cost is a disincentive to do an activity, people change their behaviour.”
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