News
Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada on May 26 – CBC.ca
The latest:
Quebec and Ontario reported the vast majority of Canada’s new coronavirus cases on Monday, as the number of confirmed and presumptive infections across the country rose to more than 85,000.
Quebec reported 573 new cases, while Ontario reported 404, which together make up roughly 96 per cent of Canada’s 1,011 new infections over the past 24 hours.
Monday’s figures come a day after Ontario’s premier announced an opening up of COVID-19 testing criteria. Doug Ford reiterated on Monday that people who feel they need a test should go to one of the province’s assessment centres — even if they don’t have symptoms.
Ford also pleaded for people who live in “hotspots” to get tested for the virus — saying the government is able to measure them by postal code and that some areas are “lighting up like a Christmas tree” — but that data has not been made public. CBC News has requested a breakdown of cases by postal code, but Hayley Chazan, spokesperson for the provincial minister of health, would only say that Ontario’s hardest-hit regions are in Toronto, Peel Region and Windsor-Essex County.
WATCH | Ontario testing to focus on ‘hotspots’ in 3 regions, says premier:
Ford also scolded a gathering of people at a popular west-end Toronto park over the weekend.
“I’m disappointed, to say the least, with everyone who showed up at Trinity Bellwoods on Saturday,” Ford said. “Why don’t you do us all a favour and get tested now,” he said.
However, both Dr. Barbara Yaffe, Ontario’s associate chief medical officer of health, and Toronto Medical Officer of Health Dr. Eileen de Villa contradicted the premier’s advice and said people who were at Trinity Bellwoods Park this weekend should instead self-monitor for 14 days and try to avoid contact with vulnerable people such as seniors and young children.
The provincial government has faced criticism for its public messaging during the COVID-19 outbreak, with Ontario’s top doctor even acknowledging last week that it has been inconsistent at times.
Read my remarks from today’s <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#COVID19</a> media briefing & advice to those who were at Trinity Bellwoods on Sat. to carefully self-monitor for 14 days. You don’t need to self-isolate & only need to get tested if you develop <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#COVID19</a> symptoms. Learn more: <a href=”https://t.co/zT2ZSOsFp3″>https://t.co/zT2ZSOsFp3</a>
—@epdevilla
Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott also cited the Trinity Bellwoods Park incident as one of the reasons the province is maintaining a five-person maximum for gatherings.
Elliott said the province had been considering allowing groups of more than five to gather in the near future, but those plans have temporarily been put aside. The province has prohibited gatherings of more than five people, unless they live together, since March 28.
“It is something that will be coming forward, but it has been pushed back a little bit,” Elliott said.
WATCH | Ontario delays loosening group restrictions:
The new cases reported Monday brought the total number of cases in the Ontario to 25,904, with 19,698 considered recovered or resolved. A CBC News tally of coronavirus-related deaths based on provincial health information, regional data and CBC’s reporting stood at 2,188 in the province.
Quebec is the only province in the country that has seen more COVID-19 cases than Ontario, with 47,984 reported cases and 4,069 reported deaths. Quebec lists 14,654 cases as recovered or resolved. While stores and schools have reopened across most of Quebec, the hard-hit island of Montreal — which has been the epicentre of the pandemic in Canada — had delayed its reopening.
For some retailers in Montreal that delay ends Monday, as they are allowed to open with increased public health precautions, including physical distancing rules and stepped-up hygiene requirements.
Like Ontario, Quebec has struggled to meet its testing goals and is still reporting hundreds of new cases a day. Last week, Quebec reported hundreds of new cases daily, with the lowest daily figure coming in at 570 on May 19 and rising to 720 on May 21.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addressed the regional variability of the pandemic on Monday, saying “our approach will have to be tailored to each community.”
“That means the rules and public health recommendations you’re asked to follow may be different depending on where you live, and that can be confusing,” Trudeau said Monday outside Rideau Cottage. “But right across the country, one thing will stay the same — everyone has a responsibility to themselves and the people around them.”
He said moving forward has to happen gradually and carefully, adding that testing and contact tracing are critical to reopening.
1/2 To date, labs across 🇨🇦 have tested 1,479,762 people for <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#COVID19</a>, w an average ~5% positive overall. Based on the last seven days, an average of 22,360 people have been tested daily (w ~4% +ve) as <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/publichealth?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#publichealth</a> continues to <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/TestandTrace?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#TestandTrace</a>.
—@CPHO_Canada
Trudeau also said the federal government is talking to the provinces about bringing in 10 days of paid sick leave for workers — something the NDP demanded in exchange for supporting the Liberals’ plan to extend the suspension of the House of Commons during the novel coronavirus pandemic.
“Nobody should have to choose between taking a day off work due to illness or being able to pay their bills. Just like nobody should have to choose between staying home with COVID-19 symptoms or being able to afford rent or groceries,” Trudeau said.
“That’s why the government will continue discussions with the provinces, without delay, on ensuring that as we enter the recovery phase of the pandemic, every worker in Canada who needs it has access to ten days of paid sick leave a year. And we’ll also consider other mechanisms for the longer term to support workers with sick leave.”
WATCH | Trudeau questioned about paid sick leave plan:
On Parliament Hill, a small number MPs gathered Monday to debate the Liberals’ proposal to waive normal House of Commons sittings in favour of expanding the special COVID-19 committee that has acted as a sort of replacement for most in-person sessions for the past month.
Their motion proposes adding an additional day to the committee’s current schedule of one in-person meeting per week (with fewer than three dozen MPs actually present) and two online meetings per week.
The Liberals are now proposing four meetings a week until June 17, with a hybrid of in-person and virtual attendance that would see a small number of MPs in the Commons chamber and others participating via two large video screens set up on either side of the Speaker’s chair.
The Conservatives have indicated they want to do away with the special COVID-19 committee and bring back House of Commons sittings, including opposition days, private members’ business and other activities that cannot occur within the committee format.
The novel virus that causes COVID-19 first emerged in China in 2019 but has since spread around the world, prompting travel restrictions, lockdowns and massive economic fallout. The virus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death.
As of 7 p.m. ET on Monday, Canada had 85,711 confirmed and presumptive coronavirus cases, with 44,651 of the cases considered recovered or resolved. CBC’s tally of coronavirus deaths stood at 6,637.
Here’s what’s happening in the provinces and territories
British Columbia’s provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said Monday there has been “significant progress” in B.C. as new case numbers continue to track low.
“We are moving forward,” Henry said. “Our success so far, and our ability to ease restrictions relies on our shared commitment and effort and we need that to continue.”
Henry reported 12 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, bringing B.C.’s total to 2,530. Read more about what’s happening in B.C.
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said the government has ordered 40 million masks and will soon announce a distribution plan for them.
Meanwhile, businesses in Calgary and Brooks began reopening on Monday. Much of the province was allowed to reopen on May 14, but the two cities reopened at a slower pace due to higher numbers of COVID-19 cases in their regions. Read more about what’s happening in Alberta.
Saskatchewan reported two more case on Monday, as well as eight more recoveries. One of the new cases is in the far north region, while the other is in the northern region. Read more about what’s happening In Saskatchewan, including a story about door-to-door testing in La Loche, which has seen a large share of the province’s cases.
Manitoba has now gone three straight days without reporting any new cases. The number of active cases remains at 17 on Monday, and no one is being treated for the illness in hospital. The province’s death toll stands at seven, while 268 people have recovered. Read more about what’s happening in Manitoba.
As Manitoba continues to ease restrictions and plan for the next phase of its reopening plan, here’s what some people dream of doing once life gets back to a “new” normal. <a href=”https://t.co/eIzGx209Wn”>pic.twitter.com/eIzGx209Wn</a>
—@CBCManitoba
Ontario reported 404 additional cases of COVID-19 on Monday, a 1.6 per cent jump that continues an upward trend of new daily cases that began about two weeks ago.
The new cases bring the total number of confirmed infections of the novel coronavirus since the outbreak began in January to nearly 26,000. Of those, 76 per cent are resolved.
The number of active cases in the province has risen by about 20 per cent in the last week, and is now more than 4,100. Read more about what’s happening in Ontario.
WATCH | Ottawa resident on why they’re seeking COVID-19 tests:
In Quebec, public transit users in Laval and Montreal are being encouraged to wear masks as hundreds of thousands of people returned to work this morning.
Politicians and a brigade of Société de transport de Montréal (STM) workers are handing out free masks at Metro stations in Laval and Montreal. Exo staff members are also giving out masks.
Masks are not obligatory in Quebec, but Premier François Legault, who now wears one to his daily briefing, has strongly encouraged people to wear them. Read more about what’s happening in Quebec.
WATCH | Montreal mayor hands out masks at metro station:
New Brunswick again reported no new coronavirus again on Monday. The province is planning to lift even more restrictions put in place to deal with COVID-19 later this week. Read more about what’s happening in N.B.
Nova Scotia reported one new coronavirus case on Monday and one new recovery. The vast majority of COVID-19-related deaths in the province have been linked to Northwood, a Halifax long-term care home. Read more about what’s happening in N.S.
WATCH | Some good news from around the world on Monday:
Prince Edward Island, which has no active cases of COVID-19, will see its first sitting of the legislature since the start of the pandemic this week. Read more about what’s happening on P.E.I.
Newfoundland and Labrador reported no new cases again on Monday. Read more about what’s happening in N.L., where the province has pledged $25 million to help the tourism sector, which the premier said employs about 20,000 people.
There were no new cases of COVID-19 in Yukon, Northwest Territories or Nunavut on Sunday. Nunavut, which remains the only jurisdiction in Canada with no confirmed cases, released a plan on Monday to reopen the territory. Called Nunavut’s Path, it starts by allowing daycare centres to open as of June 1, along with municipal playgrounds and outdoor use of territorial parks. It allows 25 people to gather together outside, but keeps the limit for gathering indoors at five. Read more about what’s happening across the North.
Here’s what’s happening around the world
WATCH | People enjoy new freedoms but also find unusual ways to live in a world with the coronavirus still present:
More money will land in the pockets of Canadian families on Friday for the latest Canada Child Benefit (CCB) installment.
The federal government program helps low and middle-income families struggling with the soaring cost of raising a child.
Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or refugees who are the primary caregivers for children under 18 years old are eligible for the program, introduced in 2016.
The non-taxable monthly payments are based on a family’s net income and how many children they have. Families that have an adjusted net income under $34,863 will receive the maximum amount per child.
For a child under six years old, an applicant can annually receive up to $7,437 per child, and up to $6,275 per child for kids between the ages of six through 17.
That translates to up to $619.75 per month for the younger cohort and $522.91 per month for the older group.
The benefit is recalculated every July and most recently increased 6.3 per cent in order to adjust to the rate of inflation, and cost of living.
To apply, an applicant can submit through a child’s birth registration, complete an online form or mail in an application to a tax centre.
The next payment date will take place on May 17.
News
Capital gains tax change draws ire from some Canadian entrepreneurs worried it will worsen brain drain – CBC.ca
A chorus of Canadian entrepreneurs and investors is blasting the federal government’s budget for expanding a tax on the rich. They say it will lead to brain drain and further degrade Canada’s already poor productivity.
In the 2024 budget unveiled Tuesday, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said the government would increase the inclusion rate of the capital gains tax from 50 per cent to 67 per cent for businesses and trusts, generating an estimated $19 billion in new revenue.
Capital gains are the profits that individuals or businesses make from selling an asset — like a stock or a second home. Individuals are subject to the new changes on any profits over $250,000.
The government estimates that the changes would impact 40,000 individuals (or 0.13 per cent of Canadians in any given year) and 307,000 companies in Canada.
However, some members of the business community say that expanding the taxable amount will devastate productivity, investment and entrepreneurship in Canada, and might even compel some of the country’s talent and startups to take their business elsewhere.
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland unveiled the government’s 2024 federal budget, with spending targeted at young voters and a plan to raise capital gains taxes for some of the wealthiest Canadians.
Benjamin Bergen, president of the Council of Canadian Innovators (CCI), said the capital gains tax has overshadowed parts of the federal budget that the business community would otherwise be excited about.
“There were definitely some other stars in the budget that were interesting,” he said. “However, the … capital gains piece really is the sun, and it’s daylight. So this is really the only thing that innovators can see.”
The CCI has written and is circulating an open letter signed by more than 1,000 people in the Canadian business community to Trudeau’s government asking it to scrap the tax change.
Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke and president Harley Finkelstein also weighed in on the proposed hike on X, formerly known as Twitter.
We need to be doing everything we can to turn Canada into the best place for entrepreneurs to build 🇨🇦<br><br>What’s proposed in the federal budget will do the complete opposite. Innovators and entrepreneurs will suffer and their success will be penalized — this is not a wealth tax,…
—@harleyf
Former finance minister Bill Morneau said his successor’s budget disincentivizes businesses from investing in the country’s innovation sector: “It’s probably very troubling for many investors.”
Canada’s productivity — a measure that compares economic output to hours worked — has been relatively poor for decades. It underperforms against the OECD average and against several other G7 countries, including the U.S., Germany, U.K. and Japan, on the measure.
Bank of Canada senior deputy governor Carolyn Rogers sounded the alarm on Canada’s lagging productivity in a speech last month, saying the country’s need to increase the rate had reached emergency levels, following one of the weakest years for the economy in recent memory.
The government said it was proposing the tax change to make life more affordable for younger generations and fund efforts to boost housing supply — and that it would support productivity growth.
A challenge for investors, founders and workers
The change could have a chilling effect for several reasons, with companies already struggling to access funding in a high interest rate environment, said Bergen.
He questioned whether investors will want to fund Canadian companies if the government’s taxation policies make it difficult for those firms to grow — and whether founders might just pack up.
The expanded inclusion rate “is just one of the other potential concerns that firms are going to have as they’re looking to grow their companies.”
He said the rejigged tax is also an affront to high-skilled workers from low-innovation sectors who might have taken the risk of joining a startup for the opportunity, even taking a lower wage on the chance that a firm’s stock options grow in value.
But Lindsay Tedds, an associate economics professor at the University of Calgary, said the tax change is one of the most misunderstood parts of the federal budget — and that its impact on the country’s talent has been overstated.
“This is not a major innovation-biting tax change treatment,” Tedds said. “In fact, when you talk to real grassroots entrepreneurs that are setting up businesses, tax rates do not come into their decision.”
As for productivity, Tedds said Canadians might see improvements in the long run “to the degree that some of our productivity problems are driven by stresses like housing affordability, access to child care, things like that.”
‘One foot on the gas, one foot on the brake’
Some say the government is sending mixed messages to entrepreneurs by touting tailored tax breaks — like the Canada Entrepreneurs’ Incentive, which reduces the capital gains inclusion rate to 33 per cent on a lifetime maximum of $2 million — while introducing measures they say would dampen investment and innovation.
“They seem to have one foot on the gas, one foot on the brake on the very same file,” said Dan Kelly, president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.
Some business groups are worried that new capital gains tax changes could hurt economic growth. But according to Small Business Minister Rechie Valdez, most Canadians won’t be impacted by that change — and it’s a move to create fairness.
A founder may be able to sell their successful company with a lower capital gains treatment than otherwise possible, he said.
“At the same time, though, big chunks of it may be subject to a higher rate of capital gains inclusion.”
Selling a company can fund an individual’s retirement, he said, which is why it’s one of the first things founders consider when they think about capital gains.
Mainstreet NS7:03Ottawa is proposing a hike to capital gains tax. What does that mean?
Tuesday’s federal budget includes nearly $53 billion in new spending over the next five years with a clear focus on affordability and housing. To help pay for some of that new spending, Ottawa is proposing a hike to the capital gains tax. Moshe Lander, an economics lecturer at Concordia University, joins host Jeff Douglas to explain.
Dennis Darby, president and CEO of Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters, says he was disappointed by the change — and that it sends the wrong message to Canadian industries like his own.
He wants to see the government commit to more tax credit proposals like the Canada Carbon Rebate for Small Businesses, which he said would incentivize business owners to stay and help make Canada competitive with the U.S.
“We’ve had a lot of difficulties attracting investment over the years. I don’t think this will make it any better.”
Tech titan says change will only impact richest of the rich
Toronto tech entrepreneur Ali Asaria will be one of those subject to the expanded capital gains inclusion rate — but he says it’s only fair.
“It’s going to really affect the richest of the rich people,” Asaria, CEO of open source platform Transformer Lab and founder of well.ca, told CBC News.
“The capital gains exemption is probably the largest tax break that I’ve ever received in my life,” he said. “So I know a lot about what that benefit can look like, but I’ve also always felt like it was probably one of the most unfair parts of the tax code today.”
While Asaria said Canada needs to continue encouraging talent to take risks and build companies in the country, taxation policies aren’t the most major problem.
“I think that the biggest central issue to the reason why people will leave Canada is bigger issues, like housing,” he said.
“How do we make it easier to live in Canada so that we can all invest in ourselves and invest in our companies? That’s a more important question than, ‘How do we help the top 0.13 per cent of Canadians make more money?'”
More money will land in the pockets of Canadian families on Friday for the latest Canada Child Benefit (CCB) installment.
The federal government program helps low and middle-income families struggling with the soaring cost of raising a child.
Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or refugees who are the primary caregivers for children under 18 years old are eligible for the program, introduced in 2016.
The non-taxable monthly payments are based on a family’s net income and how many children they have. Families that have an adjusted net income under $34,863 will receive the maximum amount per child.
For a child under six years old, an applicant can annually receive up to $7,437 per child, and up to $6,275 per child for kids between the ages of six through 17.
That translates to up to $619.75 per month for the younger cohort and $522.91 per month for the older group.
The benefit is recalculated every July and most recently increased 6.3 per cent in order to adjust to the rate of inflation, and cost of living.
To apply, an applicant can submit through a child’s birth registration, complete an online form or mail in an application to a tax centre.
The next payment date will take place on May 17.
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