VANCOUVER —
Health officials in British Columbia announced another 438 cases of COVID-19 and two related deaths on Tuesday.
The province has now recorded a total of 81,367 infections and 1,365 fatalities since the start of the pandemic.
“As always, we do think of the families and the caregivers and the communities who will be mourning these two more people who’ve died in this pandemic,” provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said.
B.C.’s active caseload has increased to 4,679, a jump of 215 cases from Monday. That includes 243 patients in hospital with COVID-19, 63 of whom are in intensive care.
Of all the cases identified so far in the province, about 92 per cent – or 75,255 people – have recovered.
Henry also announced another 22 confirmed cases involving “variants of concern,” bringing the provincial total to 182. That includes 159 of the B.1.1.7 variant associated with the U.K. and 23 of the B.1.351 variant associated with South Africa. Only eight of the identified variant cases remain active, including one person currently hospitalized with the disease, Henry said.
The provincial health officer noted that the vast majority of cases are still being detected in the Lower Mainland.
“We pay close attention to these cases to try and determine where and how people were infected,” she added. “About 13 per cent are directly related to travel and 60 per cent are close contacts, but there are still 20 to 25 per cent – a quarter of cases – where we are not clear where they acquired the (infection).”
B.C. has administered another 7,501 doses of COVID-19 vaccine since the last update from health officials, for a total of 283,182 doses. That includes 83,777 second doses.
Henry took time to justify the province’s decision to extend the interval between doses up to four months, which was announced Monday as B.C. launched Phase 2 of its immunization program.
Henry cited ongoing evidence from around the world that the first dose offers “sustained, high levels of protection against illness, hospitalizations and deaths.”
While critics have pointed to the shorter intervals initially recommended by the manufacturers, Henry suggested that the clinical trials were designed “using an interval that maximized our ability to get the information about whether these vaccines worked and were safe as quickly as possible.”
She also stressed the unfortunate reality that B.C., and Canada as a whole, have only had access to a limited supply of vaccine so far in the pandemic.
“Our focus is on maximizing the number of people who are benefiting from that very high, real-world protection that we are seeing from a first dose,” Henry said.
Health officials also addressed a recent disparity in B.C.’s case numbers, citing problems with the updated data system that was launched earlier this year.
Henry said the issue has now been resolved, but that hundreds more cases had to be added to the provincial total.
“Over the last seven days, there’s been an additional 254 cases that needed to be counted in the system, and those will be reconciled,” Henry said.
The province has recorded two new outbreaks, at Eagle Ridge Hospital and Chartwell Carrington House Retirement Residence, while the outbreak at Eden Gardens has been declared over.
VANCOUVER – West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. says it’s indefinitely curtailing its sawmill in Lake Butler, Fla., by the end of the month.
The Vancouver-based company says the decision is because of high fibre costs and soft lumber markets.
West Fraser says the curtailment will affect about 130 employees, though it will mitigate the impact by providing work opportunities at other locations.
The company says high fibre costs at Lake Butler and the current low-price commodity environment have made it difficult to operate the mill profitably.
It expects to take an impairment charge in the third quarter associated with the curtailment.
At the beginning of this year, West Fraser said it was closing a sawmill in Maxville, Fla., and indefinitely closing another in Huttig, Ark.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
TORONTO – Canada Goose Holdings Inc. says it has signed a deal that will result in the creation of its first eyewear collection.
The deal announced on Thursday by the Toronto-based luxury apparel company comes in the form of an exclusive, long-term global licensing agreement with Marchon Eyewear Inc.
The terms and value of the agreement were not disclosed, but Marchon produces eyewear for brands including Lacoste, Nike, Calvin Klein, Ferragamo, Longchamp and Zeiss.
Marchon plans to roll out both sunglasses and optical wear under the Canada Goose name next spring, starting in North America.
Canada Goose says the eyewear will be sold through optical retailers, department stores, Canada Goose shops and its website.
Canada Goose CEO Dani Reiss told The Canadian Press in August that he envisioned his company eventually expanding into eyewear and luggage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Almost seven years since news broke of an alleged conspiracy to fix the price of packaged bread across Canada, the saga isn’t over: the Competition Bureau continues to investigate the companies that may have been involved, and two class-action lawsuits continue to work their way through the courts.
Here’s a timeline of key events in the bread price-fixing case.
Oct. 31, 2017: The Competition Bureau says it’s investigating allegations of bread price-fixing and that it was granted search warrants in the case. Several grocers confirm they are co-operating in the probe.
Dec. 19, 2017: Loblaw and George Weston say they participated in an “industry-wide price-fixing arrangement” to raise the price of packaged bread. The companies say they have been co-operating in the Competition Bureau’s investigation since March 2015, when they self-reported to the bureau upon discovering anti-competitive behaviour, and are receiving immunity from prosecution. They announce they are offering $25 gift cards to customers amid the ongoing investigation into alleged bread price-fixing.
Jan. 31, 2018: In court documents, the Competition Bureau says at least $1.50 was added to the price of a loaf of bread between about 2001 and 2016.
Dec. 20, 2019: A class-action lawsuit in a Quebec court against multiple grocers and food companies is certified against a number of companies allegedly involved in bread price-fixing, including Loblaw, George Weston, Metro, Sobeys, Walmart Canada, Canada Bread and Giant Tiger (which have all denied involvement, except for Loblaw and George Weston, which later settled with the plaintiffs).
Dec. 31, 2021: A class-action lawsuit in an Ontario court covering all Canadian residents except those in Quebec who bought packaged bread from a company named in the suit is certified against roughly the same group of companies.
June 21, 2023: Bakery giant Canada Bread Co. is fined $50 million after pleading guilty to four counts of price-fixing under the Competition Act as part of the Competition Bureau’s ongoing investigation.
Oct. 25 2023: Canada Bread files a statement of defence in the Ontario class action denying participating in the alleged conspiracy and saying any anti-competitive behaviour it participated in was at the direction and to the benefit of its then-majority owner Maple Leaf Foods, which is not a defendant in the case (neither is its current owner Grupo Bimbo). Maple Leaf calls Canada Bread’s accusations “baseless.”
Dec. 20, 2023: Metro files new documents in the Ontario class action accusing Loblaw and its parent company George Weston of conspiring to implicate it in the alleged scheme, denying involvement. Sobeys has made a similar claim. The two companies deny the allegations.
July 25, 2024: Loblaw and George Weston say they agreed to pay a combined $500 million to settle both the Ontario and Quebec class-action lawsuits. Loblaw’s share of the settlement includes a $96-million credit for the gift cards it gave out years earlier.
Sept. 12, 2024: Canada Bread files new documents in Ontario court as part of the class action, claiming Maple Leaf used it as a “shield” to avoid liability in the alleged scheme. Maple Leaf was a majority shareholder of Canada Bread until 2014, and the company claims it’s liable for any price-fixing activity. Maple Leaf refutes the claims.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Companies in this story: (TSX:L, TSX:MFI, TSX:MRU, TSX:EMP.A, TSX:WN)
