Should Canada be unable to rein-in the coronavirus resurgence in the coming weeks, Dr. Theresa Tam says the country could see daily case counts of more than 10,000 by early December.
“Fires are burning in so many different areas and now is the time to get those under control,” she said Friday.
In mid-October, Canada had about 2,300 new cases of COVID-19 diagnosed each day. By November, that number grew to above 4,000. On Thursday, it was just shy of hitting 5,000.
Tam — Canada’s top doctor — and public health officials have been sounding the alarm in recent weeks about the surge in infections permeating across much of the country. She said even now, at close to 5,000 cases a day, some parts of Canada are feeling a strain on their health care capacity.
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Tam said if Canada “continues on the current pace,” the daily national virus case tally will climb by thousands.
“You can only imagine if we got to that level, that the pressure on the health care system would be huge,” she said. “We’ve got to stop the acceleration so we don’t see that [number] in the beginning of December… That’s only a few weeks away.”
4:07 Coronavirus: Trudeau says Ottawa will help provinces, territories but stressed resources not unlimited
Coronavirus: Trudeau says Ottawa will help provinces, territories but stressed resources not unlimited
Tam said the same culprits are to blame for the growing numbers.
“An important driver continues to be informal social gatherings, and activities both inside and outside our homes,” she said at a news conference in Ottawa on Friday.
“It’s in these more relaxed settings, such as family get-togethers, birthday parties, holiday celebrations and recreational activities that it is easier to forget and let our guard down on necessary precautions.”
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Tam reiterated how “layering prevention practices is the most effective” strategy, including reducing physical contacts, wearing a mask, proper hand hygiene and staying at home or self-isolating if you are sick.
“This situation is worrisome,” Dr. Howard Njoo, Canada’s deputy chief public health officer, said in French.
“It’s putting pressure on local resources and health care…. With the case numbers rising, ICUs becoming fuller, we can sort of see that worst-case scenario.”
Njoo pointed to the burden health-care systems in Alberta are facing while grappling with a second wave. Some elective surgeries have been canceled in Edmonton, leading dozens of physicians to speak out about the circumstances, demanding tighter restrictions.
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2:12 Doctors divided on tougher pandemic response from Ottawa
Doctors divided on tougher pandemic response from Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he spoke with Canada’s premiers on Thursday night, where they discussed additional measures each will roll out in their respective region.
“We know that the optimal path is for us to work together,” Trudeau said in Ottawa.
“It is best if we move quickly and firmly to bring in measures that are going to keep people safe. We continue to impress upon individuals to reduce their contacts, avoid gatherings and do things we all know keep us safe.”
Trudeau and the doctors emphasized how “quick and firm” behaviour changes as individuals will help bend the curve.
3:08 Coronavirus: Trudeau says what’s done now will determine Christmas get-togethers
Coronavirus: Trudeau says what’s done now will determine Christmas get-togethers
He pressed Canadians to have patience.
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“When we see cases flattening a bit, it’s not a reason to say, ‘Okay, great, we don’t have to stay tight anymore,’” Trudeau said. “We all want this to be over, but it’s not going to be over for many more months. How bad it gets in the coming months depends on us.”
Without it, the December holidays may be on the line, he said.
“Whether or not we’re able to do that depends entirely on us doing what we each need to do.”
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.
