Premier Scott Moe and Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Saqib Shahab presented the Re-open Saskatchewan Plan on Thursday morning.
Saskatchewan is the first province to announce plans to lift restrictions and re-open its economy.
The plan will “methodically, gradually and cautiously re-open businesses” across the province. It also details physical distancing measures and restrictions that will stay in place for several more months.
There are some long-term restrictions that will remain in place, including school closures, visitor restrictions at some health-care facilities, travel restrictions and mandatory self-isolation orders.
“Over the next several weeks, restrictions will be gradually lifted by adding more types of businesses to the allowable businesses list, meaning that they can re-open if they so choose,” Moe said in a news release. “All businesses and public venues will be required to continue following physical distancing and cleaning and disinfection practices to protect both employees and customers. Members of the public will be expected to follow physical distancing rules and to stay home if they are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms.”
Phase one: May 4
The first phase of the plan will re-open medical services restricted under the current public health order. The province will also allow low-risk outdoor recreational actives, like fishing and boating, golf courses and campgrounds on fixed dates throughout the coming months. Public and private gatherings will still be capped at a maximum of 10 people.
As of May 4, Saskatchewan residents will be able to access dentistry, optometry, physical therapy, occupational therapy and chiropractic treatment. Health-care providers will need to follow precautionary measures if physical distancing isn’t possible.
However, the province says the re-opening plan doesn’t include services offered by the Saskatchewan Health Authority. Resuming elective surgeries, diagnostics and other non-essential services will be considered separately from the plan announced on Thursday.
Fishing and boat launches will open May 4, golf courses on May 15 and campgrounds on June 1. Physical distancing measures will remain in place.
Phase two: May 19
The second phase of the re-opening plan includes retail businesses and some personal services.
The province says size restrictions on gatherings will remain the same.
Phase three: Date TBA
The final three phases of the re-opening plan don’t have dates assigned.
The third phase will come into effect “following an evaluation of transmission patterns of COVID-19.”
In this phase, remaining personal services will be available. Front-facing services at restaurants, gyms, bars and childcare centres will open their doors. The province says there will be some capacity limits, including restaurants and bars operating at 50 per cent capacity.
Businesses and customers will need to follow physical distancing guidelines.
Public gathering limits will increase to 15 people under phase three.
Phase four: Date TBA
The fourth phase of the Re-open Saskatchewan Plan will allow indoor and outdoor recreation and entertainment facilities to open for business again.
This phase doesn’t have a set date and will come into effect after health officials evaluate the spread of COVID-19 in the province.
Gatherings will have a capacity of 30 people under the fourth phase.
Phase five: Date TBA
The fifth phase will include lifting all long-term restrictions in the economy.
The province doesn’t have a set date for this final phase.
Monitoring the transmission of COVID-19
As each phase of the plan comes into effect, the province says health officials will be monitoring COVID-19 cases very closely. Daily case numbers and other factors will guide when restrictions will be lifted, or if any restrictions need to be put back into place.
The province says it will make sure transmission of the virus is controlled, health system capacities are in place to test, isolate, treat and contact trace every COVID-19 case, outbreaks are minimized, preventative measures remain in place, importation risks are managed and communities are engaged to adjust to their new normal.
There will also be clear guidance for Saskatchewan residents on current public health orders and any changes to restrictions.
Some long-term restrictions to remain in place
The province says certain measures related to high-risk areas will continue for the foreseeable future.
The provincial state of emergency, called by the premier on March 18, is still in place. Health officials still recommend against non-essential international or interprovincial travel. Anyone returning from international travel will need to self-isolate for 14 days. The same self-isolation period is required for anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19 or been in close contact with someone who tested positive.
Visitors to Saskatchewan Health Authority facilities are still only allowed for compassionate reasons.
Public and private schools and post-secondary classes are still suspended.
Large gatherings are still not allowed.
Recommendations as restrictions lift
As restrictions are slowly lifted in Saskatchewan, the province says it will focus on protecting vulnerable populations. Anyone who can work from home should continue to do so, and residents should stay home if they are sick.
Physical distancing measures should stay in place whenever possible. Seniors and people with underlying health conditions should exercise caution and minimize high-risk activities like public outings.
Personal hygiene like proper hand washing is still key to prevent the spread of the virus, the province says. Enhanced cleaning and disinfecting protocols should be in place at all workplaces, public spaces and gyms.
The public heath order on gathering sizes doesn’t apply to workplaces, but the province says businesses should still follow public health measures and maintain proper physical distancing between employees and clients whenever possible.
OTTAWA – Canada’s unemployment rate held steady at 6.5 per cent last month as hiring remained weak across the economy.
Statistics Canada’s labour force survey on Friday said employment rose by a modest 15,000 jobs in October.
Business, building and support services saw the largest gain in employment.
Meanwhile, finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing experienced the largest decline.
Many economists see weakness in the job market continuing in the short term, before the Bank of Canada’s interest rate cuts spark a rebound in economic growth next year.
Despite ongoing softness in the labour market, however, strong wage growth has raged on in Canada. Average hourly wages in October grew 4.9 per cent from a year ago, reaching $35.76.
Friday’s report also shed some light on the financial health of households.
According to the agency, 28.8 per cent of Canadians aged 15 or older were living in a household that had difficulty meeting financial needs – like food and housing – in the previous four weeks.
That was down from 33.1 per cent in October 2023 and 35.5 per cent in October 2022, but still above the 20.4 per cent figure recorded in October 2020.
People living in a rented home were more likely to report difficulty meeting financial needs, with nearly four in 10 reporting that was the case.
That compares with just under a quarter of those living in an owned home by a household member.
Immigrants were also more likely to report facing financial strain last month, with about four out of 10 immigrants who landed in the last year doing so.
That compares with about three in 10 more established immigrants and one in four of people born in Canada.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
The Canadian Institute for Health Information says health-care spending in Canada is projected to reach a new high in 2024.
The annual report released Thursday says total health spending is expected to hit $372 billion, or $9,054 per Canadian.
CIHI’s national analysis predicts expenditures will rise by 5.7 per cent in 2024, compared to 4.5 per cent in 2023 and 1.7 per cent in 2022.
This year’s health spending is estimated to represent 12.4 per cent of Canada’s gross domestic product. Excluding two years of the pandemic, it would be the highest ratio in the country’s history.
While it’s not unusual for health expenditures to outpace economic growth, the report says this could be the case for the next several years due to Canada’s growing population and its aging demographic.
Canada’s per capita spending on health care in 2022 was among the highest in the world, but still less than countries such as the United States and Sweden.
The report notes that the Canadian dental and pharmacare plans could push health-care spending even further as more people who previously couldn’t afford these services start using them.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
As Canadians wake up to news that Donald Trump will return to the White House, the president-elect’s protectionist stance is casting a spotlight on what effect his second term will have on Canada-U.S. economic ties.
Some Canadian business leaders have expressed worry over Trump’s promise to introduce a universal 10 per cent tariff on all American imports.
A Canadian Chamber of Commerce report released last month suggested those tariffs would shrink the Canadian economy, resulting in around $30 billion per year in economic costs.
More than 77 per cent of Canadian exports go to the U.S.
Canada’s manufacturing sector faces the biggest risk should Trump push forward on imposing broad tariffs, said Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters president and CEO Dennis Darby. He said the sector is the “most trade-exposed” within Canada.
“It’s in the U.S.’s best interest, it’s in our best interest, but most importantly for consumers across North America, that we’re able to trade goods, materials, ingredients, as we have under the trade agreements,” Darby said in an interview.
“It’s a more complex or complicated outcome than it would have been with the Democrats, but we’ve had to deal with this before and we’re going to do our best to deal with it again.”
American economists have also warned Trump’s plan could cause inflation and possibly a recession, which could have ripple effects in Canada.
It’s consumers who will ultimately feel the burden of any inflationary effect caused by broad tariffs, said Darby.
“A tariff tends to raise costs, and it ultimately raises prices, so that’s something that we have to be prepared for,” he said.
“It could tilt production mandates. A tariff makes goods more expensive, but on the same token, it also will make inputs for the U.S. more expensive.”
A report last month by TD economist Marc Ercolao said research shows a full-scale implementation of Trump’s tariff plan could lead to a near-five per cent reduction in Canadian export volumes to the U.S. by early-2027, relative to current baseline forecasts.
Retaliation by Canada would also increase costs for domestic producers, and push import volumes lower in the process.
“Slowing import activity mitigates some of the negative net trade impact on total GDP enough to avoid a technical recession, but still produces a period of extended stagnation through 2025 and 2026,” Ercolao said.
Since the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement came into effect in 2020, trade between Canada and the U.S. has surged by 46 per cent, according to the Toronto Region Board of Trade.
With that deal is up for review in 2026, Canadian Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Candace Laing said the Canadian government “must collaborate effectively with the Trump administration to preserve and strengthen our bilateral economic partnership.”
“With an impressive $3.6 billion in daily trade, Canada and the United States are each other’s closest international partners. The secure and efficient flow of goods and people across our border … remains essential for the economies of both countries,” she said in a statement.
“By resisting tariffs and trade barriers that will only raise prices and hurt consumers in both countries, Canada and the United States can strengthen resilient cross-border supply chains that enhance our shared economic security.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.
