Canada’s daily coronavirus case count remained under 1,000 for the fourth consecutive day.
With 906 new cases and 102 deaths, Friday tipped the country over 89,000 cases. Close to 7,000 people have died and nearly 47,000 people have recovered.
Quebec, the hardest-hit part of the country, saw a spike in COVID-19 cases two weeks after reopening elementary schools. At least 41 students and staff tested positive, and the province saw its total case count rise by 530 cases Friday to more than 50,000 cases overall — more than half of Canada’s total number of infections.
Quebec also saw its death toll increase by 61, with fatalities now totalling 4,363. More than 15,600 people are considered recovered.
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Ontario announced it is considering a regional approach to easing coronavirus restrictions. The province saw 344 new cases and 41 new deaths Friday, raising its figures to more than 27,000 cases and 2,230 deaths over all. More than 20,000 people are deemed recovered.
9:05 Coronavirus outbreak: Ontario premier looking into possible regional reopenings
Coronavirus outbreak: Ontario premier looking into possible regional reopenings
A doctor in New Brunswick who failed to self-isolate after visiting Quebec earlier this month has been linked to a growing cluster of eight cases — an unwelcome development after New Brunswick had recently cleared almost all of its cases of COVID-19.
The cluster includes three health-care workers and two cases in intensive care units. New Brunswick has seen zero deaths from COVID-19 so far, and a total of 128 cases, including 120 recoveries.
Nova Scotia reported no new cases, leaving it with a little more than 1,000 cases and 59 deaths. The majority of fatalities are linked to one long-term care home in Halifax. The province is now allowing 10-person gatherings.
There were no new deaths reported in Alberta. The province has opened up its testing to everyone, regardless of symptoms. Two dozen new cases brought the total caseload to nearly 7,000, including more than 6,200 recoveries and 143 deaths. A hundred of those who have died are aged 80 and up.
1:38 Coronavirus outbreak: Ontario health minister discusses launch of next phase of testing strategy
Coronavirus outbreak: Ontario health minister discusses launch of next phase of testing strategy
British Columbia also saw no new deaths. Four new cases brought provincial figures to 2,562 cases, including more than 2,100 recoveries, while the death toll remained 164.
Saskatchewan reported two new cases and no new deaths. Ten people have died so far, and the province has seen 641 cases in total. More than 500 people have recovered.
Manitoba reported no new cases. The province has seen seven people die out of 283 cases. More than 270 are recovered.
Newfoundland and Labrador reported no new cases, leaving it with 261 cases, including three deaths and more than 250 recoveries. Residents are now allowed to expand their social bubbles.
2:37 Coronavirus: Toronto asks businesses, institutions to remain working from home until September
Coronavirus: Toronto asks businesses, institutions to remain working from home until September
All cases in Prince Edward Island, the Northwest Territories, and the Yukon remain resolved, with no new information reported on Friday. Nunavut remains the one region in Canada without any confirmed cases so far.
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.
