The COVID-19 pandemic has affected every province and territory. Canada’s chief public health officer and her provincial counterparts are encouraging people to wash their hands, give each other space and wear a mask if they are sick or a homemade one if they believe they could have been exposed to the virus and are not showing any symptoms.
Ottawa has put money into health-care research and the economy. It has also put restrictions on international travel and is mandating 14-day quarantines for travellers returning to Canada to try to limit spread of the novel coronavirus.
The border with the U.S. has been closed to all non-essential traffic.
Classes are suspended or cancelled at schools throughout the country.
Each province and territory also has its own emergency measures to detect cases and prevent spread of the virus.
Here’s a look at some of the ways different jurisdictions are responding:
British Columbia
B.C. declared a provincial state of emergency on March 18, a day after announcing a public health emergency, and it has been extended to April 28.
The measure gives the province authority to take any action necessary to protect people and communities, including charging people who ignore public health orders.
The province has also prohibited reselling essential supplies such as food and cleaning material.
All parking fees at B.C. hospitals have been cancelled during the pandemic to ensure safer access for patients and staff.
Officials have prohibited gatherings of more than 50 people in one place, including restaurants, schools, places of worship, theatres, casinos, sports arenas and outdoor venues.
That has forced the cancellation of the annual TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival in June.
All provincial parks are also closed.
The Vancouver park board says cars are being banned from most roads in Stanley Park to give cyclists, walkers and joggers more room.
Officials have also issued fire restrictions as the wildfire season begins.
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Alberta
Alberta declared a public health emergency on March 17.
The province has given law enforcement agencies full authority to enforce orders and issue fines for violations.
There are restrictions on mass gatherings of more than 15 people, both indoors and outdoors at places of worship, weddings or funerals. Any gathering must allow people to keep the two-metre distance from others.
All non-essential businesses have been ordered closed, including personal service providers, clothing stores and furniture stores.
Albertans are prohibited from attending public or private recreational and entertainment facilities. Restaurants have been ordered closed, except for takeout or delivery. Casinos are closed.
Vehicle access to provincial parks and public lands is prohibited to visitors.
Albertans who have been ordered to quarantine cannot leave their property for 14 days. And if they live in apartment buildings they are not allowed to use the elevators.
There’s also a new restriction on visitors at nursing homes, long-term care facilities and hospitals — although exceptions could be made if a child is in hospital or a woman is about to give birth.
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Saskatchewan
Premier Scott Moe declared a provincial state of emergency on March 18.
It directs all orders from the chief medical health officer be followed and gives police the authority to enforce them.
Public gatherings are limited to no more than 10 people.
Nightclubs, bars and lounges are closed, but they are allowed to provide takeout food or alcohol.
Recreational and entertainment facilities are closed. Personal service providers such as tattoists, hairdressers, estheticians and relaxation masseuses cannot operate.
Dental, optometrist, chiropractic and podiatry clinics are closed — except for emergencies.
Saskatchewan has updated its public health orders to say long-term and personal care homes should ensure staff only work at one facility.
All employees at long-term care facilities are having their temperatures checked and are being monitored for COVID-19.
Health officials say there’s no evidence livestock or pets can be infected with or transmit COVID-19, but it hasn’t been ruled out. They suggest anyone with the virus avoid contact with animals, as well as people, until more information is available.
The Saskatchewan government is promising one-time emergency bursaries to post-secondary students whose studies and jobs have been affected the pandemic.
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Manitoba
The Manitoba government declared a provincewide state of emergency on March 20.
The province has limited public gatherings to no more than 10 people.
That includes any indoor or outdoor spot, places of worship or family events such as weddings and funerals.
No visitors are allowed in long-term care facilities and hospitals, though exceptions may be made in hospitals for compassionate reasons.
Public events marking the province’s 150th birthday have been postponed and the long running Dauphin Countryfest is cancelled this year.
The province is instituting fines for people who don’t follow public safety orders during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Non-essential travel to the province’s north and to remote communities is being restricted to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.
There are some exceptions, including for people who travel for medical care or work, people who share child custody, and people who deliver goods and services.
Non-essential businesses have been ordered to close. Salons, spas, bars and other establishments were closed as of April 1. Restaurants can remain open for takeout or delivery only.
The closures do not affect health-care facilities, government services and other institutions.
Bingo and gaming venues as well as wellness centres and gyms are closed.
The province is letting people hurt by the COVID-19 economic fallout avoid penalties and interest on some utility payments and property taxes. There’s also a freeze on all rent increases until at least May 31.
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Ontario
Ontario has extended its state of emergency for another 28 days.
The order closes non-essential businesses and child-care centres until May 12.
Premier Doug Ford says Ontario’s schools will not re-open on May 4.
All business except those deemed essential have been shut down.
The province will allow curbside pick up and delivery of cannabis.
All industrial construction except for essential projects, such as hospitals, has been halted.
All bars and restaurants, except for takeout and delivery, have been closed.
Also closed are recreational facilities, public libraries, private schools, licensed child-care centres, movie theatres and concert venues.
Any public events of more than five people, including parades, events and services at places of worship, are prohibited, and provincial parks are closed.
The City of Toronto has also closed playgrounds, sports fields, off-leash dog parks, skateboard parks and picnic areas. Parking lots attached to parks are closed.
The province says it will also quadruple COVID-19 testing capacity to 16,000 by May 6.
On April 17 the province expanded eligibility for free emergency child care to include workers in developmental services, victim services, violence against women services, children’s aid societies, probation and parole officers and staff in homeless shelters. The program was initially set up for health-care workers, first responders and correctional officers.
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Quebec
Quebec declared a public health emergency on March 13 and renewed it a week later.
The government has reduced non-priority services and prohibited indoor and outdoor gatherings.
All festivals, sporting and cultural events scheduled for this summer are cancelled or postponed.
Tennis Canada says the Rogers Cup women’s tennis tournament scheduled for Aug. 7 to 16 in Montreal will return to the city in August 2021.
Police set up checkpoints curtailing access to eight remote regions. All non-essential travel to much of cottage country north of Montreal, and to Charlevoix, northeast of Quebec City is also banned.
Quebec has prohibited non-essential visits to hospitals, residential and long-term care centres or between children in foster families and their biological families.
Designated clinics have been opened for anyone displaying COVID-19 symptoms.
To give retail employees a break, stores are closed on Sundays in April, with only pharmacies, gas stations, convenience stores and takeout restaurants remaining open on those days.
Montreal’s mayor has also declared a state of emergency to help authorities better manage the spread of COVID-19 among the city’s homeless.
On April 18, 125 military personnel with medical expertise geared up to deploy to long-term care homes in the Montreal area after Premier Francois Legault asked Ottawa for assistance. The homes have been especially hard hit by the pandemic. —
New Brunswick
A state of emergency was declared in New Brunswick on March 19.
Businesses serving food and beverages have been restricted to takeout and delivery. Lounges and clubs are forbidden from allowing customers to enter.
Customers are not allowed to enter retail businesses, unless they serve food, medication, fuel or other essential supplies.
Many health services — such as chiropractors, dentists and optometrists — are prohibited from seeing patients in person unless absolutely necessary.
No gatherings larger than 10 people are allowed and residents are urged to stay home as much as possible. They are also asked to delay non-essential errands.
Any unnecessary travel into New Brunswick is prohibited.
All playgrounds in the province are closed, but some public parks and walking trails remain open as long as physical distancing measures are followed.
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Nova Scotia
The province of Nova Scotia declared a state of emergency on March 22 and it has been extended to April 19.
It set out a 14-day rule for self-isolation and self-quarantine for people returning from outside Canada.
All schools and daycares are closed. Long-term care facilities and care homes are closed to visitors.
Casinos have closed and no business is allowed to operate a video lottery terminal.
Restaurants are restricted to takeout and delivery service only. Drinking establishments are closed.
There are also restrictions on health professionals such as chiropractors and dentists.
Two mobile assessment centres have been established to do community-based testing.
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Prince Edward Island
Premier Dennis King declared a public health emergency on March 16.
It included an order to Islanders to refrain from attending any public gatherings and a closure of libraries, child-care facilities, gyms and schools.
Hospitals have restricted visitors — although one visitor is allowed at a time to see patients in palliative care, intensive care, neonatal intensive care, obstetric and pediatric units.
All long-term care facilities continue to fully restrict visitors.
Measures also include fines for anyone who doesn’t comply with a direction to self-isolate.
The public health officer recommends people who are self-isolating stay on their own property when outside.
The government is working to open an out-patient clinic to allow for increased testing and to ease the load on hospitals.
Officials have also deferred provincial property tax and fee payments until the end of the year.
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Newfoundland and Labrador
The province declared a public health emergency on March 18.
It includes the closure of most businesses — with the exception of grocery stores, pharmacies, gas stations and other stores considered essential.
Gatherings of more than 10 people are not allowed. That includes funerals and weddings.
Anyone arriving from outside the province is required to self-isolate for 14 days.
Health officials have the authority to restrict the rights and freedoms of people in a time of crisis. People who violate orders face fines.
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Yukon
Yukon declared a state of emergency on March 27.
The government has placed enforcement officers at the Whitehorse airport and at its boundaries to get details of travellers’ self-isolation plans, their contact information and to look for any symptoms of COVID-19.
Yukon residents flying into Canada with COVID-19 symptoms must quarantine at their arrival destination, and those without symptoms are ordered to self-isolate for 14 days when they get home.
Yukon has asked everyone arriving in the territory, including mine workers, to self-isolate for 14 days.
Yukon beefed up its border control measure on April 17, giving enforcement officers the authority to deny non-essential travellers from entering.
The government has closed bars and limited social gatherings to 10 people or less.
Recreation facilities, libraries, museums and visitor centres are closed.
Long-term care facilities are closed to visitors and volunteers, while all non-urgent or routine services, including lab tests, X-rays, physiotherapy and occupational therapy are suspended.
All dentists must also suspend non-urgent treatment until further notice.
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Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories declared a public health emergency on March 18, which has now been upgraded to a state of emergency.
It requires anyone who arrives in the territory from outside its boundary to self-isolate for 14 days.
Travel through all points of entry into the territory — both air and road — is prohibited.
The orders exclude essential service workers such as medical professionals or emergency services.
The territory has asked that all indoor and outdoor gatherings be cancelled — regardless of size or number.
Many businesses, including tour operators, gyms, museums and theatres, have been ordered to close.
The government has said it will help Indigenous families who want to head out on the land as an alternative to physical distancing. It will provide a $2.6-million grant to help families buy the proper gear and supplies to head out to fishing and hunting camps.
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Nunavut
Nunavut declared a public health emergency on March 20.
It has no known cases of COVID-19, but it has restrictions in place.
There is a mandatory 14-day self-isolation period at one of four locations in southern Canada for any resident that wants to return to Nunavut.
Critical employees who need to return to work must apply for an exemption.
All non-essential medical travel has been cancelled.
Public gatherings, including at playgrounds or parks and at religious, cultural or spiritual services is prohibited.
School staff in Iqaluit are working to ensure students in the capital of Nunavut don’t go hungry because of closed classrooms. They’re continuing to provide breakfasts to children in a way that follows physical distancing rules.
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Sources: Provincial and territorial government websites
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 19, 2020
Skinstitut Holiday Gift Kits take the stress out of gifting
Toronto, October 31, 2024 – Beauty gifts are at the top of holiday wish lists this year, and Laser Clinics Canada, a leader in advanced beauty treatments and skincare, is taking the pressure out of seasonal shopping. Today, Laser Clincs Canada announces the arrival of its 2024 Holiday Gift Kits, courtesy of Skinstitut, the exclusive skincare line of Laser Clinics Group.
In time for the busy shopping season, the limited-edition Holiday Gifts Kits are available in Laser Clinics locations in the GTA and Ottawa. Clinics are conveniently located in popular shopping centers, including Hillcrest Mall, Square One, CF Sherway Gardens, Scarborough Town Centre, Rideau Centre, Union Station and CF Markville. These limited-edition Kits are available on a first come, first served basis.
“These kits combine our best-selling products, bundled to address the most relevant skin concerns we’re seeing among our clients,” says Christina Ho, Senior Brand & LAM Manager at Laser Clinics Canada. “With several price points available, the kits offer excellent value and suit a variety of gift-giving needs, from those new to cosmeceuticals to those looking to level up their skincare routine. What’s more, these kits are priced with a savings of up to 33 per cent so gift givers can save during the holiday season.
There are two kits to select from, each designed to address key skin concerns and each with a unique theme — Brightening Basics and Hydration Heroes.
Brightening Basics is a mix of everyday essentials for glowing skin for all skin types. The bundle comes in a sleek pink, reusable case and includes three full-sized products: 200ml gentle cleanser, 50ml Moisture Defence (normal skin) and 30ml1% Hyaluronic Complex Serum. The Brightening Basics kit is available at $129, a saving of 33 per cent.
Hydration Heroes is a mix of hydration essentials and active heroes that cater to a wide variety of clients. A perfect stocking stuffer, this bundle includes four deluxe products: Moisture 15 15 ml Defence for normal skin, 10 ml 1% Hyaluronic Complex Serum, 10 ml Retinol Serum and 50 ml Expert Squalane Cleansing Oil. The kit retails at $59.
In addition to the 2024 Holiday Gifts Kits, gift givers can easily add a Laser Clinic Canada gift card to the mix. Offering flexibility, recipients can choose from a wide range of treatments offered by Laser Clinics Canada, or they can expand their collection of exclusive Skinstitut products.
Brightening Basics 2024 Holiday Gift Kit by Skinstitut, available exclusively at Laser Clincs Canada clinics and online at skinstitut.ca.
Hydration Heroes 2024 Holiday Gift Kit by Skinstitut – available exclusively at Laser Clincs Canada clinics and online at skinstitut.ca.
LONDON (AP) — Most people have accumulated a pile of data — selfies, emails, videos and more — on their social media and digital accounts over their lifetimes. What happens to it when we die?
It’s wise to draft a will spelling out who inherits your physical assets after you’re gone, but don’t forget to take care of your digital estate too. Friends and family might treasure files and posts you’ve left behind, but they could get lost in digital purgatory after you pass away unless you take some simple steps.
Here’s how you can prepare your digital life for your survivors:
Apple
The iPhone maker lets you nominate a “ legacy contact ” who can access your Apple account’s data after you die. The company says it’s a secure way to give trusted people access to photos, files and messages. To set it up you’ll need an Apple device with a fairly recent operating system — iPhones and iPads need iOS or iPadOS 15.2 and MacBooks needs macOS Monterey 12.1.
For iPhones, go to settings, tap Sign-in & Security and then Legacy Contact. You can name one or more people, and they don’t need an Apple ID or device.
You’ll have to share an access key with your contact. It can be a digital version sent electronically, or you can print a copy or save it as a screenshot or PDF.
Take note that there are some types of files you won’t be able to pass on — including digital rights-protected music, movies and passwords stored in Apple’s password manager. Legacy contacts can only access a deceased user’s account for three years before Apple deletes the account.
Google
Google takes a different approach with its Inactive Account Manager, which allows you to share your data with someone if it notices that you’ve stopped using your account.
When setting it up, you need to decide how long Google should wait — from three to 18 months — before considering your account inactive. Once that time is up, Google can notify up to 10 people.
You can write a message informing them you’ve stopped using the account, and, optionally, include a link to download your data. You can choose what types of data they can access — including emails, photos, calendar entries and YouTube videos.
There’s also an option to automatically delete your account after three months of inactivity, so your contacts will have to download any data before that deadline.
Facebook and Instagram
Some social media platforms can preserve accounts for people who have died so that friends and family can honor their memories.
When users of Facebook or Instagram die, parent company Meta says it can memorialize the account if it gets a “valid request” from a friend or family member. Requests can be submitted through an online form.
The social media company strongly recommends Facebook users add a legacy contact to look after their memorial accounts. Legacy contacts can do things like respond to new friend requests and update pinned posts, but they can’t read private messages or remove or alter previous posts. You can only choose one person, who also has to have a Facebook account.
You can also ask Facebook or Instagram to delete a deceased user’s account if you’re a close family member or an executor. You’ll need to send in documents like a death certificate.
TikTok
The video-sharing platform says that if a user has died, people can submit a request to memorialize the account through the settings menu. Go to the Report a Problem section, then Account and profile, then Manage account, where you can report a deceased user.
Once an account has been memorialized, it will be labeled “Remembering.” No one will be able to log into the account, which prevents anyone from editing the profile or using the account to post new content or send messages.
X
It’s not possible to nominate a legacy contact on Elon Musk’s social media site. But family members or an authorized person can submit a request to deactivate a deceased user’s account.
Passwords
Besides the major online services, you’ll probably have dozens if not hundreds of other digital accounts that your survivors might need to access. You could just write all your login credentials down in a notebook and put it somewhere safe. But making a physical copy presents its own vulnerabilities. What if you lose track of it? What if someone finds it?
Instead, consider a password manager that has an emergency access feature. Password managers are digital vaults that you can use to store all your credentials. Some, like Keeper,Bitwarden and NordPass, allow users to nominate one or more trusted contacts who can access their keys in case of an emergency such as a death.
But there are a few catches: Those contacts also need to use the same password manager and you might have to pay for the service.
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Is there a tech challenge you need help figuring out? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your questions.
The Canadian Paediatric Society says doctors should regularly screen children for reading difficulties and dyslexia, calling low literacy a “serious public health concern” that can increase the risk of other problems including anxiety, low self-esteem and behavioural issues, with lifelong consequences.
New guidance issued Wednesday says family doctors, nurses, pediatricians and other medical professionals who care for school-aged kids are in a unique position to help struggling readers access educational and specialty supports, noting that identifying problems early couldhelp kids sooner — when it’s more effective — as well as reveal other possible learning or developmental issues.
The 10 recommendations include regular screening for kids aged four to seven, especially if they belong to groups at higher risk of low literacy, including newcomers to Canada, racialized Canadians and Indigenous Peoples. The society says this can be done in a two-to-three-minute office-based assessment.
Other tips encourage doctors to look for conditions often seen among poor readers such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder; to advocate for early literacy training for pediatric and family medicine residents; to liaise with schools on behalf of families seeking help; and to push provincial and territorial education ministries to integrate evidence-based phonics instruction into curriculums, starting in kindergarten.
Dr. Scott McLeod, one of the authors and chair of the society’s mental health and developmental disabilities committee, said a key goal is to catch kids who may be falling through the cracks and to better connect families to resources, including quicker targeted help from schools.
“Collaboration in this area is so key because we need to move away from the silos of: everything educational must exist within the educational portfolio,” McLeod said in an interview from Calgary, where he is a developmental pediatrician at Alberta Children’s Hospital.
“Reading, yes, it’s education, but it’s also health because we know that literacy impacts health. So I think that a statement like this opens the window to say: Yes, parents can come to their health-care provider to get advice, get recommendations, hopefully start a collaboration with school teachers.”
McLeod noted that pediatricians already look for signs of low literacy in young children by way of a commonly used tool known as the Rourke Baby Record, which offers a checklist of key topics, such as nutrition and developmental benchmarks, to cover in a well-child appointment.
But he said questions about reading could be “a standing item” in checkups and he hoped the society’s statement to medical professionals who care for children “enhances their confidence in being a strong advocate for the child” while spurring partnerships with others involved in a child’s life such as teachers and psychologists.
The guidance said pediatricians also play a key role in detecting and monitoring conditions that often coexist with difficulty reading such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, but McLeod noted that getting such specific diagnoses typically involves a referral to a specialist, during which time a child continues to struggle.
He also acknowledged that some schools can be slow to act without a specific diagnosis from a specialist, and even then a child may end up on a wait list for school interventions.
“Evidence-based reading instruction shouldn’t have to wait for some of that access to specialized assessments to occur,” he said.
“My hope is that (by) having an existing statement or document written by the Canadian Paediatric Society … we’re able to skip a few steps or have some of the early interventions present,” he said.
McLeod added that obtaining specific assessments from medical specialists is “definitely beneficial and advantageous” to know where a child is at, “but having that sort of clear, thorough assessment shouldn’t be a barrier to intervention starting.”
McLeod said the society was partly spurred to act by 2022’s “Right to Read Inquiry Report” from the Ontario Human Rights Commission, which made 157 recommendations to address inequities related to reading instruction in that province.
He called the new guidelines “a big reminder” to pediatric providers, family doctors, school teachers and psychologists of the importance of literacy.
“Early identification of reading difficulty can truly change the trajectory of a child’s life.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2024.
