HALIFAX —
Starting Thursday, most Halifax and Hants County residents won’t be able to dine at their favourite restaurant or work out at the gym, and they could see lineups at their local grocery store.
At 12:01 a.m., the Nova Scotia government implemented sweeping measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The measures will see the end of in-person dining at restaurants, while public libraries, museums, gyms, yoga studios and casinos will close in parts of Halifax and Hants County.
On Thursday, the province reported 114 active cases of the novel coronavirus, with most cases confirmed among people between the ages of 18 and 35 in the Central Zone.
After months of low case numbers, Nova Scotia has seen a spike in cases this month, with 148 cases of COVID-19 recorded since Nov. 1.
Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Robert Strang recently confirmed there is community spread in the Halifax area, and Nova Scotia Health has issued a number of advisories this month, warning of potential exposures at dozens of locations in the region — mostly restaurants and some gyms.
As a result, the province has introduced the tough restrictions in an attempt to curb the rise in COVID-19 infections.
“New restrictions have come into effect today in much of Halifax Regional Municipality and parts of Hants County to help us to slow the spread of COVID-19,” said Premier Stephen McNeil in a news release.
“Please make yourself familiar with the new restrictions. We all have a responsibility to follow public health measures and keep each other safe.”
Patrick Sullivan, CEO of the Halifax Chamber of Commerce, believes the province has struck a good balance with the latest lockdown.
“I think we’re definitely concerned some businesses may not be able to survive a second lockdown,” said Sullivan. “However, if we can get through this quickly, if everyone jumps on board and we have the massive testing that we seem to be having now, and if people slow down their social activities, hopefully we can get out of this relatively unscathed.”
HOW WILL THE RESTRICTIONS AFFECT ME?
As of 12:01 a.m. Thursday, the following measures will apply for two weeks in the western and central Halifax areas, which the province defines as HRM from Hubbards to, and including, Porters Lake and communities up to Elmsdale and Mount Uniacke in Hants County:
The gathering limit in public is five, or up to the number of members of an immediate family in a household.
Face masks must be worn in common areas of multi-unit residential buildings, such as apartment buildings and condos.
Restaurants and licensed establishments are closed for in-person dining. They may still provide takeout and delivery.
Retail stores must restrict shoppers and staff to 25 per cent or less of allowable capacity.
Wineries, breweries and distilleries cannot hold tastings or in-person dining and must follow retail rules in their stores. Delivery and curbside pickup are allowed.
Organized sports, recreational, athletic, arts and cultural activities and faith-based activities are paused.
Profit and non-profit fitness and recreational facilities are closed.
Libraries and museums are closed. This includes the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia.
The casino and First Nations gaming establishments are closed.
Stronger enforcement of illegal gatherings. Each person who attends an illegal gathering could be fined $1,000.
The restrictions will continue for two weeks until midnight Dec. 9, but they could be extended.
Staff, volunteers and designated caregivers at long-term care facilities in HRM will undergo voluntary, bi-weekly testing, starting Friday.
Schools, after-school programs and childcare will remain open. Certain personal service businesses, such as hairstylists, estheticians and nail salons, in western and central HRM can continue, except for procedures that cannot be done while a patron is wearing a mask.
NEW RESTRICTIONS ACROSS NOVA SCOTIA
As of 12:01 a.m. Thursday, the following new restrictions apply across Nova Scotia, in all zones:
No visitors, except for volunteers and designated caregivers, will be allowed in long-term care facilities, adult residential centres and regional rehabilitation centres licensed by the Department of Community Services.
Sports teams are restricted to local or regional play only.
NON-ESSENTIAL TRAVEL
Nova Scotians are being urged to avoid non-essential travel in and out of the western and central Halifax Regional Municipality.
They are also being asked to avoid travelling to other Atlantic provinces for non-essential reasons.
PROVINCE OFFERS GRANT PROGRAM TO SUPPORT BUSINESSES
The province is offering a one-time grant of up to $5,000 to support businesses in HRM and Hants County that have been ordered to close under the new restrictions.
The grant will support small, independently owned dine-in restaurants, bars, and fitness and leisure establishments affected by the new measures.
“I don’t think it’s going to be the solution that’s going to have people feeling easy, but it will certainly cover some of their overhead during these next couple weeks,” said Nova Scotia Business Minister Geoff MacLellan.
Businesses must be in operation as of March 15, 2020 and have total annual sales of between $25,000 and $300,000
Eligible businesses will receive a one-time grant of 15 per cent of their average monthly gross revenues for April 2019, or from February 2020 if it is a new business, up to a maximum of $5,000.
Businesses must experience a revenue decrease of 30 per cent or more in November as a result of the public health order or expect at least a 30 per cent decrease in revenues in December 2020 resulting from the new measures put in place this week.
The grant can be used for any operational expense such as wages, supplies and other costs.
This program is funded through the Nova Scotia COVID-19 Response Council with the program funds of $50 million announced in March.
The application process will open in the coming weeks.
TORONTO – Roots Corp. may have built its brand on all things comfy and cosy, but its CEO says activewear is now “really becoming a core part” of the brand.
The category, which at Roots spans leggings, tracksuits, sports bras and bike shorts, has seen such sustained double-digit growth that Meghan Roach plans to make it a key part of the business’ future.
“It’s an area … you will see us continue to expand upon,” she told analysts on a Friday call.
The Toronto-based retailer’s push into activewear has taken shape over many years and included several turns as the official designer and supplier of Team Canada’s Olympic uniform.
But consumers have had plenty of choice when it comes to workout gear and other apparel suited to their sporting needs. On top of the slew of athletic brands like Nike and Adidas, shoppers have also gravitated toward Lululemon Athletica Inc., Alo and Vuori, ramping up competition in the activewear category.
Roach feels Roots’ toehold in the category stems from the fit, feel and following its merchandise has cultivated.
“Our product really resonates with (shoppers) because you can wear it through multiple different use cases and occasions,” she said.
“We’ve been seeing customers come back again and again for some of these core products in our activewear collection.”
Her remarks came the same day as Roots revealed it lost $5.2 million in its latest quarter compared with a loss of $5.3 million in the same quarter last year.
The company said the second-quarter loss amounted to 13 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended Aug. 3, the same as a year earlier.
In presenting the results, Roach reminded analysts that the first half of the year is usually “seasonally small,” representing just 30 per cent of the company’s annual sales.
Sales for the second quarter totalled $47.7 million, down from $49.4 million in the same quarter last year.
The move lower came as direct-to-consumer sales amounted to $36.4 million, down from $37.1 million a year earlier, as comparable sales edged down 0.2 per cent.
The numbers reflect the fact that Roots continued to grapple with inventory challenges in the company’s Cooper fleece line that first cropped up in its previous quarter.
Roots recently began to use artificial intelligence to assist with daily inventory replenishments and said more tools helping with allocation will go live in the next quarter.
Beyond that time period, the company intends to keep exploring AI and renovate more of its stores.
It will also re-evaluate its design ranks.
Roots announced Friday that chief product officer Karuna Scheinfeld has stepped down.
Rather than fill the role, the company plans to hire senior level design talent with international experience in the outdoor and activewear sectors who will take on tasks previously done by the chief product officer.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, are set to resume today as a strike that has stopped most services drags into a second week.
No timeline has been set for the length of the negotiations, but Joe McCann, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they are willing to stay there as long as it takes, even if talks drag on all night.
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people unable to navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last Tuesday, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
Hundreds of drivers rallied outside TransLink’s head office earlier this week, calling for the transportation provider to intervene in the dispute with Transdev, which was contracted to oversee HandyDART service.
Transdev said earlier this week that it will provide a reply to the union’s latest proposal on Thursday.
A statement from the company said it “strongly believes” that their employees deserve fair wages, and that a fair contract “must balance the needs of their employees, clients and taxpayers.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
MONTREAL – Travel company Transat AT Inc. reported a loss in its latest quarter compared with a profit a year earlier as its revenue edged lower.
The parent company of Air Transat says it lost $39.9 million or $1.03 per diluted share in its quarter ended July 31.
The result compared with a profit of $57.3 million or $1.49 per diluted share a year earlier.
Revenue in what was the company’s third quarter totalled $736.2 million, down from $746.3 million in the same quarter last year.
On an adjusted basis, Transat says it lost $1.10 per share in its latest quarter compared with an adjusted profit of $1.10 per share a year earlier.
Transat chief executive Annick Guérard says demand for leisure travel remains healthy, as evidenced by higher traffic, but consumers are increasingly price conscious given the current economic uncertainty.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
