THUNDER BAY — The growing number of neighbourhood vehicle parades to celebrate people’s birthdays during the COVID-19 pandemic has caught the attention of the Thunder Bay District Health Unit.
In a social media post Monday, theTBDHU said birthday and other car parades can pose a significant road safety issue.
It said these events also “tend to have people congregating beforehand to prepare.”
The TBDHU said it recognizes that parades are being arranged with good intentions, but offered some alternative ways to mark birthdays, including:
hosting an online dance party with friends
playing Pin the Tail on the Donkey, with virtual loved ones yelling out directions
spending family time together baking and decorating a cake
have friends send video messages, skits or songs
A Thunder Bay woman said a recent celebration for her young child that saw close friends and family participate in a drive-by parade, riding in vehicles festooned with colourful signs, balloons, and even a bubble machine, went a long way to making up for the impact of social distancing.
“There’s a lot of negative things going around right now, but this is something we’ll hold onto for some light for a very long time,” she said.
TBDHU issues ‘clarification’ about birthday parades
After hearing Tuesday from some residents who felt the TBDHU was going too far with its advisory, the health unit posted a clarification on its Facebook page.
“It seems we’ve happened upon a hot-button issue, and we hear you,” the post stated.
The TBDHU is still recommending people first consider alternatives to celebrating birthdays, but added “If you are going to participate in any drive-by birthday greetings, please do so with these three things in mind.”
Refrain from gathering in groups to plan the activity
Maintain physical distancing from all people outside of your own household
Be conscious not to obstruct traffic by limiting the number of people and cars involved
MONTREAL – Lightspeed Commerce Inc. says it is conducting a review of its business and operations including talks relating to a range of potential strategic alternatives.
The Montreal-based payments technology company made the comments after reports concerning a potential transaction involving the company.
Lightspeed says it periodically undertakes a review of its business and operations with a view of realizing its full potential.
A strategic review is often seen by investors as a prelude to a sale by a company.
Lightspeed says its board of directors is committed to acting in the best interests of the company and its stakeholders.
Company founder Dax Dasilva returned to the role of chief executive officer earlier this year and has been working to return the company to profitability.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 26, 2024.
OTTAWA – Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says there is a lot of uncertainty around how artificial intelligence could affect the economy moving forward, including the labour market and price growth.
In a speech in Toronto at the Economics of Artificial Intelligence Conference, the governor said Friday that the central bank is approaching the issue cautiously to get a better understanding of how AI could affect its job of keeping inflation low and stable.
“Be wary of anyone who claims to know where AI will take us. There is too much uncertainty to be confident,” Macklem said in prepared remarks.
“We don’t know how quickly AI will continue to advance. And we don’t know the timing and extent of its economic and social impacts.”
The governor said AI has the potential of increasing labour productivity, which would raise living standards and grow the economy without boosting inflation.
In the short-term, he said investment in AI is adding to demand and could be inflationary.
However, Macklem also highlighted more pessimistic scenarios, where AI could destroy more jobs than it creates or lead to less competition rather than more.
The governor called on academics and businesses to work together to shed more light on the potential effects of AI on the economy.
“When you enter a dark room, you don’t go charging in. You cautiously feel your way around. And you try to find the light switch. That is what we are doing. What we central bankers need is more light,” he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 20, 2024.
CHICAGO (AP) — United Airlines has struck a deal with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to offer satellite-based Starlink WiFi service on flights within the next several years.
The airline said Friday the service will be free to passengers.
United said it will begin testing the service early next year and begin offering it on some flights by later in 2025.
Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
The announcement comes as airlines rush to offer more amenities as a way to stand out when passengers pick a carrier for a trip. United’s goal is to make sitting on a plane pretty much like being on the ground when it comes to browsing the internet, streaming entertainment and playing games.
“Everything you can do on the ground, you’ll soon be able to do on board a United plane at 35,000 feet, just about anywhere in the world,” CEO Scott Kirby said in announcing the deal.
The airline says Starlink will allow passengers to get internet access even over oceans and polar regions where traditional cell or Wi-Fi signals may be weak or missing.
