More positive COVID-19 cases at Maple Leaf plant in Manitoba: union - CTV News Winnipeg | Canada News Media
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More positive COVID-19 cases at Maple Leaf plant in Manitoba: union – CTV News Winnipeg

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WINNIPEG —
The union representing workers at the Maple Leaf Foods plant in Brandon, Man., is calling for a shutdown after it says more workers at the plant have tested positive for COVID-19.

In an email to CTV News on Thursday morning, the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 832 said they were made aware of three more positive cases of COVID-19 among employees late on Wednesday.

Jeff Traeger, the union president, would not say what area of the plant the employees worked, citing privacy reasons, but said they work in auxiliary departments in the facility, and are not involved in food production at the plant.

He added the most recent employees who tested positive last worked at the plant on August 1.

COVID CLUSTER IN BRANDON RELATED TO TRAVEL

On Thursday, Manitoba health officials said there is a cluster of COVID-19 cases currently in Brandon, but would not say if any cases in the cluster are connected to Maple Leaf Foods.

Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba’s chief public health officer, said altogether there are 28 cases in the Brandon cluster – 18 of which were reported on Wednesday.

“Those aren’t community based transmission – that cluster actually started with a travel related case from out east,” Roussin said.

He said he did not have any information as to whether any of the cases in the cluster are connected to the cases at Maple Leaf Foods.

“The driving force behind that cluster is not a workplace.”

Still, Traeger said he is concerned about the number of positive tests increasing at the plant.

“That’s our biggest concern and our worst fear, is that you’d see a scenario similar to what was seen at the Cargill plant in Alberta, where there was a relatively small number of cases initially reported, which within a week grew to over 950, and resulted in community transmission of over 1,500 people,” he said. “That’s our biggest fear.”

The union is now calling on Maple Leaf to cease production at the plant until August 10 at the earliest, until they have additional results from outstanding tests among union members working at the plant, and the company can do a deep clean of the entire facility.

If more positive tests come back, the union wants the plant to be closed for two weeks.

UNION CALLS FOR EMPLOYEES TO BE PAID AMID SHUTDOWN

Traeger noted a closure would have an economic impact on the employees, with more than 2,000 people working at the plant, and is calling on the company to pay workers in full if the plant is shut down. He is also calling on the Health Minister to inspect the workplace to ensure it is safe for employees.

“The company for the record, is confident – we’re not, but they’re confident that these cases are a result of community transmission and they’ve been contained, so they have made the decision to continue operating the plant,” he said.

Traeger did praise Maple Leaf for the efforts they have made since the pandemic started to help employees. The company has put in Plexiglas separators on production lines and has put in floor markers to help control movement in the plant. The company has also staggered shifts of employees to help promote physical distancing.

“The company has been spending a fortune and trying very hard to protect workers,” he said. “The unfortunate thing is that those efforts have now not been successful.”

“We say the prudent thing to do is to shut down the plant, send everybody home with pay, and make sure that all of the test results come back so you can understand the scope of what you’re dealing with, and also do a complete deep-cleaning of the facility.”

MAPLE LEAF SAYS PLANT WILL CONTINUE TO OPERATE

In a statement Thursday morning, Maple Leaf confirmed the new positive tests.

“As a precaution, we have asked several other team members to self-quarantine,” the statement reads, adding they have informed other team members, the Canada Food Inspection Agency, and the union about the tests.

The company said after a ‘careful and detail review’ of the circumstances around the cases, they said it appears the employees contracted COVID-19 in the community.

The company said the plant will still operate.

“We will continue to operate our Brandon plant as long as we believe we can provide an environment that will protect the safety of our people while working,” the company said. “Given our daily health screening, temperature monitoring, social distancing and the personal protective equipment all team members wear while at work, we feel confident that our plant environment is safe.”

Traeger said discussions between the union and Maple Leaf are continuing.

During a media availability Thursday afternoon, Manitoba NDP Leader Wab Kinew and Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont both called for the plant to close.

“The two hotspots across North America have been processing plants and personal care homes – we have to take this incredibly seriously and I would rather err on the side of caution than take any risks,” Lamont said.

“This isn’t necessarily just about the workers in the plant, as important as those people are,” said Kinew. “If the situation there gets worse, it could potentially pose a threat to the broader community.”

“If there is an outbreak underway there, the province should be taking much more decisive action.”

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Telus prioritizing ‘most important customers,’ avoiding ‘unprofitable’ offers: CFO

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Telus Corp. says it is avoiding offering “unprofitable” discounts as fierce competition in the Canadian telecommunications sector shows no sign of slowing down.

The company said Friday it had fewer net new customers during its third quarter compared with the same time last year, as it copes with increasingly “aggressive marketing and promotional pricing” that is prompting more customers to switch providers.

Telus said it added 347,000 net new customers, down around 14.5 per cent compared with last year. The figure includes 130,000 mobile phone subscribers and 34,000 internet customers, down 30,000 and 3,000, respectively, year-over-year.

The company reported its mobile phone churn rate — a metric measuring subscribers who cancelled their services — was 1.09 per cent in the third quarter, up from 1.03 per cent in the third quarter of 2023. That included a postpaid mobile phone churn rate of 0.90 per cent in its latest quarter.

Telus said its focus is on customer retention through its “industry-leading service and network quality, along with successful promotions and bundled offerings.”

“The customers we have are the most important customers we can get,” said chief financial officer Doug French in an interview.

“We’ve, again, just continued to focus on what matters most to our customers, from a product and customer service perspective, while not loading unprofitable customers.”

Meanwhile, Telus reported its net income attributable to common shares more than doubled during its third quarter.

The telecommunications company said it earned $280 million, up 105.9 per cent from the same three-month period in 2023. Earnings per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 was 19 cents compared with nine cents a year earlier.

It reported adjusted net income was $413 million, up 10.7 per cent year-over-year from $373 million in the same quarter last year. Operating revenue and other income for the quarter was $5.1 billion, up 1.8 per cent from the previous year.

Mobile phone average revenue per user was $58.85 in the third quarter, a decrease of $2.09 or 3.4 per cent from a year ago. Telus said the drop was attributable to customers signing up for base rate plans with lower prices, along with a decline in overage and roaming revenues.

It said customers are increasingly adopting unlimited data and Canada-U.S. plans which provide higher and more stable ARPU on a monthly basis.

“In a tough operating environment and relative to peers, we view Q3 results that were in line to slightly better than forecast as the best of the bunch,” said RBC analyst Drew McReynolds in a note.

Scotiabank analyst Maher Yaghi added that “the telecom industry in Canada remains very challenging for all players, however, Telus has been able to face these pressures” and still deliver growth.

The Big 3 telecom providers — which also include Rogers Communications Inc. and BCE Inc. — have frequently stressed that the market has grown more competitive in recent years, especially after the closing of Quebecor Inc.’s purchase of Freedom Mobile in April 2023.

Hailed as a fourth national carrier, Quebecor has invested in enhancements to Freedom’s network while offering more affordable plans as part of a set of commitments it was mandated by Ottawa to agree to.

The cost of telephone services in September was down eight per cent compared with a year earlier, according to Statistics Canada’s most recent inflation report last month.

“I think competition has been and continues to be, I’d say, quite intense in Canada, and we’ve obviously had to just manage our business the way we see fit,” said French.

Asked how long that environment could last, he said that’s out of Telus’ hands.

“What I can control, though, is how we go to market and how we lead with our products,” he said.

“I think the conditions within the market will have to adjust accordingly over time. We’ve continued to focus on digitization, continued to bring our cost structure down to compete, irrespective of the price and the current market conditions.”

Still, Canada’s telecom regulator continues to warn providers about customers facing more charges on their cellphone and internet bills.

On Tuesday, CRTC vice-president of consumer, analytics and strategy Scott Hutton called on providers to ensure they clearly inform their customers of charges such as early cancellation fees.

That followed statements from the regulator in recent weeks cautioning against rising international roaming fees and “surprise” price increases being found on their bills.

Hutton said the CRTC plans to launch public consultations in the coming weeks that will focus “on ensuring that information is clear and consistent, making it easier to compare offers and switch services or providers.”

“The CRTC is concerned with recent trends, which suggest that Canadians may not be benefiting from the full protections of our codes,” he said.

“We will continue to monitor developments and will take further action if our codes are not being followed.”

French said any initiative to boost transparency is a step in the right direction.

“I can’t say we are perfect across the board, but what I can say is we are absolutely taking it under consideration and trying to be the best at communicating with our customers,” he said.

“I think everyone looking in the mirror would say there’s room for improvement.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

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TC Energy cuts cost estimate for Southeast Gateway pipeline project in Mexico

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CALGARY – TC Energy Corp. has lowered the estimated cost of its Southeast Gateway pipeline project in Mexico.

It says it now expects the project to cost between US$3.9 billion and US$4.1 billion compared with its original estimate of US$4.5 billion.

The change came as the company reported a third-quarter profit attributable to common shareholders of C$1.46 billion or $1.40 per share compared with a loss of C$197 million or 19 cents per share in the same quarter last year.

Revenue for the quarter ended Sept. 30 totalled C$4.08 billion, up from C$3.94 billion in the third quarter of 2023.

TC Energy says its comparable earnings for its latest quarter amounted to C$1.03 per share compared with C$1.00 per share a year earlier.

The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 95 cents per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:TRP)

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BCE reports Q3 loss on asset impairment charge, cuts revenue guidance

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BCE Inc. reported a loss in its latest quarter as it recorded $2.11 billion in asset impairment charges, mainly related to Bell Media’s TV and radio properties.

The company says its net loss attributable to common shareholders amounted to $1.24 billion or $1.36 per share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared with a profit of $640 million or 70 cents per share a year earlier.

On an adjusted basis, BCE says it earned 75 cents per share in its latest quarter compared with an adjusted profit of 81 cents per share in the same quarter last year.

“Bell’s results for the third quarter demonstrate that we are disciplined in our pursuit of profitable growth in an intensely competitive environment,” BCE chief executive Mirko Bibic said in a statement.

“Our focus this quarter, and throughout 2024, has been to attract higher-margin subscribers and reduce costs to help offset short-term revenue impacts from sustained competitive pricing pressures, slow economic growth and a media advertising market that is in transition.”

Operating revenue for the quarter totalled $5.97 billion, down from $6.08 billion in its third quarter of 2023.

BCE also said it now expects its revenue for 2024 to fall about 1.5 per cent compared with earlier guidance for an increase of zero to four per cent.

The company says the change comes as it faces lower-than-anticipated wireless product revenue and sustained pressure on wireless prices.

BCE added 33,111 net postpaid mobile phone subscribers, down 76.8 per cent from the same period last year, which was the company’s second-best performance on the metric since 2010.

It says the drop was driven by higher customer churn — a measure of subscribers who cancelled their service — amid greater competitive activity and promotional offer intensity. BCE’s monthly churn rate for the category was 1.28 per cent, up from 1.1 per cent during its previous third quarter.

The company also saw 11.6 per cent fewer gross subscriber activations “due to more targeted promotional offers and mobile device discounting compared to last year.”

Bell’s wireless mobile phone average revenue per user was $58.26, down 3.4 per cent from $60.28 in the third quarter of the prior year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:BCE)

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