New Brunswick Public Health is reporting 100 new cases of COVID-19.
There are 56 people hospitalized due to the virus with 23 in intensive care. No one under 19 is currently hospitalized.
Of those in hospital, 41 are unvaccinated, four are partially vaccinated and 11 are fully vaccinated.
There are also 52 recoveries in Saturday’s update.
The number of active cases is 929.
Of the new cases, 66 are unvaccinated, five are partially vaccinated and 29 are fully vaccinated.
Public Health has confirmed four new cases at King Street Elementary in Miramichi. Parents are advised to check emails and voice mails for further details.
Saturday’s update shows 81.3 per cent of eligible New Brunswickers are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and 90.5 per cent have received their first dose of a vaccine.
‘Circuit breaker’ restrictions
New Brunswickers are spending the Thanksgiving holiday weekend differently this year.
“Circuit breaker” restrictions were imposed Friday.
They will last for at least 14 days in Zone 1, as far north as and including Sainte-Anne-de-Kent and including Havelock in Zone 2, the northern portion of Zone 3 from and including Deerville and Florenceville-Bristol, all of Zone 4 (Edmundston region) and Menneval in Zone 5.
In regions under the restrictions, gatherings in private homes or outside with members not from the same household are prohibited, and travel to or from regions is restricted except for essential reasons, which includes work, school and health appointments.
Residents who wish to gather with members outside of their household for Thanksgiving until midnight Monday are only permitted to do so in a place where the law requires proof of vaccination, such as restaurants.
A single household includes individuals living together. It can be extended to include caregivers for any of those people, plus any parent, child, sibling, grandparent or grandchild of those people who requires support, plus any one additional person who lives alone at another address who requires support.
There are no restrictions on fully vaccinated people gathering at businesses, events and services where proof of full vaccination with a government issued ID is required. Individuals at these venues must wear a mask at all times except when eating or drinking.
Peace offers are being given extended powers this long weekend to weed out Thanksgiving gatherings in violation of the province’s revised mandatory order.
The order comes as the province sees new single-day highs in cases and deaths in the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Under the revised order, peace officers can order a premise be vacated and can detain people under certain conditions.
Shift to ‘red’ in hospitals
This comes as the Horizon Health Network announced it will move all of its hospitals and health-care centres to the “red alert” COVID-19 level next Wednesday.
Some non-urgent medical procedures and elective surgeries may be postponed, Horizon said in a news release.
Non-urgent ambulatory outpatient clinics and professional service outpatient appointments, including therapeutic services, blood and specimen collection, diagnostic imaging (X-ray), electrodiagnostics and respiratory therapy, may also be postponed.
Outbreak at Saint John independent living apartment
Loch Lomond Villa has confirmed a COVID-19 outbreak has taken place in at least one of its buildings.
Building 3 (The Crossing) on 165 Loch Lomond Rd. is closed to visitors effective immediately due to a confirmed COVID-19 outbreak.
Building 2 (The Cornerstone) on 219 Ellerdale St. and Building 1 (The Milestone) on 221 Ellerdale St. are closed to all visitors until further notice. Tenants are requested to maintain their household bubble until further notice as a precautionary measure.
Tenants in Buildings 1 and 2 are being asked to self-monitor. If any symptoms arise, they are advised to take a COVID-19 test.
Breakdown of new cases
Here is the breakdown of the new cases:
Moncton region, Zone 1, 34 cases:
19 people 19 and under.
A person 20-29.
Four people 30-39.
Five people 40-49.
Four people 60-69.
A person 70-79.
Nineteen cases are under investigation and 15 are contacts of previously confirmed cases.
Saint John region, Zone 2, 4 cases:
A person 19 and under.
A person 20-29.
Two people 60-69.
Three cases are contacts of previously confirmed cases and one case is under investigation.
Fredericton region, Zone 3, 21 cases:
Nine people 19 and under.
Three people 30-39.
Four people 40-49.
Two people 50-59.
A person 60-69;
A person 70-79.
A person 80-89.
Nineteen cases are under investigation and two are contacts of previously confirmed cases.
Edmundston region, Zone 4, 13 cases:
Five people 19 and under.
Two people 30-39.
A person 40-49.
A person 50-59.
Two people 60-69.
Two people 70-79.
Ten cases are under investigation and three are contacts of previously confirmed cases.
Campbellton region, Zone 5, 11 cases:
Two people 19 and under.
Three people 20-29.
A person 30-39.
Two people 40-49.
A person 50-59.
Two people 70-79.
Ten cases are under investigation and one is a contact of a previously confirmed case.
Bathurst region, Zone 6, 6 cases:
Two people 19 and under.
Two people 20-29.
A person 30-39.
A person 50-59.
Three cases are under investigation and three are contacts of previously confirmed cases.
Miramichi region, Zone 7, 11 cases:
Five people 19 and under.
A person 20-29.
Two people 30-39.
A person 40-49.
A person 60-69.
A person 80-89.
Seven cases are under investigation and four are contacts of previously confirmed cases.
New public exposure notices
The following are new public exposures released by Public Health on Saturday:
Moncton region, Zone 1:
Oct. 2 between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.– The Brick – (75 Trinity Dr., Moncton)
Oct. 2 between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. – Costco (140 Granite Dr., Moncton)
Oct. 2 between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. – Under Armour Factory House (78 Wyse St., Moncton)
Oct. 2 between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. – Tire Shack Brewing (190 John St., Moncton)
Oct. 4 between 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. – Dr. Léon Richard Oncology Centre (37 Providence St. Moncton)
Oct. 4, October 5 and October 6 between 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. – Club Boishebert de Shediac (322 Main St., Shediac)
Oct. 5 between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.- Five Bridges Bar & Grill (121 Pine Glen Rd., Riverview)
Sept. 27 between 1:45 p.m. and 3:15 p.m. – Clinique Dr Sourire Orthodontists (211 Champlain Avenue, Suite 100, Dieppe)
Saint John region, Zone 2:
Oct. 7, between 7:45 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. – Hampton Community Center rink (808 Main St., Hampton)
Oct. 6, between noon and 3 p.m. – Dr. Luan Le’s Office (35 University Ave., Saint John)
Oct. 6, between 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. – Char and Chowder Restaurant (182 Water St., Saint Andrews)
Oct. 5 between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. – 8th Hussars Sports Centre (8 Leonard Dr., Sussex)
Oct. 5, between 1:15 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. – Up to Par Restaurant (109 Upper Midland Rd., Norton)
Oct. 5 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. – Canterbury Dental Clinic (18 Canterbury St., Saint John)
Oct. 4, between 5:45 p.m. and 16:15 p.m. – Mac’s Island Market (924 Route 774, Welshpool)
Oct. 3, between 10:15 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. – Char and Chowder Restaurant (182 Water St., Saint Andrews)
Sept. 30 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. – Canterbury Dental Clinic (18 Canterbury St., Saint John)
Sept. 28 between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. – QPLEX – (20 Randy Jones Way, Quispamsis)
Sept. 27 between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. – Dr. Demmings Office (Building A. Suite 205, Hilyard Place, 560 Main St., Saint John)
Sept. 25, between 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. – K’s East Side Café (607 Rothesay Ave., Saint John)
Fredericton Region, Zone 3:
Oct. 3, between 10:30 a.m. and noon – Sure Life Assembly (335 Otis Drive, Nackawic)
Oct. 2, between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. – Ryan’s Pharmacy (135 Otis Dr., Nackawic) September 26, between 10:30 a.m. and noon – Sure Life Assembly (335 Otis Dr., Nackawic)
Oct. 2 between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. – Fredericton Indoor Pool (79 Carrington Ln., Fredericton))
Edmundston region, Zone 4:
Oct. 4 between 2:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. – Dollarama (180 Madawaska Rd., Grand Falls)
Oct. 4 between 2:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. – Walmart (494 Madawaska Road, Grand Falls)
Oct. 4 between 8:15 a.m. and 9 a.m. – Walmart (494 Madawaska Road, Grand Falls)
Oct. 3, between 9:15 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. – St. George Church (226 St. Georges Rd., Grand Falls)
Oct. 2, between 10 a.m. and noon – Bonichoix (4 Saint Camille Rd., Kedgwick)
Oct. 1, between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. – Bonichoix (4 Saint Camille Rd., Kedgwick)
Sept. 29 and 30 between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. – Bonichoix (4 Saint Camille Rd., Kedgwick)
Campbellton region, Zone 5:
Oct. 6 between 7:30pm and 10:30pm– Brasserie 1026 Bar & Grill (157 Water St., Campbellton)
Between Oct. 1 and Oct. 6 – Campbellton Regional Hospital Med-Surg unit (189 Lily Lake Rd., Campbellton)
Sept. 28 and September 29, between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. – Dixie Lee Family Restaurant (168 Water St., Campbellton)
Sept. 27 and 28, between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. – Island Lake Club (Balmoral Parish)
Acadie-Bathurst region, Zone 6:
Sept. 28 and 29, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. – L.J. Patterson Sales and Service (752 Main St., Beresford)
The COVID-19 dashboard includes a new map of public exposures, illustrating the concentration of advisories in each health zone. (Government of New Brunswick )
Public Health recommends that people who have been at a possible public exposure site and are not fully vaccinated get a COVID test, even if they don’t have symptoms. They can book an appointment online or call Tele-Care 811.
If they do have symptoms, they must isolate while they await their results.
For people who are fully vaccinated, Public Health recommends they monitor for symptoms for 14 days after the possible exposure and get a COVID test if symptoms develop.
Anyone who frequented the locations at the specified dates and times should also avoid visiting settings with vulnerable populations such as nursing homes, correctional facilities and shelters for the next 14 days.
Previous exposure notices
The following are exposure notices from the past two few weeks. For the full list beyond this time period, please visit the Government of New Brunswick’s website.
Public Health has identified a case of COVID-19 in a person who may have been infectious while on the following flights:
Oct. 3 – West Jet Flight 3440 – from Toronto to Moncton departed at 6:31 p.m.
Sept. 27 – Air Canada Flight 8504 – from Montreal to Fredericton departed at 7:26 p.m
Public Health has also identified other places in the province where people may have been exposed to the virus over the past few weeks.
Public Health says symptoms of the illness have included a fever above 38 C, a new or worsening cough, sore throat, runny nose, headache, a new onset of fatigue, and difficulty breathing.
In children, symptoms have also included purple markings on the fingers and toes.
People with one of those symptoms should stay at home, call 811 or their doctor and follow instructions.
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.
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.
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.
