About 14.6 per cent of the Canadian adult population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to new figures from the Public Health Agency of Canada.
The numbers come as the country’s largest provinces introduce stricter lockdown measures ahead of the Easter long weekend in the face of rising caseloads and increased ICU stays.
While officials taking part in a a technical briefing in Ottawa this morning said the vaccine rollout is going well, Canada’s deputy chief public health officer warned that even those who have received a dose need to follow public health measures such as masking and physical distancing.
“Because the extent to which vaccines may prevent the onward spread of the virus has not yet been fully determined, this has to apply to everyone in Canada — including those of you who have received your first and even your second dose of a vaccine,” said Dr. Howard Njoo.
“Please hang in there a while longer. We have come too far to let our guard down now.”
According to CBC’s vaccine tracker, just under three per cent of Canadians are fully vaccinated.
7.4M doses have been distributed: Fortin
Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin, the military commander in charge of Canada’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution, said that about 7.4 million doses have been distributed so far to the provinces and territories. He said he expects that number to rise to 9.5 million by the weekend.
“Our distribution tempo will keep on increasing, with over 40 million doses scheduled by end June and more than 100 million doses by end September,” he said.
Another 590,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine are now on their way to Canada after being delayed last week due to a backlog in the Europe manufacturer’s quality assurance process. Fortin said those doses will be distributed to provinces starting Saturday.
WATCH | Federal officials give update on vaccine distribution efforts
Maj-Gen. Dany Fortin briefed reporters on Thursday during the regular public health pandemic briefing. 3:03
Fortin said the 1.5 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine received from the United States got authorization from Health Canada on Wednesday and are being delivered to the provinces already.
“What we are seeing in terms of vaccine rollout is encouraging,” said Njoo.
“The rate of our progress in curbing COVID-19 in Canada, however, is subject to a mix of variables. As more and more people are vaccinated, for instance, we can expect that the data and recommendations on the use of vaccines will continue to evolve.”
The media briefing comes as Ontario prepares to move the entire province into what the Ford government calls “shutdown” measures. Sources tell CBC News indoor dining at restaurants, personal care services such as hair salons, and indoor fitness activities are to be prohibited.
Earlier this week, Quebec Premier François Legault announced tighter rules in three cities he said are facing a “critical” situation, while B.C. implemented a three-week “circuit breaker”-style lockdown.
Canada waiting for more Johnson & Johnson details
Canada is expected to start receiving shipments of Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot COVID-19 vaccine in April. On Tuesday, the New York Times reported that about 15 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine had been contaminated in a factory mix-up.
The drug giant confirmed Wednesday that a batch of vaccine made by Emergent BioSolutions at its Baltimore factory cannot be used because it did not meet quality standards.
Federal officials said Thursday they do not believe Canada will be affected by the loss of that Johnson & Johnson batch.
Joelle Paquette is the director general responsible for vaccine procurement at Public Services and Procurement Canada. She said the government is still waiting to find out where Canada’s doses will be manufactured.
“We are still working and discussing with the company on doses to be delivered to Canada and we’re expecting, once we have that information, to share,” she said.
“So the impact of the situation in the United States is not impacting delivery to Canada.”
VANCOUVER – Contract negotiations resume today in Vancouver in a labour dispute that has paralyzed container cargo shipping at British Columbia’s ports since Monday.
The BC Maritime Employers Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 are scheduled to meet for the next three days in mediated talks to try to break a deadlock in negotiations.
The union, which represents more than 700 longshore supervisors at ports, including Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Nanaimo, has been without a contract since March last year.
The latest talks come after employers locked out workers in response to what it said was “strike activity” by union members.
The start of the lockout was then followed by several days of no engagement between the two parties, prompting federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to speak with leaders on both sides, asking them to restart talks.
MacKinnon had said that the talks were “progressing at an insufficient pace, indicating a concerning absence of urgency from the parties involved” — a sentiment echoed by several business groups across Canada.
In a joint letter, more than 100 organizations, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Business Council of Canada and associations representing industries from automotive and fertilizer to retail and mining, urged the government to do whatever it takes to end the work stoppage.
“While we acknowledge efforts to continue with mediation, parties have not been able to come to a negotiated agreement,” the letter says. “So, the federal government must take decisive action, using every tool at its disposal to resolve this dispute and limit the damage caused by this disruption.
“We simply cannot afford to once again put Canadian businesses at risk, which in turn puts Canadian livelihoods at risk.”
In the meantime, the union says it has filed a complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board against the employers, alleging the association threatened to pull existing conditions out of the last contract in direct contact with its members.
“The BCMEA is trying to undermine the union by attempting to turn members against its democratically elected leadership and bargaining committee — despite the fact that the BCMEA knows full well we received a 96 per cent mandate to take job action if needed,” union president Frank Morena said in a statement.
The employers have responded by calling the complaint “another meritless claim,” adding the final offer to the union that includes a 19.2 per cent wage increase over a four-year term remains on the table.
“The final offer has been on the table for over a week and represents a fair and balanced proposal for employees, and if accepted would end this dispute,” the employers’ statement says. “The offer does not require any concessions from the union.”
The union says the offer does not address the key issue of staffing requirement at the terminals as the port introduces more automation to cargo loading and unloading, which could potentially require fewer workers to operate than older systems.
The Port of Vancouver is the largest in Canada and has seen a number of labour disruptions, including two instances involving the rail and grain storage sectors earlier this year.
A 13-day strike by another group of workers at the port last year resulted in the disruption of a significant amount of shipping and trade.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
The Royal Canadian Legion says a new partnership with e-commerce giant Amazon is helping boost its veterans’ fund, and will hopefully expand its donor base in the digital world.
Since the Oct. 25 launch of its Amazon.ca storefront, the legion says it has received nearly 10,000 orders for poppies.
Online shoppers can order lapel poppies on Amazon in exchange for donations or buy items such as “We Remember” lawn signs, Remembrance Day pins and other accessories, with all proceeds going to the legion’s Poppy Trust Fund for Canadian veterans and their families.
Nujma Bond, the legion’s national spokesperson, said the organization sees this move as keeping up with modern purchasing habits.
“As the world around us evolves we have been looking at different ways to distribute poppies and to make it easier for people to access them,” she said in an interview.
“This is definitely a way to reach a wider number of Canadians of all ages. And certainly younger Canadians are much more active on the web, on social media in general, so we’re also engaging in that way.”
Al Plume, a member of a legion branch in Trenton, Ont., said the online store can also help with outreach to veterans who are far from home.
“For veterans that are overseas and are away, (or) can’t get to a store they can order them online, it’s Amazon.” Plume said.
Plume spent 35 years in the military with the Royal Engineers, and retired eight years ago. He said making sure veterans are looked after is his passion.
“I’ve seen the struggles that our veterans have had with Veterans Affairs … and that’s why I got involved, with making sure that the people get to them and help the veterans with their paperwork.”
But the message about the Amazon storefront didn’t appear to reach all of the legion’s locations, with volunteers at Branch 179 on Vancouver’s Commercial Drive saying they hadn’t heard about the online push.
Holly Paddon, the branch’s poppy campaign co-ordinator and bartender, said the Amazon partnership never came up in meetings with other legion volunteers and officials.
“I work at the legion, I work with the Vancouver poppy office and I go to the meetings for the Vancouver poppy campaign — which includes all the legions in Vancouver — and not once has this been mentioned,” she said.
Paddon said the initiative is a great idea, but she would like to have known more about it.
The legion also sells a larger collection of items at poppystore.ca.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
