TORONTO —
Cindy Perry was all set for a March break trip to California with her wife and their two children, but the novel coronavirus outbreak that is sweeping the globe made her reconsider her plans.
After weighing her options, the Toronto mom ultimately decided to cancel the trip to a region where COVID-19 — the disease caused by the new coronavirus — has already killed two people and sickened more than 130 others. About 20 of those cases were acquired through community spread.
“Given the low rates of testing that have been going on in the U.S., just a handful of community cases likely means that it’s pretty widespread,” Perry said.
Travel restrictions that might have come into effect while the family was out of the country were also a concern for Perry.
“Obviously California is not a place where we can easily get ourselves back to Canada if, for example, they decide to cancel flights into and out of the States,” she said.
The global spread of the virus comes during one of the busiest travel times of the year for Canadians, looking for a getaway while kids are out of school.
Both Air Canada and WestJet are waiving fees associated with changing flights booked from March 4 and 5, respectively, through to the 31st. WestJet is also removing normal change and cancel restrictions for customers who have booked a basic fare for travel beginning on or before March 31.
The airline has also expanded and increased the frequency of sanitation procedures, in light of coronavirus concerns. In addition to regular cleaners, airline staff are now also using hospital-grade Clorox wipes and spray.
“These new products are used on tray tables as well as general seating areas to ensure all guest contact surfaces are thoroughly disinfected,” WestJet said in a statement.
“The Clorox and (regular) Sanicide products are used to accomplish the cleaning of our galleys, lavatories, tray tables, seat armrests and headrests, seatbelt buckles, the PSU panel (above seats with lights and call buttons), overhead bin door latches and lavatory door handles.”
Toronto’s Pearson International Airport has added extra hand sanitizer stations in the arrivals areas and is more frequently cleaning those spaces, including kiosks and bathrooms. High-traffic areas are regularly disinfected, the airport authority said.
Canada’s chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, has recommended Canadians avoid travelling on all cruise ships — which have seen several outbreaks — to protect against the spread of the novel coronavirus.
“Cruise ships have passengers from around the world who may be arriving from areas with known or unknown spread of the novel coronavirus,” she has said.
Public health and the federal government are strongly urging people to check the online travel advisories which are updated hourly. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also urged Canadians to register with Global Affairs before travelling outside the country.
“March break is coming up and if you’re travelling, we recommend you check out travel advisories from ΓåòTravelGoC. We also encourage you to use the Registration of Canadians Abroad service to receive important updates before & during your travel,” he tweeted on Tuesday.
Canadians are expected to monitor themselves for symptoms when they return home and report to public health if they suspect they may have been infected.
Ontario’s chief medical officer of health, Dr. David Williams, said Canadians with international travel plans during March break should do a “precautionary assessment.”
“Do you need to go on the trip? Where are you going on the trip? What are your risk factors of you going on the trip? Do you have health conditions? What’s the risk factor of taking your children on the trip? What kind of behaviour are you going to be involved with at that end? What kind of ability are you going to have to limit your social distancing in those settings?” he said.
“It’s one thing to be in a very crowded international venue versus you’re just going down and have an AirBnB somewhere and sit on the beach with your kids.”
For Perry, her decision to cancel her family’s California trip came largely for fear of getting stuck there, but she would also worry about contracting the illness and spreading it to more vulnerable people. She was able to cancel all of the rental cars and hotels at no cost, got her Aeroplan points back and only had to pay a few-hundred-dollar fee, so Perry is trying to look on the bright side.
“The kids are disappointed, but it’s still a week off school,” she said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 11, 2020.
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.
