You might be reading this while sitting on your front porch or lounging at the beach. Perhaps you’re on a park bench or taking a pit stop on a summer road trip.
Wherever you are in Canada, chances are you don’t have sub-zero temperatures on your mind just yet. But amid the COVID-19 pandemic, winter could bring a whole host of new challenges — and experts say now is the time to prepare.
“No one’s talking about winter,” said Laura Rosella, an associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health.
“I think, frankly, everyone’s just overwhelmed with the next big change, which is back to school, and we almost can’t think that far — but it’s probably what we should be doing.”
For months, we’ve been told to stay apart to stop the spread, but chilly temperatures will force people to cram indoors. We’ve been able to run for fun and bike to work, but snow-covered streets will bring workouts into gyms and more commuters onto transit networks.
Classrooms will fill up, more restaurants and offices will open, all while patios and parks empty out. Layer in the regular cold and flu season and the mental health impacts of darker days and isolation, and it’s easy to picture the Great White North being a great big mess.
Summer, in comparison, is easy.
“It’s actually really nice that people are able to socialize and see family and see their friends outside in a safe way,” Rosella said.
“So I think it’s going to be very hard when people are going to have to make the decision about maybe not entering those social situations, because it is much higher risk in an indoor environment.”
Dr. Andrew Morris, an infectious disease specialist with the Sinai Health System and University Health Network in Toronto, said the winter months also mean added risks going to and from work and school — whether that’s people forced to carpool together, take a school bus or crowd onto transit.
“I anticipate that we will start to see transmissions occurring not as much necessarily in the workplace but going to and from the workplace,” he said.
So how can Canadians mitigate the risks when the temperature starts dropping, forcing people increasingly inside?
Experts say solutions need to come from all levels — policy-makers, business owners and individuals — and should tackle both the essential trips people need to make and the inevitable social gatherings Canadians crave.
There’s definitely cause for concern when it comes to the design of buildings where people will be spending more of their time, said Linsey Marr, an expert in the transmission of viruses by aerosol at Virginia Tech, in Blacksburg, Va.
That’s because it’s harder to open windows for better airflow in many offices and schools once temperatures drop and heating systems are turned on.
“And I think to prepare, the filtration will be important,” she said.
Dr. Andrew Boozary, an assistant professor at U of T’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health, said political leaders also need to ensure that people struggling to physically distance from others at home or work have proper supports — whether that’s offering housing to those crowded into shelters or ensuring essential workers have paid sick leave to take time off when needed.
Hotel rooms for people to recover from COVID-19, for instance, can be helpful for those who can’t isolate at home or in the shelter system, but Boozary said that’s merely a stopgap.
“All levels of government are going to need a generational response on housing,” he said.
There’s also growing concern over the recreational aspect of winter life and the hurdles Canadians face socializing when temperatures drop.
“We need to be changing all aspects of our life, and we need to get back to really encouraging more outdoor life and outdoor recreation,” Morris said.
Both business owners and policy-makers should be looking at winter gathering options, creating event spaces that maintain air flow while offering a bit of shelter and outdoor heating, he said — “the kinds of things to encourage socialization outside as much as possible.”
WATCH | Epidemiologist focuses on managing risks for children returning to school:
Rosella stressed the need to create incentives for people to go outside, whether that’s building more outdoor skating rinks or creating snowshoeing paths, even in dense city environments.
“These are the types of things that people that actually live in very cool climates all year round do all the time,” she said.
These strategies for keeping people safe inside and out are, of course, layered on top of the well-worn public health messaging that’s been in place for months: Wear a mask, stay apart from others and wash your hands regularly.
None of those recommendations have changed, and they’re perhaps even more crucial now that people are set to spend more time gathered indoors for work and play — and as the regular cold and flu season approaches.
During a news conference this month, Canada’s chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, stressed the months ahead will be a “period of challenge” given the combination of COVID-19 and influenza.
But some public health officials, Tam included, are optimistic that widespread, continued uptake of their advice might even ward off those seasonal illnesses.
“From what we have seen in other countries, public health measures such as physical distancing can also be effective against the flu, but we’ll likely be able to see more evidence of this once the flu season is over in the southern hemisphere,” Dr. Vinita Dubey, Toronto’s associate medical officer of health, said in a statement.
Morris said facing this complex set of challenges requires coming to terms with one key fact: While the seasons may be changing, the virus behind COVID-19 isn’t going anywhere.
That means Canadians need to figure out new ways to handle the cold winter months and mitigate spread.
“We’re not getting back to normal any time soon,” he said.
PORT ALBERNI, B.C. – RCMP say the body of a second person has been found inside their vehicle after a road washed away amid pouring rain on the west coast of Vancouver Island.
Police say two vehicles went into the Sarita River when Bamfield Road washed out on Saturday as an atmospheric river hammered southern B.C.
The body of the other driver was found Sunday.
More coming.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
The B.C. Greens say Sonia Furstenau will be staying on as party leader, despite losing her seat in the legislature in Saturday’s provincial election.
The party says in a statement that its two newly elected MLAs, Jeremy Valeriote and Rob Botterell, support Furstenau’s leadership as they “navigate the prospect of having the balance of power in the legislature.”
Neither the NDP led by Premier David Eby nor the B.C. Conservatives led by John Rustad secured a majority in the election, with two recounts set to take place from Oct. 26 to 28.
Eby says in a news conference that while the election outcome is uncertain, it’s “very likely” that the NDP would need the support of others to pass legislation.
He says he reached out to Furstenau on election night to congratulate her on the Greens’ showing.
But he says the Green party has told the NDP they are “not ready yet” for a conversation about a minority government deal.
The Conservatives went from taking less than two per cent of the vote in 2020 to being elected or leading in 45 ridings, two short of a majority and only one behind the NDP.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2024.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Toronto FC captain Jonathan Osorio is making a difference, 4,175 kilometres away from home.
The 32-year-old Canadian international midfielder, whose parents hail from Colombia, has been working with the Canadian Colombian Children’s Organization, a charity whose goal is to help disadvantaged youth in the South American country.
Osorio has worked behind the scenes, with no fanfare.
Until now, with his benevolence resulting in becoming Toronto FC’s nominee for the Audi Goals Drive Progress Impact Award, which honours an MLS player “who showed outstanding dedication to charitable efforts and serving the community” during the 2024 season.”
Other nominees include Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Sebastian Berhalter and CF Montreal goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois.
The winner will be announced in late November.
The Canadian Colombian Children’s Organization (CCCO) is run entirely by volunteers like Monica Figueredo and Claudia Soler. Founded in 1991, it received charitable status in 2005.
The charity currently has four projects on the go: two in Medellin and one each in Armenia and Barranquilla.
They include a school, a home for young girls whose parents are addicted to drugs, after-school and weekend programs for children in a disadvantaged neighbourhood, and nutrition and education help for underprivileged youth.
The organization heard about Osorio and was put in contact with him via an intermediary, which led to a lunch meeting. Osorio did his due diligence and soon got back to the charity with his decision.
“It was something that I wanted to be a part of right away,” said Osorio, whose lone regret is that he didn’t get involved sooner.
“I’m fortunate now that to help more now that I could have back then,” he added. “The timing actually worked out for everybody. For the last three years I have donated to their cause and we’ve built a couple of (football) fields in different cities over there in the schools.”
His father visited one of the sites in Armenia close to his hometown.
“He said it was amazing, the kids, how grateful they are to be able to play on any pitch, really,” said Osorio. “But to be playing on a new pitch, they’re just so grateful and so humble.
“It really makes it worth it being part of this organization.”
The collaboration has also made Osorio take stock.
“We’re very fortunate here in Canada, I think, for the most part. Kids get to go to school and have a roof over their head and things like that. In Colombia, it’s not really the same case. My father and his family grew up in tough conditions, so giving back is like giving back to my father.”
Osorio’s help has been a godsend to the charity.
“We were so surprised with how willing he was,” said Soler.
The TFC skipper has helped pay for a football field in Armenia as well as an ambitious sports complex under construction in Barranquilla.
“It’s been great for them,” Figueredo said of the pitch in Armenia. “Because when they go to school, now they have a proper place to train.”
Osorio has also sent videos encouraging the kids to stay active — as well as shipping soccer balls and signed jerseys their way.
“They know more about Jonathan than the other players in Colombia,” Figueredo said. “That’s the funny part. Even though he’s far away, they’ve connected with him.”
“They feel that they have a future, that they can do more,” she added. “Seeing that was really, really great.”
The kids also followed Osorio through the 2022 World Cup and this summer’s Copa America.
Back home, Osorio has also attended the charity’s annual golf tournament, helping raise funds.
A Toronto native, he has long donated four tickets for every TFC home game to the Hospital for Sick Children.
Vancouver’s Berhalter was nominated for his involvement in the Whitecaps’ partnership with B.C. Children’s Hospital while Montreal’s Sirois was chosen for his work with the Montreal Impact Foundation.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
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