THUNDER BAY – While Northern Ontario has not seen the same level of COVID-19 cases as other parts of the province, the provincial government said that does not mean things will return to normal any quicker in the north.
During Premier Doug Ford’s daily media briefing, he was asked if rural and northern parts of the province hit less hard by the COVID-19 pandemic may see the economy reopen sooner than Southern Ontario.
“We are dealing with almost two different worlds,” Ford said. “You have the urban and the rural areas. But we are all connected. The problem with that, and I actually agree with what you are saying, we just can’t risk someone in Toronto going up north.”
There are more than 13,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ontario and 798 deaths. In the Northwestern Ontario there are 60 confirmed cases in the Thunder Bay district and one death and 16 reported cases by the Northwestern Health Unit.
On a provincial level, new modeling data released earlier this week showed a possible flattening of the curve in terms of community spread. Though numbers continued to rise in long-term care facilities.
Despite the number of cases in the Northwest accounting for a small percentage of total cases in the province, reopening parts of the economy can still create risks.
Minister of Finance Rob Philips said the province is working on a plan for reopening the economy that will be released next week, but it will be at a provincial level, not a regional one.
“We will be releasing the framework that will speak to those very questions,” he said. “We are experiencing in the suburban and urban areas different realities of community transmission than we are in rural areas. The concerns are the movement of people. People could move, and maybe be incented to move, based on lifted restrictions.”
Saskatchewan, which only has 331 confirmed cases of COVID-19, was the first province to release plans for reopening the economy. Philips said every province will be different and the plans will be based the unique needs and experiences of Ontario.
“As you will see, Saskatchewan to their credit are further ahead in terms of their COVID issues,” Philips said. “This is an issue that all provinces are going to be needing to consider based on the size and scope.”
Ford has repeatedly said that reopening the economy of Ontario will be a slow and gradual process and needs to be monitored closely for a resurgence of infections.
“The health and safety of Ontario must come first,” Ford said.
TORONTO – Strength in the base metal and technology sectors helped Canada’s main stock index gain almost 100 points on Friday, while U.S. stock markets also climbed higher.
The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 93.51 points at 23,568.65.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 297.01 points at 41,393.78. The S&P 500 index was up 30.26 points at 5,626.02, while the Nasdaq composite was up 114.30 points at 17,683.98.
The Canadian dollar traded for 73.61 cents US compared with 73.58 cents US on Thursday.
The October crude oil contract was down 32 cents at US$68.65 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was down five cents at US$2.31 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$30.10 at US$2,610.70 an ounce and the December copper contract was up four cents US$4.24 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
OTTAWA – Statistics Canada says wholesale sales, excluding petroleum, petroleum products, and other hydrocarbons and excluding oilseed and grain, rose 0.4 per cent to $82.7 billion in July.
The increase came as sales in the miscellaneous subsector gained three per cent to reach $10.5 billion in July, helped by strength in the agriculture supplies industry group, which rose 9.2 per cent.
The food, beverage and tobacco subsector added 1.7 per cent to total $15 billion in July.
The personal and household goods subsector fell 2.5 per cent to $12.1 billion.
In volume terms, overall wholesale sales rose 0.5 per cent in July.
Statistics Canada started including oilseed and grain as well as the petroleum and petroleum products subsector as part of wholesale trade last year, but is excluding the data from monthly analysis until there is enough historical data.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was up more than 150 points in late-morning trading, helped by strength in the base metal and energy sectors, while U.S. stock markets were mixed.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 172.18 points at 23,383.35.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 34.99 points at 40,826.72. The S&P 500 index was up 10.56 points at 5,564.69, while the Nasdaq composite was up 74.84 points at 17,470.37.
The Canadian dollar traded for 73.55 cents US compared with 73.59 cents US on Wednesday.
The October crude oil contract was up $2.00 at US$69.31 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was up five cents at US$2.32 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$40.00 at US$2,582.40 an ounce and the December copper contract was up six cents at US$4.20 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
