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Omicron rapidly shifts the need for boosters in Canada – CBC News
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Omicron is ramping up the push for widespread boosters in Canada, shifting the conversation away from providing added protection to the most vulnerable and toward giving everyone eligible an additional shot to stave off potential spread of the highly transmissible variant.
Canada has seen dozens of omicron cases emerge in the two weeks since the variant was first identified, and new data from around the world has public health officials on high alert for signs of wider spread here.
But while there is growing concern about the threat of omicron as we learn more about it in real time, there are also early, hopeful signs that it may not cause as severe illness as previous variants and that boosters may be effective at slowing its spread.
A new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that out of the 43 omicron cases identified in 22 states in early December, just one person needed a brief hospital stay, and there were no reported deaths from the variant.
WATCH | Omicron spreading faster than delta but may be milder, early data suggests:
Initial evidence about the omicron variant seems to suggest that the strain is more transmissible but less severe than the delta variant. But scientists studying omicron caution that understanding the full threat of omicron will take more time. 1:59
“We are seeing fewer symptoms so far with omicron, and it almost certainly has a lot to do with the fact that people have some degree of immunity,” said Deepta Bhattacharya, an immunologist at the University of Arizona.
“But I don’t think there’s any doubt that omicron has more immune-evasive properties than delta … so you can imagine that omicron would have more of an advantage spreading in places where people already have some immunity than with delta.”
South Africa reported a near-record high in daily infections this week, but scientists have not yet seen evidence that omicron is causing more serious illness, which could either be a sign of things to come or a delay in the true impact it will have there.
“The severity does not look very high, which is good, but the infected population is skewing young and so would be expected to have milder infections,” said Bill Hanage, an epidemiologist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston.
“The real concern is unvaccinated populations.”
A new report from the U.K. confirmed widespread community transmission of omicron and a higher rate of re-infections and household outbreaks compared to delta — with more than one million omicron cases projected in the next month.
Yet the report also found booster shots provided an estimated 70 to 75 per cent protection against mild disease from omicron, giving the first real-world glimpse at the benefit offered by third doses in the face of the fast-spreading variant.
“While the data isn’t perfect, and of course there’s still a lot of questions that remain, all the arrows are pointing in the direction that two doses of a vaccine will still be very helpful — but three doses of a vaccine will be better,” said Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious diseases physician and member of Ontario’s COVID-19 vaccine task force.
“There should be a sense of urgency to roll out third doses, especially now as we have a holiday season upon us and we’re going to have a growing number of omicron cases in the country.”
Omicron spreading rapidly in Canada
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) released new modelling data Friday showing COVID-19 levels could spike in the coming weeks amid an ongoing wave of delta infections and the growing threat of omicron as the holidays rapidly approach.
Health officials in Ontario confirmed omicron now makes up 10 per cent of all positive cases in the province and could soon become the dominant circulating strain.
In Quebec, officials are investigating two potential omicron exposures at a gym and community centre in Montreal — with 14 cases of the variant detected in the city so far — but have said there is no evidence yet of wider community transmission.
British Columbia announced plans to expand its booster-shot program this week as officials reported several new cases of omicron, while Saskatchewan recently expanded shots to those 50 and over, as four omicron cases emerged there.
But as new data pours in from Canada and globally on omicron’s ability to rapidly transmit and partially evade immunity from vaccination and prior infections, early signals hint that vaccines will still provide significant protection from hospitalization and death.
Pfizer-BioNTech announced results from laboratory data this week that found three doses of its COVID-19 vaccine effectively neutralized omicron, adding fuel to the fire for the expansion of boosters to fight the new variant.
WATCH | Pfizer says booster shots effective against omicron variant in early findings:
Pfizer-BioNTech have reported early findings that show three doses of their COVID-19 vaccine are more effective than two when it comes to neutralizing the omicron variant in lab settings. The World Health Organization cautioned against jumping to conclusions, saying the unvaccinated should get their first doses before worrying about third shots. 2:30
But what gained far less attention was the fact that two doses of the vaccine still offered strong protection against severe COVID-19, meaning a surge in omicron cases in highly vaccinated countries, like Canada, may not lead to an overwhelmed health-care system.
“The fact that the two-dose regimen of Pfizer holds up against what really counts — serious disease — that’s really good news,” said Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease physician and a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in Baltimore.
“People have gotten very focused on cases and preventing all infections, but I think it’s really important to prevent severe infections.”
Pfizer’s early data analyzed the blood of vaccinated individuals against omicron and found a 40-fold decrease in the level of neutralizing antibodies, which prevent the virus from entering cells. A third dose increased them by a factor of 25.
“When you hear about a 40-fold drop in neutralizing antibodies, that doesn’t mean a 40-fold drop in how well the vaccines are going to work — I would be shocked if that were the case,” said Bhattacharya.
“So will two doses, in all likelihood, substantially reduce the likelihood you will get really sick? Yes. But is there room for improvement? Yes, definitely.”
‘Rapid pivot’ to widespread boosters needed
The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) strongly recommended earlier this month that all Canadians over 50 get a booster, while those aged 18 to 49 can be offered one six months out from their second shot.
But while most provinces and territories have expanded the rollout of boosters to more age groups, only a handful have gone below the age of 50 — including Manitoba, the Northwest Territories, Yukon and soon, Ontario.
“A rapid pivot is needed in the context of growing omicron cases in the country and what we’re seeing all the data point to from around the world,” said Bogoch. “We need to roll out third doses faster.”
Canada has an opportunity to get “two steps ahead” of an omicron-driven surge by expanding boosters to all Canadians over 18 who are six months out from their second dose, Bogoch said, which would help “blunt the size of another wave.”
“How bad is it going to be here? I think we should be prepared for another wave — an omicron-driven wave of infection,” said Anne-Claude Gingras, a professor of molecular genetics at the University of Toronto.
“I have no idea if that’s going to be a wave of hospitalization and an increase in the death rate as well — but at least in terms of spread, I think if we let it in, it will.”
Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and co-director of the Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, says we’ll no doubt see a rise in omicron cases that could be made worse by delta.
“I think, at least for a while, we will have sort of a twin epidemic of delta and omicron,” he said. “But whether you’re worried about delta or omicron — the approach you take is the same.”
Getting a booster when it’s available to you, not relying on previous COVID-19 infection for protection and getting kids vaccinated will help protect people from the spread of omicron, he said, in addition to masking, increasing ventilation and limiting gatherings.
But experts agree boosters alone won’t spare Canada from the threat of omicron — even if they will likely have some added benefit to stopping spread.
“If you boosted everybody that needed to be boosted, it wouldn’t change the trajectory of the pandemic,” said Adalja. “It’s first and second doses that change the trajectory of the pandemic.”
More than 20 per cent of eligible Canadians still aren’t doubly vaccinated — and that number sits at closer to 40 per cent in the U.S., meaning large swaths of the population remain unprotected if omicron does take off.
“We’re not going to boost our way out of the pandemic,” said Bogoch. “But if you can blunt transmission with a third dose, you’d be doing something very helpful.”
News
Capital gains tax change draws ire from some Canadian entrepreneurs worried it will worsen brain drain – CBC.ca
A chorus of Canadian entrepreneurs and investors is blasting the federal government’s budget for expanding a tax on the rich. They say it will lead to brain drain and further degrade Canada’s already poor productivity.
In the 2024 budget unveiled Tuesday, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said the government would increase the inclusion rate of the capital gains tax from 50 per cent to 67 per cent for businesses and trusts, generating an estimated $19 billion in new revenue.
Capital gains are the profits that individuals or businesses make from selling an asset — like a stock or a second home. Individuals are subject to the new changes on any profits over $250,000.
The government estimates that the changes would impact 40,000 individuals (or 0.13 per cent of Canadians in any given year) and 307,000 companies in Canada.
However, some members of the business community say that expanding the taxable amount will devastate productivity, investment and entrepreneurship in Canada, and might even compel some of the country’s talent and startups to take their business elsewhere.
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland unveiled the government’s 2024 federal budget, with spending targeted at young voters and a plan to raise capital gains taxes for some of the wealthiest Canadians.
Benjamin Bergen, president of the Council of Canadian Innovators (CCI), said the capital gains tax has overshadowed parts of the federal budget that the business community would otherwise be excited about.
“There were definitely some other stars in the budget that were interesting,” he said. “However, the … capital gains piece really is the sun, and it’s daylight. So this is really the only thing that innovators can see.”
The CCI has written and is circulating an open letter signed by more than 1,000 people in the Canadian business community to Trudeau’s government asking it to scrap the tax change.
Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke and president Harley Finkelstein also weighed in on the proposed hike on X, formerly known as Twitter.
We need to be doing everything we can to turn Canada into the best place for entrepreneurs to build 🇨🇦<br><br>What’s proposed in the federal budget will do the complete opposite. Innovators and entrepreneurs will suffer and their success will be penalized — this is not a wealth tax,…
—@harleyf
Former finance minister Bill Morneau said his successor’s budget disincentivizes businesses from investing in the country’s innovation sector: “It’s probably very troubling for many investors.”
Canada’s productivity — a measure that compares economic output to hours worked — has been relatively poor for decades. It underperforms against the OECD average and against several other G7 countries, including the U.S., Germany, U.K. and Japan, on the measure.
Bank of Canada senior deputy governor Carolyn Rogers sounded the alarm on Canada’s lagging productivity in a speech last month, saying the country’s need to increase the rate had reached emergency levels, following one of the weakest years for the economy in recent memory.
The government said it was proposing the tax change to make life more affordable for younger generations and fund efforts to boost housing supply — and that it would support productivity growth.
A challenge for investors, founders and workers
The change could have a chilling effect for several reasons, with companies already struggling to access funding in a high interest rate environment, said Bergen.
He questioned whether investors will want to fund Canadian companies if the government’s taxation policies make it difficult for those firms to grow — and whether founders might just pack up.
The expanded inclusion rate “is just one of the other potential concerns that firms are going to have as they’re looking to grow their companies.”
He said the rejigged tax is also an affront to high-skilled workers from low-innovation sectors who might have taken the risk of joining a startup for the opportunity, even taking a lower wage on the chance that a firm’s stock options grow in value.
But Lindsay Tedds, an associate economics professor at the University of Calgary, said the tax change is one of the most misunderstood parts of the federal budget — and that its impact on the country’s talent has been overstated.
“This is not a major innovation-biting tax change treatment,” Tedds said. “In fact, when you talk to real grassroots entrepreneurs that are setting up businesses, tax rates do not come into their decision.”
As for productivity, Tedds said Canadians might see improvements in the long run “to the degree that some of our productivity problems are driven by stresses like housing affordability, access to child care, things like that.”
‘One foot on the gas, one foot on the brake’
Some say the government is sending mixed messages to entrepreneurs by touting tailored tax breaks — like the Canada Entrepreneurs’ Incentive, which reduces the capital gains inclusion rate to 33 per cent on a lifetime maximum of $2 million — while introducing measures they say would dampen investment and innovation.
“They seem to have one foot on the gas, one foot on the brake on the very same file,” said Dan Kelly, president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.
Some business groups are worried that new capital gains tax changes could hurt economic growth. But according to Small Business Minister Rechie Valdez, most Canadians won’t be impacted by that change — and it’s a move to create fairness.
A founder may be able to sell their successful company with a lower capital gains treatment than otherwise possible, he said.
“At the same time, though, big chunks of it may be subject to a higher rate of capital gains inclusion.”
Selling a company can fund an individual’s retirement, he said, which is why it’s one of the first things founders consider when they think about capital gains.
Mainstreet NS7:03Ottawa is proposing a hike to capital gains tax. What does that mean?
Tuesday’s federal budget includes nearly $53 billion in new spending over the next five years with a clear focus on affordability and housing. To help pay for some of that new spending, Ottawa is proposing a hike to the capital gains tax. Moshe Lander, an economics lecturer at Concordia University, joins host Jeff Douglas to explain.
Dennis Darby, president and CEO of Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters, says he was disappointed by the change — and that it sends the wrong message to Canadian industries like his own.
He wants to see the government commit to more tax credit proposals like the Canada Carbon Rebate for Small Businesses, which he said would incentivize business owners to stay and help make Canada competitive with the U.S.
“We’ve had a lot of difficulties attracting investment over the years. I don’t think this will make it any better.”
Tech titan says change will only impact richest of the rich
Toronto tech entrepreneur Ali Asaria will be one of those subject to the expanded capital gains inclusion rate — but he says it’s only fair.
“It’s going to really affect the richest of the rich people,” Asaria, CEO of open source platform Transformer Lab and founder of well.ca, told CBC News.
“The capital gains exemption is probably the largest tax break that I’ve ever received in my life,” he said. “So I know a lot about what that benefit can look like, but I’ve also always felt like it was probably one of the most unfair parts of the tax code today.”
While Asaria said Canada needs to continue encouraging talent to take risks and build companies in the country, taxation policies aren’t the most major problem.
“I think that the biggest central issue to the reason why people will leave Canada is bigger issues, like housing,” he said.
“How do we make it easier to live in Canada so that we can all invest in ourselves and invest in our companies? That’s a more important question than, ‘How do we help the top 0.13 per cent of Canadians make more money?'”
More money will land in the pockets of Canadian families on Friday for the latest Canada Child Benefit (CCB) installment.
The federal government program helps low and middle-income families struggling with the soaring cost of raising a child.
Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or refugees who are the primary caregivers for children under 18 years old are eligible for the program, introduced in 2016.
The non-taxable monthly payments are based on a family’s net income and how many children they have. Families that have an adjusted net income under $34,863 will receive the maximum amount per child.
For a child under six years old, an applicant can annually receive up to $7,437 per child, and up to $6,275 per child for kids between the ages of six through 17.
That translates to up to $619.75 per month for the younger cohort and $522.91 per month for the older group.
The benefit is recalculated every July and most recently increased 6.3 per cent in order to adjust to the rate of inflation, and cost of living.
To apply, an applicant can submit through a child’s birth registration, complete an online form or mail in an application to a tax centre.
The next payment date will take place on May 17.
Keffiyehs remain banned in the Ontario Legislature after a unanimous consent motion that would have allowed the scarf to be worn failed to pass at Queen’s Park Thursday.
That vote, brought forth by NDP Leader Marit Stiles, failed despite Premier Doug Ford and the leaders of the province’s opposition parties all stating they want to see the ban overturned. Complete agreement from all MPPs is required for a motion like this to pass, and there were a smattering of “nos” after it was read into the record.
In an email on Wednesday, Speaker Ted Arnott said the legislature has previously restricted the wearing of clothing that is intended to make an “overt political statement” because it upholds a “standard practice of decorum.”
“The Speaker cannot be aware of the meaning of every symbol or pattern but when items are drawn to my attention, there is a responsibility to respond. After extensive research, I concluded that the wearing of keffiyehs at the present time in our Assembly is intended to be a political statement. So, as Speaker, I cannot authorize the wearing of keffiyehs based on our longstanding conventions,” Arnott said in an email.
Speaking at Queen’s Park Thursday, Arnott said he would reconsider the ban with unanimous consent from MPPs.
“If the house believes that the wearing of the keffiyeh in this house, at the present time, is not a political statement, I would certainly and unequivocally accept the express will of the house with no ifs, ands or buts,” he said.
Keffiyehs are a commonly worn scarf among Arabs, but hold special significance to Palestinian people. They have been a frequent sight among pro-Palestinian protesters calling for an end to the violence in Gaza as the Israel-Hamas war continues.
Premier calls for reversal
Ford said Thursday he’s hopeful Arnott will reverse the ban, but he didn’t say if he would instruct his caucus to support the NDP’s motion.
In a statement issued Wednesday, Ford said the decision was made by the speaker and nobody else.
“I do not support his decision as it needlessly divides the people of our province. I call on the speaker to reverse his decision immediately,” Ford said.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford reiterated Thursday that he does not support Speaker Ted Arnott banning keffiyehs in the Ontario Legislature because they are “intended to be a political statement,” as Arnott said in an email Wednesday.
PC Party MPP Robin Martin, who represents Eglinton–Lawrence, voted against the unanimous consent motion Thursday and told reporters she believes the speaker’s initial ruling was the correct one.
“We have to follow the rules of the legislature, otherwise we politicize the entire debate inside the legislature, and that’s not what it’s about. What it’s about is we come there and use our words to persuade, not items of clothing.”
When asked if she had defied a directive from the premier, Martin said, “It has nothing to do with the premier, it’s a decision of the speaker of the legislative assembly.”
Stiles told reporters Thursday she’s happy Ford is on her side on this issue, but added she is disappointed the motion didn’t pass.
“The premier needs to talk to his people and make sure they do the right thing,” she said.
Stiles first urged Arnott to reconsider the ban in an April 12 letter. She said concerns over the directive first surfaced after being flagged by members of her staff, however they have gained prominence after Sarah Jama, Independent MPP for Hamilton Centre, posted about the issue on X, formerly Twitter.
Jama was removed from the NDP caucus for her social media comments on the Israel-Hamas war shortly after Oct. 7.
Jama has said she believes she was kicked out of the party because she called for a ceasefire in Gaza “too early” and because she called Israel an “apartheid state.”
Arnott told reporters Thursday that he began examining a ban on the Keffiyeh after one MPP made a complaint about another MPP, who he believes was Jama, who was wearing one.
Liberals also call for reversal
Ontario Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie also called for a reversal of the ban on Wednesday night.
“Here in Ontario, we are home to a diverse group of people from so many backgrounds. This is a time when leaders should be looking for ways to bring people together, not to further divide us. I urge Speaker Arnott to immediately reconsider this move to ban the keffiyeh,” Crombie said.
Keffiyehs are a common garment across the Arab world, but they hold a special meaning in the Palestinian resistance movement.
Stiles said MPPs have worn kilts, kirpans, vyshyvankas and chubas in the legislature, saying such items of clothing not only have national and cultural associations, but have also been considered at times as “political symbols in need of suppression.”
She said Indigenous and non-Indigenous members have also dressed in traditional regalia and these items cannot be separated from their historical and political significance.
“The wearing of these important cultural and national clothing items in our Assembly is something we should be proud of. It is part of the story of who we are as a province,” she said.
“Palestinians are part of that story, and the keffiyeh is a traditional clothing item that is significant not only to them but to many members of Arab and Muslim communities. That includes members of my staff who have been asked to remove their keffiyehs in order to come to work. This is unacceptable.”
Stiles added that House of Commons and other provincial legislatures allow the wearing of keffiyehs in their chambers and the ban makes Ontario an “outlier.”
Suppression of cultural symbols part of genocide: MPP
Jama said on X that the ban is “unsurprising” but “nonetheless concerning” in a country that has a legacy of colonialism. “Part of committing genocide is the forceful suppression of cultural identity and cultural symbols,” she said in part.
“Seeing those in power in this country at all levels of government, from federal all the way down to school boards, aid Israel’s colonial regime with these tactics in the oppression of Palestinian people proves that reconciliation is nothing but a word when spoken by state powers,” she said.
Amira Elghawaby, Canada’s Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia, said on X that it is “deeply ironic” on that keffiyehs were banned in the Ontario legislature on the 42nd anniversary of Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
“This is wrong and dangerous as we have already seen violence and exclusion impact Canadians, including Muslims of Palestinian descent, who choose to wear this traditional Palestinian clothing,” Elghawaby said.
Arnott said the keffiyeh was not considered a “form of protest” in the legislature prior to statements and debates that happened in the House last fall.
“These items are not absolutes and are not judged in a vacuum,” he said.
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