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Ontario confirms 446 new COVID-19 cases, Ford poised to extend state of emergency – CBC.ca

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The Ontario legislature voted on Tuesday to extend the state of emergency until June 30.

The vote came after the Ontario health ministry reported 446 additional cases of COVID-19, a number that represents a 1.6 per cent increase in total cases.

Ontario’s network of about 20 labs, meanwhile, processed 15,244 test samples on Monday, a second straight day below its own target of 16,000.

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The system has capacity to handle as many as 25,000 tests on any given day, according the Ministry of Health.The backlog of test samples waiting to be processed grew to 10,622.

Last week, Premier Doug Ford had expressed optimism that an increase in testing could help facilitate a regional reopening of Ontario. But the province failed to meet its testing benchmark more than half the time throughout May.

The new cases bring the total number since the outbreak began in late January to 28,709. Some 78.3 per cent of those are now resolved.

Yesterday, CBC News revealed that hundreds of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Toronto area were not flagged to public health officials because of a mixup between two hospitals. It meant that thousands of contacts of confirmed cases were not traced for weeks.

It’s not clear how many of those cases may have been included in today’s figures.

Health Minister Christine Elliott said the mistake “has been rectified to make sure it won’t happen again,” but she added that everyone who gets tested can go online to receive their diagnosis without waiting for a call from a public health employee. 

Elliott said the province is following up now with contact tracing and case management services.

“This is something that has been dealt with, and this will not be happening again,” she said at a news conference on Tuesday. 

The Ministry of Health’s official death toll grew by 17 to 2,293. But the real COVID-19 death toll is at least 2,345, according to a CBC News count based on data from regional public health units.

About 79.5 per cent of all deaths were residents of long-term care homes. The province has tracked outbreaks of the novel coronavirus in 309 of Ontario’s 630 long-term care facilities.

Patient ombudsman starts new investigation into long-term care

This morning, the office of Ontario’s Patient Ombudsman said it would be investigating the “resident and caregiver experience” in long-term care homes after receiving 150 complaints. The announcement follows an investigation into provincial oversight at the facilities launched yesterday by the Ontario Ombudsman.

“Complaints from residents, family members and whistleblowers pointed to a crisis in Ontario’s long-term care homes,” the office said in a statement.

The Patient Ombudsman is not an independent officer of the legislature, but works for the government.

The role of patient ombudsman has been vacant for two years, since now-Health Minister Christine Elliott quit to return to politics.

The Ontario ombudsman investigation will look at systemic aspects of long-term care including complaint handling, emergency planning, data collection, infection and death rates and communication with residents, staff and the public.

Meanwhile, the number of patients in Ontario hospitals with confirmed cases of COVID-19 increased by 20, up to 801, but remains at levels last seen in mid-April.

Hospital to take over Kitchener long-term care home

Ontario’s Ministry of Long-Term Care on Tuesday issued a mandatory management order appointing St. Mary’s General Hospital in Kitchener to temporarily manage Forest Heights Revera for 90 days. 

The order may be extended beyond the 90 days, if necessary, the ministry said in a news release.

The ministry noted that despite receiving hospital support for weeks, Forest Heights has been unable to contain the spread of COVID-19. 

Since April 1, the home has seen 175 positive cases in residents, 69 cases in staff members and 51 deaths.

State of emergency extended for another 28 days

Ontario’s emergency measure bans gatherings larger than five people. It also orders the closure of some businesses such as restaurants and bars, except if they offer takeout or delivery.

The vote on Tuesday means the state of emergency has been extended for another 28 days.

Independent legislator Randy Hillier said he was going to vote against the measure, saying it gives the government too much authority.

Ontario declared a state of emergency on March 17 as COVID-19 cases began to climb in the province.

At a news conference Tuesday, Premier Ford said the extension does not mean plans to reopen the province will remain on hold. Ford said his government is continuing to work on a plan for a regional, phased approach to reopening

“We need a plan that recognizes the reality on the ground, in different parts of our province,” Ford told reporters. 

He advocated for a “plan that will help us re-open safely without taking unnecessary risks,” adding that a second wave of the virus “is possible, so we must remain vigilant.”

Provincial health officials will not be holding their own news conference today. The Ministry of Health said yesterday that those briefings will now be held twice weekly, on Mondays and Thursday, as opposed to five times per week.

All Service Ontario locations to open ‘in the next couple of weeks’: Ford

Long lines have been seen outside many Service Ontario locations across the province because many have closed or drastically reduced their hours. 

Last month, the government was urging people to stay away unless absolutely necessary.

But on Tuesday, Ford said all locations should open up “in the next couple of weeks.” 

He urged people to go online until then.

“Beat the line up, and you can pretty well get everything online,” he said. 

To help ease the lineups, the province has extended expiry dates on a number of items, including driver’s licences, health cards and vehicle plate stickers. Many services can now be accessed online, including licence and health card renewals, as well as birth, death and marriage certificates.

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Alberta's population surges by record-setting 202,000 people: Here's where they all came from – CBC.ca

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Alberta smashed population-growth records in the past year, mainly due to people moving to the province from across Canada and around the world.

The province’s population surged to just over 4.8 million as of Jan. 1, according to new estimates released Wednesday by Statistics Canada.

That’s an increase of 202,324 residents compared with a year earlier, which marks — by far — the largest annual increase on record.

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Alberta also broke a national record in 2023 for interprovincial migration, with a net gain of 55,107 people.

“This was the largest gain in interprovincial migration nationally since comparable data became available in 1972,” Statistics Canada said in a release.


Most of the interprovincial migrants came from Ontario and British Columbia.

Statistics Canada estimates that 38,236 Ontarians moved to Alberta last year, versus 14,860 Albertans who moved to Ontario, for a net gain of 23,376 people.

Similarly, an estimated 37,650 British Columbians moved to Alberta, compared to 22,400 Albertans who moved to B.C., for a net gain of 15,250.


All told, interprovincial migration accounted for 27 per cent of Alberta’s population growth over the past year.

That put it just ahead of permanent immigration, which accounted for 26 per cent, and well ahead of natural population increase (more births than deaths), which accounted for eight per cent.

The largest component, however, was temporary international migration.

Non-permanent residents from other countries accounted for 39 per cent of the province’s population growth in the past year, reflecting a national trend.


Canada’s population reached 40,769,890 on Jan. 1, according to Statistics Canada estimates, which is up 3.2 per cent from a year ago.

“Most of Canada’s 3.2-per-cent population growth rate stemmed from temporary immigration in 2023,” Statistics Canada noted.

“Without temporary immigration, that is, relying solely on permanent immigration and natural increase (births minus deaths), Canada’s population growth would have been almost three times less (1.2 per cent).”

Alberta’s population, meanwhile, grew by 4.4 per cent year-over-year.

Alberta now represents 11.8 per cent of the country’s population, its largest proportion on record. 

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Why Canada's record population growth is helping – and hurting – the economy – CTV News

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Canada has recorded the fastest population growth in 66 years, increasing by 1.3 million people, or 3.2 per cent, in 2023, according to a new report from Statistics Canada.

The country has not seen such growth since 1957, when the spike was attributed to the baby boom and an influx of immigrants fleeing Hungary.

The vast majority of Canada’s growth last year was due to immigration, with temporary residents — which includes foreign workers and international students — making up the largest proportion of newcomers.

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“We need people coming to Canada to help with our economy,” says Matti Siemiatycki, a professor of planning at the University of Toronto. “There are many jobs and professions where there are vacancies, and that is having an impact, whether in the healthcare sector or trades and construction sector.”

Siemiatycki adds immigrants also bring “ingenuity… resources… and culture” to Canada.

Newcomers are relied on to help keep pace with Canada’s aging population and declining fertility rates, but the influx also presents a challenge for a country struggling to build the homes and infrastructure needed for immigrants.

“It’s an incredibly large shock for the economic system to absorb because of just the sheer number of people coming into the country in a short period of time,” says Robert Kavcic. a senior economist and director with BMO Capital Markets.

“The reality is population can grow extremely fast, but the supply side of the economy like housing and service infrastructure, think health care and schools, can only catch up at a really gradual pace,” Kavcic says. “So there is a mismatch right now.”

The impact of that mismatch can most acutely be seen in the cost of rent, services and housing.

In December, Kavcic wrote in a note that Canada needs to build 170,000 new housing units every three months to keep up with population growth, noting the industry is struggling to complete 220,000 units in a full year.

To address this, Ottawa has announced plans to cap the number of new temporary residents while also reducing the number of international student visas, a move economists say could offer some relief when it comes to housing and the cost of living.

“The arithmetic on the caps actual works relatively well because it would take us back down to 1 per cent population growth which we have been used to over the last decade and which is more or less absorbable by the economy,” Kavcic says. “The question is whether or not we see policy makers follow through and hit those numbers.”

Economists believe these changes could help ease inflationary pressures and may make a Bank of Canada rate cut more likely, but could also lead to slower GDP growth.

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Canada’s population hits 41M months after breaking 40M threshold – Global News

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Nine months after reaching a population of 40 million, Canada has cracked a new threshold.

As of Wednesday morning, it’s estimated 41 million people now call the country home, according to Statistics Canada’s live population tracker.

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The speed at which Canada’s population is growing was also reflected in new data released Wednesday by the federal agency: between Jan. 1 2023 and Jan. 1 2024, Canada added 1,271,872 inhabitants, a 3.2 per cent growth rate — the highest since 1957.

Most of Canada’s 3.2 per cent population growth rate stemmed from temporary immigration. Without it, Canada’s population growth would have been 1.2 per cent, Statistics Canada said.


Click to play video: 'Business News: Job growth fails to keep pace with population'

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Business News: Job growth fails to keep pace with population


From Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, 2023, Canada’s population increased by 241,494 people (0.6 per cent), the highest rate of growth in a fourth quarter since 1956.

Usha George, a professor at the Toronto Metropolitan Centre for Immigration and Settlement at Toronto Metropolitan University, told Global News in June a booming population can benefit the economy.

“It is not the bodies we are bringing in; these are bodies that fill in the empty spaces in the labour market,” she said.

“They bring a very-high level of skills.”


Click to play video: 'Canadian millennials surpass baby boomers as dominant generation: StatCan'

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Canadian millennials surpass baby boomers as dominant generation: StatCan


However, Ottawa has recently sought to ease the flow of temporary immigration in a bid to ease cost-of-living woes.


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Immigration Minister Marc Miller said on March 21 Ottawa would set targets for temporary residents allowed into Canada to ensure “sustainable” growth in the number of temporary residents entering the nation.

The next day, BMO economist Robert Kavcic in a note to clients the new limits will have a positive impact on Canada’s rental market and overall housing crisis.

“We’ve been firm in our argument that Canada has had an excess demand problem in housing, and this is maybe the clearest example,” Kavcic said.

“Non-permanent resident inflows, on net, have swelled to about 800K in the latest year, with few checks and balances in place, putting tremendous stress on housing supply and infrastructure.”

Alberta gains, Ontario loses: A look at Canadian migration in 2023

If Alberta is truly calling, then it appears more Canadians are choosing to answer.

Putting the pun on the provincial government’s attraction campaign aside, Canada’s wild rose country saw the largest net gain in interprovincial migration in 2023, Statistics Canada said in Wednesday’s report.


Click to play video: 'Is Alberta ready for population growth?'

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Is Alberta ready for population growth?


The agency said 55,107 Canadians moved to Alberta last year, which was the largest gain in interprovincial migration nationally since comparable data become available in 1972.

“Alberta has been recording gains in population from interprovincial migration since 2022, a reverse of the trend seen from 2016 to 2021, when more people left the province than arrived from other parts of Canada,” Statistics Canada said.

“Approximately 333,000 Canadians moved from one province or territory to another in 2023, the second-highest number recorded since the 1990s and the third straight year that interprovincial migration topped 300,000.”

Meanwhile, British Columbia had 8,624 more residents move out than in in 2023, meaning net interprovincial migration was negative for the first time since 2012, Statistics Canada said.

In general, the largest migration flows for British Columbia and Alberta are with each other, and most of the net loss from British Columbia in 2023 was to Alberta, it added.


Click to play video: '‘Enormous pressure’ expected in Ontario home care due to high growth of senior population'

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‘Enormous pressure’ expected in Ontario home care due to high growth of senior population


It also seems that good things may no longer be growing in Ontario; Canada’s most populous province lost 36,197 people to other regions in 2023, the biggest regional loss in 2023, Statistics Canada said.

That followed a loss of 38,816 people in 2022; the only other times a province has lost more than 35,000 people due to migration to other parts of Canada occurred in Quebec in 1977 and 1978.

Alberta aside, net interprovincial migration was also up in Nova Scotia (+6,169 people), New Brunswick (+4,790) and Prince Edward Island (+818), although all three Maritime provinces gained fewer interprovincial migrants in 2023 than in the two previous years, Statistics Canada said.

— with files from Uday Rana and Sean Previl

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