Ontario reported more than 3,000 new COVID-19 cases and eight more deaths today, along with a record number of patients battling the disease in intensive care units across the province.
Ontario reported 3,041 new cases on Sunday, 3,009 on Saturday and 3,089 on Friday.
The province’s seven-day rolling average of new cases now stands at 2,862, compared to 2,207 a week ago.
Of the latest fatalities, one person was between 40 and 59 years old, four people were between 60 and 79 and three were 80 or older. No new fatalities were reported among long-term care home residents.
Today’s fatalities mark the lowest reported since Mar. 22 when three people died with the virus. The province’s virus-related death toll is now 7,458.
Another 1,976 people recovered from the virus in the past 24 hours, resulting in 26,568 active cases across the province.
Provincial health officials also reported 33 more lab-confirmed cases of highly-contagious variants of concern, including 30 of the dominant B.1.1.7 variant and three of the P.1 variant.
Another 1,068 cases that have screened positive for a variant are awaiting whole genome sequencing to identify their lineage, with a total of 27,193 cases pending confirmation of what variant they are.
Ontario labs processed more than 37,500 tests in the past 24 hours, and another 29,173 tests are under investigation.
The province’s positivity rate rose to a staggering 8.9 per cent today, compared to 7.8 per cent a day ago, according to the Ministry of Health.
It’s the highest positivity rate Ontario has seen in three months.
In the Greater Toronto Area, Toronto logged 955 new infections, up from 906 on Monday, while 561 cases were recorded in Peel Region, 320 in York, 119 in Halton and 101 in Durham.
Meanwhile, 128 new cases were reported in Hamilton, 132 in Niagara and 165 in Ottawa.
Of Ontario’s 34 public health units, 15 logged 30 or more new cases today.
The number of patients fighting the disease in hospitals continues to creep upwards as the province is in its first week of a month-long shutdown to curb rising cases and hospitalizations.
The Ministry of Health says there are currently 1,161 patients hospitalized across the province due to the virus, up from 942 a day ago.
However, according to data from public health units there are at least 1,364 patients in Ontario hospitals due to the virus.
Of those hospitalized, the ministry says a record 510 are in intensive care units, up by 16 from Monday, and 310 are breathing with the help of a ventilator.
The head of ICU at Michael Garron Hospital, Dr. Michael Warner, told CP24 that the variants are driving up the number of cases in hospitals.
“The variant is a completely different disease, completely different from classic COVID. The variant will run the table in a household. Almost everyone will get infected. We didn’t see that in wave one,” he said.
To date, there have been just over 367,600 cases of the coronavirus and 333,576 recoveries since the first case emerged in the province last January.
More than 323,148 people have been fully vaccinated against the disease in Ontario since mid-December. Of the vaccines that are currently being administered across the province, two doses are needed up to four months apart for full immunization.
As of Monday evening, over 2.6 million doses have been administered to Ontarians, with 76,199 yesterday alone.
The numbers used in this story are found in the Ontario Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 Daily Epidemiologic Summary. The number of cases for any city or region may differ slightly from what is reported by the province, because local units report figures at different times.
Most job search advice is cookie-cutter. The advice you’re following is almost certainly the same advice other job seekers follow, making you just another candidate following the same script.
In today’s hyper-competitive job market, standing out is critical, a challenge most job seekers struggle with. Instead of relying on generic questions recommended by self-proclaimed career coaches, which often lead to a forgettable interview, ask unique, thought-provoking questions that’ll spark engaging conversations and leave a lasting impression.
Your level of interest in the company and the role.
Contributing to your employer’s success is essential.
You desire a cultural fit.
Here are the top four questions experts recommend candidates ask; hence, they’ve become cliché questions you should avoid asking:
“What are the key responsibilities of this position?”
Most likely, the job description answers this question. Therefore, asking this question indicates you didn’t read the job description. If you require clarification, ask, “How many outbound calls will I be required to make daily?” “What will be my monthly revenue target?”
“What does a typical day look like?”
Although it’s important to understand day-to-day expectations, this question tends to elicit vague responses and rarely leads to a deeper conversation. Don’t focus on what your day will look like; instead, focus on being clear on the results you need to deliver. Nobody I know has ever been fired for not following a “typical day.” However, I know several people who were fired for failing to meet expectations. Before accepting a job offer, ensure you’re capable of meeting the employer’s expectations.
“How would you describe the company culture?”
Asking this question screams, “I read somewhere to ask this question.” There are much better ways to research a company’s culture, such as speaking to current and former employees, reading online reviews and news articles. Furthermore, since your interviewer works for the company, they’re presumably comfortable with the culture. Do you expect your interviewer to give you the brutal truth? “Be careful of Craig; get on his bad side, and he’ll make your life miserable.” “Bob is close to retirement. I give him lots of slack, which the rest of the team needs to pick up.”
Truism: No matter how much due diligence you do, only when you start working for the employer will you experience and, therefore, know their culture firsthand.
“What opportunities are there for professional development?”
When asked this question, I immediately think the candidate cares more about gaining than contributing, a showstopper. Managing your career is your responsibility, not your employer’s.
Cliché questions don’t impress hiring managers, nor will they differentiate you from your competition. To transform your interaction with your interviewer from a Q&A session into a dynamic discussion, ask unique, insightful questions.
Here are my four go-to questions—I have many more—to accomplish this:
“Describe your management style. How will you manage me?”
This question gives your interviewer the opportunity to talk about themselves, which we all love doing. As well, being in sync with my boss is extremely important to me. The management style of who’ll be my boss is a determining factor in whether or not I’ll accept the job.
“What is the one thing I should never do that’ll piss you off and possibly damage our working relationship beyond repair?”
This question also allows me to determine whether I and my to-be boss would be in sync. Sometimes I ask, “What are your pet peeves?”
“When I join the team, what would be the most important contribution you’d want to see from me in the first six months?”
Setting myself up for failure is the last thing I want. As I mentioned, focus on the results you need to produce and timelines. How realistic are the expectations? It’s never about the question; it’s about what you want to know. It’s important to know whether you’ll be able to meet or even exceed your new boss’s expectations.
“If I wanted to sell you on an idea or suggestion, what do you need to know?”
Years ago, a candidate asked me this question. I was impressed he wasn’t looking just to put in time; he was looking for how he could be a contributing employee. Every time I ask this question, it leads to an in-depth discussion.
Other questions I’ve asked:
“What keeps you up at night?”
“If you were to leave this company, who would follow?”
“How do you handle an employee making a mistake?”
“If you were to give a Ted Talk, what topic would you talk about?”
“What are three highly valued skills at [company] that I should master to advance?”
“What are the informal expectations of the role?”
“What is one misconception people have about you [or the company]?”
Your questions reveal a great deal about your motivations, drive to make a meaningful impact on the business, and a chance to morph the questioning into a conversation. Cliché questions don’t lead to meaningful discussions, whereas unique, thought-provoking questions do and, in turn, make you memorable.
Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned veteran of the corporate landscape, offers “unsweetened” job search advice. You can send Nick your questions to artoffindingwork@gmail.com.
CALGARY – Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. reported a third-quarter profit of $2.27 billion, down from $2.34 billion in the same quarter last year.
The company says the profit amounted to $1.06 per diluted share for the quarter that ended Sept. 30 compared with $1.06 per diluted share a year earlier.
Product sales totalled $10.40 billion, down from $11.76 billion in the same quarter last year.
Daily production for the quarter averaged 1,363,086 barrels of oil equivalent per day, down from 1,393,614 a year ago.
On an adjusted basis, Canadian Natural says it earned 97 cents per diluted share for the quarter, down from an adjusted profit of $1.30 per diluted share in the same quarter last year.
The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 90 cents per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 31, 2024.
CALGARY – Cenovus Energy Inc. reported its third-quarter profit fell compared with a year as its revenue edged lower.
The company says it earned $820 million or 42 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30, down from $1.86 billion or 97 cents per diluted share a year earlier.
Revenue for the quarter totalled $14.25 billion, down from $14.58 billion in the same quarter last year.
Total upstream production in the quarter amounted to 771,300 barrels of oil equivalent per day, down from 797,000 a year earlier.
Total downstream throughput was 642,900 barrels per day compared with 664,300 in the same quarter last year.
On an adjusted basis, Cenovus says its funds flow amounted to $1.05 per diluted share in its latest quarter, down from adjusted funds flow of $1.81 per diluted share a year earlier.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 31, 2024.
