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Ontario reports lower COVID-19 case count in Ottawa on Tuesday – CTV Edmonton

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OTTAWA —
Ottawa Public Health is reporting 25 more people in Ottawa have tested positive for COVID-19.

This brings the city’s total to 13,733 cases since the pandemic began.

One more person in Ottawa has died of COVID-19, bringing the pandemic death toll in the city to 427 residents.

Across the province, health officials reported 1,022 new cases of COVID-19, alongside 17 deaths and 1,388 newly resolved cases. Ontario health officials also reported 25 new cases in Ottawa on Tuesday. 

The province also confirmed Ottawa’s first case of the B.1.351 variant of COVID-19, first discovered in South Africa. There have also been six confirmed cases of the B.1.1.7 variant, first detected in the U.K..

Case counts are typically lower on Tuesdays following lower testing numbers over the weekend. 

Some weekly monitoring trends, which had increased slightly over the weekend, fell again on Tuesday. The number of known active cases is now at its lowest point so far this year and the weekly incidence rate per 100,000 population remains within the “Orange-Restrict” territory under the province’s framework one week before the stay-at-home order officially ends. 

OTTAWA’S COVID-19 KEY STATISTICS

Ottawa Public Health moved Ottawa into its red zone in early January.

A provincial stay-at-home order has been in effect since Jan. 14, 2021. It ends at 12:01 a.m. Feb 16.

Ottawa Public Health data:

  • COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days): 33.8 (down from 34.0 cases on Monday, but up from 32.7 cases on Sunday and 29.6 cases on Saturday)
  • Positivity rate in Ottawa: 1.6 per cent (Feb. 1 to 7)
  • Reproduction number: 1.00 (seven day average)

Reproduction values greater than 1 indicate the virus is spreading and each case infects more than one contact. If it is less than 1, it means spread is slowing. 

VACCINES

As of Feb. 8

  • Vaccine doses administered in Ottawa (first and second shots): 31,554*
  • Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine doses delivered to Ottawa: 30,225
  • Moderna vaccine doses delivered to Ottawa: 4,000

*OPH says staff were able to extract additional doses out of several vials, which were given to residents. In a statement on its dashboard, OPH said, “Vaccine inventory is based on an expected 5 dose per vial supply. Occasionally, an additional dose (6th dose) is successfully extracted and administered to clients.”

ACTIVE CASES OF COVID-19

The number of people in Ottawa with known active cases of COVID-19 has dropped again following a slight increase over the weekend.

OPH says there are 420 active cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa, the lowest figure so far this year, down from 456 on Monday and 470 on Sunday.

Sixty newly resolved cases were reported on Tuesday. A total of 12,886 cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa are now considered resolved.

The number of active cases is the number of total laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 minus the numbers of resolved cases and deaths. A case is considered resolved 14 days after known symptom onset or positive test result.

HOSPITALIZATIONS IN OTTAWA

There are 25 people in Ottawa hospitals with COVID-19 complications, up from 23 on Monday. Five people are in the ICU, down from six.

Of the people in hospital, one is in their 30s, one is in their 40s (this person is in the ICU), four are in their 50s, four are in their 60s (two are in the ICU), four are in their 70s (one is in the ICU), seven are in their 80s (one is in the ICU), and four are 90 or older.

COVID-19 TESTING

Ontario health officials say 30,709 COVID-19 tests were completed across Ontario on Monday and 33,273 tests remain under investigation.

The Ottawa COVID-19 Testing Taskforce says 1,545 swabs were taken at assessment centres on Monday and labs performed 3,314 tests.

The average positivity rate for the week of Feb. 1 to 7 was 1.6 per cent.

The average turnaround from the time the swab is taken at a testing site to the result is 19 hours.

CASES OF COVID-19 IN OTTAWA BY AGE CATEGORY

  • 0-9 years old: Five new cases (1,000 total cases)
  • 10-19 years-old: Four new case (1,692 total cases)
  • 20-29 years-old: Four new cases (2,935 total cases)
  • 30-39 years-old: Five new cases (1,917 total cases)
  • 40-49 years-old: Two new cases (1,793 total cases)
  • 50-59 years-old: Four new cases (1,655 total cases)
  • 60-69-years-old: One case reassigned to other category (1,004 total cases)
  • 70-79 years-old: One new case (615 total cases)
  • 80-89 years-old: One new case (679 total cases)
  • 90+ years old: Zero new cases (440 total cases)

The ages of three people with COVID-19 are unknown.

CASES OF COVID-19 AROUND THE REGION

  • Eastern Ontario Health Unit: One new case
  • Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington Public Health: Four new cases
  • Leeds, Grenville & Lanark Public Health: Zero new case
  • Renfrew County and District Health Unit: Zero new cases
  • CISSS de l’Outaouais (Gatineau and western Quebec): Seven new cases 

INSTITUTIONAL OUTBREAKS

Ottawa Public Health is reporting COVID-19 outbreaks at 25 institutions in Ottawa, including long-term care homes, retirement homes, daycares, hospitals and schools.

A new outbreak at a Mothercraft Ottawa home daycare was declared on Tuesday and an outbreak at a local group home has ended.

There are two active community outbreaks, linked to a health workplace and a warehouse.

The schools and childcare spaces currently experiencing outbreaks are:

  1. Bishop Hamilton Montessori School
  2. Centre educatif La Clementine (École Marie-Curie)
  3. Cornerstone Children’s Centre
  4. Greely Elementary School
  5. Mothercraft Ottawa home child care – 32715 (NEW)
  6. Playtime Daycare Centre – Licensed Childcare

The long-term care homes, retirement homes, hospitals, and other spaces currently experiencing outbreaks are:

  1. Garden Terrace
  2. Garry J. Armstrong long-term care home
  3. Group Home – 32432
  4. Heritage Retirement
  5. Manoir Marochel
  6. Montfort Long-term Care Centre
  7. Oakpark Retirement Community
  8. Residence St. Louis
  9. Richmond Care Home
  10. Shelter – 28778
  11. Shelter – 29677
  12. Shelter – 29770
  13. Shelter – 29860
  14. Shelter – 32296
  15. Shelter – 32620
  16. St. Patrick’s Home
  17. The Edinburgh Retirement Residence
  18. Valley Stream Retirement Residence
  19. Villa Marconi

A single laboratory-confirmed case of COVID-19 in a resident or staff member of a long-term care home, retirement home or shelter triggers an outbreak response, according to Ottawa Public Health. In childcare settings, a single confirmed, symptomatic case in a staff member, home daycare provider, or child triggers an outbreak.

Under provincial guidelines, a COVID-19 outbreak in a school is defined as two or more lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases in students and/or staff in a school with an epidemiological link, within a 14-day period, where at least one case could have reasonably acquired their infection in the school (including transportation and before or after school care).  

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Telus prioritizing ‘most important customers,’ avoiding ‘unprofitable’ offers: CFO

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Telus Corp. says it is avoiding offering “unprofitable” discounts as fierce competition in the Canadian telecommunications sector shows no sign of slowing down.

The company said Friday it had fewer net new customers during its third quarter compared with the same time last year, as it copes with increasingly “aggressive marketing and promotional pricing” that is prompting more customers to switch providers.

Telus said it added 347,000 net new customers, down around 14.5 per cent compared with last year. The figure includes 130,000 mobile phone subscribers and 34,000 internet customers, down 30,000 and 3,000, respectively, year-over-year.

The company reported its mobile phone churn rate — a metric measuring subscribers who cancelled their services — was 1.09 per cent in the third quarter, up from 1.03 per cent in the third quarter of 2023. That included a postpaid mobile phone churn rate of 0.90 per cent in its latest quarter.

Telus said its focus is on customer retention through its “industry-leading service and network quality, along with successful promotions and bundled offerings.”

“The customers we have are the most important customers we can get,” said chief financial officer Doug French in an interview.

“We’ve, again, just continued to focus on what matters most to our customers, from a product and customer service perspective, while not loading unprofitable customers.”

Meanwhile, Telus reported its net income attributable to common shares more than doubled during its third quarter.

The telecommunications company said it earned $280 million, up 105.9 per cent from the same three-month period in 2023. Earnings per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 was 19 cents compared with nine cents a year earlier.

It reported adjusted net income was $413 million, up 10.7 per cent year-over-year from $373 million in the same quarter last year. Operating revenue and other income for the quarter was $5.1 billion, up 1.8 per cent from the previous year.

Mobile phone average revenue per user was $58.85 in the third quarter, a decrease of $2.09 or 3.4 per cent from a year ago. Telus said the drop was attributable to customers signing up for base rate plans with lower prices, along with a decline in overage and roaming revenues.

It said customers are increasingly adopting unlimited data and Canada-U.S. plans which provide higher and more stable ARPU on a monthly basis.

“In a tough operating environment and relative to peers, we view Q3 results that were in line to slightly better than forecast as the best of the bunch,” said RBC analyst Drew McReynolds in a note.

Scotiabank analyst Maher Yaghi added that “the telecom industry in Canada remains very challenging for all players, however, Telus has been able to face these pressures” and still deliver growth.

The Big 3 telecom providers — which also include Rogers Communications Inc. and BCE Inc. — have frequently stressed that the market has grown more competitive in recent years, especially after the closing of Quebecor Inc.’s purchase of Freedom Mobile in April 2023.

Hailed as a fourth national carrier, Quebecor has invested in enhancements to Freedom’s network while offering more affordable plans as part of a set of commitments it was mandated by Ottawa to agree to.

The cost of telephone services in September was down eight per cent compared with a year earlier, according to Statistics Canada’s most recent inflation report last month.

“I think competition has been and continues to be, I’d say, quite intense in Canada, and we’ve obviously had to just manage our business the way we see fit,” said French.

Asked how long that environment could last, he said that’s out of Telus’ hands.

“What I can control, though, is how we go to market and how we lead with our products,” he said.

“I think the conditions within the market will have to adjust accordingly over time. We’ve continued to focus on digitization, continued to bring our cost structure down to compete, irrespective of the price and the current market conditions.”

Still, Canada’s telecom regulator continues to warn providers about customers facing more charges on their cellphone and internet bills.

On Tuesday, CRTC vice-president of consumer, analytics and strategy Scott Hutton called on providers to ensure they clearly inform their customers of charges such as early cancellation fees.

That followed statements from the regulator in recent weeks cautioning against rising international roaming fees and “surprise” price increases being found on their bills.

Hutton said the CRTC plans to launch public consultations in the coming weeks that will focus “on ensuring that information is clear and consistent, making it easier to compare offers and switch services or providers.”

“The CRTC is concerned with recent trends, which suggest that Canadians may not be benefiting from the full protections of our codes,” he said.

“We will continue to monitor developments and will take further action if our codes are not being followed.”

French said any initiative to boost transparency is a step in the right direction.

“I can’t say we are perfect across the board, but what I can say is we are absolutely taking it under consideration and trying to be the best at communicating with our customers,” he said.

“I think everyone looking in the mirror would say there’s room for improvement.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

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TC Energy cuts cost estimate for Southeast Gateway pipeline project in Mexico

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CALGARY – TC Energy Corp. has lowered the estimated cost of its Southeast Gateway pipeline project in Mexico.

It says it now expects the project to cost between US$3.9 billion and US$4.1 billion compared with its original estimate of US$4.5 billion.

The change came as the company reported a third-quarter profit attributable to common shareholders of C$1.46 billion or $1.40 per share compared with a loss of C$197 million or 19 cents per share in the same quarter last year.

Revenue for the quarter ended Sept. 30 totalled C$4.08 billion, up from C$3.94 billion in the third quarter of 2023.

TC Energy says its comparable earnings for its latest quarter amounted to C$1.03 per share compared with C$1.00 per share a year earlier.

The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 95 cents per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:TRP)

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BCE reports Q3 loss on asset impairment charge, cuts revenue guidance

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BCE Inc. reported a loss in its latest quarter as it recorded $2.11 billion in asset impairment charges, mainly related to Bell Media’s TV and radio properties.

The company says its net loss attributable to common shareholders amounted to $1.24 billion or $1.36 per share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared with a profit of $640 million or 70 cents per share a year earlier.

On an adjusted basis, BCE says it earned 75 cents per share in its latest quarter compared with an adjusted profit of 81 cents per share in the same quarter last year.

“Bell’s results for the third quarter demonstrate that we are disciplined in our pursuit of profitable growth in an intensely competitive environment,” BCE chief executive Mirko Bibic said in a statement.

“Our focus this quarter, and throughout 2024, has been to attract higher-margin subscribers and reduce costs to help offset short-term revenue impacts from sustained competitive pricing pressures, slow economic growth and a media advertising market that is in transition.”

Operating revenue for the quarter totalled $5.97 billion, down from $6.08 billion in its third quarter of 2023.

BCE also said it now expects its revenue for 2024 to fall about 1.5 per cent compared with earlier guidance for an increase of zero to four per cent.

The company says the change comes as it faces lower-than-anticipated wireless product revenue and sustained pressure on wireless prices.

BCE added 33,111 net postpaid mobile phone subscribers, down 76.8 per cent from the same period last year, which was the company’s second-best performance on the metric since 2010.

It says the drop was driven by higher customer churn — a measure of subscribers who cancelled their service — amid greater competitive activity and promotional offer intensity. BCE’s monthly churn rate for the category was 1.28 per cent, up from 1.1 per cent during its previous third quarter.

The company also saw 11.6 per cent fewer gross subscriber activations “due to more targeted promotional offers and mobile device discounting compared to last year.”

Bell’s wireless mobile phone average revenue per user was $58.26, down 3.4 per cent from $60.28 in the third quarter of the prior year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:BCE)

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