Business
Ottawa's health-care system in crisis, Etches says – CBC.ca
Ottawa’s medical officer of health issued a dire warning to residents Friday, saying the entire health-care system is on the verge of collapse if individuals don’t take personal responsibility to slow the spread of COVID-19.
“Our health system is in crisis because of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Dr. Vera Etches said during a video teleconference Friday morning.
“As Ottawa’s medical officer of health, I’m sounding the alarm. This is our warning bell. With this spike, we’ve entered crisis territory, and if we do not slow the transmission it will lead to stricter lockdown, closure of businesses, public venues, even schools.”
Her comments came the same day Ottawa saw 142 new cases of COVID-19, setting a new daily record. The previous high was 105. Hospitalizations have also doubled over the last 10 days, Etches said.
Etches described a testing and contact tracing system that’s “nearly broken” under the current demand, and said the city’s hospitals and long-term care homes are stretched to capacity.
WATCH | Close contact driving spread:
The only way to immediately prevent the situation from getting worse, Etches said, is for individuals to limit their close contacts to their households and one or two other “essential supports” such as caregivers. With everyone else, they should wear masks and maintain a two-metre distance.
Otherwise, she said the city could soon see more than 200 new cases a day, and could face another lockdown.
“What can be done quickly is changing our behaviour,” Etches said. “Prevention is the only way now, today, that we can slow the crisis in the rest of the health system.”
Etches beseeched people to cancel plans to see each other this weekend to help slow the spread.
“Please, if you have plans to gather with friends or acquaintances this weekend, I’m asking you to reconsider. Our health-care system, our school system, our economy, our loved ones are all counting on you.”
Ottawa saw more people test positive for COVID-19 in September than in any other month, as well as the highest number of active cases since the pandemic began. Some experts predict October will be worse, placing further strain on the health-care system.
Etches said some people are waiting up to a week for test results, and expressed concern that some of them may be out in the community spreading the virus without knowing it.
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Business
Gas prices expected to rise 14 cents on Thursday – CityNews Kitchener
Drivers are bracing for a double-digit spike at the gas pumps on Thursday, as the price is expected to rise 14 cents at midnight.
Roger McKnight, chief petroleum analyst withEn-Pro International Inc., tells CityNews the price at gas pumps is set to rise to 178.9 cents/litre at local stations. The price as of Wednesday is 164.9 cents/litre.
The last time gas prices were this high was back in August 2022.
McKnight says the spike is due to price increases for wholesale gas and only applies to gasoline. He adds the price for diesel will increase by 0.4 cents.
Earlier this month, the price rose to its highest levels in six months following the implementation of the federal carbon price, also referred to as the carbon tax.
That saw the carbon tax on gasoline go up by 3.3 cents per litre, while diesel increased by 4.1 cents per litre.
With files from John Marchesan of CityNews
Business
Rupture on TC Energy's NGTL gas pipeline sparks wildfire in Alberta – The Globe and Mail
A section of TC Energy’s TRP-T NGTL gas pipeline system in Alberta ruptured and caught fire on Tuesday, sparking a wildfire in a remote area, the company said.
“An initial ignition of natural gas at the rupture site is now extinguished. We are working to support Alberta Wildfire in their response to contain a secondary fire,” the company said in a statement on its website.
TC said there were no injuries and it was working closely with first responders in the region.
How fire broke out at the TC gas pipeline near Edson, Alberta
The fire broke out about 40 km (25 miles) northwest of Edson, Alberta, in Yellowhead County. Canadian broadcaster Global News said there was a plume of flames and smoke visible from many kilometres away.
The Canada Energy Regulator (CER) said initial investigations indicated a rupture in a gas pipeline caused the fire, which was under control.
TC Energy said it has isolated and shut down the affected section of the NGTL system, and the remainder of the system is operating normally with no commercial impact.
The CER said it is sending inspectors to the area to monitor and oversee the company’s response and determine the impact of the incident.
NGTL is TC Energy’s natural gas gathering and transportation system that transports gas produced in Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin (WCSB) to markets in Canada and United States.
Business
Gas prices in GTA expected to rise 14 cents on Thursday – CityNews Toronto
Drivers in the GTA are bracing for a double-digit spike at the gas pumps on Thursday, as the price is expected to rise 14 cents at midnight.
Roger McKnight, chief petroleum analyst with En-Pro International Inc., tells CityNews the price at gas pumps is set to rise to 178.9 cents/litre at local stations. The price as of Wednesday is 164.9 cents/litre.
The last time gas prices were this high was back in August 2022.
McKnight says the spike is due to price increases for wholesale gas and only applies to gasoline. He adds the price for diesel will increase by 0.4 cents.
Earlier this month, the price rose to its highest levels in six months following the implementation of the federal carbon price, also referred to as the carbon tax.
That saw the carbon tax on gasoline go up by 3.3 cents per litre, while diesel increased by 4.1 cents per litre.
With files from John Marchesan of CityNews
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