We are now in Phase 3 of our reopening plan and fully immunized people from provinces or territories outside of Atlantic Canada can come to Nova Scotia without having to self-isolate.
That means two weeks following a second dose of COVID-19, friends and family living in other parts of the country can visit us and we can hop on a plane and go see them without having to quarantine upon return.
It’s been well over a year since most of us have needed to go to Halifax Stanfield International Airport and, like every other facility, COVID-19 has changed the way it operates.
HalifaxToday.ca contacted Halifax International Airport Authority spokesperson Leah Batstone to outline what you need to know.
Picking up a friend or relative
If you are picking someone up, you’re probably used to going in and waiting for them outside of the baggage claim, but that currently isn’t allowed.
“The terminal building is closed to anyone who is not a worker or a traveller,” Batstone said. “People aren’t permitted to come inside to the arrivals area and greet their family and friends.”
“We’re asking everyone to remain outside in one of the designated waiting areas along the curb, so that would be along the lower road area where you’d go for a rental car. There is a waiting area there for passenger pick-up, so we’d just like everyone to wait there.”
Masks, distancing and cleaning
We’re now all used to wearing masks in public and keeping our distance from others. These measures are also required at the airport.
Batstone said masks are mandatory in both the terminal building and the parkade.
“But there may be times during the travel process where you may actually be asked to lower your mask, which some people don’t realize, but it’s part of the identification process,” she explained. “Otherwise, it’s meant to be worn throughout your entire travel journey.”
“We also have physical distancing markers in place to allow for that when possible, and there are hand sanitizer stations in place throughout the building in high traffic areas.”
Batstone said enhanced cleaning procedures in place.
“Since last March, we’ve had additional cleaning staff on site working pretty much around the clock to try and make sure the building is as clean as possible. That includes sanitizing those high touch areas, like elevator buttons, washrooms, railing and things like that.”
Getting to and from the airport
If you want to drive yourself to the airport, you can’t use the Park’N Fly lot as it’s currently closed, but the parkade remains open.
“There are some levels that are closed off because of maintenance and the low passenger volume, but there’s the exterior lot next to the parkade that people are allowed to use,” explained Batstone.
You can still take a cab.
Halifax Transit’s airport bus is also running, but anyone who has to self-isolate isn’t allowed to take it, which includes travellers from outside Atlantic Canada who have only had one vaccine, or who haven’t had any doses.
Shops and restaurants
Before we get into the details, the main thing you probably need to know is that the Tim Hortons past security is closed, “so if you want your fix, you have to get it before you go through security,” Batstone recommended.
“It is important for people to know, if they haven’t been here in a while, they might not see the same businesses open that they would expect,” she added.
But there are spots to grab a bite to eat or do a little shopping while waiting for your flight.
“Before you go through security, there are some options there for fast food, and Hudson offers chips, drinks and snacks,” Batstone stated.
And the Liquid Assets location post-security is still open if you want to bring some local beer, wine and spirits with you to your destination.
As more passengers return to the airport, more stores will open, but for now, here’s where you can shop or eat:
Pre-Security
A&W
Hudson
Tim Hortons
Subway
Post-Security
Booster Juice
Connected Coffee
The Firkin & Flyer
Hudson
Liquid Assets
Nova Scotia Safe Check-in form and voluntary testing
Travellers from outside of Atlantic Canada will need to upload proof of vaccination when filling out the Nova Scotia Safe Check-in form. They might also need to show that proof when arriving in the province.
Batstone said the provincial screening process is set up after baggage claim.
“There’s been provincial staff on site and they verify people’s documentation, their check-in form, so the province manages that piece,” she said. “Once the traveller goes through that process, the next step is the voluntary PCR COVID-19 testing.”
Passengers are handed a self-swab kit, which has to be done within 48 hours and then dropped off at a primary assessment centre.
For incoming travellers who are still subject to mandatory testing, this counts as the first required test.
Where can I fly?
Before COVID-19 kicked in Haligonians could fly direct to 46 locations on 17 airlines. That was cut back to only four destinations on two airlines. The airport hopes that quickly changes.
“We know there’s a lot of pent-up demand when you consider that, in Atlantic Canada, a lot of people here haven’t seen family and friends in over a year,” Batstone said. “And there’s lots of people from other parts of Canada that want to come visit.”
She said service is already starting to return for several destinations.
“Over the next coming days we have return of service to Gander, Deer Lake, Goose Bay, Sydney and Edmonton,” she stated. “So we’re starting to see some of that service come back, and that’s based on demand and the easing of travel restrictions.”
“As the reopening plan continues and more and more people are vaccinated, we expect that will continue to increase.”
International flights are currently restricted by the federal government to the country’s four largest airports in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary.
“So that’s good for people to know. If they want to travel to an international or U.S. destination, they’ll have to have a connection at some point,” Batstone said.
TOKYO (AP) — Japanese technology group SoftBank swung back to profitability in the July-September quarter, boosted by positive results in its Vision Fund investments.
Tokyo-based SoftBank Group Corp. reported Tuesday a fiscal second quarter profit of nearly 1.18 trillion yen ($7.7 billion), compared with a 931 billion yen loss in the year-earlier period.
Quarterly sales edged up about 6% to nearly 1.77 trillion yen ($11.5 billion).
SoftBank credited income from royalties and licensing related to its holdings in Arm, a computer chip-designing company, whose business spans smartphones, data centers, networking equipment, automotive, consumer electronic devices, and AI applications.
The results were also helped by the absence of losses related to SoftBank’s investment in office-space sharing venture WeWork, which hit the previous fiscal year.
WeWork, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2023, emerged from Chapter 11 in June.
SoftBank has benefitted in recent months from rising share prices in some investment, such as U.S.-based e-commerce company Coupang, Chinese mobility provider DiDi Global and Bytedance, the Chinese developer of TikTok.
SoftBank’s financial results tend to swing wildly, partly because of its sprawling investment portfolio that includes search engine Yahoo, Chinese retailer Alibaba, and artificial intelligence company Nvidia.
SoftBank makes investments in a variety of companies that it groups together in a series of Vision Funds.
The company’s founder, Masayoshi Son, is a pioneer in technology investment in Japan. SoftBank Group does not give earnings forecasts.
Shopify Inc. executives brushed off concerns that incoming U.S. President Donald Trump will be a major detriment to many of the company’s merchants.
“There’s nothing in what we’ve heard from Trump, nor would there have been anything from (Democratic candidate) Kamala (Harris), which we think impacts the overall state of new business formation and entrepreneurship,” Shopify’s chief financial officer Jeff Hoffmeister told analysts on a call Tuesday.
“We still feel really good about all the merchants out there, all the entrepreneurs that want to start new businesses and that’s obviously not going to change with the administration.”
Hoffmeister’s comments come a week after Trump, a Republican businessman, trounced Harris in an election that will soon return him to the Oval Office.
On the campaign trail, he threatened to impose tariffs of 60 per cent on imports from China and roughly 10 per cent to 20 per cent on goods from all other countries.
If the president-elect makes good on the promise, many worry the cost of operating will soar for companies, including customers of Shopify, which sells e-commerce software to small businesses but also brands as big as Kylie Cosmetics and Victoria’s Secret.
These merchants may feel they have no choice but to pass on the increases to customers, perhaps sparking more inflation.
If Trump’s tariffs do come to fruition, Shopify’s president Harley Finkelstein pointed out China is “not a huge area” for Shopify.
However, “we can’t anticipate what every presidential administration is going to do,” he cautioned.
He likened the uncertainty facing the business community to the COVID-19 pandemic where Shopify had to help companies migrate online.
“Our job is no matter what comes the way of our merchants, we provide them with tools and service and support for them to navigate it really well,” he said.
Finkelstein was questioned about the forthcoming U.S. leadership change on a call meant to delve into Shopify’s latest earnings, which sent shares soaring 27 per cent to $158.63 shortly after Tuesday’s market open.
The Ottawa-based company, which keeps its books in U.S. dollars, reported US$828 million in net income for its third quarter, up from US$718 million in the same quarter last year, as its revenue rose 26 per cent.
Revenue for the period ended Sept. 30 totalled US$2.16 billion, up from US$1.71 billion a year earlier.
Subscription solutions revenue reached US$610 million, up from US$486 million in the same quarter last year.
Merchant solutions revenue amounted to US$1.55 billion, up from US$1.23 billion.
Shopify’s net income excluding the impact of equity investments totalled US$344 million for the quarter, up from US$173 million in the same quarter last year.
Daniel Chan, a TD Cowen analyst, said the results show Shopify has a leadership position in the e-commerce world and “a continued ability to gain market share.”
In its outlook for its fourth quarter of 2024, the company said it expects revenue to grow at a mid-to-high-twenties percentage rate on a year-over-year basis.
“Q4 guidance suggests Shopify will finish the year strong, with better-than-expected revenue growth and operating margin,” Chan pointed out in a note to investors.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
TORONTO – RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust says it has cut almost 10 per cent of its staff as it deals with a slowdown in the condo market and overall pushes for greater efficiency.
The company says the cuts, which amount to around 60 employees based on its last annual filing, will mean about $9 million in restructuring charges and should translate to about $8 million in annualized cash savings.
The job cuts come as RioCan and others scale back condo development plans as the market softens, but chief executive Jonathan Gitlin says the reductions were from a companywide efficiency effort.
RioCan says it doesn’t plan to start any new construction of mixed-use properties this year and well into 2025 as it adjusts to the shifting market demand.
The company reported a net income of $96.9 million in the third quarter, up from a loss of $73.5 million last year, as it saw a $159 million boost from a favourable change in the fair value of investment properties.
RioCan reported what it says is a record-breaking 97.8 per cent occupancy rate in the quarter including retail committed occupancy of 98.6 per cent.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
