When a vaccine for the virus behind COVID-19 is approved in Canada, Ontario will be tasked with vaccinating more than a third of the country’s population — and some medical experts say “question marks” remain regarding the cost breakdown and roll-out plans.
The province’s ongoing planning work comes as two vaccine candidates pre-ordered by the federal government are now showing promise.
“We do have an entire team at the Ministry of Health that is working on the plan for distribution,” said Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott on Monday.
Transportation, cold storage options, and other logistics will be part of that process. Ethicists will also be at the table, Elliott said, to make sure an eventual vaccine is distributed “fairly and equitably.”
“We will be ready to go as soon as the vaccine is available,” she said.
But despite the optimism, others say key questions remain unanswered, partly due to the complex and unprecedented nature of planning the large-scale roll-out of a brand new vaccine — which will be in high demand, and potentially short-supply, at least initially.
Extra costs after initial purchase
“I would like to hear a little bit more detailed explanation of what the priority groups are going to be,” said Matthew Miller, an associate professor at the Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research at McMaster University in Hamilton.
“I think we can understand that there’s still question marks about how much vaccine will be available over which time frame.”
WATCH | Moderna says its COVID-19 vaccine appears to be 94.5% effective:
Minister of Public Services and Procurement Anita Anand says the government is putting in place contracts to boost refrigeration capacity to store millions of vaccine doses. 9:11
Health care workers and vulnerable populations are likely candidates for the top of the list, Miller said, though that decision will also have to weigh local issues such as the level of health care services in different communities.
“Definitely the costs, I think, are a question mark right now,” he said. “Because in addition to the direct costs of each vaccine dose that’s required, of course, there’ll be costs associated with the way that these vaccines are actually administered.”
There’s a price tag for every step of the process, from purchasing to refrigeration to administration fees, noted Paul Grootendorst, an associate professor in the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Toronto who has researched the economics of the pharmaceutical industry.
Grootendorst also speculated that the price per dose the government is paying — which hasn’t been made public — could fluctuate, depending on the final study findings.
“Let’s suppose that the efficacy turns out to be like 70 per cent … well, how does the price vary?” he questioned.
‘We do have an entire team at the Ministry of Health that is working on the plan for distribution,’ said Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott on Monday. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press)
Feds ‘cannot disclose’ agreement details
In a statement, a spokesperson for Public Services and Procurement Canada said it “cannot disclose details of specific agreements” in order to protect Canada’s negotiating position and commercially sensitive pricing information, as well as to respect confidentiality clauses in the vaccine agreements made to date.
Canadians won’t be paying out of pocket to get vaccinated, but it’s not yet clear what portion of the costs Ontario or other provinces will be shouldering to vaccinate residents.
WATCH | Procurement minister says government is boosting refrigeration capacity for vaccines:
Minister of Public Services and Procurement Anita Anand says the government is putting in place contracts to boost refrigeration capacity to store 33.5 million vaccine doses. 1:16
“The real issue that’s happening in the background is how much of this will be covered by federal money versus how much of it will be covered by provincial money,” Miller said.
“Almost certainly, both federal and provincial governments will pitch in a share. And I’m sure the major negotiations right now are just around what the percentage breakdown ends up being.”
CBC News asked both Public Services and Procurement Canada and Health Canada about the potential federal-provincial cost split but did not receive an answer by deadline.
A spokesperson for Ontario’s Ministry of Health also did not provide any specific details, but said the province is “working with the federal government and other provincial and territorial partners” to plan for the potential delivery of a vaccine.
Costs a ‘drop in the bucket’
Regardless of how the costs shake out, Grootendorst said it’s a small price to pay to bring the virus behind COVID-19 under control.
“If we’re talking about a billion dollars here, or a billion dollars there, that’s all rounding error when it comes to the overall cost of managing a pandemic,” Grootendorst said.
WATCH | With promising vaccine news, residents urged to stay vigilant:
Doug Manuel, epidemiologist at The Ottawa Hospital, says promising news about the effectiveness of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine is welcome, but doesn’t mean residents should let their guard down. 1:13
“It really is a lower order of magnitude, compared to the cost to the economy and to society, mental health, etcetera of having people’s lives sidetracked by this circulating virus.”
Miller agreed, saying the costs are likely just “a drop in the bucket” compared to the economic and societal toll.
TORONTO – Canada Goose Holdings Inc. says it has signed a deal that will result in the creation of its first eyewear collection.
The deal announced on Thursday by the Toronto-based luxury apparel company comes in the form of an exclusive, long-term global licensing agreement with Marchon Eyewear Inc.
The terms and value of the agreement were not disclosed, but Marchon produces eyewear for brands including Lacoste, Nike, Calvin Klein, Ferragamo, Longchamp and Zeiss.
Marchon plans to roll out both sunglasses and optical wear under the Canada Goose name next spring, starting in North America.
Canada Goose says the eyewear will be sold through optical retailers, department stores, Canada Goose shops and its website.
Canada Goose CEO Dani Reiss told The Canadian Press in August that he envisioned his company eventually expanding into eyewear and luggage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Almost seven years since news broke of an alleged conspiracy to fix the price of packaged bread across Canada, the saga isn’t over: the Competition Bureau continues to investigate the companies that may have been involved, and two class-action lawsuits continue to work their way through the courts.
Here’s a timeline of key events in the bread price-fixing case.
Oct. 31, 2017: The Competition Bureau says it’s investigating allegations of bread price-fixing and that it was granted search warrants in the case. Several grocers confirm they are co-operating in the probe.
Dec. 19, 2017: Loblaw and George Weston say they participated in an “industry-wide price-fixing arrangement” to raise the price of packaged bread. The companies say they have been co-operating in the Competition Bureau’s investigation since March 2015, when they self-reported to the bureau upon discovering anti-competitive behaviour, and are receiving immunity from prosecution. They announce they are offering $25 gift cards to customers amid the ongoing investigation into alleged bread price-fixing.
Jan. 31, 2018: In court documents, the Competition Bureau says at least $1.50 was added to the price of a loaf of bread between about 2001 and 2016.
Dec. 20, 2019: A class-action lawsuit in a Quebec court against multiple grocers and food companies is certified against a number of companies allegedly involved in bread price-fixing, including Loblaw, George Weston, Metro, Sobeys, Walmart Canada, Canada Bread and Giant Tiger (which have all denied involvement, except for Loblaw and George Weston, which later settled with the plaintiffs).
Dec. 31, 2021: A class-action lawsuit in an Ontario court covering all Canadian residents except those in Quebec who bought packaged bread from a company named in the suit is certified against roughly the same group of companies.
June 21, 2023: Bakery giant Canada Bread Co. is fined $50 million after pleading guilty to four counts of price-fixing under the Competition Act as part of the Competition Bureau’s ongoing investigation.
Oct. 25 2023: Canada Bread files a statement of defence in the Ontario class action denying participating in the alleged conspiracy and saying any anti-competitive behaviour it participated in was at the direction and to the benefit of its then-majority owner Maple Leaf Foods, which is not a defendant in the case (neither is its current owner Grupo Bimbo). Maple Leaf calls Canada Bread’s accusations “baseless.”
Dec. 20, 2023: Metro files new documents in the Ontario class action accusing Loblaw and its parent company George Weston of conspiring to implicate it in the alleged scheme, denying involvement. Sobeys has made a similar claim. The two companies deny the allegations.
July 25, 2024: Loblaw and George Weston say they agreed to pay a combined $500 million to settle both the Ontario and Quebec class-action lawsuits. Loblaw’s share of the settlement includes a $96-million credit for the gift cards it gave out years earlier.
Sept. 12, 2024: Canada Bread files new documents in Ontario court as part of the class action, claiming Maple Leaf used it as a “shield” to avoid liability in the alleged scheme. Maple Leaf was a majority shareholder of Canada Bread until 2014, and the company claims it’s liable for any price-fixing activity. Maple Leaf refutes the claims.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Companies in this story: (TSX:L, TSX:MFI, TSX:MRU, TSX:EMP.A, TSX:WN)
TORONTO – TD Bank Group, which is mired in a money laundering scandal in the U.S., says chief executive Bharat Masrani will retire next year.
Masrani, who will retire officially on April 10, 2025, says the bank’s, “anti-money laundering challenges,” took place on his watch and he takes full responsibility.
The bank named Raymond Chun, TD’s group head, Canadian personal banking, as his successor.
As part of a transition plan, Chun will become chief operating officer on Nov. 1 before taking over the top job when Masrani steps down at the bank’s annual meeting next year.
TD also announced that Riaz Ahmed, group head, wholesale banking and president and CEO of TD Securities, will retire at the end of January 2025.
TD has taken billions in charges related to ongoing U.S. investigations into the failure of its anti-money laundering program.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
