Starting May 4, dentists, optometrists, physical therapists, podiatrists, occupational therapists and chiropractors will be able to open their doors for services. They will need to follow strict guidelines, including screening clients and providers, gloves and face masks.
Gatherings will still be capped at a maximum of 10 people under the first phase of the re-opening plan.
Guidelines for service providers opening under phase one
In its plan to re-open Saskatchewan, the province says health-care providers will still need to limit bookings. Appointments will need to be scheduled so that there are no more than 10 people in an area at a time to continue to follow public health guidelines.
The province suggests clients wait in their vehicles instead of waiting rooms and providers are encouraged to call or text people when their appointment begins. If people are waiting in the building, they should maintain at least two metres of physical distancing between themselves and other clients.
Service providers are also encouraged to establish a “directional flow” through the facility and remove non-essential items like toys and remote controls from waiting rooms.
All clients should be screened for visible COVID-19 symptoms. Anyone exhibiting symptoms will need to wear surgical mask, or cancel their appointment.
Common areas and procedure rooms will need to be disinfected between each client. Businesses are also encouraged to explain the procedures in place and public health orders to their clients ahead of their appointment.
Cleaning and disinfecting
COVID-19 can survive on surfaces for several days, which is why the province says businesses need to clean and disinfect regularly. Common areas, along with frequently used surfaces like door handles, light switches, taps and hand rails, should be cleaned at least twice a day, the province says.
Employees shouldn’t share phones, desks, offices or other tools when possible.
Clothing and other fabrics should be washed and dried at the highest temperature setting and dried completely before use.
Any hand sanitizer needs to be approved by Health Canada.
Lloydminster Hospital is dealing with an outbreak of more than a dozen cases, including patients and health-care workers. Anyone who has tested positive has moved to a separate unit at the hospital.
The far north region has the most active COVID-19 cases in the province.
Premier Scott Moe has not announced when these communities will be able to start the re-opening process.
Boat launches open Monday
Fishing and boat launches at Saskatchewan’s provincial parks will open for use on Monday.
Boat passengers need to be from the same household, the province says. Anyone on the shoreline will need to maintain at least two metres of physical distancing.
People aren’t allowed to fish off public docks, dams, jetties or marinas.
There will be limited bathroom access for day-use only and shower facilities are closed.
The province says fishing shacks are also not permitted.
Other services opening later in phase one
Saskatchewan’s golf courses will open to the public on May 15. They will also need to follow strict cleaning guidelines and golfers will need to maintain strict physical distancing. The province also says tee times will need to be 20 minutes apart to avoid congestion and golfers are encouraged to walk instead of taking golf carts.
Camping reservations will also be available starting May 4 for camping dates in June.
Anyone making a reservation needs to be a Saskatchewan resident.
Second phase to begin May 19
The second phase of re-opening the economy is scheduled to begin on May 19.
That phase includes the gradual re-opening of retail stores and personal services like hair dressers, massage therapists and acupuncturists.
All businesses will need to follow strict guidelines under the second phase.
The dates of the three remaining phases are yet to be determined.
OTTAWA – Canada’s unemployment rate held steady at 6.5 per cent last month as hiring remained weak across the economy.
Statistics Canada’s labour force survey on Friday said employment rose by a modest 15,000 jobs in October.
Business, building and support services saw the largest gain in employment.
Meanwhile, finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing experienced the largest decline.
Many economists see weakness in the job market continuing in the short term, before the Bank of Canada’s interest rate cuts spark a rebound in economic growth next year.
Despite ongoing softness in the labour market, however, strong wage growth has raged on in Canada. Average hourly wages in October grew 4.9 per cent from a year ago, reaching $35.76.
Friday’s report also shed some light on the financial health of households.
According to the agency, 28.8 per cent of Canadians aged 15 or older were living in a household that had difficulty meeting financial needs – like food and housing – in the previous four weeks.
That was down from 33.1 per cent in October 2023 and 35.5 per cent in October 2022, but still above the 20.4 per cent figure recorded in October 2020.
People living in a rented home were more likely to report difficulty meeting financial needs, with nearly four in 10 reporting that was the case.
That compares with just under a quarter of those living in an owned home by a household member.
Immigrants were also more likely to report facing financial strain last month, with about four out of 10 immigrants who landed in the last year doing so.
That compares with about three in 10 more established immigrants and one in four of people born in Canada.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
The Canadian Institute for Health Information says health-care spending in Canada is projected to reach a new high in 2024.
The annual report released Thursday says total health spending is expected to hit $372 billion, or $9,054 per Canadian.
CIHI’s national analysis predicts expenditures will rise by 5.7 per cent in 2024, compared to 4.5 per cent in 2023 and 1.7 per cent in 2022.
This year’s health spending is estimated to represent 12.4 per cent of Canada’s gross domestic product. Excluding two years of the pandemic, it would be the highest ratio in the country’s history.
While it’s not unusual for health expenditures to outpace economic growth, the report says this could be the case for the next several years due to Canada’s growing population and its aging demographic.
Canada’s per capita spending on health care in 2022 was among the highest in the world, but still less than countries such as the United States and Sweden.
The report notes that the Canadian dental and pharmacare plans could push health-care spending even further as more people who previously couldn’t afford these services start using them.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
As Canadians wake up to news that Donald Trump will return to the White House, the president-elect’s protectionist stance is casting a spotlight on what effect his second term will have on Canada-U.S. economic ties.
Some Canadian business leaders have expressed worry over Trump’s promise to introduce a universal 10 per cent tariff on all American imports.
A Canadian Chamber of Commerce report released last month suggested those tariffs would shrink the Canadian economy, resulting in around $30 billion per year in economic costs.
More than 77 per cent of Canadian exports go to the U.S.
Canada’s manufacturing sector faces the biggest risk should Trump push forward on imposing broad tariffs, said Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters president and CEO Dennis Darby. He said the sector is the “most trade-exposed” within Canada.
“It’s in the U.S.’s best interest, it’s in our best interest, but most importantly for consumers across North America, that we’re able to trade goods, materials, ingredients, as we have under the trade agreements,” Darby said in an interview.
“It’s a more complex or complicated outcome than it would have been with the Democrats, but we’ve had to deal with this before and we’re going to do our best to deal with it again.”
American economists have also warned Trump’s plan could cause inflation and possibly a recession, which could have ripple effects in Canada.
It’s consumers who will ultimately feel the burden of any inflationary effect caused by broad tariffs, said Darby.
“A tariff tends to raise costs, and it ultimately raises prices, so that’s something that we have to be prepared for,” he said.
“It could tilt production mandates. A tariff makes goods more expensive, but on the same token, it also will make inputs for the U.S. more expensive.”
A report last month by TD economist Marc Ercolao said research shows a full-scale implementation of Trump’s tariff plan could lead to a near-five per cent reduction in Canadian export volumes to the U.S. by early-2027, relative to current baseline forecasts.
Retaliation by Canada would also increase costs for domestic producers, and push import volumes lower in the process.
“Slowing import activity mitigates some of the negative net trade impact on total GDP enough to avoid a technical recession, but still produces a period of extended stagnation through 2025 and 2026,” Ercolao said.
Since the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement came into effect in 2020, trade between Canada and the U.S. has surged by 46 per cent, according to the Toronto Region Board of Trade.
With that deal is up for review in 2026, Canadian Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Candace Laing said the Canadian government “must collaborate effectively with the Trump administration to preserve and strengthen our bilateral economic partnership.”
“With an impressive $3.6 billion in daily trade, Canada and the United States are each other’s closest international partners. The secure and efficient flow of goods and people across our border … remains essential for the economies of both countries,” she said in a statement.
“By resisting tariffs and trade barriers that will only raise prices and hurt consumers in both countries, Canada and the United States can strengthen resilient cross-border supply chains that enhance our shared economic security.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.
