Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe speaks at a COVID-19 news update at the Legislative Building in Regina on March 18, 2020.
Michael Bell/The Canadian Press
Saskatchewan has laid out a detailed, comprehensive plan to reopen its economy, the first province in the country to do so.
The plan, laid out in five phases, will start on May 4, with the resumption of non-essential medical procedures, and the reopening of provincial parks, campgrounds and golf courses. About two weeks later, retail businesses and personal services, such as hair salons and massage therapists, will be permitted to open.
From there, the province will gradually ease back on other restrictions as long as COVID-19 infections are kept at bay.
“Some may be concerned [it] is far too soon, that reopening businesses in the coming weeks could increase the spread of COVID-19,” Premier Scott Moe said. “We have to find the middle ground that continues to keep our case numbers low and keep Saskatchewan people safe, while at the same time allowing for businesses to reopen and Saskatchewan people to get back to work.”
Mr. Moe warned that that the process would be slow and that life in his province is unlikely to return to normal any time soon.
The final three phases, which will include reopening restaurants, gyms, daycares and increasing limits on mass gatherings, have no dates attached. The government says the timeline will depend on COVID-19 infections. The plan contemplates maintaining some limits on public gatherings, even in the final phase.
The province plans to increase testing and contact tracing to detect new infections and prevent additional spread.
Saskatchewan has had 331 cases of COVID-19, including four deaths, but the pace of infections has been relatively slow. In recent weeks, the province has added fewer than 10 cases a day and its total per capita infections are well below the Canadian average. Its testing rates are also higher than average.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe announced medical services, golf courses, dental offices and retail shops will be allowed to open their doors next month.The Canadian Press
A number of governments across Canada are now turning their attention to restarting parts of their economies as early as next month. Prince Edward Island says it will lift some restrictions on May 1, while British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Quebec and New Brunswick have all said they are working on their own plans.
The provinces say they are working with each other and the federal government, though the delicate return to normalcy – or some version of it – is likely to vary across Canada.
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In Saskatchewan, all businesses that are permitted to open will be expected to practise physical distancing and, where that’s not possible, businesses must screen clients and provide staff with personal protective equipment such as masks.
Mr. Moe said provincial governments are in frequent contact but he said there is no problem with them setting their own timelines. He said the COVID-19 situation is dramatically different from province to province and the physical-distancing measures need to match conditions on the ground.
“I don’t think there’s a risk either way with provinces lifting restrictions or looking at how they are going to reopen certain sectors of their economy.
“Every province is at a different stage or in a different situation [in terms of COVID-19 infections], and often those provinces aren’t that far apart.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government is working to co-ordinate provincial plans so that decisions on reopening the economy are based on common guidelines.
“We know that everyone wants to know when this is going to be over,” Mr. Trudeau said during his daily news conference. “But in the coming months, we will be able to loosen a number of the restrictions and rules that we have right now. … Different provinces are in very different postures related to COVID-19 and will be taking decisions that are appropriate for them.”
Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, Theresa Tam, said she is working with her provincial counterparts to identify guidelines for easing restrictions. Dr. Tam told reporters Thursday that examples of such guidelines include the capacity to trace individuals who were in contact with an infected person and whether workplaces have plans in place to minimize the spread of infections.
Craig Jenne, an infectious-disease expert who teaches at the University of Calgary, said it makes sense to tailor plans to fit the circumstances in different parts of the country, but he said lack of uniform rules in neighbouring jurisdictions could cause problems.
“These are fluid borders, they are a line on a map but not necessarily a line in day-to-day life,” he said.
“You’ll get people seeking businesses that are open and crossing provincial boundaries. You may also be putting undo pressure on neighbouring jurisdictions to keep up, when their numbers may not support it yet.”
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He said all it takes is a single infection in a long-term care home or in an area that doesn’t have COVID-19 to start an outbreak.
With reports from Bill Curry in Ottawa and The Canadian Press
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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.
