A shutdown of some Saskatchewan sectors is looming if daily COVID-19 cases continue to rise, says the province’s chief medical health officer.
“Those are not easy decisions for any jurisdiction to have to do that. Livelihoods are affected, but we are evaluating the impact (new cases) have,” Dr. Saqib Shahab said.
In the past week, new cases in Saskatchewan have reached 30 to 40 a day, largely driven by those aged 15 to 39, said Shahab. The week prior, daily cases averaged 19 a day.
“The positive test rate has been less than one per cent, but it is now hovering around two per cent for 15 to 39 year olds, which is concerning and we don’t want to get any higher,” Shahab said.
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The threshold in which more restrictions would be enforced is if Saskatchewan reaches 60 cases a day, over several days. That is about five cases per 100,000 people.
“That is a threshold we really don’t want to reach,” Shahab said. “It would force us to think what else could we do beyond what we’ve done already to slow things down.”
The same thresholds are being used by jurisdictions across Canada, the U.S. and Europe to enforce stricter measures, including economic shutdowns, said Shahab.
“Some general recommendations could be slowing down specific sectors, earlier closures or going to 50 per cent capacity like the re-open plan,” Shahab said.
Additionally, the province would enforce the closure of businesses if case numbers rise to more than 100 new cases a day, for several days, which is 10 cases per 100,000 people.
“Gathering sizes would come down to a smaller number to less than 10 or five,” Shahab said. “Where in some cases, sectors that were late to reopen – bars and restaurants, gyms – unfortunately, do have to close.”
Shahab said the restrictions would be necessary to prevent the health care system from overburdening.
“That’s when you start seeing pressures on the health system, and the hospital system,” Shahab said. “That’s when unfortunately you need to start then to save the health system, have tighter measures which we all know we have taken.”
1:38 Gathering sizes to be reduced as Saskatchewan coronavirus cases increase
Gathering sizes to be reduced as Saskatchewan coronavirus cases increase
He said further cases could be prevented by reducing our contacts. Many new cases have been linked to social gatherings like birthday parties, weddings and places of worship.
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“We really need to look at what we’re doing at work and what we’re doing when we’re going out and about. We need to slow things down and bring our number of contacts down.”
According to Shahab, most people who have contracted the virus in Saskatchewan have around eight contacts, which, he said, “is a bit high.”
“It was three to four before. Some cases have up to 200 contacts.”
Moving forward, he is encouraging people to stick to the basics: wear a mask, have good hand hygiene and practice physical distancing.
“We have had a great summer. But the great outdoor Saskatchewan summer is over, and we can’t bring the party inside.”
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.
