For racialized communities, there have been a number of factors contributing to higher rates of COVID-19 in major cities in Canada, but experts said many of these factors existed prior to the pandemic. Vulnerabilities like living situations as well as lack of neighbourhood resources are often left out of the conversation.
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Last year, Global News found Montreal’s more disadvantaged and multi-ethnic neighbourhoods were at a higher risk of COVID-19 due to tough financial situations or having a high-risk frontline jobs.
In Ottawa, data released by the city’s public health department last November revealed Black people made up 37 per cent of all cases since the start of the pandemic.
And in Toronto, recent data from Toronto Public Healthfound 79 per cent of COVID-19 cases in the city identified with a racialized group.
1:57 Coronavirus: Study shows some Montreal populations more vulnerable to COVID-19
Coronavirus: Study shows some Montreal populations more vulnerable to COVID-19 – Aug 25, 2020
Dr. Kate Choi, acting director at Western University’s Centre for Research on Social Inequality, said factors like living arrangements and neighbourhood amenities are just as important to consider when discussing the prevention of COVID-19.
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Choi said when it comes to multigenerational households, which are often overcrowded, there are a number of household members going to work or school.
“Because the individuals have different social milieus, it means that they have multiple points of exposure to COVID-19,” she said.
“And as a result, someone who’s living in a multigenerational household has a greater vulnerability to being exposed.”
Additionally, Choi said it is evident that racialized communities tend to be economically disadvantaged and in comparison to non-racialized communities, often reside in inadequate housing that requires major repairs or maintenance.
“If we look at something like plumbing, we know that if you had bad plumbing within your home, that could mean inadequate access to clean water, which makes it difficult for household members to wash their hands,” she said.
Low or poor airflow and circulation as a result of inadequate housing may also contribute to people’s ability to stay home and can increase one’s risk to COVID-19, Choi said.
Back in December, Aïssata Hannrecalls a day when she got really sick. She was worried about whether she had contracted COVID-19 and decided to get tested.
Hann, who liveswithher parents and two younger brothers in a small downtown Toronto apartment, said because of the limited space, it was difficult for her to isolate from the rest of her family.
“I was basically locked in my room,” she said, “I didn’t even feel like I should go to the bathroom, which is like right across the hall from my room.”
For Hann, the biggest challenge throughout the pandemic has been the fear of catching COVID-19 as she and her parents all work essential jobs and her brothers attended class in person prior to schools being closed.
“They were both going to school. There were several times where we got emails from school being like, ‘Oh, another case positive,’” she said, adding that prior to the winter break, the school of one of her brothers closed because of COVID-19 cases.
“At work every day it’s just another person has the case. Another person tested positive. I’m pretty sure my parents also have to deal with the same thing.”
Similarly, when Anna-Kay Brown of Toronto caught COVID-19, she said it was difficult to isolate in her apartment with her husband and three children.
“I don’t have the luxury of most apartments having two bathrooms and my room is also a shared space (for) my husband and my youngest child,” she said.
For some, living with multiple family members, especially those who have language barriers, has put additional pressure on older siblings to take on more work.
Omar Khan is a community worker in Toronto who works with refugee newcomer families. For people in these heavily COVID-19 impacted neighbourhoods, he said there are often language barriers.
“What I’ve been seeing is a lot of older siblings who are in (post-secondary) or high school taking on a lot and then struggling in their own school because they’re doing so much to help their family,” said Khan.
4:24 Racism and inequality during a pandemic
Racism and inequality during a pandemic – Jan 19, 2021
Additionally, Khan added language barriers have lead to misinformation about COVID-19 and the vaccine on platforms like WhatsApp.
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There has also been lots of material floating around on social media in the languages of families Khan works with.
“What happens with the youth, is they hear one thing from say, school or peers and another from their parents. Sometimes parents ask youth what they are hearing,” he said.
Overcrowded housing and fear of eviction
Beth Wilson, senior researcher at Social Planning Toronto (SPT), said a joint report by the organization, University of Calgary and York University from last fall demonstrated how multi-dimensional the housing crisis is in the city.
“(Overcrowded housing) is just one piece of it. Then you layer that on top of all of the other issues like people doing precarious work, not having protections, not having paid sick time, fearing they’ve lost jobs,” said Wilson.
Saroja Ponnambalam, a community planner at SPT, said racialized communities disproportionately experience overcrowding in comparison to non-racialized communities.
“I work with a lot of residents who live in overcrowded housing, who are newcomers and don’t necessarily have formal citizenship status,” she said.
“Families are disproportionately impacted by COVID(-19) not only due to this overcrowding but as a direct result of the affordable housing crisis.”
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Ponnambalam added the fear of eviction is common in these communities and that residents can spend more than 50 per cent of their income on rent.
10:39 Facing eviction during COVID-19
Facing eviction during COVID-19 – Jan 30, 2021
Ongoing impacts of precarious housing and jobs
Jane and Finch is one of the neighbourhoods in Toronto that is home to racialized, working class communities doing precarious work and this has put them at a higher risk of COVID-19, said Brown.
Brown, who has lived in the Jane and Finch community for more than 12 years and works as an advocate in the neighbourhood, said that one of the biggest barriers during the pandemic has been the lack of resources being allocated to communities like hers.
“We haven’t seen any type of relief for folks … We haven’t seen any of those initiatives. What does the community need? Like there’s nobody having those conversations with the community,” she said.
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1:50 ‘Grim’ COVID-19 data highlights inequities on Saskatchewan reserves
‘Grim’ COVID-19 data highlights inequities on Saskatchewan reserves – Jan 20, 2021
While there are organizations providing communities with resources like housing and food insecurity, Brown said the burden shouldn’t just be on grassroots groups that are typically underfunded.
How do we fix this?
According to Wilson, SPT recommended programs where people can isolate themselves if they are waiting for a COVID-19 test or have symptoms. “One thing is we don’t hear a lot about the solutions. So are they working for people? Do people know about them? Are they full? Or are their spaces available?” Wilson said.
Ponnambalam said that it is also important for community agencies to work with resident leaders to communicate important information, especially in different languages, out to various neighbourhoods and buildings.
Communities are also tired of talking about these issues because they are in survival mode, GoPaul said.
What is needed is money from not just the city but all levels of governments to work towards new development in these communities, she adds, because there are so many layers like income and health, that there needs to be a full turning over of the system.
“I’m really tired of the word resilience. Because this is inhumane. What’s happening in a pandemic with folks that have been excluded in so many ways historically for years … there’s no money, no real dollars that really address what’s happening on the ground.”
BATHURST, N.B. – RCMP in New Brunswick say a weekend ground search for evidence related to the disappearance of a teenage girl in 2021 didn’t reveal any new information.
In an emailed statement, the RCMP said 20 people participated in the search for evidence in the case of Madison Roy-Boudreau of Bathurst.
The release said the search occurred in the Middle River area, just south of the girl’s hometown.
Police have said the 14-year-old’s disappearance is being treated as a homicide investigation.
The RCMP said the search “did not reveal any new information regarding the circumstances of her disappearance.”
There are no plans for another search until police receive a tip or a lead pointing to a new search area.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
VICTORIA – A middle school in Victoria was forced into a lockdown after a man entered the building without permission, and police say they had to use a stun gun to make an arrest.
Victoria police say officers received multiple calls around noon on Monday of an unknown male entering Central Middle School, leading staff to set off emergency procedures that put the building under lockdown.
Police say its emergency response team arrived within minutes and found the suspect, who “appeared to be in a drug-induced state,” in the school’s library.
A statement from police says the suspect resisted arrest, and officers had to use a Taser to subdue the man.
He’s being held by police and has been assessed by emergency medical staff.
Police say the man was not armed and there were no continuing safety concerns for students and staff following the arrest.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Former B.C. Green leader Andrew Weaver knows what it’s like to form a minority government with the NDP, but says such a deal to create the province’s next administration is less likely this time than seven years ago.
Weaver struck a power-sharing agreement that resulted in John Horgan’s NDP minority government in 2017, but said in an interview Monday there is now more animosity between the two parties.
Neither the NDP nor the B.C. Conservatives secured a majority in Saturday’s election, raising the prospect of a minority NDP government if Leader David Eby can get the support of two Green legislators.
Manual recounts in two ridings could also play an important role in the outcome, which will not be known for about a week.
Weaver, who is no longer a member of the Greens, endorsed a Conservative candidate in his home riding.
He said Eby would be in a better position to negotiate if Furstenau, who lost her seat, stepped aside as party leader.
“I think Mr. Eby would be able to have fresh discussions with fresh new faces around the table, (after) four years of political sniping … between Sonia and the NDP in the B.C. legislature,” he said.
He said Furstenau’s loss put the two elected Greens in an awkward position because parties “need the leader in the legislature.”
Furstenau could resign as leader or one of the elected Greens could step down and let her run in a byelection in their riding, he said.
“They need to resolve that issue sooner rather than later,” he said.
The Green victories went to Rob Botterell in Saanich North and the Islands and Jeremy Valeriote in West Vancouver-Sea to Sky.
Neither Botterell nor Valeriote have held seats in the legislature before, Weaver noted.
“It’s not like in 2017 when, you know, I had been in the (legislature) for four years already,” Weaver said, adding that “the learning curve is steep.”
Sanjay Jeram, chair of undergraduate studies in political science at Simon Fraser University, said he doesn’t think it’ll be an “easygoing relationship between (the NDP and Greens) this time around.”
“I don’t know if Eby and Furstenau have the same relationship — or the potential to have the same relationship — as Horgan and Weaver did,” he said. “I think their demands will be a little more strict and it’ll be a little more of a cold alliance than it was in 2017 if they do form an alliance.”
Horgan and Weaver shook hands on a confidence-and-supply agreement before attending a rugby match, where they were spotted sitting together before the deal became public knowledge.
Eby said in his election-night speech that he had already reached out to Furstenau and suggested common “progressive values” between their parties.
Furstenau said in her concession speech that her party was poised to play a “pivotal role” in the legislature.
Botterell said in an election-night interview that he was “totally supportive of Sonia” and he would “do everything I can to support her and the path forward that she chooses to take because that’s her decision.”
The Green Party of Canada issued a news release Monday, congratulating the candidates on their victories, noting Valeriote’s win is the first time that a Green MLA has been elected outside of Vancouver Island.
“Now, like all British Columbians we await the final seat count to know which party will have the best chance to form government. Let’s hope that the Green caucus has a pivotal role,” the release said, echoing Furstenau’s turn of phrase.
The final results of the election won’t be known until at least next week.
Elections BC says manual recounts will be held on Oct. 26 to 28 in two ridings where NDP candidates led B.C. Conservatives by fewer than 100 votes after the initial count ended on Sunday.
The outcomes in Surrey City Centre and Juan de Fuca-Malahat could determine who forms government.
The election’s initial results have the NDP elected or leading in 46 ridings, and the B.C. Conservatives in 45, both short of the 47 majority mark in B.C.’s 93-seat legislature.
If the Conservatives win both of the recount ridings and win all other ridings where they lead, Rustad will win with a one-seat majority.
If the NDP holds onto at least one of the ridings where there are recounts, wins the other races it leads, and strikes a deal with the Greens, they would have enough numbers to form a minority government.
But another election could also be on the cards, since the winner will have to nominate a Speaker, reducing the government’s numbers in the legislature by one vote.
Elections BC says it will also be counting about 49,000 absentee and mail-in ballots from Oct. 26 to 28.
The NDP went into the election with 55 ridings, representing a comfortable majority in what was then an 87-seat legislature.
Jeram, with Simon Fraser University, said though the counts aren’t finalized, the Conservatives were the big winners in the election.
“They weren’t really a not much of a formal party until not that long ago, and to go from two per cent of the vote to winning 45 or more seats in the B.C. provincial election is just incredible,” he said in an interview Monday.
Jeram said people had expected Eby to call an election after he took over from John Horgan in 2022, and if he had, he doesn’t think there would have been the same result.
He said the B.C. Conservative’s popularity grew as a result of the decision of the BC Liberals to rebrand as BC United and later drop out.
“Had Eby called an election before that really shook out, and maybe especially before (Pierre) Poilievre, kind of really had the wind in his sails and started to grow, I think he could have won the majority for sure.”
He said he wasn’t surprised by the results of the election, saying polls were fairly accurate.
“Ultimately, it really was a result that we saw coming for a while, since the moment that BC United withdrew and put their support behind the conservatives, I think this was the outcome that was expected.”
— With files from Darryl Greer
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
