Chinese Canadians are bearing the brunt of misinformation and rumour about COVID-19, warns Canada’s health minister.
Patty Hajdu met with her B.C. counterpart Adrian Dix, Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart and stakeholders in the Vancouver Chinese Canadian community Monday to find ways to combat the issue.
Alex Wang, who runs the Peninsula Seafood Restaurant in Oakridge said he’s seen business drop more than 70 per cent.
“For my cash flow, I don’t think I can survive longer than three months,” he said.
Wang said he’s trying to avoid laying off staff, some who’ve been with the business for six years, but has been forced to cut shifts.
“The Chinese New Year period is the most busy time in the year. We [had to] cancel all the parties, nobody come out,” he said.
“The biggest loss is the salary and our inventory that we prepare for the Chinese New Year.”
Mayor Stewart said Wang’s concerns are widespread in the community, where unfounded fears around COVID-19 have some entrepreneurs worried they’ll be put out of business.
“We’ve heard some restaurants that are losing 50, 60, 70 per cent of business which is very, very concerning to us, because most of it is based on misinformation,” said Stewart.
“We’re encouraging people to go on with their regular business, enjoy all the great food and other services that are offered here in Chinatown and other Chinese communities because at this stage we’re considering everything safe and we don’t want these businesses hurt.”
As the COVID-19 outbreak continues to grow, there has been rising concern about racism and misinformation which is rapidly being spread online.
2:18 Coronavirus outbreak: Hajdu stresses shutting down borders over illness ‘not effective at all’
Coronavirus outbreak: Hajdu stresses shutting down borders over illness ‘not effective at all’
Asian supermarket chain T&T was forced to issue a statement in January after social media posts linked it to the virus, while this month a B.C. man who had never been infected found himself as the unwitting face of the disease thanks to a viral photo.
Hajdu made a similar stop with Ontario’s health minister and Toronto’s mayor last week amid similar concerns stigmatization in that city’s Chinatown.
Hajdu said there was nothing new about online misinformation, but that the speed with which it’s spreading is a challenge.
“Sometimes there are alternative agendas for misinformation,” she said.
“Sometimes people drive fear because they like to, sometimes they drive fear because it might result in a profit. You can sell more masks for example if you create more fear. People sometimes drive fear as a way to cast aspersions on communities.”
1:44 B.C resident coming home after being quarantined on the Diamond Princess
B.C resident coming home after being quarantined on the Diamond Princess
Hajdu said it is more important than ever that Canadians stick to reliable sources of information, whether it be credible media or official provincial or federal public health officials.
Dix said health officials in British Columbia had made a point of maximum transparency, including weekly in-person updates with the province’s top doctor, in a bid to counter misinformation.
“We are determined, any time there is a positive case, to let people know and we’ve consistently done that,” he said.
“People can be assured that that is going to happen every single time.”
Hajdu also spoke about Canadians aboard cruise ships docked in Cambodia and Yokohama where COVID-19 cases have surfaced.
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She said there was no formal timeline to repatriate Canadians aboard the ship in Japan, but that officials anticipate it could take place later this week.
5:50 COVID-19 myth debunker
COVID-19 myth debunker
She added that health officials were still working to determine which Canadians aboard the ship in Cambodia had left that ship and what their travel routes were.
As of Monday, eight COVID-19 cases had been identified in Canada — five in British Columbia and three in Ontario.
The virus has killed more than 1,700 people and infected more than 70,000 people in total, most of them in mainland China.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Billie Jean King will become the first individual female athlete to be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.
Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey announced Tuesday that their bipartisan legislation had passed the House of Representatives and would be sent to President Joe Biden for his signature.
The bill to honor King, the tennis Hall of Famer and activist, had already passed unanimously in the Senate.
Sherrill, a Democrat, said in a statement that King’s “lifetime of advocacy and hard work changed the landscape for women and girls on the court, in the classroom, and the workplace.”
The bill was introduced last September on the 50th anniversary of King’s victory over Bobby Riggs in the “Battle of the Sexes,” still the most-watched tennis match of all-time. The medal, awarded by Congress for distinguished achievements and contributions to society, has previously been given to athletes including baseball players Jackie Robinson and Roberto Clemente, and golfers Jack Nicklaus, Byron Nelson and Arnold Palmer.
King had already been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. Fitzpatrick, a Republican, says she has “broken barriers, led uncharted paths, and inspired countless people to stand proudly with courage and conviction in the fight for what is right.”
SURREY, B.C. – Premier David Eby says new account control measures for young Instagram users introduced Tuesday by social media giant Meta are the “minimum” expected of tech companies to keep kids safe online.
The parent company of Instagram says users in Canada and elsewhere under 18 will have their accounts set to private by default starting Tuesday, restricting who can send messages, among other parental controls and settings.
Speaking at an unrelated event Tuesday, Eby says the province began talks with social media companies after threatening legislation that would put big tech companies on the hook for “significant potential damages” if they were found negligent in failing to keep kids safe from online predators.
Eby says the case of Carson Cleland, a 12-year-old from Prince George, B.C., who took his own life last year after being targeted by a predator on Snapchat, was “horrific and totally preventable.”
He says social media apps are “nothing special,” and should be held to the same child safety standards as anyone who operates a place that invites young people, whether it’s an amusement park, a playground or an online platform.
In a progress report released Tuesday about the province’s engagement with big tech companies including Google, Meta, TikTok, Spapchat and X, formerly known as Twitter, the provincial government says the companies are implementing changes, including a “trusted flagger” option to quickly remove intimate images.
— With files from The Associated Press
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024
EDMONTON – Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says as classrooms get overwhelmed with new grade school students, her government will fast-track new school builds with $8.6 billion over the next three years.
In a televised address Tuesday evening, Smith said the province’s existing budget isn’t enough to keep up with rapid population growth in kindergarten to Grade 12 schools.
“This is quite literally the fastest and largest build our province can manage given available construction workforce capacity and the time it takes to permit, prepare and service available school sites,” said Smith.
The province’s population grew by more than 200,000 people in the last fiscal year.
The premier said often the only thing holding back the cash is school boards getting projects ready for construction.
“If you can prepare the sites, the province will have the dollars set aside to get shovels in the ground,” said Smith.
The government is changing the process of approving construction funding so school boards don’t need to wait every year for the next budget cycle to get the go-ahead.
Previously approved school projects that are now in the planning and design stages could move forward to the next stage as soon as they are ready.
Smith’s announcement comes as the province’s two largest divisions, Edmonton Public Schools and the Calgary Board of Education, say their schools are expected to have a utilization rate of well over 90 per cent this school year, with some schools hitting capacity.
The addition of some $6.5 billion in capital funding would be a significant boost to what was budgeted in February.
Budget 2024 originally earmarked $1.9 billion in capital funding over the next three years for planning, design or construction of new and modernized school projects across the province.
In the summer, the government promised an added $215 million for school boards, including $90 million towards 100 more modular classrooms that are expected to be delivered by the end of the calendar year.
Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides told The Canadian Press that yearly budget numbers will vary under the new plan because different projects will be able to move forward at different times, but it will mean schools get built as quickly as possible.
“That (new) process will help make sure that it doesn’t take five, six years for schools to get built,” he said.
Smith said she expects the construction could lead to about 50,000 new student spaces over the next three years, and 12,500 new charter school student spaces over the next four years.
Smith also used her television address to take a swipe at Ottawa, accusing Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government of “unrestrained” border policies.
Smith said historically high immigration levels – especially for those with temporary visas – is exacerbating housing shortages and challenging education, health and other social services infrastructure.
“Alberta has always welcomed newcomers who possess our shared values – and we will continue to do so,” said Smith, explaining her definition of shared values.
“Welcoming those who believe in working hard, protecting our freedoms, contributing to society, following the rule of law, and who have a deep respect for other cultures and faiths different from their own, have long been a strength of our provincial culture and history.”
Smith called for “more sensible and restrained” policies but did not provide details.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
