Roger Wiebe of Edmonton and his wife are cancelling Christmas this year because they can’t afford it.
Weibe said he lost his job at a medical supply warehouse in June due to a COVID-19-related work slowdown. His wife, a legal assistant, lost her job in February.
Neither has been able to land another job as the pandemic drags on, and they’re struggling.
“We can’t afford presents or anything like that,” said Wiebe. “I don’t even think we’re going to be in the mood to even put up a tree or anything this year. … Christmas is going to be another day.”
Many other Canadians won’t go as far as cancelling Christmas, but will have pared-down celebrations this year as fears of the virus, physical gathering restrictions and a weakened economy put a damper on holiday plans.
Roger Wiebe lost his job in June and says Christmas is on hold this year because he can’t afford it. (Trevor Wilson/CBC)
According to Deloitte Canada’s annual holiday retail spending survey, which polled 1,000 Canadians in September, respondents said they expected to spend an average of $1,405 during the holidays — down 18 per cent from the previous year.
“It’s a pretty big drop,” said Marty Weintraub, national retail leader at Deloitte Canada, an accounting firm. He said concerns over the economy and waning consumer confidence are inspiring Canadians to curtail their spending.
Canada’s economy was on its way to recovery in the summer when provinces eased their lockdowns and businesses reopened. But then the second wave hit as COVID-19 infections spiked once again, forcing some provinces to reintroduce lockdown measures.
“With wave two and uncertainty, we’re now back into serious headwinds ahead,” said Weintraub. “It’s a bit of a roller coaster right now.”
Less partying this Christmas
Weintraub said another reason why Canadians plan to spend less this Christmas is simply because there will be fewer reasons to part with their cash — thanks to social gathering limits and Canada’s advisory not to travel abroad.
Deloitte’s holiday survey found that travel, dining out, and alcohol purchased for entertaining will be where the biggest spending cuts are made.
“No one’s traveling anywhere. No one’s having big gatherings,” said Weintraub.
The majority of respondents (51 per cent) said they have no plans to entertain guests at home over the holidays.
Rashida Malcolm of Toronto said she hopes to have a few close family members over for Christmas. However, large get-togethers — such as her family’s annual holiday party with up to 100 guests — won’t happen this year.
Rashida Malcolm, her husband and daughters at the annual Toronto Christmas Market in 2019. This year, the market has been cancelled due to social gathering restrictions. (submitted by Rashida Malcolm)
“I think we’re all willing — I hope we’re all willing — to do whatever is necessary. So I’m sad not to see everyone, but we’ll send out Christmas cards and call.”
Another downer for Malcolm is that holiday festivities her family normally attends — such as the Toronto Christmas Market held in the Distillery District — have been cancelled this year due to restrictions on public gatherings.
WATCH | ‘Big parties are off’ this Christmas, says Canada’s top doctor
Dr. Theresa Tam spoke to reporters during a pandemic briefing in Ottawa on Friday. 2:38
And due to concerns over crowded malls, Malcolm said visiting Santa at the mall is off — news she has yet to share with her two young daughters.
“I’m going to hope that they just don’t ask.”
Holiday celebration alternatives
Adults aren’t the only ones facing a pared-down Christmas. Children will likely take it hard when they learn that Christmas traditions, such as visiting Santa, have been nixed.
But all is not lost as Santa and his helpers scramble for solutions.
At Toronto’s Eaton Centre and Southcentre Mall in Calgary, Santa is planning COVID-19 friendly appearances. Everyone must wear masks and, instead of sitting in Santa’s lap, children will have to keep their distance.
“There will be no direct contact with Santa,” said Southcentre Mall in a statement. It also warns that everyone — including Santa — will undergo temperature checks.
At Toronto’s Eaton Centre this year, Santa will wear a mask and sit two meters apart from visiting children. At another mall, Santa will appear on a video screen turned into a ‘magic mirror.’ (Cadillac Fairview/Facebook)
At Scarborough Town Centre in Toronto, Santa will appear virtually via a large screen so kids can get their picture taken without any physical contact.
“We want to keep everyone safe, including Santa, so we’re going to have Santa there through his magic mirror,” said Will Correia, Scarborough Town Centre’s general manager.
Santa Claus parades have been cancelled in cities across Canada, but some are trying to keep spirits afloat with COVID-19-safe alternatives.
Several cities including London, Maple Ridge, B.C. and Yorkton, Sask. are planning a “reverse” parade where the floats stay parked. Spectators drive by and enjoy the sights from the safety of their cars.
“The children of London … will not be disappointed!” promises an ad for London’s upcoming parade which will be parked at the city’s airport.
Santa Claus waves from the final float in the Guelph Santa Claus Parade on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2019. This year, some parades may be held without spectators lining the streets, while others will be stationary so people can drive by in cars. (Kate Bueckert/CBC)
Toronto also plans to continue its Santa Claus parade this year. However, it will take a new route that’s closed to the public who can instead view the parade on TV.
It may not be the same as seeing Santa in person, but this is the year that Canadians will have to revise their holiday traditions, while still trying to keep up the Christmas spirit.
“It’s sort of what you make of it,” said Malcolm. “It’s still a great time to be thankful. … Lucky for us, our household is healthy and, things like that, I keep reminding myself when things seem a little bleak.”
The Deloitte survey polled 1,000 Canadians online from Sept. 8 to 14. The margin of error for a comparable sample like this would be +/-3 per cent, with a 95 per cent confidence level.
VICTORIA – The British Columbia government says it is taking steps to ensure tree fruit growers are compensated for past harvests after the closure of a co-operative that had served farmers for almost 90 years.
It says the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC is “redirecting” about $4 million in provincial funding that will be used to ensure co-op members receive money they are owed.
The province says the foundation will pay growers in the coming weeks and then recoup the funds at the end of the court process involving the BC Tree Fruits Cooperative that filed for creditor protection last month.
In July, the co-op, which processed, stored, packaged and sold fruit for 230 member farms, announced it was shutting down after 88 years of operation.
It says it has more than $58 million in liabilities.
The agriculture ministry says it is has also provided $100,000 to the BC Fruit Growers Association that will go toward food-safety certification that was previously done by the co-op.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Jesse Marsch issued Canada’s men’s soccer squad a challenge — get physical.
The edict came after the Canadians surprised many at this summer’s Copa America tournament, making it through to the semifinals. As his players departed for their professional clubs, the head coach wanted them thinking about continued growth.
“I challenged them to be more physically present in the matches that they played in,” Marsch said. “I’ve tried to encourage all the players to sprint more, to win more duels, to win more balls, to be more dynamic in matches.”
When Canada reconvened for a pair of friendlies last week, the coach saw some players had already heeded his call, including Vancouver Whitecaps product Ali Ahmed.
The 23-year-old midfielder started in both Canada’s 2-1 victory over the United States on Saturday and Tuesday’s 0-0 draw against Mexico.
“I’m really happy for him,” Marsch said. “I think he’s still young and still has a lot of room and potential to continue to grow.”
Playing under Marsch — who took over as head coach in May — has been a boon for the young athlete, currently in his second full season with Major League Soccer’s Whitecaps.
“Jesse has a very clear way of playing,” Ahmed said. “And I think the way we’ve been training and the way we’ve been growing as a group, it’s been helpful for me.”
The reward of getting minutes for a national team can spur a player’s growth, including Ahmed, said Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini.
“Of course that fuels him inside to say ‘Hey, I want to be a better player. I want to get to that stage,'” said Sartini.
Vancouver had six players — including Ahmed — away on international duty during its 0-0 draw against Dallas FC on Saturday. The absences are a good problem to have, Sartini said.
“Because we have players that are close to the national team, we have a lot of players that development is faster, better, bigger than it would have been if they hadn’t been called,” he said.
Born in Toronto, Ahmed came up through the Whitecaps’ academy system and played for Vancouver’s MLS Next Pro side before cementing his spot on the first team in 2023. He put up two goals and two assists across 22 regular-season games, and added another goal and another helper in 19 appearances this year.
Taking the next step will require the five-foot-11, 154-pound Ahmed to push himself physically, Marsch said.
“Tactically, he’s technically gifted,” the coach said. “I’ve told him he’s got to get in the gym more.
“There’s a lot of these little things where too many guys, they still look like kids and we need to help them look like men and play like men. And that’s what the high standards of the game are about.”
Marsch has quickly adjusted to recalibrating standards in his short time with Team Canada. Since taking over the squad in May, the coach said he’s learned the players are smarter and more capable than he originally thought, which forces the coach to constantly recalibrate his standards.
“That’s my job right now, to keep raising the level of the demands,” he said.
The way 40th-ranked Canada is viewed on the international stage is evolving, too.
“I think we’re changing the perception on the way we’re playing now,” he said. “I think beating the U.S. — it would have been nice to beat Mexico as well — the way we did, the way that we performed at Copa, I think teams are starting to look at us differently.
“Right now, I think we’re focused on ourselves. We’re definitely trying to be the best in CONCACAF and we have higher goals as well.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
An investigator gave the World Anti-Doping Agency a pass on its handling of the inflammatory case involving Chinese swimmers, but not without hammering away at the “curious” nature of WADA’s “silence” after examining Chinese actions that did not follow rules designed to safeguard global sports.
WADA on Thursday released the full decision from Eric Cottier, the Swiss investigator it appointed to analyze its handling of the case involving the 23 Chinese swimmers who remained eligible despite testing positive for performance enhancers in 2021.
In echoing wording from an interim report issued earlier this summer, Cottier said it was “reasonable” that WADA chose not to appeal the Chinese anti-doping agency’s explanation that the positives came from contamination.
“Taking into consideration the particularities of the case, (WADA) appears … to have acted in accordance with the rules it has itself laid out for anti-doping organizations,” Cottier wrote.
But peppered throughout his granular, 56-page analysis of the case was evidence and reminders of how WADA disregarded some of China’s violations of anti-doping protocols. Cottier concluded this happened more for the sake of expediency than to show favoritism toward the Chinese.
“In retrospect at least, the Agency’s silence is curious, in the face of a procedure that does not respect the fundamental rules, and its lack of reaction is surprising,” Cottier wrote of WADA’s lack of fealty to the world anti-doping code.
Travis Tygart, the CEO of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency and one of WADA’s fiercest critics, latched onto this dynamic, saying Cottier’s information “clearly shows that China did not follow the rules, and that WADA management did nothing about it.”
One of the chief complaints over the handling of this case was that neither WADA nor the Chinese gave any public notice upon learning of the positive tests for the banned heart medication Temozolomide, known as TMZ.
The athletes also were largely kept in the dark and the burden to prove their innocence was taken up by Chinese authorities, not the athletes themselves, which runs counter to what the rulebook demands.
Despite the criticisms, WADA generally welcomed the report.
“Above all, (Cottier) reiterated that WADA showed no bias towards China and that its decision not to appeal the cases was reasonable based on the evidence,” WADA director general Olivier Niggli said. “There are however certainly lessons to be learned by WADA and others from this situation.”
Tygart said “this report validates our concerns and only raises new questions that must be answered.”
Cottier expanded on doubts WADA’s own chief scientist, Olivier Rabin, had expressed over the Chinese contamination theory — snippets of which were introduced in the interim report. Rabin was wary of the idea that “a few micrograms” of TMZ found in the kitchen at the hotel where the swimmers stayed could be enough to cause the group contamination.
“Since he was not in a position to exclude the scenario of contamination with solid evidence, he saw no other solution than to accept it, even if he continued to have doubts about the reality of contamination as described by the Chinese authorities,” Cottier wrote.
Though recommendations for changes had been expected in the report, Cottier made none, instead referring to several comments he’d made earlier in the report.
Key among them were his misgivings that a case this big was largely handled in private — a breach of custom, if not the rules themselves — both while China was investigating and after the file had been forwarded to WADA. Not until the New York Times and German broadcaster ARD reported on the positives were any details revealed.
“At the very least, the extraordinary nature of the case (23 swimmers, including top-class athletes, 28 positive tests out of 60 for a banned substance of therapeutic origin, etc.), could have led to coordinated and concerted reflection within the Agency, culminating in a formal and clearly expressed decision to take no action,” the report said.
WADA’s executive committee established a working group to address two more of Cottier’s criticisms — the first involving what he said was essentially WADA’s sloppy recordkeeping and lack of formal protocol, especially in cases this complex; and the second a need to better flesh out rules for complex cases involving group contamination.
