New Brunswick is announcing two more deaths related to COVID-19 on Sunday, bringing the total number of people who have died of the disease in the province to 74.
The latest deaths involve a person in their 70s in the Moncton region (Zone 1) and a person in their 80s in the Fredericton region (Zone 3).
“I encourage all New Brunswickers to keep these people’s loved ones in their thoughts,” said Premier Blaine Higgs in a news release. “We must all follow the rules and stay within our single household this Thanksgiving weekend to slow the spread and prevent future tragedies from occurring.”
“I send my heartfelt sympathies to the loved ones of the people who have lost their lives to COVID-19,” added Dr. Jennifer Russell, chief medical officer of health. “As we spend time with the people in our single household this weekend, please take steps to protect the people closest to you. Wear a mask in indoor public spaces, wash your hands frequently and book an appointment to get fully vaccinated if you have not already done so.”
The province has reported 18 COVID-19 related deaths since Tuesday, Sept. 28.
73 NEW CASES SUNDAY
Health officials in New Brunswick are also reporting 73 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, along with 38 recoveries, as the total number of active cases in the province rises to 962.
According to health officials, 45 of Sunday’s 73 new cases, or 62 per cent, are not fully vaccinated. Fiftight een cases, or 11 per cent, are partially vaccinated, and 20 cases, or 27 per cent, are fully vaccinated.
The province says there are currently 53 people in hospital in New Brunswick due to COVID-19, with 22 in an intensive care unit. Of those currently in hospital, 42 are unvaccinated, three are partially vaccinated, and eight are fully vaccinated.
A senior’s advocate in the province says those hospitalization numbers are especially concerning.
“We’re all being punished for the people who are out being, should be, responsible this is an important occasion, Thanksgiving it’s just as important as Christmas, in fact it could be more important because sometimes at Christmas time we can’t get together because of the weather,” said Cecile Cassista, executive director of the New Brunswick Coalition for Seniors.
THANKSGIVING WEEKEND GATHERING LIMITS
New Brunswickers are being asked to limit their Thanksgiving weekend gatherings to the people living in their household.
Sunday was a busy day at Isaac Way’s restaurant in downtown Fredericton, with patrons flocking to enjoy a turkey dinner outside their household bubble, while staying within the province’s restrictions.
“It’s great for business most years thanksgiving weekend is pretty quiet, everybody goes home to families and has thanksgiving at home but this year with our regulations we’re able to welcome them into the restaurant it’s a lot busier, we have lots of reservations,” said Kristin Thurlow, Co-Owner/Manager of Isaac’s Way.
With everyone in a Thanksgiving holiday weekend lockdown, restaurants are one of the only ways people of separate households can gather.
“So I am actually living in Saint John at the moment so I had plans to come home to Fredericton to see my family and things changed obviously, with the new COVID protocols so we had to resort to brunch at a restaurant so we’re making that work,” said Shelby Harnish, who took advantage of the vaccination record screening to eat out.
Public health says all New Brunswickers, including those who are not covered by the circuit breaker, must not have gatherings anywhere other than a place at which the law requires proof of vaccination with anyone they do not currently live with during the Thanksgiving long weekend, between 6 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 8, and 11:59 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 11.
“We’re pretty happy that the government has made regulations for everyone’s safety and having people able to gather in a place that has identification, vaccination records, and is controlled that people can get together,” added Thurlow.
Public health says the household can be extended to include caregivers for any of those people, plus any parent, child, sibling, grandparent or grandchild of those people who requires support, along with any one additional person who lives alone at another address who requires support.
All businesses may remain open for regular operations but must follow measures listed under the mandatory order. This includes businesses that are not required to see proof of vaccination, such as hair salons, retail and grocery stores, and those that are required to request proof of vaccination, such as restaurants and entertainment venues. Children under 12 accompanied by a fully vaccinated adult will also be admitted.
COVID-19 CASE DATA
New Brunswick has had 5,160 cumulative cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.
In total, 4,123 people have recovered and 74 people have died in the province from COVID-19.
Public health says a total of 489,917 COVID-19 tests have been processed since the start of the pandemic.
The number of cases are broken down by New Brunswick’s seven health zones:
Zone 1 – Moncton region: 1,445 confirmed cases (351 active cases)
Zone 2 – Saint John region: 476 confirmed cases (70 active cases)
Zone 3 – Fredericton region: 1,112 confirmed cases (215 active cases)
Zone 4 – Edmundston region: 1,233 confirmed cases (154 active case)
Zone 5 – Campbellton region: 506 confirmed cases (90 active cases)
Zone 6 – Bathurst region: 260 confirmed cases (50 active cases)
Zone 7 – Miramichi region: 128 confirmed cases (32 active cases)
Nineteen new cases were reported in the Moncton region (Zone 1) involving:
five people age 19 and under
two people in their 20s
two people in their 30s
four people in their 40s
two people in their 50s
one person in their 60s
one person in their 70s
one person in their 80s
one person age 90 and over
Thirteen cases are under investigation and six are contacts of previously confirmed cases.
Ten new cases were reported in the Saint John region (Zone 2) involving:
two people age 19 and under
two people in their 20s
two people in their 30s
two people in their 50s
two people in their 60s
Seven cases are contacts of previously confirmed cases and three are under investigation.
Thirteen new cases were reported in the Fredericton region (Zone 3) involving:
three people age 19 and under
one person in their 20s
one person in their 40s
three people in their 50s
three people in their 60s
one person in their 70s
one person in their 80s
Eleven cases are under investigation and two are contacts of previously confirmed cases.
Eight new cases were reported in the Edmundston region (Zone 4) involving:
two people age 19 and under
one person in their 20s
one person in their 30s
four people in their 50s
Four cases are under investigation and four are contacts of previously confirmed cases.
Nineteen new cases were reported in the Campbellton region (Zone 5) involving:
four people age 19 and under
four people in their 20s
four people in their 30s
one person in their 40s
three people in their 50s
three people in their 60s
Fourteen cases are contacts of previously confirmed cases and five are under investigation.
Two new cases were reported in the Bathurst region (Zone 6), involving one person age 19 and under, and one person in their 40s. One case is under investigation and the other is a contact of a previously confirmed case.
VACCINE UPDATE
As of Sunday, 81.4 per cent of New Brunswickers age 12 and older are fully vaccinated and 90.6 per cent have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
In total, 1,197,985 vaccine doses have been administered in New Brunswick.
All eligible New Brunswickers can book their second dose appointments now for a date that is at least 28 days after their first dose.
POTENTIAL PUBLIC EXPOSURES
A full list of potential COVID-19 exposure notifications in New Brunswick can be found on the province’s website.
Anyone with symptoms of the virus, as well as anyone who has been at the site of a possible public exposure, is urged to request a test online or call Tele-Care at 811 to get an appointment.
CALGARY – TC Energy Corp. has completed its spinoff of South Bow Corp., its crude oil pipelines business, as an independent company.
The new company, which will be headquartered in Calgary with an office in Houston, will be led by Bevin Wirzba, formerly the executive vice-president for TC Energy’s natural gas and liquids pipelines business.
South Bow will run TC Energy’s crude oil pipelines business, including the critical Keystone pipeline system.
The move is the result of a strategic review in which the Calgary-based TC considered its options including the potential sale of the oil pipelines business.
Spinning off the oil pipelines business, which has long-term committed contracts with oil shippers, will give South Bow the chance to use its robust cash flows to pay down debt and enhance shareholder returns, while TC Energy will become a growth-oriented company focused on natural gas.
TC Energy — which has natural gas transportation infrastructure in Canada, the U.S., and Mexico — is bullish on the future of the commodity, in particular the potential for growth spurred by demand for liquefied natural gas (LNG).
TC Energy also has plans to look at new, low-carbon energy opportunities such as nuclear and pumped hydro energy storage.
The company has been under scrutiny by analysts and credit ratings for its significant debt load as well as for cost overruns on the Coastal GasLink pipeline project, which was completed in the fall of 2023.
TC Energy shareholders voted in favour of the spinoff of the crude pipelines business in a vote in June.
South Bow common shares were distributed Tuesday to TC Energy shareholders of record on Sept. 25. Shareholders received one South Bow common share for every five TC Energy common shares owned.
South Bow’s common shares are expected to start trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange on Wednesday under the ticker symbol SOBO. Trading on the New York Stock Exchange is expected to start on or about Oct. 8.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 1, 2024.
Why do I keep seeing LinkedIn profiles with an empty banner and/or no profile picture? Are these people oblivious to the importance of a first impression, or do they just not care?
You, I, and everyone judge; hence, we live in a judgemental society. Your image, which shapes how people view you, is everything.
You can’t claim to be a serious job seeker if you’re not taking advantage of LinkedIn’s visual opportunities to optimize your profile to make a strong impression. When it comes to social media content, visuals are scrolling-stoppers. Aside from your profile picture, your LinkedIn banner is the first visual people see.
View your LinkedIn banner as a billboard strategically placed at street level, which you can use to capture the attention of passersby who may have a potential opportunity. (In a previous column, I wrote that opportunities exist all around you; the caveat is they’re attached to people.) Advertisers spend a great deal of money to have billboards with a captivating visual and compelling message, making the point that billboard advertising is a good investment for driving traffic to their offerings. Your LinkedIn banner—your billboard—is free, so why not use it to market yourself to employers?
If your LinkedIn banner is currently blank, hopefully, you’re now convinced that leaving it blank is likely costing you job search and career opportunities, and you no longer want to leave it blank. Here are instructions on how to create a LinkedIn banner using Canva, a user-friendly graphic design tool that offers various customization options.
Step 1: Create a Canva account
Canva offers both free and paid plans. Their free plan is more than adequate to design your LinkedIn banner. Go to Canva’s website and sign up using your email address or social media account.
Step 2: Choose the LinkedIn banner template
In the Canva dashboard, type in ‘LinkedIn Background Photo’ in the search bar at the top to find a LinkedIn banner template. Canva offers a variety of pre-made templates—as I write this, there are 7,203 LinkedIn banner templates (Canva Pro)—that are optimally sized for LinkedIn, which is 1584 x 396 pixels. Alternatively, you can use Canva to create your LinkedIn banner from scratch.
Step 3: Customize the template
Here’s where the fun begins; experimenting with all the templates and conveying your message to employers. Canva provides an interface that allows you to customize your banner template in multiple ways.
Edit text: Click on the text elements in the template to change them. You can modify the text, fonts, colours, and sizes to match your personal brand or professional style. Ensure that the text is concise, relevant, and legible.
Add elements: Shapes, lines, icons, illustrations, and other design elements, which Canva offer a wide variety of, can be included in your banner. When used strategically, these will make your banner more visually appealing and emphasize specific aspects of your personal or professional brand.
Upload your own images: Nothing will personalize your LinkedIn banner more than incorporating your own images, such as a picture of you in your work environment or enjoying your hobby, a logo or any other relevant images, into your banner.
Change the background: You can change your banner’s background to reflect your profession, industry and personality. Canva offers a multitude of colours, gradients, and images, allowing you to create an eye-catching, scroll-stoping background.
If you’re actively job searching, consider adding your contact information and, at the risk of adding fuel to the ongoing LinkedIn’s #OPENTOWORK green banner feature, announcing you’re looking for your next opportunity or available ‘for hire.’
Step 4: Maintain consistency
When designing your LinkedIn banner, ensure it aligns with your personal brand and harmonizes with your profile picture. Consistency in design and branding is critical to creating a strong professional image on a social media platform. It’s important to avoid having your profile picture’s colour conflicting with those in your banner and vice versa.
Step 5: Review and adjust
Before finalizing your LinkedIn banner, take a moment to review your design. Check for any typos, ensure the banner is eye-catching, and convey the message you want to send to your LinkedIn network and hiring managers. Your banner should show your intention and indicate that you’ve taken a thoughtful and strategic approach to your profile.
Step 6: Download your new LinkedIn banner
Once you’re satisfied with your banner, click the download button in the upper-right corner of Canva’s interface. You’ll be prompted to choose the file format; select PNG for the best image quality. Once downloaded, your banner can be uploaded to your LinkedIn profile.
Similar to how advertisers run campaigns for a period of time, updating your LinkedIn banner every quarter is an effective way to get noticed. Aside from updating your banner to reflect different aspects of your abilities, you may also want to consider updating your banner image to reflect a relevant seasonal or holiday theme—autumn, Thanksgiving, Christmas or whatever holidays you celebrate. A visually compelling banner isn’t just an accessory; it’s a powerful tool in your job search arsenal, especially since, more than ever, image is everything.
Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned veteran of the corporate landscape, offers “unsweetened” job search advice. You can send Nick your questions to artoffindingwork@gmail.com.
TORONTO – TD Bank Group has agreed to pay more than US$28 million after an investigation into manipulation of the U.S. Treasuries market by one of its traders.
The deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice has TD agreeing that a former employee created a false appearance of supply or demand in the market by placing bids or offers, only to cancel them before completion.
The agreement says hundreds of so-called spoof orders were placed, amounting to tens of billions of dollars of false supply and demand, in an effort to artificially increase the market prices of those products.
The resolution comes as TD is also soon expected to settle a sweeping investigation into shortcomings of its anti-money laundering program that the bank expects will cost it more than US$3 billion.
The agreement on the spoofing case has TD paying about US$12.6 million in civil penalties. It also faces US$9.4 million in criminal penalties, which court documents say is the statutory maximum, plus US$4.7 million in victim compensation and US$1.4 million in forfeiture.
TD says it takes regulatory and employee conduct violations very seriously, and that it reported the employee and fired him and has since enhanced its monitoring and compliance capabilities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 30, 2024.
