Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will continue Friday to prod premiers towards more stringent measures to curb the spread of Chttps://www.bttoronto.ca/wp-admin/post-new.phpOVID-19, even as he offers up more federal funding to help provinces retrain workers left jobless by the pandemic.
Trudeau is expected to announce hundreds of millions of dollars more for provinces to plow into skills training, on top of some $3.5 billion in previously announced funding.
But he’s also expected to renew his call for premiers to impose the restrictions necessary to douse the wildfire spread of COVID-19 and not be deterred by the economic costs of shutting down businesses.
Trudeau took that message directly to premiers during a conference call Thursday evening.
A summary of the call issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, says Trudeau asked premiers to “identify their specific needs to protect the health and safety of Canadians and bring the virus under control in their jurisdictions.”
And he assured them the federal government will continue to provide them with assistance and “will do whatever it takes for as long as it takes to keep Canadians safe and supported.”
Federal officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the issue publicly, say Trudeau stressed that he’s not trying to tell premiers what to do or cast blame for the alarming surge in COVID-19 cases across the country.
Rather, he wanted to emphasize that the federal government has put in place billions worth of support programs to help individuals and businesses weather lockdowns — and stands ready to pour more money into the effort to get the second wave under control.
Trudeau issued a similar message Tuesday.
“With rising cases of COVID-19 here at home, there’s added pressure on all orders of government to keep people safe, and to protect jobs,” he told a news conference.
“But I would hope that no leader in our country is easing public health vigilance because they feel pressure not to shut down businesses or slow down our economy.
“… I’m imploring the premiers and our mayors to please do the right thing: Act now to protect public health. If you think something is missing in the support we’re offering for your citizens, tell us.”
That message did not sit well with all premiers. Saskatchewan’s Scott Moe said it was “extremely unhelpful” for the prime minister to frame the issue as a “false choice” between protecting Canadians’ health and protecting the economy.
Still, officials said Thursday’s conference call was collegial and constructive. The readout added that “all first ministers reiterated their support for the Team Canada approach to fighting COVID-19.”
Ontario could see as many as 6,500 new daily cases of COVID-19 by mid-December unless steps are taken to limit the spread of the virus, newly released projections showed Thursday as the province marked another record for new infections.
The new modelling predicts at a rate of growth of five per cent, Ontario could hit 6,500 cases per day by mid-December. If cases grow by three per cent, the province could be reporting over 3,000 cases per day.
Dr. Adalsteinn Brown says Ontario is currently at a seven-day growth rate around four per cent while the three-day growth rate is closer to six per cent.
When asked whether restrictions currently in place effectively control the amount of growth, Dr. Brown said based on what they are seeing, he would not expect to see any deviations from these models.
“You’ll continue to see growth in cases, you’ll see the high levels of ICU use probably hit, you’ll se the mortality continue to climb in long-term care homes. Even with new restrictions if they are implemented today, you would still see growth,” said Dr. Brown.
“I do not believe there is way that the cases will change without action.”
Bold action is what the head of the Ontario Hospital Association says is needed, noting that provincial hospitals will face significant capacity challenges.
“Bold and decisive leadership is needed immediately from the Government of Ontario to support local public health units and Ontario’s hospitals in the difficult time that lies ahead,” said CEO Anthony Dale in a statement.
Dale says the stanby capacity that was available in hospitals at the onset of the pandemic is now gone and some are certain to face overwhelming conditions unless the Ford government puts new public health measures in place.
“The OHA is urging the province to reconsider its COVID-19 Response Framework and also calls on local public health units to follow the bold leadership that the Region of Pell and City of Toronto have demonstrated.”
The modelling shows key indicators for the pandemic continue to worsen, though the impact varies from region to region.
If the province’s cases grow at a rate of five per cent, Ontario’s case numbers would likely exceed the numbers several countries in Europe are reporting that are now in some form of lockdown — including the U.K., France and Germany.
Public Health says ICU occupancy will exceed the 150-bed threshold under any scenario within the next two weeks and could exceed 400 beds under the worst scenario within six weeks.
Once ICU occupancy exceeds the 150-bed threshold, it impacts whether hospitals can proceed with scheduled surgeries.
Even if new measures are imposed, it will take a while for improvements to appear, Brown said.
The new projections for how the virus might spread in Ontario come as the province has reported daily case increases above 1,000 for the past week, and a record 1,575 on Thursday.
They also come amid ongoing criticism of the province’s new tiered system for managing COVID-19 measures, which places local health units in green, yellow, orange, red, or lockdown categories based on metrics such as the number of cases per 100,000 people.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford defended the colour-coded system, maintaining it is meant to serve as a baseline for local health authorities to build on with additional measures.
Ford said the framework was proposed by Ontario’s chief medical officer of health, Dr. David Williams, and dismissed the criticism as simply a difference of opinion within the medical community.
As the new projections were announced, Williams stressed the numbers reflect infections that took place before the new system took effect, but didn’t rule out any future amendments.
“The framework has not been out for a week yet and we have to see what’s going to happen with that,” he said.
A group representing tens of thousands of Ontario physicians called Thursday for the government to lower the thresholds for imposing stricter measures, saying the framework is too lax, particularly at a time when case counts are surging.
The Ontario Medical Association said the criteria to move from one alert level to the other should be much lower – as much as 50 per cent lower in some cases – and the higher levels should include a ban on indoor dining in restaurants and bars.
Deaths in long-term care homes are up substantially, with 71 being reported in the last seven days. There are currently almost 1,100 cases of COVID-19 in long-term care homes including staff cases.
The numbers also show over 60 per cent of cases reported in Toronto have no epidemiological link and in Peel Region, the positivity rate for COVID-19 is over 10 per cent.
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will face questions today from senators scrutinizing the government’s latest bid to provide pandemic aid to hard-hit businesses.
Freeland is scheduled to testify early this afternoon to the Senate’s national finance committee that is reviewing the aid bill, known as C-9.
The House of Commons agreed last week to pass the proposed package of measures quickly, but none can be enacted until the Senate passes it as well.
Bill C-9 would extend the federal wage subsidy until next summer, cancelling a previously planned decline in its value, as well as expanding a popular business loan program.
The legislation would also redo a program for commercial rent relief that was widely criticized because its original design needed buy-in from landlords, many of whom did not participate.
And it would also provide top-up help for businesses whose revenues crash because of local lockdowns, similar to those being imposed in parts of the country right now as COVID-19 case numbers rise.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2020.
Disturbing details emerging from the latest release of transcripts of the Canadian Armed Forces testimony before the Long-Term Care Commission.
In a 61 page transcript released Wednesday from an October 29 meeting, military officials say it became immediately clear long-term care homes were in “crisis” when they were called in by the provincial government during the height of the first wave of the pandemic earlier this spring.
They found a “clear rapid decline in staffing” and that no one was being held to account, there was no oversight to ensure “people weren’t conducting themselves in an unethical manner.”
The report was yet another stark reminder of the challenges faced by members of the military after they were deployed into various long-term care settings.
According to Major Karoline Martin, what CAF members saw in long-term care homes was so bad that mental health teams needed to be brought in to support the military staff in these settings.
“It was very traumatic. It was very devastating to clinicians to see residents passing away.”
The Long-Term Care COVID-19 Commission is investigating how the novel coronavirus spread in the long-term care system and will submit its final report on April 30, 2021.
The Toronto Catholic District School Board has voted to sanction trustee Michael Del Grande for breaching the Code of Conduct for comparing LGBTQ+ terms to criminal acts.
Among the sanctions, the board agreed to censure Del Grande for behaviour which was disrespectful to the LBGTQ community, that he publicly apologize and complete an equity training program.
Del Grande now has 14 days to provide a written submission to the board’s decision.
The move reverses a previous vote on Aug. 20 that fell short of finding Del Grande had violated the code despite a third-party report which concluded three months earlier that he did.
The motion received the requisite eight votes during a lengthy special meeting called by the board on Wednesday night that stretched into the early hours of Thursday morning and often times featured cantankerous discussion. At one point, chairman Joseph Martino exclaimed, “I can’t take this anymore” while calling for a five minute break shortly after midnight as trustees were bickering over various points of order and amendments.
Trustee Nancy Crawford voted against the motion, saying it was “not a good way to resolve the problem” while trustees Michael Del Grande, Teresa Lubinski and Garry Tanuan all elected not to cast a vote.
Crawford added the move sets a “very, very serious precedent” and could mean that trustees will be dealing with reopening complaints regularly.
In voting to reverse the previous vote and for sanctions, trustee Maria Rizzo said “we have to right a wrong” noting that the controversy could have easily been solved with an apology.
The board failed to pass an amendment that any report on breaches of the Code of Conduct be made public.
Former Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynn was among the delegations to the meeting calling for Del Grande to be sanctioned and the report be released publicly.
A least several delegates disagreed with the motion to revisit the vote, calling it “a vindictive agenda.”
Del Grande raised issue with the special meeting, saying his charter rights were being violated by the board by having the topic brought up once again adding that he would not participate in any discussion when it came to the motion in question.
In a legal opinion prepared for the meeting, Del Grande’s lawyer Charles I.M. Lugosi said the board had no right to hold a second vote on his clients comments.
“To proceed would be unlawful and amount at a minimum to an abuse of process that will harm the credibility of the Board. The legal issues that apply go far beyond the interests of the adversaries involved, and undermine the integrity of the Board itself.”
The trial for the man who killed 10 people and hurt 16 others in a van attack in Toronto resumes Thursday.
Alek Minassian has pleaded not guilty and has raised a defence of being not criminally responsible for his actions.
CityNews reporter Adrian Ghobrial is covering the trial, follow his tweets below.:
He faces 10 counts of first-degree murder and 16 counts of attempted murder.
Minassian’s state of mind at the time of the attack will be the sole issue at trial.
The defence has not yet stated what mental disorder Minassian will argue he suffered from.
Minassian has admitted in court he planned and carried out the attack.
He told a detective the attack was retribution against society because he was a lonely virgin who believed women wouldn’t have sex with him.
A McDonald’s restaurant in the city’s west end has been temporarily closed after an employee tested positive for the COVID-19.
The restaurant at 10 The Queensway, just west of Roncesvalles Avenue, was made aware of the positive test Tuesday and immediately closed its doors.
McDonald’s says the employee last worked an overnight shift on Sunday from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.
All other employees who may have been in close contact with the employee have been asked to self-quarantine.
The restaurant will now undergo a full cleaning and sanitization and is expected to reopen at 7 a.m. Wednesday morning, according to a sign posted on their front door.
Calling the spread of COVID-19 in Toronto “no less than alarming” Toronto Mayor John Tory said the city would move into the red (control) level of the province’s new coloured COVID-19 response plan on Saturday, but with added restrictions that would see indoor dining remain prohibited for a period of 28 days.
Gyms will be permitted to open, but indoor group fitness classes and group exercise classes will not be allowed.
The new protections, which come into effect at 12:01 a.m. Saturday include:
- Social gatherings should only be with those you live with and/or one or two essential supports
- Restrict close contacts only to those you live with and your essential supports
- Limit in-person activities outside the home to essential activities only – going to work or school, health care, shopping for your household and health needs, and getting exercise and physical activity
- Businesses and workplaces should implement work from home wherever possible
- Businesses should review their HVAC systems to ensure they are in good working order
- Workplaces should appoint a compliance officer to ensure implementation of occupational health and safety and infection prevention and control measures
- Indoor dining will remain closed
- Indoor fitness classes are not permitted
- Meeting and event spaces will remain closed
- In malls, patrons should not be permitted to consume food or drink while walking through malls
- Casinos, bingo halls and other gaming establishments will remain closed
“These numbers set alarm bells ringing,” Tory added, noting that infection rates and hospitalizations in Toronto are spiking dramatically in recent days.
Under the province’s red level, indoor dining is permitted for a maximum of 10 people, and gyms can open with strict capacity limits of 10 people in indoor classes, 25 people in outdoor classes and 10 people indoors in areas with weights or exercise equipment. But following the advice of the city’s top doctor, Eileen de Villa, Tory said the city has decided to forgo the opening of restaurants for indoor dining. Meeting and event spaces will also remain closed along with casinos and gaming establishments.
“The spread of COVID-19 has never been greater in Toronto,” de Villa said.
The province reported 1,328 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, with 520 cases in Toronto.
Peel region is currently the only other region under the province’s red level, but without Toronto’s added restrictions, meaning up to 10 people can dine indoors.
One man has been injured after a shooting near the Stockyards District.
Police were called to Runnymede Road and Liverpool Street near St. Clair Avenue West around 11 p.m. Tuesday night to reports of multiple gunshots.
The victim was located suffering from a gunshot wound and officers say his injuries appear serious. He is being transported to hospital by paramedics.
There is no suspect information at this time, but it is expected to released soon.
Investigators say to expect a large police presence in the area.
Canadians will stop to pay tribute to our fallen soldiers Wednesday, though the COVID-19 pandemic means many of traditional Remembrance Day ceremonies are cancelled or are taking place online.
The National Remembrance Day Ceremony that takes place at the National War Memorial in Ottawa is going ahead, albeit on a much smaller scale. The Royal Canadian Legion is asking people not to attend the ceremony, which normally draws up to 35,000 people.
“It is disappointing to discourage people from attending ceremonies this year,” said Danny Martin, the legion’s ceremony director. “However, beyond watching national and local broadcasts, thankfulness is also reflected by wearing a Poppy – a profound gesture. And wherever they may be, Canadians can take two minutes of silence at 11 a.m. on the 11th.”
This year’s National Silver Cross Mother, Deborah Sullivan, will lay a wreath in honour of the families who have lost children in the line of service.
Sullivan, who is from Summerville, New Brunswick, lost her son Christopher Edward Saunders after he was killed in a fire while serving aboard the HMCS Chicoutimi on Oct. 6, 2004.
CityNews will live stream the National Remembrance Day Ceremony at 10:45 a.m. EST on Wednesday. You can watch it here.
The City of Toronto has cancelled all in-person Remembrance Day events, instead opting for virtual commemorations that can be accessed on their website and social media channels.
There will be a small, private ceremony at the Old City Hall Cenotaph Wednesday morning that is closed to the public.
You can watch a livestream of that ceremony starting shortly before 11 a.m. on CityNews.ca.
The City of Toronto sign in Nathan Phillips Square will be lit in red on Wednesday, and all TTC vehicles will stop for two minutes at 11 a.m. in honour of our veterans.
