Canadian Business

Trudeau Plans to Keep Borders Closed Until Covid-19 Cases Drop (Bloomberg) Published on: October 14, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau indicated he plans to keep Canada’s borders closed as long as coronavirus cases remain elevated in the U.S.
Facing pressure to ramp up relief efforts for hard-hit airlines and the tourism sector, Trudeau has resisted industry calls to loosen travel restrictions.
His government is planning to promote Canada as a safe destination for international travel once the pandemic subsides.

More Canadians planning to continue living at home as they age, survey suggests (Sudbury.com) Published on: October 14, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

The survey of 1,517 Canadians was conducted online by the National Institute on Ageing at Toronto’s Ryerson University in late July.
Sixty per cent of respondents said the COVID-19 pandemic had changed their opinion on whether they’d arrange for themselves or an older loved one to live in a nursing or retirement home.
Ninety-one per cent of respondents said they would try “to live safely and independently in their own home as long as possible.”

‘Patient zero displayed no symptoms:’ Hamilton’s SpinCo superspreader outbreak reaches 51 cases (Toronto Star) Published on: October 13, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

It is believed to be one of the largest COVID-19 outbreaks at any fitness centre in Canada.
Thirty-seven riders and two staff members have tested positive for novel coronavirus at the James Street North gym.
It is what infectious disease experts consider a “superspreader” event — a chain reaction of infections set off by a lone case who excretes a higher than normal number of pathogens during their incubation period.
The owners — who opened the gym in January as one of seven SpinCo studios in Ontario — defended its public health safety guidelines and committed to reopening when permitted in a statement posted to its Instagram page Saturday.

Startups say BDC terms for COVID-19 relief funding too prohibitive (The Logic) Published on: October 13, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Entrepreneurs raising money during the pandemic say BDC Capital has not delivered on its promise to offer quick access to capital on friendly terms to help companies affected by the pandemic close funding rounds.
“I think BDC really missed an opportunity to step in here and help startups during COVID,” said Patrick Lor, a managing partner at Panache Ventures.
Some founders said BDC representatives provided inconsistent and incomplete information about what funding they were eligible for; nearly all said they were able to close their rounds with private investments on friendlier terms.

Pandemic fatigue: More Canadians likely to visit family, friends during Thanksgiving than during Easter, poll finds (National Post) Published on: October 12, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Pandemic fatigue has officially set in, a new poll concludes, after finding that significantly fewer Canadians are likely to obey health officials’ warnings to physically distance and avoid visiting family and friends during Thanksgiving than during Easter.
Results from the poll stated that 54 per cent of Canadians surveyed in October had visited their family and friends between Oct. 2 and 4 while only 12 per cent of Canadians were willing to do so during the second week of April.

Technical glitches briefly mar first day of applications for Canada Recovery Benefit (CBC) Published on: October 12, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Canadians seeking to access new financial support after missing work because of COVID-19 appeared to briefly run into technical glitches as applications opened for the Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB) on Monday.
The new benefit from the federal government comes into effect as concerns rise about increasing job losses with Ontario and Quebec imposing targeted restrictions on restaurants, bars and fitness centres to slow the spread of COVID-19 caused by the coronavirus.
The caregiver benefit applies to people who miss work because of school or daycare closures, and whose children who miss school or daycare because they have contracted the virus or may have been exposed.

Majority of Canadians support closing non-essential businesses during second wave: Nanos survey (CTV News) Published on: October 11, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

The majority of Canadians say they’re in support of closing non-essential businesses in light of recent increases in COVID-19 cases across the country, according to a new survey by Nanos Research.
The survey of 1,003 Canadians found that seven in 10 participants reported that they support or somewhat support closing non-essential businesses, such as gyms and places of worship, and only allowing restaurants to offer takeout given the surge in cases.
Just under a third of respondents said they were opposed or somewhat opposed to this measure while another one per cent said they were unsure.

The second wave will be harder than the first — because this time, we saw it coming (CBC) Published on: October 10, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

If the second wave in Canada matches or surpasses the first wave — in terms of infections or economic hardship — it will be doubly frustrating because no one can claim to have been surprised by the possibility of a resurgence.
If governments have any advantage now, it’s that they should have a better understanding of how to handle health-related restrictions and the economic supports necessary to get people and businesses through those lockdowns.
The federal Conservatives continue to insist that the new infections in Canada can be blamed on a lack of access to rapid testing for COVID-19 and that the federal government should have moved faster to ensure such tests were available.
At the same time, the small business lobby is now describing Ontario’s new restrictions as a “crushing blow” and it remains to be seen how much “pandemic fatigue” or anti-lockdown agitation will complicate any efforts to reverse course now.

67% of working Canadians would use virtual tools for mental health: survey (Benefits Canada) Published on: October 8, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

More than two-thirds (67 per cent) of working Canadians said they’d use video chat, web or telephone-based health support to consult with a mental-health practitioner, up 17 percentage points since 2019, according to a new survey by RBC Insurance.
The survey, which polled 1,001 employed or recently laid-off Canadians in July, also found the percentage of working Canadians who said they’d use video or telephone counselling also rose significantly, up 15 percentage points to 60 per cent this year.

Impending row over Covid vaccine patents at WTO (FT) Published on: October 8, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

It’s been a while since intellectual property rights in a public health crisis became a big trade issue.
Last week India and South Africa, continuing their role as the WTO awkward squad, filed a request for a waiver of the multilateral Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights agreement.
It would allow countries to change their domestic IP law to ignore not just patents but also copyright, trade secrets, clinical testing data and so forth without facing consequences at the WTO.

Ontario unveils PPE grants for small business, alcohol takeout plan as pressure mounts with rising COVID-19 cases (The Globe and Mail) Published on: October 7, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Ontario also said it planned to eventually recoup the taxes it had deferred during the pandemic, which Mr. Mallough said would hit hard because “quite frankly, most of them can’t afford it.” In Ontario, he said only 28 per cent of businesses are back to normal revenue.
The Tourism Industry Association of Ontario, representing 400,000 employees, said a recent survey of its members showed 90 per cent of businesses reported having steep revenue declines of nearly 70 per cent on average.

Canada’s SMEs cautiously optimistic they’ll survive the pandemic: BDC study (The Logic) Published on: October 7, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Small- and mid-sized businesses surveyed in May and June by the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) expressed cautious optimism about their ability to weather the pandemic, despite the vast majority reporting revenue declines and nearly half reporting layoffs.
Priorities for many of the 1,000 SMEs surveyed include restoring their financial health, focusing on remote work and selling online.
Meanwhile, 55 per cent believed remote work would have a positive impact on innovation and 52 per cent said it could improve employee productivity.

Surging appliance sales, supply chain issues lead to shortages ahead of Black Friday (The Globe and Mail) Published on: October 6, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Experts say the situation could worsen if the second wave of the pandemic intensifies as the busy holiday spending period gets underway.
“We have absolutely also seen increased demand for our products, as consumers who may have had other major purchases planned this year appear to be reinvesting their dollars in home improvement and renovation projects,” said GE Appliances Canada chief brand officer Bob Park in an emailed statement.

Canadians divided over whether to let pandemic disrupt Halloween, holidays, poll suggests (CTV News) Published on: October 6, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

As for the Christmas holiday season, 49 per cent said they’ll change their plans, 44 per cent said they won’t.
Seventy-four per cent said they’ll celebrate with close or immediate family members to keep their social interactions to a minimum, 54 per cent said they’ll limit celebrations to a smaller number of visitors, 40 per cent plan to issue strict instructions against kissing, hugging or handshaking, and 37 per cent plan to avoid air travel.
Thirty per cent said they’ll hold virtual celebrations and 25 per cent said they won’t attend religious services or celebrations they would otherwise have gone to.

Canada’s competition watchdog talks enforcement during a pandemic (The Logic) Published on: October 6, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

While the pandemic has created some hiccoughs for Canada’s competition commissioner, he has no intention of letting it slow him down long term.
Boswell is transforming the regulator as quickly as he can, using new tools like robotic process automation and by hiring data analysts, to get ready for the fights to come.
U.S. and European regulators are generally well ahead of Canada when it comes to antitrust investigations into tech giants—but it isn’t just tech where Boswell is trying to catch up.

‘Show me the evidence, hard, hard evidence:’ Ford wants more data before banning indoor dining in Toronto (CP24) Published on: October 5, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Premier Doug Ford says he needs to see “hard evidence” before agreeing to shut down indoor dining in the country’s largest city, which continues to see a rapid surge in new COVID-19 infections.
Williams said that additional measures were taken on Friday, when the province announced that no more than 100 customers are allowed in restaurants at one time and no more than six people can be seated at a table, restrictions that were already in place in Toronto.

12 weeks of Christmas – retailers speed up holiday plans in a daunting year (The Globe and Mail) Published on: October 4, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Retailers are ramping up plans for a transformed Christmas shopping season in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with strategies to draw buyers early, step up their e-commerce game and convince consumers to buy gifts for far-flung friends and family.
Michael LeBlanc, a senior adviser at the Retail Council of Canada, says consumers may have more spending money on hand after shelling out less on vacations, commutes and lunchtime cappuccinos.

Why a 2nd wave of COVID-19 is more dangerous than it looks (CBC) Published on: October 3, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

At first glance, Canada’s second wave of COVID-19 is looking a lot different than the first wave.
Ontario public health officials are projecting up to 1,000 new cases per day this month, and the number of patients in the province’s hospitals with confirmed cases of COVID-19 doubled in just one week.
Testing backlogs in Ontario also reached a record high of more than 90,000 this week, and the province’s associate chief medical officer of health, Dr. Barbara Yaffe, said the number of contacts per COVID-19 case is “much higher” than in the first wave.

Ottawa spending another $600M to help businesses survive lockdowns (CBC) Published on: October 2, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

The federal government is giving $600 million to help small- and medium-sized businesses deal with possible lockdowns during a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Radio-Canada has learned.
About $456 million of the new money will be made available to help businesses struggling to bridge their finances through another lockdown.
Another $144 million will help provide capital and technical support to rural businesses and communities through the offices of Community Futures Canada, which provides small business services to rural communities.

The Infrastructure Bank pivots to pandemic (The Logic) Published on: October 1, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

$10 billion: That’s how much the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) is allocating to back Ottawa’s pandemic recovery plan, including capital for clean power projects, broadband buildouts, and zero-emission buses.
Industry executives have expressed concern that the Crown corporation—established in June 2017 to attract private-sector investment for megaprojects—has been slow to consider and greenlight new developments, and several top executives have departed in recent months.
The “growth plan” includes $2 billion to extend broadband access to 750,000 additional households. That’s up from the $1 billion over 10 years the government pledged out of CIB funds in the 2019 federal budget.

Fears of poverty, insolvency, unemployment top of mind for stressed out Canadians (Financial Post) Published on: October 1, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

It may be little surprise the pandemic has infected Canadians with more stress over debt, but a new survey offers the eye-openers that people fear the stigma of mental illness more than poverty and business failure, and young people are more afraid than their elders.
Poverty followed at 68 per cent, debt or insolvency at 66 per cent, unemployment at 62 per cent, business failure 46 per cent and divorce at 40 per cent, Bromwich+Smith said.
About three-quarters of Canadians aged 18-34, the highest amount of any age category, said they suffer dread on a number of issues, such as fear of the unknown, compared with 62 per cent of those aged 35-54 and 56 per cent of those over 55, the company said.

COVID-19 has left B.C. nurses emotionally exhausted, anxious and depressed: survey (Times Colonist) Published on: September 30, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

About 86 per cent of nurses say they’re extremely concerned about bringing COVID-19 home, and 80 per cent think they’ll contract it on the job.
“When I see these numbers, [I think], What does that do to nurses’ decisions to stay at work?’ We already know there’s a shortage of nurses in the province.”
About 41 per cent of nurses said they believed there had been poor transparency around organizational pandemic decisions and 27 per cent said they had experienced changes to COVID-19-related protocols on a daily, or more frequent, basis.

Troubled pandemic rent subsidy program expires today — and there’s no replacement ready (CBC) Published on: September 30, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

CECRA covered up to six months of rent by extending forgivable loans for up to half the value of the monthly rent, in exchange for the landlord cutting rent.
Tenants participating in the program would still have to chip in 25 per cent of their pre-pandemic rent, while their landlords were expected to accept a 25 per cent loss on total rent paid.
But now, as September draws to a close, the program is coming to an end with no replacement on the horizon. That worries landlords and tenants alike.

Third of employers froze salaries in 2020, compared to projection of 2%, finds survey (Benefits Canada) Published on: September 29, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

More than a third (36 per cent) of Canadian organizations froze salaries in 2020, compared to a pre-coronavirus forecast of just two per cent, according to Morneau Shepell Ltd.’s annual salary projection survey.
The trend is likely to hold true for the coming year, with almost half (46 per cent) of employers saying they’re uncertain about whether to increase or freeze salaries, while 13 per cent have already committed to doing so in 2021.

In reversal, Quebec moves to adopt federal COVID-19 exposure-notification app (The Logic) Published on: September 28, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

After months of opposition, the Quebec government is close to adopting the federal government’s exposure-notification application.
With that second wave already upon the province—Premier François Legault announced new measures Monday in a bid to counter the spike in COVID-19 cases, including a 28-day closing of restaurants, bars and casinos in so-called “red zones”—the government has been rushing to change course.
A recent research paper from the University of Oxford, Stanford University and Google on the efficacy of exposure-notification applications said they were effective even with low adoption rates.

Food courts, commercial property and public transit to suffer as Canadian economy transforms in eight key ways (Financial Post) Published on: September 28, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

It’s clear the pandemic has drastically transformed the ways people live, work and play and, like the virus itself, these changes will mutate slightly as they spread, according to a new report by the Royal Bank of Canada.
Data on shoppers will become even more important for retailers keen to engage consumers even before they go online and to enhance their buying experiences.
Almost a third of Canadians are choosing the internet for items they used to buy in stores, while 36 per cent of U.S. consumers are now more open to trying new brands, putting past loyalties at risk.

COVID-19 cases continue to surge in Ontario and Quebec (CBC) Published on: September 27, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

The Canada emergency response benefit (CERB) expires on Sunday, ending the income support program the federal government rolled out during the COVID-19 pandemic to help people with payouts of up to $2,000 a month.
The government says about 8.8 million Canadians have received the benefit since April.
The New Democrats and the governing Liberals reached a deal on Saturday that delivers two weeks of paid sick leave for people affected by the pandemic under the Canada recovery sickness benefit.

Protecting worker health, well-being top challenge for HR during pandemic, finds survey (Benefits Canada) Published on: September 23, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Human resources professionals are facing a range of complex challenges since the global pandemic began, according to a new survey by ADP Canada Co.
In particular, the pandemic has led to unique challenges for HR teams, with top issues including: protecting the health and well-being of employees (71 per cent); ensuring business continuity (65 per cent); supporting the transition to remote work (58 per cent); rapid policy changes (53 per cent); and supporting employee mental health (53 per cent).
The majority (66 per cent) of survey respondents said ensuring staff have functioning technology at home is a challenge during the pandemic.

Ex-Liberal finance minister John Manley urges spending restraint as Trudeau readies ‘ambitious’ throne speech (National Post) Published on: September 23, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Higher spending and economic lockdowns caused Ottawa’s net debt as a percentage of GDP to balloon, from 30 per cent to around 49 per cent today.
Howe report on Tuesday said that reducing Canada’s debt-to-GDP ratio by just one per cent per year would require Ottawa to trim spending by five per cent annually, beginning in 2022.
In a separate report Tuesday, the Fraser Institute estimates that elderly benefits transfers and other seniors costs could inflate the federal debt-to-GDP ratio to as high as 69.6 per cent by 2050, if spending elsewhere is not curbed.

With CERB winding down, Ottawa starts tinkering with an engine of the economic recovery (Financial Post) Published on: September 22, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

The $2,000-a-month CERB — which, on Sept. 27, Ottawa will start transitioning recipients away from, bringing in a “simplified” Employment Insurance program and other temporary benefits instead — has helped millions of people who had to stop working because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Consumer spending, largely due to the rapid roll out of the CERB, has been mostly responsible for keeping the economy afloat since March.
Income supports are critical to individuals but, also, to our country’s economic stability and positioning for a recovery CERB and other government transfer payments also helped drive up the amount of money that Canadians are saving during these uncertain pandemic times, the TD Bank report found.

Civic duty or infringing freedom? Surveying Canadians’ attitudes about masks (CTV News) Published on: September 22, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

The online survey by Leger and the Association for Canadian Studies says 83 per cent of respondents feel governments should order people to wear a mask in all indoor public spaces.
That represented a 16 per cent increase from July, before the recent rise in COVID-19 cases has sparked concerns many parts of the country are entering the dreaded second wave of the pandemic.
As for the anti-mask protests that have happened in various parts of the country in recent weeks, 88 per cent of respondents said they opposed the demonstrations while 12 per cent supported them.

CANADA: One in four credit-cardholders couldn’t make payments in May and June, survey says (Sudbury.com) Published on: September 21, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Nearly one in four customers of the major credit-card companies were unable to make monthly payments this spring, according to a survey released on Thursday by J.D. Power.
As of the end of July, the average deferral rate for personal loans and credit cards at the Big Six banks fell to 4.3 per cent, down from 9.6 per cent in April, according to RBC, which said that banks deferred payments on nearly 470,000 credit cards.
Overall, respondents favoured Tangerine Bank, American Express and Canadian Tire cards the most, and Canadians were generally more loyal to their credit card issuers than U.S. cardholders.

This Toronto restaurant owner’s insurance jumped from $9,000 to almost $30,000 during COVID-19. He’s not alone (Toronto Star) Published on: September 21, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

The price tag for insuring Ascari’s Hi-Lo Bar had suddenly risen from $9,000 per year to almost $30,000 with a different insurer, at a time when restaurants and bars are already struggling because of restrictions and closures thanks to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Across the Greater Toronto Area, restaurants, bars, retailers and landscapers are seeing their insurance premiums skyrocket, during the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic, if they can find any coverage at all.
Insurance industry representatives point to weather calamities caused by climate change as the biggest cause of the price rise, and say fewer companies are issuing commercial policies.
There’s also potential liability if a customer catches COVID, and — some experts say — the potential for payouts for business-interruption insurance.

Canadians are still flocking to parks and businesses as country braces for second wave (CTV News) Published on: September 20, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

That feeling is backed up by data compiled by Google and Apple, which shows that Canadians are spending more time in parks and at businesses than they were even in the first half of the summer, when the country first emerged from its various pandemic-imposed lockdowns.
According to its most recent report for Canada, dated Sept. 11, Canadians are spending 151 per cent more time in parks than they were before the pandemic began.
Dr. Lisa Barrett, an infectious disease specialist at Dalhousie University in Halifax, said that Canadians “really need to take to heart” the advice from public health leaders, spending less time outside the home and keeping their social circles to a small number.

COVID-19: Some Canadians believe officials exaggerate threat of coronavirus, poll suggests (Sudbury.com) Published on: September 20, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Almost one-quarter of respondents in an online poll made public Tuesday by Leger and the Association for Canadian Studies say they believe public health and government officials exaggerate in their warnings, including about the need for measures like physical distancing to slow the spread of the pandemic.
Leger executive vice-president Christian Bourque said the results may explain something else that came up in the survey: That a majority of respondents said they have relaxed how strictly they adhere to public health recommendations.

Nearly 20 per cent of COVID-19 infections among health-care workers by late July (News 1130) Published on: September 19, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

In a report released earlier this month, the Canadian Institute for Health Information said 19.4 per cent of those who tested positive for the virus as of July 23 were health-care workers.
The World Health Organization said in July that health-care workers made up 10 per cent of global COVID-19 infections.
The Public Health Agency has done a poor job of gathering data about health-care workers infected with COVID-19, said Linda Silas, president of the 200,000-member nurses’ federation, adding that the federation has relied on data collected by Statistics Canada.

The boom in household waste and what our garbage tells us about the COVID economy (CBC) Published on: September 18, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

According to RBC’s COVID Consumer Spending Tracker, Canadians are spending more on home improvements, electronics and groceries.
Online marketplaces have emerged as a critical part of consumer habits in the COVID-19 economy, and early data from the City of Toronto suggests consumers are throwing more cardboard boxes into their blue bins as a result.

‘It’s irreparable’: Parents worry children face permanent health issues due to COVID-19 delays (CTV News) Published on: September 18, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Before the pandemic began, more than 100,000 children in Ontario were on a waitlist for mental health and rehabilitation services, but once hospitals began restricting non-essential operations, more than 30,000 pediatric appointments had to be cancelled, according to the Children’s Health Coalition, a collection of children’s hospitals and medical organizations in Ontario.
At the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) in Ottawa, more than half of its pediatric surgeries were cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions, and doctors believe it could take up to two and a half years to catch up.
The Children’s Health Coalition is calling on the provincial government to make a $375-million investment in children’s health care to help alleviate the wait times and offer the treatment children desperately need.

‘One-two gut punch’: WE scandal has Canadians more skeptical of charities and COVID has them less able to donate, poll finds (National Post) Published on: September 17, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

The Angus Reid poll suggests that troubles Canadians who donate to charity — and is troubling to charities themselves, who are facing a “double whammy” of the WE scandal and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Still, a majority of Canadians — 62 per cent — across all donor groups say the scandal hasn’t changed how they feel about giving, but “a significant segment is more jaded,” the report says.
The poll says 49 per cent of those who’ve donated over the past two years haven’t changed their habits in light of the pandemic, but 37 per cent say they’ve been donating less.

Social media a problematic coping mechanism for university students’ mental health this fall (Ottawa Citizen) Published on: September 16, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Only about one in seven students surveyed indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic has not had a negative affect on their mental health and stress levels, while more than half said it has affected them moderately, very much or an extreme amount.
More than 80 per cent of students, meanwhile, said they have used social media at least a moderate amount or more to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, while “problematic” use of social media, as defined by the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale, jumped from about 28 per cent before an emergency was declared to just over 40 per cent immediately following.
Other means of coping include watching TV (82 per cent indicating moderate or higher use), connecting via such apps at Zoom and Facetime (65 per cent), eating fast foods or sweets (56 per cent) and exercise (49 per cent).

Canada to keep border with U.S. closed until at least Oct. 21, says source (CBC) Published on: September 15, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

The federal government will extend the Canada-U.S. land border closure for another 30 days until Oct. 21, CBC News has learned.
The source told CBC News that the federal government is waiting to see evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States is being managed efficiently before the government considers opening up non-essential travel between the two countries.
The closure has resulted in a dramatic drop in traffic between the two countries, although essential workers — such as truck drivers and health-care professionals — are still able to cross by land.
Canadians are still able to fly to U.S. destinations.

CERB is ending soon. And almost 3 million people will be worse off when it does, report finds (Toronto Star) Published on: September 15, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

David Macdonald, a senior economist at the CCPA, said in the report that more than four million Canadians will be affected by the switch, which happens Sept. 27.
“That is an important reason why consumer spending didn’t fall rapidly during a big recession,” he said.
Macdonald said the Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit, which provides $500 per week before taxes for Canadians staying home from work to care for children or other dependants, will likely be available to 184,000 former CERB recipients at the outset.

Financial Anxiety Is Up Around the Globe (BNN Bloomberg) Published on: September 14, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s 2020 International Survey of Adult Financial Literacy, 42% of the 125,787 adults polled reported worrying about meeting everyday expenses; 40% were concerned about their financial situation; and 37% reported they were just getting by.
Most concerning, given the threat of mass long-term unemployment, in response to the question, “If you lost your main source of income, how long could you continue to cover your living expenses, without borrowing any money or moving house?” 28% said about a week; 25% said about a month; 15% said about three months; and 18% said more than six months.

UHN head raises alarm about society’s ‘sloppy’ anti-virus behaviour, potential impact on COVID-19 hospitalizations (Toronto Star) Published on: September 13, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

University Health Network’s chief executive, Kevin Smith, is alarmed by new COVID-19 hospitalizations coupled with increasingly sloppy habits he sees in society that could intensify the virus’s GTA resurgence
After Kevin Smith tweeted “I’m worried” and noting the UHN — which includes Princess Margaret Hospital, Toronto General Hospital and Toronto Western Hospital — is again seeing COVID-19 patients, he elaborated in an interview.
“I’m seeing a lot less physical distancing, a lot of people gathering, a lot of social events occurring and worst of all poor masking. I see so many people who think (their mask) is a chin warmer or don’t bother to cover their nose…”

COVID-19: Pandemic rewrites pro sports’ fan-experience playbook, poll suggests (Sudbury.com) Published on: September 12, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced seasons to be modified, postponed or cancelled. We are looking into several more weeks, and maybe months, of teams playing without fans in attendance.
In Canada, 54 per cent of adults describe themselves as fans of the National Hockey League (NHL).
The Canadian Football League (CFL) and the National Football League (NFL) are appealing to 31 per cent of Canadians each, followed by Major League Soccer (21 per cent).

Canadian employers enhancing well-being programs in response to pandemic: survey (Benefits Canada) Published on: September 11, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

In response to the coronavirus pandemic, more than half of Canadian employers (53 per cent) are enhancing their well-being programs, while 27 per cent are planning to make changes to improve health benefits, according to a new survey by Willis Towers Watson.
The survey, which polled nearly 150 Canadian employers with more than 800,000 employees, also found only four per cent of survey respondents said they’ve reduced or are planning to reduce health-care benefits during this time.
In particular, 45 per cent of employers said they’re offering or expanding access to virtual mental-health services, while 60 per cent said they expect mental-health services and stress management to be one of their organizations’ most important benefits priorities over the next six months.

Measuring the pandemic: How Statistics Canada kept the data flowing amid COVID-19 (The Logic) Published on: September 11, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

During the pandemic, StatCan has released flash estimates of measures like GDP and manufacturing sales, for which full reports typically take a few months.
The agency has been “obsessed” with improving the timeliness of its indicators over the last three years, and has increased the turnaround period for several, said Anil Arora, Chief Statistician. StatCan will continue producing flash estimates, which have earned “a lot of kudos” from policymakers and businesses.
Private-sector data has filled some of the gap. Banks have begun releasing weekly analysis of their customers’ debit- and credit-card aggregated use, while open source information like mobility trends from Google and restaurant reservations from OpenTable have attracted coverage.

Tory urges province, feds to do more to protect city’s downtown core from ‘ravaging economic impacts’ of COVID-19 (CP24) Published on: September 10, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

In a letter to Ontario Finance Minister Rod Phillips and federal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, Tory said there is “increasing concern” among business leaders and civic associations about the future of downtown cores in major cities in Canada and around the world.
The mayor noted that approximately 90 per cent of the city’s 400,000 office workers are not coming into the downtown core every day and with the exception of a small number of professional hockey teams occupying hotels as part of the NHL bubble, most of the 17,000 hotel rooms in Toronto remain empty.
Post-secondary campuses in the city’s core are also down about 100,000 students and professors this fall, Tory said, and tens of thousands of hospitality workers have been laid off.

Late-stage COVID-19 vaccine trial on pause due to possible serious side effect. Here’s what that means (CBC) Published on: September 10, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

A front-running team in the race to develop a COVID-19 vaccine has put its late-stage trial on hold after a reported “unexplained illness” in one of the trial volunteers.
The trial was a Phase 3 clinical trial for a vaccine being developed by the University of Oxford and pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.
The federal government reported on Aug. 31 that it was close to a deal to secure doses of this particular vaccine for Canadians.

Most in B.C. think the worst of COVID-19 pandemic lies ahead (News 1130) Published on: September 8, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

61 per cent of residents say they think the worst os the pandemic ‘definitely’ or ‘probably’ lies ahead.
More Canadians are saying they think the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic is yet to come, with British Columbians the most likely to hold this pessimistic view.
Back in June, almost half of Canadians were optimistic but in September that number dropped to 37 per cent, according to a new poll.

Canadians concerned about deficit, split on feds’ ability to rebuild economy: Nanos survey (CTV News) Published on: September 7, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Most Canadians are concerned about the ballooning federal deficit amid the COVID-19 pandemic but are divided on if they have confidence in the federal government to rebuild the economy, according to a new survey by Nanos Research.
The survey of 1,039 Canadians found that more than three quarters of those polled are concerned (47 per cent) or somewhat concerned (30 per cent) about the deficit.
Before the pandemic hit, Canada was expected to post a $28.1-billion deficit for 2020-2021. Updated numbers released in July show that number skyrocketing to $343.2 billion, due in large part to record economic aid and stimulus plans that are on-par with Second World War-level spending.

Office work could be changed forever by COVID-19. Here’s why that matters (CBC) Published on: September 7, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Nearly three-quarters of the 3.4 million Canadians who began working from home at the start of the crisis were still working remotely in August, according to Labour Force Survey data released by Statistics Canada on Friday.
That research, conducted by Maru/Blue on behalf of ADP Canada, found that 45 per cent of survey respondents would prefer to work remotely at least three days a week.
Of the 12 per cent who said they were anxious about returning to their former work locations, 56 per cent said they were worried about contracting the novel coronavirus.

Most Canadians confident government will be able to get a COVID-19 vaccine: Nanos survey (CTV News) Published on: September 6, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Canadians appear to feel confident in the government’s ability to acquire and distribute a COVID-19 vaccine when one is made available, according to a new survey by Nanos Research.
Seven in 10 survey respondents told Nanos Research that they are confident (31 per cent) or somewhat confident (43 per cent) that the government has a plan that will keep as many Canadians as possible safe.
These observations are based on an RDD dual frame (land- and cell-lines) hybrid telephone and online random survey of 1,039 Canadians, 18 years of age or older, between Aug. 31 to Sept. 3, 2020 as part of an omnibus survey.

Ottawa to extend small-business rent relief program as officials consider reforming it, sources say (The Globe and Mail) Published on: September 6, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

The federal government will extend its widely criticized pandemic rent-relief program for small businesses into September, sources familiar with policy discussions say, as the governing Liberals work through options to reform it.
On Aug. 31, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland and Small Business Minister Mary Ng declined to say CECRA would be extended into September, but Ms. Freeland said that “we’re going to have more to say about [rent relief] very soon.”
The federal government said that 63,000 small businesses had been approved for CECRA by the end of July, but that only accounted for about 16 per cent of those that should be eligible, according to research from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.

The pandemic has caused a surprising rebound for the unions — participation is now higher than it’s been in 15 years (Toronto Star) Published on: September 5, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

The number of workers covered by a union contract reached an all-time high of almost five million by end-2019. As a share of total employment, union coverage rebounded slightly (after years of slow erosion) to 30.2 per cent.
During the first half of 2020, however, union coverage surged to almost 32 per cent — the highest in 15 years. To be sure, that increase was driven by a disproportionate decline in non-union employment.
Union-covered workers were half as likely to lose their jobs during the initial shutdowns as non-union workers.

Banks are embracing apps and some restaurants now require a smartphone to enter — so what happens if you don’t have one? (Toronto Star) Published on: September 5, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Experts say the “digital divide” — the gap between Canadians with access to internet and mobile phones and those without access — is widening thanks to the pandemic in myriad ways from access to contact tracing apps and public health information, to basic services such as banking.
According to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission’s 2019 Communications Monitoring Report, 90 per cent of Canadian households have a mobile subscription, while 89 per cent have internet.
However, the percentage of Canadians with access to mobile phones and internet changes when income is factored in: the same report found that while 2.4 per cent of the highest-income households relied solely on a landline, 23.9 of the lowest-income households only had a landline.

The closure of Canada’s border with Alaska has split a remote community (The Economist) Published on: September 5, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Few american towns are as remote as Hyder, a settlement of 65 people in the panhandle that juts south from the rest of Alaska between Canada and the Pacific.
The border is lightly policed. There is no American post. The Canadian guard’s shift ends at 4.30pm. Cameras and a telephone connection to an agent somewhere else in Canada keep watch after that.
But Hyderites and Stewardites value togetherness. Mr Loe and Gina McKay, Stewart’s mayor, want the towns to be able to form a bubble that would let their citizens mingle freely.

Coronavirus: What’s happening around the world on Friday (CBC) Published on: September 4, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Widespread COVID-19 vaccinations not expected until mid-2021, WHO says.
None of the candidate vaccines in advanced clinical trials so far has demonstrated a “clear signal” of efficacy at the level of at least 50 per cent sought by WHO, spokesperson Margaret Harris said.

Survey shows strong support for flexible, remote working post-coronavirus (Benefits Canada) Published on: September 2, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Nearly half (45 per cent) of working Canadians said they’d prefer to work remotely at least three days a week, while more than a quarter said they’d prefer to work flex hours, according to a new survey by ADP Canada Co. and research firm Maru/Blue.
The survey, which polled more than 1,500 working Canadians, also found 55 per cent of respondents said their employers have continued to allow remote and flexible working throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
About half (45 per cent) of respondents said they feel remote workers have equal opportunity for job promotion and career advancement.

TDSB releases tips and photos on how to set up classroom to maximize space during pandemic (CP24) Published on: September 1, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

The Toronto District School Board has sent a series of documents to its more than 11,000 elementary school teachers with guidance on everything from how to ensure frequent hand washing amongst students to how to maximize physical distancing in classrooms.
In a section titled “tips for setting up a classroom,” the board urges educators to keep “only essential furniture” in order to maximize space and to think critically about whether it is even necessary to have larger pieces of furniture, such as teacher’s desks or storage cabinets.
The board also recommends that students be seated diagonally across from each other rather than side by side and suggests strict limits on the number of students that can be seated at communal tables – two for small tables and three for larger tables.

Shopify cutting Ottawa, Toronto offices amid work-from-home shift (The Logic) Published on: September 1, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Shopify is planning to vacate its former Ottawa headquarters and one of its Toronto offices, and overhaul most of its other Canadian locations as part of a shift to working “digital by default.”
The company isn’t leaving the capital, where it has more than 1,000 employees; its newer Laurier Avenue West office in the city “will be reimagined for our digital by default mindset,” said Feigelson, as will its locations in Waterloo and Montreal.
“The future of the office is to act as an on-ramp to the same digital workplace that you can access from your [work-from-home] setup,” CEO Tobi Lütke tweeted in May.

Pandemic takes bite out of B.C.’s finances as projected surplus turns to deficit (CBC) Published on: August 31, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

The unexpected cost of the early COVID-19 response contributed to turning B.C.’s finances from a small surplus to a deficit of $321 million, according to the province’s 2019-20 audited financial statements.
The deficit represents a drop of $595 million from the $274 million surplus projected in the 2019 budget.

Online grocery shopping surges during the pandemic, but will the habit stick? (The Globe and Mail) Published on: August 31, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Nearly 80 per cent of people reported buying something from Amazon in the past six months, according to a July survey of 1,350 Canadians by Toronto-based firm Solutions Research Group.
Nearly half of those surveyed said they have bought groceries online in the past six months.
Families with children were the biggest online grocery shoppers, with 57 per cent saying they had bought in the past six months, and 47 per cent in the past month.

Canada’s economy shrank at fastest pace on record in Q2 despite sharp bounceback in May and June (CBC) Published on: August 28, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Canada’s economy shrank at the fastest pace on record in the second quarter, as consumer spending, business investment, imports and exports all dried up because of COVID-19.
At 11.5 per cent, the quarterly contraction was better than the 12 per cent that Statistics Canada had been forecasting, but still more than twice as bad as the lowest point hit in the financial crisis of 2009, when the worst three-month period for GDP came in at -4.7 per cent.

Alberta on track to record-setting $24.2B budget deficit (CBC) Published on: August 27, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

Alberta is on track to end the current fiscal year with a $24.2-billion deficit, the largest in the province’s history, and the finance minister is suggesting more cuts are on the way.
The deficit is forecast to be $16.8 billion higher than was estimated in the provincial budget in February.
The province is now forecasting total revenue will be $38.4 billion, down $11.5 billion from the budget. Total forecasted expense is now pegged at $62.6 billion, up $5.3 billion.

Quebec won’t use COVID-19 notification app for now (CBC) Published on: August 26, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Quebec won’t use a smartphone application to notify the public about potential exposure to COVID-19 for now, arguing its testing and contact-tracing capability are sufficient at this stage of the pandemic.
“We would prefer a Quebec company, but I don’t think this is our main argument,” Legault said Tuesday afternoon in Saint-Hyacinthe, Que.
He says there is a lack of broad support for such an app in the province, due to privacy concerns.

Ottawa Food Bank braces for second wave (Ottawa Citizen) Published on: August 26, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

The Ottawa Food Bank is bracing for a second wave of demand from local families in need of food.
The Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) is scheduled to end one month from now, and food bank CEO Michael Maidment expects that to trigger another wave of people looking for help from the charitable organization.
More than 3.4 million Ontarians applied for the $500-a-week government benefit, which was designed for people whose work has evaporated because of COVID-19.

Trudeau considered best to manage pandemic, revive economy, poll suggests (Sudbury.com) Published on: August 25, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Respondents to the poll, conducted by Leger and the Association for Canadian Studies, were split about the prospect of a confidence vote triggering a federal election this fall, with 42 per cent opposed to an election and 38 per cent in favour.
But if there were an election today, 38 per cent of decided voters said they’d support Trudeau’s Liberals, compared to 30 per cent for the Conservatives, 18 per cent for the NDP and six per cent for the Greens.
The Bloc Quebecois were at 33 per cent in Quebec, statistically tied with the Liberals in that province at 32 per cent, with the Conservatives well behind at 16 per cent, the NDP at 12 per cent and the Greens at four per cent.

COVID-19 pandemic accelerated shift to e-commerce by 5 years, new report says (TechCrunch) Published on: August 24, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

As the COVID-19 pandemic reshapes our world, more consumers have begun shopping online in greater numbers and frequency.
The pandemic has also helped refine which categories of goods consumers feel are essential, the study found.
Clothing, for example, declined in importance as more consumers began working and schooling from home, as well as social distancing under government lockdowns.

Businesses were desperate for a rent-relief program. Governments rushed to deliver them one. What went wrong? (The Logic) Published on: August 24, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) estimated that some 400,000 to 500,000 firms were eligible for the nearly $3-billion rent-relief program.
As of June 29, three months into the pandemic, the government had approved only about $194 million in funding, on behalf of around 25,600 tenants, according to figures Finance Canada provided to The Logic.
The rent relief program should have been one of the main pillars propping up Canada’s economy in an unprecedented time, but, four months after its creation, it still feels like an afterthought.

Runny nose? Keep them home from school, Etches advises (CBC) Published on: August 22, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Ottawa’s medical officer of health says parents should err on the side of caution once classes resume.
Vera Etches, Ottawa’s medical officer of health, is urging people to get tested for COVID-19 if they display any symptoms of sickness at all, and not return to school or work until the test comes back negative and their symptoms subside.
“Even if it’s not COVID, it’s still going to cause a lot of strife and challenge if other people pick up a virus, and then they have to go get tested. It’s really best to stay home when you’re sick, whatever that sickness is,” Etches said.

Quebec announces plan to deal with second wave of COVID-19, avoid fatal failures of the spring (CBC) Published on: August 18, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

The Quebec government is giving its beleaguered health-care system six weeks to fix the problems that caused the novel coronavirus to spread throughout the province this spring, killing nearly 6,000 people in its wake.
Health Minister Christian Dubé revealed an ambitious series of reforms on Tuesday that he wants to see in place by Sept. 30. They range from faster testing to new staffing procedures, from better infection control to more accountable managers.
The vast majority of the deaths were residents of long-term care homes — known in French as CHSLDs — or private seniors’ residences (RPAs). It’s believed the infections were often spread by staff who, at the outset of the pandemic, were forced to work at multiple locations because of severe personnel shortages.

Why the end of CERB could jolt consumer spending – and complicate the recovery (The Globe and Mail) Published on: August 17, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

The end of federal emergency-income supports will leave a sizable number of unemployed Canadians with less generous benefits, potentially reducing consumer spending and adding uncertainty to the recovery this fall.
It is estimated that sales climbed another 25 per cent in June, which would bring consumer spending back to precrisis levels.
“With household spending accounting for more than half of the Canadian economy, it’s a relief to see such a sharp recovery in retail sales,” said Royce Mendes, senior economist at CIBC World Markets.

COVID experience shows transit systems need to be nimble (Vancouver Sun) Published on: August 17, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Some 958 respondents participated in the poll between June 10 and July 5, in which 80 per cent said they had reduced their transit use, 75 per cent worked from home (compared to 13 per cent before the pandemic), 50 per cent were doing less or no socializing or exercising and 17 per cent didn’t leave their homes.
The main criteria given for choosing a transportation option was physical distancing and the frequency and quality of disinfecting surfaces — such health concerns rose to 61 per cent from nine per cent before COVID-19 — which Phillips said was a first in any survey she’s been involved with.
Another surprising survey result was that only 14 per cent of those without cars were saying they were going to purchase one because of the pandemic, because that percentage had been as high as 30 per cent in northern Italy, she said.

Racing to connect: How the federal IT agency kept public servants online during the pandemic (The Logic) Published on: August 17, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

In the midst of arguably the biggest crisis since the Second World War, the apparatus of the federal government was going remote.
The COVID-19 buildout shows the new plan for Shared Services appears to be working. But not all public servants are back on the job yet, and the agency is still working to assuage longstanding concerns about internal morale and service levels.
Since the lockdown began, Ottawa’s IT agency has spent $60 million on new hardware, additional licences and other technology to more than double secure remote access capacity.

‘Neglected’ school ventilation systems worry parents, experts during COVID-19 pandemic (CBC) Published on: August 16, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Ventilation is key to helping quell COVID-19, and schools across Canada should move away from the current piecemeal approach to indoor air, public health and engineering experts say.
Schools can be poorly ventilated, crowded spaces where people spend much of the day in close contact — all factors that can make them high-risk settings and that public health officials say can facilitate outbreaks as a new school year is set to begin.
The findings suggest physical distancing on it own indoors is inadequate to prevent inhalation of infectious respiratory secretions in poorly ventilated classrooms, said Dr. Anne Huang, a public health physician in Regina.

Half of Canadians say 2020 has been the worst year of their lives, with younger people more pessimistic: poll (National Post) Published on: August 12, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

So, it is not surprising that half — 50 per cent — of Canadians claim 2020 has been the worst year of their lives, according to a new poll conducted by Leger Marketing in partnership with the Association for Canadian Studies.
The poll also found more Americans — 58 per cent — than Canadians said 2020 has been the worst year of their lives.
Canadians and Americans said death of a loved one — 41 per cent and 46 per cent, respectively — and personal problems such as stress, anxiety and uncertainty about the future — 41 per cent for both Canadians and Americans — were the main reasons 2020 has been the worst year of their lives.

Coffee shops, food courts and lunch spots expected to lose billions as more of us work from home (Toronto Star) Published on: August 11, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

The increase in Canadians working from home could have a huge financial impact on the food service industry, to the tune of billions of dollars lost by 2021.
Almost a quarter of the respondents, or 23.6 per cent, said they plan to work from home more often a year from now, while another 40 per cent either said they didn’t know, or they don’t know what they will be doing a year from now.
Before the pandemic, 36.8 per cent of the survey’s respondents were going to a restaurant for a meal or a break at least twice a week.
Close to 22 per cent of respondents said their employers are planning to allow people to work from home more often, and of those respondents, more than half intend to work from home permanently, with some considering relocating because of it.

New survey reveals most popular federal COVID-19 support programs for businesses (BetaKit) Published on: August 10, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

The survey found that while 60 percent of participants were using the $40,000 Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA), and 55 percent were using the 75 percent emergency wage subsidy, only 15 percent were using the CECRA.
The survey also found 20 percent of respondents rated the CECRA as very or somewhat helpful, far lower than the 69 percent and 67 percent that rated the CEBA and emergency wage subsidy as very or somewhat helpful, respectively.
A survey conducted by the group over June found 41 percent of small businesses who believe they qualify for the CECRA said their landlord has not applied to the program.

COVID-19: 8 million Canadians rethinking retirement due to pandemic, report suggests (Sudbury.com) Published on: August 9, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

A whopping two million Canadians have stopped making regular contributions to their retirement savings, according to the study, which extrapolates the data from a survey of 1,500 Canadians and Canadian population data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
While 54 per cent of adults planning to retire felt confident in their ability to do so before the pandemic, just 39 per cent feel that way now, according to the survey.
The few who are considering anticipating retirement amid the pandemic, on the other hand, said they “realized that they were looking forward to retirement, or they want to spend time doing other things that are more important to them than work,” according to the report.

Nunavut government paying millions for residents to quarantine at Ottawa hotel (CBC) Published on: August 9, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

In an effort to keep its COVID-19 case count at zero, the Nunavut government has paid nearly $5 million for more than 1,200 of its residents to quarantine at an Ottawa hotel before returning home.
In order to return home, residents require a letter from Nunavut’s chief medical officer of health confirming they have completed a 14-day self-isolation.
So far, the government has spent $21 million for residents to isolate, the territory’s department of health wrote in a statement to CBC News.

Canada adds 418,500 jobs, recouping 55% of COVID losses (BNN Bloomberg) Published on: August 7, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

The employment rebound in Canada has outpaced the U.S., which has recovered 42 per cent of its payroll losses.
The employment gains were largely expected as provinces, particularly Ontario, moved to more aggressively reopen their economies, prompting businesses to rehire workers.
July’s gains were mostly part-time, with 343,500 added in July, versus 73,200 full time positions.
Canada lost 3 million jobs in March and April at the height of the pandemic.

The ‘shop local’ message is everywhere, but it’s tough resisting deals during a pandemic (CBC) Published on: August 6, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

While recent polls suggest most Canadians support the idea, actually getting people to prioritize shopping locally over scoring the best deal and the convenience of shopping online is a tough sell during a pandemic, some experts say.
The Bank of Canada’s most recent survey of consumer expectations showed that virtually all indicators have deteriorated due to the impact of the pandemic, including people’s expectations for wages, spending, labour market conditions, inflation and growth in house prices.
American Express Canada said 83 per cent of participants in an online poll in June agreed it was time to support the small business community, while 76 per cent said they were “determined to shop local more than in the past.”

One-third of Sask. residents would get COVID-19 vaccine ASAP: survey (Saskatoon StarPhoenix) Published on: August 4, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Among provinces, British Columbia and Ontario residents are the most inclined to be vaccinated, while the poll suggests residents in Saskatchewan are more hesitant.
The Angus Reid Institute survey, published Tuesday, found half of Canadians say they have no reservations about receiving a jab as soon as it becomes available, while 32 per cent are willing to vaccinate but will wait a while.
Seventy-six per cent of those who say they will wait to get the vaccine also say they are worried about side effects, according to the poll.
Fourteen per cent say that they will not get immunized, while eight per cent say they are not sure.

Nearly three out of four Canadians say virtual conferencing tools an ‘excellent’ alternative to interacting in person (National Post) Published on: August 4, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly three out of four Canadians say virtual conferencing tools are an “excellent” alternative to interacting with people in person.
According to a survey produced by Leger Opinion (LEO) for the Association for Canadian Studies (ASC), 72 per cent of Canadians agreed with the statement that videoconferencing is an excellent alternative to interacting with people.
We’re actually creating a generation who will grow up interacting on Zoom.

Pandemic stalled growth at Canada’s most promising tech firms, analysis shows (The Logic) Published on: August 4, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

Funding has plummeted and hiring stalled at Canada’s top private tech firms since mid-March compared to the same period in 2019, as the COVID-19 pandemic roils all sectors of the economy.
Employment at the 60 companies on the Narwhal List—tech firms deemed fastest-growing in Canada before the pandemic—dropped one per cent since the start of March, compared to an 18 per cent annual growth rate on average over the past two years.
While the numbers reflect a relatively sharp contraction in the tech industry, they suggest companies in the space are faring better in some respects than the economy at large.

One in five Canadians report hardship due to border closure: Nanos survey (CTV News) Published on: August 2, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

A new Nanos Research survey shows that while most Canadians report that they and their families have not been adversely affected by the closure, which has now been in place for more than four months, a significant number say they have been.
Sixteen per cent of respondents told Nanos that they or their families have experienced minor hardship related to the border being closed, while another five per cent reported major hardship.
The region most likely to report some level of hardship due to the closure was Quebec, where just under 75 per cent of respondents told Nanos that they had not been adversely affected by the closure and more than eight per cent said it had caused them or their families major hardship.

Most Canadians don’t want an election during COVID-19: Nanos survey (CTV News) Published on: August 1, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Despite looming threats of a snap election this fall following the We Charity affair, most Canadians aren’t interested in heading to the polls during the pandemic, according to a new Nanos Research survey.
The latest ballot tracking by Nanos Research has the Liberal Party of Canada three percentage points ahead of the Conservatives, although Trudeau still enjoys a wide lead as preferred prime minister at 33.8 per cent over outgoing Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer (18.8 per cent), NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh (14 per cent), Green Leader Elizabeth May (6.9 per cent) and People’s Party Leader Maxime Bernier (4.7 per cent).
Forty per cent of respondents said they want Parliament to investigate the matter fully, while 28 per cent said Parliament should instead focus on “more important matters.”

L’Oreal Reports E-Commerce Spike of 65% (Born Digital) Published on: August 1, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

The company’s sales increased for the first time since January 2020, the company also reported, as consumers began to purchase beauty and cosmetics products online in earnest amid store closures resulting from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Chairman and CEO Jean-Paul Agon told the Financial Times that the period marked a “tipping point” for the company, as “many [consumers] discovered buying online for the first time.”
Agon characterized the spike in digital sales to be “unbelievable,” noting that it “has been the biggest phenomenon for us in the past six months.”
Notably, its virtual try-on tool—a partnership with Canadian company Modiface, available via Amazon—helped consumers see how color cosmetics would look on their own faces, improving product confidence.

Federal COVID-19 app launches after month-long delay (The Logic) Published on: July 31, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

The federal government’s exposure-notification app launched in Ontario Friday, after a nearly month-long delay during which Ottawa unsuccessfully tried to get other provinces to sign on.
“Health experts say if enough people sign up, this app can help prevent future outbreaks of COVID-19 in Canada.”
The federal government worked with Apple and Google on the technology underlying the app. A Shopify volunteer team provided the original code, and BlackBerry helped with security reviews.

Coronavirus: Trudeau announces plans for end of CERB, transition to EI (CTV News) Published on: July 31, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

The federal government plans to transition recipients of the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) to the Employment Insurance (EI) program as the $80-billion coronavirus aid program wraps up this fall, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday.
Ottawa will also create a “transitional, parallel benefit” that is similar to EI for people who don’t qualify for the unemployment benefit, such as contract and gig workers.
“It will include access to training, and being able to work more hours and earn more money while receiving the benefit,” Trudeau said.

TD and RBC extend work from home policy for most staff until 2021 (CTV News) Published on: July 30, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Royal Bank of Canada and TD Bank Group say most of their staff will work from home until next year to further stop the spread of COVID-19.
The move comes after the Bank of Nova Scotia informed head office employees in the General Toronto Area currently working remotely that they can continue to do so until 2021 and after all of the major banks in the city agreed to a May request from mayor John Tory, who asked companies in the area to keep their workers home for the summer.

Covid-19 has strained Canada’s relations with America (The Economist) Published on: July 30, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

America would like Canada to reopen, but with covid-19 spreading fast in most American states, Canadians are less keen. Justin Trudeau, their prime minister, has tried to avoid confronting Donald Trump.
In June only 64,000 American residents entered Canada by road, compared with 1.6m a year before, a drop of 96%.
The bipartisan Northern Border Caucus of 29 Congress members has called on Canada to allow Americans to visit holiday homes they own north of the border. They also want a “comprehensive framework” towards reopening.

Should young children wear face masks? Health experts are divided (The Globe and Mail) Published on: July 29, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

The report follows a guidance document released last month by the Hospital for Sick Children that was criticized by educators and some epidemiologists for not consulting more widely and for failing to demand more safety measures, such as masking and strict physical distancing.
The updated document was a collaborative effort between SickKids, the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Kingston Health Sciences Centre, London Health Sciences Centre, McMaster Children’s Hospital and Unity Health.
The report also said that the use of masks in schools is “complex and nuanced” and there is limited data on their effectiveness but there “remains a theoretical benefit especially for older children and youth.”
The use of masks in classrooms has become the subject of a fierce debate across the country, and interestingly, the document noted that there wasn’t a full agreement among the contributors on the need and role of students wearing masks.

Breaking down Shopify’s ‘blowout’ quarter (The Logic) Published on: July 29, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, swarms of brick-and-mortar retailers are shifting their business online for the first time—a trend that’s helped Shopify nearly double its revenues in the second quarter.
The company’s record-high revenue coincides with its rollout of new products and services to help merchants beef up their sales pipelines during the pandemic. “I cannot recall a time in our history when we’ve shipped so many features in such a short period of time,” said COO Harley Finkelstein on Wednesday’s earnings call.
US$153 million: The amount of funding deployed through Shopify Capital, the firm’s small-business loan initiative, in Canada, the U.S. and U.K. The spending represents a 65 per cent increase over the second quarter last year, at which time Shopify Capital was only available to U.S. merchants.

U.S military personnel in St. John’s accused of not isolating, as confusion swirls around exemption rules (CBC) Published on: July 28, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

The manager of a St. John’s hotel says American military members have been leaving the hotel and telling staff they were given the OK to do so by the Canada Border Services Agency.
That runs contrary to provincial rules on visitors from outside of Atlantic Canada. Even people travelling to Newfoundland and Labrador for essential work are required to isolate when they are not working.
Health Minister John Haggie said he’d heard stories about American military members being in a downtown restaurant Monday night, and that his department is looking into it.

Despite Ontario delay, more provinces considering signing on with federal COVID Alert app (The Logic) Published on: July 27, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

The federal government’s in-house digital development shop is working to make the app compatible with health systems around the country, The Logic has learned, and several provinces have held discussions about signing on.
While COVID Alert will be available for download anywhere in the country, it can only notify users that they may have been exposed to the virus if provincial and local health authorities participate, according to a federal source with knowledge of the project.
Once downloaded, the app uses Bluetooth to exchange anonymous, encrypted keys with nearby devices also running the app; those keys are then uploaded to a server. Users will be alerted if in the previous 14 days they’ve been in close proximity to someone found to have COVID-19.

Canadian banks face rising loan losses as government COVID-19 support programs taper off (The Globe and Mail) Published on: July 24, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Canada’s Big Six banks face growing loan losses as government support programs wind down and loan-deferral and interest-rate relief programs for consumers come to a halt.
Despite the economic plunge, consumers have so far remained largely current with their debt obligations. Personal insolvencies
are below average and credit payments have remained stable.
“Once government support measures wind down, consumer loan charge-offs will rise as workers struggle to adapt to the postpandemic economy,” said a report published Thursday by Moody’s Investors Service.

Retail e-commerce and COVID-19: How online shopping opened doors while many were closing (Statistics Canada) Published on: July 24, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

From February to May 2020, total retail sales fell 17.9%. However, retail e-commerce sales nearly doubled (+99.3%), with some retailers relying more on this method of sale.
Year over year, e-commerce sales more than doubled—with a 110.8% increase compared with May 2019.
From February to April 2020, only the food and beverage subsector experienced an increase in in-store sales (+3.3%) and a surge in e-commerce (+107.0%).
In contrast, other retail trade subsectors—such as furniture and home furnishings stores (-69.6%); sporting goods, hobby, book and music stores (-79.0%); and clothing and clothing accessories stores (-84.2%)—saw much sharper declines in in-store sales from February to April 2020.

Pandemic boosting relevance of financial wellness offerings: survey (Benefits Canada) Published on: July 22, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

40 per cent of employers reported that addressing financial stress is a key reason for increasing their voluntary benefits program, well up from just 16 per cent of respondents in 2017, the last time Buck performed a similar survey.
While just 38 per cent of employers cited helping employees retire when ready as their top financial well-being priority, 68 per cent listed budgeting and saving, 66 per cent said credit card debt and 59 per cent said unexpected medical expenses.
One in five (20 per cent) said they’re looking to add student loan guidance and refinancing, while 18 per cent are looking at student loan repayment, 13 per cent at indemnity and 11 per cent at long-term care.

Small businesses struggle to stay afloat as Ontario reopens amid pandemic (CBC) Published on: July 22, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

But even if Stage 3 is just another week or two away, many shop owners and restaurateurs are worried their revenues won’t make up for all the money they’ve lost, and what they have to spend to adhere to COVID-19 restrictions.
Many businesses say they’re incurring extra costs associated with buying masks and PPE for customers and employees, as well as other measures to ensure physical distancing. They say they aren’t bringing in enough revenue to offset those expenses.
To make up some of that lost revenue, other businesses like Physioplus Health Group started charging customers an “infection prevention fee” of $5.

Canadian health officials using Uber data to track COVID-19 (The Logic) Published on: July 21, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Health officials across Canada are using data from Uber to beef up their contact-tracing efforts in a bid to slow the spread of COVID-19, The Logic has learned.
Ten Canadian public health units have made a total of 145 requests for data from Uber since the ride-hailing giant launched a tool that lets health officials quickly access personal information on riders and drivers who may have come in contact with someone infected.
The service is an extension of Uber’s law enforcement and public safety portal, which provides law enforcement officials with user data when Uber is legally compelled to, or when its team of internal and external law enforcement experts determines it’s in the interest of the public safety to do so.

Canadians feeling better about personal debt levels than they have in three years: poll (The Globe and Mail) Published on: July 20, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

Canadian consumers are more upbeat about their personal debt than they have been for three years, despite the recession brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, a poll has found.
MNP says it saw 51 per cent fewer consumers file for insolvency in May, compared to a year ago.
COVID-19 dramatically altered consumer spending since restaurants, theatres, malls and other bastions of discretionary spending were closed.

CERB Repayments Could Cause a Poverty Crisis, Advocates Say (Vice) Published on: July 20, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Many low-income or homeless Canadians applied and received the CERB benefit without qualifying. Advocates say the government should give them amnesty.
As of July 12, more than eight million people had applied, and nearly $60 billion had been paid out.
It’s not yet clear how the government will go after repayment money. Thorhaug worries it’ll be taken from people’s tax returns, eliminating a much-needed income supplement for folks living well below the poverty line.

Coronavirus exposures reported on 2 more flights through Vancouver (Global News) Published on: July 19, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

The B.C. Centre for Disease Control is notifying the public of two new coronavirus exposures on flights in or out of the Vancouver International Airport.
On Thursday, B.C.’s provincial health officer expressed frustration with airlines over their collection of passenger data.
Dr. Bonnie Henry said she wants to see airlines collect names and phone numbers for all passengers, information she says is often not included on flight manifests.

Blue Jays strike out in bid to have home games played in Toronto (Toronto Sun) Published on: July 18, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Citing public safety amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government made it one strike and you’re out on Saturday, denying the Blue Jays bid to play its 30 home games at the Rogers Centre.
“Based on the best-available public health advice, we have concluded the cross-border travel required for MLB regular-season play would not adequately protect Canadians’ health and safety,” federal Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino said in announcing the government’s decision.
It seems the biggest concern of the federal government was not the Blue Jays plan — an exhaustive 167-page document outlining its detailed plans for a cohort quarantine with visiting teams — but of the virus hotspots they would have to visit elsewhere.

Coronavirus in Canada: These charts show how our fight to ‘flatten the curve’ is going (Maclean's) Published on: July 17, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Alberta’s premier cites the province’s downward trend in COVID-19 cases despite lighter reopening restrictions than in other provinces. Alberta’s per capita rate of new cases has been rising since June, however, and is now the highest per capita rate of daily cases of any province in the country.
Steady or declining cases in Ontario and Quebec, combined with increasing trends in the West mean that the percentage of new cases has shifted.
Nunavut, which had recorded its first COVID-19 case at a mine near Pond River, is once again virus-free, after further testing revealed the person didn’t have the virus.

Russian group targeted COVID-19 vaccine research in Canada, U.S. and U.K., say intelligence agencies (CBC) Published on: July 16, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

A hacker group “almost certainly” backed by Russia is trying to steal COVID-19-related vaccine research in Canada, the U.K. and the U.S., according to intelligence agencies in all three countries.
In response to CBC’s inquiries, CSE spokesperson Evan Koronewski did point to a recent threat bulletin that reported a Canadian biopharmaceutical company was compromised by a foreign cyber threat actor back in mid-April.
The three targeted countries said the Russian actors have been using custom malware known as WellMess and WellMail to attack a number of organizations globally during the pandemic.

‘New reality’ of workplace includes virtual health care, enhanced mental-health support (Benefits Canada) Published on: July 16, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

The coronavirus pandemic is dramatically affecting workplaces, employers and employees across Canada, according to a new survey by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans.
While a third of surveyed employers said they already offered telehealth or telemedicine before the pandemic, an additional 19 per cent said they added it during the crisis and another 17 per cent said they’re considering doing so.
The survey also found more than half of Canadian employers have either added (28 per cent) or are considering adding (24 per cent) elements to their existing mental-health benefits.

85% of Canadians believe fraudulent CERB users should be fined: Ipsos poll (Global News) Published on: July 16, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Canadians acknowledge the benefit of the emergency grant program during the COVID-19 pandemic, but want to see more done to combat fraudulent claims, a new poll suggests.
The Ipsos poll, conducted exclusively for Global News between July 8 and 10, found that while the vast majority of Canadians believe the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) has helped prevent financial disaster for many (86 per cent), there are increasing concerns about fraud and misuse.
The poll found that 63 per cent of respondents agree that the CERB is being misused by many Canadians.
Asked whether the CERB should be discontinued “at the earliest possible opportunity,” 43 per cent of Canadians aged 18 to 34 said they agreed compared to 58 per cent of Canadians aged over 55.

Most Canadians support shutdowns over 2nd coronavirus wave: Ipsos poll (Global News) Published on: July 15, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

The survey, conducted by Ipsos for exclusively Global News between July 8 and July 10, found 77 per cent of Canadians anticipate there will be a second wave of the novel coronavirus, despite efforts to stem its spread.
Ipsos Public Affairs CEO Darrell Bricker told Global News this number is so high because Canadians are “watching the news closely.”
“They’re treating it almost like emergency broadcasts and something that’s been very consistent coming out of our health care professionals, and the people who manage our health care system, and our politicians is that we need to prepare ourselves for a second wave, so that message is getting through,” he said.
According to the survey, 93 per cent of Canadians feel it would be too risky to travel to the U.S. this summer, and 85 per cent said the Canada-U.S. border should remain closed until at least the end of 2020.

Canada-U.S. border closure to be extended for another 30 days, say officials (CBC) Published on: July 14, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

CBC News has confirmed that the agreement to restrict travel across the Canada-U.S. border will be extended into August.
The agreement, which has to be reviewed each month, was set to expire on July 21. It’s now being renewed for the fourth time since the border closed to non-essential traffic on March 21.
Canadian government officials say they expect the border to stay largely closed for the foreseeable future, despite calls from U.S. members of Congress to consider a phased plan for reopening.

COVID-19 roundup: CEWS extended to December (The Logic) Published on: July 13, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

Ottawa plans to extend its wage subsidy program “until December,” to “give greater certainty and support to businesses as we restart the economy,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pre-announced on Monday.
The requirement disqualified high-growth companies and software-as-a-service business models; scale-ups like point-of-sale tech firm TouchBistro and fintech Borrowell cited their ineligibility for the program when they laid off staff in April.
The TSX, S&P 500 and Nasdaq closed down after California rolled back its reopening plans.

The great PPE panic: How the pandemic caught Canada with its stockpiles down (CBC) Published on: July 11, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

When the pandemic hit, Canada found itself at the end of a long global queue for essential equipment.
In fact, Canada still doesn’t have the PPE it needs to keep those essential workers safe.
Canadian PPE stockpile levels were woefully low when the pandemic hit; materials were allowed to expire without being used or even donated, and then ended up in landfills.

Canadian fintechs hope U.S. pandemic partnerships will set an example at home (The Logic) Published on: July 9, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

The pandemic has pushed the American banking ecosystem to look to fintechs to provide agility. In Canada that hasn’t happened, with fintechs largely kept out of the delivery of COVID-19 relief programs.
While other countries like the U.S., U.K. and Australia have turned to digital upstarts to help transform their banking systems during the pandemic, Canada has not responded in kind because of a worrying lack of political will to create a competitive and open and risk-based financial system.
Corey Gross, CEO of Sensibill, a Toronto fintech that uses AI to digitize financial management that works with hundreds of financial institutions in the U.K and U.S., sees the pandemic forcing banks to reallocate budgets to innovation, and pushing them to look to fintechs “to bolster the customer experience” that address needs beyond banking.

Report: Nearly half of Canadian VC firms have seen a decline in deal flow during COVID-19 (BetaKit) Published on: July 9, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

In Canada, 48 per cent of venture capital (VC) firms have seen a minimum 25 per cent decline in deal flow during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new survey data from OMERS Ventures.
Thirty-six per cent of Canadian firms surveyed reported having done a fully remote deal during the COVID-19 pandemic, while 64 per cent said they had not.
“Getting to know founders and their teams by spending time together in person has traditionally played an important role in the investment process for us and many VCs,” said Damien Steel, head of ventures and managing partner at OMERS Ventures. “As our industry navigates the unconventional circumstances created by the pandemic … there’s been a general realization that those processes are in need of a change.”

Breaking down the fiscal ‘snapshot’: Employers on deck for post-pandemic economic recovery (The Logic) Published on: July 8, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

The federal government says Canada’s economy would have contracted by more than 10 per cent in 2020 if not for its emergency spending to combat the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic—and it’s planning to spend even more money to help employers to kickstart the country’s recovery.
Ottawa has pledged $212 billion in direct support, equivalent to almost 14 per cent of GDP, according to the economic and fiscal “snapshot” Finance Minister Bill Morneau delivered in the House of Commons Wednesday in lieu of a budget for the 2020–2021 fiscal year.
The government is projecting a $343.2-billion deficit in 2020–21, accounting for both its spending and the “severe deterioration in the economic outlook.”

Canada eyes longer-term debt as servicing costs fall on lower rates: source (Reuters) Published on: July 8, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

Canada is eyeing issuing longer-term debt to take advantage of low interest rates, and expects servicing costs to be lower this fiscal year than was forecast last year despite the billions in emergency spending due to COVID-19, a government source said.
In December, Canada said it expected public debt charges to be C$23.7 billion ($17.4 billion) in the 2020-21 fiscal year starting on April 1. But a government source said the new estimate would be lower despite a much higher deficit than had been expected.
“We took on debt so Canadians wouldn’t have to,” Trudeau said at a news conference.
The Bank of Canada slashed its benchmark rate in March by a total of 1.5 percentage points to 0.25%. It has said it does not intend to reduce rates any further.

How Canadians and Americans are responding differently to wearing face masks (CTV News) Published on: July 7, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Canadians are more likely than Americans to praise their government’s handling of COVID-19 and keep their hands to themselves in public, but less likely to wear masks when out of the house, according to recent polling data.
Nearly three in five Canadians – 58 per cent – reported as of June 11 that they were regularly wearing face masks when out in public.
This was one of the lower rates of face-mask usage, as only six of the 25 other countries surveyed reported less take-up of the masks: the United Kingdom (31 per cent), Australia (21 per cent) and the four surveyed Scandinavian nations, with Denmark at the very bottom at three per cent.

Poll finds 81% of Canadians say the Canada-U.S. border should remain closed (The Globe and Mail) Published on: July 6, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

More than eight in 10 Canadians say the Canada-U.S. border should remain closed to non-essential travellers for the foreseeable future, according to a new Nanos Research survey.
The survey suggests that there is strong support across regions and age groups for keeping the border closed.
“The response is actually quite surprising considering we are a border country that relies on the United States for our livelihood … [it] suggests that Canadians have a very high level of anxiety about what’s happening in the pandemic in the United States,” Pollster Nik Nanos said.

‘Effects of isolation’ are surfacing: Pediatricians call for return to school (CTV News) Published on: July 6, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Children should be allowed to use the playground in small groups, but should wear cloth face masks and maintain a 1-metre distance from others (that’s half the widely recommended 2 metres), the American Academy of Pediatrics said in a series of recommendations issued June 26.
They provide important mental health supports, nutritious food and – for some children – a refuge. Pediatric organizations on both sides of the border say the risk of COVID-19 among children is low and that safety measures can further minimize the risk of transmission.
Health care leaders at Canada’s top children’s hospitals sounded the alarm Monday, saying COVID-19 is creating a “crisis” in children’s health and even violating children’s human rights, including their rights to a quality education, highest standards of health, protection from violence and access to recreation.

Bank of Canada says business sentiment is at lowest since 2009 (BNN Bloomberg) Published on: July 6, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

The results show that even as provinces begin to reopen their economies, many businesses are still struggling with weak demand.
Almost half of all Canadian businesses reported a decline in sales in the past 12 months because of the impact from COVID-19, lower energy prices and heightened uncertainty. Businesses continue to expect weak demand in the future with more firms expecting lower future sales growth in the next year.
More than half of firms expect their sales and employment levels to be near pre-pandemic levels within a year.

Banks extend deadline to apply for loan deferrals (The Globe and Mail) Published on: July 5, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

Some of Canada’s largest banks have extended programs that allow clients to defer payments on personal loans through the end of September, signalling that many borrowers still need support even as some early deferrals have expired.
Banks are still getting new requests for deferrals – about 400 in an average week at RBC, for example – though demand has dropped dramatically from the early weeks of the COVID-19 crisis.
“I do get concerned about our ability to understand and to see and be prepared for potential credit risks, primarily credit risks, that might be building,” said Jamey Hubbs, assistant superintendent in charge of regulation at the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions.

Two-thirds of Canadians support closing businesses again if COVID-19 cases spike: survey (CTV News) Published on: July 5, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

As scientists and policy-makers anticipate a second wave of COVID-19 later this year, a new survey suggests a majority of Canadians support closing non-essential businesses again if cases spike.
Forty-two per cent of respondents said they support the closures, while another 28 per cent said they somewhat support them.
Nearly one in five respondents said they opposed (11 per cent) or somewhat opposed (nine per cent) mandatory face masks.
According to the Nanos poll, nearly nine in 10 Canadians say a second wave of COVID-19 infections in the next six months is likely (57 per cent) or somewhat likely (32 per cent).

Business advocates ask Alberta government to supply non-AHS doctors with PPE, according to CFIB survey (Global News) Published on: July 3, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

The costs of extra masks and other protective gear are starting to add up for private-sector health-care providers across Canada, so much so that some are worried about going out of business.
Canadian Federation of Independent Business’ latest survey shows that 88 per cent of doctors who work outside of provincial health-care systems are concerned about how much they’ll have to spend on PPE.
Nearly half of those surveyed say they expect to have problems with the supply of PPE in the future.

Jack M. Mintz: Alberta is the first to think beyond this crisis. Now let’s see Ottawa’s recovery plan (Financial Post) Published on: July 2, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

The IMF World Economic Outlook expects our GDP to fall 8.4 per cent in 2020 with a rebound gain of only 4.9 per cent in 2021. By 2022 GDP will still be four points below its end-of-2019 level.
Deficits likely will continue for most of this decade — which is why running surpluses during good years, as we should have been doing since about 2011, is such smart policy.
The plan is a confidence-booster focused on growth. It has three main parts: stimulate investment, skill training and helping people get back to work; build shovel ready — and shovel-worthy — infrastructure; and diversify the economy.

‘No mask. No ride’: Uber will require drivers and passengers to wear face masks indefinitely (USA Today) Published on: July 1, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Uber is extending its mask requirement indefinitely throughout the U.S. and Canada as coronavirus cases continue to rise across several states.
The decision was made based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The news comes in tandem with the company’s launch of a campaign running on TV, social media and in the app. It’s called “No mask. No ride” and depicts drivers and Uber Eats delivery people working during the pandemic.

Canada’s economy saw record 11.6% drop in April, but signs of rebound emerging (The Globe and Mail) Published on: June 30, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

Canada’s real GDP is likely to grow 3 per cent in May, bouncing back from a record decline in April, Statistics Canada said in a flash estimate on Tuesday, as businesses across the country began to reopen following coronavirus-linked shutdowns.
The goods-producing sector posted a 17.0 per cent decrease, led by sharp declines in manufacturing and construction, with the service sector down 9.7 per cent on sharp plunges in the hospitality, retail and transportation sectors, the StatsCan data showed.
“April was a ‘mense horribilis’ for the Canadian economy, and the only thing good about it was that in all likelihood it marked the bottom of this short but extremely deep recession,” Avery Shenfeld, chief economist at CIBC Capital Markets, said in a note.

What factors are impacting Canadians’ mental health during pandemic? (Benefits Canada) Published on: June 29, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Employment status, income level and helpful coping strategies are key factors impacting how Canadians feel about their mental health, according to a new survey by the Mental Health Commission of Canada and the Conference Board of Canada.
The factors with the biggest changes in concern levels were family well-being (24 per cent), respondents’ personal future (23 per cent), experiencing isolation and loneliness (21 per cent) and feeling anxiousness or fear (21 per cent).
Of unemployed Canadians, those laid off due to the pandemic reported a 25 per cent change in their mental-health concern score, as did those who said they received government support.

Millennials stand out as being more cautious about their personal finances during COVID-19 (Equifax) Published on: June 29, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

Equifax data analytics confirms that, with reduced opportunity for discretionary spending, younger adults have seen a higher rate of decline in credit card balances since January at 16 per cent as compared to under 12.6 per cent for those adults 35 and older.
After examining the consumer confidence data and survey research, Kelly Peters, CEO & Co-Founder of BEworks, suggests that younger adults in particular are less susceptible to the scarcity mindset driving other consumers.
By proactively leveraging behavioural insights, financial Institutions can take advantage of the unique times we are living in and help consumers make a fresh start in the post-pandemic world.
Looking across all age groups, understandably survey respondents are most concerned for their own financial situation, but there’s also a good measure of concern for their friends, country and family dealing with the pandemic that has gripped the world.

Half of all restaurants may not make it to 2021: CEO of Oliver & Bonacini (CP24) Published on: June 25, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

The head of one of Toronto’s most famous restaurant groups expects half of restaurants will be forced to close by the end of 2020 if they aren’t given additional support.
“First and foremost, I would bet the vast majority of people don’t have patios,” Oliver told BNN Bloomberg. “So there is a huge portion of the industry that is going to be closed.”
Oliver said sales will likely be down 70 per cent for the “vast majority” of restaurants this year and without additional support from the government they won’t survive.

Fitch Downgrades Canada’s Ratings to ‘AA+’; Outlook Stable (Fitch Ratings) Published on: June 24, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

The rating downgrade reflects the deterioration of Canada’s public finances in 2020 resulting from the coronavirus pandemic.
Fitch expects the coronavirus response to raise Canada’s consolidated gross general government debt to 115.1% of GDP in 2020, up from 88.3% of GDP in 2019.
Canada has a track record of fiscal adjustment during the 1990s. However, the structure of Canada’s decentralized fiscal framework increases the complexity of any fiscal adjustment.

Atlantic provinces agree to regional COVID-19 pandemic bubble (CBC) Published on: June 24, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

The four Atlantic provinces have agreed to open their borders to each other on July 3, the Council of Atlantic Premiers announced Wednesday in a news release.
Other Canadian visitors to the three Maritime provinces who have self-isolated for 14 days may travel within the Maritime region, but not to Newfoundland and Labrador, said P.E.I. Premier Dennis King.

Housing demand to drop as COVID-19 hit on economy deepens: CMHC (BNN Bloomberg) Published on: June 22, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. expects a drop in home prices in the country’s biggest cities amid “severe declines” in home sales and construction.
CMHC says the market likely won’t see a return to pre-pandemic levels before the end of 2022.
He noted that a decline in immigration and interprovincial activity will lower demand for rental units, which combined with a “significant new supply in rental properties close to being completed,” could mean that vacancy rates are likely to jump.

Canadians working from home permanently should expect salary changes, experts say (The Globe and Mail) Published on: June 21, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

“That means if you live in a location where the cost of living is dramatically lower, or the cost of labour is lower, then salaries do tend to be somewhat lower in those places,” said Mark Zuckerberg on a video conference, where he announced more employees would be allowed to work remotely permanently.
Only one-third of Canadians working remotely expect to resume working from the office as consistently as they did pre-pandemic, while one-in-five say they will remain primarily at home, according to a June study from the Angus Reid Institute.
The companies that don’t offer remote work at all could also find themselves at a disadvantage, if their industry starts to value flexibility and look less favourably at companies that don’t offer it.

Home work: How the pandemic has reshaped our working lives (Vancouver Sun) Published on: June 20, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Many people working from home while caring for small children say they are exhausted, while empty nesters with space for a home office are simply relieved to skip their daily commute.
About 16 per cent of the new at-home workers rate the experience as great, while 15 per cent say it is terrible, according to a recent Angus Reid poll.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, between 60 and 80 per cent of new home workers say they’d like to make the switch permanent, though closer to 20 per cent believe that will happen, according to privately commissioned polls.

Open parks offer little relief for tourism in Alberta (The Globe and Mail) Published on: June 20, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Alberta’s tourism industry – the fourth largest employment sector in the province – is struggling two weeks after reopening as border closings from the pandemic cause tourism numbers to plummet.
Only 22 per cent of Albertans say they would welcome domestic visitors from other provinces, while less than 10 per cent are comfortable with travellers from the United States and other foreign destinations, according to a survey by Destination Canada.
And two-thirds of businesses said that they would need to operate at between 50 and 75 per cent of their capacity to meet their minimum operating expenses, according to a Travel Alberta survey on the impact of COVID-19.

Canadian Retail Sales See ‘Massive’ Drop In April, Surprising The Experts (Huffington Post) Published on: June 19, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

Canadian retail sales plunged for the second month in a row in April, falling 26.4 per cent during the period when the COVID-19 lockdowns were at their peak, according to data from Statistics Canada.
The decline is nearly twice as large as the one seen in the U.S. in April, where sales fell 14.7 per cent. It’s also twice as large as what economists had been expecting for Canada.
It wasn’t all bad news in the report though. Retailers who had an online presence were able to capitalize on some of the shifts in buying patterns.

Canadian exports set to plunge in 2020, with rebound in store next year (The Globe and Mail) Published on: June 18, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

The worst industry that anybody would have expected would have had the numbers that we’re now posting for the best industries.
The industries hit hardest by the pandemic include aerospace, oil, autos and travel services, while the ones weathering the storm the best include agriculture, consumer goods, ores and metals, and chemicals and plastics, according to the report.
Consumer goods, according to EDC’s forecasts, will see a 9 per cent decline in exports in 2020, followed by a 10 per cent increase next year.
Mary Robinson, president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, says agriculture may fare better than some of its counterparts in exports because the industry is responsible for feeding Canadians and consumers globally.

Despite reopening orders, real-time economic data shows Canada’s economy remains largely frozen (The Logic) Published on: June 18, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

Nationwide restaurant reservations are down 75 per cent from the same time last year, but up from the 100 per cent drop in March.
That increase is driven largely by Edmonton, which leads not only the average in Canada, but most of the world when it comes to restaurant reservations, down only 42 per cent from last year.
Nationwide walking searches are up 22 per cent, according to Apple, which aggregates changes in search volume for directions on its Maps app.
Searches for transit maps are down 56 per cent, but driving searches are up 24 per cent.

CAMH survey shows pandemic affecting mental health, but anxiety levels may be easing (CBC) Published on: June 17, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

The study sampled more than 2,000 Canadians — about half in early May and the other half in late May — and asked a series of questions to determine the effects of the pandemic on mental health.
It found that 20 per cent of Canadians surveyed say they have been experiencing loneliness during the pandemic.
The study also questioned Canadians on patterns of binge drinking and whether they had been drinking more alcohol during the pandemic outbreak, as well as about feelings of depression.
Approximately 24 per cent of the respondents said they were drinking more than usual , and 20 per cent reported feeling more depressed.

In Canada’s COVID-19 capital, younger students return to class in ‘bubbles’ (Reuters) Published on: June 16, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Quebec’s elementary and younger high school students will be divided into smaller subgroups, or “bubbles,” and no longer switch classes when they return to school this fall, education officials in the Canadian province hit hardest by the coronavirus outbreak said on Tuesday.
China’s capital, Beijing, said it is closing schools amid a fresh outbreak.
Only British Columbia has reopened both elementary and high schools, though students are attending on a rotating basis, while Manitoba and Prince Edward Island have both resumed some in-person classes on a limited basis.

COVID-19: Poll says Canadians fatigued, less concerned about virus protocols (Vancouver Sun) Published on: June 15, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Just 36 per cent of respondents say they’re staying away from public spaces as much as they were during the early days of the pandemic, while 56 per cent are still physically distancing.
The poll also found that 31 per cent of Canadians reported feeling fatigued in recent weeks and 28 per cent say they are anxious, with the majority of those being under the age of 55.
Just under half of Canadians (41 per cent) still believe the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic is yet to come, while the rest believe Canada has survived the lowest point of the health crisis.

Employee well-being growing area of post-pandemic focus for employers: survey (Benefits Canada) Published on: June 15, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

While 72 per cent of Canadian employers said they’ll make minimal or no changes to their benefits coverage in 2021, 21 per cent are planning some plan design changes around health coverage, according to a new survey by Arther J. Gallagher & Co.
Among those planning changes, eight per cent said they’re looking at plan design and contribution structure changes, while just four per cent said they expect to make major strategic changes to their benefits offerings.
As well, 37 per cent said they plan to include additional support for emotional well-being, 19 per cent said they’ll up their financial well-being support, 10 per cent plan will increase community/social support and six per cent said they’ll offer additional physical support.

Employers want to rehire and workers want to return, but the road back is full of obstacles (The Globe and Mail) Published on: June 13, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Just 15 per cent of small businesses said their sales have returned to normal, according to a recent survey by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB).
Among companies that recently struggled to recall or recruit staff, 60 per cent of owners said prospective workers were concerned about physical health, the CFIB found.
The number of employed Canadians climbed by about 290,000 in May, unwinding just less than 10 per cent of the three million jobs that were shed in March and April.

More funding, health, equity measures needed ahead of September school reopening: OSSTF (CBC) Published on: June 13, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

The union representing thousands of Ontario high school teachers and education workers is raising the alarm over what it calls “clear risks” involved with reopening public schools in September in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Among other things, the union is calling on the government to provide more personal protective equipment, more cleaning and more funding for the increased staffing it says will be needed to keep everyone as safe as possible from the novel coronavirus.
Though Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce says a full plan for reopening the province’s schools will be released by the end of June — including measures to ensure physical distancing and restrictions on the movement of students at school — Bischof says the province needs to take additional steps in its reopening plan, and do it quickly.

One country, two pandemics: what COVID-19 reveals about inequality in Canada (CBC) Published on: June 13, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

A new analysis conducted by CBC News of cases in Montreal, for instance, found strong correlations linking higher rates of COVID-19 infections with low-income neighbourhoods and neighbourhoods with higher percentages of Black residents.
Public health officials in Ontario reported last week that the rates of infection and death from COVID-19 were disproportionately higher in the province’s most ethnically and culturally diverse neighbourhoods.
The rate of hospitalizations in those hard-hit communities was four times higher. The rate of death was twice as high.
In a working paper published this week, four Canadian economists reported that the employment losses in April were greater for younger, low-wage and non-unionized workers, with “public facing” sectors like retail and restaurants hit the hardest.

Trudeau’s call with premiers gets testy as leaders butt heads over funding to reopen economy (CBC) Published on: June 12, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

Thursday evening’s weekly call between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the premiers was marked by testy exchanges over the federal government’s pledge of $14 billion to help provinces reopen their economies and the future of the military in Quebec’s long-term care facilities, according to federal and provincial sources with knowledge of the call.
When Trudeau announced the $14 billion on June 5, he said it would be earmarked for specific measures to help provinces reopen their economies safely.
Those measures include the purchase of personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline healthcare workers and businesses.

COVID-19: B.C. Hydro survey shows change to daily routines (Vancouver Sun) Published on: June 12, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Since mid-March, nearly 90 per cent of British Columbians reported drastically shifting their daily routines, including nearly 40 per cent that are working at home five days a week, according to the survey.
Other findings include that 45 per cent say they are eating breakfast at a later time, and 24 per cent said they are showering less often and for shorter periods of time in the morning.
Almost half of those surveyed said they are cooking more now than they were pre-pandemic, and almost a quarter are making dinner earlier these days.

Alberta lifts economic lockdown in an effort to rein in high unemployment (Financial Post) Published on: June 11, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

This year, Royal Bank of Canada expects the province’s economy to shrink 8.7 per cent, an outcome that’s second-worst in Canada after Newfoundland and Labrador’s expected 9.9 per cent real GDP contraction for 2020.
Unlike other major Canadian provinces that came into the COVID-19 induced recession from a position of strength, Alberta was in a recession even before the pandemic hit.
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney announced Tuesday the province would accelerate the timeline for Phase 2 of its planned re-launch to allow gyms, massage parlours, beautician services and other businesses to re-open this Friday as long as physical distancing guidelines are followed.

Health unit to name businesses with two or more COVID-19 cases (Windsor Star) Published on: June 10, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit will soon make public the names of local businesses where they believe an employee has spread COVID-19 to one or more colleagues.
The public disclosures are part of an effort to educate residents on what risk the disease still presents to the community as more businesses and workplaces begin to reopen.

Rental advocates push back on potential eviction plans from province (News1130) Published on: June 9, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

In the wake of a push by B.C. landlords to get their eviction privileges restored, a tenants’ rights group is pushing back.
While landlords can’t evict tenants for not paying their rent right now, that debt isn’t going away, and Gharibnavaz says there needs to be a long-term solution.
“Maybe some sort of rent bank or something like that, where the renter is going to take on the burden,” he suggests.

Two-thirds of Canadians intend to get COVID-19 vaccine, about half wearing masks in public: survey (Richmond News) Published on: June 9, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Sixty-eight per cent of survey respondents said they intend to get the COVID-19 vaccine once it’s available, while 16 per cent said they didn’t know, and another 16 per cent said they would not get vaccinated, according to the poll, released Tuesday, by a Canadian market-research company.
When it comes to wearing a mask to help prevent the spread of the virus, 51 per cent of Canadians said they put one on while grocery shopping, 45 per cent for trips to the pharmacy, 17 per cent in workplaces or offices.
When it comes to transit, 14 per cent of Canadians said they wear a mask, and another 12 per cent said they wear a mask when they go for a walk.

Why can’t the GTA lift COVID-19 restrictions? These 5 charts explain our lockdown limbo, how the virus is multiplying and more (Toronto Star) Published on: June 9, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

The inability to scale back cases here could be due a number of reasons, including increased testing, which has led to the discovery of more positive cases, or an increase in public gatherings, said Dr. Jennifer Kwan, a family physician who’s been tracking COVID-19 data in the province.
As well, she said, delayed reports of positive tests to public health units, which the province acknowledged happened earlier this month at a drive-thru assessment centre in Etobicoke, could have allowed people to spread the virus unknowingly.
On Monday evening, the province’s regional health units reported 314 new COVID-19 cases, a decrease of 101 cases reported the same time Sunday.

Pandemic measures expose work-from-home inequality says StatsCan (CBC) Published on: June 8, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

Statistics Canada says that women, people with higher earnings and those with more education are more likely to be able to work from home and therefore less likely to suffer a loss of income due to measures to limit spread of COVID-19.
About 50 per cent of single women have jobs that allow them to work from home, compared with about one-third of single men, the report found, while 62 per cent of women in dual-income families hold jobs that can be done from home, compared with 38 per cent for men.
Statistics Canada also finds that while less than 30 per cent of primary earners with a high school diploma can work from home, roughly two-thirds of their counterparts with at least a bachelor’s degree could do so.

What dining will look like when Toronto restaurants are allowed to reopen (CP24) Published on: June 6, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

The City of Toronto has released guidelines for restaurants that provide the clearest picture so far of how dining will look once the province allows establishments to reopen for dine-in service.
Even when restaurants reopen, the document says, staff and customers should still maintain six feet (two metres) of distance at all times.
Seating and tables need to be rearranged so that there is at least six feet of distance from edge to edge and no more than six customers should be seated at each table.

Federal government rules out adoption of Mila Institute’s COVID-19 contact-tracing app (The Logic) Published on: June 4, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

The federal government has ruled out an endorsement of one of the highest-profile Canadian efforts to develop a COVID-19 contact-tracing smartphone app, The Logic has learned.
The decision against adopting Mila’s app, which is based on the protocols developed by Britain’s National Health Service (NHS), strongly suggests the federal government will instead endorse an app based on Apple and Google exposure notification application programming interface.
Ottawa-based Shopify, which has developed an app based on the two companies’ technology, is arguably the country’s most prominent remaining contender.

Canada’s trade deficit doubled to $3.3B in April as COVID-19 walloped imports and exports (CBC) Published on: June 4, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

Exports fell to lowest level in a decade, while imports dropped to lowest since 2011.
“We are really getting hammered with respect to cars and crude,” said Peter Hall, chief economist at Export Development Canada.
The slump in auto and energy exports because of shutdowns was also reflected in Canada-U.S. trade data, where total trade fell by $23.4 billion, representing more than 90 per cent of Canada’s trade activity decline.

The quest for a vaccine could restore faith in big pharma (The Economist) Published on: June 4, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Until the coronavirus, the company barely dabbled in the $60bn-a-year vaccine business. Yet now he is leading the effort not just to create a vaccine, but also to bring big pharma back in from the cold.
Yet it is in the quest for the vaccine that Mr Soriot’s faith in innovation could be most consequential. In April AstraZeneca struck a landmark deal with Oxford University to distribute a potential jab.
Within three weeks it had secured manufacturing capacity for 1bn doses, with the aim of beginning deliveries in September.

Coronavirus crisis could cause $25tn fossil fuel industry collapse (Guardian) Published on: June 3, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

The coronavirus outbreak could trigger a $25tn (£20tn) collapse in the fossil fuel industry by accelerating a terminal decline for the world’s most polluting companies.
The report predicts a 2% decline in demand for fossil fuels every year could cause the future profits of oil, gas and coal companies to collapse from an estimated $39tn to just $14tn.
It follows findings from the International Energy Agency, which forecast the Covid-19 fallout would lead to the most severe plunge in energy demand since the second world war and trigger multidecade lows for the world’s consumption of oil, gas and coal, while renewable energy continued to grow.

Amazon is sued over warehouses after New York worker brings coronavirus home, cousin dies (Reuters) Published on: June 3, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

Amazon.com Inc has been sued for allegedly fostering the spread of the coronavirus by mandating unsafe working conditions, causing at least one employee to contract COVID-19, bring it home, and see her cousin die.
The lawsuit said Amazon has made JFK8, which employs about 5,000, a “place of danger” by impeding efforts to stop the coronavirus spreading, boosting productivity at the expense of safety.
The lawsuit seeks an injunction requiring that Amazon comply with worker safety and public nuisance laws, and not punish employees who develop COVID-19 symptoms or are quarantined.

Garneau expands required use of face masks on planes, trains, ships and transit (CBC) Published on: June 3, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Effective at noon on Thursday, airline flight crew and airport workers will be required to wear non-medical masks, in addition to the existing requirement for passengers.
Railway operators will have to notify passengers to wear a face covering when physical distancing of two metres from others can’t be maintained, or as requested by the rail companies.

Hospitals ‘overwhelmed’ by cyberattacks fuelled by booming black market (CBC) Published on: June 2, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Some experts call for national standards, federal money in battle against health-care data security breaches.
Canada’s health system is under siege from unrelenting cybercriminals trying to access patient information and other data, according to health-care professionals and cybersecurity experts who say hospitals and clinics are unable to cope with the growing threats.
Three Ontario hospitals were struck by ransomware in October. This year, eHealth Saskatchewan, which manages that province’s personal medical records, was compromised, and in Nova Scotia patients had information about their surgeries exposed during a cyberattack.

Ottawa to pledge billions to aid cash-strapped cities (Toronto Star) Published on: June 1, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday will pledge several billion dollars in assistance to help cash-strapped cities whose bottom lines have been battered by the pandemic, the Star has learned.
An official originally told the Star the funding would be earmarked for infrastructure funding. That was clarified Monday. In fact it would be an advancement of their promised share of gas tax funding “much much sooner,” said the federal official who spoke on background.
Municipalities back in April had asked the provinces and federal government for $10 billion — $7.6 billion to cover operating losses suffered by towns and cities and a further $2.4 billion for losses related to transit operations. Toronto alone is looking at a shortfall of up to $1.5 billion this year.

Ontario makes temporary change to layoff regulations to help businesses (CP24) Published on: June 1, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Ontario is temporarily amending its labour laws to help businesses avoid permanently laying off workers and paying out severance, which could send some into bankruptcy during the pandemic.
The change will see non-unionized workers who have had their hours reduced or eliminated placed on a temporary leave that preserves their job. Workers will still be eligible for federal emergency income support programs.
The amendment to the law will expire six weeks after the province’s declared state of emergency ends.

Co-working spaces could play a key role in the post-pandemic world of work—if they can survive the shutdown (The Logic) Published on: June 1, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced the temporary closure of the Okanagan coLab co-working space in Kelowna, B.C., its 150-strong membership dropped by just five per cent.
The drop was minor, because the space suddenly became “a life raft” for the community that used it to stay connected, and to learn together how to traverse uncharted waters, said Shane Austin, who runs the coLab.
The Logic spoke to six owners of independent co-working-spaces who reported that they’re struggling with short-term overhead costs at a time when the future of their business model is uncertain.

As pandemic persists, courts could see permanent changes some consider positive (National Post) Published on: May 31, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

One of the most dramatic impacts may be happening in courthouses, where hearings that have always occurred in person, are instead being adjudicated through online video or even over the telephone.
But the pandemic is also forcing lawyers and judges into a debate about the merits of technology and access to justice.
The judge wrote that the videoconferencing system he used allowed all the participants to see each other, and one member of the press even witnessed the proceeding.

Four ways Ontario has made it harder to know how COVID-19 is hitting the province (Toronto Star) Published on: May 31, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

In Ontario, the primary public sources of information on the spread of the virus have been the province’s 34 local public health units and Public Health Ontario, a government agency created to protect and promote health.
“In this case, it’s even more critical for us to know of the people who are being tested, what per cent of them are actually coming back positive, what per cent are coming back negative, because that can help at least give us some idea of how to extrapolate those numbers to the wider community,” said Aleman, a professor of industrial engineering at the University of Toronto .
The caveat is that such an extrapolation would be imperfect because of a biased selection scenario where the province has only been testing people strongly suspected of having the virus.
Before that date, Ontario’s data included some cases of COVID-19 that had been confirmed by the fact a patient had symptoms and was living in a facility that was experiencing an outbreak, but not a test — the logic being that if a resident got sick where the virus was present, there was no need to conduct a test to confirm the obvious.

After Twitter and Shopify, Transport Canada? Federal department becoming work-from-home office by default (National Post) Published on: May 30, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

If Transport Canada keeps a work-from-home policy beyond COVID-19, it will be the first federal department to join the ranks of tech giants who made similar announcements.
That’s what Transport Canada’s deputy minister announced to some 3,500 employees who tuned in to a departmentwide virtual town hall on Wednesday called TC Talks, according to multiple public servants who were on the call.
“Our default will be telework, and working virtually, and that’s going to open up – as people have raised questions and comments – that is going to open lots of good opportunities for how we organize our work and how people can work remotely, not just in the same city but even between regions,” he added during the virtual meeting, Transport Canada confirmed to the National Post.

Banks set aside $11-billion in loan-loss provisions, but will it prove to be enough? (The Globe and Mail) Published on: May 30, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Canada’s largest banks just earmarked an unparalleled $11-billion in new reserves to cover losses on loans as the novel coronavirus pandemic batters the global economy.
Actual losses and loans in arrears were still modest in the banks’ fiscal second quarter, which ended April 30, as they deferred payments on hundreds of thousands of loans, and governments rolled out an array of relief measures.
The loans most at risk are unsecured types of personal debt, such as credit cards and credit lines, as well as corporate and commercial loans to oil and gas companies, and to sectors that rely on discretionary spending, such as restaurants, retailers and hotels.

Canada GDP Fell at Near Record 8.2% (WSJ) Published on: May 29, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

Canada’s gross domestic product, or the broadest measure of goods and services produced in an economy, fell at an 8.2% annualized rate in the first quarter, to 2.10 trillion Canadian dollars ($1.53 trillion), Statistics Canada said Friday.
The drop in Canadian output in the first three months of 2020 was steeper relative to the U.S., its biggest trading partner and southern neighbor.
Commerce Department data indicate U.S. GDP fell at a 5% annual rate in the first quarter.

‘They didn’t get to die with dignity’: Canada reexamines care for seniors (Christian Science Monitor) Published on: May 28, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

In Quebec, which has seen the highest coronavirus infection and mortality rates in Canada, 63% of COVID-19 fatalities have occurred in long-term care facilities, known as CHSLDs.
But although both countries have suffered outbreaks in nursing homes, that problem has been much more severe in Canada: More than 80% of COVID-19 fatalities in the country are linked to them, according to Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer.
This week the Canadian Armed Forces shook the nation with a damning report on the unsafe state of five long-term care facilities in Greater Toronto.
Advocates and victims’ families are calling for public inquiries as to what went wrong and for new national standards for long-term care to be established.

What the future of shopper experiences will look like (Strategy Online) Published on: May 27, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

What will experiential marketing look like in an environment where experiences cannot be done in the way they’ve traditionally been?
BMW-owned Mini is offering live-streamed discussions about everything from car care to cooking, Kraft Heinz created a collaborative and involved family activity with its ketchup jigsaw puzzle and HBC brought its branded products into mega popular video game Animal Crossing.
“I would say that there was a fear to approach AR and VR, and motion sensors and gesture sensors and stuff like that,” said Roma Ahi, VP of production for Diamond Marketing.
But now that people are living a more tech-friendly life, there is potential for easier adoption, making clients less apprehensive, even in more risk-averse in Canada.

Ontario extends all emergency orders for another 10 days (CTV News) Published on: May 27, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

“We are extending these emergency orders to protect the health and safety of all individuals and families as we begin to gradually and safely reopen our province,” Premier Doug Ford said in a news release issued on Wednesday morning.
The orders will now be in effect until June 9.
On May 19, the province entered the first stage of its recovery phase, which allowed retail stores with a street-front entrance to begin operating again and permitted some outdoor recreational amenities, including sports facilities, to reopen.

Trudeau will push provinces to give workers 10 days of paid sick leave as Canada grapples with COVID-19 (National Post) Published on: May 25, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

That appears to meet a key demand from NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, in exchange for the New Democrats’ support for a motion to limit sittings and votes in the House of Commons through the summer.
The debate will revolve around a Liberal proposal to waive “normal” House of Commons sittings in favour of expanding the special COVID-19 committee that has acted as a sort of stand-in for the past month.
“We’re suggesting the government can use something like the (Canada Emergency Response Benefit) or employment insurance to deliver that program federally immediately,” Singh said during a news conference on Parliament Hill.

Trudeau reaches out to bank CEOs for advice on economic recovery (The Globe and Mail) Published on: May 24, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has reached out to the heads of Canada’s six big banks to get their reading on the state of the economy and how COVID-19 relief efforts are faring, banking sources and federal officials told The Globe and Mail.
They covered topics such as how relief efforts rolled out jointly by government and banks might need adjusting, where bank clients are feeling pressure most acutely, and which parts of the economy may need further support to recover.
The Trudeau government, federal officials say, has largely finished rolling out its emergency response to the pandemic and is now starting work on the “recovery” phase that will aim to salvage sectors of the economy that are most damaged by the crisis.

How COVID-19 is exposing Canada’s socioeconomic inequalities (The Globe & Mail) Published on: May 23, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

Preliminary data support the idea that COVID-19 is hitting marginalized communities harder than others.
Public-health messages about staying home, which are aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19, have largely ignored the realities faced by low-income workers, people who are homeless or other at-risk groups, said Andrew Boozary, a doctor who is executive director of health and social policy at University Health Network.
A recent Toronto Public Health analysis of COVID-19 cases in the city showed that neighbourhoods in Toronto with the lowest incomes, highest rates of unemployment and highest concentrations of newcomers consistently had twice the number of cases of COVID-19 and more than twice the rate of hospital admissions.

COVID-19: The week in review with epidemiologist David Fisman (May 17-22) (TVO) Published on: May 23, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

TVO.org speaks with the University of Toronto professor about the testing, the numbers, and the outlook for Ontario.
To reopen the economy, we need to be doing better on surveillance and on testing.
You have places that are hundreds of kilometres and sometimes thousands of kilometres apart, and the provincial hotspot is here in Toronto, and you’d never know it from the messaging coming out of the province, which treats the rest of the province as if it’s the GTA.

Rules for Toronto’s bankers: Wear a mask, book elevator rides (BNN Bloomberg) Published on: May 22, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Elevator queues, mandatory masks and staggered start times may await Toronto’s office workers when they start venturing back to North America’s second-largest financial centre.
Elevators will have limits of four people and Cadillac Fairview plans to add thin anti-microbial film over the buttons.
Building occupants at Cadillac Fairview office properties will be required to wear non-medical face masks or coverings in elevators and they’ll be “strongly encouraged” to wear them in common areas, including the underground PATH network that links downtown office buildings in Canada’s largest city.

COVID-19 roundup: RIP the office (The Logic) Published on: May 21, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke announced his company will keep its offices closed until 2021, and that most of the firm’s 5,000 staff will permanently work from home.
Facebook announced similar working arrangements on Thursday, giving new recruits the option to work remotely and soon allowing current employees to request to do the same.
Shopify leases more than 1.3 million square feet of office space in Canada, and spent US$29.3 million on lease expenses last year.

Ontario needs to ‘massively scale up’ testing with 2nd wave of COVID-19 almost inevitable, experts say (CBC) Published on: May 21, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

After about three weeks of new infections seemingly trending downward, the past week has seen a steady increase in its five-day rolling average.
“As we try to get our economy back on its feet, we are very, very likely to experience surges in disease,” said infectious disease physician Dr. David Fisman, adding his team believes Toronto is already experiencing one now.
On Thursday, B.C.’s top doctor Bonnie Henry pointed out there has never been a pandemic in recorded history that hasn’t had a second wave.

Spelling out the economic recovery options as the world starts to reopen from COVID-19 (CBC) Published on: May 20, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

As economies around the world take their first, tentative steps toward restarting, Canadians are beginning to wonder what life may look like on the other side of this pandemic.
Will the recovery look like a V or more like a U? What about a Nike “swoosh” or something wobbly like a W? Or the worst case scenario — will we take the dreaded L?
“There’s virtually no one who thinks there will be a V-shape recovery,” said Karl Schamotta, chief market strategist at foreign exchange firm Cambridge Global Payments.

Coronavirus: Antibodies testing coming to Canada (CityNews) Published on: May 18, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

A highly anticipated new test is coming to Canada to detect COVID-19 antibodies through blood samples.
Health Canada has just approved the very first serological test to detect those antibodies – meaning testing may begin in Canada in a matter of weeks.
Based on daily case counts, researchers have established there is likely a significant portion of asymptomatic carriers in the population. The new test will help them get a more precise infection rate and that could be the key to moving forward.

Canada’s ‘inevitable’ second wave of COVID-19 will expose surveillance blindspots: experts (CTV News) Published on: May 16, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

No one knows when a fresh surge of COVID-19 cases will emerge in Canada, but experts agree numbers are poised to rise and could very well explode in surveillance blindspots.
A “tried and true” principle with any respiratory virus is that infection risk is lower outside and in larger spaces where germs can dissipate, says Dr. Camille Lemieux, medical lead for the COVID-19 assessment centre at Toronto’s Western Hospital.
A Canadian resurgence is very likely to start among younger adults who resume social activities, suggesting they’re more likely to risk exposure and will have been largely shielded from infection.

U.S. Secret Service: “Massive Fraud” Against State Unemployment Insurance Programs (KrebsOnSecurity) Published on: May 16, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

A well-organized Nigerian crime ring is exploiting the COVID-19 crisis by committing large-scale fraud against multiple state unemployment insurance programs, with potential losses in the hundreds of millions of dollars, according to a new alert issued by the U.S. Secret Service.
A memo seen by KrebsOnSecurity that the Secret Service circulated to field offices around the United States on Thursday says the ring has been filing unemployment claims in different states using Social Security numbers and other personally identifiable information (PII) belonging to identity theft victims, and that “a substantial amount of the fraudulent benefits submitted have used PII from first responders, government personnel and school employees.”
The primary state targeted so far is Washington, although there is also evidence of attacks in North Carolina, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Oklahoma, Wyoming and Florida.

China hits back after Jason Kenney says the country is due for a ‘great reckoning’ (CBC) Published on: May 16, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

The Chinese consulate in Calgary is hitting back against recent criticisms levied by Premier Jason Kenney, suggesting Alberta’s premier is fighting with “slander and stigma.”
On Wednesday, Kenney sharply criticized China’s handling of the earliest days of the COVID-19 outbreak, warning the country would soon face a “great reckoning” for how it handled the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in the Chinese city of Wuhan.
Canada’s initial response to the outbreak seemed to begin to thaw those relations, and Canada’s ambassador to China Dominic Barton said in February that his top priority was seeking a reset between the two nations.

Coronavirus: Lufthansa to resume some flights to Toronto in June (Global News) Published on: May 15, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Lufthansa plans to resume flights to destinations including Los Angeles, Toronto and Mumbai next month as it begins to restore some of the capacity grounded by the coronavirus crisis, the German airline group said on Thursday.
Group airlines that had brought operations to a near halt will operate about 1,800 weekly flights to 130 destinations by the end of June, Lufthansa said in a statement.
“People want to and can travel again, whether on holiday or for business reasons,” Lufthansa sales chief Harry Hohmeister said in the group statement.

U.S. Economy Adds to Grim Records, Signaling Yearslong Recovery (Bloomberg) Published on: May 15, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

U.S. retail sales and factory output registered the steepest declines on record in April, illustrating a recession so deep that it will likely take years to fully recover.
Revenue at retailers and restaurants fell 16.4% from the prior month, almost double the 8.3% drop in March which was previously the worst in data back to 1992, according to a Commerce Department report released Friday.
That compared with the median projection for a 12% decline.

McDonald’s Details What Dining In Will Look Like (NY Times) Published on: May 14, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

The fast-food chain distributed a guide to franchise owners with instructions like putting “closed” signs on tables to promote social-distancing and cleaning bathrooms every half-hour.
Once a local government says that restaurants can admit dine-in guests, a McDonald’s official in that region will decide whether reopening can begin, it says. Then individual franchise owners will make a decision about whether to go through with reopening.
Unlike the small, independent restaurants that have been battered during the pandemic, McDonald’s was in a good position to weather the economic fallout. Its drive-throughs have stayed open, and they accounted for about two-thirds of the company’s revenue before the crisis.

What will Ontario’s 1st stage of reopening look like? Premier Ford unveils details (CBC) Published on: May 14, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Ontario’s first stage of economic recovery will include resuming construction projects and the reopening of some workplaces, seasonal activities and healthcare settings — but if you’re looking to find out when schools or day cares might reopen or when you can expand your social bubble, you won’t find the details in today’s plan.
Starting May 19, retail stores outside of shopping malls with street entrances can begin reopening with physical distancing measures.
In its recovery framework last month, the government said each stage will last at least two to four weeks, at which point Ontario’s chief medical officer of health will be able to tighten certain restrictions, extend the stage or advise that the province can move into the next phase.

How to Lift a Lockdown (The Walrus) Published on: May 13, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

From immunity passports to mass testing: the science, logistics, and ethics of recovering from COVID-19.
“A lot of the pandemic plans around the world are based on influenza, where you don’t need to develop a whole new vaccine,” so containment measures can be more nuanced, says Beate Sander, Canada research chair in economics of infectious disease.
Nearly 6 million Canadians applied for COVID-19 employment benefits in the first month of the pandemic alone.

Britons spending an extra £250m a week on food, alcohol and entertainment during lockdown, suggests survey (The Independent) Published on: May 12, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

Despite increased spending on food, drink and isolation pursuits, consumers are spending an average of £17.9 bn less per month across the economy more broadly.
The survey of more than 2,000 adults aged between 35 and 54 by the financial services firm Legal and General and CEBR, an economics consultancy, found the pandemic is creating “fundamental” changes to how consumers spend their money.
The survey estimates that Britons are spending 24 per cent less on takeaways and 9 per cent less on tobacco.

TTC faces $520-million shortfall by Labour Day due to pandemic (Toronto Star) Published on: May 12, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

The TTC is facing a budget shortfall from the COVID-19 crisis that could grow to more than half a billion dollars by Labour Day, and the agency will be unable to continue providing vital transit service unless it gets financial help from the provincial and federal governments, according to a new report.
The document, which was authored by TTC staff and will be discussed at a special virtual meeting of the agency’s board Wednesday, estimates the agency is facing $520 million in losses and increased costs as a result of the pandemic, which has sent transit ridership and fare revenue plummeting to a fraction of pre-crisis levels.

Ottawa to create bridge financing for big companies, including airlines and energy, that need help in crisis (Financial Post) Published on: May 11, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

Canada on Monday said it would create a bridge financing facility for large employers including in the airline and energy sectors that need help to get through the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus.
The bridge lending facility will be for all companies, except those in the financial sector, with an annual revenue of about $300 million seeking financing of about $60 million or more that have “significant operations or workforce in Canada.”
Companies that use the lending facility will have to commit to respect collective bargaining agreements, protecting workers’ pensions, and support “national climate goals.”

New coronavirus testing, contact tracing key to fending off second wave, experts say (CTV News) Published on: May 11, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Canada’s chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, has said reopening schools and businesses relies on testing and the ability of public health departments to trace the contacts of positive cases.
As public health restrictions are eased, Phillips said the provinces and territories must maintain a low threshold for testing in order to detect and isolate COVID-19 cases quickly and avoid large outbreaks and exponential growth in cases during a second wave.
“The contacts should be tested because that may identify other people, which will then trigger more contact tracing on those people who are testing positive,” said Dr. Peter Phillips, a clinical professor in the division of infectious diseases at the University of British Columbia.

Pressure mounts on federal government to help fix, build long-term care homes as pandemic takes deadly toll (CBC) Published on: May 10, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

“Any existing outbreak management plan in a long-term care home, including the isolation of symptomatic residents, is hindered by the inadequate space and layout available in long-term care homes today.
Long-term care facilities fall under provincial jurisdiction, but Hall said capital project funding at the provincial level has been insufficient.
Pat Armstrong, a sociology professor at York University who led the 10-year international project Re-imagining Long-term Residential Care, said Canada needs a national long-term care law separate from the Canada Health Act.

The return of the cubicle? Companies rethink office life post lockdown (Reuters) Published on: May 8, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Can creative sparks fly through plexiglass? Is the water cooler chat a thing of the past?
Some firms are considering remodelling their offices to minimise the risk of a second wave of infections. Long rows of desks may be out, work stations sheathed with glass sneeze guards may be in.
For the world’s biggest advertising company WPP, staff will return gradually and on a voluntary basis, Chief Executive Mark Read told Reuters.

Coronavirus negatively impacting mental health of 50% of Canadians: survey (Benefits Canada) Published on: May 8, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

The survey, which polled more than 1,500 Canadian workers, found women (57 per cent) were more likely to report a harmful impact on their mental health than men (43 per cent).
More than half (52 per cent) of respondents between the ages of 18 to 34 felt their mental health had taken a hit.
Two-thirds (62 per cent) of respondents said they’re open to using virtual mental-health care, compared to 40 per cent who said the same in an October 2019 survey.
As well, 85 per cent of Canadians who have access to an employee benefits plan said those plans should offer virtual mental-health care as an option.

Running a fever? You’ll be grounded as Air Canada prepares to implement scanners (Toronto Star) Published on: May 8, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Experts say body temperature is far from foolproof in detecting the novel coronavirus, and determining who can fly or shop or show up to a shift at a factory based on temperature could be as much about perception and peace of mind as it is a reliable tool to weed out the sick.
Similar checks were implemented in April at T&T Supermarket locations, and they’re part of visitor screening protocol at some health clinics.
Dr. Theresa Tam said the more that is understood about the novel coronavirus, the more it becomes clear that temperature taking is “not effective at all” to identify people who have it.

Quebec leads Canada in coronavirus deaths, so why is it starting to reopen? (CTV News) Published on: May 7, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

One out of every 250 Quebecers has tested positive for COVID-19.
Sixty per cent of all Canadian deaths linked to COVID-19 have occurred in Quebec, including more than one-third in Montreal alone.
Montreal’s director of public health, Mylene Drouin, said this week that the city is “not seeing a decrease” in its coronavirus curve.
The province has attracted criticism for moving to reopen schools before businesses.

The global food supply chain is passing a severe test (The Economist) Published on: May 7, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

If you live in the rich world and want an example of trade and global co-operation, look no further than your dinner plate.
Today, thanks to fleets of delivery lorries filling supermarket shelves, you can binge-eat as you binge-watch.
This capitalist miracle reflects not a monolithic plan, but an $8trn global supply chain adapting to a new reality, with millions of firms making spontaneous decisions, from switching rice suppliers in Asia to refitting freezers.

Gatherings of up to 6 people to be endorsed by B.C. health officials, just in time for the long weekend (CBC) Published on: May 6, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Small dinner parties, backyard barbecues and hugs with family are set to return to B.C., just in time for the Victoria Day long weekend, while haircuts, elective surgeries and dentist appointments might be available again within weeks.
The provincial government announced its plans Wednesday for a gradual return to normal life in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
For that to happen, however, B.C. will have to stay on its current trajectory, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said.

Where the tragedy really lies’: The crisis in Canada’s long-term care homes (CTV News) Published on: May 6, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

A report released Sunday by the International Long-Term Care Policy Network (ILTCPN) found that those who live in long-term care homes comprise 62 per cent of Canada’s COVID-19-related deaths – the highest share in any of the 13 countries it studied.
The Public Health Agency of Canada said Tuesday that COVID-19 outbreaks at long-term care homes are responsible for 82 per cent of coronavirus-related deaths in Canada.

Air Canada reports $1.05B first-quarter loss due to impact of COVID-19 pandemic (CBC) Published on: May 4, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

Air Canada has cut its second-quarter capacity by 85 to 90 per cent from same time last year.
Air Canada says it lost $1.05 billion in its first quarter compared with a profit of $345 million in the same quarter last year as governments imposed travel restrictions around the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Air Canada is also accelerating the retirement of 79 older aircraft in a move that it says will simplify the airline’s fleet, reduce costs structure and lower its carbon footprint.

Canadian province of Quebec begins gradual reopening, except for city of Montreal (Reuters) Published on: May 4, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

The province of Quebec, worst hit in Canada by the coronavirus, began gradually reopening its economy on Monday but pushed back plans for a restart in the city of Montreal, citing health concerns.
Quebec is allowing stores with an outside entrance for customers to serve shoppers, but that excludes Montreal, Canada’s second-largest city.
The planned reopening of Montreal’s non-essential stores was delayed to May 18 from May 11 because there were too few hospital beds to cope with a possible surge in new cases, Quebec’s premier said.

Ottawa puts up $175 million to back COVID-19 treatment research by B.C. company (Vancouver Sun) Published on: May 4, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

The federal government announced Sunday that Vancouver-based AbCellera Biologics Inc. will receive $175.6 million to help find a treatment for COVID-19.
The company, one of the first in North America to receive a blood sample from a patient who had recovered from the coronavirus, has identified an antibody with potential to treat the respiratory illness.

Canada to invest $240M in online health care amid coronavirus, Trudeau says (Global News) Published on: May 3, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government is investing over $240 million to bring health care online, expanding tools and creating new virtual platforms for mental health and primary care during the coronavirus pandemic.
The money will include funding for marginalized communities and virtual care for patients who may not need to see a doctor in person, he said during his daily press conference on Sunday.

Reimagining Business After Coronavirus: How One Cleveland Restaurant’s Choices Ripple Through the Economy (WSJ) Published on: May 2, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

After coronavirus, he is fundamentally rethinking his business to have any chance of saving it in a post-lockdown world.
“This isn’t a restart. This is a startup,” said Mr. Bebenroth. “The model has changed so much,” he added. “It is a new company.”
Among the questions the 42-year-old chef is grappling with: Is the pandemic the end of passed-around hors d’oeuvres? What to do with a farm full of fancy purple asparagus?

As weather improves, questions about outdoor COVID-19 transmission risks grow (CBC) Published on: May 2, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

Please, go outside, says B.C.’s top doctor. Don’t go where everybody else is going, says Ontario’s.
Research about the likelihood of outdoor transmission of the new coronavirus is virtually non-existent.
While evidence about outdoor transmission of the virus is lacking, research “has consistently shown that transmission is strongly dependent on being in close proximity to a sick person for some period of time,” says the National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health, a Vancouver-based team of researchers funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Wary Workers Are Trying to Keep a Canadian Beef Plant Shut (Bloomberg) Published on: May 1, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

The union representing employees at a major Canadian beef plant that’s been hit by the coronavirus is trying to keep the facility shut to protect workers.
The United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 401 has sought a stop work order and filed an unfair labor practice complaint to try and stop Cargill Inc. from reopening its High River beef plant in Alberta on May 4, the union said Friday in a statement.
Nearly half of the plant’s 2,000 workers have tested positive for Covid-19, according to the union, which says the facility should remain closed until the company can ensure the safety of workers.

Two Medical Systems, Two Pandemic Responses (NY Times) Published on: May 1, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

A health economist who has taught on both sides of the border examines the difference between Canada and the United States.
“The kind of system we have in Canada — and I think in British Columbia we have a pretty well-run version of it — allows the public health authorities to essentially commandeer the hospital system. It’s a command and control thing, it’s not a coordination thing,” said Bermand, professor of global health systems and economics at the T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Few American hospital administrators got together to do things like moving medical supplies and patients around between their institutions, Professor Berman said.

Canada’s early COVID-19 cases came from the U.S. not China, provincial data shows (National Post) Published on: April 30, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

The global COVID-19 pandemic began in Wuhan, China, but data from Canada’s largest provinces show it was American travellers, not Chinese, who brought the deadly virus to our shores.
Air Canada suspended flights from China in February and the government encouraged people not to travel to China as early as January, but did not ban travellers until March 18 when it imposed sweeping global restrictions.
Of those cases, just five related to travel from China.

More than 50% of Canadian companies have lost at least one-fifth of their revenue to COVID-19, StatsCan says (CBC) Published on: April 29, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

Nearly one-third — 32.3 per cent — of businesses have lost 40 per cent of their revenues during the pandemic.
A further 21.2 per cent said revenues were down by at least 20 per cent.
Businesses in the accommodation and food services sector were most likely to have felt the pinch, followed by entertainment and recreation and retail trade.
More than 60 per cent of businesses in those parts of the economy reported losing at least one-fifth of their usual revenue.

We Mapped All the Media Impacts of COVID-19 in Canada (The Canadian Journalism Project) Published on: April 29, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

More than 100 media outlets in Canada have made cuts in 11 provinces and territories in a six-week period, with nearly 50 community newspapers shuttering.
Journalists and media workers across Canada are suffering from the labour impacts, as are other sectors. Despite challenging employment conditions, they are sourcing and delivering crucial information on a protracted, history-defying news event.

1 in 4 Alberta COVID-19 cases now tied to meat plant, as outbreak spreads to nearby First Nation (CBC) Published on: April 28, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Canada’s largest outbreak of COVID-19 is linked to an Alberta meat-packing plant — and has now spread to a nearby First Nation, a local official says.
That plant is the location of Canada’s largest outbreak tied to a single site, with 1,167 cases, representing nearly 25 per cent of Alberta’s total COVID-19 cases, said a spokesperson for Alberta Health.

No COVID-19 bailouts for firms that use tax havens, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says (The Hamilton Spectator) Published on: April 28, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his government will not allow companies that use offshore tax havens to receive COVID-19 bailout funds.
During the House of Commons’ first virtual sitting Tuesday, Trudeau was pressed by the Bloc Québécois to prevent companies that don’t pay their fair share of tax from benefitting from government aid.

Ford unveils roadmap for ‘re-opening’ Ontario as number of COVID-19 patients in ICUs drops (CBC) Published on: April 27, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Ontario will reopen its economy through a three-stage process in the coming weeks and months, the government says, though it offered no firm date and few details about when that effort will begin.
Each stage will last at least two to four weeks, at which point Ontario chief medical officer of health will be able to tighten certain restrictions, extend the stage or advise that the province can move into the next phase.
Dr. David Williams, Ontario’s chief medical officer health, said last week that the province would need to see fewer than 200 new cases daily for an extended stretch before relaxing COVID-19 emergency measures would be feasible.

Malls face catastrophic hit in Canada with unpaid rent surging (BNN Bloomberg) Published on: April 27, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Canada’s malls are facing a wave of skipped rents and could see vacancy rates triple by year-end, with the coronavirus poised to leave its scars on a fragile retail sector long after the pandemic ends.
Longer term, fear of new outbreaks may only accelerate the shift online — even for movies and restaurants, which had been touted as potential buffers for malls.
The property owner is expected to kick in 25 per cent of the rent, and the tenant the other 25 per cent. The loans will be forgiven if the landlord agrees to lower rent by at least 75 per cent and agrees to not evict a tenant while the program is in place.

COVID-19: Ontario’s front-line workers to receive ‘pandemic pay’ increase of $4 an hour (Ottawa Citizen) Published on: April 26, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Premier Doug Ford says more than 350,000 front-line workers in the battle against COVID-19 will receive a $4 an hour “pandemic pay” increase.
“It’s our way of saying thank you,” he said at a press conference Saturday.
More than 350,000 workers will be eligible for the extra pay, said the province.

Get Ready for 60-cent Loonie and Canada Downgrades, Rosenberg Warns (Bloomberg) Published on: April 24, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

Canada’s currency will depreciate sharply and its credit rating will suffer as the federal government is forced to “backstop everyone,” rolling out more assistance for provinces, companies and households, according to economist David Rosenberg.
The country is “likely facing a series of downgrades” to its AAA rating, given that the total debt in the economy is already an unprecedented 350% of GDP, he said.
“It will be interesting to see how a central bank that does not govern over the world’s reserve currency and a country with a massive balance-of-payments deficit will be able to have all of this largesse find its way onto the BoC balance sheet” without jeopardizing global investor confidence, he said.

What COVID-19 means for food systems and meat packing (iPolitics.ca) Published on: April 24, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

The most immediate impact of these plants shutting down will be on the farmers who depend on these plants as their primary way of accessing markets.
Not only are these plants difficult to reconfigure for social isolation, these plants often bus workers from urban centres and so while the plants need to be built outside of the city, they also need a lot of workers from within the city.
Over the next few months, therefore, disruptions in the food supply chain is likely to primarily hurt farm incomes and lead to food price inflation that affects lower income Canadians, and folks who have seen wages decline, the most.

Why easing COVID-19 restrictions will present challenges between provinces (CBC) Published on: April 23, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Infectious disease experts say provinces looking to relax restrictions related to COVID-19 need to consider their neighbours.
“Many provinces in Canada have no hard borders,” said Dr. Craig Jenne, an infectious disease researcher at the University of Calgary in an interview with The Canadian Press. “Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba — we are not exactly islands where we can cut off travel between provinces.”
Premier Scott Moe said travel was the source of many of the province’s early COVID-19 cases.

Canada Post sees ‘Christmas-level’ package volumes during COVID-19 (CityNews) Published on: April 23, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

The postal service says it delivered more than 1.8 million parcels to Canadians on Monday, similar to the biggest delivery days it sees during the holiday season.
Canada Post is advising customers to expect delays because it takes longer to process the heavy, incoming parcel volumes.

Investors worry Canada’s most promising startups will be left out of BDC’s emergency fund-matching program (The Logic) Published on: April 23, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

BDC Capital has allocated $150 million for a bridge-financing program meant to help Canadian startups weather the COVID-19 pandemic, but investors say it isn’t enough—and that the program’s terms are too prohibitive to address the sweeping need companies face as venture capital retreats from the economy.
Of particular concern to VCs is the interest rate—BDC will collect four per cent interest on its co-investments, plus its floating interest rate, which currently sits at 4.5 per cent.
One VC who spoke on condition of anonymity said one of their portfolio companies estimated BDC could walk away with as much as 25 per cent of their company under one of the scenarios the firm had laid out.

Federal committee working on criteria to ease COVID-19 restrictions, says Canada’s top doctor (CityNews) Published on: April 22, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Canada’s public health officer says a special advisory committee on COVID-19 is working on setting criteria on when physical distancing restrictions can be eased.
The special advisory committee will look at benchmarks, such as the rate of hospitalizations, daily reports of new cases.
Premier Rob Ford suggested this week that Ontario could reopen its economy around the May long weekend.

Coronavirus: Doug Ford says he’s getting lobbied hard to reopen various sectors of economy (Global News) Published on: April 22, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Ford said his government’s framework for how and when to reduce and remove various restrictions should be released in the next few days.
He would not give specifics, except to say that one of the first areas may be outdoor activities.
Ford’s comments come a day after new provincial modelling suggested the community spread in Ontario is peaking – though cases in long-term care homes are rising.

Sysco Canada Debuts Online Grocery Platform (Digital Magazine) Published on: April 22, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Sysco Canada has launched an online store to sell direct to consumers for the first time ever.
With the click-and-collect program, shoppers can place their grocery order online and drive to the nearest location to pick it up.
Demand for online grocery options is skyrocketing as businesses across the world pivot to offer more access to produce, meant, and other staples.

BlackRock’s Kurt Reiman on Canada’s response to COVID-19 (The Logic) Published on: April 21, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Kurt Reiman, managing director and chief Canadian investment strategist at BlackRock, has watched the COVID-19 epidemic change the dynamics of the country’s economy.
“Initially, I think it’s going to be an extension of the government income replacement so that it stretches across the economy as widely as possible. Policy can make a difference, especially when it comes to small- and mid-sized businesses.”
“A lot of the loan guarantees and lending that you’re seeing in the United States and other countries is not meant to be repaid. They’re more like grants.”

Toronto in coronavirus peak but pandemic activity ‘slowing down,’ medical officer of health says (Global News) Published on: April 20, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Toronto’s medical officer of health says the city is in the peak of the coronavirus pandemic, but adds there’s reason to have “cautious optimism.”
“Our data modelling shows us that we are currently in the peak period for our reported cases.”
She also noted that there haven’t been “dramatic surges” in hospitalizations, adding new instances of people being admitted to hospital has started to decrease.

To Get Back to Work, Companies Seek Coronavirus Tests for Workers (WSJ) Published on: April 20, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Companies from Amazon.com Inc. to General Motors Co. are exploring ways to test their employees for Covid-19 before they come in to work.
Some executives on the call indicated they were looking into providing tests for workers and, potentially, customers, according to people familiar with the matter.
With the arrival of virus tests that deliver results in minutes, rather than days, employees could report to those sites for virus tests before heading into work, he said.

Doctor’s association says help from government is not enough to survive COVID-19 (CityNews) Published on: April 19, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

The association representing Ontario doctors says a proposal from the provincial government to offer advance payments will not be enough to keep clinics open during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The provincial government is offering clinics monthly payments to cover the loss of revenue from lower patient volumes and increased costs for personal protective equipment.

Canada to spend $306M on Indigenous businesses struggling amid coronavirus pandemic (Global News) Published on: April 18, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Saturday the federal government will spend $306.8 million to help Indigenous businesses affected by the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The money will give Indigenous businesses access to short-term interest-free loans and non-repayable contributions, Trudeau told reporters.
It comes in addition to the $305 million in funding announced last week aimed at helping Indigenous communities prepare and react to the spread of the virus.

Red Cross to organize training for volunteers in Montreal, Canada’s COVID-19 epicentre (CityNews) Published on: April 18, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

The regional health authority for Montreal’s West Island says it is partnering with the Canadian Red Cross to organize training for volunteers at nursing homes ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The health agency says the Red Cross will train 40 people each day to help residents of the area’s long-term care facilities as the virus rages through Quebec, which counts the most confirmed cases of any province at about 16,800.
The Red Cross announcement Saturday comes as Canadian Armed Forces members with medical expertise begin to fan out to nursing homes across Quebec after Premier Francois Legault took the unusual step of asking the federal government for military assistance.

Canada, U.S. extend border restrictions 30 days to control coronavirus spread (Reuters) Published on: April 18, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

Canada and the United States have agreed to extend border restrictions for another 30 days to help control the spread of coronavirus, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Saturday.
Trudeau said the agreement is unchanged, and he expected shipments of medical supplies such as masks to continue to cross the border.
Quebec is the epicenter of Canada’s outbreak, with seniors in care homes accounting for most of the province’s 805 deaths.

Lack of coordination and medical disinformation in Canadian self-assessment tools for COVID-19 (medRxiv) Published on: April 18, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

As SARS-CoV-2 threatens to overwhelm health systems in Canada, it is imperative that provinces are able to plan and manage an effective and reduced risk response.
We designed four different prototypical patients with a combination of common COVID-19 symptoms and opportunities for exposure who were made to self-assess using the 10 provincial COVID-19 self-assessment tools on 1 April.
Thus, there is not a single, evidence-based Canadian standard of care simply for self-assessment.
Without consistency in public health guidance, Canadians cannot appropriately self-isolate to mitigate community transmission, nor can the necessary valid and reliable data be collected to inform critical epidemiological models that help guide pandemic response.

Trudeau announces aid for struggling energy sector, including $1.7B to clean up orphan wells (CBC) Published on: April 17, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced $1.7 billion to clean up orphan wells in Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia, as well as aid for rural businesses and people working in the arts and culture sectors.
During today’s daily briefing outside his residence at Rideau Cottage, Trudeau also announced the government will establish a $750 million emissions reduction fund, with a focus on methane, to create jobs through efforts to cut pollution.
Trudeau said the government is also working to expand credit for medium-sized energy companies so they can maintain operations and keep their employees.

The pandemic seems to be giving Canadians warm feelings about government. Can it last? (CBC) Published on: April 16, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

A lot has changed in the last month — possibly even our views about the role and value of government.
The result was effectively a toss-up: 52 per cent sided with the pro-government statement, while 48 per cent took the dimmer view.
Public support has increased for elected leaders across the western world in the initial stages of this crisis. A new sense of belief in the value of government could be connected to that same phenomenon.

Food banks’ demand surges amid COVID-19. Now they worry about long-term pressures (Global News) Published on: April 15, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

The use of food banks increased 28 per cent across the country during the Great Recession, according to Food Banks Canada CEO Chris Hatch — and in just in the last few weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, demand jumped 20 per cent on average.
As the spread of COVID-19 forces businesses to close and lay off employees, Hatch projected demand at the 3,000 food agencies his organization represents could surge to 30 or even 40 per cent from pre-pandemic levels, which averaged 1.1 million visits per month.

Real-time economic data shows Canada frozen in time (The Logic) Published on: April 15, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

To capture the state of Canada’s economy today, The Logic compiled real-time data that shows a country fundamentally transformed.
Toronto Pearson International Airport has seen a rapid decline in airplane departures, dropping 87 per cent between March 3 and April 13, from 597 departures in one day to 79.
In total, 9.64 million Canadians are now actively online during the workday, a 110 per cent increase from the typical 4.6 million pre COVID-19, according to Wi-Fi analytics firm Plume.

Is Zoom’s breakout moment with individuals creating additional revenue for the company? (Cardify) Published on: April 14, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

Over the past few months, few companies have received as much attention and scrutiny as Zoom.
While it’s still early, we’ve seen a sharp increase in Zoom subscriptions on personal (not corporate) credit and debit cards.
The increase coincides with statewide stay-at-home orders across the country, with every state exhibiting a nearly identical pattern.

Cities across Canada grapple with shortfalls in the hundreds of millions due to COVID-19 crisis (CityNews) Published on: April 13, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Major municipalities, including Vancouver, are projecting big losses this year, which poses a major problem as they can’t run deficits.
Raising revenues at a time like this doesn’t seem to be feasible so it may mean cutting expenditures. Of course, the alternative is for the provincial governments or perhaps the federal government to come in and help out during this crisis.
Calgary has reported losses of $15-million each week, with that city’s mayor saying there’s also been an increase in expenses to deal with the pandemic’s impacts.
Toronto is facing a financial hit of close to $65-million a week, the mayor of Canada’s most populous city saying a decrease in public transit as well as other revenues was to blame for the losses.

Canada building its own PPE network in China (CBC) Published on: April 13, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Diplomats, consultants create a made-for-Canada solution to get critical supplies from China.
With the global market for medical supplies overwhelmed by chaos and acts of piracy, Canada needed to take some of the risk out of securing everything from badly needed medical masks to gowns to gloves.
The federal government has secured an arrangement with Air Canada and Cargojet to run more supply flights from China once Bolloré Logistics has enough supplies in the warehouse ready to go.

Reopening U.S. economy by May 1 may be unrealistic, say experts, including some within Trump administration (Washington Post) Published on: April 13, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Public health experts on Sunday debated the question of when to reopen portions of the U.S. economy, shuttered because of the coronavirus pandemic, with several Trump administration officials cautioning that a target date of May 1 — floated by President Trump, among others — may not be realistic.
“It is not going to be a light switch,” Fauci said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “It is going to be depending where you are in the country, the nature of the outbreak you’ve already experienced, and the threat of an outbreak that you may not have experienced.” The transition could “probably start, at least in some ways, maybe next month,” Fauci said.
Because the virus has a 14-day incubation period, experts also say that states should refrain from moving toward relaxing their restrictions until they have seen a sustained reduction in new cases for at least that long.

Steering Through the Next Cycle (Oliver Wyman) Published on: April 12, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

This year’s report sketches out three alternative scenarios for the evolution of the pandemic and its economic impacts, ranging from a rapid rebound to a deep global recession, and assesses the implications for wholesale banks over the medium term.
The combination of lower revenues and elevated credit losses could drive earnings down by 100 percent in our central case to over 250 percent in our deep global recession scenario.
The industry has built extensive capital and liquidity buffers to withstand this kind of stress event, putting them in a position to play an important role as shock absorber for the economy.

Alberta to send personal protective equipment to Ontario, Quebec, B.C. (CBC) Published on: April 12, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Premier Jason Kenney announced Saturday the province would be sending personal protective equipment or PPE to other provinces battling COVID-19.
Kenney said the numbers supported the belief that Alberta would have beds and medical equipment beyond its need.

How the Virus Transformed the Way Americans Spend Their Money (NY Times) Published on: April 11, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

In recent weeks, more than 16 million workers in the country have filed for unemployment. And with no end to the outbreak in sight, consumer spending is likely to be fundamentally different for many months to come.
In a 7-day period that ended on March 18, grocery sales were up 79 percent from the previous year.
Spending on video game companies like Twitch and Nintendo is booming, and streaming services, including Netflix and Spotify, are enjoying gains as well.

Canada looking to prepare ‘surge’ force, use cellphone data to contain COVID-19 (National Post) Published on: April 10, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Federal and provincial health officials are recruiting small armies of staff and examining technology options such as cell phone location data as they ramp up Canada’s capacity to do contact tracing.
Canada is still in its ‘first wave’ of infections, and officials have said the best course of action for now is to have everyone stay home.
But once the first wave fully subsides — likely sometime in the summer — extensive testing and contact tracing should allow Canada to start re-opening its economy and lift some of the physical-distancing restrictions.

Bombardier eyes resumption of Toronto plant assembling corporate jets (Reuters) Published on: April 10, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Bombardier is taking early steps to revive assembly of its most lucrative business jets after production was halted for weeks because of the coronavirus outbreak, even as the pandemic risks sapping demand for corporate aircraft.
It is unclear when Bombardier would be able to restart its Montreal facilities as Quebec extended the closure of non-essential businesses in the province until May 4.
Gulfstream Aerospace, a division of General Dynamics and Embraer SA are still producing business jets in the United States.

The post-pandemic question: when this ends, how do we get our country back? (CBC) Published on: April 10, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

Our relative success in navigating the ‘new normal’ will be measured by how quickly we can return to something like the old normal, and how much pain we might endure on the way to getting there.
Current measures to shut down most of the Canadian economy and calls to practice physical distancing will remain in place until the first wave has passed.
But 3,598 Canadians were killed at Vimy Ridge. We might consider ourselves lucky if only that many die as a result of COVID-19.

Amid staggering unemployment rate, public servants handling EI claims are unsung heroes (Ottawa Citizen) Published on: April 8, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Canada hasn’t seen unemployment rates higher than 20 per cent since the darkest days of the Great Depression.
By Monday evening, the number of EI claims made since March 16 was 2.72 million. There were 788,000 Canada Emergency Response Benefit applications made on Monday alone.
In the event, the new system exceeded expectations, clearing 500,000 claims in the first 24 hours.
By Monday, April 6, 2.24 million claims had been processed, meaning electronic or paper cheques were in the mail. The dispatch with which the whole process has been carried out does raise the question of why it takes 28 days under normal circumstances.

Canadian Perspectives Survey Series 1: Impacts of COVID-19 (Statistics Canada) Published on: April 8, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

To get timely information about how Canadians are coping with COVID-19, Statistics Canada developed a new web panel survey. More than 4,600 people in the 10 provinces responded to this survey between March 29 and April 3.
One in 10 women is very or extremely concerned about the possibility of violence in the home.
More than one-half of Canadians used news outlets as a main source of information about COVID-19. This proportion was higher among Canadians aged 50 and older (56%) than among those younger than 50 (47%).

The COVID-19 Crisis and Policy Preferences of Canadian Technology Scale-ups (University of Toronto) Published on: April 7, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

This report assesses the perspective of Canadian technology scale-ups: what is their top economic concern and what do they think about the federal support being offered?
Majority of respondents cite ‘revenue’ as their top concern right now, not payroll or other business concerns.
When asked what more government should do, one-quarter of those who answered think the government should consider procurement options.

Why is B.C. flattening the COVID-19 curve while numbers in central Canada surge? (CBC) Published on: April 7, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Leadership

The COVID-19 outbreak is currently more severe in Canada’s two largest provinces than it is in British Columbia.
Fisman believes B.C. was able to, as Henry put it, “take a lot of measures early” because they had the lines of communication to quickly scale up a unified response relatively early.
At the same time, British Columbia was fortunate that the scheduled spring break for students was later than in other jurisdictions — allowing health officials to adapt.

NBA coaches prepare for possible intriguing playoff matchups (Seattle Times) Published on: April 7, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

With NBA games indefinitely on hold, there has been a lot of discussion about postseason possibilities — including by coaches around the league.
They’re preparing for what a resumption of the season that was shut down March 11 could look like in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
The ideas are many, from a shortened version of the remaining schedule played without fans to the very real possibility of jumping straight into the playoffs to ensure a season is completed before the end of summer.

The pandemic is breaking down political barriers between provincial and federal governments (CBC) Published on: April 5, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Unity of purpose brings former foes together in ways that Canada has not always seen in past crises.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, another regular sparring partner of Trudeau’s, said in a news conference earlier on Thursday that he would “never break ranks” with the prime minister or his fellow premiers in the midst of a crisis.
The political map across the country is not one that should make this kind of collaboration between provincial and federal governments easy.

Canada’s Big Six banks cut credit card interest rates to ease coronavirus impact (Reuters) Published on: April 4, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

Canada’s Big Six banks all said they will reduce interest rates on credit cards to provide relief to customers affected by COVID-19 pandemic.
Bank of Montreal said on Saturday it will temporarily reduce credit card interest rates to 10.99% for personal and small business customers receiving payment deferrals due to the outbreak.
Last week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his government had urged banks to help alleviate the burden credit card interest rates place on Canadians.

Food security experts warn of supply shortages, higher prices due to global pandemic (CBC) Published on: April 3, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Food security experts are warning the global pandemic could lead to supply shortages, higher prices and a growing nutrition gap between rich and poor.
Elaine Power, a food security expert at Queen’s University, said various problems caused by the pandemic — border closures restricting the movement of foreign farm workers, transportation and import bottlenecks, panic hoarding at grocery stores — can all contribute “massively” to higher prices or food shortages.
Even the honeybees normally imported from other countries to pollinate Canadian crops could become harder to source, she said.

In Doug Ford’s Ontario, knowledge is sorrow (Maclean's) Published on: April 3, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

“These numbers are stark and they are sobering. They tell a story,” Ford told reporters at Queen’s Park.
But the premier, like most of us in our due time, has decided sorrowful knowledge is more compelling than glib ignorance, and that the only way to deny purchase to an infectious disease is to give it fewer chances to infect.
But we seek progress, not perfection, and surely it is progress for public office holders to decide they do not deserve to know more about the uncertain path ahead than we do.

Toronto restaurant owners say they cannot survive coronavirus shutdowns (CityNews) Published on: April 2, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

The city, known for being a “foodie town,” is home to over 17,000 eateries, from cult favourite holes-in-the-wall to more upscale establishments with months-long wait lists.
Summerfield says after it’s all over, Toronto’s restaurant scene will be decimated and he estimates a 50 to 70 per cent failure rate among establishments in the city, including large chains.
Stinson says the government’s 75 per cent wage subsidy is of no use to a business like hers because they no longer have any employees to pay wages to.

‘It’s going to be stark,’ Ford agrees to release COVID-19 infection modelling to public (CP24) Published on: April 2, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

Premier Doug Ford has reversed course on releasing Ontario’s COVID-19 modelling data, saying now that the public needs to see the data he has seen, adding “it’s going to be stark.”
He wouldn’t speak to the data provincial doctors will release sometime on Friday, but said it will be sobering for some.

‘Everybody is susceptible’: Why younger Canadians may be helping fuel the spread of COVID-19 (CBC) Published on: April 1, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Younger Canadians represent one in three of all reported COVID-19 cases, and experts say they could be unknowingly accelerating the spread of the virus in Canada and around the world.
Of the 4,186 COVID-19 cases for which the Public Health Agency of Canada has provided epidemiological data, 29 per cent are aged 20 to 39 and four per cent are under 19 — meaning one-third of cases in Canada involve people who are younger than 40.
Dr. Raywat Deonandan, a global health epidemiologist and an associate professor at the University of Ottawa, said it’s important for younger people to remember we’ve never encountered this new coronavirus, so we’ve built up no immunity to it.

Canada’s next-door neighbour is now the epicentre of global pandemic. Here’s what that U.S. surge means (CBC) Published on: March 31, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

When asked Monday about the travel restrictions on Canada and Europe, Trump acknowledged they would likely also remain in place at least until April 30: “The guidelines will be very much as they are.”
One epidemiologist and public-health specialist who checked the totals Monday estimated that the rate of infections was, in fact, about 2.9 times higher in the U.S. than in Canada.
That evaporation of American incomes would further batter Canada’s economy, given that three-quarters of Canada’s international exports go to the U.S.

Vancouver Convention Centre to be repurposed into emergency hospital (Vancouver Sun) Published on: March 31, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

The Vancouver Convention Centre will be outfitted with 217 beds for people recovering from non-COVID illnesses, surgeries, heart attacks or injuries, said Health Minister Adrian Dix.
It is one of the first in what is expected to be a provincewide plan to repurpose community centres, convention facilities and other public spaces as overflow hospitals should COVID-19 cases overwhelm the 19 designated primary hospitals for coronavirus cases.
However, Dix has instructed all health authorities to plan for the worst case-scenario, similar to northern Italy’s hospitalization rate, in which B.C.’s hospitals would be strained and require hundreds of existing patients being moved to other facilities to make space for coronavirus cases.

Ex dividend (Reuters Breaking Views) Published on: March 30, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

Carmaker Ford Motor, fashion retailer H&M and UniCredit, the Italian bank, are among those that have cancelled or suspended their payouts in the last few weeks.
Official restrictions are partly to blame. The European Central Bank on Friday urged lenders it regulates to halt dividends and conserve capital.
Nevertheless, a dividend drought will put pressure on income-dependent investors, like pension funds, which tend to rely on the regular income to meet their obligations.

Urgent Demand for Medical Equipment Is Making Air Cargo Fees ‘Absolutely Crazy’ (Bloomberg) Published on: March 30, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

Urgent demand for medical equipment to fight the coronavirus has sent the cost of chartering aircraft skyrocketing and turned a typically humdrum process into an ultra-competitive auction.
“Chartered prices have been pushed up from less than $300,000 four to six weeks back to $600,000 to $800,000 in the last few days,” Anthony Lau, chairman and founder of logistics company Pacific Air (HK) Ltd., said in an interview Friday.
The likes of Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd., Korean Air Lines Co. and American Airlines Group Inc. are hauling a greater amount of goods in the bellies of their passenger planes to keep up with demand. Cargo rates have risen over 10% in recent weeks.

Microsoft: Cloud services demand up 775 percent; prioritization rules in place due to COVID-19 (ZDNet) Published on: March 29, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

Microsoft is sharing more guidance around capacity limits it is putting in place for its cloud resources caused by higher-than-usual demand due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Microsoft officials say the company has seen a 775 per cent increase in demand for its cloud services in regions enforcing social distancing and/or shelter-in place due to the COVID-19 coronavirus.
Last week, officials acknowledged the company has been throttling some “non-essential” Office 365 services so as to continue to meet demand.

Canada ‘very concerned’ with OPEC’s decisions amid coronavirus outbreak: Trudeau (Global News) Published on: March 28, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada is “very concerned” with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries’ (OPEC) decisions amid the novel coronavirus outbreak, but that the government remains focused on helping Canadians struggling as a result of the dramatic drop in oil prices.
The price of oil sank nearly 20 per cent in early March after Russia refused to roll back production in response to falling demand and OPEC member Saudi Arabia signalled it will ramp up its own output.
The price of Western Canadian Select for crude fell below $5 USD a barrel on Friday, as demand during the COVID-19 outbreak continued to drop.

COVID-19 battle will last ‘months, many months’ as cases soar: federal doctor (CTV News) Published on: March 28, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Leadership

Canada’s deputy chief public health officer has delivered a sobering assessment of the country’s struggle with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Howard Njoo says the fight is far from over, that it could include a second wave, and that we are certainly in it “for the long haul.”
One possible glimmer of hope did emerge from B.C. Friday, where data indicates the province’s COVID experience will likely resemble South Korea’s rather than brutally hit Italy.

Bank of Canada ventures into uncharted territory to fight coronavirus fallout (Financial Post) Published on: March 27, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

Along with the interest-rate cut, the central bank said it will begin buying at least $5 billion worth of government bonds per week until the economy turns around.
The Bank of Canada’s trading desk has been watching markets for government bonds, mortgage-backed securities, and short-term business loans become increasingly rigid as lenders attach severe risk premiums to the interest rates they charge in normal times.
Poloz avoided arithmetical predictions about the future. He said the Bank of Canada will release its quarterly economic report on April 15.

Canada can ignore drug, device patents during outbreak under new law (Reuters) Published on: March 26, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

Canada’s emergency legislation on the coronavirus crisis gives the health minister powers to circumvent patent law and ensure medical supplies, medication or vaccines can be produced locally.
Ventilators could be the legislation’s first target, pharmaceutical consultancy PDCI Market Access said in a note to clients.
Canada’s main pharmaceutical lobby group, Innovative Medicines Canada, said it was concerned that the legislation did not require the government to check in with the original manufacturer to see what it can supply before authorizing others to step in.

Cohen: Why Canada’s response to COVID-19 is so different from that of the U.S. (Ottawa Citizen) Published on: March 26, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

The prime minister appears in public every day, alone, outside his residence. He speaks sensibly, with authority, without hyperbole. This has been his finest hour.
Nor do we question the competence of his ministers who are the other faces of the crisis – Chrystia Freeland, Marc Garneau, Patty Hajdu, Bill Blair. All are calm, competent and professional. This is what we want.
Canadians accept big government, which is how we built the social welfare state. Two-thirds of us voted for progressives last year. We defer to authority.

Canada doubles value of coronavirus stimulus package, promises cash, loan delays (Reuters) Published on: March 26, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

Canada has almost doubled the value of an aid package to help people and businesses deal with losses from the coronavirus outbreak, with Ottawa handing out more money than forecast, Finance Minister Bill Morneau said on Wednesday.
A portal will be set up by April 6 for people who have lost jobs or are unable to work to apply for monthly payments, which will run for four months.
Sports equipment maker Bauer Hockey plans to modify its hockey visors into face shields for healthcare workers, while retailers Canada Goose Holdings, and Gap Inc said they would produce medical gear.

MPs suspend Parliament for hours after opposition rejects proposed new government powers (The Globe and Mail) Published on: March 25, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

Opposition parties vowed to reject Liberal government plans to authorize months of unlimited spending without Parliamentary approval, derailing efforts for quick approval of billions in support for workers and businesses.
The Prime Minister did not provide any specific details as to how the draft bill might be changed.
“We want to build in some measures that ensure that parliamentary oversight is going forward, that there are some mechanisms for Parliament to do its job,” Andrew Scheer told CTV’s Power Play early Tuesday evening as negotiations continued. “We have to be able to know there are some safety measures there on behalf of the Canadian people.”

Corona response: 7 questions business leaders should ask themselves (Corporate Knights) Published on: March 23, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Leadership

In the face of COVID-19, Canada’s business and institutional leaders can help unleash creativity and a new sense of mission.
In particular, leaders and institutions that are not delivering essential public health services need to ask a series of questions – to answer the question, quite simply, of what they can do for their country.

Coronavirus: Ontario government to open child care centres for frontline workers (Global News) Published on: March 22, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Leadership

The Ontario government announced on Sunday that it will be opening select child care centres across the province to help frontline workers in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
“We need to help our nurses, doctors and frontline care workers to be able to focus on protecting the health and well-being of all Ontarians,” said Deputy Premier and Health Minister Christine Elliott in a statement Sunday afternoon.
Education Minister Stephen Lecce said the services would be free and covered by the government.

Doug Ford has risen to the coronavirus challenge (The Star) Published on: March 22, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Leadership

As the spread of COVID-19 has utterly transformed life as we know it, it has also emerged as the most profound test of political leadership in a generation or more.
From Prime Minister Trudeau to our premiers and mayors, the performances of our leaders have been commendable. But perhaps the biggest success has been the commanding performance of Ontario Premier Doug Ford.
As the crisis has deepened, Ford is exemplifying the tenets of good crisis communication. He has been transparent and forthcoming, hosting daily briefings which may seem routine, but are in fact distinguished by attention to small details.

Ontario appeals to businesses to help produce medical supplies (CityNews) Published on: March 21, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Leadership

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is appealing to the province’s manufacturing sector to help produce key medical supplies.
The premier says any company that can produce items like ventilators, face masks, surgical gowns, protective eye-wear and hand sanitizers should reach out to the government.

Prepare for multiple waves of COVID-19 over 12 months: military chief to troops (CBC) Published on: March 20, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Gen. Jonathan Vance says the Canadian Armed Forces is planning for the ‘worst-case scenario’.
The notion that the virus caseload could recede and then return is a feature of federal government planning.
A truly worst-case scenario would involve public disturbances, he added.

Where Canada is falling short on its coronavirus communications (Maclean's) Published on: March 19, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Leadership

Some key lessons identified after SARS have not been followed, leading at times to sparse details and a patchwork system of basic information.
Uniformity in messaging has been tough, too—the premiers of Quebec and British Columbia have used their press conferences to needle Ottawa to take more drastic action to limit travel.

Coronavirus: Kind Canadians start ‘caremongering’ trend (BBC) Published on: March 17, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Leadership

More than 35 Facebook groups have been set up in 72 hours to serve communities in places including Ottawa, Halifax and Annapolis County in Nova Scotia, with more than 30,000 members between them.
But in Canada, a country whose inhabitants are stereotyped in the media as kind to a fault, helping others has become an organised movement called “caremongering”.
Valentina said the rapid growth of the trend was far beyond her expectations, with the Toronto group itself now having more than 9,000 members.

Amazon ramps hiring, opening 100,000 new roles to support people relying on Amazon’s service in this stressful time (Amazon) Published on: March 16, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

We are opening 100,000 new full and part-time positions across the U.S. in our fulfillment centers and delivery network to meet the surge in demand from people relying on Amazon’s service during this stressful time, particularly those most vulnerable to being out in public.
In the U.S., we will be adding an additional $2 USD per hour worked through April from our current rate of $15/hour or more, depending on the region, £2 per hour in the UK, and approximately €2 per hour in many EU countries.
We continue to consult with medical and health experts, and take all recommended precautions in our buildings and stores to keep people healthy.

Shopify is giving its employees $1,000 to furnish their work-from-home setups with whatever gear they need because of the coronavirus (Business Insider) Published on: March 12, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Leadership

A source familiar with the matter told Business Insider that Shopify has given its employees $1,000 each to furnish their home set-ups with whatever equipment needed to work remotely.
Employees were also told they are allowed to take home any office equipment, including computer monitors, they need to do their jobs.

The Coronavirus Customer-Service Crisis (The Atlantic) Published on: March 11, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

When stores are dealing with unending lines and impatient, nervous customers, workers can’t always maintain a six-foot distance from people and clean their hands regularly.
“The sense of frustration and helplessness is growing. It’s making it really depressing to be at work.”
Over the past week, Instacart has experienced demand spikes of up to 20 times its normal order volume in California and Washington, where community spread of the coronavirus has dominated news coverage.
As the crisis deepens, a whole gamut of customer-service workers are being pulled into the fray.

Coronavirus has disrupted supply chains for nearly 75% of U.S. companies. (Axios) Published on: March 11, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

Of the companies surveyed that expect supply chain impacts (80% said yes), most expect the severity of the disruptions will increase after the first quarter of this year.
For a majority of U.S. businesses, lead times have doubled, and that shortage is compounded by the shortage of air and ocean freight options to move product to the United States — even if they can get orders filled.
Manufacturers in China report operating at 50% capacity with 56% of normal staff.

Trudeau Ready to Backstop Businesses in Response to Virus (Bloomberg) Published on: March 11, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

Justin Trudeau announced C$1.1 billion ($800 million) in new financial measures to help mitigate the effects of the widening coronavirus outbreak in Canada, adding he’s prepared to use federal financing agencies to stimulate the economy further if needed.
The prime minister said Wednesday the immediate plan includes providing faster unemployment insurance benefits to people who self-isolate, more funding for coronavirus research and financial assistance to provinces for medical supplies.

Trudeau to announce COVID-19 aid measures Wednesday (CityNews) Published on: March 11, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau plans to announce federal funding to help provincial health-care systems cope with the increasing numbers of Canadians infected with the new coronavirus and to help workers who are forced to isolate themselves.
The immediate objective is to try to contain the spread of the virus as much as possible, while also helping individuals hurt financially by COVID-19, such as by being forced to take time off work while under mandatory quarantine or self-imposed isolation.
Business and labour groups alike have called specifically for the federal government to loosen restrictions on employment insurance payments for people who are off work due to illness.

Canadian banks separating trading staff amid novel coronavirus concerns (Canadian Press) Published on: March 9, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

Canada’s biggest financial institutions are making sweeping changes to their trading operations to protect against a novel form of coronavirus, which one bank confirmed it has already faced in its workforce.
Their decisions come after RBC said it learned last week of a possible case of COVID-19 impacting one floor of its Meadowvale office complex in Mississauga, Ont.

Canada set to lose millions of tourism dollars due to COVID-19: Joly (CTV News) Published on: March 7, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

She said that Chinese tourists visiting Canada amounts for an average of $2 billion in tourism revenue each year, and the current downturn is forecasted to result in a loss of $550 million by June.
Among the measures being taken: the government is going to be encouraging Canadians to explore their own country, diverting tourism promotion dollars towards domestic travel instead of continuing to target big international markets like China.

Canada’s top doctor says country ready with co-ordinated response to COVID-19 (CTV News) Published on: March 7, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam said most of the cases in Canada so far have been mild, and the patients are self isolating at home.
Health officials in Ontario, British Columbia and across Canada have said the risk posed by COVID-19 in this country remains low.
Forty-seven research teams will now get backing from the federal government for work to “inform clinical and public health responses, develop and evaluate diagnostic tools and vaccines, as well as create strategies to tackle misinformation, stigma, and fear.”

Editorial: On coronavirus, Canada’s leaders are getting it right (Ottawa Citizen) Published on: March 7, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

First, public health agencies have provided frequent, factual updates on COVID-19.
Second, their tone has been non-political.
But at the moment, there is unusual trust between Canadians and their governments on coping with COVID-19.

How are North American employers protecting employees from coronavirus? (Benefits Canada) Published on: March 6, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business, Economic Impact

The survey, which polled 158 employers, found more than half (59 per cent) have deployed communications campaigns geared toward preventing spread of the disease, while 44 per cent have increased access to hand sanitizers for their North American employees and 38 per cent are reviewing and or/revising HR policies and procedures.
However, only five per cent are evaluating and/or reserving for potential increased liabilities in their health plans.

How Canadian companies are responding to COVID-19 (The Logic) Published on: March 6, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

The Logic surveyed 35 companies, including banks, investment funds and post-secondary institutions to find out what measures they have put in place for their employees in response to the disease.
Of those listed below, 17 have restricted or limited business travel, while two have asked their employees to work from home.

Canadians are telling their government—do whatever it takes to make it right (Maclean's) Published on: March 1, 2020 | Category: Canadian Business

What the polls are showing—surveys by EKOS Research among others—is that Canadians are scared witless.
Sixty per cent think the country is going to be worse off six months from now.
EKOS Research finds Canadians unified in seeing the coronavirus pandemic as “the challenge of a lifetime,” and turning their minds to what they want their governments to be doing once the pandemic has passed.

OCDSB trustees prefer five-day-a-week return to school in September (Ottawa Citizen) Published on: January 1, 1970 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

Ottawa English public school board trustees present at a virtual meeting Friday morning voted unanimously to adopt a motion saying the board wants to offer five-day-a-week education for students when school starts in September.
“It has been very difficult for trustees to hear from so many parents who have been really challenged to meet the needs for our children and so many of our staff who have been equally challenged in trying to serve our children,” said OCDSB Chair, Lynn Scott.
Scott’s letter will say that the board thinks back to school plans, especially the hybrid model, leave working parents of young children, single parents, and low-income families in “the precarious position of having to choose between educating their children and their own employment.”
A recovery plan needs to get as many students as possible back in “physical schools and spaces” while respecting public health advice.

NHL officially back as league, players ratify deal to return in Edmonton, Toronto (CBC) Published on: January 1, 1970 | Category: Canadian Business, Global Response

The league and its players union formally signed an agreement Friday that would see hockey return — with hub cities in Toronto and Edmonton.
Training camps will open Monday in each team’s home market, with clubs scheduled to head to their respective hubs July 26 before games start to count Aug. 1.
Once in Toronto and Edmonton, players will be kept in so-called “bubbles” — tightly controlled circles with stringent health protocols and daily testing — separate from the general public in hopes of keeping the coronavirus at bay.

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