A summary of the day's activities of Monday, August 31, follows.
Federal Government Relief Measures
The Government of Canada announced that it is extending applications for the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) until October 31. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland made the announcement Monday morning, noting that this gives small businesses an additional two months to apply to the $40,000 small business loan program. The federal government said it is also working with financial institutions to extend CEBA to businesses that handle transactions through personal bank accounts.
Statement of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
At a news conference in Montreal, the government announced an investment of $126 million over two years to build a bio-manufacturing facility at the Royalmount Human health therapeutics research facility and $20 million per year to fund operating costs. The facility is expected to be up and running by mid-2021. These funds will enable the manufacturing of vaccines and will strengthen the National Research Council's partnerships with vaccine producers.
The government guarantees a domestic source of vaccines. It has signed agreements with Pfizer and Moderna to reserve millions of doses of Covid-19 vaccine. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also announced new agreements with Novavax and Johnson & Johnson. If any of these vaccines pass the test, these agreements will ensure that Canadians have access to the necessary doses against the virus. These agreements will allow Canadians to have 88 million doses with options for tens of millions more.
Around the world, people are trying to accelerate investments and testing. We can hope for a vaccine soon, but we have to make sure it is done safely. Canada is signing agreements with vaccine developers to ensure that whatever vaccine is developed, Canadians have access to these needed doses as quickly as possible.
Regarding the Cansino partnership, it has been important in the past, particularly against Ebola, so it was a lead pursued in the desire to diversify all options to ensure access to a vaccine. The government was disappointed when China decided not to allow the research to be exported to Canada.
Federal Government Briefing
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is reminding all travellers ahead of the upcoming Labour Day long weekend that travel restrictions are still in place at all Canadian international border crossings.
Dr. Tam provided her daily COVID-19 update. There have been 127,940 cases of COVID-19 in Canada, including 9,117 deaths. 89 per cent of people have now recovered. Labs across Canada tested an average of almost 48,000 people daily over the past week with 0.7 per cent testing positive. An average of 435 new cases have been reported daily during the most recent seven days.
Today is International Overdose Awareness Day, a global event that aims to raise awareness of overdose and reduce the stigma of drug-related death. It is also a day to acknowledge the grief felt by families and friends remembering those who have died or had a permanent injury as a result of a drug overdose. The ongoing opioid-related overdose crisis in Canada has claimed the lives of over 15,000 Canadians from all backgrounds since 2016 leaving too many members of communities across the country mourning the loss of loved ones, each with their own unique story.
It was expressed that using drugs while alone is a major risk factor for experiencing a fatal overdose yet the majority of overdose deaths in Canada occur at home alone. Stigma plays a significant role. Negative attitudes towards people who use drugs can lead people to hide their substance use, and this stigma can also prevent people from seeking help. Public health measures designed to reduce the impact of COVID-19 may also increase isolation and create additional barriers for people to access the supports they need.
Officials explained that in these difficult and unprecedented times, it is important that we recognize substance use disorder as a health and social issue and that we treat people who use drugs with compassion and provide them the support they need. The aim is to work together to prevent overdose deaths and reduce substance-related harms, just as we are working hard to reduce the impact of COVID-19 on Canadians.
Statement of Ontario Premier Doug Ford
At a news conference in Etobicoke, Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Provincial Cabinet Ministers Monte McNaughton (Labour, Training and Skills Development) and Vic Fedeli (Economic Development) provided an update on their government's response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Today, the government announced an investment of 9.3 million dollars in 11 auto and advance manufacturing training projects to help 2300 students and job seekers prepare for the auto and advance manufacturing sectors. This includes 2.2 million dollars for partners in the auto parts manufacturing association in order to create over 660 internship opportunities. It was shared that with today's announcement, more than 2,000 people will have the opportunity to train for rewarding careers and be part of Ontario's dynamic manufacturing future.
Pertaining to education, the government is giving the boards of education the authority to make sure the province has safe classrooms. The necessary funding is provided to them. The Premier has confidence that they will make sure their respective area is suited to bring the kids back to school in the safest way possible. A collapsed classroom is not the intention of the government but could be a board's decision. The Premier stated that he did not want to fight with the union, he wants their cooperation.
If the situation worsens in schools, Premier Doug Ford stated that he will not hesitate to close back schools.
Statement of Quebec Premier François Legault
Premier François Legault participated in a press conference with the Minister of Health and Social Services, Christian Dubé, and the Strategic Medical Advisor to the Public Health Branch, Richard Massé.
Premier Legault is optimistic that Quebec is better prepared than it was last spring to deal with the second wave of the virus. Indeed, the province has no shortage of masks or medical equipment, in addition to being able to perform approximately 14,000 screenings daily. The Premier is excited to announce that 8,000 beneficiary attendants will be ready to work in CHSLD's within two weeks and their help will be beneficial.
Over the past two weeks, the Public Health Department has noticed that the number of daily cases has increased considerably, but the death rate is not increasing because young people are currently the most affected by the virus and are less likely to die from it. This increase in cases is not only taking place in the Montreal area, but throughout Quebec. The government is not ready to tighten the constraints or even impose fines on Quebecers, but it does not rule out the possibility of doing so in the near future.
The Premier acknowledges that there has been a recent laxity among citizens. He appealed to all Quebecers to respect the health measures put in place, i.e., the two-metre distance, wearing of masks and hand washing. These measures are necessary if to avoid returning to the confinement of last spring.
Asked about the possibility of better control of social and family events, the Premier said it is difficult for the moment to pinpoint the activities that cause an increase in cases. The Premier commented that if it were easy to determine what type of events are causing the increases, he would not hesitate to intervene. He therefore calls on Quebecers to respect the guidelines in place, so as not to return to confinement measures.
Elsewhere in Canada
Alberta
On August 28, Alberta Health Services announced 158 new cases of COVID-19 and no deaths. The numbers of new COVID-19 cases from over the weekend are expected to be announced later today.
On August 28, Municipal Affairs Minister Tracy Allard and Education Minister Adriana LaGrange issued an updated statement on PPE for schools. They stated that by the end of August 28, every school division in Alberta should have received their shipment of personal protective equipment in advance of the 2020-21 school year. Every student, teacher and staff member will receive two reusable masks; every teacher and staff member will receive one face shield; every school will receive two contactless thermometers and 466,600 liters of hand sanitizer will be distributed across the education system.
Alberta released a new public health order outlining the requirements for non-medical mask use for Grade 4 to 12 students, all staff, and visitors in indoor spaces (including school buses and shared areas). This order is effective as of August 31, 2020.
Alberta also issued a clarification of previously issued Order 05-2020. Order 05-2020 requires any person who is a confirmed case of COVID-19 to be in isolation for a minimum of 10 days from the start of their symptoms, or until symptoms resolve, whichever is longer. This clarification outlines certain circumstances that do not require a person who has symptoms that are anticipated or expected from an identified medical event or condition, or has recovered from COVID-19, to be in isolation or quarantine in accordance with the order.
British Columbia
On August 28, Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, and Dr. Bonnie Henry, British Columbia's Provincial Health Officer, announced 124 new cases of COVID-19 and no deaths. The numbers of new COVID-19 cases from over the weekend are expected to be announced later today.
Minister Dix and Dr. Henry also released a statement regarding WestJet's new policy to collect names and contact information for each of their passengers at check-in and to share that information with Public Health if a COVID-19 case is identified on a flight. They stated that, “it's a policy that will keep our communities, and all passengers travelling on WestJet, WestJet Encore, WestJet Link and Swoop, safer during this pandemic.”
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