nationalobserver--2020-11-18--PM says military could help distribute COVID-19 vaccine but not yet

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the military could play an integral part in rolling out COVID-19 vaccines across the country , though question marks remain around cost and distribution .
As case counts continue to climb at an alarming pace , the Canadian Armed Forces are already helping the Public Health Agency of Canada hammer out a support plan for vaccine rollout and set up a national operation centre to oversee broader delivery .
“ Obviously , getting those vaccines from an airport tarmac or a port to Canadians right across the country is a significant logistical challenge , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That will involve multiple government agencies , possibly private contracts as well .
It may well involve the Canadian Armed Forces.
” The remarks line up with those from Maj.-Gen. Trevor Cadieu , who heads the military 's strategic joint staff .
He told the House of Commons national defence committee Monday the Forces `` expect a potential request '' for assistance with vaccine distribution .
• It 's all in the family for Canada 's most famous sibling activists • How one Indigenous farmer in the north is improving food security in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a moving target , '' Dr. Howard Njoo , deputy chief public health officer , said Tuesday of the number of doses bound for Canadian shores .
Shipments will arrive in batches , he said with the first landing `` hopefully sometime early in the new year .
That could lead to a majority of Canadians being vaccinated by the end of 2021 , Njoo added , with the qualifier that `` there will be adjustments . ''
Storage and administration costs are other unknowns .
The Pfizer vaccine candidate , whose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a 90 per cent efficacy rate , needs `` pretty sophisticated storage '' at temperatures of -70 C , said Timothy Sly , professor emeritus at Ryerson University ’ s School of Occupational and Public Health .
`` And that ’ s not available unless you go through a big industrial freezer , '' he said .
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the military could play an integral part in rolling out COVID-19 vaccines across the country , though question marks remain around cost and distribution .
# COVID19 # Vaccine # cdnpoli @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enormous .
In one country we ’ re looking at millions ( of doses ) ; globally we ’ re looking at billions . ''
The government is arranging contracts to expand refrigeration capacity and hold 33.5 million vaccine doses , Public Services and Procurement Minister Anita Anand said last week .
Anticipation around vaccines continues to grow as case counts tick upward and hospitalizations increase west of the Maritimes .
Total cases hit 306,467 across the country , according to numbers reported as of Tuesday afternoon , more than half of those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ months .
The death toll now stands at 11,086 , according to figures from provincial health authorities .
Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam highlighted `` promising '' early results from two vaccine trials by Pfizer and Moderna .
But Trudeau stressed the country remains in an `` incredibly serious '' situation where Canadians will need to refocus their efforts until vaccines become widely available .
`` We still have to get through the next month and the month after that before vaccines arrive , '' he said .
The number of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is surging , while those over 80 years old have the highest incidence rate , Tam said .
Public health authorities are warning of a steep rise in demand for hospital beds and intensive-care treatment in the days ahead based on recent record-breaking case numbers .
Asked about possible military-run field hospitals down the line , Tam said that `` we do have those kinds of capacities , but it ’ s not limitless , and we should not get there . ''
New cases exceeded 1,000 for the 12th consecutive day in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tuesday and 12 new deaths due to the illness .
Toronto alone saw 569 new cases — its highest ever daily tally — while Peel Region had 256 .
Nunavut is the latest jurisdiction to announce strict new measures , as the territory prepares to enter a partial lockdown .
It logged 34 new cases Tuesday , more than doubling its tally overnight and less than two weeks after the first case was reported Nov. 6 .
The spike has prompted the government to close all schools , indoor dining and non-essential businesses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Manitoba , which brought in similar measures last week , is upping its enforcement game , hiring a private security firm to help hand out fines for infractions such as gathering in groups of more than five people .
Dr. Brent Roussin , Manitoba 's chief public health officer , called out some retailers for advertising in-person Black Friday sales for Nov. 27 , deeming it `` irresponsible . ''
`` We can ’ t accept this .
We ’ re in code red in Winnipeg right now .
We have people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ workers telling us that our hospitals are reaching their limits , '' Roussin said , stressing alternatives such as curbside pickup or online purchase and delivery .
In Saskatchewan , the government is requiring residents to wear masks in all indoor public spaces , effective Thursday .
The province announced Tuesday it is also suspending all visits to long-term care homes unless there are compassionate grounds and limiting private indoor gatherings to no more than five people .
British Columbia broke its daily record for new cases , reporting 717 and 11 deaths @ @ @ @ @ @ @ four provinces reach unprecedented highs in their daily case counts .
Quebec reported 982 new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday and 24 more deaths attributed to the virus , prompting Premier François Legault to forecast that `` red zone '' restrictions will likely remain in most regions past the initial end date of Nov. 23 .
Health authorities said hospitalizations jumped by 47 compared with the prior day , to 638 .
“ Maybe next summer we could go back to a life that is just about normal , ” Legault said in French @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was first published Nov. 17 , 2020 .

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the military could play an integral part in rolling out COVID-19 vaccines across the country, though question marks remain around cost and distribution. As case counts continue to climb at an alarming pace, the Canadian Armed Forces are already helping the Public Health Agency of Canada hammer out a support plan for vaccine rollout and set up a national operation centre to oversee broader delivery. “Obviously, getting those vaccines from an airport tarmac or a port to Canadians right across the country is a significant logistical challenge," Trudeau said Tuesday in Ottawa. “That will involve multiple government agencies, possibly private contracts as well. It may well involve the Canadian Armed Forces.” The remarks line up with those from Maj.-Gen. Trevor Cadieu, who heads the military's strategic joint staff. He told the House of Commons national defence committee Monday the Forces "expect a potential request" for assistance with vaccine distribution.
Uncertainty remains around other logistical details. "It's a bit of a moving target," Dr. Howard Njoo, deputy chief public health officer, said Tuesday of the number of doses bound for Canadian shores. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Shipments will arrive in batches, he said with the first landing "hopefully sometime early in the new year. That could lead to a majority of Canadians being vaccinated by the end of 2021, Njoo added, with the qualifier that "there will be adjustments."
Storage and administration costs are other unknowns. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the military could play an integral part in rolling out COVID-19 vaccines across the country, though question marks remain around cost and distribution. #COVID19 #Vaccine #cdnpoli The Pfizer vaccine candidate, whose early results from the trial stage yielded a 90 per cent efficacy rate, needs "pretty sophisticated storage" at temperatures of -70 C, said Timothy Sly, professor emeritus at Ryerson University’s School of Occupational and Public Health. "And that’s not available unless you go through a big industrial freezer," he said. "The logistics are going to be enormous. In one country we’re looking at millions (of doses); globally we’re looking at billions." The government is arranging contracts to expand refrigeration capacity and hold 33.5 million vaccine doses, Public Services and Procurement Minister Anita Anand said last week.
Anticipation around vaccines continues to grow as case counts tick upward and hospitalizations increase west of the Maritimes. Total cases hit 306,467 across the country, according to numbers reported as of Tuesday afternoon, more than half of those cases having come in the past four months. The death toll now stands at 11,086, according to figures from provincial health authorities. Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam highlighted "promising" early results from two vaccine trials by Pfizer and Moderna. But Trudeau stressed the country remains in an "incredibly serious" situation where Canadians will need to refocus their efforts until vaccines become widely available.


nationalobserver--2020-11-18--Auditor general issues scathing rebuke of Ford government’s environmental policies

Ontario has opened up protected wilderness areas for resource extraction , and two-thirds of the land in Algonquin Provincial Park can ’ t be considered “ protected ” due to commercial logging .
The province is not collecting enough data to know whether it ’ s actually conserving protected lands and endangered species , the reports say .
The Ford government is failing to obey environmental laws , often doing so while skirting transparency rules , Ontario ’ s auditor general found in a scathing series of reports Wednesday .
Ontario used to have a separate independent office responsible for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government weakened the role ’ s powers and folded its responsibilities into the Office of the Auditor General in 2019 .
Now , the environmental watchdog role rests with Lysyk , assistant auditor general and environmental commissioner Jerry DeMarco and their team of experts and auditors .
The auditor general is a non-partisan independent watchdog tasked with holding the government of the day accountable for financial responsibility and public transparency .
`` Any time there ’ s a law , the law needs to be followed , '' auditor general Bonnie Lysyk said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to do so `` concerning . ''
Meanwhile , the Environment Ministry often does not comply with key environmental protection and public disclosure requirements , and Ontario Parks lacks the staff it needs to do its work properly , the reports found .
The province also risks missing its 2030 emissions reduction target , in part because it isn ’ t reducing its use of fossil fuels .
The first of the auditor general ’ s reports examined how well the province is taking care of protected lands , finding that Ontario is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ primarily been caused by a lack of “ sufficient ” staff , Lysyk and DeMarco wrote .
`` I believe we have a moral obligation to our children to leave them a viable planet , '' he said .
Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner said the government 's actions are a threat not just to the environment , but also for the province 's safety and economy .
“ We 'll keep working to protect the environment and ensure that we have a strong economy , and keep Ontarians safe and get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a province , ” he said .
The reports , which were tabled in the Ontario legislature Wednesday morning , total more than 300 pages .
In response , Environment Minister Jeff Yurek thanked Lysyk and said his ministry will review her recommendations .
Though he said he was `` proud '' of his ministry 's work , he also blamed some of the issues Lysyk flagged on COVID-19 , and on previous governments .
“ The lack of dedicated staff specifically tasked with and accountable for expanding the protected areas network has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in increasing its protected area network , ” the report said .
The agency is also sorely lacking park planners .
Just 12 people at the agency have that responsibility , with each one handling between 19 and 97 provincial parks and conservation reserves .
( Each park planner had between four and 29 park plans that were in need of replacement , the audit found . )
Ontario Parks — a branch of the Environment Ministry that oversees provincial parks and conservation reserves — has just seven ecologists in its staff of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ report also detailed a laundry list of other failures .
`` What we ’ re seeing here are systemic issues that go back a long way , '' Lysyk said .
Ontario allows commercial logging in Algonquin Provincial Park , the crown jewel of the province ’ s park system , and has since the park was established in 1893 — even though the practice is banned in all other provincial parks .
Because of the logging , only one-third of the land in the park can actually be classified as “ protected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the activity “ incompatible with biodiversity conservation.
” In other cases , protected lands were inappropriately opened up for resource extraction , even though it was prohibited by provincial law .
The Derby Lake Nature Reserve Wilderness Area , near Kenora , and Eighteen Mile Island Wilderness Area , near Sudbury , were both left open for commercial logging despite the practice being illegal under the Wilderness Areas Act .
“ Logging operations by a private company were scheduled to take place within Derby Lake Wilderness Area in 2020 until we brought it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ministry cancelled the planned logging , ” the report said .
Sankey Township Nature Reserve Wilderness Area , near Hearst , had also been opened to claim staking , but the government closed that process when the auditor general flagged it , the report said .
The Environment Ministry doesn ’ t have any procedures laid out for monitoring wilderness areas to ensure no prohibited activities are happening , the auditor general found .
The ministry is also failing to collect data on species at risk and invasive species , information used @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trapping are sustainable in certain parks and reserves .
The lack of data means the province does not know whether it ’ s meeting its legal obligations to conserve nature , the report found .
Meanwhile , many of the plans governing protected lands in the province didn ’ t include measures to help those species recover , even though those areas are home to three-quarters of our species at risk , the report concluded .
One-third of the plans reviewed by the auditor general didn ’ t include any measures to prevent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
On one visit to a provincial park — Sharbot Lake , a picturesque spot for camping and boating in eastern Ontario — the auditor general spotted gypsy moths , an invasive species that weakens trees .
The plan for the park , written in 1988 , said park staff used pesticides to combat the pest .
But that hadn ’ t actually happened since 2000 .
“ We found that the Environment Ministry does not collect sufficient and necessary information , ” the report said .
The province also has no overall @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that carries a particular level of risk in population-dense southern Ontario , where only 0.6 per cent of land is protected and less than two per cent of wetlands remain in some areas , the report noted .
“ If coverage does not increase , species and their habitat , as well as the benefits we derive from nature , will continue to be lost , ” the report said .
It ’ s also crucial for the Far North , where only 10.4 per cent of land is protected , falling short @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 50 per cent .
Though six First Nations have expressed interest in creating Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas , the Ministry of Natural Resources has not followed up , the report found .
“ Biodiversity loss has been ranked as a top-five risk — by likelihood and impact — to economies over the next decade , ” the report said .
“ Because protected areas in Ontario support thousands of jobs , create millions of dollars in labour income , generate millions of dollars in tax revenue , and contribute hundreds of millions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gross domestic product , Ontario needs an effective protected area network to ensure that the positive economic impacts attributed to protected areas continue.
” In Ontario , the Environmental Bill of Rights gives the public the right to participate in environmental decision-making and hold the government to account .
It requires the government to consider green values , and to notify and consult the public before taking certain actions .
One of the reports released Wednesday assessed how well the government is following rules laid out in that legislation .
Lysyk raised concerns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of compliance with the Environmental Bill of Rights in 2019 , pointing to the Progressive Conservatives ’ move to axe Ontario ’ s cap-and-trade system .
Though some government ministries “ had taken action ” to respond to concerns raised in 2019 , the government ’ s overall compliance with the Environmental Bill of Rights has actually worsened , the auditor general found .
The one with the `` worst track record '' was the Ministry of the Environment itself , which failed nine of 16 categories audited in the report , Lysyk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the criteria of the law in 38 per cent of cases in 2019-20 , as opposed to 35 per cent the year before , the report said .
The Environment Ministry also failed to lead by example , the report found , with 75 per cent of the auditor general ’ s review criteria either fully or partially unmet .
“ The ministries have an obligation to embrace this legislation and include Ontarians in the decision-making process , ” said Lysyk in a statement .
“ The ( Environmental Bill of Rights ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and better decisions affecting the environment.
” In 2019 , the government failed to give the public “ sufficient information and time ” before making significant changes that weakened endangered species protections , the report found .
The same year , it failed to explain how six forestry-related proposals could further undermine protections for species at risk .
The public wasn ’ t notified about 42 of the environmentally significant decisions examined by the auditor general until two weeks after they were made , the report found .
In cases where public notices @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t actually describe the environmental impact of the proposals .
In other cases , the government has moved to limit public disclosure of environment-related changes , declining to make agencies that deal with environmental matters subject to the bill of rights and reducing the number of notices that are posted on the province ’ s public Environmental Registry .
At times , Lysyk said , the government should have given the public more than the minimum amount of time to respond to certain , complex proposals .
The government seems to have a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and believe that it only needs to do the bare minimum , Lysyk told reporters Wednesday .
`` She 's asking us to do more , and we take that to heart , and we 'll take a look at that , '' Yurek said in response .
The auditor general also flagged the province ’ s move to temporarily exempt itself from portions of the Environmental Bill of Rights this spring amid COVID-19 , allowing the government to make environmental changes without notifying or consulting the public , and without facing appeals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that it had to be used for pandemic response .
That meant it “ effectively cancelled ” Ontarians ’ ability to weigh in on environmental decision-making , an outcome that “ could have been avoided ” had the province simply narrowed the scope , the report said .
“ While this was understandable under the circumstances , only nine of 276 exempted proposals during that period were urgent and related to COVID-19 , ” the report found .
The exemption meant the public also lost the right to appeal 197 government decisions on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not related to COVID-19 , even if the province made its final choice after the exemption ended , the report found .
Those permits and approvals would , for example , “ allow industrial facilities to discharge pollutants to the air and water in Ontario communities , ” the report said .
“ The effects on the public of the Environment Ministry ’ s broad temporary exemption regulation may be felt well into the future.
” The auditor general recommended the ministry repost those proposals for public comments now , but in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government declined .
In the report , Lysyk recommended that the government motivate ministries to follow the Environmental Bill of Rights by making it part of performance reviews for some high-level bureaucrats , a suggestion the government accepted .
The Environmental Bill of Rights does n't contain any penalties for governments that disobey its rules .
When asked if she would recommend the government write some in , Lysyk said the most she could do is suggest the government dock ministers ' pay for not following the rules .
( Similar provisions already @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , she said , it 's up to voters to decide to punish the government .
“ It ’ s the elections that determine whether the public likes government choices , '' she said .
The report also sounded alarms about the government ’ s move to weaken the public ’ s ability to participate in the environmental assessment process , a change made over the summer in the omnibus Bill 197 .
The government did not consult the public before passing the bill .
As previously reported by Canada ’ s National @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the premier ’ s office before Bill 197 passed warning that the government was legally required to conduct public consultations under the requirements set out in the Environmental Bill of Rights .
The government passed the bill anyway , and included a measure that would retroactively exempt the province from that requirement .
The auditor general also recommended the government hold off on implementing environmentally significant portions of Bill 197 until it could hold consultations , the report said .
Again , the government declined .
“ Not providing an opportunity for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can undermine public confidence in government transparency and decision-making.
” One change in Bill 197 took away the public ’ s right to ask for a full review of certain projects , a measure known as a “ bump-up request.
” “ As a result ( of the change ) , bump-up requests related to 19 projects were terminated , including proposals to : build a new road through a mature Carolinian woodlot in the Greenbelt ; construct municipal infrastructure through an area containing contaminated soil and groundwater ; develop a wastewater treatment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resources ; and rehabilitate mine tailings contaminating a nearby lake , ” the report said .
Reports also highlighted carbon emissions and lack of environmental targets The package of reports released Wednesday also included a look at Ontario ’ s greenhouse gas emissions from buildings , and an assessment of its environmental goal-setting .
“ Our audit found the province risks missing its 2030 emission-reduction target , in part because climate change and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is not yet a cross-government priority , ” said Lysyk in a news release @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enough of a focus on reducing fossil fuel use or greenhouse gas emissions in Ontario ’ s buildings sector at the moment.
” Lysyk said she suggests the government rewrite its climate plan to be `` somewhat practical . ''
In response , Yurek said the government will unveil a new version of that plan in the coming weeks .
The environment , natural resources and agriculture ministries also need better processes to ensure they are able to monitor issues like biodiversity , species at risk , protected lands and the health of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ While the Environment Ministry is adequately monitoring air and water , many other programs are lacking standardized protocols that would ensure data is collected consistently and properly , the report found .
“ The province spends a lot of time , energy and tax dollars collecting huge amounts of environmental data , ” Lysyk said in a statement .
“ This data is critical to knowing whether the environment is getting better or worse , and whether environmental goals are being met .
However , not tracking it properly hinders the ministries ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ progress .
”

Meanwhile, the Environment Ministry often does not comply with key environmental protection and public disclosure requirements, and Ontario Parks lacks the staff it needs to do its work properly, the reports found.
The province also risks missing its 2030 emissions reduction target, in part because it isn’t reducing its use of fossil fuels.
Ontario has opened up protected wilderness areas for resource extraction, and two-thirds of the land in Algonquin Provincial Park can’t be considered “protected” due to commercial logging.
The province is not collecting enough data to know whether it’s actually conserving protected lands and endangered species, the reports say.
The Ford government is failing to obey environmental laws, often doing so while skirting transparency rules, Ontario’s auditor general found in a scathing series of reports Wednesday.
Ontario used to have a separate independent office responsible for environmental oversight, but the Progressive Conservative government weakened the role’s powers and folded its responsibilities into the Office of the Auditor General in 2019. Now, the environmental watchdog role rests with Lysyk, assistant auditor general and environmental commissioner Jerry DeMarco and their team of experts and auditors.
The auditor general is a non-partisan independent watchdog tasked with holding the government of the day accountable for financial responsibility and public transparency.
"Any time there’s a law, the law needs to be followed," auditor general Bonnie Lysyk said Wednesday, calling the government's failure to do so "concerning."
Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner said the government's actions are a threat not just to the environment, but also for the province's safety and economy.
“We'll keep working to protect the environment and ensure that we have a strong economy, and keep Ontarians safe and get through this pandemic and move forward as a province,” he said.
The reports, which were tabled in the Ontario legislature Wednesday morning, total more than 300 pages. In response, Environment Minister Jeff Yurek thanked Lysyk and said his ministry will review her recommendations. Though he said he was "proud" of his ministry's work, he also blamed some of the issues Lysyk flagged on COVID-19, and on previous governments.
"I believe we have a moral obligation to our children to leave them a viable planet," he said.
Ontario Parks understaffed, while government lacks key data
The first of the auditor general’s reports examined how well the province is taking care of protected lands, finding that Ontario is lagging in key areas. Issues have primarily been caused by a lack of “sufficient” staff, Lysyk and DeMarco wrote.
Ontario Parks — a branch of the Environment Ministry that oversees provincial parks and conservation reserves — has just seven ecologists in its staff of 254, the report found.
The agency is also sorely lacking park planners. Just 12 people at the agency have that responsibility, with each one handling between 19 and 97 provincial parks and conservation reserves. (Each park planner had between four and 29 park plans that were in need of replacement, the audit found.)
“The lack of dedicated staff specifically tasked with and accountable for expanding the protected areas network has contributed to Ontario’s slow progress in increasing its protected area network,” the report said.
The report also detailed a laundry list of other failures.
"What we’re seeing here are systemic issues that go back a long way," Lysyk said.
Ontario allows commercial logging in Algonquin Provincial Park, the crown jewel of the province’s park system, and has since the park was established in 1893 — even though the practice is banned in all other provincial parks. Because of the logging, only one-third of the land in the park can actually be classified as “protected,” the report said, calling the activity “incompatible with biodiversity conservation.”
In other cases, protected lands were inappropriately opened up for resource extraction, even though it was prohibited by provincial law.
The Derby Lake Nature Reserve Wilderness Area, near Kenora, and Eighteen Mile Island Wilderness Area, near Sudbury, were both left open for commercial logging despite the practice being illegal under the Wilderness Areas Act.
“Logging operations by a private company were scheduled to take place within Derby Lake Wilderness Area in 2020 until we brought it to the ministry’s attention and the ministry cancelled the planned logging,” the report said.
Sankey Township Nature Reserve Wilderness Area, near Hearst, had also been opened to claim staking, but the government closed that process when the auditor general flagged it, the report said.
The Environment Ministry doesn’t have any procedures laid out for monitoring wilderness areas to ensure no prohibited activities are happening, the auditor general found.
The ministry is also failing to collect data on species at risk and invasive species, information used to monitor whether hunting, fishing and trapping are sustainable in certain parks and reserves.
The lack of data means the province does not know whether it’s meeting its legal obligations to conserve nature, the report found.
Meanwhile, many of the plans governing protected lands in the province didn’t include measures to help those species recover, even though those areas are home to three-quarters of our species at risk, the report concluded. One-third of the plans reviewed by the auditor general didn’t include any measures to prevent harm caused by invasive species, either.
On one visit to a provincial park — Sharbot Lake, a picturesque spot for camping and boating in eastern Ontario — the auditor general spotted gypsy moths, an invasive species that weakens trees. The plan for the park, written in 1988, said park staff used pesticides to combat the pest. But that hadn’t actually happened since 2000.
“We found that the Environment Ministry does not collect sufficient and necessary information,” the report said.
Damage caused by gypsy moths, shown in an undated photo. Ontario's auditor general spotted the pests at one provincial park, but found that the park had not taken steps to stop the insects in two decades. Photo from Government of Ontario
The province also has no overall plan for protecting more land — something that carries a particular level of risk in population-dense southern Ontario, where only 0.6 per cent of land is protected and less than two per cent of wetlands remain in some areas, the report noted.
“If coverage does not increase, species and their habitat, as well as the benefits we derive from nature, will continue to be lost,” the report said.
It’s also crucial for the Far North, where only 10.4 per cent of land is protected, falling short of the province’s target of 50 per cent. Though six First Nations have expressed interest in creating Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas, the Ministry of Natural Resources has not followed up, the report found.
“Biodiversity loss has been ranked as a top-five risk — by likelihood and impact — to economies over the next decade,” the report said.
“Because protected areas in Ontario support thousands of jobs, create millions of dollars in labour income, generate millions of dollars in tax revenue, and contribute hundreds of millions of dollars to the province’s gross domestic product, Ontario needs an effective protected area network to ensure that the positive economic impacts attributed to protected areas continue.”
Province’s failure to follow rules ‘risked undermining public confidence’
In Ontario, the Environmental Bill of Rights gives the public the right to participate in environmental decision-making and hold the government to account. It requires the government to consider green values, and to notify and consult the public before taking certain actions.
One of the reports released Wednesday assessed how well the government is following rules laid out in that legislation.
Lysyk raised concerns about the Ford government’s level of compliance with the Environmental Bill of Rights in 2019, pointing to the Progressive Conservatives’ move to axe Ontario’s cap-and-trade system.
Though some government ministries “had taken action” to respond to concerns raised in 2019, the government’s overall compliance with the Environmental Bill of Rights has actually worsened, the auditor general found. The one with the "worst track record" was the Ministry of the Environment itself, which failed nine of 16 categories audited in the report, Lysyk said.
"We would have expected (the Environment Ministry) to lead by example," Lysyk added. "Instead it continues to not comply with the legislation.”
Ministries failed to fully meet the criteria of the law in 38 per cent of cases in 2019-20, as opposed to 35 per cent the year before, the report said. The Environment Ministry also failed to lead by example, the report found, with 75 per cent of the auditor general’s review criteria either fully or partially unmet.
“The ministries have an obligation to embrace this legislation and include Ontarians in the decision-making process,” said Lysyk in a statement. “The (Environmental Bill of Rights) is critical in ensuring meaningful public participation and better decisions affecting the environment.”
In 2019, the government failed to give the public “sufficient information and time” before making significant changes that weakened endangered species protections, the report found. The same year, it failed to explain how six forestry-related proposals could further undermine protections for species at risk.
The public wasn’t notified about 42 of the environmentally significant decisions examined by the auditor general until two weeks after they were made, the report found. In cases where public notices did go out, they didn’t actually describe the environmental impact of the proposals.
Ontario auditor general Bonnie Lysyk, left, and assistant auditor general and environmental commissioner Jerry DeMarco, right, are independent watchdogs that report to the legislature. Handout photos from Office of the Auditor General
In other cases, the government has moved to limit public disclosure of environment-related changes, declining to make agencies that deal with environmental matters subject to the bill of rights and reducing the number of notices that are posted on the province’s public Environmental Registry. At times, Lysyk said, the government should have given the public more than the minimum amount of time to respond to certain, complex proposals.
The government seems to have a "little bit of an attitude" and believe that it only needs to do the bare minimum, Lysyk told reporters Wednesday.
"She's asking us to do more, and we take that to heart, and we'll take a look at that," Yurek said in response.
The auditor general also flagged the province’s move to temporarily exempt itself from portions of the Environmental Bill of Rights this spring amid COVID-19, allowing the government to make environmental changes without notifying or consulting the public, and without facing appeals.
The exemption didn’t specify that it had to be used for pandemic response. That meant it “effectively cancelled” Ontarians’ ability to weigh in on environmental decision-making, an outcome that “could have been avoided” had the province simply narrowed the scope, the report said.
“While this was understandable under the circumstances, only nine of 276 exempted proposals during that period were urgent and related to COVID-19,” the report found.
The exemption meant the public also lost the right to appeal 197 government decisions on environmentally significant permits and approvals that were not related to COVID-19, even if the province made its final choice after the exemption ended, the report found.
Those permits and approvals would, for example, “allow industrial facilities to discharge pollutants to the air and water in Ontario communities,” the report said.
“The effects on the public of the Environment Ministry’s broad temporary exemption regulation may be felt well into the future.”
The auditor general recommended the ministry repost those proposals for public comments now, but in a response printed in the report, the government declined.
In the report, Lysyk recommended that the government motivate ministries to follow the Environmental Bill of Rights by making it part of performance reviews for some high-level bureaucrats, a suggestion the government accepted.
The Environmental Bill of Rights doesn't contain any penalties for governments that disobey its rules. When asked if she would recommend the government write some in, Lysyk said the most she could do is suggest the government dock ministers' pay for not following the rules. (Similar provisions already exist in other legislation.) Otherwise, she said, it's up to voters to decide to punish the government.
“It’s the elections that determine whether the public likes government choices," she said.
The report also sounded alarms about the government’s move to weaken the public’s ability to participate in the environmental assessment process, a change made over the summer in the omnibus Bill 197. The government did not consult the public before passing the bill.
As previously reported by Canada’s National Observer, the auditor general wrote to the premier’s office before Bill 197 passed warning that the government was legally required to conduct public consultations under the requirements set out in the Environmental Bill of Rights. The government passed the bill anyway, and included a measure that would retroactively exempt the province from that requirement.
The auditor general also recommended the government hold off on implementing environmentally significant portions of Bill 197 until it could hold consultations, the report said. Again, the government declined.
“Not providing an opportunity for the public to comment on environmentally significant proposals can undermine public confidence in government transparency and decision-making.”
One change in Bill 197 took away the public’s right to ask for a full review of certain projects, a measure known as a “bump-up request.”
“As a result (of the change), bump-up requests related to 19 projects were terminated, including proposals to: build a new road through a mature Carolinian woodlot in the Greenbelt; construct municipal infrastructure through an area containing contaminated soil and groundwater; develop a wastewater treatment system that could affect fish and water resources; and rehabilitate mine tailings contaminating a nearby lake,” the report said.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford visits a partially-flooded area of Constance Bay, northwest of Ottawa, in April 2019. Photo by Kamara Morozuk
Reports also highlighted carbon emissions and lack of environmental targets
The package of reports released Wednesday also included a look at Ontario’s greenhouse gas emissions from buildings, and an assessment of its environmental goal-setting.
“Our audit found the province risks missing its 2030 emission-reduction target, in part because climate change and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is not yet a cross-government priority,” said Lysyk in a news release.
“We found there is not enough of a focus on reducing fossil fuel use or greenhouse gas emissions in Ontario’s buildings sector at the moment.”
Lysyk said she suggests the government rewrite its climate plan to be "somewhat practical." In response, Yurek said the government will unveil a new version of that plan in the coming weeks.
The environment, natural resources and agriculture ministries also need better processes to ensure they are able to monitor issues like biodiversity, species at risk, protected lands and the health of agricultural soil, the report found.
While the Environment Ministry is adequately monitoring air and water, many other programs are lacking standardized protocols that would ensure data is collected consistently and properly, the report found.
“The province spends a lot of time, energy and tax dollars collecting huge amounts of environmental data,” Lysyk said in a statement.
“This data is critical to knowing whether the environment is getting better or worse, and whether environmental goals are being met. However, not tracking it properly hinders the ministries’ and public’s ability to gauge progress.”


nationalobserver--2020-11-18--COVID-19 crisis explodes in U.S. as presidential election drama recedes

Every day , Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg joins the countless ranks of U.S. commuters still making their way to work in the national capital .
In the city where she once worked as a Senate aide , however , Firstenberg 's current job is more of an artist 's odyssey : an open-air installation that pays silent , wind-whipped tribute to the American victims of COVID-19 .
Blocks from her former workplace on Capitol Hill , the sculptor and visual artist tends daily to a field of tiny white flags — 247,356 of them , at last count — and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pandemic 's death toll .
Nine months into the crisis , Firstenberg is as busy as she 's ever been .
`` When we update the numbers , that 's the worst time of the day for me , because that makes it real , '' she says , a fierce squall snapping the flags at her feet .
• It 's all in the family for Canada 's most famous sibling activists • How one Indigenous farmer in the north is improving food security in his community `` It goes through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do I have to buy ?
How many more deaths are going to happen ?
When is someone going to take charge and really do something on a serious national level ? '
'' In a year of firsts , just as an embattled electorate hopes against hope for a break in the political tumult , COVID-19 is again rattling America 's windows .
New cases and hospitalizations are setting daily records across the United States , blowing past levels reached in the spring .
Mayors and governors are imposing fresh restrictions on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ According to the COVID Tracking Project , one in every 378 Americans tested positive last week .
Cases were up 41 per cent , while hospitalizations push the health-care system to the breaking point .
The seven-day average death toll is now more than 1,000 a day .
`` Hospitalizations have broken the previous national record and are rising very quickly in every U.S. region , something we ’ ve never seen before , '' the project 's organizers wrote in their weekly blog .
`` In fact , hospitalizations are now rising @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seen , outside of a brief period in late March .
The past three days have seen increases larger than any single day since mid-April . ''
As the election drama recedes , the COVID-19 crisis explodes in US .
# Covid19 # USelection2020 # Covid_19 The state of the crisis in both the U.S. and Canada suggests the restrictions on non-essential travel between the two countries , currently set to expire Friday , wo n't be going away anytime soon .
`` I do n't anticipate that we 're going to see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' Canada 's U.S. ambassador Kirsten Hillman said in an interview last week .
`` We are always monitoring to make sure that the policy is operating as it 's intended to , and it is . ''
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a stark warning Tuesday to any Canadians contemplating an annual trip to warmer climes : think again .
`` All Canadians should avoid international travel , '' he said .
`` The pandemic continues to cause significant challenges around the world , including in the southern United States , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ home in Canada . ''
Just a week out from the Thanksgiving holiday and the country 's busiest travel season , U.S. health officials are pleading with people to take the threat seriously .
Dr. Anthony Fauci , the country 's pre-eminent infectious-disease expert , acknowledged Tuesday that another national shutdown is not in the cards .
`` We need to intensify common , easy-to-do public health measures that are not shutting down the country , not shutting down the economy , '' Fauci told CNN — measures that include wearing face masks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And he warned that recent good news in the race to produce a vaccine — clinical trials by both Moderna and Pfizer are showing positive results in more than 90 per cent of cases — should n't lead to complacency .
`` A vaccine should not have you then make a decision , 'Well , we 're going to have a vaccine so we do n't have to do anything else , ' '' he said .
`` No .
The fact that we have a vaccine coming means we should double down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the way . ''
Help for president-elect Joe Biden , meanwhile , is most definitely not coming from the White House .
U.S. President Donald Trump , still fixated on his conspiracy-minded effort to undermine the results of the Nov. 3 election , is stonewalling his successor 's efforts to prepare for power and put a vaccine-deployment strategy in place .
`` More people may die if we do n't co-ordinate , '' Biden warned Monday .
Firstenberg , for one , is bracing for just that .
Her original order of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she 's ordered some 20,000 more .
She 's also running out of places to put them .
Her fiercest hope is that the project — `` In America , '' it 's officially called — will prompt people to rethink their values .
`` Some of us want to wrap ourselves in the American flag , and just demand our individual rights above all else .
But in reality , seeing what happens , maybe it 's time to rethink that , '' Firstenberg said .
`` If we do n't rethink @ @ @ @ @ @ @ greatest — but in a way that we do n't want . ''
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 17 , 2020 .

Every day, Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg joins the countless ranks of U.S. commuters still making their way to work in the national capital. In the city where she once worked as a Senate aide, however, Firstenberg's current job is more of an artist's odyssey: an open-air installation that pays silent, wind-whipped tribute to the American victims of COVID-19. Blocks from her former workplace on Capitol Hill, the sculptor and visual artist tends daily to a field of tiny white flags — 247,356 of them, at last count — and a billboard that displays a running tally of the pandemic's death toll. Nine months into the crisis, Firstenberg is as busy as she's ever been. "When we update the numbers, that's the worst time of the day for me, because that makes it real," she says, a fierce squall snapping the flags at her feet.
"It goes through my mind: 'How many more flags do I have to buy? How many more deaths are going to happen? When is someone going to take charge and really do something on a serious national level?'" In a year of firsts, just as an embattled electorate hopes against hope for a break in the political tumult, COVID-19 is again rattling America's windows. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions New cases and hospitalizations are setting daily records across the United States, blowing past levels reached in the spring. Mayors and governors are imposing fresh restrictions on bars, restaurants and fitness centres.
According to the COVID Tracking Project, one in every 378 Americans tested positive last week. Cases were up 41 per cent, while hospitalizations push the health-care system to the breaking point. The seven-day average death toll is now more than 1,000 a day. As the election drama recedes, the COVID-19 crisis explodes in US. #Covid19 #USelection2020 #Covid_19 "Hospitalizations have broken the previous national record and are rising very quickly in every U.S. region, something we’ve never seen before," the project's organizers wrote in their weekly blog. "In fact, hospitalizations are now rising more quickly than we’ve ever seen, outside of a brief period in late March. The past three days have seen increases larger than any single day since mid-April." The state of the crisis in both the U.S. and Canada suggests the restrictions on non-essential travel between the two countries, currently set to expire Friday, won't be going away anytime soon. "I don't anticipate that we're going to see any major changes at the next rollover," Canada's U.S. ambassador Kirsten Hillman said in an interview last week.
"We are always monitoring to make sure that the policy is operating as it's intended to, and it is." Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a stark warning Tuesday to any Canadians contemplating an annual trip to warmer climes: think again. "All Canadians should avoid international travel," he said. "The pandemic continues to cause significant challenges around the world, including in the southern United States, and people are safest when they stay home in Canada."


nationalobserver--2020-11-18--Clear communication and coherent policy needed to clear up COVID confusion: experts

Simple , direct messaging from officials is necessary to clear up confusion about shifting public health restrictions amid skyrocketing COVID-19 infections in Canada , experts in health and communications say .
At the same time , officials need to be realistic when conveying the risks posed by the pandemic to ensure residents understand how they need to behave to curb the spread of the virus , they said .
`` It seems like the administrations have completely forgotten how to do health communication , '' said Jessica Mudry , an associate professor who specializes in public health communication at Ryerson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a new colour-coded system for COVID-19 restrictions has been met with skepticism from health experts and has raised questions among residents and businesses trying to figure out what is and is n't allowed .
Mudry said current messaging has failed to reach people who could change their behaviour but are resistant to doing so , noting that most residents do n't watch press conferences from officials that are held in the middle of the day .
• It 's all in the family for Canada 's most famous sibling activists • How one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ food security in his community `` All of this stuff can be changed , '' she said , pointing to engaging graphics used in nutrition and anti-smoking campaigns , and catchy pandemic-themed jingles on the social media platform TikTok as creative tactics that could be employed .
When it comes to balancing the need for restrictions to be taken seriously with messages of optimisim , experts said officials need to be honest with residents .
Dr. David Williams , Ontario 's top doctor , suggested this week that some regions could be in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ restrictions by Christmas if the situation improves .
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has also dangled the promise of Christmas gatherings as recently as last week .
Paul Knox , a retired professor of journalism at Ryerson University , said promises about hypothetical scenarios are not going to be effective at this point .
`` Any attempt ... to suggest that there are timelines that might offer one option or the other is really futile , '' Knox said .
`` What needs to happen right now , I think , is a very @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that message to be heard , Knox said , `` politicians have to make up their minds '' about how to manage the pandemic , even if that means difficult choices and shutting down businesses to save lives .
Simple messages and coherent policy needed to clear up COVID confusion , Canadian experts say .
# Covid19 # cdnpoli # wearamask Colin Furness , an epidemiologist and assistant professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto , said fear during the `` apocalyptically scary '' first wave @ @ @ @ @ @ @ good compliance with public health rules .
After a summer of loosened restrictions that encouraged people to frequent restaurants , bars and malls , Furness said the current return to `` stay home '' advice has naturally confused people , especially in Ontario where he said the government is trying to support businesses during the pandemic .
`` When you turn around and say , 'Oh , the sky is falling , you 've got to stay home .
Everything 's still open , but you 've got to stay home ' – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ possibly be more confused , '' Furness said .
Furness nonetheless noted that compliance has been fairly good when it comes to prevention measures that have sunk in , like wearing masks in public .
`` People use the term 'COVID fatigue . '
I do n't really like that term , because it suggests that people just do n't have the stamina , '' he said .
`` No , I think people have been worn down by confusing messaging . ''
A simple public education campaign talking about how COVID spreads @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He also noted that `` personal responsibility '' messages from politicians like Ontario Premier Doug Ford can only go so far when many people who have become infected at work or in long-term care homes do not have the agency to protect themselves .
Shifting public health restrictions are also confusing to the business community , with restaurants owners frustrated that officials have allowed them to stay open while urging potential patrons to stay home .
`` It 's kind of the worst of both worlds , '' said James Rillett , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ noted that businesses are trying to comply with the rules , but those rules are n't explained fully or presented in a centralized , accessible way .
The industry group created its own webpage for operators summarizing Ontario 's new regional guidelines , but it has n't cleared up many lingering questions about what 's permitted and what is n't .
`` I talk to four or five independent operators every day that simply are n't getting it , '' he said .
`` I think governments forget sometimes that people who are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day sometimes have trouble keeping up . ''
The same is true for regular citizens who want to comply with the rules but are n't being reached directly by officials , said Jaskaran Sandhu .
The public affairs professional based in Brampton , Ont.
, said the region that 's become a hot spot for infections has been neglected by officials when it comes to on-the-ground outreach about the pandemic .
Work of contextualizing guidelines has fallen to communities themselves , Sandhu said .
He has worked with the World Sikh Organization to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ places of worship for Sikhs that also function as community centres .
`` It 's like this invisible work that 's happening in the community that gets no credit , which makes it really frustrating when you keep hearing from folks , 'Well , you know , these communities and Brampton do n't actually care , ' '' he said .
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 17 , 2020 .

Simple, direct messaging from officials is necessary to clear up confusion about shifting public health restrictions amid skyrocketing COVID-19 infections in Canada, experts in health and communications say. At the same time, officials need to be realistic when conveying the risks posed by the pandemic to ensure residents understand how they need to behave to curb the spread of the virus, they said. "It seems like the administrations have completely forgotten how to do health communication," said Jessica Mudry, an associate professor who specializes in public health communication at Ryerson University. In Ontario in particular, a new colour-coded system for COVID-19 restrictions has been met with skepticism from health experts and has raised questions among residents and businesses trying to figure out what is and isn't allowed. Mudry said current messaging has failed to reach people who could change their behaviour but are resistant to doing so, noting that most residents don't watch press conferences from officials that are held in the middle of the day.
"All of this stuff can be changed," she said, pointing to engaging graphics used in nutrition and anti-smoking campaigns, and catchy pandemic-themed jingles on the social media platform TikTok as creative tactics that could be employed. When it comes to balancing the need for restrictions to be taken seriously with messages of optimisim, experts said officials need to be honest with residents. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Dr. David Williams, Ontario's top doctor, suggested this week that some regions could be in "the green" zone for pandemic restrictions by Christmas if the situation improves. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has also dangled the promise of Christmas gatherings as recently as last week.
Paul Knox, a retired professor of journalism at Ryerson University, said promises about hypothetical scenarios are not going to be effective at this point. Simple messages and coherent policy needed to clear up COVID confusion, Canadian experts say. #Covid19 #cdnpoli #wearamask "Any attempt ... to suggest that there are timelines that might offer one option or the other is really futile," Knox said. "What needs to happen right now, I think, is a very clear message." In order for that message to be heard, Knox said, "politicians have to make up their minds" about how to manage the pandemic, even if that means difficult choices and shutting down businesses to save lives. Colin Furness, an epidemiologist and assistant professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto, said fear during the "apocalyptically scary" first wave of COVID-19 in March led to fairly good compliance with public health rules. After a summer of loosened restrictions that encouraged people to frequent restaurants, bars and malls, Furness said the current return to "stay home" advice has naturally confused people, especially in Ontario where he said the government is trying to support businesses during the pandemic.
"When you turn around and say, 'Oh, the sky is falling, you've got to stay home. Everything's still open, but you've got to stay home' – I mean, the messaging couldn't possibly be more confused," Furness said. Furness nonetheless noted that compliance has been fairly good when it comes to prevention measures that have sunk in, like wearing masks in public. "People use the term 'COVID fatigue.' I don't really like that term, because it suggests that people just don't have the stamina," he said. "No, I think people have been worn down by confusing messaging."


nationalobserver--2020-11-19--Ontario tenants rushed through online evictions, advocates say

Thousands of Ontario ’ s renters are at risk of imminent eviction as winter looms and COVID-19 cases climb , legal experts warn , as chaotic virtual hearings and new rules hurt the most vulnerable .
Tracy Heffernan is the director of the province ’ s tenant duty counsel program , run by the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario .
Tenant duty counsel are legal aid workers who provide counsel to those who are “ so marginalized by poverty , language barriers , mental health issues , physical health barriers and low literacy that they often do not even make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she said .
The group , and scores of legal clinics from across the Greater Toronto Area and the province , are calling on Premier Doug Ford 's government to reinstate a moratorium on evictions it put in place in the early days of the pandemic response , and then lifted in August .
About 23 per cent of all renters in Ontario in 2016 were aged 25 to 34 , according to a landlord group , with another seven per cent younger than 25 .
• To fight inequality and COVID-19 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ current state of disorder and disrepair in the quasi-judicial tribunal system — what Heffernan calls “ a slap-dash solution ” lagging behind the province ’ s judicial system in dealing with COVID-19 — is exacerbating discrimination as administrators try to churn through a mountain of backlogged cases .
`` If these tenants manage to make it to their hearing , they frequently arrive with no idea as to why they are there , '' Heffernan said at an online press conference , with a chorus of tenancy lawyers also in attendance echoing examples @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They say clients can not access an online chat room to privately discuss their case with their lawyer during their hearing , counsel struggle to access legal documents and get extremely limited time to advise , mediators are nowhere to be found and multiple hearing blocks are stacked , severely limiting the number of cases they can attend .
A spokesperson for Tribunals Ontario did not respond after business hours on Wednesday to questions about whether it is rushing through a heavy schedule of eviction hearings .
Since the resumption of proceedings , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of hearing had emerged , the advocates said , with some decisions made on an uncontested basis .
“ I 've seen tenant households shocked to find orders for their eviction in the mail when they had anticipated receiving a notice of hearing , ” said Stephanie Cox , a lawyer with the Hamilton Community Legal Clinic .
Ontario 's @ TenantAdvocacy says tenancy tribunal is in a state of disorder and disrepair , what its executive director calls “ a slap-dash solution ” lagging behind the province ’ s judicial system in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ find themselves with 14 days to vacate in a city with a five- to seven-year waiting list for affordable housing .
“ As a housing lawyer , I 've witnessed the debilitating stress , the turmoil and the unravelling of lives because of a loss of housing or its looming threat , ” said Cox , who has handed clients facing eviction or dealing with homelessness bus tickets out of town for help , or talked them through suicidal ideation .
Kimberley Weaver , from the Peterborough Community Legal Centre , said one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their car parked in an apartment block parking lot , the only place they know with a solid Wi-Fi connection and a modicum of privacy .
Monique Woolnough at the Sudbury Community Legal Clinic said she was given only 15 minutes to talk to a client facing eviction based on alleged violence before his hearing .
It took her 10 of those minutes to get the 80 pages of legal documents from the landlord , and only got through to her client via his borrowed phone on spotty Wi-Fi with five minutes remaining @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his mental health .
She was denied an extension , despite the threat to his human rights as codified in provincial law .
“ The board member eventually rescheduled the hearing to allow the landlord more time to properly prepare , ” Woolnough dryly noted .
The five staff at the Sudbury clinic one day recently faced a schedule of 16 tenancy hearings at 9 a.m. , 11 more at 11 a.m. and 16 more at 2:15 p.m. , she said , noting a dramatic increase in hearings scheduled since mid-October .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , new immigrants , disabled people or single parents who are “ relying on criminally low social assistance or poverty wages , ” for whom losing their home is “ as serious a matter as can be imagined , ” she said .
Just over 2,900 hearings were on the tribunal ’ s docket in October , almost all filed by landlords and mostly related to non-payment of rent , ACTO said .
Most were from applications filed before the March 16 lockdown , but the board is also turning to fresh claims @

Thousands of Ontario’s renters are at risk of imminent eviction as winter looms and COVID-19 cases climb, legal experts warn, as chaotic virtual hearings and new rules hurt the most vulnerable. Tracy Heffernan is the director of the province’s tenant duty counsel program, run by the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario. Tenant duty counsel are legal aid workers who provide counsel to those who are “so marginalized by poverty, language barriers, mental health issues, physical health barriers and low literacy that they often do not even make it to a legal clinic,” she said. The group, and scores of legal clinics from across the Greater Toronto Area and the province, are calling on Premier Doug Ford's government to reinstate a moratorium on evictions it put in place in the early days of the pandemic response, and then lifted in August. About 23 per cent of all renters in Ontario in 2016 were aged 25 to 34, according to a landlord group, with another seven per cent younger than 25.
The advocates say the current state of disorder and disrepair in the quasi-judicial tribunal system — what Heffernan calls “a slap-dash solution” lagging behind the province’s judicial system in dealing with COVID-19 — is exacerbating discrimination as administrators try to churn through a mountain of backlogged cases. "If these tenants manage to make it to their hearing, they frequently arrive with no idea as to why they are there," Heffernan said at an online press conference, with a chorus of tenancy lawyers also in attendance echoing examples of inequitable access to housing justice. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions They say clients cannot access an online chat room to privately discuss their case with their lawyer during their hearing, counsel struggle to access legal documents and get extremely limited time to advise, mediators are nowhere to be found and multiple hearing blocks are stacked, severely limiting the number of cases they can attend.
A spokesperson for Tribunals Ontario did not respond after business hours on Wednesday to questions about whether it is rushing through a heavy schedule of eviction hearings. Ontario's @TenantAdvocacy says tenancy tribunal is in a state of disorder and disrepair, what its executive director calls “a slap-dash solution” lagging behind the province’s judicial system in dealing with COVID-19. Since the resumption of proceedings, a theme of tenants not receiving notices of hearing had emerged, the advocates said, with some decisions made on an uncontested basis. “I've seen tenant households shocked to find orders for their eviction in the mail when they had anticipated receiving a notice of hearing,” said Stephanie Cox, a lawyer with the Hamilton Community Legal Clinic. They can then find themselves with 14 days to vacate in a city with a five- to seven-year waiting list for affordable housing. “As a housing lawyer, I've witnessed the debilitating stress, the turmoil and the unravelling of lives because of a loss of housing or its looming threat,” said Cox, who has handed clients facing eviction or dealing with homelessness bus tickets out of town for help, or talked them through suicidal ideation.
Kimberley Weaver, from the Peterborough Community Legal Centre, said one tenant recently called into a hearing from their car parked in an apartment block parking lot, the only place they know with a solid Wi-Fi connection and a modicum of privacy. Monique Woolnough at the Sudbury Community Legal Clinic said she was given only 15 minutes to talk to a client facing eviction based on alleged violence before his hearing. It took her 10 of those minutes to get the 80 pages of legal documents from the landlord, and only got through to her client via his borrowed phone on spotty Wi-Fi with five minutes remaining, learning the situation was complicated by his mental health. She was denied an extension, despite the threat to his human rights as codified in provincial law.


nationalobserver--2020-11-19--The province’s gambit: Alberta group touts hydrogen economy as ‘step’ to net-zero world

Alberta is at a climate crossroads , and a group of Edmonton-area mayors believe they have hit upon a solution .
The province 's Industrial Heartland Hydrogen Task Force , led by the mayors of Edmonton , Fort Saskatchewan , and Sturgeon , Strathcona and Lamont counties , is advocating for a hydrogen economy to be based in their region .
Hydrogen gas is already artificially generated in Alberta for use in a variety of industrial processes , from making fertilizer to processing synthetic crude oil and producing refined petroleum products .
About 40 per cent of the province 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ industrial heartland '' near the provincial capital .
The big question , however , is whether this hydrogen economy , if it does get going , will be good enough to convince global investors to take a fresh look at Alberta .
A stack showing natural gas being flared off from an oil and gas operation .
Alberta Energy Regulator photo That ’ s because , in Alberta , hydrogen is mostly made from natural gas , an abundant and cheap fossil fuel .
Alberta mayors , industry representatives , academics and government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a regional # hydrogen fuel economy .
But questions remain about using fossil fuels to produce hydrogen gas .
The province produces about 5.4 kilotonnes of hydrogen gas per day , said the task force in a Nov. 16 report “ Building a Transition Pathway to a Vibrant Hydrogen Economy in the Alberta Industrial Heartland , ” produced by the non-profit Transition Accelerator .
Most of that is made from natural gas , usually through a process called `` steam methane reforming , '' where methane , the main component of natural gas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ catalyst under high pressure .
The conversion process results in 18 megatonnes per year of carbon pollution .
But the task force says steam methane reforming facilities can be modified to capture and store the carbon being emitted during hydrogen conversion .
If hydrogen produced from natural gas , and using carbon-capture technology , is used to support transportation with fuel cells , life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions are cut by at least 80 per cent , the task force calculated , relative to diesel or gasoline .
A diagram of the Alberta `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ facilities producing and using hydrogen gas , and the Carbon Trunk pipeline that can carry captured carbon .
Transition Accelerator screenshot Not only does this cut down on pollution generated when making hydrogen , but the captured carbon also holds value for oil and gas producers , as it can be used to extract more oil from depleted reservoirs , in a process called “ enhanced oil recovery.
” A 240-kilometre pipeline , the Alberta Carbon Trunk Line , has been built to bring captured carbon emissions from the Edmonton area to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a company is using it to boost oil extraction .
The task force said there is both the “ capacity and interest ” among “ industry and all levels of government ” to make more hydrogen out of natural gas , capture the emissions from conversion , and use the resulting hydrogen for industrial applications and as a zero-emissions fuel for heavy transport and space heating .
“ Right now , individual companies , or individual sectors , are struggling with this question of how they can integrate hydrogen into their businesses , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dan Wicklum .
“ Our model that we ’ re recommending is to come up with a hydrogen node model , where all of these potential future hydrogen uses are quantified and understood and analyzed together , so that you will have a critical mass of hydrogen used at the scale of the region.
” The task force argues that this hydrogen fuel economy is a “ step in a transition pathway to a net-zero emissions society.
” But some environmental groups are unconvinced that this should be the path forward .
Most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ obtained through hydraulic fracturing , or fracking , according to the Alberta Energy Regulator .
Research has connected a boom in fracking operations with a rise in levels of methane in the atmosphere .
Methane is 86 times as powerful as carbon dioxide in trapping heat in the atmosphere over a 20-year period .
Even if the emissions from the conversion of natural gas to hydrogen are entirely captured , that doesn ’ t account for the emissions stemming from fracking for natural gas in the first place .
Methane also leaks from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is transported .
Federal research has shown that emissions of methane from the oilpatch are nearly twice as high as previously thought .
Producing hydrogen from natural gas is `` clearly something that the fossil fuel industry sees as its pathway to maintain some kind of market share , '' said Tim Gray , executive director of Environmental Defence Canada .
“ It would be better to go where the puck is going around renewables , ” Gray said , given that barriers to carbon-intensive fuels are rising both from a regulatory and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said that could also include geothermal energy , where a lot of the skill sets are the same , but the energy source is sustainable .

Alberta is at a climate crossroads, and a group of Edmonton-area mayors believe they have hit upon a solution. The province's Industrial Heartland Hydrogen Task Force, led by the mayors of Edmonton, Fort Saskatchewan, and Sturgeon, Strathcona and Lamont counties, is advocating for a hydrogen economy to be based in their region. Hydrogen gas is already artificially generated in Alberta for use in a variety of industrial processes, from making fertilizer to processing synthetic crude oil and producing refined petroleum products. About 40 per cent of the province's total hydrogen production comes from the "industrial heartland" near the provincial capital. But the mayors, as well as federal and provincial officials, academics and industry representatives in the task force say that, in addition to industrial applications, there is much more domestic market potential for hydrogen, as a zero-emissions fuel for heavy transport and space heating. Hydrogen fuel cells convert hydrogen into electricity, with water and heat as byproducts — no carbon pollution. That means electric motors running on hydrogen fuel cells could theoretically be installed in the fleets of cement trucks, garbage trucks and other heavy-duty vehicles that currently run on diesel or gasoline.
The big question, however, is whether this hydrogen economy, if it does get going, will be good enough to convince global investors to take a fresh look at Alberta. Hydrogen could power Canada's trucks, cutting transport emissions. But in Alberta, hydrogen is made from natural gas, obtained from fracking. Proponents say the pollution from hydrogen conversion can be captured. Is that enough to convince investors? A stack showing natural gas being flared off from an oil and gas operation. Alberta Energy Regulator photo Hydrogen, made from natural gas in Alberta That’s because, in Alberta, hydrogen is mostly made from natural gas, an abundant and cheap fossil fuel. The province produces about 5.4 kilotonnes of hydrogen gas per day, said the task force in a Nov. 16 report “Building a Transition Pathway to a Vibrant Hydrogen Economy in the Alberta Industrial Heartland,” produced by the non-profit Transition Accelerator.
Most of that is made from natural gas, usually through a process called "steam methane reforming," where methane, the main component of natural gas, is mixed with steam and a catalyst under high pressure. The conversion process results in 18 megatonnes per year of carbon pollution. But the task force says steam methane reforming facilities can be modified to capture and store the carbon being emitted during hydrogen conversion. If hydrogen produced from natural gas, and using carbon-capture technology, is used to support transportation with fuel cells, life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions are cut by at least 80 per cent, the task force calculated, relative to diesel or gasoline.


nationalobserver--2020-11-19--What you should know about microplastics in shellfish

When it comes to shellfish , concerns around the consumption of microplastics are a good news , bad news story .
Studies show shellfish on the B.C .
coast , farmed and otherwise , appear to contain minimal levels of microplastics unlikely to endanger human health , researcher Garth Covernton said .
But it ’ s too early to breathe a sigh of relief .
Humans are still ingesting significant amounts of microplastics , but simply from other sources , said Covernton , a PhD candidate at the University of Victoria .
“ I think the health benefits of eating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quite a sustainable protein source , the benefits definitely outweigh any sort of risks , ” Covernton said .
• To fight inequality and COVID-19 , tax the ultra-rich There ’ s been undue focus on the amount of plastic particles in seafood simply because most of the available research has focused on marine environments , he said .
“ But ( concerns around consuming shellfish ) actually even distracts us from the main issue at hand , which is we 're all using too much plastic , ” Covernton said .
Microplastics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beads of five millimetres or less .
They can be as big as grain of rice or as small as a cell , Covernton said .
Primary microplastics include manufactured microbeads found in toothpaste and other personal care products , or nurdles , small pellets used in industry or manufacturing .
In contrast , secondary microplastics are particles formed by plastic products breaking down , or the shedding of microfibres from synthetic clothes and materials .
Covernton headed a study around the impact of the tiny particles on farmed shellfish , and has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of microplastics humans ingest .
Microplastics are n't a major danger in some seafood , one B.C .
researcher says , but that does n't mean you should n't worry about ingesting the tiny particles from other sources .
His research examined farmed and non-farmed oysters and clams at sites along the B.C .
coast , including the Discovery Islands , Baynes Sound and Okeover Inlet .
On average , one microplastic particle was discovered per mollusk , and most were microfibres that likely got into the marine environment via sewage or runoff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
In other parts of the world where aquaculture is very intensive or consumption is greater , studies have shown higher levels of microplastics , Covernton acknowledged .
But given the amount of shellfish the average Canadian consumer eats , the dangers from shellfish are likely negligible , particularly compared to other sources of microplastics , he said .
The average adult is likely ingesting or breathing in around 100,000 of the tiny particles annually , and almost double that if they rely primarily on bottled water .
And those estimates — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ looking at the amount of microplastics found in a number of food and beverage items — are likely to be very conservative , Covernton stressed , adding big research gaps exist around the content of the particles in a range of dietary staples .
“ When we did our numbers , it accounted for about 15 per cent of the caloric intake for humans , ” he said .
“ ( Science ) is missing a lot of food groups .
We don ’ t have good data on beef , dairy or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ food sources , we also live and work in environments where plastics are ubiquitous , Covernton said .
Our clothing , packaging , carpets and single-use plastics — among a host of other things — are all potential sources of microplastics that can infiltrate our food , water or the air we breathe .
What ’ s not entirely clear is the physical and chemical effects these plastics have on human health , and more research is needed , he added .
Some microplastics may be simply eliminated by both humans and animals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Research suggests that bivalves such as oysters and clams may filter and poop out some of the plastic particles they are exposed to , he said .
However , little is known about nanoplastics , really tiny particles that could be absorbed by cells , Covernton said .
Nanoplastics are described as 1,000 times smaller than an algal cell and very tricky to study , he said .
“ The next research frontier will by trying to measure ( nanoplastics ) in the environment , humans and our foods , figuring out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Covernton said .
While folks shouldn ’ t ignore the potential risks of microplastics in food , they need to put them context with other sources of exposure , Covernton said .
The best way to ameliorate the problem is for people to reduce the use of plastics , especially unnecessary or single-use items , he said .
“ We just use things because they 're cheap and efficient , and then sort of figure out the environmental and health impacts later , ” he said .
“ We need to be thinking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those plastics are .
”

When it comes to shellfish, concerns around the consumption of microplastics are a good news, bad news story. Studies show shellfish on the B.C. coast, farmed and otherwise, appear to contain minimal levels of microplastics unlikely to endanger human health, researcher Garth Covernton said. But it’s too early to breathe a sigh of relief. Humans are still ingesting significant amounts of microplastics, but simply from other sources, said Covernton, a PhD candidate at the University of Victoria. “I think the health benefits of eating seafood, especially shellfish, which is quite a sustainable protein source, the benefits definitely outweigh any sort of risks,” Covernton said.
There’s been undue focus on the amount of plastic particles in seafood simply because most of the available research has focused on marine environments, he said. “But (concerns around consuming shellfish) actually even distracts us from the main issue at hand, which is we're all using too much plastic,” Covernton said. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Microplastics are plastic shards, fibres or tiny beads of five millimetres or less. They can be as big as grain of rice or as small as a cell, Covernton said.
Primary microplastics include manufactured microbeads found in toothpaste and other personal care products, or nurdles, small pellets used in industry or manufacturing. Microplastics aren't a major danger in some seafood, one B.C. researcher says, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't worry about ingesting the tiny particles from other sources. In contrast, secondary microplastics are particles formed by plastic products breaking down, or the shedding of microfibres from synthetic clothes and materials. Covernton headed a study around the impact of the tiny particles on farmed shellfish, and has contributed to research that estimated the amount of microplastics humans ingest. His research examined farmed and non-farmed oysters and clams at sites along the B.C. coast, including the Discovery Islands, Baynes Sound and Okeover Inlet. On average, one microplastic particle was discovered per mollusk, and most were microfibres that likely got into the marine environment via sewage or runoff from land in populated areas, he said.
In other parts of the world where aquaculture is very intensive or consumption is greater, studies have shown higher levels of microplastics, Covernton acknowledged. But given the amount of shellfish the average Canadian consumer eats, the dangers from shellfish are likely negligible, particularly compared to other sources of microplastics, he said. The average adult is likely ingesting or breathing in around 100,000 of the tiny particles annually, and almost double that if they rely primarily on bottled water.


nationalobserver--2020-11-20--Trudeau to tout climate and trade at Asia-Pacific summit where China, U.S. dominate

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will pitch the economic benefits of fighting climate change and doing business with Canada as he meets with counterparts from both sides of the Pacific during today ’ s Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation leaders ’ summit .
Yet the degree to which the prime minister ’ s sales pitch will even be heard by APEC leaders remains unclear as Canada 's tensions with China and the much bigger dispute between Beijing and Washington threaten to overshadow the meeting .
Trudeau hinted at his planned approach to the summit during a speech on Thursday that was followed by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s tense ties with Beijing and relationship with the White House figured prominently .
The summit , which is being hosted by Malaysia but held online because of COVID-19 , is supposed to focus on the pandemic , particularly its economic impacts and what actions the members can take to mitigate those now and recover afterward .
Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump will be among the participants , with the latter likely marking one of his last such international gatherings following this month ’ s presidential election .
• @ @ @ @ @ @ @ group touts hydrogen economy as ‘ step ’ to net-zero world This year ’ s meeting also comes days after China joined nearly a dozen other Asian countries along with Australia and New Zealand in inking what is being billed as the world ’ s largest free-trade agreement , which excludes Canada and U.S. Trudeau stopped short Thursday of saying Canada was interested in joining the new Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership , but instead suggested Ottawa would be watching to see how Beijing behaves in the trade deal .
China “ is an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we need to try and include and get to play by better international rules , ” the prime minister said during the question-and-answer session during the APEC CEO Dialogue on Thursday .
“ So if the RCEP deal is able to actually start to create level playing fields , that 's going to be something very , very interesting .
So we 're going to watch carefully.
” Trudeau during the same session defended the detention of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou , who is facing extradition to the U.S. to face fraud charges @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weeping sore in the relationship between Canada and China .
The prime minister also indicated that he planned to not only push back against growing protectionism around the world , particularly during the pandemic , but also call for more of the benefits of free trade and globalization reach everyday people .
Trudeau to tout climate and trade as China , U.S. set to dominate Asia-Pacific summit .
# cdnpoli # China # asiapacificsummit Much of the attention , however , will be on Trump and Xi .
The former has refused to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election to challenger Joe Biden , and has made a point in the past of calling out China on trade and security .
The Trump administration during the last APEC summit in 2018 refused to sign off on a final statement over those same issues .
The APEC meeting today will be followed this weekend by the G20 leaders ’ summit , which is being hosted by Saudi Arabia and will also focus on responding to the economic damage wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic .
While the first G20 leaders ’ summit held @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unified international response to the financial crisis that year , experts say the ensuring 12 years have seen growing polarization around the world along with more populism and instability .
`` We 're in a geopolitically polarized environment that 's not getting any better , '' said Fen Hampson , chancellor ’ s professor at Carleton University ’ s Norman Paterson School of International Affairs .
`` And unless there is a will on the part of the great powers to co-operate even at a minimum , you 're just not going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ So yes , you may get a communique .
But it 's likely to be quite anodyne . ''

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will pitch the economic benefits of fighting climate change and doing business with Canada as he meets with counterparts from both sides of the Pacific during today’s Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation leaders’ summit. Yet the degree to which the prime minister’s sales pitch will even be heard by APEC leaders remains unclear as Canada's tensions with China and the much bigger dispute between Beijing and Washington threaten to overshadow the meeting. Trudeau hinted at his planned approach to the summit during a speech on Thursday that was followed by a question-and-answer session in which Ottawa’s tense ties with Beijing and relationship with the White House figured prominently. The summit, which is being hosted by Malaysia but held online because of COVID-19, is supposed to focus on the pandemic, particularly its economic impacts and what actions the members can take to mitigate those now and recover afterward. Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump will be among the participants, with the latter likely marking one of his last such international gatherings following this month’s presidential election.
This year’s meeting also comes days after China joined nearly a dozen other Asian countries along with Australia and New Zealand in inking what is being billed as the world’s largest free-trade agreement, which excludes Canada and U.S. Trudeau stopped short Thursday of saying Canada was interested in joining the new Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, but instead suggested Ottawa would be watching to see how Beijing behaves in the trade deal. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions China “is an important player in the global economy that we need to try and include and get to play by better international rules,” the prime minister said during the question-and-answer session during the APEC CEO Dialogue on Thursday.
“So if the RCEP deal is able to actually start to create level playing fields, that's going to be something very, very interesting. So we're going to watch carefully.” Trudeau to tout climate and trade as China, U.S. set to dominate Asia-Pacific summit. #cdnpoli #China #asiapacificsummit Trudeau during the same session defended the detention of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou, who is facing extradition to the U.S. to face fraud charges, and whose case has become a weeping sore in the relationship between Canada and China. The prime minister also indicated that he planned to not only push back against growing protectionism around the world, particularly during the pandemic, but also call for more of the benefits of free trade and globalization reach everyday people. Much of the attention, however, will be on Trump and Xi. The former has refused to concede this month’s U.S. presidential election to challenger Joe Biden, and has made a point in the past of calling out China on trade and security. The Trump administration during the last APEC summit in 2018 refused to sign off on a final statement over those same issues.
The APEC meeting today will be followed this weekend by the G20 leaders’ summit, which is being hosted by Saudi Arabia and will also focus on responding to the economic damage wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic. While the first G20 leaders’ summit held in 2008 was aimed to ensure a unified international response to the financial crisis that year, experts say the ensuring 12 years have seen growing polarization around the world along with more populism and instability. "We're in a geopolitically polarized environment that's not getting any better," said Fen Hampson, chancellor’s professor at Carleton University’s Norman Paterson School of International Affairs.


nationalobserver--2020-11-20--Trudeau resumes briefings from home as Canada's COVID-19 cases soar

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will amplify his plea for Canadians to stay home as much as possible after alarming new projections for the spread of COVID-19 in Canada are released today .
The updated projections are expected to forecast a dramatic rise in cases over the next few weeks — to as much as 60,000 new cases a day by the end of the year — if Canadians do n't strictly limit their contact with people outside their households .
Trudeau is to hold a news conference after the latest modelling is unveiled by chief public health officer Dr. Theresa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ importance of minimizing contacts , Trudeau will conduct the news conference outside his home , Rideau Cottage — the site of his daily briefings during the first wave of the deadly pandemic last spring .
He ended that practice over the summer when the pandemic went into a bit of a lull and , throughout the fall until now , he has joined Tam and select ministers at news conferences on Parliament Hill once or twice a week .
• The province ’ s gambit : Alberta group touts hydrogen economy as ‘ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ already warned that Canada is on track to hit more than 10,000 cases per day by early December if Canadians maintain their current rate of contacts outside their household .
That 's more than double the current daily case count , which is already straining the health care system in some regions .
Sources briefed on the latest modelling say it projects a much worse scenario by the end of December — 20,000 cases per day at the current rate of contacts and as much as 60,000 a day if Canadians increase their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ approaches .
The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the modelling before its official release .
Tam has said Canadians need to reduce their current rate of contact with others by at least 25 per cent in order to flatten the curve .
And last week , she and her deputy , Howard Njoo , gave a graphic description of the consequences if the trajectory toward more than 10,000 cases per day is not halted .
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will amplify his plea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ working from home himself as COVID-19 cases soar .
# secondwave # Covid19 # cdnpoli At the current level of just under 5,000 cases per day , Tam said routine medical procedures are being cancelled , intensive care beds are almost full and health-care workers are exhausted .
`` So you can only imagine that if we got to that level ( of 10,000 ) , that the pressure on the health-care system will be huge , '' she told a news conference in Ottawa on Nov. 13 .
Njoo pointed to what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ City last spring , when their health systems were overwhelmed .
`` Doctors were having to make a life and death decision in terms of who would be on a ventilator , who would n't .
And who wants to be in that position ? ''
For several weeks , Trudeau has been almost begging premiers to impose more stringent restrictions on businesses and social gatherings in order to get the soaring caseload under control .
He has warned that the federal government 's resources are not infinite and that , if cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ability to help premiers cope with the health crisis will be strained .

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will amplify his plea for Canadians to stay home as much as possible after alarming new projections for the spread of COVID-19 in Canada are released today. The updated projections are expected to forecast a dramatic rise in cases over the next few weeks — to as much as 60,000 new cases a day by the end of the year — if Canadians don't strictly limit their contact with people outside their households. Trudeau is to hold a news conference after the latest modelling is unveiled by chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam this morning. To underscore the importance of minimizing contacts, Trudeau will conduct the news conference outside his home, Rideau Cottage — the site of his daily briefings during the first wave of the deadly pandemic last spring. He ended that practice over the summer when the pandemic went into a bit of a lull and, throughout the fall until now, he has joined Tam and select ministers at news conferences on Parliament Hill once or twice a week.
Tam has already warned that Canada is on track to hit more than 10,000 cases per day by early December if Canadians maintain their current rate of contacts outside their household. That's more than double the current daily case count, which is already straining the health care system in some regions. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Sources briefed on the latest modelling say it projects a much worse scenario by the end of December — 20,000 cases per day at the current rate of contacts and as much as 60,000 a day if Canadians increase their number of contacts as the holiday season approaches.
The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the modelling before its official release. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will amplify his plea for Canadians to stay home by again working from home himself as COVID-19 cases soar. #secondwave #Covid19 #cdnpoli Tam has said Canadians need to reduce their current rate of contact with others by at least 25 per cent in order to flatten the curve. And last week, she and her deputy, Howard Njoo, gave a graphic description of the consequences if the trajectory toward more than 10,000 cases per day is not halted. At the current level of just under 5,000 cases per day, Tam said routine medical procedures are being cancelled, intensive care beds are almost full and health-care workers are exhausted. "So you can only imagine that if we got to that level (of 10,000), that the pressure on the health-care system will be huge," she told a news conference in Ottawa on Nov. 13.
Njoo pointed to what happened in northern Italy and New York City last spring, when their health systems were overwhelmed. "Doctors were having to make a life and death decision in terms of who would be on a ventilator, who wouldn't. And who wants to be in that position?" For several weeks, Trudeau has been almost begging premiers to impose more stringent restrictions on businesses and social gatherings in order to get the soaring caseload under control.