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Boat launch bust for Innisfil driver

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Boat launch bust for Innisfil driver

Oct 8, 2021 , , , , by shlf

Parking at the Innisfil Beach Park boat launch turned into a costly decision for an Innisfil woman.

South Simcoe police were on patrol in the area Dec. 1 at 9:52 p.m. and approached a vehicle, which was still running.

After speaking with the 57-year-old driver, an officer gave her a roadside breath test, which she allegedly failed. She was taken to the Innisfil police station for further testing.

However, the woman refused, and was charged with failure or refusal to comply with demand. Her licence was suspended for 90 days and car impounded for a week.

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Penetanguishene tightens entry to arena and museum

Oct 8, 2021 , , , , by shlf

Heeding advice from Dr. Charles Gardner, The Town of Penetanguishene is restricting access to the Penetanguishene Memorial Community Centre and Penetanguishene Centennial Museum.

Earlier this week, Gardner, the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit’s medical officer of health, issued an advisory letter to municipalities strongly recommending they prohibit access to their recreational facilities to anyone whose primary home is within the ‘red’ (control) and ‘grey’ (lockdown) levels on Ontario’s colour-coded COVID-19 restriction framework.

Simcoe Muskoka in is in the ‘orange’ (restrict) level.

In response, Penetanguishene has put in place the following measures:

Penetanguishene Memorial Community Centre: Starting immediately, people who live in ‘red’ or ‘grey’ classified communities cannot enter the arena.

Penetanguishene Centennial Museum: As of Nov. 28, all visitors to the museum must book an appointment to visit, access the gift shop, or utilize the genealogy and history research room. Appointments can be made by calling the museum at or through email at . The museum also asks that all individuals whose primary residence lies within the ‘red’ and ‘grey’ areas not visit the museum at this time. 

For more information about Ontario’s colour-coded COVID-19 restriction framework visit:

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‘There is no Team Blue, Orange, Red or Green’: Premier Doug Ford discusses COVID-19 response with party leaders

Oct 7, 2021 , , , , by shlf

It’s a sign of the times.

As Ontario’sinfections soar, Premier Doug Ford invited political rivals to huddle in his Queen’s Park office Wednesday to discuss the pandemic response.

“We have the best plan in the country and we are ready to respond as the situation on the ground changes,” Ford told reporters before the meeting with Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca, Green Leader Mike Schreiner, and NDP MPP John Vanthof, standing in for leader Andrea Horwath.

“We have the best and the brightest minds working together on this. We have an army of front-line heroes helping to deliver this plan. But we’ll need everyone pulling in the same direction,” the premier said.

After the closed-door 45-minute meeting, Ford’s office called it a “productive discussion” that underscored “the importance of putting partisanship aside during this extremely difficult and unprecedented situation.”

“As the premier has said before, there is no Team Blue, Orange, Red or Green when it comes to the health and well-being of the people of Ontario. He pressed that a Team Ontario approach is crucial in our fight against the spread of COVID-19.”

Del Duca said he was encouraged that Ford agreed with his suggestion that “these Team Ontario meetings between the opposition leaders, premier and senior cabinet ministers should occur on a regular basis moving forward.”

Health Minister Christine Elliot, Finance Minister Rod Phillips, and Dr. David Williams, the chief medical officer of health, were also at the meeting.

The Liberal leader implored the premier “to focus on expanding lab capacity for testing (and) boost … pay for front-line workers in our nursing homes.”

Del Duca’s office said he and Ford “agreed that the pandemic should be the number one priority of all political parties and that more needs to be done to boost Ontario’s economic recovery.”

Vanthof (Timiskaming-Cochrane) pinch hit for Horwath, who had a long-scheduled medical appointment.

“I have a lot of respect for the premier’s office and for the premier,” said the NDP’s deputy chief.

“But he was the one who brought up politics after insisting he doesn’t want to be partisan. He said he likes NDP supporters because they vote for him,” the MPP said.

“I didn’t mention a political party — he did,” said Vanthof.

On Twitter, Schreiner said he “voiced concerns from constituents about the delay in delivering a second wave plan.”

“I urged the premier to meet with the opposition again so we can work through ‪COVID-19 together.”

Robert Benzie is the Star’s Queen’s Park bureau chief and a reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter:

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How will COVID-19 affect you? Your postal code matters as much as your genetic code, says Canada’s top doctor

Oct 7, 2021 , , , , by shlf

OTTAWA—When it comes to getting hit by , Canada’s top public health doctor says your postal code matters as much as your genetic code.

“Where you live … or where you don’t have a home” is a critical factor affecting health, said Dr. Theresa Tam, as she released a sobering report that outlined the destructive swath cut by COVID-19 across Canada, with worse outcomes in neighbourhoods of cities like Toronto and Montreal, where lower income and racialized workers often don’t have the luxury of working from home, and face worse outcomes from the disease.

Using data from the start of the pandemic to the end of August, Tam said COVID-19 slammed Canada’s socially and economically disadvantaged groups, with seniors, women, disabled people, and immigrant or racialized workers who deliver essential services in health care and agriculture all bearing the brunt of the pandemic.

The 86-page report bolstered Tam’s call for more public health spending, greater co-operation at all levels of government, and for better national health data collection and pandemic preparedness.

Tam said COVID-19 “didn’t create new inequities, it exposed them.”

Among the report’s grim statistics is a finding that 98 per cent of Canadians who died of COVID-19 in hospital had at least one underlying medical condition.

The echoed conclusions by academics, outside researchers and media outlets like the Star which have reported that 80 per cent of COVID-19 deaths in Canada occurred in long-term-care homes for seniors. It cited several factors, including residents’ advanced age, higher prevalence of chronic underlying medical conditions, a lack of pandemic preparedness plans, shortages of personal protective equipment for health-care workers, overcrowding, old infrastructure with poor ventilation, or chronic understaffing in some facilities.

It said more than 10 per cent of national COVID-19 cases were long-term-care workers.

Tam said she wants to be “optimistic” that some of the lessons of the first wave were learned to prevent a repeat of the overwhelming number of seniors deaths in this second wave. However she worried that current numbers show the high number of infections found in younger adults this fall are beginning to “penetrate into” older populations. Not only are outbreaks occurring again in long-term-care homes, but several facilities have had more than one, she said.

Tam said the pandemic hit hard in racialized neighbourhoods, and pointed to a Statistics Canada Wednesday that found communities with the most visible minorities in the country’s four biggest provinces — Quebec, Ontario, B.C. and Alberta — had the highest infection and mortality rates in the first wave. The report said they experienced higher poverty rates, were more likely to live in overcrowded housing conditions and to work in jobs associated with greater risk of exposure to the virus.

In Toronto, the second wave is starting to look like the first wave in some neighbourhoods.

Mayor John Tory said Wednesday that in the past few weeks the number of positive COVID-19 tests has “drastically” increased in the northwest part of Toronto.

He outlined steps the city is taking to expand space for pop-up testing sites in Rexdale and Black Creek, to boost food banks and to support agencies “serving mainly black Torontonians in northwest Toronto, to provide family support, mental health, social connection and community safety services.”

Medical officer of health Dr. Eileen de Villa said her current data shows 30 per cent of people living in Toronto are classified as living below the low-income threshold, but they accounted for 50 per cent of COVID-19 cases.

“Over the course of the pandemic so far, northwest Toronto stood out for higher rates of COVID-19, lower testing rates and higher positivity rates in comparison to other parts of our city.” But de Villa cautioned that “where a person lives is not a reliable indicator of where they got infected with COVID-19. The people of the northwest of the city are like everyone else, as likely to live in one part of Toronto but travel throughout it.”

Tam said the data show the difference in who gets COVID-19 and how severely they are impacted “is not random.” It depends on factors like income, the type of work people do, how many people they live with, and if they depend on someone else for day-to-day living.

COVID-19 is clearly worse for groups such as seniors, workers provide who provide essential services such as in agriculture and health care, for racialized populations, people living with disabilities, and women, she said.

Tam quoted a University of Calgary sociology professor, Dr. Naomi Lightman, saying “the most vulnerable workers provide the most essential services to the most vulnerable clients under the worst working conditions.”

She said Canada needs to embrace a “health equity agenda” that will require sustained efforts “to improve employment conditions, housing and access to social and health services” to better protect people from “health crises, build resilience and create lasting equitable opportunities.”

Tam said nobody can now ignore the reality. “Before it may have been invisible. Now it’s blatantly obvious. And I trust that everybody wants to reverse those kind of trends.”

Tam flagged another parallel public health crisis unfolding among opioid drug users, as the pandemic has disrupted illicit drug supply chains. Tam said the street drug supply has grown “more unpredictable and toxic” and reversed progress that had been made on fighting the opioid crisis.

Before the pandemic, there had been a 13 per cent decrease in opioid overdose deaths in Canada between 2018 and 2019. The report says now, B.C. Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Alberta are reporting record high deaths, with “the situation most stark in British Columbia.” There were more than 100 “illicit drug toxicity deaths” on average for six consecutive months from March to August in that province.

Preliminary data from Ontario show that the number of confirmed and probable deaths from opioid-related causes increased by almost 50 per cent from January to May.

Tam noted at least one supervised consumption site in Ottawa “dispensed with physical distancing measures after several clients overdosed while waiting in line to get in.”

It was not all bleak.

Tam said she sees the pandemic “as a catalyst for collaboration between health, social and economic sectors” and wants to see the kind of intergovernmental and interdepartmental co-operation in place now continue “beyond the crisis and into recovery.” She added “the economic case” for better preparation is “evident,” a dollar spent on public health can save $14 dollars in health care down the road.

Tam took a not-so-veiled shot at decisions made to allow her agency’s own capacity to dwindle, saying the national emergency stockpile and the Global Public Health Information Network — the virus early-warning system that was silenced, had to be strengthened. She said at the Public Health Agency of Canada, “we need to continue to remember this moment in history and why we need those capacities.”

Tonda MacCharles is an Ottawa-based reporter covering federal politics for the Star. Follow her on Twitter:

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Beausoleil First Nation mourning sudden death of councillor

Oct 7, 2021 , , , , by shlf

Beausoleil First Nation councillor died suddenly on Oct. 14 at his Christian Island home. He was 35-years-old.

Monague leaves behind a wife and two children. He is also survived by his parents, three siblings, aunts, uncles, nephews, godchildren and many cousins.

His sudden death has left the entire community in shock.

“I can’t believe you are gone. I will miss your humour, laughing together, family chats on messenger, discussions on how to better our communities, debates and just hanging out,” wrote Marie Norton in an Oct. 14 social-media post. “So young. Too soon.”

Monague had become extremely involved in the Beausoliel First Nation community over the years. In 2016, he was elected to council and served as the youngest member of the community’s seven-member council. He also served as a volunteer firefighter on Christian Island.

“It’s hard to put into words how deep this loss is,” said Lace Copegog in an Oct. 14 social-media post. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without (Hank’s) advice and mentorship … I will truly miss the jokes, the conversations and the good debate.”

As a youth, Monague served on the Ontario First Nations Young Peoples Council. He was a big supporter of youth on Christian Island and impacted the lives of many young Beausoleil First Nation members.

“Another warrior has gone to the spirit world,” stated Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief Glen Hare on Oct. 16. “The Anishinabek Nation recognizes the advocacy and voice of the youth representation Hank provided during his time in the Eshekeniijig Advisory Council.”

Ontario Regional Chief RoseAnn Archibald also offered her condolences.

“With a heavy heart, I would like to send my sincerest condolences to the friends and family of Councillor Hank Monague of Beausoleil First Nation,” said Archibald. “(Hank) was a dedicated First Nations leader in Ontario throughout his lifetime.”

Visitation will be held on Oct. 17 at 1 p.m. at the Christian Island United Church. A funeral service will follow on Oct. 19 at 1 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to Niijii and Christian Island United Church.

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New Tecumseth may ban residents from COVID-19 hot spots from using rec facilities

Oct 7, 2021 , , , , by shlf

New Tecumseth may ban residents from COVID hot spots from using rec facilities

If you live in a COVID-19 hotspot like Toronto, York or Peel Region and were thinking of making the drive north to take part in a drop-in recreation program, or to get a workout in at one of the town’s gyms, that might not be an option for much longer.

At the Oct. 19 committee of the whole meeting, New Tecumseth CAO Blaine Parkin asked council to provide input on putting a ban in place.

He said the first step would be to restrict these residents from rec programs and the gyms, but further study would be required to see how a temporary ban would affect the user groups and leagues that have members from other municipalities, or play other teams from those areas.

While council supported this proposal, a report will have to be brought back for further consideration before any restrictions are put into place.

Parkin said the town already has a detailed contact-tracing program in place to track everyone who uses the town’s facilities.

Due to the surge in COVID-19 cases, the City of Toronto, Peel Region and Ottawa were rolled back into a modified Stage 2 last week, and York Region was reverted back on Oct. 19.


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Bruce Arthur: With COVID-19, pushing to reopen too soon is a loser’s bargain

Oct 7, 2021 , , , , by shlf

I hope Doug Ford misspoke. It happens, when you hold a daily press conference for seven months. Because otherwise, on Friday, the premier may have chosen a path.

“Based on the latest evidence, based on what I am seeing in the modelling, I have asked our public health experts to come back next with a plan to begin to ease restrictions in a way that will safely allow businesses to start opening back up after the 28-day period is over,” said Ford, on the hot spots of Toronto, Ottawa and Peel, which have been in Stage 2 restrictions since Oct. 9. “I want the health officials to come up with a plan that lets business operate safely, because we don’t know how long this virus will be with us, but my friends, what we do know is together, we’re going to get through this.”

The engine light blinked yellow on that statement, and maybe red. Of course we want to reopen safely. Everyone wants that.

But the definition of safely is the issue. On Wednesday Ford said “we see the curve going down, which is great news,” but Thursday the government’s public health presentation said the rate of case increases had merely slowed, and that Ontario would only exceed ICU capacity in one of three scenarios, having avoided the worst case.

How could that spur talk of reopening? Twice Friday, Ford was asked what about the data indicated reopening would be warranted; twice, he dodged the question. He kept comparing Ontario to the rest of the world, which when you are jammed between Quebec, Canada’s-worst pandemic, Manitoba’s emerging disaster, and the tragic grease fire of the United States, offers many low bars. Ford was asked, if his much-maligned science and public health advisers come back and say it’s a bad idea — and only Ottawa has shown a per-capita case drop in the last three weeks, and remains high — will he follow their advice?

“Well, anything’s possible,” said Ford. “Again, I’m going to rely on the data and the advice from the health team, but this can’t go on indefinitely. You know, again, one doesn’t work without the other. Without your health, you don’t have the economy. And if the economy goes south, then there’s a lot of people with health issues, mental health, depression, addiction. So there’s a happy balance. So we’ll find that happy balance with our health team.”

Except the pandemic isn’t a balance beam so much as it’s a sequence: public health, then the economy. Ford moved quickly enough on widespread restrictions in the spring, and that was laudable. He has been and to implement in the fall.

Saying we don’t know how long the virus will be with us, and that this can’t go on indefinitely — that points to a desire to open up and hope the hospitals can handle it, and with that is a loser’s bargain. Does Ford want to emulate Alberta, which has stuck with many voluntary restrictions as their cases rise, or Manitoba, which waited too long to act and is now in crisis? This sounds like the talk of a province that didn’t invest enough in public health or epidemic response — whose crashed, and where contact tracing has been half-abandoned in Toronto and Ottawa, among other places feeling the strain.

“He’s right; we don’t know how long it’ll be with us,” says Dr. Andrew Morris, a professor of infectious diseases at the University of Toronto, and the medical director of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program at Sinai-University Health Network. “But this is why we need an open public discussion about strategy.

“It is possible to move on without controlling COVID? That has to be the first discussion. Is it possible? Is there an example anywhere in the world right now of any country that has been able to do this? Everyone’s talked about Sweden, and now it’s been totally disproven as an approach. So is there another country anywhere in the world where you can just live with this? And the answer is no.

“What’s our strategy? We don’t have a strategy.”

“I think if we’re doing magnificently in two weeks, then try it, see how it goes,” says Dr. David Fisman, an epidemiologist at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health. “If it’s a disaster, reverse it. (But) we know what direction that would go, and the downside risk there is you would shut the bars and restaurants after things exploded, as they did in the (United Kingdom) after their Dine Out campaign, and you would potentially also wreck the schools, and wreck the wider economy in the process. So I think it’s a pretty big gamble.”

Fisman noted the locally uninformed kerfuffle over data showing few bars and restaurants had been linked to outbreaks in Peel or Ottawa, but points out that 10 per cent of cases are outbreaks, 40 per cent of cases have a link to some other case, and 50 per cent have no known epidemiological link at all, and that last number is going up. He also notes that the Centers for Disease Control found that unlinked cases are three to four times more likely to have visited a bar, restaurant, or coffee house, or similar.

And finally, Fisman notes Ontario is not immune from what we know about how the virus is spread. Thursday the province’s own medical advisers said the danger of non-essential indoor spaces is well established. And Friday the Star reported an outbreak at Ford’s own constituency office, which he said was the result of visitors coming indoors.

“I was a huge believer in the hammer and the dance,” says Morris, referring to the now-famous description of a pattern of lockdowns and reopenings published earlier this year. “And it’s all bulls—. It’s total bulls—. Nobody’s been able to do it. They thought they could do it, but they can’t. Maybe the Danish, but in September and October they’ve increased restrictions to control things. But no country has the exquisite infrastructure to be able to dance, so instead, the only strategy that seems to work is you keep it as close to zero as possible.”

Ontario certainly lacks the tools to dance, and the footwork along with it. So I hope Doug Ford just got impatient, and was momentarily overcome by his heartfelt devotion to small businesses, about which he speaks more empathetically than about any other part of the pandemic. Because the way he spoke Friday sounded like someone who wanted to open up before the virus is under control. And the world has discovered the hard way that it’s not how it works.

Bruce Arthur is a Toronto-based columnist for the Star. Follow him on Twitter:

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Small businesses say they’re ‘unfairly targeted’ by lockdown as Ontario reports 1,589 new COVID-19 cases

Oct 7, 2021 , , , , by shlf

Premier Doug Ford says he agrees “it’s not fair” that Walmart, Costco and The Bay on Yonge St. can stay open while small retailers of non-essential goods must keep their doors closed to customers.

But, under pressure to ease lockdown measures in Toronto and Peel as Ontario reported a record 1,589 new COVID-19 cases and another 19 deaths Monday, Ford said doing so risks the virus spreading faster.

“We would be in terrible, terrible shape.”

The comments came as the Canadian Federation of Independent Business pleaded for help with non-essential businesses limited to curbside pickup and deliveries with the busy holiday shopping season on the way.

Only retailers selling essential items such as food, pharmacy and hardware can keep their doors open to customers, although at 50 per cent of customer capacity under the lockdown that began Monday.

“Too many business owners feel they are being unfairly targeted so the government can send a signal to the public that they need to take the pandemic seriously,” CFIB president Dan Kelly said, echoing concerns raised in the first lockdown last spring.

The lobby group called existing government supports a “drop in the bucket” and pushed for reopenings with strict capacity limits on customers, such as no more than three at one time or shopping by appointment to keep main streets alive.

“Many businesses in these regions have already lost three to five months of their year from government shutdowns,” Kelly said, dubbing the advantage granted to bigger retailers “outrageous.”

Asked about levelling the playing field by forcing Walmart and Costco to block off areas of the store not selling essentials, Ford said his discussions with executives convinced him that would be a “logistical nightmare.”

That’s no consolation to small retailers left to pay the price of the pandemic without adequate provincial supports, said Green Leader Mike Schreiner.

“It’s simply unfair that Costco and Walmart can continue selling jewelry, PlayStations and other non-essential goods while mom and pop retailers must shut down entirely.”

Small Business Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria said provincial aid includes a $600 million assistance fund available for applications online, and acknowledged business owners are facing “significant challenges.”

The decisions on which businesses to close were made “with the best advice of public health officials” amid the surge in COVID-19, he added.

“We’ll continue to work with our public health officials to get this right.”

With the CFIB demanding to see data supporting the closure of non-essential business, associate chief medical officer Dr. Barbara Yaffe said specifics are hard to come by because public health units can’t keep up with contact tracing.

But she told reporters there is “widespread community transmission” of COVID-19 and that it can happen in small spaces that are crowded or with poor ventilation.

“Those are the kinds of circumstances that may occur in smaller businesses,” Yaffe said.

The 1,589 new cases reported Monday lift the province’s seven-day rolling average of new infections to 1,429, near its record of 1,443 last week.

Ministry of Health figures showed Peel Region had 535 new cases and Toronto had 336. There were 205 in York Region, which remains in the red or “control” zone of precautions, which is one category short of lockdown.

Ford said tough restrictions were necessary with hospitalizations from COVID-19 climbing rapidly since September and threatening to crowd out non-emergency surgeries once admissions to intensive care units topped 150.

That number rose to 156 in Monday’s reports, the highest since mid-May.

Rob Ferguson is a Toronto-based reporter covering Ontario politics for the Star. Follow him on Twitter:

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#Unbelievable: Here’s how Canadians are reacting to the U.S. election on Twitter

Oct 7, 2021 , , , , by shlf

As Canadians watch the election results unfold south of the border, many have been taking to Twitter to comment on the updates —and the drama—as the ballots continue to get counted for President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden.

The race remains tight with mail-in ballots still pending in some states and both candidates a significant way away from the required 270 electoral votes to win. On Twitter in Canada, #unbelievable is now trending.

While the majority of the Canadians tweeting are expressing their disbelief that Trump has garnered so many votes this time around, others are coming to his defence. 

— mon⁷ at uni (@peachepiphany)

And some Canadians are just surprised that Kanye West managed to get tens of thousands of votes.

We’ve gathered some entertaining reactions for those looking for a touch of humour as the numbers keep rolling in.

— Stittsville On Patrol (@StittsPatrol)

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Today’s coronavirus news: Ontario reports 998 COVID-19 cases, 13 deaths, 68 new cases in schools; Ontario budget lays out next stage of COVID-19 response

Oct 7, 2021 , , , , by shlf

The latest news from Canada and around the world Thursday. This file will be updated throughout the day. Web links to longer stories if available.

7 p.m.: Alberta is announcing another record-breaking day of new COVID-19 cases, according to The Canadian Press.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw, the Province’s chief medical health officer, says there are about 800 new infections, CP reports.

However, because of technical problems, she doesn’t have an exact number, Hinshaw said.

The previous one-day record of 622 cases was reported last Friday.

Hinshaw said she will be able to provide detailed figures tomorrow, and the rise in cases is “extremely concerning.”

6:19 p.m.: There have been 251,334 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Canada, including 10,381 deaths, and 207,996 that have been resolved, according to The Canadian Press.

This breaks down as follows (NOTE: The Star does its own count for Ontario; see elsewhere this file.):

  • Quebec: 111,056 confirmed (including 6,378 deaths, 94,884 resolved)
  • Ontario: 80,690 confirmed (including 3,195 deaths, 69,137 resolved)
  • Alberta: 30,447 confirmed (including 343 deaths, 23,874 resolved)
  • British Columbia: 16,560 confirmed (including 273 deaths, 12,806 resolved)
  • Manitoba: 7,177 confirmed (including 91 deaths, 2,920 resolved)
  • Saskatchewan: 3,536 confirmed (including 25 deaths, 2,634 resolved)
  • Nova Scotia: 1,119 confirmed (including 65 deaths, 1,036 resolved)
  • New Brunswick: 347 confirmed (including six deaths, 313 resolved)
  • Newfoundland and Labrador: 292 confirmed (including four deaths, 285 resolved)
  • Prince Edward Island: 64 confirmed, all of which have been resolved
  • Yukon: 23 confirmed (including one death, 20 resolved)
  • Repatriated Canadians account for 13 confirmed cases, all of which have been resolved
  • Northwest Territories: 10 confirmed, all of which have been resolved
  • Nunavut reports no confirmed cases.

3 p.m.: A British Columbia man has been charged with three counts of violating the Quarantine Act, The Canadian Press reports.

Police in New Westminster say the man repeatedly left his home after returning from a trip to the United States late last month, according to CP.

Police say the man had been advised of the mandatory requirement to isolate for 14 days and was issued a ticket for defying the provision, but was arrested Monday for continued violations of the act.

Makhan Singh Parhar, 47, is being held in custody and is scheduled to return to court on Nov. 16.

2:45 p.m.: Jury trials are set to resume in several Ontario cities.

The Superior Court of Justice says selection of jurors and jury hearings will start Monday in Ottawa.

The same will happen a week later in Toronto, Brampton and Newmarket.

The chief justice of the court cites Ontario’s new COVID-19 rules in the affected areas.

Some capacity and social distancing limits will stay in effect.

However, the justice says court staff must be flexible in accommodating those who may not be comfortable attending in-person.

2:30 p.m.: The Quebec government that have closed gyms, restaurants and other businesses in much of the province, Premier Francois Legault said Thursday.

The comments came after the province’s opposition parties demanded the government release a document from Montreal’s health authority that is calling for gyms, museums and libraries to reopen.

“The risk of gatherings is too great at this moment,” Legault said told a news conference in Quebec City.

With 261 new COVID-19 cases reported in Montreal on Thursday, Legault said “the battle” has not yet been won in the city. However, the premier said the government will be reviewing its restrictions to allow more people to meet one-on-one.

Currently, only people who live alone are allowed to have guests, and they can only host one person at a time.

1:50 p.m. Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister is dropping the idea of a curfew to limit late-night socializing and reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Instead, the provincial government is adding enforcement officers to enforce public health orders, running new advertisements and urging people to call a government tip line to report violators.

The province is reporting 426 new cases and four additional deaths.

1:30 p.m. The Manitoba government is adding to its list of people who are enforcing public health orders during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Premier Brian Pallister says fire safety inspectors, motor carrier enforcement officers and municipal bylaw officers will help apply the rules.

He says that will raise the total number of enforcers to more than 3,200.

The province has cracked down following a spike in COVID-19 cases with rules that include a limit of five people for public gatherings.

Winnipeg police said this week they are prepared to start going to people’s homes to enforce that measure if they receive a complaint.

1:05 p.m. New Brunswick is easing restrictions in the Campbellton region due to what public health officials describe as a downward trend in the number of cases.

The region in the north of the province will be downgraded from orange to yellow level at midnight tonight.

The measure allows residents to meet in person with close friends and extended family, eases visitor restrictions for vulnerable settings and raises gathering limits, as long as distancing is maintained and masks are worn in indoor public places.

The New Brunswick government is reporting two new cases today in the Fredericton region, both among people aged 30 to 39 who are self-isolating.

12:40 p.m. Newfoundland and Labrador is reporting two new cases of COVID-19.

Health officials say both are travel-related, and both are residents of the province who returned home from work in Alberta, though the cases are unrelated.

One case is a man between 20 and 39 years old, and the other is a man in his 50s.

The province has had 294 confirmed cases since the onset of the pandemic, with five cases active today.

12:05 p.m. Nova Scotia is reporting one new case of COVID-19, bringing the province’s total number of active cases to 18. Health officials say the new case was recorded in the province’s central zone and is under investigation. As of today, Nova Scotia has recorded 1,119 positive cases, 65 deaths and 1,036 cases that are considered recovered.

11:15 a.m. Quebec is reporting 1,138 new cases of COVID-19 and 28 more deaths attributed to the novel coronavirus, 10 of which occurred in the past 24 hours. Health authorities say hospitalizations decreased by one compared with the prior day, to 538, and 82 people were in intensive care, a rise of one. The province conducted 27,326 COVID-19 tests Nov. 3, the last day for which testing data is available. Quebec has reported a total of 111,056 COVID-19 infections and 6,378 deaths linked to the virus.

11:09 a.m. Ontario is reporting an additional 68 new cases in public schools across the province, bringing the total in the last two weeks to 897 and 2,543 overall since school began.

, the province reported 37 more students were infected for a total of 512 in the last two weeks; since school began there have been an overall total of 1,435.

The data shows there are seven more staff members infected for a total of 78 in the last two weeks — and an overall total of 320.

The latest report also shows 24 more infected individuals who weren’t identified for a total of 307 in that category in the last two weeks.

There are 580 schools with a reported case, which the province notes is 12 per cent of the 4,828 public schools in Ontario.

One school is closed because of an outbreak. Elder’s Mills Public School, a French-immersion elementary school in Woodbridge, of COVID-19. The school is set to reopen on Nov. 11.

There is a lag between the daily provincial data at 10:30 a.m. and news reports about infections in schools. The provincial data on Thursday is current as of 2 p.m. Wednesday. It also doesn’t indicate where the place of transmission occurred.

The Toronto District School Board updates its information on current COVID-19 cases throughout the day . As of 10:45 a.m. on Thursday, there were 189 TDSB schools with at least one active case — 263 students and 66 staff.

The Toronto Catholic District School Board also updates its information . As of Wednesday at 2:55 p.m., there were 110 schools with at least one confirmed case — 88 students and 17 staff.

Epidemiologists have that the rising numbers in the schools aren’t a surprise, and that the cases will be proportionate to the amount of COVID that is in the community.

10:40 a.m. Quebec’s opposition parties are demanding the government release a document from Montreal’s health authority that is calling for gyms, museums and libraries to reopen.

The document, obtained by Radio-Canada, says maintaining the partial lockdown in the city risks causing serious health issues for the population.

Quebec solidaire today called on the government to release the brief while the Parti Quebecois said the province should act on the recommendations contained in it.

The Official Opposition Liberals say the government should take a decision on the document’s recommendations and explain itself clearly to the public.

Most of Quebec has been moved to the highest pandemic-alert level, under which gyms, bars and entertainment venues are closed and gatherings are banned.

Montreal’s public health authority is suggesting gyms, libraries and museums be reopened and that restrictions on outdoor and indoor gatherings be eased.

(UPDATED) 10:10 a.m. Ontario is reporting another 998 cases and 13 deaths in its morning update, with 35,754 completed tests. The seven-day case average is up to a new high of 982 cases/day. The seven-day average for deaths is up to a second-wave high of 11.0 deaths/day. Ontario is reporting 998 new cases of COVID-19 today and 13 more deaths related to the virus.

Health Minister Christine Elliott says there are 350 new cases in Toronto, 269 in Peel Region and 71 in York Region.

She says 948 cases were reported as resolved since the last daily report.

Ontario is reporting 381 patients in hospital due to COVID-19, 86 in intensive care, and 48 on a ventilator.

The province says that there were 68 new cases in publicly funded schools — 37 of those were among students, seven in staff, and 24 unspecified.

8:50 a.m. A version of influenza that’s only had 27 confirmed human cases worldwide since 2005 has appeared in Alberta — prompting an investigation by health officials.

The case of H1N2, which is a first for Canada, was detected in mid-October after a patient sought medical care while experiencing flu-like symptoms, according to a statement from officials Wednesday.

The person had mild symptoms, was tested and has recovered.

Although the case was detected at a time when the coronavirus pandemic has global health anxieties at a fever pitch — timing one observer Wednesday called “pretty unlucky” — experts say the appearance of the rare virus in Alberta does not signal a new public health threat.

8:47 a.m. With Torontonians poised to resume mingling in reopened bars, restaurants and gyms, public health officials are returning to full tracing of all contacts of everyone infected with in the city.

Dr. Eileen de Villa, the city’s public health chief, told reporters Wednesday the “scaling up” of efforts to identify everyone with the virus, and get them to isolate, is vital as the provincial order halting indoor dining and gym visits expires Nov. 14.

The order expires Nov. 7 for the other hot spots, Peel and York regions and Ottawa. Facing rising daily infection numbers that hit a record 427 on Tuesday, Toronto asked Premier Doug Ford’s government before reopening.

Lifting restrictions will increase mingling and infections, de Villa said, and her goal is to have as many safeguards as possible to prevent a disastrous increase in spread.

8:46 a.m. The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell slightly last week to 751,000, a still-historically high level that shows that many employers keep cutting jobs in the face of the accelerating pandemic.

A surge in viral cases and Congress’ failure so far to provide more aid for struggling individuals and businesses are threatening to deepen Americans’ economic pain. Eight months after the pandemic flattened the economy, weekly jobless claims still point to a stream of layoffs. Before the virus struck in March, the weekly figure had remained below 300,000 for more than five straight years.

Thursday’s report from the Labor Department said the number of people who are continuing to receive traditional unemployment benefits declined to 7.3 million. That figure shows that some of the unemployed are being recalled to their old jobs or are finding new ones. But it also indicates that many jobless Americans have used up their state unemployment aid — which typically expires after six months — and have transitioned to a federal extended benefits program that lasts an additional 13 weeks.

8:21 a.m. Only nine intensive care beds were available at one point in the Twin Cities Wednesday morning amid a surge in the COVID-19 pandemic that is sending more Minnesotans into hospitals.

Metro ICU bed space grew scarce Tuesday due to the number of nurses and other caregivers who were unavailable because of their own infections or viral exposures that required quarantines. Episodic shortages have occurred in central Minnesota and other parts of the state.

“We’re at a red alert for ICU beds,” said Michael Osterholm, director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy. “It’s bad.”

A record 908 inpatient hospital beds in Minnesota were filled with COVID-19 patients, according to Wednesday’s update of the state pandemic response dashboard. That includes 203 patients requiring intensive care due to breathing problems or complications from infections with the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

While COVID-19 ICU admissions have nearly doubled since early October, patients with the infectious disease make up only 18% of total ICU usage. Among all 1,140 patients in Minnesota ICU beds, the majority are recovering from surgeries or being treated for unrelated issues such as strokes and traumatic injuries.

The dashboard shows that Minnesota has a capacity of roughly 1,500 immediately available ICU beds — with another 400 or so that could be readied within 72 hours — but one Twin Cities hospital physician said that overstates availability because open beds are useless without nursing staff to treat patients.

6:08 a.m.: Indonesia’s economy has fallen into recession for the first time since the Asian financial crisis more than two decades ago as the country struggles to control the coronavirus pandemic.

Statistics Indonesia, the central statistics agency, said Thursday that Southeast Asia’s largest economy contracted at a 3.5% annual pace in July-September, the second consecutive quarterly contraction.

The economy shrank at a 5.32% pace in the previous quarter and grew 2.9% in January-March, its slowest rate in almost two decades.

Indonesia has reported more than 425,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the largest in Southeast Asia and second in Asia only to India’s 8.3 million confirmed cases.

4:15 a.m.: Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government is set to unveil its first pandemic-era budget today.

The province has said the budget will lay out the details of the

That includes the new standard for long-term care announced earlier this week, which would see nursing home residents receive an average of four hours of direct care every day.

The Tories put off delivering a full fiscal plan earlier this year, citing the economic uncertainty caused by the global health crisis.

The fiscal update it gave in March instead initially included $17 billion in COVID-19 relief, though that projection was updated to $30 billion by the end of 2020-21.

The province also originally predicted a deficit of $20.5 billion, which was later raised to $38.5 billion because of the added spending.

4 a.m.: The latest numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Canada as of 4 a.m. EST on Nov. 5, 2020:

There are 248,218 confirmed cases in Canada.

_ Quebec: 109,918 confirmed (including 6,350 deaths, 94,101 resolved)

_ Ontario: 79,692 confirmed (including 3,182 deaths, 68,189 resolved)

_ Alberta: 30,447 confirmed (including 343 deaths, 23,874 resolved)

_ British Columbia: 16,135 confirmed (including 273 deaths, 12,659 resolved)

_ Manitoba: 6,751 confirmed (including 87 deaths, 2,892 resolved)

_ Saskatchewan: 3,408 confirmed (including 25 deaths, 2,584 resolved)

_ Nova Scotia: 1,118 confirmed (including 65 deaths, 1,034 resolved)

_ New Brunswick: 347 confirmed (including 6 deaths, 313 resolved)

_ Newfoundland and Labrador: 292 confirmed (including 4 deaths, 285 resolved)

_ Prince Edward Island: 64 confirmed (including 64 resolved)

_ Yukon: 23 confirmed (including 1 death, 20 resolved)

_ Repatriated Canadians: 13 confirmed (including 13 resolved)

_ Northwest Territories: 10 confirmed (including 9 resolved)

_ Nunavut: No confirmed cases

_ Total: 248,218 (0 presumptive, 248,218 confirmed including 10,336 deaths, 206,037 resolved)

2 a.m.: India’s coronavirus outbreak rose by more than 50,000 cases Thursday amid a surging third wave of infections in the capital.

The Health Ministry also reported another 704 fatalities in the past 24 hours across the country, raising India’s overall death toll to 124,315.

Nerves are frayed in New Delhi after it reported a record 6,842 new cases in the past 24 hours. Its Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal, had admitted Wednesday that the city was going through a third wave of infections. It has more than 37,000 active cases.

In other developments in the Asia-Pacific region:

— Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen and four Cabinet ministers were in quarantine Thursday after they met with Hungary’s foreign minister the same day he tested positive for the coronavirus.

— China is suspending entry for most foreign passport holders resident in Britain in response to rising COVID-19 cases in the United Kingdom. The suspension covers those holding visas or residence permits issued prior to Nov. 3, with exceptions for diplomatic, service, courtesy or C visas.

Previously: for daily confirmed coronavirus cases as several states posted all-time highs.

Daily new confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. have surged 45% over the past two weeks, to a record seven-day average of 86,352, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Deaths are also on the rise, up 15% to an average of 846 deaths every day.

The total U.S. death toll is already more than 232,000, and total confirmed U.S. cases have surpassed 9 million. Those are the highest totals in the world, and new infections are increasing in nearly every state.