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Police seek suspect after alleged nighttime sex assault at Barrie park

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Police seek suspect after alleged nighttime sex assault at Barrie park

Aug 5, 2021 , , , , by shlf

A young man is wanted following an alleged violent incident at a southend Barrie park Oct. 1.

City police say a woman was sexually assaulted at Hurst Park, , between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. Thursday. The woman was walking her dog at the site, which is near the Hurst and Purt Court intersection, when the attack occurred.

The investigation is being conducted by the crimes against person unit and the Criminal Investigations Bureau. Officers will be conducting a canvass in the Hurst area and want anyone who operates video surveillance in the neighbourhood to reach out. 

“Further details and updates will only be provided as the investigation permits,” spokesperson Peter Leon said. “Police remind the public to be aware of their personal safety at all times and, where possible, to avoid dark areas unless artificial lighting is available, especially during the overnight hours.”

Police describe the suspect as being between 16 years old and 26 years old. He is 5’8″ tall with a slim build and shaved blond hair. He wore an Under Armour top but the colour is unknown.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact police at , ext. 2700, or . They can also leave an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers at or .

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His idea for patio domes seemed perfect for a Toronto winter with COVID-19 — except they weren’t allowed. So he called Doug Ford

Aug 5, 2021 , , , , by shlf

Adam Panov thought he had a great idea for extending Toronto’s patio season into winter but he was facing regulatory hurdles, and so he picked up the phone and called .

The Panov family and the Ford family have known each other since 2016. That’s when Panov’s mother reached out to help former Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, who had been diagnosed with the same rare and aggressive stomach cancer that Panov’s father had.

Yaron Panov had been given six months to live when he was first diagnosed with malignant liposarcoma in 2010, but his wife, a doctor, refused to accept the verdict and sought out an experimental therapy being used in the U.S. The Panovs .

The treatment extended Panov’s life by seven years and the family worked to have Rob Ford enrolled. Unfortunately, it was too late. He died in March of 2016, weeks after beginning the treatment.

“I know the premier has always been grateful to us, and we just developed a very nice personal relationship with them,” said Adam Panov, who had to shutter his events business this year as a result of the pandemic.

So when Panov called Doug Ford last Saturday, the premier listened. Panov told him that he thought that dining pods — dome-shaped plastic structures that provide a transparent but enclosed space for two-to-six people at a table at a time and can be heated in winter and aired out and sanitized between guests — would help restaurants meaningfully extend patio season.

The problem was that although the domes had been approved for use for certain special events in the past, they weren’t generally permitted. Panov said city officials told him it was a provincial regulatory matter, which is when he turned to Ford for help.

“He told me he loved the idea; he would get it in front of whichever board it needed to get in front of… or whoever it may have been, and he said he would get it in front of them in the next few days and get back to me and a few days later, he got back to me personally and told me that they were officially approved,” said Panov.

Panov said he got a phone call on Tuesday from the premier and a confirming text from him on Wednesday morning.

Premier Ford acknowledged at a press conference on Thursday that the call sparked action on his part.

“Someone came to us the other day about putting these bubbles — I don’t know if you’ve ever seen those clear plastic bubbles you can go inside — it’s not the full solution, but it’s another tool that they can use,” Ford said at a Thursday press conference. “And we got that approved through our health table.”

Ford seems to have moved so quickly on the issue that Toronto city officials are having a hard time keeping up.

Panov has already begun rolling out the domes — he built the first one for a client in Newmarket on Friday, but as far as the City of Toronto is concerned, the prohibition against domes remains in place.

“Dining pods are considered indoor dining spaces and are not allowed while indoor dining is prohibited,” officials said, responding to questions from the Star.

“We’re sorting through this now to ensure absolute clarity on the public health advice regarding these types of structures,” said city spokesperson Brad Ross.

“We won’t have it this weekend — and I don’t anticipate enforcement of these structures over the weekend either — but any safety issues we encounter with structures, generally, will be addressed as they arise.”

At Thursday’s press conference, Ford also said the idea was also shared with Mayor John Tory, something Panov said Ford mentioned to him as well.

“I did get a call from the premier personally to say that he had spoken to Mayor Tory,” said Panov.

“They were going to speak to the mayors of all the cities, and they were going to speak with all of the health inspectors and to let them know that these things were given the go-ahead, and on Wednesday morning I received a text from Mr. Ford. I had reached out to him and asked him if there would be an official announcement, and he said there would be an official announcement in the coming days, but he said these domes are approved and basically gave us the go-ahead.”

For Panov, who launched SnowPods.ca only a few days ago, it was all the approval he needed to swing into action. He is sourcing the domes from a manufacturer in the U.S., and offering them for sale to restaurants at $1,800 each.

Panov says such domes are being used all over the world, in Chicago, New York and in Europe, and he believes Canada could prove to be the biggest market of all, due to the long winters and the dining restrictions introduced by .

Local restaurants, meanwhile, say they are struggling to keep up with the rapid regulatory changes that are taking place — setting up curb lane patios, taking down curb lane patios, putting up umbrellas, putting in propane heaters, taking out propane heaters, adding walls, adding roofs, subtracting walls, adding electric heaters.

Whether or not domes will be permitted has added another layer to the mix, especially after Tory referred to the dining bubbles this week.

“Mayor Tory said something about dining bubbles, but I am not clear if that means plastic domes? Or is it bubbles in the term that we were using for COVID,” said Emily LeBlanc, who together with her husband Josh LeBlanc, opened Bar Mordecai in January after a year of preparation.

After the pandemic hit, the bar, at Dundas Street West and Dovercourt Road, closed for six months.

LeBlanc added. “I’m sure it will all become clear in time.”

She doesn’t like to be too critical — the patio that Bar Mordecai was able to open as a result of the relaxed city rules under CafeTO, has been massively important. It seats 22, and has kept the restaurant alive.

She says the logic for using dining domes seems sound — they would allow people who isolate together to eat together in restaurants, without having to worry about unknowingly infecting others or unknowingly becoming infected.

It would mean yet another financial investment in a business that is struggling. Perhaps, says LeBlanc, it makes sense for the city to make the patio changes permanent.

“Other cultures have always had this built into the way they approach dining — Japan and Copenhagen find ways to make outdoor spaces more habitable.”

With all the legislative changes that have been introduced, residents sometimes believe that restaurants aren’t properly following the rules, says Ashish Sethi, who runs a group of restaurants, including Mantra, with his family. Mantra, located in the CF Shops at Don Mills plaza, currently has a patio, covered with a tent and two open walls, as per current regulations.

“We’ve definitely had questions and concerns.”

What people don’t understand is that restaurant owners are as eager as everyone else to stay healthy and keep their staff and customers healthy, he said.

Because his restaurant is family owned and operated, Sethi has been able to keep serving the public throughout the pandemic, even when it meant it was just he and his wife preparing take-out.

He’s also hoping the pandemic will bring long-term change — including more patios in Toronto, and for more months of the year.

“I think the exciting thing I think you’re going to see — there are some positive changes that are coming out of all this.”

James Rilett, of Restaurants Canada, which represents the industry, said outdoor dining in winter is popular in cities that also have a lot of outdoor winter activities — like Ottawa, which has a winter festival each year, and where food shacks dot the frozen and groomed Rideau Canal to serve skaters.

“I think the more activities there are, and if people dressed for the weather to be out all day, they might be more willing to sit down and snuggle up with a blanket and stay outside.”

He says restaurateurs will be able to justify the investment if the extended patio program is made permanent.

“It’s something people like and the more you do it, the more people get used to it.”

Francine Kopun is a Toronto-based reporter covering city hall and municipal politics for the Star. Follow her on Twitter:

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Susan Delacourt: As the next wave of COVID-19 grows, Canadians are grappling with fear and nostalgia

Aug 5, 2021 , , , , by shlf

Canada appears to have reached the “somebody-do-something” stage of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But the public is not quite yet at the “I’ll-do-anything” threshold to stop the second wave of the virus.

That gap is fuelling the exasperation we now see simmering as the COVID-19 crisis enters its ninth month, when politicians and the public seem to be trading laments over who is not doing enough to get the pandemic under control.

Citizens want a show of political will; the politicians want citizens to exercise more willpower.

This tension also turns up in a new poll from Earnscliffe Research, which shows where Canadians’ opinion has moved from the first wave to the second wave of the pandemic. There are lots of hints in here too, the Earnscliffe opinion analysts say, of some future waves of turbulence stretching into 2021.

Allan Gregg, one of the lead pollsters for this newest research, believes that the current public-opinion climate on COVID-19 creates a potential breeding ground for more blame-trading in the weeks and months ahead. Canadians have accepted the rules, by and large, but now they are looking for the return on that investment.

“We tend to be relatively deferential to authority and rules. We seek compromises over extremism, and are often prepared to put the good of the collective over the convenience of the self,” Gregg said.

“But it also strikes me that this mindset is triggered to place blame if others who are managing the pandemic do not perform in a similar fashion. Don’t assume that the near across-the-board support we have been seeing for our political leadership during the pandemic will necessarily last.”

Fear about the future and nostalgia for pre-COVID-19 times is substantially up from where it was when Earnscliffe polled nearly 2,000 people in May. But satisfaction with political leaders and public-health officials is almost universally down, this second-wave survey shows.

The drop in support for authority figures in the pandemic was probably inevitable.

COVID-19’s resurgence this fall has forced leaders to make tougher choices — what to keep open, what to keep shut — and speak more difficult truths to Canadians about the endurance of the virus.

Some of that truth is sinking in with people more in this second wave than it did in the first, according to this newest research.

On the upside, for instance, the poll shows that people are taking far more personal ownership over COVID-19 prevention than they did in the spring, with huge increases in support for public-health measures such as physical distancing, wearing masks and limits or bans on gatherings.

All those repeated warnings have evidently crept in to the public psyche. Back in May, Earnscliffe’s pollsters found only 41 per cent backing for mandatory masks. But that’s up to 73 per cent support this fall.

Vaccinations, however, are another matter. The poll shows major support for the idea in theory, but in practice, a full 65 per cent say they are concerned about the safety of a vaccine, and a disturbing 30 per cent of respondents lodged reservations about whether they would even get a vaccination when it becomes available.

Doug Anderson, an Earnscliffe principal who also gathered and analyzed these findings, sees them as a possible preview of some “robust debates” to come.

“There is, and will continue to be, a lot of hand-wringing over vaccine hesitancy,” Anderson says. “We have a situation where the vast majority acknowledge it will be a game-changer in a positive way, but that doesn’t mean they are completely at ease about its safety. A strong majority intend to get vaccinated when it is approved and available to them, but that doesn’t mean they are not at least a little wary.”

COVID-19’s second wave appears to have made people even more cautious about everything and everyone associated with it.

Confidence in public health officials is down to just 51 per cent, a decline of eight percentage points since Earnscliffe last polled on this question, and almost every political leader has taken a hit in approval from spring to fall.

Justin Trudeau is still seen to be doing an excellent or good job by 58 per cent of the poll’s respondents, but that’s nine percentage points lower than the prime minister’s ratings in the spring.

Premier Doug Ford and Alberta Premier Jason Kenney have seen the sharpest declines in their approval from first to second wave — down 19 percentage points for Ford and a whopping 21-point drop for Kenney.

But Ford was flying a lot higher than the Alberta premier in the first wave of COVID-19, so Ontario’s leader still enjoys a 64 per cent favourable rating. Kenney, by contrast, scores a dismal 33 per cent of people who say he has been doing a good or excellent job through the crisis.

COVID-19’s resurgence seems to have dulled people’s optimism about an end to the pandemic too — nearly 40 per cent of respondents believe that the wait for a vaccine will be longer than a year, or possibly never.

Pessimism is a drumbeat under many of the results in this poll, which was conducted online last month among 1,940 Canadians, before the news of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines hit the news in the past couple of weeks. (Margin of error cannot be calculated in online polling.)

More than six out of every 10 people — 62 per cent — report that they are frightened about the future and a full 67 per cent say they wish “everything would go back the way it was.”

But at the same time, paradoxically, the poll found an equally large number of people who said the pandemic represented an opportunity to make big changes in the world — the don’t-let-a-crisis-go-to-waste crowd.

“Canadians continue to be preoccupied with the pandemic and believe this is the biggest crisis Canada has faced since the Second World War,” said Stephanie Constable, a public-opinion specialist with Earnscliffe.

“Yet, while two-thirds of Canadians just want everything to go back to the way it was — up nine percentage points — this pandemic has presented Canadians with the opportunity to reflect on their values and priorities and three-quarters see this crisis as an opportunity to make some major changes to Canadian society.”

What looks like a contradiction here, at least in my opinion, could be people sorting priorities. They want life to return to normal on the personal front, but they want the larger world to change for the better when it’s all over — a payoff for the sacrifice.

The poll also produced some pretty clear answers on who are the good guys and bad guys in this long-running drama.

The good guys? Front-line medical professionals, who are judged to be doing an excellent or good job by a resounding 91 per cent of respondents.

The bad guys? The owners and operators of long-term-care facilities, who only managed to elicit 29 per cent approval. The stories of COVID-19’s rampage through these residences have burned into the public’s memory. A full 79 per cent “clearly recall” news of the outbreaks in long-term-care homes and 64 per cent said their view of these facilities has worsened.

If politicians are looking for marching orders in this poll, in fact, they will find them in the results about long-term care. More than three-quarters of respondents said they backed more regulation at these homes and more than 80 per cent were heartily in favour of national standards and boosts in government investments and personal-care staff.

Radical options to fixing long-term care find people more divided. Just over half of respondents said they would prefer non-profit ownership of long-term-care homes and just less than half said they wanted to see governments take them over.

Earnscliffe’s researchers were all struck by how the poll’s respondents zeroed in on long-term care as a flashpoint in the pandemic. If federal and provincial politicians are seeing the same kind of numbers in their polling, they will be feeling pressure to act on these concerns in the near future. Don’t be surprised if the subject comes up when first ministers meet in early December to talk about health care.

By December, Canadians will have been living with COVID for nearly a year — one that has seen some remarkable shifts in thinking from first wave to the second one. Maybe unsurprisingly, there are bundles of contradictions showing up in this polling: people feeling simultaneous hope and fear about the future, accepting of limits on their lives but wary of vaccinations. They’re giving record levels of approval to politicians, but growing more skeptical as the months drag on.

It’s a demonstration, perhaps, that the only thing more difficult to predict than COVID will be the public’s opinion as the pandemic stretches into the new year.

Susan Delacourt is an Ottawa-based columnist covering national politics for the Star. Reach her via email: or follow her on Twitter: @susandelacourt

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COVID-19 outbreak declared at Georgian Bay General Hospital

Aug 5, 2021 , , , , by shlf

An outbreak of COVID-19 has been declared at Georgian Bay General Hospital.

The outbreak was confirmed on the hospital’s 2 North inpatient unit Dec. 3 after one admitted patient and one staff member tested positive for COVID-19.

The patient has been moved to the hospital’s dedicated COVID beds on the 2 East inpatient unit.

In a press release, the hospital said contact tracing was also underway to determine the origin of the infection and the risk of exposure among staff and patients.

“GBGH is working closely with public health to manage and control this outbreak so we can declare it over as soon as possible with limited transmission,” COVID medical lead and chief of emergency medicine Dr. Dan Lee said. “Our infection prevention and control measures have been very successful throughout the pandemic to date, and our hospital has all the preventive measures in place to ensure the continued safety of our patients, staff and credentialed staff.”

Effective today, all visitation to the hospital has been restricted with the exception of special circumstances, such as palliative care or the birthing unit.

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Wasaga Beach couple looks to spread passion for fresh produce with new business

Aug 5, 2021 , , , , by shlf

In the midst of a lockdown, a Wasaga Beach couple has created a company that looks to connect local residents with fresh produce.

In the spring, Lyndsay Mackay and Cole Finamore were doing their best to stay safe from COVID-19 and this included limiting trips to the local supermarket.

“We were used to going to the grocery store one to two times a week to get fresh produce for ourselves, but once COVID hit, the option of popping in for quick produce pickup and keeping up the healthy lifestyle we were used to was no longer an option,” MacKay said. “We knew we couldn’t be the only ones feeling the effects of changing times and changing diets, so we wanted to create a healthy convenience for our area.”

The couple created Sprout and Bean Market Box in June, which sees them deliver local produce to homes across South Georgian Bay.

They work with a variety of local producers, including (Tiny), and Black Ash Garden in Collingwood.

“Our goal is to work with as many local farms and suppliers as possible and local wholesale suppliers,” she said. 

They offer two sizes of boxes to suit the needs of local families. The regular box is $30 and serves one to three people and features a selection of eight to nine produce, mostly vegetables and one to three fruit items.

The extra large box serves three to five people and costs $45, with a larger quantity of the same selection of produce. They also offer a fruit add-on box, including eight to nine fresh fruit items for $38.

The items included in the box change weekly, and the company also posts recipes with those ingredients on their social media account.

The couple has also partnered with  and to provide local coffee and bread as well as other items.

“We have created a great community, we are happy to extend our passion for health and wellness and local produce with,” she said. 

Sprout and Bean Market Box

Type: Fresh produce

Hours: Ordering deadline Monday at 6 p.m., delivered Thursday

Email:

Website:

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Wasaga’s Beach One Cerveza takes top spot at provincial brewery awards

Aug 5, 2021 , , , , by shlf

Wasaga Beach’s eponymous amber liquid is now golden.

The Wasaga Beach Brewing Company’s Beach One Cerveza received a gold award at the 2020 Ontario Brewing Awards.

The awards ceremony was held virtually on Nov. 24.

Beach One Cerveza had already earned silver in the American Lager category at the awards in 2018 and 2019.

“We were happy to be nominated for the award again, as this is just our fourth full year of pouring our Beach One Cerveza beer,” said company president David Cubitt.

After its launch in 2016, the company saw exponential growth in 2018 with its beer offered in more than 160 LCBO locations and 35 grocery stores. In 2020, the brand sits on the shelves of nearly 700 LCBO, Beer Store, and grocery store locations across Ontario.

Company co-owner Peter Wilkins said the business partners are very proud of achieving a gold award, and remain committed to growing the company in 2021.

That includes the future launch of a second brand, among other expansion plans.

“We are always focused on growth, and taking Wasaga Beach Brewing Company to the next level,” Cubitt said.


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Orillia OPP looking for stolen Honda Civic

Aug 5, 2021 , , , , by shlf

Orillia OPP are turning to the public for help in locating a stolen car.

A 2013 Honda Civic was stolen early in the morning on Tuesday, Dec. 8 at 3 a.m. from Barrie Road in Orillia. The vehicle is a two door, white Honda Civic. The licence plate number is CJNL 196.

Anyone with information is asked to call Ontario Provincial Police at , or Crime Stoppers at .

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Masks, Plexiglas create barriers for Ontario’s hearing loss community

Aug 4, 2021 , , , , by shlf

Toronto resident Laura Mather recalls the first time her privacy and security was compromised, as a person with hearing loss living amid COVID-19.

After masks became mandatory indoors throughout the city, she was at a pharmacy, picking up a prescription for a loved one.

Normally during these types of interactions, Mather relies heavily on being able to speech read, but because the pharmacist was wearing a medical mask, she was unable to do so. 

“She needed me to confirm some information and she’s repeating herself — same words, same tone, same volume — about three times,” Mather said. “The pharmacist’s conversation with me was so not private that the person six feet behind me standing in line was able to tell me what they said.”

lauramatherToronto resident and business owner Laura Mather has been speaking out about barriers faced by the hearing loss community, due to COVID-19. – Laura Mather photo

Mather’s experiences are not unique.

Keegan Noxell, treasurer of the Young Adults Network at the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association, said a simple task such as ordering food has left him guessing and hoping that he understood the information correctly.

“When everyone is wearing masks, it is crucial that your voice is clear and projected. If you are having difficulty hearing, ask the person to rephrase what was said to add further context to the conversation,” he said, adding that having a pen and paper handy can also be helpful. 

Noxell said from a business perspective, he would like to see more awareness training on the varied communication needs of customers, so that staff can better assist those who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Mather said solutions can be as easy as having a communication card with commonly asked questions taped to the Plexiglas at a checkout line or a reception desk, or having a whiteboard with a dry erase marker that can be sanitized after each use.

Mather is an entrepreneur and one of a number of individuals who have been creating and selling masks with a clear window that aids in speech reading. She said she’s also prototyping a system that would allow for tablets to be attached to Plexiglas and loaded with a transcription application.

Rex Banks, a doctor of audiology and director of hearing health at Canadian Hearing Services, said there are numerous transcription apps out there that individuals can download to their mobile devices, but there are other ways to transcribe as well.

rexbanksRex Banks is an audiologist and director of hearing health at Canadian Hearing Services. – CHS photo

One simple solution can be increasing the font size on their mobile device and then turning the microphone on in the “notes” application — which will transcribe their speech — and holding it out to the second party in the conversation.

Aside from this, Banks said people who have hearing aids should make an effort to wear them and if they don’t have them, they may want to consider taking that step.

Through virtual care, Banks said he is able to remotely adjust people’s hearing aids as they need it.

As well, he said there is recent technology that can be utilized such as a “face mask mode” on new hearing devices, which enhances frequencies that are most important for speech.

“Masks are causing communication issues because instantly everything is very muffled, making it more difficult to understand speech, particularly in the high frequencies,” he said. “The masks also take away our ability to read and see facial expressions and to speech read … which gives us lot of vital information in terms of understanding some words and intent and tone during communication.”

Marilyn Kingdon, president of the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association (CHHA), agrees.

“The full face mask, for every person with hearing loss, that’s kind of their worst nightmare,” she said, adding that CHHA has partnered with another local organization on a clear mask campaign. 

marilynkingdonMarilyn Kingdon is the president of the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association. -CHHA photo

Kingdon said CHHA has been working with the federal and provincial government to promote communication access and discuss how that works.

“Whether it’s with respect to wearing a clear mask which works really well, or providing captioning, or just providing that accessible type of communication across the board — without necessarily having someone to go in and ask for it or follow up on it — I’d like to see just as a general policy that access is made available,” she added.

Mary Kay McCoy, chairperson at Voice for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children, said children across Ontario who have hearing loss are experiencing their own unique challenges this year, whether they learning in person or through virtual school.

At school, children with hearing loss are typically connected to an FM system through which their teacher is able to speak via microphone, directly into their hearing aids.

McCoy said typically, in non-COVID times, the microphone gets passed around the room so the student can also hear class discussions and comments or questions from their peers, but due to COVID-19, they are now missing out on that portion of their classroom experience.

“They’re losing out on the social interaction with the kids in the class because they can’t pass that mic around like they used to,” McCoy said. “That’s a struggle.”

marykaymccoyMary Kay McCoy is a chairperson with Voice for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children. – Voice photo

She added that for kids learning from home, the experience varies, depending on how the teacher is using Zoom technology and how many children are permitted to have their microphones on at one time — however, many of them are dealing with hearing fatigue.

“For deaf kids to sit there for two hours is the same as a child with no hearing loss sitting there for five or six hours,” she added.

Noxell cited similar issues for young adults in his age cohort who are seeking educational and employment opportunities and not only dealing with the stress caused by the full face mask, but the technology as well.

He said some of the video conferencing platforms that are being used have inadequate captioning options available, or require an additional cost to use the captioning.

“Without this, communication can be misinterpreted, and key information can go amiss,” he said.

“It is critical that solutions be developed to remove those barriers, as it not only puts our members’ employment at risk but can lead to higher stress (and) anxiety levels and listening fatigue, impacting mental health.”

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Today’s coronavirus news: Nova Scotia premier says Atlantic bubble won’t open ‘any time soon’; Ontario reporting 548 cases, 7 new deaths; Canadians urged to hold virtual Thanksgiving gatherings to con

Aug 4, 2021 , , , , by shlf

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

4:20 p.m.: The Atlantic bubble won’t reopen to the rest of Canada “any time soon” given the resurgence of COVID-19 cases in some parts of the country, says Nova Scotia’s premier.

Stephen McNeil wouldn’t be specific about a timeline during a briefing Tuesday, but said no reopening was in the offing.

“I can tell you it won’t be in the short term,” McNeil told reporters. “I’m certainly concerned with what I’m seeing in parts of the country with a large outbreak. We’ll be watching it, but it (reopening) won’t be any time soon for sure.”

McNeil thanked the public for helping the province to keep its case numbers low. Nova Scotia currently has three active cases of COVID-19.

Strict isolation orders implemented across the four Atlantic provinces have been credited by health experts for the region’s success in largely eliminating community transmission of the novel coronavirus.

2:45 p.m.: Toronto police say they have charged two people with failing to comply with federal quarantine rules after the pair showed up at a rally shortly after returning to Canada.

Police say Christopher (Chris Sky) Saccoccia, 37, and Jennifer Saccoccia, 34, of King City, Ont., landed at Pearson airport on Sept. 20 after travelling abroad.

Police allege that despite being ordered to quarantine for 14 days, Christopher Saccoccia was seen in the Yonge-Dundas area of downtown Toronto on Sept. 26 and was issued a provincial offence ticket.

Authorities also allege both Christopher and Jennifer Saccoccia went to a rally attended by roughly 500 unmasked participants at Yonge-Dundas Square on Saturday.

Police say both were served Monday with a notice to appear for a virtual court hearing on Nov. 12.

Public health guidelines require everyone coming from outside the country to quarantine for at least 14 days.

Saturday’s rally saw demonstrators protest against public health measures meant to help curb the spread of COVID-19.

2:25 p.m.: Mayor Kennedy Stewart wants councillors to support a multimillion-dollar proposal to help those who are homeless in Vancouver during the pandemic.

Stewart has released a recommendation to council seeking as much as $30 million to buy or lease land in the city and pay for other services to provide emergency relief for people without homes.

A statement from the mayor’s office says the recommendation builds on the findings of a staff report, which concluded that the lease or purchase of vacant apartment complexes, commercial hotels and other buildings is the only viable way to quickly address the needs of the homeless.

Stewart’s recommendation also says he will continue to seek provincial and federal funds to support his plan.

It’s expected council will consider the recommendation at a special meeting on Thursday.

Stewart says councillors must have the “courage and conviction” to act quickly to help hundreds who are living on the street or in tents in city parks.

“To date, I have worked with the provincial and federal governments to secure millions in housing investments for Vancouver, but COVID-19 has presented an unprecedented challenge and we must rise to the occasion,” he says in the statement.

2 p.m. (corrected to say “outdoors”): Health Minister Patty Hajdu is telling Canadians to celebrate Thanksgiving virtually this weekend to avoid spreading COVID-19.

She says it is “an act of love” to celebrate over video links instead of in person because of the rising number COVID-19 cases.

Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, says meeting outdoors can create a false sense of security, and increase the risk of spreading the novel coronavirus. “Too close is too close even if you are outdoors,” Tam added.

Federal officials said earlier Tuesday that 3.4 million Canadians have downloaded the COVID Alert App. A total of 160,000 of those uploads occurred in the last 24 hours, officials said in a briefing Tuesday.

They could not say which provinces saw the highest uptick in usage. Quebec became the latest province to adopt the application on Monday.

1:55 p.m.: Balancing the fight against COVID-19 with efforts to jump-start the economy in Ontario that have sown confusion and could erode trust in public health advice, experts say.

Steven Hoffman, a professor of global health, law and political science at York University, said much of the fault falls at the feet of the provincial government.

“The rules are complex and they haven’t been communicated as clearly as needed,” he said. “And some of them just don’t make sense.”

In Ontario, social gatherings are limited to a maximum of 10 people indoors and 25 outdoors. But the indoor capacity for businesses such as casinos, bars and restaurants is 100 people, as long as they follow all public health guidelines.

“If it’s in our homes, then we’re allowed to do one thing but if we all go to a casino then more of us can hang out together,” Hoffman said.

He pointed to Thanksgiving as a perfect example that highlights the unclear and conflicting messages authorities are giving to the public.

1:50 p.m. The Cincinnati Bengals will be allowed to double their home crowd to 12,000 for the remaining six games at Paul Brown Stadium.

The state of Ohio on Tuesday cleared the team to increase the limit after most fans in last Sunday’s crowd of more than 6,000 demonstrated “safe and healthy” behaviour. Social distancing and face coverings will still be required.

The Bengals host the Cleveland Browns on Oct. 25. The first home game at the stadium on Sept. 13 was played without fans.

1:28 p.m. The Canadian Opera Company is cancelling the remainder of its 2020/21 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Earlier this summer, our team made a promise to ourselves — and to our audiences — to explore every possible option for going ahead with our season,” COC general director Alexander Neef said in a news release. “Since then, however, the changing local health situation has made it clear that cancelling our original winter and spring programming is the only safe decision for our staff, artists and audience members.”

The cancelled productions include “Carmen,” “Katya Kabanova,” “La Traviata” and “Orfeo ed Euridice,” as well as the world premiere of an opera for young audiences commissioned by the COC, “Fantasma.”

The company has also cancelled all special events, including its Operanation and Fine Wine Auction fundraisers.

1:21 p.m. The chairman of the joint chiefs of staff and other top military leaders .

Gen. Mark Milley and the chiefs of the Army, Navy and Air Force have tested negative for the virus, but remain under quarantine as a precaution, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss information not yet made public. The head of U.S. Cyber Command, Gen. Paul Nakasone, was also among those quarantined.

The officials said the military leaders were working from home and this has not affected military readiness.

Up to 14 officials are believed to have been potentially exposed to the virus after meetings last week with the vice commandant of the Coast Guard, Adm. Charles W. Wray, who has tested positive. The officials were informed about the positive test on Monday.

1:15 p.m. Canada’s two most populous provinces remain COVID-19 hot spots, with Quebec setting a record for new daily case counts.

Cases are surging in several parts of the country but Quebec and Ontario account for about 80 per cent of the country’s total.

Quebec reported 1,364 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 Tuesday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in that province to 81,014.

It was Quebec’s fifth consecutive day of more than 1,000 new diagnoses, eclipsing Monday’s record of 1,191.

1:14 p.m. Procurement Minister Anita Anand says Canada is buying more than 20 million of the rapid antigen tests for COVID-19 approved by Health Canada Tuesday.

Abbott Rapid Diagnostics in Germany got the green light from Health Canada to sell its Panbio antigen rapid test in Canada this morning.

Canada has also signed a contract with Abbott that will see the company ship 20.5 million of the ruler-sized test devices to Canada.

This approval comes a week after Health Canada authorized the use of another rapid test from Abbott Diagnostics in the United States.

That test, the ID Now kit, can provide results in as little as 13 minutes on the spot where the patient is tested. The ID Now test looks for the genetic material of the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

The Panbio test uses antigen technology, and can produce results in less than 15 minutes. Antigens are unique molecules found on the outside of a particular virus.

12:18 p.m. The number of new cases in public schools across the province has jumped by 74 from the previous day, to a total of 470 in the last two weeks.

, the province reported 41 more students were infected for a total of 275 in the last two weeks; since school began there have been overall total of 333.

The data shows there are 10 more staff members for a total of 66 in the last two weeks — and an overall total of 102.

The latest report also shows 23 more individuals who weren’t identified for a total of 129 in that category — and an overall total of 176.

There are 347 schools with a reported case, which the province notes is about 7.2 per cent of the 4,828 public schools in Ontario.

11:10 a.m. Appliance stores are grappling with a double whammy of surging demand and supply chain problems, resulting in mounting backorders ahead of the busiest shopping season of the year.

Retailers say a combination of home renovations, new construction, discounts for energy-efficient appliances and pent-up demand following store closures last spring has led to record sales.

Meanwhile, manufacturers have run into problems obtaining parts and have been forced to scale-back production to adhere to COVID-19 safety protocols.

Consumers are now facing a limited selection of in-stock appliances, or record wait times for special orders and some popular appliances.

Experts say the situation could worsen if the second wave of the pandemic intensifies as the busy holiday spending period gets underway.

Jason Goemans, president of Goemans Appliances, said demand has been so high the retailer is concerned about keeping up with Black Friday sales next month, an increasingly popular shopping event in Canada.

“We’ve never had more backorders in our history,” he said in an interview. “We’ve got thousands of backorders now because of surging demand.”

Compounding the spike in orders is sluggish supply, with manufacturers operating either below capacity or paring down inventory to focus on more popular models.

11:09 a.m. President Donald Trump’s coronavirus diagnosis proved that testing alone wasn’t enough to protect him.

Mask wearing and social distancing are other key ingredients for preventing the spread of COVID-19, and both have often been in short supply at the White House.

Trump’s press secretary once called the president the “most tested man in America” when it came to COVID-19. The White House has not required masks, only testing. Anyone near the president or vice-president is tested prior to the day’s events.

“Testing alone doesn’t prevent disease spread,” said Dr. Cyrus Shahpar, a former CDC scientist. The main benefit of testing is to identify people with infections and isolate them before they can spread the disease to others, he says.

Health experts also advise social distancing, a recommendation ignored at several recent White House events.

10:17 a.m. (will be updated) Ontario is reporting 548 cases of COVID-19 and 7 new deaths. Locally, there are 201 new cases in Toronto, 90 in Peel, 62 in Ottawa and 56 in York Region. Sixty-one per cent of Tuesday’s cases are in people under the age of 40. More than 42,000 tests were completed.

10:11 a.m. U.S. President plans to take part in with his Democratic rival Joe Biden despite his coronavirus diagnosis last week, a spokesman told Fox News late Monday.

“The president intends to debate,” Tim Murtaugh told the broadcaster less than an hour after Trump left the Walter Reed medical center, where he had been receiving treatment for .

The second debate, during which the candidates are to answer questions from voters, is set to take place on Oct. 15 in Miami.

There have been concerns that Trump may have been infectious at his first debate with Biden last week, when the pair stood six feet apart. Both men are in their 70s and in the high-risk category of those who become infected with coronavirus because of their age.

9:52 a.m. Toronto home prices and sales continued to hit records in September as pent-up demand and historic low borrowing costs pushed prices up 14 per cent to $960,772 across all housing types, including condos.

The number of transactions also soared 42.3 per cent year over year, said the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB) on Tuesday.

It reported the biggest gains in the 905 areas surrounding the city, with single-family homes leading the growth.

Detached houses were the region’s hottest selling properties, going for 12.9 per cent more compared to last September at an average of nearly $1.2 million.

9:50 a.m. A reportedly ill defendant in a murder case didn’t show up for the first day of his trial this past week in front of a jury in a downtown Toronto courtroom.

A COVID-19 test was ordered. But rather than keep jurors on an indefinite hold, the trial judge, after obvious careful reflection, cut them loose and declared a mistrial.

For the second time in a week, the wheels had fallen off a case in Superior Court, highlighting the challenges faced by the justice system as it tries to restart jury trials after their pandemic-induced suspension in March.

In the case of the ill defendant, they’ll try again in a few weeks, after an elaborate — and expensive — off-site jury selection process at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, which is where the first juries were picked a week ago.

9:37 a.m. The NDP and the B.C. Liberals are promising to make the vaccine a.

John Horgan, who is scheduled to release his party’s platform Tuesday, announced the plan to make the available once it is approved and available at an online town hall meeting on Monday evening with other NDP candidates.

Shortly after, Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson said on Twitter a “life-saving vaccine” should be made available to everyone for free in matching the NDP promise.

Earlier, Wilkinson resurrected a previous party plan to build a 10-lane bridge over the Fraser River to replace the aging Massey Tunnel if the Liberals are elected on Oct. 24.

9:16 a.m. Michelle Obama is going after President Donald Trump in a scathing new video that accuses him of “wilful mismanagement” of the coronavirus crisis and of racism. She calls on Black and all young voters not to “waste” their votes.

In the video, released Tuesday by Joe Biden’s campaign, Mrs. Obama notes that more Americans have died from COVID-19 than died in the Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam and Korean wars combined. She charges that with respect to the virus, “our commander in chief, sadly, has been missing in action.”

Mrs. Obama accuses Trump of being “racist” when he and other Republicans are “lying about how minorities will destroy the suburbs,” which she says is meant to “distract from his breathtaking failures.”

She also calls on undecided voters “to think about all those folks like me and my ancestors” and have some empathy for what it’s like “to walk around your own country scared that someone’s unjustified fear of you could put you in harm’s way.”

And to Black and brown voters, and all young voters, who are considering sitting out the election, Mrs. Obama urges them to make a plan to vote, because “we don’t have the luxury to assume that things are going to turn out okay.”

8:39 a.m. President Donald Trump’s return to the White House to recover from the coronavirus seems certain to raise the already heightened anxiety level of the journalists assigned to follow him.

Three reporters have tested positive for COVID-19 in recent days while covering a White House described as lax, at best, in following basic safety advice like wearing masks. Discomfort only increased Monday with news that press secretary Kayleigh McEnany had tested positive.

Journalists are left to wonder if a still-contagious president will gather them for a public appearance and how their safety will be ensured.

After McEnany’s announcement Monday, Fox News chief White House correspondent John Roberts spent part of his afternoon waiting outside an urgent care centre for his own test. He had attended McEnany’s briefing last Thursday. She didn’t wear a mask, and neither did one of her assistants who later tested positive, and Roberts sat near both of them. He tested negative.

He called it an inconvenience, but stronger emotions were spreading. American Urban Radio Networks correspondent April Ryan said she found it infuriating that Trump and his team had risked the health of her colleagues. CNN’s Kaitlan Collins said it was “irresponsible, at best.”

8:21 a.m. Stocks mostly rose on Tuesday after U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the White House to complete his recovery from the coronavirus, though uncertainty remained over prospects for fresh economic stimulus.

Trump left the hospital after spending less than three days there, returning from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to finish his treatment at home. His doctor, Navy Cmdr. Sean Conley, said the president remained contagious and would not be fully “out of the woods” for another week.

Signs of Trump’s improved condition boosted markets in Asia and Europe following an overnight rally on Wall Street. The future contract for the S&P 500 rose 0.1 per cent and that for the Dow industrials edged 0.3 per cent higher.

Germany’s DAX rose 0.6 per cent to 12,903 and the CAC 40 in Paris gained 0.7 per cent to 4,905. Britain’s FTSE 100 rose 0.2 per cent to 5,957.

In Asian trading, Japan’s Nikkei 225 climbed 0.5 per cent to 23,433.73 and the Hang Seng in Hong Kong jumped 0.9 per cent to 23,980.65. South Korea’s Kospi added 0.3 per cent to 2,365.90.

8:19 a.m. More than 10 per cent of tests are coming back positive in some pockets of Toronto, a metric that shows the city’s second wave surging even more alarmingly than previously known and lends urgency to calls for local restrictions.

According to provincial data provided to the Star that has not been publicly released, approximately two-thirds of the city has a test-positivity rate of higher than 3 per cent, considered a critical threshold by public health authorities in Toronto and beyond.

Test positivity is an important statistic because it helps indicate how widespread transmission is, especially as testing or lab capacity fails to match demand — as Ontario is experiencing right now. When people who need to be tested are turned off by long lineups or can’t find an available appointment at assessment centres, daily case counts may flatten or drop. But rising test positivity suggests surging transmission levels, independent of how many tests are completed.

7:49 a.m. Canadians are divided about whether to let the COVID-19 pandemic disrupt their plans for upcoming holidays and seasonal events, a new poll suggests.

The poll, conducted by Leger and the Association for Canadian Studies, comes as COVID-19 cases are surging and public health authorities are pleading with Canadians in places with rising case counts to avoid contact with anyone outside their immediate families or at least to stick to small social circles.

The results suggest that message is only partially getting through.

Respondents with children who went door to door for Halloween last year were closely divided on whether to let them go trick-or-treating again this year, with 52 per cent saying they won’t and 48 per cent saying they will.

The poll found sharp regional variations, however. About two-thirds of respondents in Atlantic Canada, which has been relatively untouched by COVID-19’s resurgence, said they will let their kids go out. In harder-hit Ontario and Quebec, two-thirds said they won’t.

7:43 a.m. Desrine Peters, 43, moved to Canada 10 years ago from Jamaica and had been working in security, but found there wasn’t much room for progress in the field. “I was finding myself not accomplishing my goals,” she said.

Peters is now a first-year student at Seneca College in the chemical lab technician program, and has plans to continue studying biochemistry. She credits her adult day school teachers with motivating her and encouraging her to continue her studies.

Two years ago she began taking classes at the TDSB’s Emery Adult Learning Centre to complete high school credits needed for her college program. When the created hiccups in education and moved things online in the spring, she finished that semester and took summer school so she would be able to continue to college this fall.

7:32 a.m. With COVID-19 infections on the rise, Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca wants Premier Doug Ford to open the purse strings and close many businesses in the hard-hit regions of Toronto, Peel, and Ottawa.

“Doug Ford has lost control. Ontario is now in a full-fledged Wave II and still this premier and his cabinet refuse to invest in the safety of Ontarians, even as they sit on billions of dollars in unspent federal funding,” Del Duca said Tuesday.

The Liberal chief said the Progressive Conservative premier should “follow the advice of Toronto public health, the Ontario Hospital Association, and the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario.”

“Immediately suspend indoor dining at restaurants and bars and close gyms for 28 days in COVID-19 hotspots and … provide immediate support to businesses affected by the closures,” he said.

6:07 a.m.: Italy’s health minister says the government is examining a proposal to make masks mandatory outdoors as the country enters a difficult phase of living alongside COVID-19, with the number of infections growing steadily for the last nine weeks.

Roberto Speranza told the lower house of parliament on Tuesday that as infections spread, it is necessary to return to restrictions that were gradually loosened over the spring and summer months after Italy’s strict nearly three-month lockdown.

‘’We must raise our guard with the awareness that our county is better off than others,’’ Speranza said.

The government is expected to pass new measures by Wednesday making it necessary to wear masks outdoors and limit gatherings. The government also wants to extend the state of emergency put into place on Jan. 31, while the epidemic was still believed confined to China, until the end of January 2022, making it easier to enforce new measures on a national level.

5:45 a.m.: Even with in place in court — including courtrooms fitted with Plexiglas barriers between all participants, masking and, where possible, physical distancing, as well as courtrooms repurposed to be jury rooms — the and testing backlog means it will only get harder to keep trials going.

Courthouse screening rules prohibit anyone — from witnesses to judges — showing COVID-19 symptoms from entering the courthouse.

Are the courts ready to weather the second wave? Legal insiders predict there will be lots of COVID-interruptus, but say there’s no going back, not when the criminal case backlog continues to get bigger and bigger.

“The court system can’t withstand another shutdown,” observed Sid Freeman, a long-time criminal defence lawyer.

5:21 a.m.: About 25 residents from remote Easter Island who have been stranded far from their loved ones for more than six months because of the coronavirus will finally be able to return home this week on a French military plane.

The group has been stranded on Tahiti in French Polynesia. Many arrived in March planning to stay for just a few weeks, but they got stuck when the virus swept across the globe and their flights back home on LATAM airlines were cancelled.

A second group of about 15 Tahitians have also been stranded on Easter Island because of the flight cancellations.

French authorities announced Tuesday they would use an Airbus A400M Atlas turboprop to repatriate both groups in a flight that would take about six hours in each direction.

5:19 a.m.: The White House has to market that would almost certainly have prevented their introduction before the Nov. 3 election.

At issue was the FDA’s planned instruction that vaccine developers follow patients enrolled in their trials for at least two months to rule out safety issues before seeking emergency approval from the agency. A senior administration confirmed the move Monday evening, saying the White House believed there was “no clinical or medical reason” for the additional requirement.

The White House action was first reported by The New York Times.

The intervention by Trump officials is the latest example of the administration undercutting its own medical experts working to combat the pandemic that has killed more than 210,000 Americans. FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn has been attempting to shore up public confidence in the FDA’s vaccine review for weeks, vowing that career scientists, not politicians, will decide if the shots are safe and effective for mass vaccination.

5:15 a.m.: After a revered ultra-Orthodox rabbi died this week, Israeli police thought they had worked out an arrangement with his followers to allow a small, dignified funeral that would conform with public health guidelines under the current coronavirus lockdown.

But when it was time to bury the rabbi on Monday, thousands of people showed up — ignoring social distancing rules and clashing with police who tried to disperse the mass gathering.

Such violations of lockdown rules have angered a broader Israeli public that is largely complying with the restrictions imposed to halt a raging coronavirus outbreak.

The defiance on display has confounded public health experts, tested Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s long-standing political alliance with religious leaders and triggered a new wave of resentment from secular Israelis who fear for their health and livelihoods.

The ultra-Orthodox claim they are being unfairly targeted by the authorities. They point to large weekly protests, mainly by secular Israelis, against Netanyahu’s handling of the pandemic that have continued throughout the summer. Only last week, the government finally placed limits on the size of the protests, citing violations of public health guidelines.

5:11 a.m.: South Korea has reported 75 new cases of the coronavirus as infections steadily rise in the greater capital area. The figures released Tuesday by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency brought the national caseload to 24,239, including 422 deaths.

At least 36 troops have tested positive at an army unit in Pocheon, north of Seoul, while 14 other infections were tied to a hospital in nearby Euijeongbu. There’s concern that infections will grow in the coming weeks due to increased travel during the five-day Chuseok harvest holiday that ended Sunday.

5:08 a.m.: Philippine Airlines has called on its employees to apply for voluntary separation as part of a retrenchment plan that may affect up to 35% of its 7,000 workers.

PAL said it resorted to furloughs and flexible working arrangements at the height of the pandemic to preserve jobs. But it is operating 15% of its normal flights and said collapsing demand and ongoing travel restrictions made retrenchment inevitable. The retrenchments would involve voluntary and mandatory steps to be carried out in the remaining months of the year, PAL said and assured employees of fair treatment.

5:05 a.m.: India has registered 61,267 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, marking the lowest daily infections since Aug 25 and driving the country’s total virus caseload to nearly 6.7 million.

The Health Ministry on Tuesday also reported 884 deaths in the past 24 hours. The death toll now stands at 103,569. India, the world’s second most-affected country, has been reporting the highest single-day caseload in the world for nearly 45 days. The last three weeks have seen a gradual decline in its daily reported infections.

5 a.m.: called for the immediate lifting of sanctions by the United States and Western countries to ensure an effective response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking on behalf of the 26 countries at a meeting of the U.N. General Assembly’s Human Rights Committee, China’s U.N. Ambassador Zhang Jun said “unilateral coercive measures” violate the U.N. Charter, multilateralism, and impede human rights by hindering “the well-being of the population in the affected countries” and undermining the right to health.

“Global solidarity and international co-operation are the most powerful weapons in fighting and overcoming COVID-19,” the joint statement said. “We seize this opportunity to call for the complete and immediate lifting of unilateral coercive measures, in order to ensure the full, effective and efficient response of all members of the international community to COVID-19.”

Among the countries that backed the statement were half a dozen that face sanctions by the United States, European Union or other Western nations including Cuba, North Korea, Iran, Russia, Syria and Venezuela.

The statement notes that both U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet have called for the waiving of sanctions that undermine a country’s capacity to respond to the pandemic.

4 a.m.: Ontario

Premier Doug Ford has said the shift to the new system was done to prepare the province’s 155 assessment centres for winter.

The government has faced criticism over the long lines at assessment centres where people have had to wait for hours for a COVID-19 test.

The province has also changed its screening guidance, now saying that only symptomatic people or those in high-risk groups should seek out a test.

Testing centres began to close Sunday to prepare for the new model that is being launched today.

The province is facing a testing backlog of approximately 68,000 tests.

Monday 10:26 p.m. Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid has tested positive for COVID-19, according to a statement on the team’s Twitter account Monday night.

“Earlier today, Oilers Captain Connor McDavid underwent medical testing that revealed a positive result for the COVID-19 virus,” the statement says.

“Since that time, he has been in voluntary self-quarantine at his home. He will continue to be monitored and will follow all associated health protocols.”

The statement says McDavid is “feeling well and is experiencing mild symptoms.”

Monday 9:30 p.m.: Nunavut has confirmed nine positive cases of COVID-19 at the Hope Bay gold mine in the western part of the territory.

The Nunavut government announced the positive cases Monday evening. Another four presumptive positive cases have also been identified and are pending testing at a lab in southern Canada.

Last week, the territory declared eight presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 at the mine, which is located 125 kilometres southwest of Cambridge Bay. The government said it is still working to determine whether the positive cases at the mine will count as the first in the territory. Cases that were announced earlier weren’t counted because the people came from outside Nunavut.

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Ban indoor dining, leave home only for essential trips, says Toronto’s top doctor as COVID-19 cases soar

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Toronto’s top doctor is asking the province to temporarily restore a ban on dining indoors at restaurants and bars and on indoor team sports and fitness classes in an effort to stem the exponential growth of in the city.

Toronto had 311 new COVID-19 infections on Friday, Dr. Eileen de Villa told a press conference at city hall, where she outlined her case for a month-long return to more restrictive measures.

Nearly half of 45 recent community outbreaks in the city originated in bars and restaurants, according to data from Toronto Public Health. De Villa said businesses could continue to serve patrons outdoors and through takeout and delivery, avoiding the complete closure that wreaked financial havoc on the local economy in the spring.

“Total lockdown is not what we’re advocating here,” she said.

She also urged residents to stay home as much as possible, going out only for essential trips including work, school, exercise, health-care appointments and to buy food.

De Villa said returning to more restrictive practices was always part of the plan in the event of a resurgence, adding that as the virus moves rapidly, so should policy.

“Days actually make a world of difference and from a professional perspective; it’s my responsibility to make sure that we adjust and change our approach premised on this information that we see. Even when that information changes at wartime speed,” she said.

The seven-day moving average of COVID-19 cases in Toronto was 40 on Sept. 1. It more than doubled, to 84, by Sept. 17. On Sept. 29, it had increased nearly sixfold, to 236.

There are currently 169 active outbreaks in Toronto, including those in the community, in congregate settings, schools, child-care centres, workplaces and long-term-care homes. In the last three weeks, outbreaks in long-term-care homes have increased to nine from two.

A recent incident at Yonge Street Warehouse, a downtown pub, created 1,700 exposures and one at Regulars Bar created 600 exposures.

Mayor John Tory said the rapidly rising infection numbers are cause for alarm.

“The virus is approaching a tipping point, where it will rage through our population and put seniors in our long-term-care homes and kids in school at risk,” he said.

“We have always known a resurgence could come and that further public health measures could be needed in order to combat the virus.”

A spokesperson for Ontario restaurant and bar operators said they are disappointed by the idea of renewed restrictions and fear a return to total lockdown.

“We as an industry still feel a room that is managed with good protocols has better control and safety than people at private parties,” said Tony Elenis, president of the Ontario Restaurant, Hotel and Motel Association.

To allow for safe reopening of schools, it is recommended that communities keep new case counts to no more than one case per 100,000 population per day, according to de Villa. Currently in Toronto, the number is at eight cases per 100,000 population per day, according to the text of the letter she sent to Dr. David Williams, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health.

De Villa said TPH has been monitoring trends and effective public health measures in other comparable jurisdictions. She pointed to Melbourne, Australia, with a metropolitan-area population similar to Toronto, where strict public health measures were implemented when daily case counts were lower than the counts in Toronto today.

De Villa said she sought legal advice and the conclusion was that she does not have the authority to enact the restrictions she is recommending, which is why she is calling on Williams to use his legislative powers.

Her other recommendations include tighter management of large venues. She would like to require large venues to submit plans to TPH, demonstrating how they will ensure physical distancing and collection of contact information.

“Without quick action from the Province to implement further public health measures, there is a serious risk that the city will not be able to prevent the health and economic impact resulting from this surge, particularly with the imminent change in season,” she wrote to Williams. “Based on the experiences of other jurisdictions, smaller scale policy changes will not be enough to stop virus transmission and large-scale action is needed.”

Responding to reporters on Friday, Williams said he spoke with de Villa about her letter but noted they aren’t seeing the same trends throughout the province — which makes enacting province-wide legislation difficult.

Hot zones generally account for 70-80 per cent of new cases, with Toronto alone accounting for as many as half, Williams noted.

He said the province has asked for more data, but did not commit to acting on de Villa’s letter.

With files from Jennifer Pagliaro and David Rider

Francine Kopun is a Toronto-based reporter covering city hall and municipal politics for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: