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How to manage screen time for children learning remotely

Sep 24, 2021 , , , , by shlf

This fall, as COVID-19 continues to disrupt life for Ontarians, high school students are learning through a hybrid in-school and at-home model and elementary school students who haven’t returned to the classroom are learning from home full-time.

More remote learning means more screen time for students attending livestreamed classes, accessing reading material online and submitting assignments online. As children and teenagers spend more time at their computers, Dr. Sharon Burey says it’s important for parents to know how to manage screen time to avoid the physical and behavioural symptoms that can arise from too much of it.

Burey is a Windsor, Ont.-based behavioural pediatrician and president of the Pediatrician Association of Ontario. She said parents should start by knowing the recommended guidelines around screen time for children:

• Screen time is not recommended for children under two years old

• For children two to five years old, limit recreational screen time to less than one hour per day

• For children older than five, limit recreational screen time to less than two hours per day

Surpassing these limits can put children at risk of negative health effects.

Negative effects of too much screen time

To Burey, the most obvious way excessive screen time impacts people, including children, is through the shift toward a more sedentary lifestyle.

“It can lead to increase in weight gain and obesity,” Burey said. “So we do recommend at least 60 minutes of activity per day that increases the heart rate.”

Citing a study published in the International Journal of Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity in 2010, recreational sedentary activities are linked to obesity, metabolic syndrome and hypertension.

Burey said children, especially those under six years old, who engage in excessive screen time are also at risk of developing problems with inattention.

“An increasing amount of kids are actually diagnosed with [attention deficit hyperactive disorder], behaviour problems and learning problems if you have excessive media time,” she said.

A in 2019 concluded that five-year-old children who were exposed to more than two hours of screen time per day were more than seven times more likely to meet the criteria for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). They were also five times more likely to exhibit significant behavioural problems such as inattention, acting out, hyperactivity and being oppositional.

Finally, Burey said staring at a screen for too long can lead to sleep-related problems and eyestrain, including focusing fatigue.

“What happens with your near vision is it’s going to get sort of stuck in that position,” she said. “And that’s why you get blurry vision and eye fatigue.”

What can families do

Burey said parents shouldn’t need to take away children’s leisure time on the computer in order to mitigate the risks of excessive screen time. They can start by demonstrating healthy behaviour for their kids.

“If parents use a lot of screen time…then you’re going to have children modelling the behaviour,” she said. “So I always start with the parents and things like not having the TV on all day.”

She said parents can also punctuate screen time with breaks for play and exercise. For students learning from home full-time, school days can be split into 60-to-90-minute learning segments, with breaks away from the screen in between. To avoid eye strain, use the 20/20 rule: every 20 minutes, look away from the screen and focus on an object or spot at least 20 feet away, for 20 seconds.

Burey said some parents of children learning remotely have opted to print lesson materials whenever possible to reduce time spent learning in front of a computer. She said parents can also check with their child’s school to see if any lesson materials are available in booklet form.

“I think parents are doing some workarounds to say, ‘We don’t need to have you sitting there to do everything on the screen, we can do some of the assignments by hand knowing you can submit them digitally,’” she said.

After school, parents can encourage kids to take breaks from screen time by planning fun activities.

“You always want to be on the positive side of doing some positive behavioural reinforcement,” she said. “You wouldn’t be taking away their time, because that’s not going to work. But if you substitute other things like playing cards, board games and other outdoor activities, it’s easier to substitute that.”

And for a good sleep at the end of the day, Burey said, people of all ages should avoid looking at screens for an hour before bed.

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How to prepare for a winter day outdoors during COVID-19

Sep 21, 2021 , , , , by shlf

There are plenty of amid COVID-19.

But if you are planning a day out in nature with the family, there are a few things to consider and a few items you may want to pack before you head out. 

Heather Wilson-Forbes, of The Child & Nature Alliance of Canada, has the following tips for families:

Start small

For families who don’t usually spend much time out in nature, there’s no reason to pack up the car and head for an hours-long drive to a specific location, Wilson-Forbes said. Instead, you may want to test out places closer to home, especially considering the fact that due to COVID-19 restrictions, some washrooms or warming centres in certain locations may be closed. 

“Often in Canada we can have the ideal vision of what outdoor time looks like, but if you’re not used to it, perhaps some extended walks around your neighbourhood, or an extended trip to a green space might be good so you can kind of learn what you feel is useful and what’s not useful closer to your home base,” they said.

“There’s nature all around us and children are really happy exploring that wherever they are.”

Bring a change of clothes

Your little ones will be playing outdoors, which means much of their outdoor gear will get wet and possibly muddy. It’s always good to have a change of clothes in your vehicle, as well as an extra hat, scarf and pair of mittens on hand, Wilson-Forbes said, adding that buying these extra items doesn’t have to break the bank.

A local dollar store should carry just what you need, including hand and foot warmers, which may also be useful during these outings.

Invest in a flask for hot beverages

You may be visiting an area that doesn’t have many stores or restaurants nearby. Or perhaps these locations are closed due to COVID-19 restrictions. 

Either way, it may be a good idea to bring along an insulated container with a hot beverage to help you and your family keep warm, Wilson-Forbes said.

They added that families may want to steer clear of caffeine however, if there will not be an accessible washroom close by. 

Keep moving 

While on these outings, some families may be tempted to push their children in a sled or a stroller, but if your little ones can walk, letting them be out and about not only helps them to discover more, but also keeps them warm, Wilson-Forbes explained. 

Let your kids guide the adventure, where possible

If being out in nature is not new for your family, it may be beneficial to let your children lead the adventure this time. The philosophy at The Child & Nature Alliance of Canada is all about child-led outdoor play and exploration.

Letting your child’s interests guide the experience and being ready to answer their questions along the way, can create a more fulsome, immersive experience for the whole family, Wilson-Forbes said. 

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‘Substantial danger’: Class action claim alleges negligence after salmonella outbreak leaves hundreds of Canadians sick and dozens hospitalized

Aug 19, 2021 , , , , by shlf

The producers of onions that triggered multiple food recalls and public health warnings and are believed to have caused a over the summer were negligent and failed to properly test their products, ultimately putting the public’s safety at risk, according to allegations in a class action claim filed in Ontario Superior court.

None of the allegations against California-based Thomson International, which produced most of the onions in question, have been proven in court and efforts to contact the management team of the large crop producer have been unsuccessful.

A message left with Nancy Thomson, the company’s accounting executive, on Saturday hasn’t been returned.

The statement of claim, launched by law firm Siskinds LLP who represent Saskatchewan resident Amber Furniss and London, Ont. resident Noreen Raja — both of whom became sick from eating onions — asks the court to certify the legal action as a class proceeding.

The claim alleges Thomson was “negligent in the manufacturing, testing, packaging, promoting, marketing, distributing, supplying, labelling, and/or selling of the contaminated onions,” among other accusations.

It is seeking an unknown amount of damage costs for Furniss, Raja and other Canadians who may have been impacted by the outbreak.

“The claim seeks damages for physical injury and financial losses associated with the recall, which are likely very significant,” Siskinds LLP lawyer James Boyd said in an email to Inside Halton.

The legal action arises from a believed to have been caused by contaminated onions from Thomson International, the claim, launched Sept. 30, alleges.

In total, there were linked to this outbreak in the following provinces: British Columbia (121), Alberta (293), Saskatchewan (35), Manitoba (26), Ontario (14), Quebec (25) and Prince Edward Island (1), according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Individuals became sick between mid-June and late-August 2020.

Seventy-nine individuals were hospitalized, the Agency said, and three people died, but salmonella did not contribute to the cause of these deaths.

On or after July 1, Furniss said, she bought some of the recalled onion products.

On or about July 24, 2020, she consumed some of the onion product and became ill, according to the claim.

“Amber’s symptoms included abdominal pain, nausea, and dizziness,” the action alleges.

On or about July 31, 2020, Furniss consumed more of the recalled onion product and again became ill with similar symptoms before throwing the onions away in early August after learning of the outbreak and recalls.

“The defendant had a duty or care to compensate the plaintiffs and class members for pure economic losses suffered as a result of the supply of products that present a real and substantial danger to the public,” the claim charges. “The contaminated onions posed a real and substantial danger to the public, including, but not limited to, a danger to the health and safety of the public through the risk of exposure to salmonella.”

If you or someone you know has consumed or purchased recalled onion products in 2020, or disposed of “unidentifiable” onion products as a result of learning about the recalls, the law firm is asking you to

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Heather Scoffield: Want to save the economy? Let’s start with the $150 billion that Canadians have saved during the pandemic

Aug 9, 2021 , , , , by shlf

There’s a good reason why the cry to “buy local” for Christmas shopping has risen to a fever pitch, flooding our inboxes and social media streams with high-pressure ads to attend online craft markets and order takeout food.

Canadian households are sitting on more than $150 billion in savings right now, according to new calculations from BMO Capital Markets. They’re hunkering down for the duration of the pandemic, and the private sector and governments alike are nervous that all that money will sit dormant or seep out of the country and into the hands of Amazon.

It’s a huge amount of money, much larger than the fiscal stimulus package of between $70 billion and $100 billion that Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland says is on the way next year.

Like the local restaurants and the artisans at the Christmas fair, Freeland made it clear this week she has her eye on all that money. She wants to “unleash” it and see it flowing through the economy, bringing consumption, sales and investment back to life.

But not quite yet. It’s part of her government’s post-pandemic yet-to-be-designed recovery plan for the future. That’s where the tension lies.

“The government’s growth plan will include investments that deliver on our commitment to create a million jobs and restore employment to pre-pandemic levels, as well as unleash some of the Canadian economy’s pre-loaded stimulus: additional savings that have accumulated in bank accounts of some Canadians and balance sheets of some businesses,” Freeland said Monday as she presented her fiscal update in the House of Commons.

“This will foster economic rebirth in the short run and strengthen this country’s competitiveness in the long run.”

This week’s fiscal update took a small step to encourage “buy local” by announcing the intention to charge sales tax on purchases from Amazon.

But for businesses, especially small firms that have had trouble moving their operations online and keeping their customers, waiting for a recovery plan feels far too long.

They’re pushing government authorities at every level to create the conditions for at least some reopening. They’re urging funding for improved testing, help to make public places safer, more personal protective equipment for firms and broader use of the COVID-19 app.

The hope, explains Perrin Beatty of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, is to funnel some of those excess savings in people’s bank accounts into struggling businesses in a safe and cautious way — well before vaccines bring the pandemic to an end.

“We need a strategy to manage the risk,” he says.

The big pile of savings sticks out like a sore thumb when you look at the state of the pandemic economy.

Statistics Canada reported on Tuesday that Canada’s GDP grew a record-breaking 8.9 per cent in the third quarter of 2020 — which works out to a 40.5 per cent expansion if that pace were to continue for a year.

But of course it won’t continue for a year, and in fact it’s less of a boost than many economists had projected for the rebound following the pervasive pandemic closures earlier this year. The Canadian economy is still 5.3 per cent smaller now than it was a year ago, and the next few months are, by all accounts, going to be just dreadful, Christmas shopping be damned.

Despite the downturn, savings have soared. Canadians were stashing away 14.6 per cent of their disposable income this fall. That’s less than the 27.5 per cent of this summer, but far, far above the single digits of the pre-pandemic economy.

Critics are quick to say it’s proof the federal government dished out way more money than it needed do, especially in the early days of the pandemic when almost anyone could qualify for emergency response benefits.

But shows that low-income households needed most of their CERB funds to get by. Middle-class families soaked up the CERB and had to borrow more. And most of the excess savings are in the bank accounts of high-income households — likely a factor of pandemic constraints rather than government largesse or excess caution.

That’s why Doug Porter, chief economist at BMO Capital Markets, suspects the federal government may not need a big stimulus package after all. When pandemic restrictions disappear, those high-income people with the bulging bank accounts may pay off some debts, but they will also be wanting to travel, entertain themselves and their friends, and spend lots of money.

There won’t be much of a need to “unleash” anything, Porter argues, because that $150 billion will spring to life on its own accord.

“I think there’s a ton of pent-up demand,” he says.

If only it were set free in time for Christmas.

Heather Scoffield is the Star’s Ottawa bureau chief and an economics columnist. Follow her on Twitter:

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Ottawa will roll out COVID-19 vaccine to provinces on basis of population, Alberta says

Aug 2, 2021 , , , , by shlf

Dosages of Canada’s vaccines will be handed out to provinces based on population, an Alberta Health spokesperson says.

That would mean how many doses each province gets will be decided by how many people it has — not how many health-care workers, how many cases it’s facing, or how many seniors live there.

“Provinces and territories did not place orders, allocations are being provided by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) on a per-capita basis,” spokesperson Tom McMillan said.

“Per Alberta’s perspective, we’re following the same approach we’ve taken to all vaccines which is that all the provinces work with the federal government to come together.”

The distribution model could become complicated if dosages of the vaccine are available in waves — and not all at once — forcing government officials to prioritize who first gets the vaccine.

Dr. Howard Njoo, Canada’s deputy chief public health officer, said on Tuesday it’s likely the first phase of the vaccine rollout won’t see enough doses for everyone “all at once” and instead will come in “batches.”

Raywat Deonandan, an epidemiologist and professor at the University of Ottawa, said per capita distribution is not the right plan — particularly if there’s a limited amount of the vaccine.

Imagine a Canada that doesn’t have provinces, he said. “You would send it to where it is needed without having to consider the ancient Canadian curse of the federal-provincial divide.”

“If you have a limited resource, you apply that resource strategically, not politically, not equitably,” said Deonandan.

“It’s just not the time for equity, strangely enough. This is a time for strategic application,” he said.

“Maybe you should distribute it based upon, not the per capita, but the actual cases per capita. If not that, then maybe the deaths per capita. If not that, then maybe who is closest to health-care capacity overrun,” he said.

When asked about per-capita distribution, PHAC did not offer a direct answer and said final plans were still being worked out.

“Final key populations for early COVID-19 immunization will be determined by (the National Advisory Committee on Immunization), once more is known about the vaccines for Canada and their delivery schedule,” the agency said in a statement.

“Allocations of vaccines and rollout will be determined by (federal, provincial and territorial) governments, informed by NACI advice.”

The Alberta government spokesperson said it’s using the recommendations provided by NACI as a starting point for distribution.

Those guidelines say vaccines should first be distributed to vulnerable populations like seniors, those with underlying medical conditions and front-line health-care workers.

Just how the COVID-19 vaccine will be distributed and to who has become a hot topic after two drug companies announced successful early results.

Last week, Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech announced their vaccine candidate showed signs of being 90 per cent effective. Canada has signed on to purchase 20 million doses of that vaccine.

Then on Monday, Massachusetts-based Moderna said early results showed its vaccine candidate was 94.5 per cent effective. Canada has inked a deal with Moderna for 56 million doses of its vaccine.

Njoo said the current goal is to vaccinate the vast majority of Canadians by the end of 2021. The government is hopeful that January could mark the beginning stages of a national rollout of vaccines.

While there’s no law that states the public health agency must do it that way, per capita makes the most sense given the complexity of trying to decide who gets the vaccine first, said Katherine Fierlbeck, a professor political science at Dalhousie University. Provinces could also choose to redistribute vaccines between each other, she said.

“(PHAC) had guidelines (during H1N1) but it was up to the provinces to put the guidelines into action,” Fierlbeck said. “Different provinces did things differently, as they do, and there was a lot of confusion.

“The distribution of anything is political.”

Just getting the vaccine to the provinces will not be easy. The Pfizer vaccine requires ultracold storage of minus 80C. The Moderna vaccine would only require temperatures that a standard household refrigerator could provide.

With files from Tonda MacCharles

Kieran Leavitt is an Edmonton-based reporter covering provincial affairs for the Star. Follow him on Twitter:

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Flu shot in stock? These search engines will tell you

Jul 29, 2021 , , , , by shlf

Cold and flu season is here, and Ontarians are encouraged to get the flu vaccine as the province climbs higher into its second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Because the symptoms of COVID-19 and the flu are so similar, preventing a flu infection could help save health-care resources for patients with COVID-19. 

Getting the vaccine may be trickier right now than in previous years, as the rush of people looking to get the shot this month has left some pharmacies out of stock and led to long lines and wait times at others. 

Fortunately, several pharmacy and clinic chains throughout the province maintain searchable databases of locations that offer the flu vaccine and have it in stock.

Browse our list below to find a pharmacy or clinic with the vaccine near you.

Shopper’s Drug Mart

The indicates which locations offer the vaccine and have it in stock. Just enter your city or postal code into the search field to see which stores near you have the vaccine on hand.

Filling out the online screening and consent form in advance will save you time at the counter.

Loblaw

shows which pharmacies located within Loblaws and No Frills grocery stores offer the flu vaccine and have it in stock.

Guardian and IDA

reveals which Guardian and IDA pharmacy locations offer the flu vaccine, but not whether they have it in stock. To find out if a store has the vaccine in stock, contact that store before going in.

Rexall

Rexall offers for flu vaccines, but does not allow users to search specifically for locations with the vaccine in stock. To book an appointment, select your preferred location and answer a few COVID-19 screening questions. If there are no appointments available at your preferred time, check other locations or try again later.

Appletree Medical Group

A search of Appletree’s will show nearby clinic locations and indicate whether each location has the flu vaccine avaiable. No appointment is necessary.

My Flu Shot

This shows flu shot inventories in pharmacies and health centres across Canada. Users can either search through pharmacy locations on a map or sign up to receive an email notification when their chosen pharmacy locations have the shot in stock.

Contact your to learn about upcoming flu vaccine clinics