Dr. Eileen de Villa, Toronto’s medical officer of health, sent an open letter to Ontario’s top public health official calling for severe lockdown restrictions to be added to the province and using a rise in cases as her justification.
The letter calls for bans on indoor restaurant dining and indoor sports leagues and also for “individuals to only leave their homes for essential trips.” That’s right. TPH wants people to be banned by law from leaving their homes except for “work, education, exercise and fitness, health-care appointments and the purchase of food.”
On Friday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced additional COVID-19 restrictions as the province announced a spike in cases. The new restrictions include a provincewide mask policy and target restaurants, gyms and other social settings.
The only problem is the media and the government aren’t telling you the truth – some of the reported cases are outdated and the government doesn’t actually know what’s causing the spike in cases.
True North’s Anthony Furey asks are these new restrictions actually reflective of reality?
The Trudeau government is easing restrictions on the border and will be allowing international students and extended family members back into the country.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada announced the changes on Friday, despite a worrying trend of new coronavirus cases among Canadians.
“The Government of Canada will be introducing a process to allow entry for extended family members of Canadian citizens and Canadian permanent residents. In addition, we will be creating a process to allow foreign nationals to come to Canada for compassionate reasons in limited circumstances and with limited release from mandatory quarantine,” claimed a news release on the subject.
The Trudeau government hopes to introduce a new process for foreign nationals to enter Canada for “compassionate reasons” such as a funeral or for people who require medical support.
As for international students, they will be able to attend Canadian universities beginning on October 20. Only those universities with a coronavirus readiness plan in place will be allowed to accept the students.
“As part of their plans, DLIs are expected to provide specifics to their provincial or territorial government on how they will provide information to international students on health and travel requirements before they arrive in Canada, help students with their quarantine plans and provide guidance or assistance in acquiring the necessities of life, such as food and medication, during their quarantine,” said a news release.
Both Canada and the United States have agreed to extend their border closures into the near future, but international flights continue unabated into the country.
According to Canada Border Services Association (CBSA) data from May, over 300,000 people travelled on international flights into Canada since March of this year.
More recently, the CBSA identified 55 international flights which carried passengers who were infected with the coronavirus into Canada.
The Privy Council Office is hiring a “storyteller” and visual communications team lead to help promote Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s messaging.
According to the job description, successful candidates will be paid up to $96,461 for “non-partisan” communications to promote Trudeau’s and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland’s work.
“We’re looking for talented writers who can draft high-quality communications products and messages that tell a story about what the government is doing and why. Ideally, we are looking for people who can meticulously edit and parallel review in English and French,” says the job description.
“A keen interest in history and a hunger for current events and breaking news will help drive you as you write about high-profile domestic and world events.”
Applicants are also required to submit a writing sample that answers one of the following three questions:
If you could only have one superpower, what would it be and what would you use it for?
What have you learned about yourself since the beginning of the pandemic that surprised you the most?
If you could time travel, where and when would you go, and why?
Those who are chosen for the job will also be required to undergo a secret security clearance to work with the Privy Council Office in support of the Prime Minister’s Office.
Two streams of work are available for prospective applicants.
The first stream works in producing communications products for the prime minister. Daily duties for the job include writing news releases, congratulatory messages to foreign representatives or drafting statements for the prime minister himself.
In the second stream, employees will work on the social media team which includes writing tweets for Trudeau and developing a social media strategy for major initiatives.
“In both roles, you will work on a team where peer support and feedback is viewed as an integral part of the writing process. We consider advice from all team members – regardless of level – on each product we write to help make sure that all of our work reflects the diversity of the Canadian public we serve,” claims the job posting.
A top public health expert is urging Canadians not to overreact to the daily coronavirus numbers and instead to adapt to living with the reality of the coronavirus.
The warning comes as several provinces, including Ontario, are considering re-entering another lockdown to combat a surge in coronavirus cases this autumn.
Vivek Goel, who is a professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public health and member of the COVID-19 Immunity Task Force made the comments during an interview with True North’s Anthony Furey.
“What we seem to have developed, by and large, is a view that we need to focus on eliminating COVID-19,” said Goel.
“We have to think about what the world is going to be like until there are effective vaccines fully deployed, and even in that scenario we may still have some cases. So it means we have to learn how to live with this.”
On Wednesday, 20 doctors and academics published an open letter urging Ontario Premier Doug Ford to not plunge the province into another lockdown.
“Lockdowns have been shown not to eliminate the virus. While they slow the spread of the virus, this only lasts as long as the lockdown lasts,” read the letter.
“This creates a situation where there is no way to end the lockdown, and society cannot move forward in vitally important ways including in the health sector, the economy and other critically important instrumental goods including education, recreation and healthy human social interactions.”
In recent weeks, Ontario has ramped up coronavirus restrictions as new infections continue to grow at alarming rates. On Friday, the province announced that it would curb the capacity of restaurants and bars, meanwhile, Quebec also announced that the province was under a red alert status.
However, according to Goel, Canada is in a good place this fall compared to when the country was first plunged into lockdown.
“If we look at how many companies and organizations still have people working from home, so the number of daily interactions are limited, we have physical distancing and other requirements, we don’t have big conferences, sports events, theatres — so we are already starting from a baseline of control measures that didn’t exist back in March,” said Goal.
“Even in the worst-case scenarios, we’re not looking at having our health-care systems completely overwhelmed,” said Goel.
Canada’s fertility rate has hit an all-time low, according to data by Statistics Canada.
A report released on Tuesday reveals that Canada’s fertility rate has declined to 1.47 birth per woman, down from 3.94 in 1959.
“Canada’s TFR (Total Fertility Rate)has been below the replacement rate of 2.1 births per women since 1971, meaning that the number of babies being born is not enough for the current population to replace itself,” claims Statistics Canada.
“With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is possible that birth rates may have changed. In addition, if immigration levels were to fall, fertility rates would become more important for population growth to be sustained.”
The report also revealed that in the last 60 years, the average age for women to have their first child increased by approximately 6 years.
In 1959, the age of first-time mothers was 23.2 years old but by 2019 women were waiting on average until they were 29.4 years old to have their firstborn.
“This trend, common in other countries including the United States, coincides with increased participation for women aged 25 to 54 years in the workforce and a rise in university-educated women,” claims Statistics Canada.
Despite the falling fertility rates in Canada, one controversial advocacy group has been calling on Canadians to have fewer children to reduce their carbon footprint.
A number of billboards erected by the World Population Balance organization calls on people to “hasten progress toward a small family norm, leading to a sustainable world population.”
“We want to get Canada talking about overpopulation. A surprising number of journalists, elected officials, and the public are unaware the world is overpopulated or uncomfortable talking about it.” said WPB Executive Director Dave Gardner, in a news release.
“[People] don’t realize the solution to overpopulation – and much of the environmental destruction it causes – is simply to embrace the accelerating trend toward freely chosen smaller families.”
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland isn’t saying just how much in the red Canada’s books will be this year, blaming the effect such a statement might have on markets.
Speaking to the Senate on Thursday, Freeland refused all attempts by senators to learn if her government will let the deficit surpass $400 billion.
“I will not make projections today concerning the deficit,” she said.
“That would not be prudent. I am the minister of finance. I know that everything I say has an impact on the market in Canada.”
In July, the government projected a $343.2 billion deficit for the upcoming fiscal year. In August, Freeland announced that the deficit has increased $39 billion higher than the previous estimate.
When pressed by Conservative Senator Claude Carignan on how big the deficit will get, Freeland said spending will be dependent on how many coronavirus cases there will be this year.
Canada has seen an increase in the number of coronavirus cases in recent weeks, with both Ontario and Quebec both declaring second waves and issuing new lockdowns.
Freeland’s remarks come as the Senate considers Bill C-4, a government bill which promises new benefits for people affected by coronavirus.
In an interview with True North, Senator Carignan said senators should know Canada’s fiscal situation before they vote on a bill which may cost billions.
“I felt that it wasn’t a big preoccupation to limit the deficit. It seems to not be a target,” he said.
“We have to make sure we do not have a preoccupation with spreading money everywhere just to win votes, and not necessarily the places that need to have it to save enterprises.”
Carignan says that if recent statements by Freeland and her predecessor Bill Morneau are accurate, the deficit will grow far beyond $400 billion this year. Carignan added that even if Freeland understands the importance of limiting spending, it does not appear Prime Minister Justin Trudeau cares.
“I think the prime minister doesn’t care about the deficit. He doesn’t care about spending money. I think he may have some wording that demonstrates he cares about [the deficit], but that will only be for a political move.”
Professors across North America took part in a “scholar strike” when the school year started, suspending lessons to propagandize on race relations using critical race theory. Ontario’s Wilfrid Laurier University was one of the schools at which professors participated in this “strike” – even getting backing from the school’s administration. Laurier professor William McNally joined True North’s The Andrew Lawton Show to discuss academia’s latest embrace of woke politics over academic rigour.
Alberta and Saskatchewan both lost thousands of residents to other provinces as coronavirus lockdowns and record low global oil prices wreaked havoc on the economy.
According to recent population statistics, Alberta recorded a net loss of 2,733 residents due to interprovincial migration in the second quarter of 2020. Saskatchewan recorded a loss of 2,874 in the same period.
Alberta and Saskatchewan lost significantly more people to interprovincial migration than any other province and region. British Columbia recorded a net gain of 7,940 in the second quarter. Atlantic Canada and the Territories also saw a net gain.
While losing thousands to interprovincial migration, both Alberta and Saskatchewan are still predicting a small population gain in 2020 due to natural growth and immigration.
University of Calgary economics Professor Blake Shaffer told the Calgary Herald that it is historically quite rare for Alberta to lose people to other provinces than it gains.
“This doesn’t happen that often. (Statistics) go back to the 1960s. We had a big exodus in the late 1980s from economic malaise here. And we had a pretty sizeable downturn around 2016,” Shaffer said.
“First and foremost, this is an economic story, in terms of economic weakness in the province and job losses, with people leaving for opportunities.”
Throughout 2020, residents of Alberta and Saskatchewan have faced significant economic hardship because of the coronavirus pandemic and record low global oil prices.
The Conference Board of Canada claims the Albertan economy will be the worst hit by the global pandemic compared to other provinces. The think tank estimates that Alberta’s GDP will contract by 11.3% in 2020.
In the spring, oil producers severely cut back production as global oil prices hit record lows, putting Canada’s energy sector at risk of collapse. Western Canada’s energy sector continues to face more hardship due to a lack of pipeline capacity.
In September, 53% of Albertans reported being either unemployed or under reduced hours or wages, higher than any other province.
Two BC residents are being charged in relation to an alleged decade-long fraudulent refugee claims scheme.
61-year-old lawyer Roger Bhatti and 52-year-old interpreter Sofiane Dahak are facing multiple charges related to activities alleged to have taken place between 2002 and 2014.
According to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), the agency began looking into the operation in 2012. As a result of the investigation, a number of refugee claimants were removed from Canada after it was discovered that they did not actually meet the criteria.
Search warrants against the two were first conducted in 2014.
“Canada’s refugee system assists people who are forced to flee their countries because of a well-founded fear of persecution,” said CBSA Regional Director General for the Pacific Region Nina Patel.
“Trying to ‘game the system’ by falsification and misrepresentation of information is not only illegal, but delays the processing of genuine refugees in need of protection. This is a serious issue and the CBSA is committed to holding offenders accountable.”
The pair face over two dozen charges combined, including forgery, causing a person to use forged documents, knowingly misrepresenting facts that can induce error and counselling or attempting to counsel misrepresentation.
Both of the accused will be appearing before the Surrey Provincial Court on October 6th at 10 a.m. PT.
