Covid-19: Provincial And Federal Briefings – September 25, 2020 - Government Measures

A summary of the day's activities of Friday, September 25, follows.

Federal Government Relief Measures

There are no federal government relief measures to announce today.

Statement of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is reinstating his regular updates on COVID-19. Today, he joined Canada's public health officials to provide an update on the federal government's response to COVID-19.

Federal Government Briefings

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Minister of Public Services and Procurement Canada Anita Anand
Dr. Theresa Tam, Chief Public Health Officer of Canada
Dr. Howard Njoo, Deputy Chief Public Health Officer of Canada

The Prime Minister announced an agreement with AstraZeneca to procure up to 20 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate that is in development with the University of Oxford. This agreement adds to those already reached with Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Novavax, Pfizer, and Moderna. With these agreements in place, the government has secured access for Canadians to six leading vaccine candidates.

The Prime Minister also announced Canada's participation in the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) Facility, a global procurement mechanism that will help deliver fair, equitable, and timely access to COVID-19 vaccines. The Government of Canada is committing approximately $220 million to the Facility to procure up to 15 million vaccine doses for Canadians. An additional $220 million will be channeled through the COVAX Advance Market Commitment to purchase doses for low- and middle-income countries "because we cannot beat this virus in Canada unless we end it everywhere."

Minister Anand pointed out the Government "had secured access to a guaranteed minimum of 154 million doses of vaccines for Canadians." She did caution that a successful vaccine would not be administered to Canadians unless "its safety, efficacy and manufacturing quality" had been approved by Health Canada

Dr. Tam confirmed there have been 149,094 cases of COVID-19 in Canada, including 9,249 deaths. Eighty-six per cent of people have now recovered. Labs across Canada tested an average of almost 70,000 people daily over the past week, with 1.4 per cent testing positive. An average of 1,175 cases have been reported daily across Canada during the most recent seven days.

Dr. Tam then stated that we are seeing an increase in daily case counts nationally, with the most rapid rises in Quebec and Ontario. The number of COVID-19 cases in hospitals is also on the rise in these two provinces, as well as in British Columbia and Saskatchewan. She said, "These are worrying signs. We know how quickly the virus can spread. These surges in cases can overwhelm public health and health care system resources in localized areas."

Dr. Tam asked Canadians to "re-commit to following the individual protective measures that we know work" to reduce the risk of transmission and urged everyone "to limit their in-person close contacts, as much as possible" to prevent a further escalation of the epidemic.

The issue of rapid testing resurfaced again. The Prime Minister said the process for approval was expedited during the spring. He added that Health Canada must be allowed to conduct its assessments free of political interference to ensure that approved tests are safe and efficient.

Dr. Tam added that regulators in foreign jurisdictions "had set the bar fairly low" for the approval of rapid tests, indicating that Health Canada cannot rely on the approval of foreign regulators as a benchmark for approval in Canada. Dr. Tam said she had reached out to Health Canada to get an update on the approval process. She reported, "Health Canada was trying to evaluate a whole range of tests with very little data submitted by the suppliers. This delays the assessment process." She promised an update next week.

The Prime Minister does not believe that some of the goodwill the federal government has earned with provinces and territories has dissipated with the proposal in the Throne Speech to take action on child care, pharmacare, and long-term care, which are all areas of provincial jurisdictions. The Prime Minister reiterated his respect for provincial jurisdiction but underlined the need to work with the provinces during the pandemic. He said, "We will continue unapologetically to focus on Canadians and work alongside the provinces and work with the provinces on making sure we are delivering the supports Canadians needs. I made a promise to have Canadians' backs and we will do that in partnership with the provinces."

The Prime Minister reiterated his pledge to discuss health care transfers (HCT) with provinces and territories in the weeks and months to come. While not committing to a firm deliverable, the Prime Minister said, "I undertake to continue working with the provinces to help people."

Statement of Ontario Premier Doug Ford

At a news conference at Queen's Park, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced the fourth part of the government`s fall COVID-19 preparedness plan, Keeping Ontarians Safe: Preparing for Future Waves of COVID-19. Deputy Premier and Minister of Health Christine Elliott joined the Premier.

Premier Ford announced the government was investing $741 million to help clear the backlog of surgeries and build more capacity in the health care system to manage effectively surges and outbreaks in COVID-19 cases.

Premier Ford also announced that the government is preparing to respond to any potential surges of COVID-19 without interrupting the delivery of routine health care services. The government is investing $457.5 million to increase community capacity, including home and community care, to help reduce pressure on the health care system and expand the delivery of care.

Earlier this morning, the Office of the Premier issued a press release announcing the Ontario government had amended order O. Reg 364/20: Rules for Areas in Stage 3 under the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2020, to tighten public health measures in response to the recent rise in cases of COVID-19.

The amended order will apply province-wide effective 12:01 a.m. on Saturday September 26 and will:

Apply additional measures and restrictions to restaurants, bars and other food and drink establishments (including nightclubs) by prohibiting the sale of alcohol after 11 p.m., and prohibiting the consumption of alcohol on the premises after 12:00 a.m. until 9:00 a.m. (including employees), and requiring establishments to close by 12:00 a.m. and remain closed until 5:00 a.m. except for takeout or delivery;
Close all strip clubs across the province; and
Require businesses or organizations to comply with any advice, recommendations, and instructions issued by the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health on screening for COVID-19, including screening individuals who wish to enter their premises.

Premier Ford defended the government's decision to tighten public health measures to ensure the continued health and safety of Ontarians, reduce the risk of transmission, and limit future outbreaks of COVID-19.

"Last week our government took immediate action to respond to the recent rise in COVID-19 cases by setting new limits for certain social gatherings and organized public events across Ontario. As the number of cases have continued to rise, it is evident that despite the tremendous efforts of Ontarians further action is required to prevent the spread of the virus," added Deputy Premier and Minister of Health Christine Elliott.

Premier Ford dispelled rumours that he would call a snap election. He confirmed that a provincial election would not be held before June 2, 2022.

Premier Ford said, "The government has a clear mandate from the Ontario population." He expressed confidence in his government's record and indicated that he would be prepared to defend it during the next provincial election campaign two years from now.

Statement of Quebec Ministers

This morning, Finance Minister Eric Girard announced $2.3 billion in financial aid for municipalities and public transit organizations, 50 per cent of which is funded by the federal government under the Safe Restart Agreement with the provinces and territories. Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Andrée Laforest, Transport Minister François Bonnardel, President of the Quebec Union of Municipalities Suzanne Roy and President of the Quebec Federation of Municipalities Jacques Demers, joined the minister.

Minister Dubé said Quebec's public transit organizations will share a total of $1.2 billion, including the $400 million already announced by the provincial government in June. An initial outlay of $800 million will be allocated this fall and the remaining $400 million in early 2021.

Quebec municipalities will share $800 million to offset revenue losses, cover additional costs caused by COVID-19, and allow them to play an active role in economic recovery. The funding formula is based on two component parts: a per capita amount and an amount for municipalities that have been the most affected by COVID-19. Minister Laforest promised the government would release the amount of funding allocated to each Quebec municipality shortly.

A reserve of $300 million has been set aside to address potential needs that may arise from the second wave of COVID-19. The allocation decisions will be made in the winter of 2021.

This afternoon, at a news conference in Quebec City, Minister of Health and Social Services Christian Dubé provided an update on the province's response to COVID-19. Quebec's Director of Public Health Dr. Horacio Arruda joined the Minister

Minister Dubé announced that the Montreal Metropolitan Community (MMC) and Rivière du Nord MRC region in the Laurentians moved up from the "yellow" alert level to the "orange" alert level. No new restrictions were imposed, however, despite this change in alert level.

Minister Dubé reiterated that it remains essential for everyone to reduce social contacts for the next 28 days to manage properly the second wave of the virus.

Minister Dubé confirmed that bars and restaurants were not a major source of transmission for the moment. Therefore, no further restrictions are not being considered at this time. He did acknowledge that the closure of bars and restaurants could motivate Quebecers to hold social gatherings in their homes. In the interest of maintaining balance, Minister Dubé suggested that those who do go to restaurants refrain from attending social gatherings.

Minister Dubé noted the situation is not yet alarming in long-term care hospital centers. Last week's outbreaks remained under control because of enhanced control measures and mechanisms.

Minister Dubé admitted the situation was more worrisome in seniors' residences because residents, as well as staff, have enjoyed increased outward mobility. For this reason, visits to residences within the orange alert zone have been restricted.

Elsewhere in Canada

Alberta

Yesterday, Alberta's Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw announced 158 new cases of COVID-19. Sadly, one additional death was reported.

The province released a relaunch guidance document regarding safe holiday entertaining in advance of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.

British Columbia

Yesterday, British Columbia's Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Deputy Minister of Health and Stephen Brown announced 148 new cases of COVID-19. Unfortunately, there were two deaths. There are 1,371 active cases of COVID-19 in the province and 3,417 people under active public health monitoring for known exposures.

(Note: Given a provincial election has been called in British Columbia, it is highly unlikely new policy measures regarding the government's response to COVID-19 will be unveiled during the election campaign. Implementation of BC's COVID-19 response plan will continue uninterrupted and Dr. Bonnie Henry will continue providing her daily COVID-19 updates to the people of British Columbia.)

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