Halifax Transit employees 'concerned' about working without safety measures - HalifaxToday.ca

The president of the union representing transit workers said the lack of safety measures and restrictions on Halifax Transit vehicles is "concerning" to many employees.

Currently, Halifax Transit buses and ferries are operating without any restrictions except a mandatory mask policy.

“It still stands as full-service, no restrictions and it’s concerning,” Ken Wilson, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 508, told NEWS 95.7's The Rick Howe Show. “It’s concerning for my members and it’s concerning for our passengers and our clients.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit Nova Scotia last year, the transit union asked for safety measures such as reduced passenger capacity and rear-door boarding, which meant fares were waived.

“A year ago in March, we asked for exactly what we asked for this time,” he said. “No one knew how bad the pandemic was going to be. It was basically a Northwood illness in the first wave. But nonetheless, we put those restrictions in place; the employer agreed with every request that we asked for except for enforcement of masks from March through July.

“Now, we’re here with community spread. And it needs to be recognized that public transit is the definition of community spread because we go from one community to another in the same bus.”

For example, he said the bus route 61 Auburn—North Preston reaches four or five different communities from North Preston to areas in Halifax.

He also said bus route 3 Crosstown is another long route that travels from Lacewood in Halifax to several areas in Dartmouth.

Just this week, route 61, route 3 and several other Halifax Transit bus routes have been listed as potential COVID-19 exposure sites.

On April 26, the municipality said transit users may experience bus delays or cancellations this week.

That's due to some Halifax Transit employees being off work due to being potentially exposed to COVID-19 or even contracting the virus, which two employees are currently experiencing.

“No one’s wiping down the back windows; no one’s wiping down the poles where the people sit. It happens one time at night — and that’s it.” he said. “I don’t know why Dr. Strang doesn’t understand this.”

Meanwhile still full service with ZERO social distancing measures @hfxtransit. @ATU_508 members told they don't need to self isolate if on exposed routes by their employer. After contacting Public Health ordered to self isolate. @hfxgov @dubehalifax1 https://t.co/8seBZuUm5O

— Ken Wilson (@ATU508Pres) April 30, 2021

One concern Wilson said the employees have is about testing for COVID-19. He said they’ve been receiving “mixed messages.”

Wilson said that if an employee has been exposed, they’re being told to call Public Health like other Nova Scotians.

However, he said Public Health is saying transit operators are at a low risk of catching COVID-19 because of the precautions in place.

Those precautions include wearing a face mask and being partially separated by a Plexiglass barrier.

“We just want clear, concise guidelines from Public Health,” he said. “Because my members believe it, I’m starting to believe it, that whoever’s telling Dr. Strang and his team about transit, they’re not hearing the full story.

“It’s a concern. We’re in the fourteenth month of the pandemic.”

As an example, Wilson said the Cape Breton Regional Municipality put physical distancing measures on its buses this week.

“Any employer can exceed Public Health’s minimum standards,” he said. “Why are we aiming for the bottom and not the top? That’s the question that needs to be asked.”

As Nova Scotia experienced its second wave of COVID-19 at the end of last year, members of the transit union were also concerned about the lack of enforcement of Halifax Transit's mandatory mask policy.

“All we want the employer to do is listen to us; we’re asking for very simple measures to keep everyone safe,” Wilson said. “If you’re not going to vaccinate the transit system, the transit workers, you’re going to vaccinate the police over transit, that’s the first problem. And we’re seeing this now in the bigger cities, that transit workers aren’t being vaccinated and we’re still having more community spread.

“I don’t know what else to do.”

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Mayor of COVID-19 hotspot Banff says she’s disappointed over J&J vaccine delays - Global News

Officials in some COVID-19 hot spots awaited word on immunization efforts Saturday after learning Health Canada was holding back expected Johnson & Johnson vaccines over safety concerns, while several provinces continued to set new critical care and case count records.

Mayor Karen Sorensen of Banff, Alta., thanked provincial health officials for exploring alternate sources Saturday after learning shipments of the single-dose vaccine expected to arrive in Alberta Monday were paused.

“We are disappointed that the Johnson & Johnson vaccines earmarked for Alberta are delayed, but we value the work of Health Canada to ensure they have the information needed to verify the safety of every single dose,” Sorensen said in a statement.

Read more: Banff mayor sees increased need for COVID-19 vaccinations in younger demographics

Plans to distribute the first 300,000 doses were put on hold after Health Canada learned part of the vaccines were manufactured at a Maryland facility that botched 15 million doses bound for the U.S. market.

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Health Canada said Friday it’s seeking information from the FDA and J&J’s pharmaceutical arm, Janssen, to determine if the doses shipped to Canada meet required safety standards.

The Alberta government had planned to split 34,700 doses between Banff and the Rural Municipality of Wood Buffalo, which includes Fort McMurray and has the province’s highest case rate.

The province had not yet indicated if the delay would affect the vaccine program in the Wood Buffalo, a spokesman for the regional government said Saturday.

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When asked what the alternate plan is for the hot spots, an Alberta government spokesman pointed to statements Health Minister Tyler Shandro made on Twitter Friday.

“Despite this setback, we fully intend to keep our commitment to the people of Banff and (Wood Buffalo). Alberta Health officials are urgently looking into how we can deliver doses from other sources,” Shandro wrote, while adding that incoming doses of different vaccines are often already earmarked for other phases.

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“We hope this is only a brief delay.”

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Residents of the two Alberta hot spots are among several priority groups across Canada who were looking forward to the promise of J&J shipments next week.

“Like other communities, we will wait our turn and remain vigilant in following all health protocols to stop the spread until everyone is immunized,” Sorensen said.

Read more: Alberta changes COVID-19 vaccine rollout to support RMWB and Banff

The Emergent Biosolutions facility in Baltimore was recently cited by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for violations including cleaning and sterilization failures, the potential for cross-contamination and failure to follow required protocols.

Health Canada had already cleared 1.5 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine made at the facility, but did not think the Canadian J&J doses had any connection to that plant.

Health Canada now says the drug substance that makes up part of the J&J vaccine was actually produced there and then shipped elsewhere for the vaccines to be completed.

Word of the delay came hours before a number of COVID-19 hot spots reported continued high case counts and troubling virus-related hospitalization rates, though there were signs of hope in some jurisdictions.

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While Ontario recorded 900 patients in its intensive care units for the first time since the onset of the pandemic, overall hospitalizations dipped slightly to 2,152. The province recorded 3,369 new infections.

Public health experts in that province also called for urgent action after an independent commission’s report on the long-term care sector detailed devastating failures and found the province was ill-equipped to face COVID-19.

Read more: COVID-19 hospitalizations, ICU admissions growing for younger Canadians amid 3rd wave

Hospitalizations also declined in Quebec for the fourth straight day, with the province reporting 578 patients seeking treatment for COVID-19. The province also added 1,101 new infections to its overall tally.

Nova Scotia recorded a single-day high for new cases with 148, though Premier Iain Rankin had warned residents of an impending spike as provincial laboratories work their way through a testing backlog.

Alberta’s COVID-19 case numbers also continued to soar with an additional 2,433 infections, marking the third straight day that cases breached 2,000.

The J&J vaccine has not been administered in Canada so far, and the National Advisory Committee on Immunization hasn’t yet provided guidance on how they think it should be used.

However, several provinces already made plans for the expected doses, including Alberta, where Premier Jason Kenney said they would be directed to hot spots.

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Read more: Quebec reports 3rd case of blood clot linked to AstraZeneca vaccine out of 500,000 doses administered

Quebec’s public health director Horacio Arruda said he expected the 67,000 doses of J&J vaccine destined for the province would only be given to people over 45, same as for the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said last Monday officials hadn’t finalized plans but were looking at targeting certain populations with the doses.

“This is a single-dose vaccine and it’s fridge stable once it’s been thawed and repackaged and shipped to us, so that gives us some flexibility in targeting certain populations, particularly people who may be challenging to find for Dose 2,” Henry said last Monday.

Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, repeated calls to follow public health measures even if you have received a COVID-19 shot.

“Regardless of vaccination status, as infection rates remain high, it is essential that we all continue to follow public health advice and keep up with individual precautions to help stop the rapid spread of COVID-19 in our communities,” she said in a tweet.

© 2021 The Canadian Press

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Wagons east: Meet the homeowners driving a real-estate exodus to Atlantic Canada - The Globe and Mail

Julie Gardner of Oakville, Ont., talks about her upcoming move to Lower Sackville, N.S. Her son Justin and dogs Teddy and Missy are coming with her, though partner Chris Slade is staying behind temporarily until Ms. Gardner finds work out east.

Glenn Lowson/The Globe and Mail

Tim Richardson last August traded traffic gridlock and a grinding commute from Oshawa, Ont. for a wetsuit, a home near the ocean and an office on the Halifax waterfront with a sweeping view of the harbour.

Meanwhile, Julie Gardner and her Oakville, Ont. family are excited to move this month to their new home: a leafy, suburban property with a big yard, mature trees – and a cozy, three-bedroom bungalow in Lower Sackville, N.S. that they’ve never actually set foot inside.

Both swapped the Greater Toronto Area for Atlantic Canada during the pandemic, joining a wave of Canadians moving east. Many buy homes sight-unseen as the influx drives up prices. But they’re also bringing economic activity – in Mr. Richardson’s case, his Ontario-based firm Jonas Software is in the middle of a hiring spree that could bring 100 new employees to Nova Scotia.

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“I know I’m part of the problem,” joked Mr. Richardson, Jonas’ chief operating officer who transferred to help open its new Halifax office. “But at least I brought 30 jobs with me.”

Tired of renting and facing increasingly out of reach housing prices in the GTA, Ms. Gardner found a Nova Scotia realtor this spring. She and her partner Chris Slade bought a 1,600-square foot home in a suburb of Halifax, listed for $255,000. They went $70,000 above asking, and won the bidding war in a community where the average list price of a detached house is still under $300,000. Ms. Gardiner’s mortgage will cost less than she pays to rent in Oakville.

The whole transaction was done virtually, with their realtor “walking” them through the house during a video call on her cell phone. “My husband said, this is crazy, we can’t buy a home we’ve never been inside,” said Ms. Gardner, who moves in May 17. “But the East Coast is like the last frontier for home ownership.”

The trouble with ‘bubble’: Why Canada’s red-hot housing market is defying the burst

Canadian home prices jump 1.5 per cent in March

In Nova Scotia, from Halifax to the Annapolis Valley to Cape Breton, house sales hit another all-time high in March, up almost 66 per cent from the previous year. The average price of homes sold that month was up almost 27 per cent from the previous year. New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador are all reporting similar record spikes in home sales, according to national data from the Canadian Real Estate Association. In Nova Scotia, where housing prices have been historically higher than neighbouring provinces, there were 1,577 units sold in March – more than anywhere else in Atlantic Canada.

In Halifax, where record population increases have made it the second-fastest growing city in Canada, these well-educated, often young, mobile newcomers are bringing affluence and intellectual capital with them. Combined with a growing influx of international immigrants, transplanted Canadians motivated to move east during the pandemic are changing the region’s demographics.

“It’s gone bananas,” said Maggie MacGillivray of Golden Realty Group, a Bedford-based firm. “And it’s not just COVID, this started well before that. It used to be that new immigrants would settle in Toronto first before coming here. Now they’re coming directly.”

She says around 40 per cent of her clients are now buyers from Ontario, and they include doctors, business professionals and tech-sector-types who can afford to pay significantly more for homes than locals because they’re cashing in their properties in some of Canada’s most populous areas.

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These out-of-province buyers are dramatically changing the real estate market, said Donna Malone, president of the Nova Scotia Association of Realtors. They’re routinely offering $100,000 above-asking, waiving conditions and outbidding others as part of an aggressive buying style that’s new to the province. Many of them are “ex-pat” Maritimers returning home, but many others are like Ms. Gardner, people with no previous connection to the region.

“This is unprecedented. As fast as houses are being listed, they’re selling. We’ve never seen this in Nova Scotia before,” Ms. Malone said. “One thing we’ve learned from this pandemic is we have the technology to free ourselves from office spaces.”

Buying real estate for the first time means dealing with an array of new terms and acronyms. Here are some explanations for some of the most common a buyer might come across. The Globe and Mail

The province trying to capitalize on the phenomenon. It’s using a national ad campaign with the tagline, “If you can do your job from anywhere, do it from here,” as part of what the province sees as a once in a generation chance to draw a younger, wealthier workforce to the east coast.

“Not since the age of sail have we been this poised for growth. I believe we’re entering a new era of prosperity for Nova Scotia,” said Scott Brison, the former MP and cabinet minister who is leading the province’s new Economic Growth Council, an advisory body trying to help attract more tech start-ups and entrepreneurs to Nova Scotia.

Mr. Brison argues the pandemic is eroding the historical economic advantage of big urban centres.

“During COVID, we’re seeing Nova Scotia being viewed as a bit of a magnet for talented people who want to live in a place that combines a high quality of life with opportunities,” he said.

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Nova Scotia hopes to become Canada’s “start-up capital” built around the talent pool in its universities and research strengths such as clean tech and ocean sciences, Mr. Brison said. He acknowledged it’s a “slightly audacious” goal to try to build a Silicon Valley of the east, but believes it can be done by introducing regulatory, tax, innovation and immigration policies that will encourage more growth.

Mr. Richardson said his software company considered a number of Canadian cities before it opened an office in the Nova Scotian capital. About half of its 30 Halifax employees were recruited from outside the province. They’re drawn to work in a place where they can afford a sizeable house instead of a condo, and have more enjoyable lifestyle, he said.

“Halifax checked all the boxes,” said Mr. Richardson, who added that local economic development organizations introduced him to people running invaluable grant programs and internships.

More and more working-age Canadians are moving into Nova Scotia, instead of leaving – a positive trend that began in 2015 after years of departures. Between July 2019 and July 2020, it had a net gain of 2,705 people between the ages of 18 and 64 from other provinces – an indicator economists suggest means the prepandemic growth is expected to continue after COVID-19 is under control.

A month before moving day, boxes are piling up inside Ms. Gardner and Mr. Slade's garage in Oakville.

Glenn Lowson/The Globe and Mail

Ms. Gardner, a first aid and defibrillator instructor who lost her job at the start of the pandemic, said she was growing tired of the traffic and unaffordable lifestyle of southern Ontario and wanted a “new direction.” She fell in love with Nova Scotia in 2019, when she helped run a bed and breakfast for a summer, and started thinking about more permanent move.

“It was honestly one of the happiest times in my life,” she said.

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Because Nova Scotia requires most visitors to self-isolate for two weeks upon arrival, Ms. Gardner and her husband chose to shop for homes virtually. They bid on three other listings before they were finally successful.

“These type of sight-unseen sales are becoming increasingly common,” said Anna Huschman, the couple’s realtor, who said she’s getting calls from out-of-province buyers every day. “We have people coming from all across Canada, and even further away. People want to be here, and they’re willing to do whatever they have to do to be here.”

The average price of homes sold across all of Nova Scotia in March was a record $362,988, up almost 27 per cent from the previous year. That’s still significantly less than the average price of a home sold in Ontario ($890,035) or British Columbia ($945,936).

This may be great news for sellers, but it also inspires concern. Kelvin Ndoro, a Halifax-based analyst with the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, warns that the city’s housing market is becoming overheated, part of a trend that began with five straight years of net interprovincial migration gains and increasing international immigration, and now amplified by COVID-19.

“The pandemic has only increased the interest in our housing market, and some of those pressures,” Mr. Ndoro said. “And those impacts have not been evenly spread across all income groups. Those employed in lower-income industries have been less able to adapt to the pandemic, and this ultimately affects first-time home buyers the most.”

The 2021 Demographia International Housing Affordability report shows a number of metropolitan cities are worsening, with Canada now holding two of the top five rankings. We compare what your money buys in Canada, and how far it goes overseas.

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Health Canada holding off on Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine distribution - CBC News

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Who have provinces pegged to receive COVID-19 vaccines in the coming weeks? - CTV News

As COVID-19 vaccine supplies ramp up across the country, most provinces and territories have released details of who can expect to receive a shot in the coming weeks.

The military commander handling logistics for Canada's vaccine distribution program says there will be enough vaccine delivered to give a first dose before Canada Day to every adult who wants one.

Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin says that's if provinces follow the advice to delay second doses up to four months.

He also cautions that it is dependent on having no production delays again.

Health Canada anticipates a total of 36.5 million doses from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine from the Serum Institute of India by June 30.

Provinces initially suspended giving AstraZeneca shots to people under the age of 55 based on an advisory committee's advice, but their recommendation changed on April 23 to reflect that the shot is safe for anyone aged 30 and older.

Provinces have yet to move the threshold quite that low, however.

There are approximately 31 million Canadians over 16, and no vaccines are approved for anyone younger than 16.

Here's a list of the inoculation plans throughout Canada:

NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR

Residents who are between the ages of 55 to 64 have access to the AstraZeneca vaccine.

People 65 and older, Indigenous adults, people considered "clinically extremely vulnerable" and rotational workers, truck drivers and flight crew have access to the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.

NOVA SCOTIA

Residents as young as 55 can now book an appointment for a Pfizer of Moderna vaccine.

The province has also expanded access to the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to residents aged 40 to 54.

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

People in the province aged 40 to 59 can now book appointments for a COVID-19 vaccine.

People 16 years and older who have certain underlying medical conditions, pregnant woman and eligible members of their household can also get a vaccine.

NEW BRUNSWICK

People as young as 60 can begin booking vaccination appointments.

Individuals 40 years old and older with three or more select chronic health conditions are also eligible.

Officials said the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine will be available to people aged 40 to 54 by April 30.

QUEBEC

Quebecers aged 50 to 59 can now book appointments to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

Health Minister Christian Dube has said that all adult Quebecers will be able to make a vaccination appointment by mid-May and receive a COVID-19 vaccine by the end of June.

Over the next two weeks, appointments will rapidly open to Quebecers in descending order of age -- dropping by five years every two or three days -- until May 14, when they will be available to people aged 18 to 24.

Quebec has also expanded AstraZeneca availability to people as young as 45. Pregnant women could begin booking vaccine appointments April 28.

The province has now administered more than 3.1 million doses of vaccine.

ONTARIO

The province will send half its vaccine supply for the first two weeks of May to 114 postal codes identified as hot spots, an increase from the 25 per cent allocation those areas currently get.

The move follows a recommendation from the province's science advisers to allocate shots based on transmission rate rather than age group to reduce hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19.

The government said it will return to a per capita distribution for vaccines on the week of May 17.

Ontario is also working to lower age eligibility for the vaccine throughout May, saying those 50 and older can book shots at mass vaccination clinics starting next week. If supply holds, the province expects to make those 18 and older eligible for a shot at mass sites provincewide on the week of May 24.

In hot spots, the province said those 18 and older will be able to book vaccines at mass sites starting Monday.

Vaccine eligibility will also open Monday to those with high-risk health conditions, such as obesity, developmental disabilities and treatments requiring immunosuppression. A group of employees who cannot work from home − including food manufacturing workers and foster care workers − also become eligible.

MANITOBA

Manitoba is using the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for First Nations people aged 30 and up and others aged 50 and up. These are available through a few channels including so-called supersites in larger communities. Health officials plan to continue reducing the age minimum, bit by bit, over the coming months.

All front-line police officers and firefighters, regardless of age, qualify as well. All adults who are pregnant, who receive community living disability services or who work in any health-care setting -- including outpatient locations and the province's vaccine warehouse -- can book an appointment as well

The province is also allowing anyone 40 and over to get an Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine through pharmacies and medical clinics, subject to availability. People 30-39 can get a shot if they have certain underlying health conditions such as chronic liver failure or severe obesity.

The province is also vaccinating all adults in high-risk areas, including the north of the province and core areas of Winnipeg and Brandon.

Roughly 37 per cent of Manitoba's adult population has had at least one vaccine dose.

SASKATCHEWAN

The Saskatchewan Health Authority has opened up bookings for residents aged 40 and older. The minimum age for people living in the Far North is 30.

All workers identified as priority are also eligible for shots starting Friday. Additional workers include police, firefighters, public-health inspectors, teachers and educational staff working with students.

The province previously expanded the vaccine delivery plan for people in more vulnerable groups to include all pregnant women and 16- and 17-year-olds who are considered clinically extremely vulnerable.

Saskatchewan also dropped the age at which people can receive the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to 40 from 55.

There are drive-thru and walk-in vaccination clinics in communities across the province.

ALBERTA

Another group of 650,000 Albertans became eligible to book appointments starting Apr. 30.

The final two groups in Phase 2 include vulnerable Albertans and those who support them, workers at locations with potential for large outbreaks, Albertans aged 50 and older, and all First Nations, Inuit and Metis people aged 35 and older.

It also includes front-line police officers and provincial sheriffs who interact with residents at shelters, correctional facilities and remand centres, border security staff and firefighters.

Albertans born in 2009 or earlier with high-risk underlying health conditions are eligible for shots.

Health-care workers can still book appointments: physicians, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, their office staff, lab workers, practicum students in clinical areas, as well as health workers on First Nations reserves and Metis settlements.

Previously, shots have been available to front-line health workers, staff and residents in supportive living facilities.

For the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, the province has lowered the minimum age to 40 from 55. For those living in the hot spots of Banff and Lake Louise as well as the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, the age for AstraZeneca is 30.

The Moderna vaccine is also available to Indigenous people in Wood Buffalo as young as 30.

More than 250 pharmacies are offering immunizations. Ten physicians clinics across the province are also providing shots as part of a pilot project, which could be expanded this month.

About 15,000 workers at 136 meat-packing plants across the province can also get shots at on-site clinics, pharmacies and health clinics.

Alberta has said it is extending the time between the first dose and the second to four months. But some cancer patients are able to book a second dose 21 to 28 days after their first.

Health Minister Tyler Shandro has said the province expects to offer all Albertans 18 and over a first dose by the end of June.

BRITISH COLUMBIA

The province has lowered the eligibility age for people to register for COVID-19 vaccinations.

The Ministry of Health says all adults over the age of 18 are now eligible to register for vaccines through the province's Get Vaccinated program.

Once registered, users receive a confirmation code. They then wait for an email, text or call telling them they're eligible and can book their vaccine appointment using that code.

Health authorities are also targeting so-called hot spot communities that have been hardest hit by COVID-19 with dedicated clinics, which the provincial government says are using its "limited" supply of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.

B.C. has lowered the age for those eligible to receive the AstraZeneca shot to 30, starting with those in `hot spot' communities and adding appointments at pharmacies as supplies improve.

Firefighters, police and paramedics, meanwhile, are being vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines alongside staff at schools and childcare centres.

The province says more than 1.78 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccines have been administered, with nearly 40 per cent of eligible people having received their first dose. More than 90,000 people have received both shots.

NUNAVUT

Nunavut has opened vaccinations to anyone 18 and older.

It is also offering shots to rotational workers coming from Southern Canada.

The territory had expected to finish its vaccine rollout of first and second doses by the end of April.

NORTHWEST TERRITORIES

The Northwest Territories is also providing vaccine to those 18 and older and had expected to finish its rollout by the end of April.

It is similarly offering shots to rotational workers and mine employees coming from southern Canada.

YUKON

More than 48,000 doses of Moderna vaccine have been administered in Yukon.

More than 70 per cent of Yukon residents have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and more than 53 per cent of the population has now been fully vaccinated.

Health officials say that means they can reduce the hours of operation at the Whitehorse vaccine clinic.

Deputy health minister Stephen Samis says they'll scale down operations and focus some efforts on other vaccinations, including pre-kindergarten and routine childhood vaccines.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 1, 2021.

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