COVID19, Response from the Federal Government of Canada

#COVID19, Response from the Federal Government of Canada Wednesday, April 8, 2020 Sahar-TV Network Braking News Dear Friends and Neighbours, I want to begin by once again thanking everyone in Greater Toronto Area for doing your part in the fight against COVID-19. This pandemic is unlike anything we have ever seen in Canada before, and it has touched every single one of us in a different way. Some in our community have been impacted in ways most of us will never think about or hear about in the news, and I want to say to all of you: I know this is tough, and from the bottom of my heart, thank you. Thank you all for the sacrifices you’ve made and continue to make every day to keep us all safe. As always, I want to thank everyone who is unable to work from home, and who goes out every day to do an essential service for the community. Thank you to all the frontline healthcare workers and hospital staff, to all the TTC drivers; to all the grocery store workers, and to everyone else keeping us moving through this unprecedented time. Finally, thank you to everyone who continues to call, email, and reach out through all channels with questions about the federal government’s response to COVID-19. Table of Contents Latest Federal News - Monday, April 6 Make, Make, Make and Buy, Buy, Buy Orders from the U.S. Coming Through! Canada Emergency Response Benefit Open for Applications! The Latest Update from Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam Davenport Questions and Answers Volunteer and Donation Services in Davenport - Help Out or Find Help Stay Up To Date at All Levels of Government Latest Federal News Federal Update – Tuesday, April 8 In today’s update, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced major progress in Canada’s efforts to expand domestic production of medical supplies, and procure supplies from around the world. The goal is to produce as much of our needs both now and in the future in Canada and to drastically reduce our reliance on international suppliers. The Minister of Innovation, Science, and Industry, the Honourable Navdeep Bains, also said today that Canada has a “make, make, make, and buy, buy, buy” strategy to meet all our needs. The government is: Purchasing made-in-Canada ventilators from Thornhill Medical, CAE, Ventilators for Canadians, and StarFish Medical and other manufacturing partners, including Linamar, to produce up to 30,000 ventilators. The Prime Minister added that we hope this will far exceed Canada’s needs, and if we have a surplus, these ventilators can be shared with other countries that don’t have the capacity to produce them. Working with one of Canada’s Nobel Prize-winning researchers, Dr. Art McDonald, who is leading a team of scientists at national laboratories to develop an easy-to-produce ventilator using off-the-shelf, easily accessible parts. Establishing and securing new supply chains to produce medical gowns from new Canadian sources. The Government of Canada has signed letters of intent with a total of 22 apparel manufacturers, including Arc’teryx and Canada Goose, to produce needed medical gowns for Canadian health care workers using newly-sourced Canadian material. Purchasing and producing masks to protect our health care workers. The Government of Canada has placed orders for millions of surgical masks from various companies, including Medicom, Surgo Surgical Supply, and Breathe Medical. The government is also supporting Medicom’s work to increase its capacity to produce tens of millions more surgical and N95 masks per year right here in Canada. Purchasing hand sanitizer from Canadian companies, including Fluid Energy Group Ltd. and Irving Oil. The Government of Canada is also supporting the Hand Sanitizer Manufacturing Exchange established by Cosmetics Alliance Canada, the Canadian Consumer Specialty Products Association, and Spirits Canada. Orders From the U.S. Coming Through! Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said that the government has made progress in talks to ensure equipment and supplies ordered by our government will continue to make its way into Canada and 500,000 masks from 3M are arriving tomorrow (Wednesday). She added that,“we told the U.S. that we have a mutual relationship when it comes to medical equipment and medical services, and ... both countries do best when we work together for a mutual benefit.” There was a lot of hard work and dialogue on both sides of the border to ensure a common understanding and to reach this successful conclusion. Canada’s ambition is to reduce its dependence on international suppliers, and to date over 5,000 companies have contacted the Canadian government to pitch in. At the same time, the team of the Minister of Public Services and Procurement, the Honourable Anita Anand, is working around the clock to procure supplies in a highly competitive global environment. Minister Anand announced: Yesterday from China, Canada received 8 million surgical masks and received orders directly made by Quebec and Nova Scotia; To date, 230 million surgical masks have been ordered in Canada, and 16 million have been delivered; To date, 75 million N95 masks have been ordered, and 2.3 million will have been delivered by the end of this week; 500,000 masks from 3M in the U.S. will arrive tomorrow. Canada Emergency Response Benefit Open for Applications! Reminder: applications for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) are open now! The CERB will cover you if you have lost your pay due to COVID-19. Whether you’re taking care of someone who is sick, have been laid off, or for any other reason have lost your income due to COVID-19, the CERB is here for you. OMG - CRA is processing claims at around 1,000 a minute! 966,000 Canadians applied for CERB yesterday, and 788,510 applications were successfully processed. 73% were online, and 27% over the phone. On top of that, 3.6 million Canadians have applied for EI since March 15, and over 3 million of those claims have already been processed. The success and ease of applying for the CERB is a tribute to the unbelievable hard work of our civil servants - the wheels of government have never worked this quickly. I am so enormously proud of our civil servants and so grateful to them for their efforts. If you were born in April, May, or June, you can click here to apply online today. If you can’t apply online, you can call 1-800-959-2041. It’s fast and easy! If you were born in another month, you will be able to apply on a different day this week: Tomorrow is targeted for those born in July, August, or September. April 9 (Thursday) - If you were born in October, November, or December. You can apply on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday no matter what day you were born. If you select direct deposit, you will receive funds 3 to 5 days after you apply. Otherwise, please allow up to 10 days for a cheque to be mailed to you. The Latest Update from Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam Dr. Tam said today that over 346,000 Canadians have been tested to date, with around 5% confirmed positive. She also gave more details on the most affected groups: 92% of deaths in Canada are in the 60+ age group; 60% of hospitalizations in Canada are in the 60+ age group; The male-female ratio is roughly 50:50; This doesn’t mean young people are immune – we are seeing serious impacts even with people in their 20's. The highest risk groups are people in long-term care facilities and in remote northern and Indigenous communities, which is why public health officials and our national government are super focused on protecting and supporting these groups. Detailed epidemiological information is available to the public here. She also provided important information on wearing masks in public: Medical masks are in short supply all over the world and they must be conserved for healthcare workers. Wearing a non-medical mask or a facial covering can be an additional layer to protect and not infect others, even if you are not currently symptomatic. This will help reduce the spread of respiratory droplets to others when you can't maintain a physical distance of 2 metres from others such as when on public transit or getting groceries. However, wearing masks does not preclude the need for frequent hand-washing and physical distancing. Without hand-washing and physical distancing, you cannot consider yourself protected against COVID-19. But, face coverings are not appropriate for everyone of all ages. They are a suffocation risk for babies under the age of two, for those with difficulty breathing and for those that are unable to remove the masks by themselves. For full Health Canada guidance on masks, click here Canada is also investigating serological testing, or blood testing, which has the potential to show which individuals have antibodies to the virus. However, the World Health Organization does not currently recommend serological tests for clinical diagnosis, and Health Canada is following this advice and prioritizing the tests that show if someone has COVID-19 or not. Dr. Tam has put out a direct call to volunteers across the country who have public health or health care experience. To apply click on the link above. If you think you have symptoms of COVID-19, use the self-assessment tool. Davenport Questions and Answers Q: Why not make the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) universal for all Canadians? A: Our federal government’s initial goal with the CERB was to get money out to those who lost their jobs and income due to COVID-19. However, many Canadians do not fit the CERB criteria, including many artists, contractors and those working in the gig economy. The Prime Minister indicated yesterday that we are looking at options on how we can adjust the CERB to support more Canadians. I too have been articulating to my cabinet colleagues how we need to support our artists and those in the gig economy. I am hoping for more good news and announcements in the coming days. In addition, for many years I have been a supporter of Universal Basic Income (UBI) - believing that in the new world of work that we are in, we need a new foundation for Canada’s social welfare system. I think UBI can be that foundation. Q: The CERB is great, but rent is so expensive I don’t have much left. Will action be taken on rent? A: I have heard loud and clear that renters need more help, both with commercial and residential rent. Our government has provided a lot of financial support to individuals and businesses already, from CERB to the Wage Subsidy to the Emergency Loan Program, but I have been and continue to advocate for more additional support for renters. The province also has many tools at their disposal that they could activate to help renters in our city, so they also play an important role. Q: What is being done to protect vulnerable Indigenous communities? Why are Coastal GasLink workers considered essential if they are working near vulnerable Indigenous communities? A: We know that many Indigenous communities are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 because of the remoteness of their communities and limited public health services. The federal government has announced $305 million to help Indigenous groups prepare. The Indgienous Services Minister, the Honourable Marc Miller, has been doing an amazing job coordinating with Indigenous leaders to rapidly get them the supplies they need, and the Canadian Armed Forces also stand ready to help protect remote communities. Our government is fully seized with the urgency of protecting these communities. In terms of the development of any resources, the provinces have the sole legal authority to decide which projects move ahead and which specific workers are essential. For those who have written about the Coastal GasLink pipeline, that project is under B.C. jurisdiction. Q: I am retired and collect CPP, but I’ve also lost another income stream due to COVID-19. Do I qualify for the CERB? A: Collecting CPP does not prevent you from accepting CERB! It also does not count as income for the “$5,000 earnings in the last year” requirement. Whether or not you get CPP, you must meet all the requirements to apply for CERB. You must: Reside in Canada; Be at least 15 years old; Have stopped working because of COVID-19 and have not voluntarily quit your job, or be eligible for EI regular or sickness benefits; Have had income of at least $5,000 in 2019 or in the 12 months prior to the date of your application; and Be or expect to be without employment or self-employment income for at least 14 consecutive days in the initial four-week period. Volunteer and Donation Services in Davenport—Help Out or Find Help Food banks are experiencing a huge surge in demand during COVID-19, while at the same time seeing a drop in volunteers and donations. Not all of us can help out but if you have extra time or wish to donate please help one of our Davenport food banks. They really need your help! Community Food Banks in Davenport These two local food banks do amazing work for Davenport: The Stop Oasis Dufferin Volunteer Groups in Davenport These groups are connecting volunteers to Davenport residents who need all kinds of help. Davenport Helps Regal Heights COVID-19 Help Group To help out our doctors, nurses, and hospitals, please donate blood! Blood donations are always needed, especially in emergencies. Go to Blood.ca to learn more. Stay up to date at all levels of government Canada – Federal: Canada.ca/coronavirus Ontario – Provincial: Ontario.ca/coronavirus Toronto – City: Toronto.ca/coronavirus Finally, thank you once again for doing your part to help crush the curve! Keep staying home as much as possible, no matter how nice it gets outside. If you have questions that are not addressed by the links above, please email me sahartv@live.com or call 647-856-6222, and we will work to get you a response. again Thanks for Watching Sahar- TV Network , The window for better life All my best Lalaka