Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - May 02, 2020, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A14 A 14 SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2020 ? WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COMNEWS I COVID-19 PANDEMIC OTTAWA - Federal officials say the next two weeks will be crucial in try- ing to determine the scope and severity of the spread of COVID-19 in First Na- tions communities. Cases of the virus have started to show up in Indigenous communities across Canada, including the first case in Nunavut - something health offi- cials have been bracing for with con- cern, given the many vulnerabilities that exist among Indigenous popula- tions. Dr. Tom Wong, chief medical of- ficer of public health at Indigenous Services Canada, says it's too early to determine the severity of these out- breaks and whether the situation will worsen. He said health officials are closely monitoring the situations and have jumped into action where needed. Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller noted a particular concern over an outbreak in the Dene village of La Loche, about 600 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon. Conservative MP Gary Vidal, who represents the northern Saskatchewan riding where the village is located, said his concern is personal. "This is my hometown, this is my area. These are families and kids that I coached in hockey and they're all friends and connections, so this has become very personal for me sudden- ly," Vidal told Miller during a House of Commons committee meeting Fri- day. He noted the outbreak includes the deaths of two elders who lived in a care facility and that there are also active cases in the neighbouring First Na- tion communities of English River and Clearwater River Dene. "It's too late for reactive measures, now is the time for a major proactive response from (Indigenous Services Canada) in northern Saskatchewan. This has become a very dangerous situ- ation," Vidal said. Miller acknowledged he is "very worried" about this outbreak, and that his department has been working with the province and the Northern Inter-Tribal Health Authority to en- sure a co-ordinated effort. Health Canada is mobilizing testing capacity, planning to ship personal protective equipment and sending in additional health professionals and medical officers. As of April 30, there were 131 active cases of COVID-19 in 23 Indigenous communities across Canada, and fed- eral officials are working closely with First Nations leaders, provinces and territories to help slow the spread of the virus. Some of these outbreaks have been traced to workplaces. This includes an outbreak of COVID-19 at a meat- packing plant in Alberta, which has been identified as the source of new cases in the nearby Stoney Nakoda First Nation, west of Calgary, Wong said. Health officials are again stressing the importance of physical distancing and handwashing, and will be watching closely over the next two weeks in the hopes they see the current rise in cases on First Nations begin to curve down- ward, Wong said. "What we are hoping to not see is an exponential increase. What we are hoping to see is a flattening of the curve," he said. Meanwhile, Miller says the $15 mil- lion in COVID-19 emergency funding earmarked to help organizations that provide service to Indigenous urban populations is "not enough." Miller told the committee Friday his department received far more applica- tions to this fund than the 94 proposals that have been approved. He is working to secure additional funds to help the vulnerable popula- tions that friendship centres and other urban Indigenous organizations work to support every day. "I will acknowledge that it is not enough and we are working more to serve these people in very vulnerable situations, and that's work we will con- tinue to do," Miller said. Last month, the National Associa- tion of Friendship Centres said their facilities across the country have been on the front lines of the crisis and have been inundated with re- quests for help as their communities struggle to cope. The centres have been struggling to function without additional funds from the federal government as they work to meet an increased demand in services, the association said. - The Canadian Press TERESA WRIGHT Outbreaks in two dozen First Nations spark concern TORONTO - Canada took further baby steps toward post-pandemic nor- malcy on Friday as Atlantic provinces began easing rigid restrictions imposed to curb the COVID-19 scourge, while Quebec's death toll climbed past 2,000 as it set to ease its measures. Elective surgeries and other non- urgent health-care services, including physiotherapy and optometry, restarted in Prince Edward Island, as did outdoor gatherings of up to five people from dif- ferent households and non-contact out- door recreational activities. Nova Scotia reopened garden centres and nurseries, along with trails and provincial and municipal parks. It also allowed single families to head to their cottages. New Brunswick had already OK'd interactions between two fam- ilies, a return to school for post-second- ary students, as well as golfing, fishing and hunting. Quebec, with the largest number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in Canada, was set to reopen retail stores outside Montreal on Monday, despite report- ing 163 new COVID fatalities heading into the weekend. The province said it aimed to double testing - to 14,000 a day - by the end of next week. Ontario, which reported 421 new cases and 39 more deaths, most in long-term care facilities, also said some workplaces and businesses can restart Monday. Those include garden centres with curb- side pickup, lawn care and landscaping services, and automatic car washes. "Our patience is paying off," said Premier Doug Ford, who urged people to maintain physical distancing regard- less. "We're getting closer and closer to opening things up." Many non-essential businesses in Manitoba - retail stores and hair sal- ons among them - are also set to open their doors on Monday. The stiff stay-home restrictions that have idled much of the economy have plunged the country into a recession, a new report by the C.D. Howe Institute concluded. Still, federal and provincial governments have called for a gradual and phased approach to a return to nor- malcy informed by public health con- cerns. When it comes to reopening schools and child-care centres, Canada's top public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, said distancing restrictions and strict cleaning were crucial for protecting adults who work in them, even if the virus appears to be less dangerous for the youngsters themselves. Tam has also warned about the risk coronavirus disease poses to Indigen- ous communities, which are considered vulnerable due to often overcrowded living conditions and a lack of health- care services. To date, reserves have had at least 131 cases and Inuit com- munities 16. Saskatchewan reported a jump of 26 cases, 19 of which were from in and around La Loche, a Dene village 600 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon. What the government has been do- ing to prevent COVID-19 from ripping through the communities was the sub- ject of a standing committee on Fri- day, with members of Parliament put- ting cabinet ministers on the hot seat. Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller conceded the $15 million in emergency funding earmarked to help organizations that service Indigenous urban populations was not enough. The Senate, meanwhile, passed legis- lation authorizing $9 billion worth of emergency financial support for stu- dents who can't find or are unable to work this summer due to the pandemic. The bill received royal assent shortly thereafter. Under the new Canada Student Emer- gency Benefit, eligible students will re- ceive $1,250 per month student benefit from May through August. Those with dependents or permanent disabilities will receive $2,000 per month. The contagious SARS-CoV-2 virus, which has now killed more than 3,220 people in Canada and 270,000 globally, is believed to have originated in China. U.S. President Donald Trump has sug- gested Beijing withheld information about its epidemic from the World Health Organization and that the agency tried to cover up the initial outbreak. Trump supporters have also pushed a conspiracy theory that the pandemic originated in a laboratory in Wuhan, China. In Ottawa, Beijing's ambassador praised Canada's "cool-headed" co- operation in battling the spread of the disease. The United States, accord- ing to Ambassador Cong Peiwu, was "smearing" his country. "To shift the blame, some U.S. pol- iticians try to launch a stigmatization campaign against China," the envoy said. "Attacking and discrediting other countries will not save the time and lives lost." In other developments, Newfound- land and Labrador has released 65 inmates under the public health emer- gency declared on March 18. So far, the province's jails have been COVID-free but at least 285 federal prisoners, one of whom has died, and 82 guards have tested positive. In Chatham-Kent, Ont., police said someone hacked an online meeting for a local charity this week and broadcast child pornography to 200 participants. - The Canadian Press Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam reiterated the importance of social distancing. COLIN PERKEL Canada takes baby steps toward normalcy A SPRINGTIME trickle of Mani-tobans entering Ontario to visit their lakeside cottages alarmed Kenora Mayor Daniel Reynard a month ago. Now that Manitoba is poised to re- start some non-essential services Mon- day, Reynard fears an even bigger in- flux - this time sun-seekers expecting amenities that are unavailable. The message in Ontario is still one of restraint: avoid non-essential travel, and do not visit your cottage. Provincial travel is not prohibited, but vacationers and day-trippers will find little to do. Restaurants are closed, as are all beaches, golf courses, parks, trails and marinas. Although Manitobans have also been urged to avoid travel, the province's readiness to start easing restrictions "creates confusion," says Reynard. "With Manitoba opening up much sooner than Ontario. people are start- ing to flow here and get ready for the summer season," says Reynard. "The people from those areas are go- ing to come here expecting services." Ontario Premier Doug Ford has an- nounced a broad three-stage reopening plan and stressed the need for a grad- ual, cautious approach. It begins Monday with the province allowing marinas and golf courses to begin preparing for the upcoming sea- son. While that opens the door to the possibility of summer fun, Ford's office stressed marinas were still closed to the public. Reynard says he fully backs restric- tions necessary to keep citizens safe, even if that means closing the provin- cial border to limit COVID-19 spread. "In the summertime, under normal conditions, our emergency department is overwhelmed," he points out. Still, Reynard wonders when Ontario will loosen restrictions, calling the summer season a "make-it-or-break-it" period for many local businesses. "Should this carry over until the first weekend of July - and I'm just using it as a target date - there's a significant chance that we will lose businesses. That's the reality and that's going to happen right across the province." Striking the right balance between public health imperatives and invit- ing local spending is tricky, agrees the mayor of the Township of Muskoka Lakes, in southern Ontario. Phil Harding says he and other may- ors videoconferenced this week to as- sess priorities they'd like addressed by any moves to reopen the economy. The marina closures are a key con- cern: "We are a water-driven economy, we have boats and people who want to go boating, but until you can really get access to a marina, you're probably not going boating." Harding expects international tour- ists to be non-existent for the next six months to a year, but is wary of court- ing Ontarians while public health offi- cials continue to urge residents to re- main where they are, even if they are not sick and believe they can physically distance at the lake. "We may see some of those GTA people who have gone elsewhere for tourism actually come to Muskoka; I don't know when that's going to be al- lowed," says Harding, who expects the Victoria Day long weekend to indicate how the season may look. Despite the messaging to stay away, cottagers have been trickling in from the city, with a noticeable bump over the Easter long weekend. For landscapers and food providers able to switch to online and contactless service, this has been the busiest April in recent memory, says Morgan Richter of the Huntsville Business Improve- ment Area. "April is a very slow month for us, normally, but it's been busier because of the influx," Richter says. "People are thinking about getting their lawns ready and obviously people have to eat and people are wanting to eat well. So a lot of our gourmet, specialty food has seen an increase in their sales." Several small businesses without e-commerce sites are struggling, she adds. Richter worries their woes will only intensify when summer comes, assum- ing COVID-19 restrictions that have banned foreign tourists and curtailed inter- and intra-provincial travel re- main in place. Short-term rentals are also banned for the time being. The pool of in-province tourists is limited in Prince Edward Island, where Ontario couple Lisa and Paul Reid bought Briarwood Coastal Cottages & Lodge in September 2019 out of their love for the Island and its people, and the belief if would attract hefty interest both within Canada and abroad. "Boy, it's not going to be what we pro- jected," Lisa Reid admits. Non-essential travel has stopped and those who do enter the Island must self- isolate for 14 days, making it impossible for Reid's adult children to visit this summer from Ontario, she says. They currently have long-term tenants but it's not certain how long they'll stay. In the meantime, there's the un- expected burden of keeping up with public health requirements to protect guests and housekeepers from possible COVID-19 exposure. "As the days go by, I think the sum- mer is looking more bleak, especially for tourism, but I feel like we need to do this to save lives," says Reid. "If we all do this now and follow the rules, maybe we won't have to do it for as long and we can have some sort of a summer." The overall message in B.C. is to stay where you are, says Victoria resident James Little, who took over a Quadra Island cottage Jan. 1 but doesn't expect to enjoy it the way he had hoped. "You want to phone friends and say, 'Well, come on up to the cottage!' And everybody's reluctant," says Little. He's wary some locals seem to eye seasonal visitors with disdain, noting scuttlebutt on the island has centred on the belief that visitors should be re- stricted. - The Canadian Press TOM THOMSON / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Daniel Reynard, the mayor of Kenora, fears more cottage owners from Manitoba will head to his town once Manitoba loosens restrictions next week. He says local services aren't available. Mayors wary of influx of tourists; but fear bsinesses won't survive Cottage communities constrained CASSANDRA SZKLARSKI A_14_May-02-20_FP_01.indd A14 2020-05-01 10:46 PM ;