Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - May 08, 2020, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A10 A 10 FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2020 ? WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COMNEWS I COVID-19 PANDEMIC T ORONTO - Scores more people in Canada have succumbed to COVID-19, authorities reported Thursday, as one of the country's ma- jor inter-city bus carriers announced it would be shutting down completely due to a precipitous drop in passengers caused by the pandemic. Of the new deaths, 121 were reported in Quebec, prompting Premier Fran- cois Legault to delay reopening retail stores, schools and daycares in the Montreal area to May 25. Another 911 new cases were identified. Ontario re- ported 48 more deaths, with 399 new cases recorded over the previous 24 hours, continuing a trend of slowing growth. Nova Scotia recorded three more deaths, all at a long-term care home in Halifax, bringing the Canadian total to above 4,400 as provinces begin easing stay-home restrictions. However, the transit action by Grey- hound Canada will leave people in Cen- tral Canada with fewer ways to travel and another 400 employees out of work as of May 13. Ridership, the company said, had fall- en 95 per cent and revenues plunged. With service cut in Western Canada two years ago and several other routes already reduced or suspended due to COVID-19, the company said it was un- able to continue without government money. "This decision came as a last resort option to address the uncontrollable consequences and devastating impacts of this pandemic," Stuart Kendrick, senior vice-president, said in a state- ment. "We will continue our discussions with the provincial and federal govern- ments." The closure of bus routes comes along with already drastically reduced commercial air and rail traffic as well as local transit options, leaving cars as one of the few ways to travel any dis- tance. "It is primarily women, low-income earners, seniors, and many essential workers who depend on these buses," NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said as he urged the federal government to come up with the "relatively little" $26 mil- lion bus companies say they need to stay in business. Across Canada, about 65,000 people are known to have contracted the novel coronavirus. The Canadian Armed Forces have deployed more than 1,000 troops in long-term care facilities and elsewhere, but Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan would not say how many mem- bers have fallen ill. Most of the deployed personnel are in Quebec nursing homes, which have been hit brutally by the pandemic, but some members are at five homes in On- tario. Others are helping out in a var- iety of tasks in remote and rural areas. Hospital capacity is of particular con- cern away from big centres, prompting the country's chief health officer to advise people to avoid heading to their cottages or second homes. Besides spreading COVID-19 into those areas, Tam said a key issue is the potential for too many people in need of medical treatment in places that simply can't handle a surge. In Ontario, for instance, Premier Doug Ford stopped short of telling people to stay away from their second- ary properties over the upcoming Vic- toria Day weekend but urged common sense and respect for health advice. "It's not the party weekend it's been in the past," Ford said. "I'm asking you - please don't go up there with a whack of people." At his daily briefing, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the federal government would spend $3 billion for wage top-ups for essential workers. The money will go to provinces, which are putting up another $1 billion and will decide who gets extra cash. Trudeau had previously offered fed- eral wage assistance, particularly for personal support workers and other front-line health staff in light of the devastation in long-term care homes, where most of Canada's 4,300 deaths have occurred. Quebec and Ontario had already an- nounced a $4-per-hour pay hike for workers in private long-term care homes and some other facilities, while Saskatchewan is supplementing wages by $400 per month for those working with seniors, in group homes and in child care. Trudeau said he's not overly con- cerned about the huge amounts of money the government is spending, saying cushioning the pandemic's eco- nomic blow is his priority. The global outbreak, he said, has revealed prob- lems - such as the plight of vulner- able workers - that need to be dealt with. Reported cases globally have moved toward the four million mark, with deaths approaching 270,000. The U.S. accounts for more than one quarter of both totals. - The Canadian Press JONATHAN HAYWARD / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES A grocery store worker wears a mask and gloves as a customer stands on the other side of the divider. Funding for a wage top-up program for essential workers has been announced. Federal government will spend $3 billion, provinces $1 billion on program Wage top-ups for essential workers COLIN PERKEL OTTAWA - An annual survey looking at who Canadians trust most suggests the COVID-19 pandemic has given Can- adians almost absolute trust in doctors, while trust in corporate leaders and the media has plummeted to all-time lows. The Proof Strategies CanTrust In- dex is usually completed in January but when Canada went into a country- wide lockdown to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, the public relations firm decided to ask some of the same questions again in early May. In January, the survey found 76 per cent of Canadians trusted doctors, and 70 per cent trusted scientists. When repeated May 1 and May 2, the online survey of 1,000 people saw trust in doc- tors shoot up to 87 per cent and trust in scientists to 82 per cent. The polling industry's professional body, the Marketing Research and In- telligence Association, says online sur- veys cannot be assigned a margin of error as they are not random and there- fore are not necessarily representative of the whole population. Proof CEO Bruce MacLellan said Canadians have long put a lot of faith in doctors and scientists but he was surprised to see how much that has in- creased since COVID-19 began to hit Canada. "Trust for doctors and scientists was leading all other places in our trust survey but now it's really gone into the trust stratosphere, if you will, in terms of how highly trusted these individuals have become," MacLellan said. "It's truly remarkable. We have not seen that level of trust in any individual, organization or institution at all in our past research." He said Canadians see doctors ex- plaining what is happening to them every day right now, during a very stressful time in which the pandemic is overriding almost every part of our lives. Gov. Gen. Julie Payette, a former astronaut and engineer, has made pro- moting science one of the hallmarks of her time at Rideau Hall. In a virtual conversation Thursday with Mona Ne- mer, Canada's chief science adviser, Payette extolled the role science was playing in the pandemic, including by convincing Canadians that in the ab- sence of a vaccine or good treatments for COVID-19, staying home is the best way to save lives. "So I think that everything we have done so far, this battle has been so far won by science and I think we're go- ing to get out of it through science and I hope that as we move forward we're going to remember this and we're going to use all these science brains and all the capacity we have in the country," Payette said. The Proof index showed govern- ments have also benefited from a bump in confidence, with 33 per cent of those surveyed expressing trust in govern- ment in January, and 40 per cent in early May. MacLellan said that is likely because as the pandemic marched in, Canadians realized maybe more than ever how much they were going to rely on government to get through it. "They see the pandemic as an issue that is going to require government to solve," he said. "This is the moment for the government." Small businesses, non-profit organ- izations and charities, all saw a bounce upwards in trust. Trust in the media, CEOs and teach- ers, on the other hand, has fallen. The news media had been enjoying a comeback of confidence in January, with 44 per cent of those surveyed trusting media, up from 40 a year ear- lier. But in the midst of the pandemic, trust in media has plummeted to just 33 per cent, its lowest level recorded by Proof since it began the trust index in 2016. CEOs similarly saw trust fall to an all-time low of just 30 per cent, down from 38 per cent in January and 55 per cent two years ago. Educators remain among the more trusted in our society, at 59 per cent, but that was down from 65 per cent in January. MacLellan said many parents, faced with schooling their kids at home and with school systems not all well- equipped to support that, may be feel- ing less confidence in educators as a result. - The Canadian Press MIA RABSON Canadians' trust in doctors grows in pandemic 'It's truly remarkable. We have not seen that level of trust in any individual, or- ganization or institution at all in our past research' - Bruce MacLellan WHILE the U.S. border remains closed owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, extra fees to buy provincial park passes or fishing and hunting licences online will be heading stateside. Doug Petersen says he always buys an annual provincial park pass and fishing licence at a store, but this year he decid- ed to take advantage of the province's new online system to get them. That's when Peterson discovered he would have to pay an administration fee of $4.50 apiece - a total of $9 - and then when he got the receipt, he found the fees went to a Dallas, Texas-based reservation company. "I sign up on a Manitoba govern- ment website and I get a receipt from an American company? Where is my information going? I can't believe the government would do this." The province announced the addi- tional online service and fees earlier this year but, as the temperatures rise, fishing season starts this weekend, and the May long weekend on the horizon, many Manitobans are just learning about charges now. Conservation and Climate Minister Sarah Guillemard said in a press re- lease in March that while Manitobans can still buy the passes and licenses in person at certain retail outlets, includ- ing Cabela's and gas stations and con- venience stores near or in provincial parks, the website option allows a 24-7 purchase option. "Moving to an online system from a paper-based one will enable our gov- ernment to improve the services we deliver, while decreasing our carbon footprint," Guillemard said in a state- ment at the time. The additional charge also means that if you go online a $5 provincial park day pass will cost you a total of $9.50, almost double the cost. But Petersen said not only does the online option cost more, it also takes away sales from the small businesses who have been selling the passes and licences for years. "Last year I went into a store in Be- tula Lake and I bought a park pass and a fishing licence," he said. "I also bought some snacks. I probably spent between $50 to $100 there, which probably made their day." Phil Spring is co-owner of one of those stores, the Fas Gas on Highway 8 near Riverton on the way to Hecla- Grindstone Provincial Park. "What they're doing is totally out of whack," Spring said. "A person just left mad because he doesn't have a computer. I told them they could go see a CO (Conservation Officer) who could do it if they have time, but they don't always have time. And with COVID-19, you don't want people in their offices," he said. Spring said what irked him was while the American company is able to charge a $4.50 administrative fee, the province pays retailers like him only $1 per sale. As well, he said the online option wasn't brought in because of COVID-19 - re- tailers were told it was coming last Nov- ember. "And seniors are supposed to get free fishing licences - I guess it won't be free anymore (if they go online) - they'll have to pay $4.50." Eric Reder, of the Wilderness Com- mittee, said other changes made by the province include having people register two licence plates for each park pass purchased. "Gone are the days of remembering to switch the park pass to your other vehicle," Reder said. "It means borrow- ing, renting or using a car-share to ac- cess a provincial park will also be more difficult with this new system producing yet another barrier for Manitobans. A provincial government spokesman said Manitoba was one of the last prov- inces to implement an online option to buy fishing and hunting licences. "Park entry permits were included in this first phase of online licences and permits, as park visitors sometimes have difficulty finding an outlet from whom to purchase a permit, especially if they are visiting a park with limited services or nearby vendors," the spokes- man said. "Now they can purchase a permit and print it at home before they leave for the park." The spokesman said RA Outdoors Ltd., operating as Aspira, based in Dallas, was the service provider chosen through a tendering process. He said the $4.50 fee pays for services provided by Aspira in- cluding hosting and maintaining the site and a toll-free information number. kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca Texas firm gets online fees for Manitoba park passes $5 park day pass costs $9.50 with website charge KEVIN ROLLASON SHANNON VANRAES / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The entrance kiosk at Birds Hill Campground. The province announced a new online system to buy provincial park passes earlier this year. 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