Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - September 18, 2020, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A9 FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2020 ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM A 9NEWS I CANADA H AY E S Reclining Sofa 3 Colours Available Now Only $1399 B R O O K S Reclining Sofa 5 Colours Available Now Only $1699S A V E $900 S A V E $900 S A V E $500 S A V E $500 S A V E $400 S A V E $700 S A V E $500 S A V E $500 SAVE $700 Now Only $1399 L AUREL Stationary Sofa 5 Colours Available P L U S O F F37%U PT O MONTHSSPECIALFINANCING**12 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17TH - SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20TH Expedited Delivery on In-Stock Items dlanoDcMdlanoR House Charities® Free In-Home Design Assistance 204-783-8500 1425 Ellice Avenue TEMPORARY STORE HOURS Monday – Friday 10AM – 6PM Saturday 10AM – 6PM Sunday 11AM – 5PM www.la-z-boy.com/winnipeg *Some restrictions apply. See store for details. **O.A.C. $99 Administration Fee Applies Private Shopping Appointments available at https://www.calendly.com/lazboystore303 SAVE $800 Now Only $1599 E ASTON Reclining Sofa 2 Colours Available M E R C U R Y Rocking Recliner 2 Colours Available Now Only $499 M A S O N Rocking Recliner 2 Colours Available Now Only $699 N E P T U N E Leather Rocking Recliner 2 Colours Available Now Only $999 V A I L Rocking Recliner 4 Colours Available Now Only $599 P I N N A C L E Rocking Recliner 4 Colours Available Now Only $799 S C A R L E T High Leg Recliner Assorted Fabrics Available Now Only $799 O TTAWA — A coalition of organ-izations representing the tourism sector says the federal govern- ment must keep its wage-subsidy pro- gram in place well into next year to help businesses with dire prospects for re- covery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Forty organizations have banded together to form a “coalition of hardest hit businesses” to place public pressure on the Liberal government to rethink the planned phaseout of the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy program be- ginning this month. The program sees the federal govern- ment cover as much as 75 per cent of wages depending on how much revenue a business has lost due to COVID-19. But the government intends to start scaling back the program with an eye toward eliminating it in entirely at the end of the year. “Winding down and phasing out the CEWS program for all businesses at the same time does not make sense,” Susie Grynol, president of the Hotel Associa- tion of Canada, said during a press con- ference Thursday. “It must be acknowledged that while some are allowed to recover, others are not and this supports program should reflect this reality.” Grynol said in a recent survey of tourism-industry operators, the vast majority pegged their ability to remain solvent in the coming months on gov- ernment supports, given ongoing re- strictions designed to slow the spread of COVID-19. “Our sectors are different, we cannot offer curbside pickup (or) e-commerce or pivot to manufacturing new prod- ucts,” Grynol said. “We are fundamentally people-facing businesses, we bring people together, which limits our ability to function dur- ing a global pandemic.” As of Sept. 13, the federal government says it has provided subsidies worth $35.31 billion to businesses. The par- liamentary budget office reported last month that by year’s end, the program could cost as much as $67.9 billion. The intention of the CEWS program was to keep employees connected to their jobs so they’d be ready to work as soon as conditions improved, but Grynol and others said for the tourism sector, a return to something approach- ing normal won’t happen until next summer. “In a post-COVID-19 reality, Can- adians will still want a Calgary Stam- pede, a Toronto International Film Festival, a jazz festival in Montreal, a Carnaval in Quebec, an Ottawa Blues- fest and so on,” said Martin Roy, execu- tive director of Major Events and Festi- vals Canada “Festivals and events are part of our identity and we need employees to organize them now and in the coming months.” When asked Thursday whether the federal government is considering fur- ther wage subsidy extensions, Econom- ic Development Minister Melanie Joly’s office was non-committal, saying one of the reasons the program was extended until year-end was to help the tourism industry. In a statement, her office also pointed to various regional funds, as well as $110 million in dedicated funding for the tourism sector, as measures being taken to help. “Our message to Canada’s tourism sector and those whose livelihoods de- pend on it is clear: we’ve been here for you with immediate measures, we’re here for you as our economy reopens and we’ll get through this together,” spokesman Alexander Cohen said in an email. Many eyes are on next week’s throne speech to see how the Liberal govern- ment intends to move forward with pan- demic-related programs, given the in- creased number of COVID-19 cases in Canada and the threat that could pose to economic recovery. On Thursday, the Canadian Federa- tion of Independent Business issued its wish-list for the throne speech as well. That organization estimates that one in seven businesses is at risk of perma- nent closure. It’s calling for an expansion to an ex- isting business-loan program and an overhaul to rent assistance that would allow tenants to access the funds dir- ectly, rather than relying on landlord participation. — The Canadian Press Tourism sector pleads for wage-subsidy extension STEPHANIE LEVITZ MONTREAL — Quebec’s highest court has upheld a stay granted last month to English school boards that are chal- lenging the provincial government’s attempt to abolish them. Thursday’s ruling by the Court of Appeal prevents the law known as Bill 40 from being applied to Quebec’s Eng- lish school system until the case against the legislation can be heard on its merits. The province adopted the law in February, which abolish- es school boards and replaces them with service centres. It also eliminates elections in the French-language system for members of those service centres. The Quebec English School Boards Association was among several groups that filed for an injunction in May, arguing the law violates minority language education rights guaranteed in the charter. A Superior Court Justice stayed the law’s application to English school boards in August, concluding there was a de- bate to be had on the English-speaking minority’s right to make decisions in matters of education. The judge added that the school boards could suffer irreparable damage if the law was allowed to come into effect. On Thursday, the Court of Appeal agreed, writing that the public interest is better served by protecting linguistic min- ority rights over implementing the law in the English edu- cational sector — at least until the full case can be argued in court. The panel of justices wrote that Bill 40 appears to trans- fer control from the English school boards to the province, and that the legislation appears to limit many members of the English-speaking community from seeking elected pos- itions on the boards of the new service centres. “... in this case the public interest leans in favour of pro- tecting the rights of the official linguistic minority rather than implementing Bill 40 in the English educational sector, at least until there is a judgment on the merits,” the appeals court ruled. The Quebec English School Boards Association welcomed the decision, which allows school board elections planned for November to proceed under the old model rather than under the rules established in Bill 40. — The Canadian Press Court upholds stay of Quebec school board law ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — The province of Newfoundland and Labrador was justified in banning most travel from other provinces because of the COVID-19 pandemic, a provincial Supreme Court judge ruled on Thursday. Halifax resident Kim Taylor sued the Newfoundland and Labrador government after she was initially denied an exemption to the province’s travel ban after her mother died in St. John’s in early May. Lawyers for Taylor and the Canadian Civil Liberties As- sociation, which was granted intervener status in the case, argued that province had overstepped its authority and vio- lated Taylor’s charter rights. Justice Donald Burrage agreed that Taylor’s right to mo- bility was infringed, but he found that it was a justified re- sponse to the COVID-19 pandemic. “While restrictions on personal travel may cause mental an- guish to some, and certainly did so in the case of Ms. Taylor, the collective benefit to the population as a whole must pre- vail,” the judge wrote. “COVID-19 is a virulent and potentially fatal disease. In the circumstances of this case, Ms. Taylor’s charter right to mobility must give way to the common good.” The province ultimately granted Taylor an exemption on May 16, eight days after the initial denial, a decision she has said came too late to allow her to properly grieve with her family. While lawyers representing Taylor and the CCLA argued that Newfoundland and Labrador’s mandatory two- week quarantine was sufficient to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the province, the judge said the province had provided “compelling evidence of the effectiveness of the travel restriction.” John Haggie, Newfoundland and Labrador’s Minister of Health and Community Services said that while govern- ment lawyers still have to review the decision, he is happy with the results. “I think at a high level, we achieved what we needed to keep the people of this province safe,” he told reporters Thursday afternoon, citing the fact that there is currently just one active case of COVID-19 in the province. The CCLA said it would have to review the decision before deciding whether to appeal it to the province’s top court. In July, Newfoundland and Labrador relaxed its travel ban and allowed residents of other Atlantic provinces to enter. — The Canadian Press COVID travel ban justified, judge rules A_13_Sep-18-20_FP_01.indd A9 9/17/20 7:25 PM ;