Good evening, here are the coronavirus updates you need to know tonight.
Top headlines:
- Rates of COVID-19 in children and adolescents has sparked concerns over schools and daycares reopening
- EU countries may bar U.S. travelers from entering as borders reopen
- Conservatives hold worst attendance record at House of Commons COVID-19 committee
In Canada, 101,963 cases have been reported. In the last week, 2,496 new cases were announced, 11 per cent fewer than the previous week. There have also been 64,590 recoveries and 8,454 deaths. Health officials have administered 2,606,964 tests.
Worldwide, 9,098,643 cases have been confirmed with 472,171 deaths reported.
Sources: Canada data is compiled from government websites, Johns Hopkins and COVID-19 Canada Open Data Working Group; international data is from Johns Hopkins University.
Coronavirus explainers: Updates and essential resources • Coronavirus in maps and charts • Lockdown rules and reopening plans in each province
Photo of the day
A man is sprayed with a sanitizer solution, as part of Toronto's Pearson airport demonstration of "Healthy Airport" technology.Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press
Number of the day
$46-million
The federal government will provide $46-million in aid for the tourism industries in Quebec and Atlantic Canada.
- $12-million will go to fund 79 tourism projects across the four Atlantic provinces, and $30-million is earmarked for Quebec.
- About $20-million had been allocated in the federal budget while about $10-million is new money previously announced in May.
Atlantic Canada is also receiving $4.5-million for its various tourism marketing associations to help promote local events and boost travel across the region.
Coronavirus in Canada
- Ontario reported its first death in a patient under age 20 today. TIFF cut its full-time staff by 17 per cent, and expects revenues to drop by 50 per cent.
- Manitoba’s Premier said the province will provide four payments of $500 each over six weeks for recipients who return to work for at least 30 hours per week, in a bid to get people off federal income programs.
- Phase 4 of PEI’s reopening plan launches Friday. Indoor and outdoor gatherings of up to 50 people are allowed in some cases, and some personal services may resume. Talks of an “Atlantic bubble” are continuing in the region.
Correction: Yesterday’s update from Quebec mistakenly indicated the province recorded zero new coronavirus cases. In fact, the province reported zero deaths and 69 new cases on Monday.
In Ottawa, despite calls from Andrew Scheer for more parliamentary oversight during the coronavirus pandemic, the Conservatives have the worst attendance record of all five political parties at the House of Commons COVID-19 committee meetings.
Of the 21 special sessions:
- The Conservatives averaged a 47-per-cent attendance rate.
- The Green Party averaged 95-per-cent attendance; Independent MP Jody Wilson-Raybould attended 86 per cent.
- The NDP averaged a 85 per cent attendance rate, the Liberals averaged 76 per cent and the Bloc Québécois averaged 73 per cent attendance.
The low turnout is prompting charges of hypocrisy from the NDP, whom the Conservatives criticized for agreeing with the Liberals to suspend regular sittings of the House of Commons in favour of the special committee meetings, which limited opposition powers.
Attendance for each leader:
- Elizabeth May: 91 per cent,
- Jagmeet Singh: 86 per cent,
- Andrew Scheer: 67 per cent,
- Justin Trudeau: 62 per cent,
- Yves-François Blanchet: 52 per cent.
The meetings, which ran from April 28 to June 18, restricted MPs’ powers to hold the government to account, but allowed opposition MPs to question the Prime Minister and ministers.
Also today: Extending CERB another eight weeks will cost $17.9-billion, the PBO said today. The budget watchdog also expressed concern that many recipients are likely unaware CERB is taxable, and will face “unpleasant surprises” at tax time.
Coronavirus and children: The growing number of cases among people under 20 – 14 per cent of all new cases in the past week, up from 11 per cent the week before – is causing some experts to worry. In particular, there is concern about the possibility of children spreading the virus to vulnerable groups.
Coronavirus around the world
- According to a draft list, European Union countries that have reopened their borders are prepared to bar Americans from entering because of the U.S. failed pandemic response and soaring infection rates.
- Watch: Saudi Arabia will limit the number of domestic pilgrims attending the hajj – the pilgrimage to Mecca – to around 1,000 in a bid to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, after barring Muslims abroad from the annual rite for the first year in modern times.
- Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Tuesday pubs, restaurants and hotels could reopen in England early July, easing the coronavirus lockdown that has all but shut the economy.
Coronavirus and business
CMHC says higher unemployment and lower immigration will slow housing activity in Canada’s big cities this year, and will likely not pick up until 2021.
- Previously, CMHC forecast sales could fall as much as 30 per cent and home prices could sink by 18 per cent.
- CMHC expects Ottawa and Montreal to recover faster than Edmonton and Calgary, due to the decline in oil prices.
- Home prices in Edmonton and Calgary may fall as much as 25 per cent from 2019 to 2022, the agency says.
- The decline in other cities is likely to be less severe – a 12 per cent drop in Vancouver and 6 per cent in Toronto.
Related: 5 numbers from Rob Carrick that douse any hopes for the housing market
Globe opinion
- John Ibbitson: “One of the worst long-term consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic for Canada will be the tens of thousands who won’t be born, a loss to this country’s future.”
- Rosemary Ricciardelli and Sandra Bucerius: “As of June 17, 360 prisoners and 98 officers have tested positive for COVID-19 in federal institutions across the country.”
- Irvin Studin: “How should Canada educate its kids as it emerges from the Great Quarantine? There is perhaps no more fundamental question for our country and its future. My answer will seem paradoxical and may sting, but it is heartfelt and considered: The primary imperative of Canadian education, postquarantine, must absolutely not be to keep our kids “safe.”
Some good news
Musicians rehearse at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, Spain.The Associated Press
Barcelona’s opera performed for plants
Barcelona’s opera, the Gran Teatre del Lice, reopened its doors to a very leafy audience. All 2,292 seats of the auditorium were be occupied by plants brought in from local nurseries.
Have you witnessed or performed acts of kindness in your neighbourhood? Email audience@globeandmail.com
Distractions
Introducing a new podcast from The Globe and Mail that delves into the topics impacting the wallets of Canadians between the ages of 20 and 40.Jeanine Brito/The Globe and Mail
🎧 For the stressed-out millennial: Is now the right time to buy a house?
In episode three of Stress Test, Rob Carrick and Roma Luciw look at Canada’s obsession with housing. And:
- Hear from a millennial who bought a condo right before the coronavirus struck.
- Rob chats with John Pasalis, the founder of a Toronto-based real estate brokerage, about all your home-buying concerns.
- Listen to episode three of Stress Test now on iTunes or Spotify.
Happening tomorrow at 1 p.m. EST: Join Rob and Roma for an Instagram Live where they will answer your questions about housing and your personal finances amid the coronavirus. Join us: tgam.ca/stresstest-live
Information centre
- Pandemic personal finance: Rob Carrick’s 10-point checklist of things you should have done by now to protect or improve your money situation. Tips for minimizing damage to your credit score; how to manage retirement anxiety during difficult times; and things to think about if you’re considering home delivery.
- Here are the expectations for self-isolation; tips for managing anxiety and protecting your mental health; and what to do if you think you have the virus, and what you can do to help slow the spread of coronavirus. How to break a bad habit (like touching your face).
- The best foods to eat to maintain an immune system-friendly diet; and how to keep a healthy diet while working from home; four eating tips when working from home; and five mistakes that might cause you to gain unwanted weight. Here are the essentials to stock up on and how to shop safely for groceries; the best pantry staples and how to stop stress-eating. What to cook with rhubarb (aside from pie).
- Here’s what you should do if you are newly laid off; how to apply for CERB, EI, and other financial benefits; how the CRA might identify CERB fraud; and other coronavirus and employment questions answered. What to do if your employees don’t return to work because they want to collect CERB.
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