Regional approach to COVID-19 beginning as feds roll out new measures

Federal officials long focused on nationwide efforts to address the COVID-19 pandemic began to adopt more regional approaches on Friday, acknowledging not all parts of the country are experiencing the outbreak with equal force.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced economic measures specifically geared towards Newfoundland and Labrador and the country’s western provinces, including a $1.7 billion funding promise to clean up orphaned oil wells largely found in Alberta.

“We will continue our co-ordination around principles and steps that need to be taken. But this is Canada, which means there are very different needs and very different approaches that will be in place across the country,” Trudeau said at his regular morning news conference.

Despite the regional disparities, the country’s top public health official cautioned against relaxing protective measures – even in regions where the pandemic seems to be under control.

Dr. Theresa Tam acknowledged that the bulk of COVID-19 cases are concentrated in just two provinces. New provincial numbers continue to show Quebec and Ontario with significantly more positive diagnoses and deaths than anywhere else, with some provinces now reporting no fresh cases for several days running.

Chief Public Health Officer of Canada Dr. Theresa Tam packs up her documents after a press conference on the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Saturday, April 11, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

But Tam cautioned against letting the public guard down, saying physical distancing measures and economic shutdowns must stay in place to prevent the pandemic from flaring up in other areas.

“Some areas will experience the epidemic slowdown earlier than others. But no matter where we are in the country, we’ve got to remember that Canadians are highly susceptible to the virus. Unless we all remain diligent in maintaining our new habits of physical distancing and good hygiene, new outbreaks can be sparked anywhere at any time.”

The regional differences were clear from national data, as well as government responses.

Trudeau indicated members of the country’s Armed Forces would be on the ground in Quebec later Friday, responding to a previous request for aid from that province.

Quebec reported 16,798 total COVID-19 cases in the province as of Friday, nearly 700 of which have been fatal.

In Ontario, meanwhile, the number of COVID-19 cases continued to climb, though at a consistently lower rate in recent days. The province reported its largest single-day increase in cases, with 564 new cases and 55 new deaths.

Prince Edward Island, in contrast, reported no new cases, continuing a streak the province’s medical officer of health called encouraging.

Similar variations are evident across Canada’s business community, Trudeau acknowledged as he announced yet another financial assistance package aimed at those who have not been captured in previous government initiatives.

The combined package of spending and loans will target the oil and gas sector, small companies that haven’t been able to access existing loan programs, and start-ups that had just gotten off the ground before the pandemic struck last month.

Related: Economic downturn from COVID-19 will be sharpest on record, Bank of Canada warns

The funding earmarked for orphaned oil wells, meanwhile, seemed unlikely to satisfy the country’s oil producers, who have been sounding alarms about the economic devastation in the sector in the leadup to Friday’s announcement.

Western Canada’s heavy crude is selling for under $5 a barrel this week, less than a tenth of the price it garnered a year ago.

A letter to Canada’s natural resources minister from the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers made several requests, including freezing the carbon tax, postponing environmental reporting requirements, and delaying new climate change regulations while the industry weathers the storm.

Trudeau’s government also remained under pressure from the Conservatives to have in-person sittings of the House of Commons throughout the crisis.

Parliament has been adjourned since mid-March, except for two single-day sittings to pass emergency aid legislation. It is to resume business as usual on Monday, unless all four recognized parties in the Commons agree to a further suspension of business.

Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer is insisting that a small group of MPs must sit up to four days each week in the Commons in order to hold the government to account for what he contends is a sloppy response to the health crisis.

Until the logistics for a virtual Parliament can be worked out, Trudeau’s Liberals have offered to sit one day a week, with two or three hours devoted to what’s called committee of the whole, which would allow for longer questions and more thorough answers than are allowed during the normal 45-minute daily question period.

More than 31,000 Canadians have tested positive for COVID-19, which has killed more than 1,300 people across the country. About half of those killed have been residents of long-term care facilities.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 17, 2020.