October 14, 2021

Your CFA Update on COVID-19

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Alberta App to scan COVID-19 vaccine QR codes now available

Businesses and organizations can begin using the free AB Covid Records Verifier app to quickly and easily confirm their patrons’ vaccination status. The AB Covid Records Verifier app is available for download on Apple and Android devices through the respective app stores.

Albertans can get their enhanced vaccine record with a QR code online at alberta.ca/CovidRecords without creating an account.

When a valid QR code is scanned, a green check mark will verify the proof of vaccination. It will also display a person’s name and date of birth, which businesses are asked to check against other identification. The app does not store any personal information and does not require an internet connection to operate once downloaded.

The QR code contains a secure digital signature that verifies it’s provided by Alberta Health and it is extremely hard to forge. The same technology is used for secure transactions in the banking system and other industries. If a person does not meet the vaccination requirement set in the Restrictions Exemption Program or if the QR code is tampered with, the record will show as invalid when scanned.

Click here to read more about the Alberta App

Ontario's vaccine verification app for businesses now available

Ontario's vaccine verification app for businesses, Verify Ontario, appears to be ready for download ahead of schedule, rolling out on the Google and Apple app stores Thursday afternoon.

According to its description, the app gives businesses and organizations the ability to scan the QR codes on province-issued vaccine certificates. After the code is scanned, a green checkmark will appear indicating a valid vaccine certificate, a red X for an invalid certificate or a yellow warning for a QR that cannot be read. 

The province had said it would release a digital verification app by Oct. 22, giving people a "safer, more secure and convenient" way to demonstrate that they've been vaccinated, according to the province. 

Ontarians still have the option of using paper vaccine receipts to prove their vaccination status.

The app description says it also scans most government-issued QR codes from B.C. and Quebec, and that nation-wide capabilities are "in development." It also says it does not request users's specific locations or collect information linking visitors, businesses or locations together.

Ford is set to speak about the enhanced vaccine certificate and verification app Friday morning.

Thursday October 28, 2021 | Virtual Event | 12pm to 3pm EST

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This annual event will update franchisors, multi-unit franchisees and their owners on the state of the market and educate them on the right things they can do now and, in the future, to ensure that they are in the best position to maximize the value of their business and take advantage of the opportunities presented by one or more of these growth and exit strategies.  It is also designed to create a space to connect directly with Canadian and American potential investors and buyers, and for them to connect to the franchise community.

U.S. to reopen land border to fully vaccinated Canadians next month

Fully vaccinated Canadians will be allowed to enter the United States at land and ferry border crossings starting in early November.

Senior U.S. officials announced Tuesday night a plan to begin reopening the land borders with Canada and Mexico, which have been closed for non-essential travel since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.

An exact date for the reopening has not yet been determined, according to senior administration officials who briefed reporters earlier about the plan during a conference call. They said a number of details are still being worked out, including the type of documentation that will be accepted to prove a traveller's vaccination status.

The U.S. is also awaiting guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) about travellers who received mixed doses of COVID-19 vaccines or the AstraZeneca vaccine. The U.S. has not approved the mixing of vaccine doses or the AstraZeneca vaccine for its own residents.

Ontario's new plan for lifting COVID-19 restrictions coming next week

Premier Doug Ford's government will announce its new plan for lifting more of Ontario's COVID-19 public health restrictions next week.

The easing of pandemic measures will include ending capacity limits in all locations where proof-of-vaccination requirements are in place, such as restaurants, bars and gyms, a senior official in Ford's government said Wednesday.

The official provided information about the government's plans on condition of anonymity. CBC News agreed not to name the official in order to inform the public in advance of the announcement.

Ontario has been at Step 3 of what the government calls its "Roadmap to Reopen" since mid-July. The official said it's now time to unveil a "revised pandemic plan" that takes into account the province's success in getting the population vaccinated against COVID-19, while also keeping a lid on the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus.

The Ontario government will not lift all public health measures and "pretend the pandemic is over," said the official, noting that indoor-masking requirements will remain in place.

However, the plan will signal when physical distancing and capacity limits can be lifted in settings where proof of vaccination is not required, such as places of worship, the official said.

The plan will also indicate conditions that would prompt the government to reimpose restrictions, on a targeted and local basis, should any significant spike in new infections emerge.

The official declined to state which day next week the plan will be announced, nor to give a specific date of when the relaxed measures will take effect. The government has previously said Ontario's digital proof-of-vaccination app will launch on Oct. 22, which is Friday of next week.

Join us for Franchise Awareness Days (virtual) – November 17,18 and 22

Join Canada's leading franchisers and the CFA by being part of Virtual Franchise Awareness Day.

By educating politicians and policymakers, you can help protect your business, your franchisees, and the franchise business model in Canada.

Quebec delays vaccine mandate for health-care workers by one month

After weeks of insisting Quebec would go ahead and impose a vaccination mandate for health-care workers and suspend those who don't comply without pay, the province's health minister, Christian Dubé, has backtracked and is now giving them an extra month to get adequately vaccinated.

Health-care workers now have until Nov. 15 to get the necessary shots. The original deadline was this Friday.

Currently, 93 per cent of Quebec health-care workers are fully vaccinated, but that still leaves almost 22,000 facing suspension because they have had only a single dose or are unvaccinated. Dubé said the health system wouldn't be able to handle losing so much staff.

He said the decision to push back the vaccination deadline for health-care workers was "difficult," but one that was necessary to avoid "hitting a wall" when it came to providing health-care services to Quebecers.

In the meantime, starting Monday, staff who are not adequately vaccinated will have to undergo a minimum of three COVID-19 screening tests per week. This measure was already in force in the public network, but will also apply in the private facilities.

Nurses who are not adequately vaccinated by Nov. 15 will not be eligible for the financial bonuses of up to $18,000 as part of Quebec's plan to entice and retain nursing staff to fix the staffing crisis in the health-care network. They will only receive their premiums if they get double vaccinated within the next 30 days.

Quebec bars, restaurants can operate at full capacity as of Nov. 1

The Quebec government is scaling back public health restrictions on bars and restaurants starting Nov. 1, allowing them to reach full capacity and halving the two-metre distance rule, according to media sources.

Normal operating hours will also be allowed, meaning bars can once again stay open until 3 a.m.

However, there will still be a cap on the number of people allowed at one table — 10 people from three different households.

If the distance of one metre cannot be achieved between tables, a barrier must be in place.

Wearing masks will continue to be required when moving around the establishment.

The ban on dancing and singing will remain in effect, and the vaccination passport will still be required.

Trudeau expected to add some new faces when he announces post-election cabinet on October 25

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to unveil his new post-election cabinet on October 25.

Trudeau is expected to add several new faces — while some veteran ministers could be leaving cabinet altogether. The date of the shuffle will be announced officially on Friday. The government could announce a date for the return of Parliament at the same time.

The timing places the cabinet swearing-in ceremony between Gov. Gen. Mary May Simon's return from her first international trip and Trudeau's departure for a pair of international summits in Italy and Scotland.

Trudeau's commitment to a gender-balanced cabinet, coupled with his need for new cabinet ministers from Nova Scotia and Alberta, will likely require significant changes to the government's front bench.

The biggest change could come in the defence ministry. Many senior Liberals suggest that Harjit Sajjan will be shuffled to a new portfolio.

Government insiders say it's clear that new leadership is needed to deal with ongoing sexual misconduct problems in the military and suggest it may be time for a woman to take control at the Department of National Defence. 

The names mentioned most often as possible replacements for Sajjan at defence are Procurement Minister Anita Anand and Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough.

Sources say they expect to see Trudeau lean on his most experienced people as he builds the new cabinet. After the 2019 election, only two new MPs — Anand and Steven Guilbeault — were promoted directly to cabinet. 

The rookie MPs most commonly mentioned as cabinet prospects this time are Pascal St. Onge — who won Brome-Missisquoi in Quebec's Eastern Townships — and George Chahal in Calgary-Skyview.

Chahal's shot at a cabinet spot could be in trouble, now that he's being investigated by the Office of the Commissioner of Canada Elections for allegedly tampering with his opponent's election pamphlets.

He also faces competition for Alberta's seat at the cabinet table from returning MP Randy Boissonnault in Edmonton Centre.

But sources say Trudeau will be looking for experienced people as he again faces the uncertainty of leading a minority government.

That opens the door for Ontario MPs such as Yasir Naqvi, Helena Jaczek and Marie-France Lalonde, all of whom have held provincial cabinet posts. Lena Metlege Diab in Halifax West is another new MP with experience in a provincial cabinet.

Government insiders also point to Central Nova MP Sean Fraser as a high-performing MP worthy of promotion. And with the retirement of Navdeep Bains, there is an opening for a minister from the Peel region in Ontario; sources point to Brampton MPs Ruby Sahota and Kamal Khera as possible replacements.

It isn't clear yet if there will be a broader reconstruction of cabinet portfolios or any new departments. One idea under consideration is the creation of a housing ministry to help the Liberals deliver on the housing promises in their election platform.

Statistics Canada says manufacturing sales rose 0.5% in August

Canadian manufacturing sales rose 0.5 per cent to $60.3 billion in August, helped by gains in the petroleum and coal sector and higher chemical sales, Statistics Canada said Thursday. The overall increase followed a decline of 1.2 per cent in July. Total manufacturing sales in August were up 14.9 per cent on a year-over-year basis.

TD Bank economist Omar Abdelrahman said together with recent positive data including the September jobs report that the Canadian economy appears to be on track to record a solid rebound in the third quarter. "However, the manufacturing sector still has significant lost ground to make up," Abdelrahman wrote in a report. "Looking past the monthly noise, sales volumes have exhibited a zigzag pattern since the beginning of the year. Shipment volumes remain far detached from their recent peak reached in March, let alone their pre-pandemic levels."

Statistics Canada said in August that the Canadian economy contracted at an annualized rate of 1.1 per cent in the second quarter, its worst quarterly showing since the start of the pandemic.

However, the agency said last week that the economy added 157,000 jobs in September to put employment to its pre-pandemic level for the first time.

The August increase in factory sales came as petroleum and coal product sales climbed 7.3 per cent to $6.6 billion in August to reach their highest level since May 2019. Chemical sales rose 6.3 per cent to a record high of $5.4 billion.

Meanwhile, the ongoing shortage of semiconductor chips hurt the motor vehicle sector which saw sales fall 8.7 per cent to $3 billion in August and wood product sales dropped 17.1 per cent to $3.3 billion mostly due to lower softwood lumber prices.

Overall manufacturing sales in constant dollar terms rose 0.6 per cent in August, indicating a higher sales volume.

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COVID-19's impact on the world is creating waves across all sectors and industries.

Every member of the CFA community is dealing with an issue that is affecting the world, our industries, our communities, our businesses, and our people.

We would like to hear from you if you have any topics, issues or questions to navigate turbulent times in order to support you further: 

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