TV - OMNI 1 TV 8:00 PM Italian News - Toronto, 23/05/2020 - FEATURE, Italian Summary Translation: Valeria Lorenzetti - The COVID-19 pandemic has complicated the situation for asylum seekers in Canada. A lot of asylum seekers work as front-line workers in Quebec. According to the Maison d'Haiti, at least 1,000 of the 5,000 Haitian asylum seekers who crossed at Roxham Road work in seniors' long-term care homes. One Nigerian lady who crossed at Roxham Road in 2018 with her husband and three children works in a long-term care home seven days a week. She has contracted COVID-19 due to a lack of personal protective equipment. She had wanted to leave the job because they were not given proper protective equipment, but she changed her mind because of the impact that would have on the seniors. Now that she is COVID-positive, she is home without any income and her employer does not return her calls. Refugee advocates including the Maison d'Haiti have presented a petition to the federal government to give status to asylum applicants who are front-line workers. Maison d'Haiti Director General Marjorie Villefranche said you are not going to say to all those people on the front line during this terrible situation, "Thank you very much, now go back to your country." Premier Legault's CAQ was the only party in Quebec to vote against a motion to ask the federal government to give preferential treatment to front-line workers who are asylum claimants.
0 Comments
WEB - Dushi.ca - Markham, 24/05/2020 - NEWS, Chinese Image Source: Dushi.ca Summary Translation: With women bearing the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic, federal officials are trying to figure out how recovery efforts can help get women back to work, earning more money and securing more stable jobs. Jennifer Robson, a social policy expert from Carleton University, says temporary layoffs and reduced hours could quickly turn into permanent layoffs if businesses are ready to reopen but parents who don't have child care can't go back. Social Development Minister Ahmed Hussen has been leading an internal effort to determine how federal spending on child care can be better targeted. Experts and stakeholders have told him Ottawa can help provinces and territories address the patchwork of child-care options across the country.
RADIO - WTOR 770 AM Radio South Asian Pulse Prime Time - Mississauga, 25/05/2020 - COMMENTARY, Punjabi Summary Translation: Host Yudhvir Jaswal talked about the issue of women being harassed by Punjabi males. He said that it has become increasingly difficult for women and girls to do groceries at three strip malls in Brampton, including the famous Sheridan College plaza near McLauglin and Steels. The same situation is occurring at anther plaza located at Ray Lawson and McLaughlin. Jaswal said that women being harassed in these areas is not new. He has talked about it to the Peel Police. Jaswal said that he will share a report on the issue soon to tell what local authorities - Brampton MPs, MPPs, the mayor and councillors - are doing about this. Jaswal said that he doesn’t know whether the Mayor of Brampton is aware that Brampton has been included in the “Hall of Shame” and that women are scared of doing the groceries amid the COVID-19 crisis.
TV - OMNI 1 TV 8:00 PM Italian News - Toronto, 22/05/2020 - FEATURE, Italian Summary Translation: Canadian Medical Association's Dr. Sandy Buchman has warned that more needs to be done to prepare for a second wave of coronavirus infection as the country proceeds with the gradual opening up. He said unless we take additional precautions and gather more information, we won't be prepared for a second wave. For example, we need more PPE, a better understanding of the exposure of front-line health care workers and information on whether grocery clerks or transit drivers are becoming infected because they are exposed to large numbers of people. He also said testing and contact tracing needs to improve. In addition, he pointed out that doctors and other healthcare workers experience high levels of burn-out at the best of times. A survey 1 1/2 years ago showed that 80% of doctors reported high resilience, and yet about a third of them were experiencing significant burn-out. The first wave of the COVID-19 has been likened to the Spanish Flu of 1918-1919. University of Ottawa Math Professor Robert Smith said with the Spanish Flu, the second wave was 45 times larger than the first wave, and the first wave for COVID-19 looks very similar to the first wave of the Spanish Flu. Dr. Doug Manuel of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute Clinical Epidemiology research program said people have a range in their optimism. When people said at first that 50-70% of people would get COVID, he didn't think that would happen because people were going to clamp down as the numbers increased. This is not destiny, it's in our hands, and we have successfully flattened the curve.
RADIO - CJMR 1320 AM Radio 7 Zycie - Mississauga, 25/05/2020 - NEWS, Polish Image Source: Radio 7 Zycie Face Book Translated Summary: Tomasz Piwowarek - Canadian Medical Association (CMA) President Dr. Sandy Buchman warns that Canada is not fully prepared for a second wave of COVID-19. Dr. Sandy Buchman told the Senate's social affairs committee that Canada cannot handle a second wave of COVID-19 cases. A shortage of personal protective equipment and poor testing numbers are leaving Canadians vulnerable. British Columbia's top doctor says that a second wave of COVID-19 is inevitable in Canada.
TV - Zee TV Canada - GTA Round Up - Toronto, 21/05/2020 - FEATURE, Punjabi Summary Description: City Councillor Rowena Santos recognized the significant strain COVID-19 has placed on individuals and families across Brampton. As Co-Lead of the Social Support Task Force, together with Councillor Jeff Bowman, she has seen the dedication and support of so many who have stepped up to serve those in need. Residents are being challenged because of isolation, financial and employment uncertainty and the disruptions to daily life. These challenges can result in a low mood, worry, anxiety, substance use, social isolation and relationship issues. It's important for people to realize that they are not alone and that there is help available. Councillors struggle as well and reach out for support, so viewers should do the same. There are numerous organizations in Peel who provide support and information for mental health, including Peel Public Health and the Canadian Mental Health Association Peel Dufferin. Several organizations offer free meals and food hampers.
TV - PTC North America - Toronto, 22/05/2020 - NEWS, Punjabi Image Source: PTC North America Face Book Summary Translation: The Ontario government has announced that it is moving forward with research projects to fight COVID-19, including clinical trials investigating vaccines and treatments. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said, "We've received proposals from every corner of this province and today I am proud to announce that we are moving forward with 15 of the most promising proposals as part of the first phase." Ford provided examples of some of the “ground-breaking” research, which includes vaccine development at the University of Guelph and a proposal by St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton on a new rapid testing method that would enable 6,000 tests per lab a day. He also mentioned a study out of McMaster University that looks at recovered COVID-19 patients and investigates if antibodies remain and continue to fight the virus, as well as a food security project by Western University to study how food retail businesses are impacted by adapting to COVID-19.
WEB - Gazeta - Toronto, 23/05/2020 - NEWS, Polish Image Source: Gazeta website Summary Translation: Joanna Wojcik - Air Canada is revising its cancellation policy amid mounting customer frustration, offering travellers the option of a voucher with no expiry date or discount Aeroplan points if the airline cancels their flight due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The airline says the new policy applies to non-refundable tickets issued up to the end of June, with an original travel date between March 1 and June 30. Thousands of passengers continue to demand their money back for services they paid for but have not received. None of Canada's major airlines are offering to return cash to passengers for the hundreds of thousands of flight cancellations since mid-March, opting instead for vouchers — typically with a timeline of two years.
PRINT - Hamdard Daily - Toronto, 24/05/2020 - News, p. 5, Punjabi Image Source: Hamdard Daily website Summary Translation: The Liberal, Conservative, New Democratic and Green parties are all leaning on the 75 per cent federal wage subsidy program to keep staff on amid the COVID-19 crisis, CTV News has confirmed. The Bloc Québécois, however, has not applied and does not plan on applying, it says. The party is critical of the other major political parties for accessing the aid program. The NDP filed their application on Friday, and shortly afterwards, the Liberal Party of Canada, Conservative Party of Canada and Green Party of Canada confirmed they had applied as well. Both the Conservatives and Liberals have already received funding to allow them to keep paying their employees’ salaries after seeing political donations dry up. Conservative Party spokesperson Cory Hann told CTV News that the federal party — which is in the middle of a leadership race — is also accessing the program to help supplement the wages of its staff, which between full-time and part-time include around 60 people. “Like many Canadians, organizations, and not-for-profits, COVID-19 measures are having an impact on our team, party, and operations, and we’re doing our best to adjust to this new reality. This has meant incurring unexpected expenses that ensure our staff have the ability and technology to work remotely for an extended period,” Hann said.
WEB - Goniec - Toronto, 24/05/2020 - NEWS, Polish Image Source: Goniec website Translation Summary: Katarzyna Nowosielska - As businesses have suffered a lot in recent months, Canadians should prepare for the possibility of having a new rate added to their bill: a COVID-19 supplement. Jonathan Alward of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) says that his group members will have to be passing on some of the additional costs (cost of personal protective equipment, sanitizer products, the extra staff hours it takes to make sure businesses are following all the protocols) to consumers. Alward emphasizes that businesses do not want to transfer costs to customers, but at this point they often find themselves in such a desperate situation that they have no other choice. University of Toronto marketing expert David Soberman emphasizes the importance of transparency – the customer must know upfront that COVID-19 fees will be applied to the bill, and they should be aware of what the actual amount will be before deciding on the service or purchase.
|