More than a third of nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates are immigrants - Chinese6/24/2020 WEB - 51.ca - Toronto, 23/06/2020 - NEWS, Chinese Image Source: 51.ca website Summary Translation: In 2016, 245,500 people were employed as nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates in Canada. Of these workers, more than a third (87,925) were immigrants. Furthermore, the share of immigrants among nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates varied significantly from one province to another. In 2016, half of the workers in these occupations in Alberta were immigrants, compared with only 2.9% in Newfoundland and Labrador. Link to original article: https://m.51.ca/info/news/canada/2020-06/900467
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WEB - Philippine Canadian Inquirer - National, 16/06/2020 - ARTICLE, English Summary: Ryan Greer, Canadian Chamber of Commerce - Co-chair of the National Cannabis Working Group and Cannabis Policy Lead at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Ryan Greer, issued a statement regarding the notice of intent from Health Canada to consult on providing the cannabis industry with financial relief amid the COVID-19 pandemic. He said that, “The National Cannabis Working Group welcomes the notice of intent from Health Canada to consult on the potential deferment of the 2.3 per cent annual regulatory fee for licensed producers. However, a deferral falls short of what is needed for Canada’s cannabis industry at this time." He said that, "We welcome the acknowledgement by Health Canada that the cannabis industry merits financial relief during the COVID-19 pandemic. We look forward to working with the government to find a solution that will position the industry to emerge from the crisis in a better position and to support the government’s objective of displacing the illegal market."
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.
RADIO - East FM 102.7 - Toronto, 21/05/2020 - Analysis, Tamil Image Source: East FM 102.7 Face Book page Summary Translation: If Canadians want to avoid more pandemic-induced lockdowns, they need to do their part in keeping an expected second wave of COVID-19 infections under control by wearing masks, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said. As authorities prepare for a possible new surge of COVID-19 infections in the fall, key to controlling future outbreaks will be individual actions that citizens take, including wearing a mask when physical distancing is not possible, Trudeau said. Dr. Theresa Tam, the chief public health officer for Canada, has recommended Canadians wear non-medical face masks in public when they aren’t sure they will be able to physically distance. Meanwhile face masks are dangerous to the health of some Canadians and problematic for some others say Dr. Tam. “Be very aware of those with different types of cognitive, intellectual disabilities, those who are hearing impaired and others,” Dr. Tam said. “Don’t assume that someone who isn’t wearing a mask or is wearing something different doesn’t have an actual reason for it,” she added. Meanwhile, Asthma Canada‘s president says that simply wearing a mask could create risk of an asthma attack.
RADIO - Red FM 93.1 Punjabi Morning - Vancouver, 20/05/2020 - COMMENTARY, Punjabi Summary Translation: Harjinder Thind - This pandemic caused immense sorrow - people got sick and died. However, some good things also happened like in relation to the environment and spending time with family. This has been a great time to boost the contribution and image of women in society. Women are included only in small numbers in the decisions made in board rooms. Boardrooms are usually predominated by middle-aged balding men. Now you will see that, since Prime Minister Trudeau made the first move towards gender balance, the number of women in boardrooms is increasing. During this COVID-19 crisis, women have shined. Of the 14 top healthcare officers, seven are women and they have done their job wonderfully. While they have shown excellent leadership, they also did not shy away from showing their emotions. Two names are worth mentioning here. One of them is Canada's Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam and the other is BC's Dr. Bonnie Henry. When at the height of difficulty Ontario's care homes were overwhelmed with death, Theresa Tam, despite criticism, stood her ground with a steely voice, keeping her emotions in control - even a man may not have been able to do so. On the other hand when Dr. Bonnie Henry appealed to people to maintain a distance of six feet with tears in her eyes, her request was adhered to in a way that maybe could not have been achieved even with a martial law in place. Dr. Bonnie Henry's tears were not a symbol of her weakness but a symbol of her passion with which she maintained firmness. Now, in the post-corona world the value of female leadership may increase. The expression of emotions by leaders should not be deemed their weakness. People will demand more such female leaders and male leaders who do not hide their true emotions from people. We congratulate these female leaders.
RADIO - Red FM 93.1 Hindi - Vancouver, 11/05/2020 - NEWS, Hindi Summary Translation: Parmeet Kamra - Air Canada is planning to check the temperature of all its passengers. They said that with this, they will be able to obtain information about potential COVID-19-related cases. However, privacy experts severely criticized this step by the airline. According to them, this step is unnecessary. According to top Canadian doctors, temperature-testing cannot detect whether someone is carrying COVID-19 or not. In addition, the federal government has not asked airlines to take such steps. Air Canada commented on the issue, saying that they have the legal right to monitor their travellers' health and that they are doing this test to exercise caution.
NCM reviewed COVID-19-related coverage in ethnic media in collaboration with MIREMS, a media monitoring service. Overshadowed by the steady stream of mainstream media coverage, a content analysis of ethnic media outlets shows how they have kept their audiences informed during the pandemic. Compra Y Venta is one of several Latin American newspapers available in the Greater Toronto Area. Image Credit: Shan Qiao/NCM Stock Photo For the past two months, the story of COVID-19’s spread across Canada has been the primary focus of mainstream news organizations. While this story has garnered much attention from media critics, little attention has been paid to how Canadian ethnic media outlets have covered the coronavirus outbreak. This analysis has been produced with the recognition of this fact in mind. The review of hundreds of media clips from February 28 to May 1, 2020, shows that ethnic media has been effective in keeping its audiences informed during the COVID-19 outbreak. When it comes to conveying government messages, particularly those of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the tone of the coverage has been neutral and balanced. Furthermore, media across the ethnic spectrum have likewise reported many of the key government announcements to fight COVID-19, such as orders to self-isolate, coupled with the threats of criminal penalties, in a neutral manner. Did the federal government downplay early warnings? Did Canada’s federal government take too long before declaring a crisis and did it downplay suggestions that urged it to act sooner? A number of reports published and aired in ethnic media have addressed this matter reflecting on what they considered as a long time for Canada to respond to the crisis and how it handled the urge to close the borders. There seems to be a growing consensus, in particular among the Chinese community media, that Canada reacted slowly in its response to COVID-19. In particular the Chinese media in Canada have insisted that the pandemic was downplayed. Other reports point out to some form of disregard for the tips and warnings offered by health authorities. Others, including Italian and Polish ethnic media, have reflected on the COVID-19 experience in Europe and have drawn comparisons between Canada and European countries reactions to COVID-19. Much like the Chinese ethnic media, these examples were more assertive in urging Canada’s governments to take more radical steps. Reporting on messages from other government agencies: controversies Generally speaking, the coverage across ethnic media was more contentious when reporting on the messages from other government agencies. Central figures in Canada’s fight against COVID-19, such as Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s top doctor, have shouldered most of the burden and pressure given their prominent public roles during the pandemic. The public communications from the federal Minister of Health, Patty Hajdu, and to an extent the Minister of Public Safety, Bill Blair (both sitting on the government’s special COVID-19 committee) have also received considerable media scrutiny. Comments made by Hajdu, in particular, when she suggested that Canadians “stockpile food and medicines in their homes” appears to have been controversial in ethnic media. Many outlets reported that Hajdu’s message lead to panic-induced buying sprees. “Chinese people in Metro Vancouver snap up grain,” wrote Chinese media Sing Tao Daily in its web edition following Hajdu’s advice to store food and medicine at home. It cited people saying they had no confidence in the market supply and the government’s ability to manage and control. A wide range of ethnic newspapers available for pick-up at B Trust supermarket in Toronto. Image Credit: Shan Qiao/NCM Stock Photo. In a similar fashion, the Russian web publication Knopka wrote that: “As panic over coronavirus heightens, Canadians and Americans stock up on goods at Costco” chronicled how consumers flocked stores as panic over the spread of the coronavirus intensified. The article further reported that the same thing was happening in California, claiming that over 500 people visited one Costco store in the first half-hour of its operation. However, it cautioned readers that according to Health Canada such a panic was unjustified, and there was no need to stock up on goods for weeks ahead. Hajdu later clarified that her advice was intended to be practical because people should always be ready for emergency situations. Minister Hajdu was also subject to criticism on another comment made before the House of Commons on March 12, 2020, when she said that between “30 and 70 per cent of Canadians could become infected with coronavirus.” In the wake of these comments, some ethnic media outlets reflected a deep concern with such predictions, some considered them “unexplained and doubtful” with little scientific basis. Others, by contrast, attempted to reassure their readers and calm the situation. “Panic will only help the pandemic to spread” wrote the Chinese Canadian Times. Another Chinese publication remarked that the federal Health Minister should not be making panic-stirring comments. The strongest praise and criticism observed in this analysis of ethnic media content was focused on Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer. Tam was scrutinized about contentious issues such as whether it is better that the public wear the masks, or not, as highlighted in the Italian Corriere Canadese with the headline: “Does it really help to use the masks? Yes, no, maybe.” These criticisms were brought forward after Tam earlier had claimed that masks were useless in protecting people shopping or walking in the streets. In this analysis, her role is seen as very important but controversial. Other areas that have stirred debate have been her hesitation to suggest closing borders, and her reliance on advice provided by the World Health Organization. At worst, some ethnic media outlets have insisted that she resign or be fired. COVID-19 as a political ballgame Besides being a human tragedy on an unseen scale, COVID-19 has become akin to a political ballgame between the government and opposition. Whereas in some countries the political bickering was left aside during crisis, this has not been the case in Canada. Whether Canada relied too much, too little or just about right on World Health Organization advice, this will be more a matter of further debate and emerging scientific evidence. The good news is that Canada’s coronavirus outbreak has slowed down and ethnic media most of the time have successfully accomplished their role of public information through these unprecedented times. This analysis has been created by New Canadian Media as a service to readers who wish to follow news and commentary in languages other than English and French, in partnership with MIREMS. Mirems monitors 600 outlets and 30 language groups daily, by far the most comprehensive read of multicultural media available in Canada. Link to original story: https://newcanadianmedia.ca/analysis-how-ethnic-media-is-covering-the-pandemic/ WEB - Philippine Canadian News - National, 08/05/2020 - EDITORIAL, English Summary: Ted Alcuitas - A community advocacy group is calling for ethnic data collection to fight the coronavirus. A University of British Columbia professor and a community advocacy group is calling for the collection of ethnic and racial data as part of a program to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. J.P. Catungal, a professor at UBC’s Social Justice Institute and RJ Aquino of Tulayan Filipino Diaspora Society claims lack of racial and ethnic data limits BC’s COVID-19 response. In a virtual press conference on April 30, Catungal and Aquino urged the B.C. government to collect data on race and ethnicity to determine whether some communities are being disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Filipino-Canadians are over-represented in essential industries such as health care, long-term care, and food service. “In terms of hospitalization, who is being admitted? Who is dying or recovering? Are there differences in terms of severity that are affected by race and ethnicity?” Catungal asks. Pre-existing conditions or access to care may be factors, he said, but health officials need to be informed by race- and ethnicity-based data. Health experts say governments need to commit to collecting this data because, otherwise, it’s difficult to glean a full picture of how minority communities are being impacted. Catungal cited New York and Louisiana as among U.S. jurisdictions that already collect data. Image Source: Philippine Canadian News website
PRINT - Filipino Post (Weekly) - Vancouver, 05/05/2020 - ARTICLE, 1/4 page, 1st Top, English Summary: From Canada and the U.S. to Europe and across Asia, the global coronavirus pandemic has brought with it an increase in racist attacks and microaggressions against people of Asian descent. In normally tolerant Canada, a recent survey in the nation’s biggest cities, said they do not believe it’s safe to sit next to an Asian or Chinese person on a bus if they’re not wearing a mask. Four percent of respondents said they think all Chinese or Asian people are carrying the COVID-19 virus, while 10 percent said they “were uncertain about that,” according to research from the Chinese Canadian National Council for Social Justice. Susan Eng, the director of the CCNC-SJ, says with results like this, it’s not surprising we are seeing an increase in anti-Asian racism. “Canada’s leaders must stand up and unequivocally denounce every such racist incident and ill-informed belief, lest this behaviour is deemed acceptable and others are invited to do the same,” Eng said in a release. Vancouver Police Department said it had seen an uptick in the number of racially-motivated crimes, with almost half of cases in March reported as anti-Asian as the province marks Asian Heritage Month in British Columbia. Image Source: Filipino Post website
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