COVID-19 Update for June 1, 2020 – All Province
Across the provinces
With over 90,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases across the country, here is a summary of the latest measures taken by the provinces and territories to re-open economies while limiting the spread of the virus:
British Columbia – School’s (sort of) back. Starting today, voluntary in-class instruction is an option for K-12 students, with reduced classroom sizes and various distancing measures in place.
Alberta – Starting today, pre-schools can re-open in accordance with guidelines. Meanwhile, the province is distributing 20 million non-medical masks to Albertans. Packs of four are available at over 600 McDonalds, A&W and Tim Hortons drive-thru locations starting soon, no other purchase necessary.
Saskatchewan – Ahead of Saskatchewan’s Phase 3 re-opening on June 8, the provincial government has released new guidelines for places of worship and child care facilities.
Manitoba – Manitoba today enters Phase Two of the “Restoring Safe Services” plan. A list of re-openings and guidelines for businesses can be found here.
Ontario – With Ontario’s COVID-19 case numbers still limiting re-opening plans, Premier Doug Ford unveiled a new electricity initiative to provide ongoing relief on hydro bills. Families, small businesses and farms will now pay a fixed rate of 12.8 cents per kilowatt hour – 24 hours a day, seven days a week, a rate that will remain in effect until October 31st. After that, customers will be able to choose between Time of Use electricity rates or tiered pricing, which will provide a set rate for electricity up to a certain level of consumption. The Premier also noted that he is extending the ban on power disconnection for residential customers until July 31.
Québec – As part of the province’s gradual re-opening, several types of businesses are able to re-open their doors today: daycares in the Montréal area, courthouses, SAAQ service centres, shopping malls outside of the Montréal area, campgrounds, private health services, hair and beauty salons (outside of Montréal), pet grooming, and recording studios.
New Brunswick – Yesterday, New Brunswick set a new record for itself on COVID-19 tests in a single day with over 2,000. The previous daily record since the start of the pandemic was 1,300 just this past Saturday.
Nova Scotia – Many Nova Scotia businesses are set to re-open on Friday. The province is continuing with other reopening measures, including Shubenacadie Wildlife Park open again today, and Nova Scotia’s 20 provincial camping parks set to open on June 15.
Prince Edward Island – PEI today enters Phase Three of its “Renew PEI Together” plan. A list of re-openings and guidelines for businesses can be found here.
Newfoundland and Labrador – In an effort to support local businesses, the provincial government is adding a “local preference provision” to the Public Procurement Regulations, mandating a 10% allowance for local suppliers for all procurements, the maximum percentage permitted under the Canadian Free Trade Agreement.
Yukon – The territory has announced a move to “Phase 2” of its re-opening plan on July 1, at which point restrictions will be lifted on free movement between Yukon and British Columbia, with no requirement for 14-day self-isolation.
Northwest Territories – There is no new measure to note for the territory since our last update. As of today, the total number of known COVID-19 cases in NWT since the start of the pandemic is five.
Nunavut – The government is today announcing that its “Nunavut’s Path” re-opening path will be adjusted to say that reopening the workplace is a low risk measure. Public servants can return to work on June 8 and the advisory against non-essential travel between communities will be lifted.
We hope you are finding these COVID-19 updates useful. In addition to trying to keep on top of the fast-changing situation, Enterprise is also working to support local charities during these challenging times. If you are able, your contributions to this effort would be deeply appreciated.
To donate, please click on the organization below:
- Toronto – Food Banks Canada
- Thunder Bay – Food Banks North West
- Hamilton/Niagara – Hamilton Food Share
- Alberta – Hope Mission
Many thanks.
Stay safe. Stay healthy.
The Enterprise Team