Texas radio host gets 25 years behind bars for scamming Christian listeners out of millions of dollars
JUST ONE OF THE MANY 
NOT ALL OF THEM GET CAUGHT LIKE LIMBAUGH
BUT WHEN THEY DO THEY REPENT AND DO IT AGAIN
 JUST LOOK AT JIM BAKER.

© ASSOCIATED PRESS 

This undated photo provided by the Dallas County Sheriff's Department shows William Neil Gallagher. Gallagher, a financial consultant and radio host who stole more than $20 million from investors, has been sentenced to 25 years behind bars after reaching a plea agreement with Dallas County prosecutors. Gallagher, pleaded guilty Friday, March, 10, 2020,to one count each of theft of more than $300,000, money laundering of more than $300,000 and securities fraud of more than $100,000. (Dallas County Sheriff's Department via AP)A Texas radio host who confessed to scamming his elderly and Christian listeners out of millions of dollars in a ponzi scheme has been sentenced to 25 years behind bars.

William Neil “Doc” Gallagher pleaded guilty Friday to one count each of theft of more than $300,000, money laundering of more than $300,000 and securities fraud of more than $100,000, according to the Dallas Morning News. The 79-year-old must also pay $10.4 million in restitution to his victims, per his plea agreement with prosecutors.

Gallagher, the former host of “The Money Doctor,” used his radio show to target older Christian listeners. Prosecutors said he would meet with them to discuss their finances, guaranteeing annual returns of 5% to nearly 9% if they invested in securities with him.


He described it as a “retirement income you’ll never outlive,” according to the criminal complaint.

Gallagher, who wasn’t licensed to advise clients on securities, netted up to $29.2 million from about 60 investors between December 2014 and January 2019, authorities said. By Jan. 31, 2019, those accounts contained just $821,951.

Authorities said Gallagher operated a Ponzi scheme, paying out about $5.9 million to early investors with cash from newer investors. He also used millions for payroll, radio expenses as well as personal expenses and legal costs.

Gallagher was indicted and arrested in March 2019. His assets were immediately frozen and he has been in custody ever since.

“He took advantage of some of the most vulnerable people in our society,” lead prosecutor Alexis Goldate said in a written statement. “He targeted elderly investors and individuals attracted to his Christian ideals and then stole from them.”

Gallagher is facing additional charges in Tarrant County.

With News Wire Services

Interest rates are plunging — so why aren't mortgage rates?

© Yuya Shino/Reuters Bond yields are the biggest factor that goes into setting rates for fixed-rate mortgages, and they have plunged to almost their lowest levels on record in recent weeks. Central banks around the world have slashed their benchmark interest rates to pretty much zero in an attempt to stimulate the economy by making it as easy as possible to borrow, spend and invest.

But a curious thing is happening in Canada's mortgage market: rates aren't going down by as much as they probably should be. And in some cases, they're actually rising.

"Usually when the Bank of Canada cuts rates like they have, by 1.5 percentage points in a month, you can expect all rates to fall," said James Laird, president of mortgage brokerage CanWise Financial and co-founder of Ratehub.ca.

"At first they did ... but a week and a half ago, we started to see a shift [and] now we are seeing our lenders increase rates. Every two days, we get a different lender saying we are going up by point one, point two."

Mortgage rates tend to move up and down based on a number of factors, but one of the main ones is the costs borne by the lenders themselves.

People tend to think that when someone walks into a bank to ask for a home loan, if they are approved, the bank just takes the cash out of some safe at the back, hands it over to the borrower and charges them interest over time to make a profit.

But, in fact, banks don't keep that much money just lying around either — they typically borrow it themselves and make money on the spread between how much they're charged for it and how much they turn around and charge the borrower for it.
Fear driving rate cuts

The cost of financing a variable rate loan is most influenced by the Bank of Canada's benchmark rate, because banks tend to set their own prime lending rates based on whatever the central bank's rate is.

The bank has cut that rate by 150 basis points — 1.5 percentage points — in the past month to try to make it as easy and cheap as possible for people to borrow, spend and invest to stimulate the economy that has been waylaid by COVID-19.

A few short weeks ago, it wasn't hard to find a variable rate mortgage for something around prime minus one — a full percentage point below whatever a bank's prime lending rate was at the time.

But a funny thing has happened since then. Prime lending rates have gone down more or less in lockstep with the Bank of Canada's moves, but those discounts have evaporated.

"About half of the savings have been passed along and half kept by banks for a higher margin," Laird said.

The reason they're doing that is the same as why stock markets plunged and governments rushed to implement lockdowns on millions of people: fear.

"Lenders are saying, 'Hold on a second,'" Laird said. "If a million people are going to lose their jobs and unemployment is going to rise, maybe we should build in a bit of a risk premium to our pricing to account for possible defaults for this new money we are lending."
'It's complete profit taking'

When the economic outlook was more clear, banks were happy to cut rates as low as possible to try to gobble up market share. But now, they're saying "We better earn a bit more of a spread on this money because these things might default at a higher rate than we're used to," Laird said.

The impact isn't dramatic. Laird says a few weeks ago, the best mortgage rates were something in the range of between two and 2.5 per cent. Today, they're between 2.5 and three per cent because, as he puts it, "they are demanding a higher risk premium than what they typically do."

Others aren't quite so diplomatic.

"It's total garbage," Marcus Tzaferis with mortage brokerage Cannect said. "It's complete profit taking."

Fixed-rate loans aren't pegged to the Bank of Canada's rate and are instead more influenced by the bond market. And there, too, Tzaferis says what's happening in the market doesn't reflect what's happening behind the scenes.

Lenders finance fixed-rate loans on the bond market, where yields have fallen to record lows in the current COVID-19 crisis. The yield on a five-year government of Canada bond bottomed out at around 0.37 per cent this month and is currently hovering just over 0.5 per cent.

That means a bank can borrow money on that bond market for five years at just 0.50 per cent interest and turn around and loan out that money to a homeowner for whatever they can get to turn a profit.

Push for 5-year mortgages

Most fixed rate mortgages are currently going for around three per cent, which Tzaferis points out is 250 points of locked in profit for the lender.

Those points add up fast. Laird calculates that a theoretical buyer who put down a 10 per cent deposit on a house costing $500,000 before this crisis would likely have been able to get a mortgage rate of 2.6 per cent, which would make their payment $2,102 a month.

If all three rate cuts since then were to be fully factored into that loan, that borrower's monthly payment would fall to $1,769 a month — that's $333 per month or $3,996 per year on their mortgage payments, compared to what they were paying less than a month ago.

The overwhelming majority of first-time buyers opt for fixed-rate loans because they like the security of knowing that their monthly payment is guaranteed to not increase. The banks know this, Tzaferis says, and it could soon have a heavy cost for borrowers.

"They're using this as an opportunity to lock people into big fat juicy and profitable five-year mortgages," he said. "When their rates drop those consumers are going to have massive penalties to break them ... tens of thousands of dollars."

"It's absolutely insanity," Tzaferis said. "This is a totally manufactured crisis to profit."

COVID-19 recession on horizon

Laird and Tzferis both say that the current situation can't last forever. Economists are already predicting that the COVID-19 recession is likely to be incredibly sharp, but it's anyone's guess how long it will go on for.

Laird says the best sign that things are getting back to normal will be when the big banks start to act in a way that seems paradoxical.

Banks are raising their rates right now because they feel just as uncertain about the future as Canadians do. Once that cloud lifts, they'll want to start lowering rates again, and "they wont build in that uncertainty premium like they are now," said Laird.

"As confidence returns, you'll see rates fall."

Your rent is due. What help is available for tenants across Canada  

NO FOOLING APRIL 1, 2020

© Chris Young/CP "Lee" is pictured at the window of her west Toronto apartment on Thursday March 19, 2020. "Lee" who has been a tenant at 'Shoreview' on Toronto's King Street west for 8 1/2 years is amongst tenants who say their landlord, Golden Equity Properties, has continued to issue eviction notices this week amid the COVID-19 pandemic and has shut off their water without warning on multiple occasions.

Across the country, April 1 will mark the first rent due date since the COVID-19 pandemic hit home in Canada.

As the pandemic ravages the economy, leaving more than a million Canadians suddenly unemployed, provincial governments have rolled out emergency measures for both tenants and landlords.

So far, all provinces have to some degree suspended evictions, which represent a health concern as Canadians are told to practice social distancing.

Many jurisdictions also offer financial help for utility bills or the option to postpone payments. However, the degree of emergency assistance for tenants varies significantly across jurisdictions.

Here's a look at some of the major initiatives as of March 31:

© Provided by Global News

British Columbia

Evictions

B.C. is halting evictions for any reason except in extreme circumstances where there are safety concerns. The province is also freezing existing eviction orders.

Rent increases

Rent increases are also frozen.

Temporary Rental Supplement

The province has announced a new Temporary Rental Supplement program that will provide up to $500 a month. The funding, which will flow directly to landlords, is available to tenants who are struggling to pay rent because the pandemic has affected their income.

Applications will be available in mid-April on the B.C. Housing website, according to the government.

BC Emergency Benefit for Workers

Some tenants struggling to make their April rent may be able to tap the province's Emergency Benefit for Workers, which will provide a one-time $1,000 payment to those who lost income because of COVID-19.

B.C. residents who receive Employment Insurance or Ottawa's new Canada Emergency Response Benefit are eligible for the one-time payment.

Applications will open "soon," the government has said.

Alberta 

Evictions

So far, the province has suspended evictions for tenants who fail to pay rent and/or utility bills before May 1. However, landlords can still seek evictions for reasons unrelated to the health emergency or if a tenant refuses to negotiate or comply with a payment plan.

Rent increases

The province has also put a halt on rent increases for as long as Alberta’s State of Public Health Emergency remains in effect. Landlords cannot apply or retroactively collect fees for late rent payments for the period until June 30.

The government is encouraging tenants and landlords to develop rent payment plans.

SUCH BULLSHIT BUT WHAT DO YOU EXPECT THE UCP WHO THINK PUBLIC SERVICES SHOULD BE ELIMINATED REPLACED BY VOLUNTARYISM, CHURCH CHARITIES, AND KINDLY LANDLORDS

Emergency isolation support

Another possible source of funds for some tenants is Alberta's emergency isolation support for workers who are sick with COVID-19, caring for someone with the virus or in self-isolation.

The province has pledged a one-time payment of $1,146. Income support is available only to those who have no other source of compensation.

READ MORE: ‘Shocking and disgusting’: Tenants face rent increases despite coronavirus crisis

Saskatchewan


Evictions

As of March 26, the province is no longer accepting applications for non-urgent evictions.

Self-Isolation Support Program

Another possible source of support for some cash-strapped tenants is the province's Self-Isolation Support Program, which will provide $450 per week for up to two weeks for workers who have to self-isolate and are not covered by federal jobless benefits or other supports.
Manitoba

Evictions

The province has suspended non-urgent evictions hearings until May 31. However, landlords can charge fees for late payments as well as initiate evictions applications for missed payments during this period.

Rent increases

Landlords won't be able to raise rent between April 1 and May 31.

Non-urgent evictions are suspended until May 31, while rent increases are suspended for April 1 - May 31.

Ontario

Evictions

The province has suspended eviction orders "until further notice" and postponed scheduled enforcement of current eviction orders. Still, landlords can collect compensation for every day that an eviction order is not enforced.

Ontario Works

Ontarians who are experiencing a financial emergency because of COVID-19 can turn to the province's Ontario Works program, which can help with the cost of housing and food, the government said.
Quebec

Evictions

Eviction hearings are on hold for as long as the province's state of emergency is in force.

Temporary Aid for Workers Program

Some tenants could benefit from Quebec's Temporary Aid for Workers Program, which will provide eligible residents $573 for two weeks of self-isolation. The benefit may also be extended to a maximum of 28 days for those who contract the virus.

The lump-sum payment is only available to residents who are not receiving any other form of compensation, including from private insurance or through other government programs.
New Brunswick

Evictions

The province has suspended evictions for tenants who fail to pay rent until May 31, 2020. This also applies to the enforcement of existing eviction orders issued for the same reason.

Workers Emergency Income Benefit

There's good news for tenants in New Brunswick: the province is rolling out a one-time income benefit of $900 for residents who have lost their income due to the pandemic.

The benefit is meant to provide bridge financial aid until payments kick in from Ottawa's Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and has similar eligibility requirements.

READ MORE: ‘Shocking and disgusting’: Tenants face rent increases despite coronavirus crisis

Nova Scotia

Evictions

The province has banned evictions for tenants whose income has been affected by COVID-19 for three months starting on March 19.

Income assistance

Individuals and families on income assistance will receive an additional $50 starting on March 20. The top-up is automatic — there's no need to apply.

Prince Edward Island

Evictions

The province has a moratorium on evictions until June 30.

Temporary Rental Assistance Benefit

Prince Edward Island has created an emergency benefit for tenants who are facing financial hardships as a result of the COVID-19. The emergency aid will provide up to $250 per month per household for renters who do not qualify for existing rental assistance programs or social assistance.

As is the case in B.C., the payment will go directly to landlords.

More information on the benefit should become available in coming days on the government's website.

Employee gift card program

Some PEI tenants will also be able to get some help with their grocery bill. The provincial government recently announced a program to offer a $100 Sobeys gift card to employees who have been laid off as a result of COVID-19 and are waiting to receive EI payments.

Employers must complete an application form for eligible employees and are in charge of distributing the gift cards.

Newfoundland and Labrador

Evictions

On March 26, the province introduced legislation to prevent evictions for tenants who can't pay rent because they have lost income resulting from COVID-19.

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Critic, workers' group 'disappointed' Trudeau chose Amazon to distribute PPE
TRUDEAU USES GIG ECONOMY TO UNION BUST

CUPW

TORONTO — The federal government is facing backlash for teaming up with U.S. tech giant Amazon.com Inc. to distribute personal protective equipment across the country.

Critics of the partnership announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau today say turning to Amazon is problematic because it ignores the handful of Canadian-owned delivery brands that could do the job.

They also say the Seattle-based company has been facing complaints from a Brampton, Ont. warehouse workers group that claims Amazon has not been properly protecting workers from COVID-19.

The group, Warehouse Workers Centre, recently started a petition claiming Amazon is refusing to give workers paid leave, is not telling staff what it will do if facilities are contaminated and is not practicing physical distancing properly.

Centre organizer Gagandeep Kaur says she worries about the government deal putting further strain on workers who are not properly protected.

Amazon referred The Canadian Press to news releases detailing that it has increased the frequency and intensity of cleaning at its facilities, required employees and delivery service partners to clean and disinfect their work stations and adjusted its practices so fulfilment centre employees can maintain a safer distance from co-workers.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 3, 2020.

The Canadian Press

COVID-19 IN CANADA: CNN medical correspondent explains where we stand vs USA

UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE WINS HANDS DOWN

WEATHER NETWORK CANADA 3/4/2020

COVID-19 is running rampant across North America. When comparing the numbers in Canada and the United States, it's easy to see who is having a harder time with this pandemic -- even taking into account the larger population.

As of early April, the skyrocketing cases south of the border are in no comparison to what we are expiring here in Canada.

“One thing I think Canada has going for it is the single payer system,” said CNN’s senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen in an exclusive interview with The Weather Network.

© Provided by The Weather Network

“I think when you have a single payer system, it is easier to mobilize forces. It is easier to decide who gets what resources and give directives when it is all coming from one health care system.”

In our interview we also asked Cohen her thoughts about SARS and what the nation learned from that outbreak. She quickly remarked at how much harder Canada was hit with SARS than the United States. She then linked the “easy” time the U.S. had with SARS to possibly their demise now.

“It’s quite possible the United States learned the wrong lessons with SARS,” said Cohen.

She explained that when SARS reached the U.S., the virus was fairly easy to control. This may have influenced the mindset of many. This mindset unfortunately was not the right way to be thinking about COVID-19.

“Whenever you experience a difficult time, I am speaking personally or as a nation, you have to decide on an approach. And I think that Canada probably learned from [their approaches] with SARS. There are certain truths that were learned,” she added.

While the numbers in Canada are disappointing, as we look south of the border, we can see how things could be worse.

Cohen agreed that physical distancing is truly our best practice right now for reducing the spread of this virus.

“A vaccine is not coming for at least a year, to a year and a half. Various treatments are being tried but we do not know if they are going to work,” she explains.

Huge feral hogs invading Canada, building ‘pigloos’ as they go
Andrea Anderson NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC 3/4/2020

© Photograph by Roland Seitre, Minden Pictures
Feral pigs are spreading through Canada. Here is a large 

boar in a park in Quebec, though the largest populations

 are found further west.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, some Canadian farmers imported wild boars from Europe to raise for meat. But as wild boars are wont to do, some of them escaped, either digging under fences or barreling through them. Others were set free once the boar meat market cooled.

At first, it didn’t seem like a big problem; many thought they couldn’t survive Canada’s long winters. But the boars proved hardier than some researchers expected, and now they’re causing havoc across wide swaths of Canada.

The descendants of these wild boars have interbred with domestic pigs to varying degrees, and are now found throughout western and central Canada, from British Columbia to Manitoba and beyond. As they spread, they sow environmental destruction, plowing through crops and grasslands, causing erosion, displacing wildlife, harassing livestock, and eating just about anything.© Photograph by Neil Bowman, Minden Pictures

Feral pigs are better known in warm places like Florida, shown here. But they have shown the ability to survive in Canada's cold climate as well.

These feral fugitives can weigh up to 600 pounds or more, and sport sharp tusks and bristly coats over thick, warm fur. They are reproducing rapidly and their range is expanding. Their combination of wild traits and domestic ones—including their high tolerance for cold and ability to birth large litters—may have led to “super pigs,” says Ryan Brook, a wildlife researcher with the University of Saskatchewan. The creatures even have been known to build above-ground shelters that researchers have dubbed “pigloos.”

© Photograph by Ryan Brook
Feral hogs cut down cattails with their sharp teeth and use 

them to line the insides of their pigloos, or to make beds 

in which to rest in the summer.

“We should be worried, because we know the biology,” Brook says. “They're called an ecological train wreck for a reason.”

Got pigs?

The hog explosion is a new problem, and until recently, “no one even knew where they were,” says Ruth Aschim, a doctoral candidate at the University of Saskatchewan. She and her advisor Brook spent three years mapping their distribution using trail camera images, GPS collar data, and interviews with local landowners, farmers, and hunters.

For three months of the project, Aschim lived out of her tent and her car, meeting with local biologists and conservation officers across western Canada.

The results, published in a paper in Scientific Reports in May 2019

Porcine pests

Canadian feral hogs often eat crops such as wheat, barley, and canola as they range through prairies and farm lands and into the edges of forests and wetlands. They will make a meal out of most anything that fits into their mouths, including plants, small reptiles or mammals, ground-nesting birds, and eggs.

Beyond the damage they can do to field crops, grain bins and storage containers, the pigs can plow through large patches of farmland in search of invertebrates, roots, and other edibles.

“The rooting is really something to see. It's almost like a small backhoe has gone through some of these pastures,” says Perry Abramenko, an inspector and pest program specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry.

Wild pigs also wallow in stream beds, causing erosion and water contamination, Abramenko says. And given their close relationship to domestic pigs, experts have raised concerns about potential infectious diseases that could be passed back and forth between the animals.

Canada’s pig problem is relatively new, however, and many impacts have yet to be fully felt. Crop insurance claims attributed to wild pigs in Saskatchewan, for example, are still far outpaced by damage from other wildlife, according to the Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation.
Moreover, pigs are elusive; even though seen on trail cameras, residents might not know they’re around. Even so, economic and ecological problems associated with pigs—including risks posed to motorists—are expected to grow alongside the mushrooming pig population.

That has people like Brook concerned about the lack of a comprehensive plan to reduce their numbers in Canada, despite some initial efforts and meetings—lots of meetings. Without concrete action, time may be running out to turn back the wild pig tide.

“Meetings don't eradicate wild pigs,” he says.

Prior to such research, a Canadian feral pig scourge was hard to fathom. In the United States, the animals are best known in the south and warmer coastal areas, such as Florida, Texas, and California, where Spanish explorers introduced pigs as far back as the 1500s.

In western Canada, though, “we have the exact opposite,” Brook says. “The coldest spots—Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, sort of north-central—is where we have, by far, the most pigs."

Why? The answer may lay partly in their history and heritage.

Swine on the move

Most taxonomists agree that domestic pigs and European wild boars are the same species, Sus scrofa, though different subspecies. They readily interbreed if given the chance. Wild boars are native to Eurasia, ranging from North Africa to Scandinavia and east to Siberia. They are not native to the Americas, though pig-like peccaries range throughout Latin America.

Humans have been raising domestic pigs, descendants of European wild boars, for around 10,000 years. The domestic variety has less hair and has been bred to be large and meaty, while reproducing quickly, particularly since the advent of commercial pig farming.

The descendants of escaped pigs can take on characteristics of their boar ancestors, including longer coats, though these “feral pigs” or “wild hogs” may harbor distinct color patterns and other remnants of domesticity.

Many feral pigs in the U.S. have strong domestic ancestry. A February 2020 study in Molecular Ecology of genetic data taken from 6,500 feral animals across the U.S. found that most descend from a mix of heritage breed domestic pigs—the kind raised as livestock prior to industrialized agriculture—and wild boar.
Their Canadian counterparts, however, are believed to be much more closely related to wild boars, but do have dashes of domestic pig ancestry. This is backed up by camera trap observations of hogs with pink coloration and polka-dot splotches, traits not seen in European wild pigs. They also have up to six piglets at a time twice per year, a larger litter size than that of Eurasian boars.

“If we had true Eurasian wild boar without any domestic pig, this whole issue would be a lot easier to handle… Reproductive rates would be lower,” Brook says.

The distinctive “pigloos” the animals build consist of mounds of cattails, which they cut down and burrow into, capturing enough heat to steam on cold days, Brook explains.

“The cattails do a good job of catching the snow and it's fairly thick and soft, so they can tunnel into that and have their little pigloos,” Brook says.
Why so big?

The animals are also notable for their smarts, toughness, and tremendous size.

While Eurasian wild boars tend to be smaller in the southern parts of their native range, they become bigger in the north, following a pattern common across many animal species. (Related: Wild boars make a home in bustling Hong Kong.)

A wild boar in Barcelona, for example, might be lucky to reach 220 pounds. That’s similar to North American wild pigs, which on average weigh between 150 and 220 pounds. Though Canadian pigs vary widely, Brook and his team captured at least one wild hog that was well over 600 pounds.

That apparent size increase may offer a selective advantage in the cold, Brook notes. Mixing between wild boar and commercial pig breeds likely contributes to that, since traits such as heft and large litter size have been under intense selection in farmed pigs as well.

These hybrid pigs and new and unfamiliar to many; it’s perhaps no wonder, then, that some folks don’t seem to think they present much of a threat, Brook says. But he disagrees. Pretty much everywhere else the pigs are found, they’ve created problems.

“Why would we expect anything except vast, dramatic ecological impacts?”

Food security experts warn of supply shortages, 

higher prices due to global pandemic

Food banks across Canada are seeing a spike in demand and a drop in donations.

Food security experts are warning the global pandemic could lead to supply shortages, higher prices and a growing nutrition gap between rich and poor.

© Maggie MacPherson/CBC 

Elaine Power, a food security expert at Queen's University, said the coronavirus pandemic is exposing "critical weaknesses" in various vital networks, including health care systems and food supply chains.

"The people who are already food insecure, that's only going to get worse. The type of resources that people would normally draw on probably aren't going to be there," she said.

Suddenly, hundreds of thousands more Canadians are at risk of going hungry, she said.

Power said various problems caused by the pandemic — border closures restricting the movement of foreign farm workers, transportation and import bottlenecks, panic hoarding at grocery stores — can all contribute "massively" to higher prices or food shortages.

Even the honeybees normally imported from other countries to pollinate Canadian crops could become harder to source, she said.

All of this potential for scarcity should give Canadians a wake-up call about food security — something they've always taken for granted, she said.

"The labour that goes into it, whether it's in the fields, or in the factories, in the grocery stores or in the home — It's not valued and it's mostly invisible," she said.

Power said price increases for some goods could lead to even greater nutritional disparities between low-income households and everyone else.

Earlier Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced $100 million for food banks and breakfast clubs.

He said organizations that deliver food to the needy are struggling with growing demand while facing fewer donations and volunteers.

During his daily briefing in Ottawa, he said the work that groups like Food Banks Canada, the Salvation Army and Breakfast of Canada do is "essential," especially in Indigenous and northern communities.

"We are grateful for the incredible, tireless work you do even in these extremely difficult circumstances — especially in these extremely difficult circumstances. You are doing essential work for our most vulnerable," he said.

"You are showing what it is to be Canadian, to be there for each other in times of difficulty."

Food Banks Canada, which will receive about half the money, said it's grateful for the funding as it sees "drastic reductions" in donations and a spike in demand.

"We are now working through the details of the announcement with our network of over 3,000 food banks and community agencies, and will provide further updates on how this money will be used to help build capacity and supports at the local level as we all continue to adapt to the effects of the coronavirus crisis," the organization said in a statement.

Food Banks Canada projects the demand in coming weeks will exceed what it saw during the 2008 recession, as a rise in company closures, layoffs and employment insurance (EI) claims has a trickle-down effect on food banks.

The federal government has said it received more than 1.6 million applications for EI in just over a week.
'Bigger band-aid'

Valerie Tarasuk, a nutritional sciences expert at the University of Toronto, said even before COVID-19 struck, about 4.4 million Canadians were living in food-insecure households. With the coronavirus outbreak, many more Canadians will be in that situation.

Tarasuk said today's announcement of $100 million funding for food banks is a "bigger band-aid" and that more systemic changes are needed to address food insecurity.

"It is one more frantic attempt to patch a social safety net that was not working well even before COVID-19," she said.

"Adding cash to a fragmented ... volunteer-run charity system that depends on face-to-face interactions and was only ever serving a small fraction of the people in need is completely misplaced. It isn't about how much money the feds give to food banks. The problem is that they are trying to address serious problems of material deprivation through ad hoc community charities."
Foreign worker challenge

Sylvain Charlebois, a food distribution and security expert at Dalhousie University, said the entire food system is affected by COVID-19, from individual households and local communities to global supply chains.

On the production front, he points to the pressing challenge of getting access to some 60,000 temporary foreign workers who normally come to Canada each year to help produce and harvest food products. A similar situation in the U.S. also puts at risk those products that are exported to Canada.

"The foreign worker issue is problematic for Canada (and) both sides of the border," he said. "That said, logistics remain functional across North America, as long as state and national borders remain open (for agricultural trade)."

The federal government confirmed in March that foreign workers will be allowed into the country despite the COVID-19 travel ban because they are considered essential workers.

But travel restrictions and a slowdown in bureaucracies in Canada and abroad have delayed the process.

Many employers are also weighing the higher costs of employing foreign workers, since they must also pay them during a mandatory 14-day quarantine period upon arrival.

Charlebois said the next few weeks are going to be critical, as the world sits on the brink of a "major slowdown in agrifood trades" and borders become more fragile.

"Uncertainty about the availability of food can literally trigger a wave of export restrictions, creating a shortage on world markets. Such a scenario is highly improbable, but not impossible," he said.

Coronavirus: Ontario orders further workplace closures, halt to many construction projects


Nick Westoll
1 day ago













Click to expand
Coronavirus outbreak: Doug Ford confirms 80,000 COVID-19 cases possible by end of April

The Ontario government has announced further business closures and a shutdown of many construction sites in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

"My government is prepared to take every step possible and today I'm asking you to do the same," Premier Doug Ford said in an update Friday afternoon.

"Today we're taking additional steps to flatten the curve. We're announcing the closure of many more sectors of the economy and I can tell you this was no easy task."

READ MORE: Ontario projects just under 1,600 COVID-19 deaths, 80,000 cases by end of April

As of Saturday at 11:59 p.m. and for 14 days, Ford said all industrial construction will be stopped. Only essential infrastructure-related projects will proceed. No new residential construction will take place under the order, adding inspections will be stepped up.

The announcement comes after the Ontario government announced projected COVID-19 numbers to be just under 1,600 COVID-19 deaths and 80,000 cases by the end of April if the current measures in place are upheld.

© THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

 A construction site in full swing in Toronto on Wednesday March 18, 2020.

"The reality is the early chapters of our story have already been written and there are some things that are out of anyone's hands," Ford said.

"But what matters is the ending of our story is still up to us."

More to come

Crime in a time of COVID-19: How the pandemic is changing criminality in our neighbourhoods

© Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press/File 

Vancouver police say they are seeing about 10 per cent 

fewer calls each day since March 12, but warn of a jump 

in commercial break-ins.


A new pattern of neighbourhood crime in the time of COVID-19 is emerging and it looks something like this: fewer traffic violations, less drunk driving, fewer frauds but way more domestic violence, commercial break-ins and stunt driving.

It makes sense.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought sweeping emergency declarations to most of Canada, with limitations on movement, work, recreation and business.

Self-isolation suddenly and fundamentally changed our lifestyles: how we move, where we go, how we work, how we play, who we spend time with and who is watching us.

This has a huge impact on crime.
National Post contacted police forces around the country for information on how COVID-19 is changing neighbourhood crime. For some, the pandemic is ushering in new highs and lows.

“Our radios are usually very busy, dispatchers barking out calls one after another,” said a Toronto police officer, who asked not to be named because he wasn’t authorized to speak publicly. “Now we sometimes hear an officer asking for a radio check because they think their radio isn’t working.”

York Regional Police, north of Toronto, was quick off the mark with a statistical analysis of crime under COVID.

“The statistics we are seeing make sense with the ways we are living right now,” said Const. Laura Nicolle.

Overall crime reported to York police decreased approximately 13 per cent in March 2020 compared with the same month a year ago.

Among the biggest drops this March, much of which was marked by pandemic response, are routine traffic violations, down 32 per cent, and impaired driving, down 29 per cent.

© Jim Wells/Postmedia Police officers patrol downtown

 Calgary on April 2, 2020 as part of their regular patrol. 

Police have been on the watch for criminals breaking into

 shops that are closed due to the coronavirus outbreak.

“We know that with so many things closed and people being urged to stay home, we have far fewer vehicles on our roads, leading to a reduction in traffic offences,” said Nicolle. With bars and restaurants closed to table service, there are fewer opportunities to drive home after drinking.

Frauds are down by 16 per cent and weapons offences down by 13 per cent.
COVID-19, however, is not ushering in an era of peaceful coexistence. Some crimes are sharply up in York.

Less congested roads seems an invitation for speeding: stunt driving, going more than 50 km/h over the limit, revved up 60 per cent.

So many businesses sitting empty remains too tempting a target for criminals who never self-isolate enough: Commercial break-ins are up 45 per cent in March. Thefts of vehicles increased 44 per cent.

Even more distressing, domestic complaints have jumped by 22 per cent, covering everything from calls to police over verbal arguments in a home to significant domestic assault.

“Sadly, more time at home with families and significant others results in an increase in calls for domestic related incidents,” said Nicolle.

York’s review paints a broad picture of coronavirus crime trends but it is not uniformly seen across Canada, at least not yet.

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Since March 16, Toronto police’s weekly statistics show a decline in all major crime categories — except homicide, which has remained stable.

“This could be attributed to social distancing and self-isolation since most of these crimes are against people (assaults, robbery), but even crimes against property (auto theft, break-and-enters) have dropped,” said Meaghan Gray of Toronto police.

In Edmonton, police have seen an almost 52 per cent increase in mental health calls in March compared to March 2019, said Edmonton Police Service spokesman Scott Pattison.
And “serious” domestic violence is up significantly. There have been 62 per cent more calls for domestic violence, although that is based on a wider timeframe, since January, compared to the same period last year.

Ottawa police identified three areas of COVID crime concerns: commercial break-ins, domestic abuse and stunt driving.

“Of concern is that victims of domestic abuse are potentially not attending hospitals or clinics for their injuries, and therefore a significant portion of our cases which would normally come from health-care professionals, are going unreported,” said Insp. Jim Elves.

© Stan Behal/Postmedia Toronto Police continue to respond

 to call on March 29.

Last week, Ottawa police seized 15 vehicles for stunt driving, eight of them on Friday, including a motorcycle driver pulling wheelies.

Since March 12, Vancouver police are seeing about 10 per cent fewer calls each day, but warn of a jump in commercial break-ins.

“Overall, we have seen a reduction in calls for service for police over the last couple of weeks,” said Chief Adam Palmer. “It appears thieves are attempting to take advantage of commercial spaces that are closed due to social distancing measures.”

Despite a surge in break-ins, overall property crime in Vancouver has dropped 12 per cent compared to the weeks leading up to the pandemic.

“Currently we do not have a large amount of data suggesting huge changes in crimes trends,” Calgary police said in a statement. “However, break and enters in commercial areas is one area where we’ve seen an increase and have adapted our patrols accordingly.”

In Winnipeg, COVID-19 measures have not had a visible impact on crime, said Const. Jay Murray of Winnipeg police.

“There really hasn’t been enough time to determine if there is a discernible increase or decrease in the types of calls we respond to,” he said. “Crime can be random. Outside of the COVID-19 crisis, we regularly observe arbitrary fluctuations week-to-week.”

Winnipeg police looked closer at domestic calls last week and found no significant change from prior years.

“Anecdotally, I can tell you it has been largely business as normal for the Winnipeg Police Service,” Murray said.

Several other police agencies across Canada were asked how the pandemic was impacting crime but declined to provide details prior to publication.

As the pandemic worsens and restrictions continue, things may well shift again, for better or worse. There are fears of an erosion in frontline policing when officers are incapacitated by COVID-19.

And not all places in Canada have the same problems.

In Bittern Lake, a village in central Alberta with fewer than 250 residents, the administration office is closed to all foot traffic as a precaution against COVID-19. The post office, perhaps the busiest place around, has been closed for two weeks because the postmaster is sick — but just with a cold, said Jill Tinson, the chief administrative officer.

As for crime trends in Bittern Lake, Tinson said it’s hard to tell because the police officer from a neighbouring community hasn’t been through on patrol lately.

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Mounting evidence of COVID-19 'silent spreaders' contradicts government's earlier messages

Karina Roman

© Ben Nelms/CBC 

Crowds are seen at English Bay in Vancouver, B.C., on March 20. 

New research indicates a significant proportion of those infected with 

COVID-19 are seemingly healthy people, and are the ones driving its spread.

Researchers are finding mounting evidence that asymptomatic COVID-19 carriers are "driving" the rapid spread of the virus around the globe — contradicting what Canadian officials were saying just weeks ago.

At the end of January, Canada's chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, told the House of Commons health committee that based on what is known about past coronaviruses, asymptomatic transmission is a "rare event." In fact, she said, epidemics are not driven by that kind of transmission.

A few days after that, Health Minister Patty Hajdu echoed Tam in an interview on CBC Radio's The House:

"The best evidence around the virus that we have is that the virus is not contagious when people are not symptomatic."

But a growing body of research indicates they were wrong. In fact, people don't have to appear ill at all to infect others.

Jeffrey Shaman, a professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia University in New York, says he is frustrated when people deny that asymptomatic spread can happen.

"We have so much evidence that that is going on," he said. "It's ridiculous."

It remains unclear if understanding the threat earlier might have affected policy. Had the threat been fully realized, different decisions might have been made regarding travel restrictions, quarantines and physical distancing.

Asymptomatic patients among COVID-19 caseload: studies

Shaman and other researchers argue that even two months ago, officials like Tam and Hajdu should have been more open to the possibility of asymptomatic transmission, considering by that point there was a flurry of research being undertaken by scientists racing to understand how the virus was spreading so fast and far. Many of those researchers suspected asymptomatic transmission.

As the results of much of that research are so new, some of the findings have yet to be peer-reviewed. But, they appear to point in one direction.

"That is what our Science paper suggests, that it is undocumented infections that are driving it," said Shaman. "They're silent spreaders; it's stealth transmission."

Shaman is co-author of one of several studies looking to figure out what proportion of people with COVID-19 are asymptomatic and how infectious they are.

A joint Japanese-U.S.-U.K. study looked at data from the passengers on the Diamond Princess cruise ship who were quarantined for two weeks in Japan after the ship had an outbreak in February. The researchers determined that nearly 18 percent of those who were infected never showed symptoms.

A smaller Japanese study of 565 Japanese evacuees from Wuhan, China in February found that out of those who tested positive for COVID-19, nearly 31 per cent were asymptomatic.

In the Italian town of Vò, where Italy recorded its first death, every one of its 3,300 inhabitants was tested. The majority of the three per cent who tested positive had no symptoms.

Large-scale testing in Iceland found about half of those who tested positive had no symptoms.

Viral shedding starts early, German study says

But that's only half the story. The asymptomatic can also spread it, and do so to a significant degree.

Shaman's study used mathematical modelling techniques based on real COVID-19 testing data to simulate what was happening among people in 375 cities in China.

His research found that while undocumented cases — those with mild or no symptoms who did not have a confirmed diagnosis at the time — were only half as infectious as symptomatic ones, they were the source for nearly 80 per cent of documented cases. That's because people who feel fine are the ones out and about, travelling and interacting with more people.

Asked whether it's fair to say these so-called silent spreaders are "super-spreaders," Shaman replied: "Yes."

A study of COVID-19 patients in Munich, Germany showed that viral shedding starts early after infection onset, making this virus very different from severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). It also found that the capacity to shed virus can last after symptoms clear up. Another study of patients in China found that the viral load in both symptomatic and asymptomatic people was similar.

In other words, people don't have to appear very sick to infect others.

"It's an unfortunate characteristic of the virus because this really facilitates the spread through the community and the world," said Dr. Sumon Chakrabarti, an infectious disease physician at Trillium Health Partners in Mississauga, Ont.

On Thursday, Tam acknowledged the growing evidence.

"We're always looking at science as it evolves. We've, of course, had cases that are pre-symptomatic or asymptomatic. What we didn't know before was how much does that play in the force of transmission," she said at a news conference in Ottawa.

"And so if we have to change our approach, we will."

The Health Minister's thinking has clearly changed, too.

"This is a sneaky virus," Hajdu said Wednesday. "Some people don't feel ill at all. And that's why the … physical distancing is so critically important. We have to act as if we are all carrying this virus."

Expect physical distancing measures to continue

Dr. Allison McGeer, an infectious disease specialist with Sinai Health System in Toronto, argues while Tam's messaging about asymptomatic spread back in January "might not have been ideal," there's a good chance people would not have been onside with major restrictions to their lives before they could see proof of how serious the problem was. After all, Canada only reported its first case of COVID-19 in late January.

"There is evidence that if officials appear uncertain about things, people lose trust. They get angry. They don't follow guidance. So we put this demand on public health people to have answers when there are no answers. And that's just an impossible situation," she said.

Doctors and researchers say more testing — even of those without symptoms — is a must. And they say Canadians should prepare for a continuation of distancing measures, including business and school closures. In some countries, it might mean overt directives for the general public to wear face masks.

Just like lessons were learned from the handling of SARS in 2003, so too are lessons being learned this time around.

"If ... we ever have another pandemic of a respiratory virus, we want to consider the possibility of asymptomatic spread right from the beginning," said Chakrabarti.

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