We Still Have a Government, Right?: Canadian Politics 2020

Far from perfect, but he continues to surprise me next to his role model.

http://www.timminstoday.com/around-ontario/covid-19-first-ontario-produced-masks-ready-for-use-premier-doug-ford-says-2235610

Yep, was hearing about that on the radio. It's good news. 21 deaths today is not, though.

Pretty funny.

Oh man. Trudeau says, on wearing masks, that his understanding is it can be helpful as it prevents you from "breathing or speaking moistly" on others.

"Ugh what a terrible image."

MOISTLY. Our prime Minister just said "moistly," folks.

More: https://t.co/gDsnZulB1L. pic.twitter.com/3ihklc7yvz

— Rachel Gilmore (@atRachelGilmore) April 7, 2020

(Trudeau, I mean, not the tweet.)

Also everyone in Canada knows that "moistly" refers to "sounding like David Usher".

Indeed.

Other Words from moist
moistly adverb

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/moist

But yeah, not the most elegant way to phrase that thought.

OK, now that I watched the clip and see that "ugh, what a terrible image" was actually JT's own comment, I think it WAS the most elegant way to phrase that thought.

I can't really stand to listen to him when he's in formal address mode (as he is when not taking/answering questions). He sounds like he's selling me something over the phone.

Ha, he always just sounds like a drama teacher to me.

Ha, I watched the moistening live - he obviously had instant regret over that phrasing.

Had the CBC on for a couple of hours this morning, including Trudeau's daily briefing, instead of CNN. There is a definite difference in terms of how return-to-normal is being presented: here, that means August/September, in the States, June. As much as I might hate it, I'm glad the view here is August/September--which, admittedly, is a lot easier to say when you're retired and not worried about your job.

43 social distancing fines issued over the weekend just in Ottawa, incl $880 for sitting on a park bench. 26 fines in Gatineau.

https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1691539/distanciation-sociale-parcs-amendes-ottawa-gatineau

Trudeau basically stated that 'this is the new normal' until a vaccine is developed. Grim but clear.

(xpost) Is the park-bench ordinance a municipal thing? I had considered taking a book with me in the next week or two and doing some outdoor reading on one of the benches around town, but I won't now.

Yes

Had the CBC on for a couple of hours this morning, including Trudeau's daily briefing, instead of CNN. There is a definite difference in terms of how return-to-normal is being presented: here, that means August/September, in the States, June

Interesting. In French, he said what pomenitul paraphrased and gave a possible timeline of 1-1.5 years.

I was drifting a bit...August/September seemed to come up, I thought, as a date for maybe not normal, but at least steps towards that (also in the CBC coverage after Trudeau spoke). Maybe I misheard, though. 18 months, wow.

I continue to check our daily cases.

http://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/canada/

Hard really to read anything into that the last few days.

I guess political fallout was inevitable.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/covid-19-government-documents-1.5528726

Eh, I can see why they would have been reluctant to adopt restrictions on civil liberties and privacy or to shut down economic life before there was clearer evidence of a crisis in Canada. Seems like the right approach tbh. I don't think the evidence really suggests that Canada has done worse than comparable countries.

Probably not, but still --

A March 10 department-drafted briefing note prepared for Health Minister Patty Hajdu ahead of question period said that, with just 12 cases being reported nationwide at that point, "the risk of spread of this virus within Canada remains low at this time." The note also said the public health system is "well-equipped to contain cases coming from abroad, limiting the spread in Canada."

-- is not appreciably different than Trump's response: basically, it's not bad now, so it won't be bad two weeks from now.

What would be your response to reports of 12 cases (not deaths) of a new flu-related strain in the country? I can't say exactly but I doubt I would have acted very differently.

Me personally? The same, because I'm not an expert in the field. But with everything you read lately about how many people in the field warned of the dangers of something like this happening, I would expect someone to step up and say "this is urgent." Now, getting the rest of the country to listen when there are still only 12 cases, that may well have been impossible. But if you let memos like that off the hook, then I think you have to let Trump off the hook too, because his excuse-making has been more or less the same.

That week was the week I was glad Quebec seemed to be moving ahead of the federal govt in responding. I TAd a class on Thursday (12th) and it was all anyone could talk about, and the next day my uni cancelled classes over the weekend and the provincial govt extended that on Sunday. I can't remember the timelines in Italy and Iran, but if you were reading the news there was reason to assume it would be spread rapidly.

OTOH people are whining about the shutdown right now so...

That's actually not one of my issues with Trump's handling of the situation (and I also think even he or at least the US govt have done better than, say, Johnson, tbh). xp

And by March 10, even if we only had 12 cases, China had 80,000. If that had been a Jan. 10 or even Feb. 10 memo, that I could see.

Hm, Mar 10. That was when Ontario closed its schools as well. It was the right time for the provinces to respond, since they administer most of what is affected. I do think the feds were right to not invoke the Quarantine Act at that point - the bar should be high for emergency measures at the national level. Mar 13, only a few days after the memo, was when Trudeau advised against intl gatherings, called for large gatherings to be cancelled, banned large cruise ships from docking, and announced that border tightening and income support measures would be forthcoming. They should have possibly acted sooner with regards to things like co-ordinating the manufacture and supply of necessary testing and protective supplies, though - I think this is what concerns me most.

* intl travel

The last day for schools was March 13--I was in for a supply job on March 11.

I figure the school closing saved me from myself. I had three jobs lined up before the closure. They were for the first week of April, so by that time I likely would have passed even if schools had been open, but--turning down work is hard for me--if I had gotten a call for the week of March 16th, and maybe even the week of March 23rd, I likely would have taken a deep breath and gone in.

Yeah, I meant that was the week the upcoming closure was announced, sorry; same in ON and QC.

Legault is now saying that schools could reopen before the 4th of May. Doesn't seem very wise to me.

Accrued interest--awful.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/banks-charge-interest-on-interest-for-mortgage-payment-deferral-1.5529399

Deferred payments without interest would be the best, obviously, but probably too much to ask (or at least too much to expect). Deferred payments and interest--with the interest on a very long timetable--should be the minimum. Deferred payments with accrued interest is barely anything at all.

By "too much to expect" I mean because it's banks, and it's just not going to happen.

What's the exact rule re: hanging out in Ontario parks? I get the bench thing, but I was sitting distancedly with a (1) friend of mine *on the ground* at Tritinity Bellwoods and a cop made us get up and....walk around.

My understanding, at least in Ottawa, is that the police have a lot of latitude rn. Seems excessive to me, honestly. Closing down businesses and large gatherings makes sense. Prosecuting individuals over things that are of questionable risk anyway and asking citizens to snitch on their neighbours... we wouldn't accept that in response to a terrorist attack, I don't think. Why for a virus?

Emergency Response Benefit still a shitshow for gig workers. I wrote my MP (a Cabinet Minister) last week but never got a response. One school I work for on contract is encouraging everyone to have their pay held until benefits run out or this is over, which I will not do (although I might do the 14-day hold) but wtf that we are put in this position in the first place.

Isn't the rule that city parks are only open for 'walkthrough access'? I guess as long as you remain in motion, you're technically in the process of leaving the park.

I agree about the benches--silly, I think, unless you've got strangers sitting together. I went for a walk today and ended up walking through the Hall of Fame grounds, where, scattered around the baseball fields, there are benches everywhere. It was deserted for as far as I could see. It would have been nice to sit down for 10 minutes--would that have been a danger to anyone?

(And maybe, in fact, there isn't any such rule in St. Marys anyway.)

idk i kinda agree about the benches rule, hard surfaces and all

on your own blanket on the grass should be ok

I don't have an issue w the bench rule either

I get the sense that I might be the only one affected by this but this is definitely good: https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/singh-calls-for-universal-access-to-cerb-1.4892157

A lot of people I know are not eligible for either cerb or ei but have lost a ton in earnings and are in a bit of financial trouble

Yep, good that Trudeau seems to be recognizing the flaws.

The outbreaks at long-term care facilities are really concerning and account for a sizable proportion of ON/QC cases aiui. Concerns being raised both about availability of protective gear and about how it is being used. Staff walked out of one Markham facility after an outbreak yesterday.

https://globalnews.ca/news/6804902/coronavirus-markham-home-staff-walkoff/
https://globalnews.ca/news/6801945/pinecrest-psw-coronavirus-covid-19/

I was born in St. Joe's.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/st-joseph-s-health-centre-reports-covid-19-outbreak-in-intensive-care-unit-1.5531209

(Isn't that somewhat alarmist use of the word "outbreak," though? Maybe that's all it takes, I don't know.)

I lived in the Junction area through much of the '80s and never got there even once, I'm sorry to say.

http://www.blogto.com/eat_drink/2020/04/toronto-pizzeria-open-1957-announces-permanently-closing/

(More for a Toronto thread, I guess, but COVID-related.)

Weren't you asking about this earlier, Sund4r?

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/cerb-emergency-benefits-trudeau-1.5532767