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Source: www.cp24.com Ontario Premier Doug Ford appeared receptive Thursday to the idea that a widespread lockdown is needed to stop the alarming rise in COVID-19 infection across the province, suggesting the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area could be targeted. Repeating five times in 15 minutes that he would not hesitate to act and that “everything is on the table,” Ford remarked that the GTA and Hamilton area appears to be generating the lion’s share of infection as of late. “It’s really concentrated in one area. And that’s a GTA, and I’ll throw Hamilton, GTHA,” Ford said. “That’s where we’re seeing the spread to the exception of Halton. Halton’s still about 55 (cases per 100,000), but the other cases are just growing at a rapid pace. So everything’s on the table.”

Source: nationalpost.com TORONTO — Ontario is telling its school boards to prepare for the possibility of fully remote learning in the new year, prompting calls for clarity on whether the government plans to shut down in-class learning in January. Education Minister Stephen Lecce told boards in a memo late Wednesday that staff and students should be encouraged to bring essential learning materials home over the holidays.

Source: piquenewsmagazine.com The ongoing pandemic has also placed a bigger mental health burden on women and people of colour, according to a recently released study We often hear that COVID-19 doesn’t discriminate and anyone can fall victim to it. But that’s not entirely true – according to Statistics Canada, more women have contracted COVID-19 than men. Canada does not collect racial demographics on the country’s COVID-19 victims, but other jurisdictions including the U.S. and U.K. have found racial disparities in those affected by the pandemic, with people of colour suffering disproportionately from the virus.

Source: dailyhive.com Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, nearly half of Canadians are considering leaving their current job. According to the 11th annual Hays Salary Guide, the majority of Canadian employers feel confident about the economy and have a positive employment outlook, but that perspective is not shared by their teams. Reduced social interaction, increased workloads, and a lack of well-being and mental health support are among concerns cited by Canadian employees.

Source: www.citynews1130.com VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – As we are warned of more cases of COVID-19, small businesses in Canada say a second wave would be devastating. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business is urging federal and provincial governments to do everything possible to avoid further shutdowns and ensure strong and immediate economic supports are in place.

Source: www.prpeak.com OTTAWA — Women are more likely than men to face a risk of their jobs being affected by automation, a Statistics Canada study says. “The COVID-19 pandemic may accelerate the implementation of new technology, as firms might look to make the production and delivery of goods and the provision of services more resilient in the future,” said the report released Thursday.

Source: www.ipsos.com Three Quarters (77%) Would Admit To Having A Mental Illness, But Privacy (50%), Fear Of Different Treatment (45%), And Stigma (45%) Continue To Stop Many From Sharing Their Struggles Toronto, ON, September 22, 2020 — As we continue to weather the COVID-19 pandemic, there is increased attention being paid to how the coronavirus is impacting the mental health of Canadians. News stories increasingly focus on how social distancing and long periods of isolation lead to increased levels of anxiety and depression among Canadians, and a discourse is emerging across the country surrounding how mental health can be supported during a time when the future (including the potential of a second wave of the virus) seems uncertain. A poll conducted by Ipsos on behalf of RBC Insurance shows that Canadians who are employed, or have recently been laid off as a result of the pandemic (referred to as working Canadians hereafter) have seen their attitudes towards mental health shift in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, posing important questions on how Canadians will weather the coming months.

Source: cbc.ca How some companies are making work-spaces safer in preparation for more staff returning to the office Countless office towers, offices, boardrooms and cubicles have been sitting empty throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. As people cautiously negotiate heading back to the office over the coming months, they’re likely to see a lot of changes. “The central issue is there’s a push and a pull between an employer and an employee,” says Robert Palter, senior partner at consulting management firm McKinsey & Company.

Source: www.collingwoodtoday.ca Catching a glimpse of a co-worker’s baby or pet can help humanize workplaces and make colleagues more understanding and empathetic — one positive byproduct of the pandemic-fuelled remote work phenomenon The COVID-19 lockdown has become synonymous with working from home for many people. While some research has suggested that remote work can be isolating, it also makes the competing priorities that workers are juggling very visible — even sometimes literally so due to the popularity of video calls.

Source: www.bnnbloomberg.ca As many Canadians are settling into their work-from-home lifestyle amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a new survey shows most workers are ready for this temporary change to become a permanent reality. A report by ADP Canada and Maru/Blue found 45 per cent of working Canadians would prefer to work remotely for at least three days a week. The idea of changing the traditional workplace is particularly popular with younger employees, as 61 per cent aged 18 and 34 say they would support the split week between the office and their house.

Source: www.cbc.ca From the commute to chats at the water cooler, there are ways to minimize risk of exposure to COVID-19 COVID-19 put millions of Canadians out of work and sent millions of others home to work from kitchen tables and sofas. Staying healthy as work resumes for some and others leave their homes for more formal work settings is going to require employees to not only strictly adhere to preventative measures — like hand hygiene and physical distancing — but to know their rights, say experts in infectious disease and occupational health and safety law.

Source: www.ohscanada.com Staff should be educated on all elements of COVID-19 plan and receive training where necessary Now that most workplaces have opened and children are set to return to schools across the country this September, some experts are warning of a potential second wave of COVID-19. Businesses have already endured their share of challenges throughout the past several months and will no doubt continue to be affected if the number of new cases of the virus begin to rise.

Source: www.bnnbloomberg.ca As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to change the nature of the workplace, Canadians now working from home are being forced to consider how never leaving the office could be a detriment to their mental health. The shutdown that has forced many employees to stay put and do their jobs remotely is erasing the divisions between work and their personal lives.

Source: www.ctvnews.ca OTTAWA — A months-long COVID-19 lockdown means the majority of Canada’s workforce that has transitioned from an office space to a makeshift remote set-up could be eligible for a work-from-home tax deduction. A tax expert with CIBC told CTVNews.ca that “hundreds of thousands, if not millions” of Canadians will be able to apply for the “work-space-in-the-home” deduction, similar to the one that applies to the self-employed.

Source: www.cbc.ca Economy will suffer if women can’t return to the workforce at pre-COVID levels, say experts Charlotte Schwartz has four children under the age of 10, one with special needs. She also has a full-time career as a legal clerk at a busy family law practice in Toronto, and since the pandemic forced people into their homes in March, she’s been doing both her jobs around the clock with little reprieve.

Source: www.benefitscanada.com The coronavirus pandemic has been disruptive for all and sadly, devastating and difficult for many. In the pandemic’s early days, we saw a great deal of change and upheaval very swiftly — both for organizations and our communities. The way in which we live our lives day to day changed very quickly. And for many Canadian employers, the beginning of the pandemic created a flurry of activity, as organizations put business continuity plans into action and pivoted their businesses.

Health Canada alerts consumers to dangerous ethanol fire pots through release of safety testimonial video.

Source: www.cbc.ca Researchers suggest working fewer hours could boost productivity It’s only been days since a small Nova Scotia municipality launched a four-day condensed work week pilot project, but according to the chief administrative officer, so far, so good. The nine-month project, developed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, allows the municipality’s core employees to work the same number of hours over a period of four days, known to many as a compressed work week.

Source: filion.on.ca Bottom Line As businesses across Canada prepare to reopen, mental health is an important consideration for employers. When creating reopening plans, employers should maintain open lines of communication with employees to reduce the fear of returning to work, and contemplate whether they have accommodation obligations for employees with mental health disabilities that may have been triggered or exacerbated by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Source: whsc.on.ca The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted many workplace routines, but never have routine health and safety inspections been more important or required greater diligence. Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act requires employers to take every reasonable precaution to safeguard worker health and safety (s25(2)(h)). Joint health and safety committees (JHSCs) and worker health and safety representatives though, also have both a right and responsibility to participate in the pursuit of safer, healthier workplaces. Included in their role is a requirement for JHSCs (s9(23-29)) or worker health and safety reps (s8(6-9)) to inspect the workplace at least one a month.

Source: itworldcanada.com When Mother Nature blanketed the Greater Toronto Area with layers of snow and ice in late 2018, 20,000 TD employees found themselves working from home. The 165-year-old company managed to sustain its operations with a small portion of its workforce working in sweatpants, all without compromising security. With roughly 25 million customers, many of whom access the bank’s services online daily, the pivot was deemed an impressive feat, according to Greg Keeley, executive vice-president of enterprise technology at TD.