Federal gov’t begins regional measures to fight COVID-19

Regional disparities in Canada’s COVID19 crisis emerged with growing clarity on Friday, as some provinces celebrated relative success while the federal government rolled out new measures to help others still grappling with the pandemic.

Government and medical officials said different parts of the country are experiencing the outbreak to varying degrees, with central provinces accounting for the bulk of new cases and other jurisdictions reporting flattened curves and limited outbreaks.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau acknowledged the disparate circumstances on Friday as he unveiled new stimulus measures targeted at specific provinces, rather than the country as a whole.

“We will continue our co-ordination around principles and steps that need to be taken. But this is Canada, which means there are very different needs and very different approaches that will be in place across the country,” Trudeau said at his regular morning news conference.

The latest round of economic measures were specifically geared towards Newfoundland and Labrador and the country’s western provinces, including a $1.7-billion funding promise to clean up orphaned oil wells largely found in

Alberta.

Despite the regional differences, the country’s top public health official cautioned against relaxing protective restrictions — even in regions where the pandemic seems to be under control.

Dr. Theresa Tam said the bulk of COVID19 cases are concentrated in just two provinces, Ontario and Quebec, where new provincial numbers continue to show the most positive diagnoses. Comparatively, some provinces have reported no fresh cases for several days running and British Columbia has openly declared it has flattened its pandemic curve.

But Tam cautioned against letting the public guard down, saying physical distancing measures and economic shutdowns must stay in place to prevent the pandemic from flaring up in other areas.

“Some areas will experience the epidemic slowdown earlier than others. But no matter where we are in the country, we’ve got to remember that Canadians are highly susceptible to the virus. Unless we all remain diligent in maintaining our new habits of physical distancing and good hygiene, new outbreaks can be sparked anywhere at any time.”

Quebec reported 16,798 total COVID-19 cases in the province as of Friday, nearly 700 of which have been fatal.