WSPS is offering a 30-minute Free interactive webinar on Heat Stress Prevention for Small businesses on Mar. 28 at 1:30pm. This virtual forum will provide your members with an opportunity to virtually connect, exchange ideas and asks questions in workplace health and safety with a specialized speaker. We thank you for sharing this invitation…
Category: Community News
Is Omicron leading us closer to herd immunity against COVID?
Is Omicron leading us closer to herd immunity against COVID-19? Experts say it’s not likely that the highly transmissible variant – or any other variant – will lead to herd immunity. “Herd immunity is an elusive concept and doesn’t apply to coronavirus,” says Dr. Don Milton at the University of Maryland School of Public Health….
We’re all exhausted. Here’s what workplaces can do about it
Employee fatigue is at an all-time high. Since 2020, staff shortages, higher workloads and teleworking, have dramatically altered our work and home lives, pushing many of us to the point of exhaustion. But even before the pandemic, fatigue was a growing workplace concern due to increasing physical and cognitive demands on employees, says WSPS Consultant…
Health Canada authorizes made-in-Canada Medicago vaccine
Health Canada has authorized a made-in-Canada COVID-19 vaccine from Medicago, known as Covifenz. The two-dose, plant-based vaccine is authorized for use in people aged 18 to 64. Health Canada says its effectiveness and safety in those under 18 and over 64 have “not yet been established.” Clinical trials suggested the vaccine was 71 per cent effective…
Brampton mayor says province should consider lifting mask mandate in schools
Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown says that the Ontario government should “strongly” consider following Quebec’s lead and lifting the mask mandate for elementary and secondary school students amid improving public health indicators. Quebec announced on Tuesday that it would no longer require school-aged children to wear masks in classrooms as of March 7, though they will…
Lifting mask mandates in classrooms makes little scientific sense, expert says
Quebec is preparing to lift mask mandates in school classrooms for all grades as COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to decline. But one expert is questioning the value of dropping these measures. Starting March 7, Quebec students will no longer be required to wear a face mask while sitting in a classroom. However, masks will still be…
If restrictions and mandates are being lifted, thank the silent majority that got vaccinated
The Ontario government caught people by surprise last Monday when it unexpectedly announced that it would scrap its proof-of-vaccine requirement as of March 1, and end all capacity limits on restaurants, bars, gyms and other indoor venues as of this past Thursday. Quebec, Saskatchewan and Alberta have announced similar earlier-than-anticipated ends to vaccine passports. And…
Ontario’s state of emergency lifted after convoy protests end
The state of emergency in Ontario invoked to respond to the convoy protests, and border crossing blockades has ended. The provincial government announced that the declaration was terminated at 5 p.m. Wednesday. In a statement, Premier Doug Ford’s office said it was in alignment with the federal government, which announced Wednesday afternoon that it is…
Ontario’s COVID-19 pandemic job recovery sharply uneven, report shows
Ontario’s job market charted a very uneven recovery over the course of 2021, with employment in low-wage industries remaining woefully below prepandemic levels, while the number of people employed in higher-wage white collar jobs soared to levels not seen before in years. A new report from the province’s Financial Accountability Office paints a detailed picture…
Dr. Bonnie Henry on what B.C. did differently during the COVID-19 pandemic
British Columbia’s health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, announced on Feb. 15 that the province would be easing COVID-19 restrictions. This includes removing capacity limits at gyms, restaurants and nightclubs – even dancing is back. But the province isn’t getting rid of their vaccine passport and that has set B.C. apart from places like Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba – provinces that have…