Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
The federal government didn’t deliver as promised today on the details of its wage-subsidy program. (Finance Minister Bill Morneau says businesses will have to wait until tomorrow.)
Instead, the spending was a bit more direct: $2-billion from federal coffers will go to Canadian firms who can deliver much-needed medical equipment to Canada’s front-line health workers.
The size of the companies varies, as do the orders, but much of the ask is for personal protective gear, such as face shields, gowns and hand sanitizer. Nurses, doctors, and other health-care professionals are going through that equipment rapidly as they try to protect themselves from catching the novel coronavirus that is overburdening the health-care system.
Other portions of the federal funds are going to manufacturers who can supply ventilators for critically ill patients and tests that can detect the virus in a person within 30 minutes.
Have you had to self-quarantine because of the coronavirus? We want to hear your story. Email: tips@globeandmail.com
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ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Tragedy continues at a nursing home in the town of Bobcaygeon, Ont., which has become an illustration of what can happen when the virus gets into a vulnerable population. Three more residents of Pinecrest Nursing Home have died because of COVID-19, raising the number of deaths to 12 at the 65-bed facility.
Ontario schools won’t reopen sooner than May 4, the provincial government announced.
Transit agencies are asking the federal government for a $1-billion emergency cash infusion and another $400-million a month to make up for the fact that, well, no one is taking transit when they’re stuck in their own homes.
And nine out of 10 dentists agree that their insurance provider should be covering their loss of revenue for closing their businesses during the pandemic. Aviva Canada, which underwrites the policy, said it is taking time to review the situation.
MARKET WATCH
Canada’s main stock index rose today as energy stocks were boosted by a jump in oil prices after the U.S. and Russia agreed to conduct talks to stabilize the energy market. The Toronto Stock Exchange’s S&P/TSX Composite index was up 340.25 points to 13,378.75.
On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average posted its biggest quarterly decline since 1987 and the S&P 500 witnessed its deepest quarterly drop since the 2008 financial crisis as the U.S. continues to deal with the economic fallout of the pandemic. The Dow fell 410.32 points to 21,917.16, the S&P 500 lost 42.06 points to 2,584.59 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 74.05 points to 7,700.10.
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TALKING POINTS
Time grows short as energy industry waits for help Ottawa promised is coming
“So far the industry has responded to the twin threat of coronavirus and the oil price collapse with about $6-billion in reductions in planned capital spending and dividend cuts. Some companies have reduced executive pay. So it is not a case of the industry just sitting on its hands and waiting around for a bailout.” – Jeffrey Jones
Our health-care response to COVID-19 has not been perfect - but transparency is our strength
“What I’ve seen in the past week, returning to the front lines from my university office, has been remarkable. Doctors have quickly coalesced into chat groups to share concerns. Managers issue daily communiqués. Simple requests, such as fixing confusing wording on guidelines, are addressed within a day.” – Ben Chan, an emergency room doctor and assistant professor of global health at the University of Toronto
A stronger WHO would make for a stronger world against disease
“The [World Health Organization] was criticized for delaying calling the current crisis a pandemic, but we need the WHO because it anticipates the spread of disease, monitors the public health measures of its members, and reminds us of the need to work together. No one else thinks about the big picture in this way.” – Francine McKenzie, history professor at Western University
LIVING BETTER
Are you forced to work from home during the pandemic? You could use that to your advantage at tax time. Expert Tim Cestnick breaks down the rules for writing off your home office. The first question you must answer: Is your domicile your principal place of work, or do you use a particular spot in your house to do the work?
TODAY’S LONG READ
Lovers in social-distancing times: Singles across Canada may find their quantity of dates going down because of self-isolation practices, but the quality may be going up instead. Jasmyn Ellis of Vancouver, for one, found that conversations with men have been actual, you know, conversations, when the prospect of a physical rendezvous was off the table. “A lot of men are getting to the point where they have to feel their emotions. They can’t just go to the gym and work it out,” Ms. Ellis told The Globe.
AND ONE MORE FOR THE ROAD
Here are photos of goats wandering around an empty Welsh town. You’re welcome.
Evening Update is written by Chris Hannay, with help from Omair Quadri. If you’d like to receive this newsletter by e-mail every weekday evening, go here to sign up. If you have any feedback, send us a note.
Chris Hannay