THE DELTA VARIANT: ARE HARD TIMES AHEAD?

Libby is joined by Dr. Timothy Sly, an epidemiologist and professor at The School of Occupational and Public Health at Ryerson University, Dr. Prabhat Jha, epidemiologist, and Faculty Member at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, and Dr. Alon Vaisman, infectious disease and infection control physician at the University Health Network (UHN).

The COVID-19 Delta variant is on the rise in Canada. Last week, the number of confirmed COVID cases attributed to the highly contagious variant jumped 66-percent. While Alpha is currently the dominant variant in Canada, Delta is believed to be at least one-and-a-half times more contagious as the Alpha variant. And with word this week that Israel is in the midst of its worst outbreak in two months time, owing largely to the Delta variant, we can’t help but wonder if this is a sign of hard times ahead.

MAYOR TORY JOINS FIGHT BACK

Trinity Bellwoods Park turned into a hostile standoff yesterday as hundreds of city staff, police officers and private security staff erected fences, rode horses through the crowd and faced off against hundreds of protesters.

Demonstrators pulled down stretches of fence encircling the park, rallying over the fate of roughly two dozen homeless people camped in the downtown park.

It was the latest effort by city officials to clear homeless people from Toronto’s green spaces, citing reasons of health, safety and shared park use.

Advocates for the homeless say the City’s actions were way over the top.

Libby is joined by Toronto Mayor John Tory to discuss this issue and more.

BUSINESS RESPONSE TO NEW TRAVEL RULES FOR FULLY VACCINATED CANADIANS

Libby is joined by David Main, General Manager of the Toronto Lawn Tennis Club; Dino Virgona, owner of Fiesta Farms; and Kendra Sozinho, Fiesta Farm’s Assistant Store Manager.

With word that Canada will be lifting most international travel restrictions for Canadians, permanent residents, and certain foreign nationals who are fully vaccinated, allowing those eligible to travel to do so with more ease, starting in early July, we wonder what the business community’s response will be to the new rules, and what challenges business owners might face in working to implement new policies to keep in line with the government’s new rules.