Horizon CEO touts recruitment push, says nurse vacancies down to 61
A recent hiring spree has set Horizon Health up well for staffing, according to CEO Margaret Melanson, who says staffing-based closures are no longer an issue.
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CTV News
36 minutes ago
- CTV News
‘We are bullish': Toronto tourism officials eyeing summer rebound despite drop in U.S. visitors
Emily Miller stops during her lunch break to take a selfie in front of giant letters spelling out Toronto, as workers set up for Pan Am Games public events in Nathan Phillips Square in central Toronto, Wednesday, July 8, 2015. (AP / Rebecca Blackwell) With just weeks to go until Toronto heats up with annual summer festivals and concerts, operators of tourist attractions say they're already feeling 'bullish' despite early signs that American visitors may be hesitating to make a trip up north. 'Overall, we are bullish on Toronto and on the tourism opportunity ahead of us right now,' Destination Toronto President and CEO Andrew Weir said. 'Certainly, in the first quarter this year, we saw small decline in visitation. There was a lot of noise, a lot of uncertainty about trade, around borders, and it just caused a lot of people to pause.' Despite the optimism, a new survey from the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario (TIAO) shows nearly one-third of Ontario businesses are already seeing fewer bookings from Americans—a crucial market that accounted for nearly 79 per cent of all international visits to Canada last year. The decline comes following a surge of growing patriotism with popular slogans like 'Buy Canadian' and 'Elbows Up' in addition to a souring relationship with the U.S. as President Donald Trump continues to suggest that Canada should become 'the 51st state.' Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump engage in a meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C., Tuesday, May 6, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump engage in a meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C., Tuesday, May 6, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld American uncertainty, creating global opportunity In March, U.S. resident trips to Canada declined by about 6.6 per cent from the same time period in 2024, marking the first year-over-year decline since 2021, according to Statistics Canada. Arrivals by automobile were down 8.7 per cent in the month. On the other end, Canadians too have been hesitating travelling down south as recent data shows travelers took 35 per cent fewer trips in April this year. Still, Weir remains confident that the city can capitalize on shifting travel trends. 'At a time when demand for travel to the U.S. is down significantly… those travelers are going to look for alternate destinations, and what an opportunity that is for Canada and for Toronto specifically,' he said. 'It is a real opportunity for Toronto.' In an email to CTV News Toronto, a spokesperson for the CN Tower wrote said that it is 'hopeful travellers from around the world will take this opportunity to visit some of Canada's world class destinations, which offer unforgettable experiences as well as great value.' EDGEWALK Canadian Press reporter Alexandra Posadzki leans 1,168ft over Toronto's downtown while participating in a media preview of EdgeWalk on the CN Tower Wednesday, July 27, 2011. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese (Darren Calabrese/The Canadian Press) Tourism is climbing — but not like 2019 Visitor numbers in Toronto have continued to recover from a pandemic low, with 400,000 more tourists arriving last year than in 2023, according to Destination Toronto. Still, the city remains about 600,000 visitors short of 2019 levels. Meanwhile, when it comes to spending by U.S travelers, Destination Toronto says numbers increased 10 per cent in 2024, though it still remains five per cent below pre-pandemic levels. That rebound, Weir says, has been helped in part by a stark increase in large meetings and conventions, which brought in nearly $619 million to the local economy last year. 'We think about summer travel as largely being leisure oriented… but there are a number of very large conventions that are coming to Toronto this year,' Weir said. 'It contributes to that diversification of the visitor mix, and that's so important as we plan for the future.' Summer hotel bookings already up Even though there was an early year slump, Weir emphasizes that people are already looking ahead to summertime in the GTA, noting hotel bookings are tracking ahead of years past. 'As we look to the summer months, we see hotel advance bookings are pacing ahead of last year for the summer,' Weir said. 'That's because after a period of slower travel demand, people rebound by traveling enthusiastically. We saw it after the pandemic.' Weir further explains that the poor first quarter 'does not necessarily constitute the beginning of a longer trend.' Instead, he suggests the dip was more of a temporary hesitation tied to the broader uncertainty happening across the world. 'What we're also doing is increasing our investment in some key overseas markets, particularly the UK, Germany and Mexico,' he said. 'In the current climate, some of which was unexpected… the opportunity is even greater because those travelers are looking away from the U.S. and looking for alternatives.' 'We still see a tremendous opportunity' Despite the ongoing political tensions, Destination Toronto says they haven't scaled back any effort to market in the U.S., noting it's still a 'tremendous opportunity.' 'The U.S. continues to be a very strategic and important market for us, and we've not reduced the effort in that market at all,' said Weir. 'We still see a tremendous opportunity there.' Toronto Caribana Parade Mas bands and pedestrians revel in the music as they walk the parade route at the Toronto Caribbean Carnival's grand parade, in Toronto on Saturday, July 30, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston (COLE BURSTON/THE CANADIAN PRESS) For the city, the summer calendar already looks jam packed with annual high-profile events, such as Pride Toronto, the Caribbean Carnival, Salsa in Toronto, and an expected return of Drake's star studded OVO Fest. 'If American visitation were to decline, we'd become more dependent on domestic and international,' Weir added. 'But that diversification is exactly what positions Toronto for long-term resilience.' With files from The Canadian Press, CTV's Tyler Fleming and Phil Tsekouras…
CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
Son of woman who inspired Canada's assisted dying law choosing to die on his own terms
Social Sharing Price Carter is planning to die this summer. The 68-year-old has been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. He knows it will take his life eventually; before it does, he intends to die on his own terms with his family at his side. "I was told at the outset, 'This is palliative care, there is no cure for this.' So that made it easy," he said in an interview from his home in Kelowna, B.C. Carter said he's always known that medical assistance in dying would be an option "that I would exercise if I could, if needed to." He has that option, in large part, because of his mother. Kay Carter's name is on the landmark Supreme Court of Canada case that gave Canadians the right to choose a medically assisted death just over a decade ago. Price has finished a first assessment of his eligibility for the procedure and said he expects the second assessment to be completed this week, clearing the way for him to end his life. He spoke openly and calmly about his final days and his decision. "I'm at peace with this, I truly am, and I would have been years ago," he said. It's been nearly a year since Price first started experiencing symptoms and got a diagnosis. Until a couple of months ago, he said, he was swimming and rowing. He and his wife Danielle went golfing recently, playing best ball. "She dragged me down that course," he said with a laugh. But his energy is starting to fade. He knows how he wants the next step to unfold. Family fought for mother It was more than 15 years ago that Price, along with his sisters Marie and Lee and his brother-in-law Hollis, surreptitiously made their way to Switzerland to be with their mother on her final day. The 89-year-old was living with spinal stenosis and chose to go to a non-profit facility abroad that provided medically assisted death. She became the 10th Canadian to do so. At the time, assisted death was illegal in Canada. Kay Carter wrote a letter explaining her decision and her family helped draft a list of about 150 people to send it to after she died. She couldn't tell them her plans in advance because of the risk that Canadian authorities would try to stop her from going to Switzerland, or prosecute the family members who helped her. When she got to the Dignitas facility, she finalized the paperwork, settled in a bed and chased down the barbiturate that would stop her heart with Swiss chocolate. "When she died, she just gently folded back," Price said. After a few minutes, one of the attendants from the facility walked over to the door, "and the curtains billow out, and she says, 'There, her spirit is free,'" he said. "If I was writing the movie, I wouldn't change that." He said the memory makes him cry today, though not from sadness. The cancer, and the treatment, have made him emotional — the experience itself was beautiful. "I wish for my children that they can see my death like I did my mom's," he said. He wants his wife, Danielle, and his kids to be there for his final moments. His children — Lane, Grayson and Jenna — live in Ontario. They're all busy, he said, so when the time is right he'll try to find a date that works for everyone. For now, he's doing a lot of reading. "I'm just gonna keep hanging on, day by day, and enjoying my Danielle." Long road after 2010 The Carter family had a long road after Kay's death in January 2010. Her eldest daughter Lee was the driving force behind taking the case to the Supreme Court, which issued a unanimous decision in early 2015 that struck down sections of the Criminal Code that made it illegal to help someone end their life. In 2016, the federal government passed legislation that created the country's regime for medical assistance in dying and made it legal for people whose deaths were "reasonably foreseeable" to apply for an assessment. After a 2019 ruling in the Quebec Superior Court found it was unconstitutional to restrict assisted dying to people whose deaths were reasonably foreseeable, the Liberal government updated the law in 2021. That update included a controversial clause that would allow people suffering solely from a mental disorder to be considered eligible for an assisted death. The proposed change caused widespread worry among provinces and some mental health professionals, and has now been delayed until March 2027. In the meantime, Health Canada has been studying what Canadians think of allowing people to ask for medical assistance in dying through an advance request. Advance requests would allow people with Alzheimer's, dementia, or other degenerative conditions to make the application and decide when they'd like to end their lives. Price said that change "is such a simple thing to do." "We're excluding a huge number of Canadians from a MAID option because they may have dementia and they won't be able to make that decision in three or four or two years. How frightening, how anxiety-inducing that would be," he said. He admitted to feeling frustrated at the pace of change, though he said he knows his "laissez-faire" attitude toward death is uncommon. WATCH | Advance requests for MAiD now allowed in Quebec: Quebec now allows advance requests for medical assistance in dying 7 months ago Duration 2:02 The federal government says it will not interfere with Quebec's new law allowing people to make advance requests for medical assistance in dying (MAID), though some doctors in the province are opposed. Helen Long, the president of Dying With Dignity Canada, said numerous federal consultations have shown there's broad support, dating back to 2016, for advance requests. "We're continuing to advocate and ask our new government … to make advance requests legal for Canadians," she said. Quebec has passed legislation to allow people with serious and incurable illnesses to apply for a medically assisted death in the event that they become incapacitated through an advance request. Marjorie Michel, who was recently named health minister in Prime Minister Mark Carney's new government, said in an interview that it's a question of balance. "It's so personal for people, and I think in some provinces, they are not there yet," she said. But when asked if the government plans to allow advance requests, she deferred to her colleague in the Justice Department. A spokesperson for Justice Minister Sean Fraser said Michel would be best positioned to respond. Health Canada is set to release a report with the key findings from its consultations on the matter this spring. Medical assistance in dying is becoming more common in Canada. In 2023, the latest year for which national statistics are available, 19,660 people applied for the procedure and just over 15,300 people were approved. Price Carter said he wants to talk about his condition because he wants Canadians to talk about death, as uncomfortable as it is. "The more conversations we can spawn around kitchen tables, the better," he said.
CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
Mathias Colomb Cree Nation chief says more support is needed for evacuees
Helicopters safely brought hundreds of people from Mathias Colomb Cree Nation— also known as Pukatawagan— to The Pas on Saturday, but hundreds remained in the community as of Saturday evening.
