Vital updates:

• The Ontario government is applying a capacity limit on a per room basis at sport, fitness and recreation facilities. Beginning August 15, 2020 at 12:01 a.m., these facilities can have up to 50 patrons for each indoor sport or fitness room, while ensuring physical distancing of at least two metres. They will apply to the gymnasiums, health clubs, community centres, multi-purpose facilities, arenas, exercise studios, yoga and dance studios and other fitness facilities that are able to follow the new guidance. Businesses, not-for-profits, and municipalities may need or choose to take more time before implementing this change in capacity limits. Facilities may also adopt their own protocols that are more restrictive than the guidance. Sport, fitness, and recreational facilities can access further information and guidance here.
• Today, the Minister of Transport, the Honourable Marc Garneau, announced Canada’s Flight Plan for Navigating COVID-19 (Canada’s Flight Plan), which is the foundation for Canada’s current and future efforts to reduce the public health risks of COVID-19 while travelling by aircraft. Key changes apply to all aspects of air travel, including in airports and aircraft. They include travel restrictions; mandatory use of face masks for passengers and crew; mandatory health checks by air carriers prior to passenger boarding; temperature screening at the busiest Canadian airports and at points of origin for all incoming flights to Canada; restricted services and passenger movement during flights; and enhanced cleaning and sanitation protocols and practices. In airports, these designs and measures include enhanced air conditioning and filtration systems; frequent cleaning of high-touch areas; new touchless technologies to scan boarding passes; and physical distancing measures.
• The Competition Bureau is inviting market participants to provide input to inform its civil investigation into conduct by Amazon. The Bureau’s investigation is ongoing and there is no conclusion of wrongdoing at this time. The Bureau is examining whether Amazon is engaging in conduct on its Canadian marketplace, Amazon.ca, that is impacting competition to the detriment of consumers and companies that do business in Canada. The Bureau is conducting its investigation under the restrictive trade practices provisions of the Competition Act, with a focus on potential abuse of dominance. Areas of interest to the Bureau include:
  • any past or existing Amazon policies which may impact third-party sellers’ willingness to offer their products for sale at a lower price on other retail channels, such as their own websites or other online marketplaces;
  • the ability of third-party sellers to succeed on Amazon’s marketplace without using its “Fulfilment By Amazon” service or advertising on Amazon.ca; and
  • any efforts or strategies by Amazon that may influence consumers to purchase products it offers for sale over those offered by competing sellers.
• The Bureau encourages sellers and businesses with relevant information to confidentially share their experiences with the Bureau by providing the following information via email (ic.mpd-amazon-dpm-amazon.ic@canada.ca):
  • their name,
  • the name of their business,
  • their contact information, and
  • an overview of the issues they wish to discuss with Bureau representatives, with an emphasis on the three areas of interest noted above.

Reading recommendations:

• Canada is not immune to the politics of coronavirus masks, Clifton van der Linden, The Conversation
• Is the CERB making people lazy? Jim Wilson, Canadian HR Reporter
• Americans, go home: Tension at Canada-US border, Robin Levinson-King, BBC News