American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
Restaurants Canada is calling on the federal government to increase and extend the COVID-19 wage and rent subsidies into 2022 to ensure food service businesses can make it through the ongoing pandemic.
Todd Barclay, president and CEO of Restaurants Canada, told CTV's Your Morning on Wednesday that the food service industry is currently at a "crossroads."
According to surveys conducted by Restaurants Canada, eight out of 10 restaurants are either losing money or just barely breaking even, and seven out of 10 restaurants are currently taking advantage of government subsidy programs.
"So for [those programs] to go away right now at such a critical time, it could be the final nail in the coffin for many of these businesses right across the country," Barclay said.
Many of the federal government's key pandemic supports are set to expire in a few weeks, prompting some business leaders to advocate for an extension.
Programs like the Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy (CERS) and the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) are scheduled to terminate on Oct. 23, after being extended several times since their launch in 2020.
As of Sept. 26, the government has paid out $93.97 billion to nearly 4.4 million CEWS applicants, and $6.6 billion to more than 1.6 million CERS applicants.
When asked last week whether the government is planning to prolong them once again, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland was noncommittal, saying that the pandemic continues to pose a challenge to businesses. She added that the government will have "more to say about the specifics soon."
Barclay said many restaurants are already losing money, and having these benefits end will "definitely" create a situation where many of them may shut down indefinitely.
"What I'm hearing from most restaurants across the country is that if these subsidies go away, there's a very good chance that they will not continue to operate," he said.
According to Restaurants Canada, at least 10,000 restaurants have closed in Caanda since the first lockdown.
While Barclay says subsidies are key in helping the restaurant industry continue to get through the COVID-19 pandemic, he said the government also needs to be aware that restaurants cannot take on any more debt.
"We don't need loans, we need grants, and also the loans that have been provided, we need for there to be greater forgiveness of those loans," he said.
Amid ongoing labour shortages in the industry, Restaurants Canada is also pushing the federal government to resume and ramp up immigration and temporary foreign worker programs.
Barclay said restaurants continue to need help because they are still dealing with pandemic restrictions that are hampering business.
"Governments are still forcing restaurants to not operate at full capacity. Businesses that can't operate at full capacity, don't make money," he explained.
Barclay said restaurants need more aid to get through the winter months and into the spring when hopefully infection rates have decreased further and more restrictions are lifted.
"If we can get there, we know that we can continue to be such a vibrant important part of the economy and a vibrant important part of communities right across the country," Barclay said.
With a file from CTVNews.ca's Sarah Turnbull
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
The United States has vetoed a widely backed UN resolution that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for the state of Palestine.
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Technology from the 19th century has been brought out of retirement at a Newfoundland gardening store, as staff look for all the help they can get to fill orders during a busy season.
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Molly Knight, a grade four student in Nova Scotia, noticed her school library did not have many books on female athletes, so she started her own book drive in hopes of changing that.
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
When Les Robertson was walking home from the gym in North Vancouver's Lower Lonsdale neighbourhood three weeks ago, he did a double take. Standing near a burrow it had dug in a vacant lot near East 1st Street and St. Georges Avenue was a yellow-bellied marmot.
A moulting seal who was relocated after drawing daily crowds of onlookers in Greater Victoria has made a surprise return, after what officials described as an 'astonishing' six-day journey.
Just steps from Parliament Hill is a barber shop that for the last 100 years has catered to everyone from prime ministers to tourists.
A high score on a Foo Fighters pinball machine has Edmonton player Dave Formenti on a high.
A compound used to treat sour gas that's been linked to fertility issues in cattle has been found throughout groundwater in the Prairies, according to a new study.
While many people choose to keep their medical appointments private, four longtime friends decided to undergo vasectomies as a group in B.C.'s Lower Mainland.