2-hour wildfire evacuation notice issued for some Fort McMurray neighbourhoods
A wildfire evacuation alert for some Fort McMurray residents has been updated to a two-hour evacuation notice.
As Canada moves out of the COVID-19 pandemic era, new data from commercial real estate firm Avison Young shows a steady increase in foot traffic across the country, as more people return to the office, shop in-store, head back to class, and venture out for events.
The latest data comes from the firm's refreshed Vitality Index, which tracks weekly foot traffic in North America across industries such as the office sector, retail, hospitality and tourism, food services, and colleges and universities.
Data for the week of Sept. 19 shows Edmonton and Calgary have outperformed all other North American cities since the week preceding the first pandemic lockdown in March 2020.
Edmonton foot traffic is up 51 per cent, Calgary increased by 23 per cent, Ottawa is up 20 per cent and Montreal rose by 11 per cent.
According to the Vitality Index, education and retail properties reported some of the strongest foot traffic increases across the country when isolating these time periods.
Since Ontario lifted pandemic restrictions in May, Ottawa foot traffic is up 105 per cent as of the week of Sept. 19, making it the best-performing Canadian city when isolating these time periods, while Toronto is up 80 per cent.
Since this past Labour Day weekend, Ottawa, Toronto and Calgary have been the most active, up 13.6 per cent, 13.4 per cent and 13.2 per cent respectively, as of the week of Sept. 19.
Avison Young CEO Mark Rose said this is a moment in time when culture is driving foot traffic patterns, as foot traffic has shown to be highest on weekends for leisure activities, such as shopping, sporting events and concerts, and lower on weekdays, which correlates with office work and the hybrid work model many companies have adopted.
"The way that people view their social lives and the workplace has drastically changed since the pandemic. In fact, we're seeing more social aspects increasingly become integrated into the work experienceΓüá -- people want to have a truly human connection with their colleagues," he said.
"They don't want to come into the workplace to sit in front of a computer. Instead, people want to have brainstorming sessions, to collaborate and share experiences around fitness and food services."
In Statistics Canada's August Labour Force Survey, 16.8 per cent of employed Canadians reported that they usually work exclusively from home, down from 18 per cent in July, and down 7.5 percentage points since the beginning of the year.
The proportion of workers in hybrid work arrangements increased 0.7 percentage points to 8.6 per cent in the month.
Retail Council of Canada national spokesperson Michelle Wasylyshen said foot traffic has been increasing for retail businesses, which is not unusual as it usually goes up in the fall because of back-to-school shopping, Halloween and the holiday season.
"Typically foot traffic increases about 12 per cent between summer and fall. Our members are reporting steady increases, but we expect a sharper jump in the month to come," she said.
With the Toronto Blue Jays clinching a playoff spot, leisure foot traffic could get a further boost in Toronto and in cities across Canada this fall, as people head to bars and restaurants to catch a game.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct.6, 2022.
A wildfire evacuation alert for some Fort McMurray residents has been updated to a two-hour evacuation notice.
Saskatchewan RCMP are set to provide an update on what the service calls a 'significant' sexual assault and internet child exploitation investigation.
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
Nobel laureate Alice Munro, the Canadian literary giant who became one of the world's most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history's most honoured short story writers, has died at age 92.
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
An American accused of sexually assaulting a Pennsylvania college student in 2013 and later sending her a Facebook message that said, 'So I raped you,' has been detained in France after a three-year search.
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Ontario Provincial Police are responding to a fatal collision involving two vehicles on Highway 417 in Ottawa's west end on Tuesday morning.
The Israeli flag is flying at Ottawa City Hall today to mark the country's national day, with plans to hold a private ceremony to mark Israel's Independence Day. There is a significant police presence at City Hall, including security barriers outside the main doors.
A team is ready to help an entangled North Atlantic right whale in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
A $200 reward is being offered by a North Vancouver family for the safe return of their beloved chicken, Snowflake.
Two daughters and a mother were reunited online 40 years later thanks to a DNA kit and a Zoom connection despite living on three separate continents and speaking different languages.
Mother's Day can be a difficult occasion for those who have lost or are estranged from their mom.
YES Theatre Young Company opened its acclaimed kids’ show, One Small Step, at Sudbury Theatre Centre on Saturday.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.