The CEO of Cenovus Energy Inc. says more than half of the job cuts from its takeover of rival Husky Energy Inc. have been completed and it’s is well on the way to integrating and optimizing the two companies’ oilsands, refining and other operations.
On Friday, Cenovus reported a first-quarter profit of $220 million compared with a loss of $1.8 billion a year ago, despite accounting for $245 million in one-time integration costs in the quarter related to the $3.8-billion all-stock acquisition that closed in January.
“In the first quarter, we completed about two-thirds of our planned workforce reductions with the balance to occur later this year and into 2022,” said Cenovus CEO Alex Pourbaix on a conference call.
“Combined with our 2021 capital budget, which set us to deliver $600 million in capital synergies, we are on track to achieve the combined $1.2-billion annual run rate synergies by the end of this year and we’re already seeing synergies in the operations that were not included in the initial annual run rate.”
Cenovus targeted reductions of between 1,720 and 2,150 workers from the combined workforce of 8,600 following its takeover of Husky. Workforce optimization is expected to deliver about $400 million of $600 million per year in operating savings.
Watch below: Some Global News videos about the oil and gas sector.
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It said total integration costs for the year are expected to be within the anticipated $500 million to $550 million range.
Earlier this week, U.S. oil producer ConocoPhillips announced plans to sell its roughly 10 per cent stake in Cenovus, about 208 million shares, that it received in 2017 from the sale of oilsands and natural gas assets. The stock sales are to take place in the open market and be completed by later this year.
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Pourbaix said he was surprised by the manner in which the sale was announced, but Cenovus knew ConocoPhillips didn’t intend to be a long-term shareholder. He said the two companies have been in touch since then.
Higher oil prices will allow Cenovus to reach its debt reduction target of $10 billion by year-end, removing the need to sell assets, but Pourbaix reiterated that the company is continuing to sort its operations into core and non-core buckets.
Cenovus reported revenue totalled $9.15 billion in the first three months of 2021, up from $3.96 billion in the same quarter last year, thanks to higher commodity prices and volumes.
Upstream production was 769,254 barrels of oil equivalent per day, up from 482,594 boe/d a year ago, while downstream refinery throughput was 469,100 barrels per day, up from 221,100 bpd in the same quarter last year.
Analysts said in reports that Cenovus largely met or slightly exceeded earnings and production expectations.
B.C. health officials are defending their approach to data transparency, while simultaneously pledging to release more detailed COVID-19 data in the coming weeks.
The comments came at a hastily-scheduled Friday teleconference, in the wake of a Vancouver Sun report, detailing leaked reports from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control containing detailed data not available to the pubic.
“We do release almost all of that information that were in some the reports that were posted it comes out in various different forms,” provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said.
“We are releasing more than what other provinces are reporting.”
The leaked reports included several key COVID-19 metrics that have not, to date, been made publicly available — including detailed neighbourhood-level data on infection rates and figures on vaccinations by region and age group.
The information that B.C. does release comes in the form of monthly modelling presentations and weekly surveillance reports, which detail data that is already 10 days old. The most recent report, published May 5, details the period of April 18 to April 24.
Geographic data is released weekly, with local health areas — some of which contain multiple communities — being the greatest level of detail.
‘We will give people the choice’: Dr. Bonnie Henry on receiving second vaccine following AstraZeneca shot
‘We will give people the choice’: Dr. Bonnie Henry on receiving second vaccine following AstraZeneca shot
Henry and deputy provincial health officer Dr. Reka Gustafson sought to stress that the primary purpose of surveillance data was to inform public health decision-making, but said their goal remained public transparency.
Gustafson added the data in the leaked reports amounted to a “draft” that required feedback from health-care partners before it was ready to present.
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“There’s a process that it goes through before it’s meaningful,” she said. “There’s a context that it’s put in before it’s released publicly.”
Some of the data regarding vaccinations has only become available when the province’s vaccine registration website came online, they said.
Neighbourhood-level data, in the past, was withheld out of concerns for privacy — which have diminished as the case count has grown, they said.
Despite this, both pledged to make some of the additional data, including neighbourhood-level reporting, available to the public.
“One of the things we’re working on right now is that combination of of neighbourhood-level case and immunization rate, that’s our goal in the coming weeks,” Gustafson said.
“What I can commit to is that every single day we’re looking at making it better and making it more accessible and in particular making it more user friendly.”
With many Maritime families still separated by provincial borders amid stricter isolation requirements and even lockdowns due to the pandemic, the owner of Silver Rose Emotions flower shop, Jamie Lundquist, said her shop has never been busier for Mother’s Day.
“It is absolutely the busiest one we have ever had. I would say triple to what we have ever had. I think definitely it is from COVID; people from here straight through to Europe are ordering because they can’t come to see their mom,” she said.
She says people forced to be apart due to the pandemic are also pouring their hearts out in flower cards like never before.
She said the chocolatier has experienced a surge in business over the last few months with chocolate offering up some comfort for folks who, after a year now, have had enough of COVID-19.
“They come in and buy a lot of chocolate at the same time,” said Savoie.
She said Mother’s Day traffic has been slower this year compared to other years, but they are still getting a steady stream of customers in the store as well as those ordering for delivery.
The chocolatier has designed specialty chocolate hearts filled with assorted chocolate pieces specifically for Mother’s Day.
Public health reports that 110,023 people are now considered vaccinated, having received at least one dose, which translates into 43.1 per cent of the eligible population. The goal is to get to 75 per cent by June.
Just over 6,900 people are considered fully vaccinated with two doses.
Anyone over the age of 12 can pre-register for a vaccination appointment on public health’s website.
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Meanwhile, a death related to COVID-19 has been reported in Guelph for the first time since Feb. 24, raising the city’s death toll to 38.
WDG Public Health’s online portal shows a new death connected to an active outbreak at Guelph General Hospital that was declared on Tuesday.
Public health is also reporting 32 new cases of COVID-19 in Guelph on Friday, raising the city’s total case count to 4,101.
Active cases have increased by seven from the previous day to 166 with another 24 people recovering from the virus.
The city’s resolved case count is at 3,897.
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How likely is a universal vaccine to combat all variants? Doctor answers your COVID-19 questions
In Wellington County, nine new cases are being reported on Friday as its case count reaches 1,470.
The number of active cases in the county has fallen by five from the previous day to 92, with another 14 people recovering from COVID-19. Resolved cases have climbed to 1,342.
Wellington County’s COVID-19 death toll of 36 remains unchanged. The latest death related to the virus was reported on Tuesday.
A Leamington man is facing weapons-related charges following a reported robbery in south London on Wednesday afternoon.
Police were contacted around 2 p.m. Wednesday after a woman in the 800-block of Exeter Road said she was assaulted and robbed.
The victim sustained minor injuries.
According to police, officers noticed the suspect drop a duffel bag before fleeing eastbound toward Bessemer Road.
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The suspect was located and arrested without incident. Police say they recovered the bag and found ammunition inside. A loaded firearm was also found during the search.
Police say they seized a loaded .22 calibre gun and 56 rounds of ammunition.
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An 18-year-old Leamington man has been charged with robbery with violence as well as three firearms-related charges.
He is scheduled to appear in London court on July 29.
A new survey from Proof Strategies suggests it’s not only Canada’s national vaccine advisers who have a “preferred” COVID-19 vaccine.
The survey of 1,500 people taken during the first three days of May suggests the two mRNA vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna are way out in front in the eyes of Canadians.
More than eight in 10 people surveyed said they trusted the Pfizer vaccine to be safe and effective, and almost as many said they trusted Moderna.
However, only half of the respondents said they trusted Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine and 4.5 in 10 said they trusted Oxford-AstraZeneca.
AstraZeneca and J&J use similar technology and have both been potentially linked to a new and very rare vaccine-induced blood clotting syndrome. Twelve cases are confirmed in Canada after about two million doses given. Three people have died.
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While scientists still can’t explain why the vaccines are causing this syndrome, reports suggest it is happening between one in 100,000 doses given, and one in 250,000.
Proof President Bruce MacLellan said weeks of discussion and attention on that issue have clearly had an impact.
“The various regulatory decisions and announcements have succeeded in undermining trust in those brands,” he said.
The survey cannot be assigned a margin of error because internet-based polls are not considered random samples.
Is there really a preferred vaccine? NACI under fire after new guidance conflicts with earlier advice
Is there really a preferred vaccine? NACI under fire after new guidance conflicts with earlier advice
The poll was taken a week after the National Advisory Committee on Immunization warned Canadians the blood clot risk may be a reason for people at low risk of getting COVID-19 to turn down AstraZeneca and wait until they can get Pfizer or Moderna.
The same warning issued for J&J came May 3, on the third day this poll was in the field.
There is, however, excellent news in the numbers, said MacLellan. The number of people who said they trusted “the COVID-19 vaccine” to be safe and effective is up 10 points since a similar poll was taken in January.
In the January survey, 64 per cent said they trusted the vaccine, well below the minimum 75 per cent threshold some experts say is needed to get decent herd immunity against the virus.
In May, that number is 74 per cent, which is almost there. It is relatively constant across Canada’s regions, and regardless of political viewpoint.
A staggering ninety-six per cent of people over the age of 75 said they trust the vaccine, compared with eight in 10 baby boomers, and almost seven in 10 people considered to be part of generation X or millennials.
Among those under the age of 25, trust is below 60 per cent. The good news there, however, is that 75 per cent of those under 25 said they trusted Pfizer, compared with 62 per cent for Moderna, 42 per cent for J&J and 34 per cent for AstraZeneca.
Provinces aren’t likely to give either AstraZeneca or J&J to anyone under the age of 30, after NACI’s recommendation to keep it for people older than that due to the risks of blood clots may outweigh the risk of serious illness from COVID-19 in that age group.
Dr. Fahad Razak, an internist caring for COVID-19 patients at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, said the reality is most people in Canada who aren’t yet vaccinated _ which includes most people under the age of 40 _ are going to be offered Pfizer or Moderna.
Those two account for more than 80 per cent of the doses expected in the next two months, when enough doses are coming to get a first dose to every Canadian over the age of 12 who wants one.
Pfizer was just approved for kids 12 to 15 years old this week but no vaccines are yet approved for kids under 12.
Razak said if people are offered AstraZeneca they should take it, noting his wife received it with his full support. With COVID-19 still spreading rapidly in much of Canada, hospitals full and ICUs overflowing, the virus is posing a much bigger risk than the vaccines, he said.
“We have more people at just my hospital (right now) than have developed the clot all the way across Canada, despite the more than a million doses that have been given,” he said. “So that’s just, you know, putting it in context.”
Memphis Grizzlies (33-33, ninth in the Western Conference) vs. Toronto Raptors (27-40, 12th in the Eastern Conference)
Tampa; Saturday, 7:30 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: Toronto hosts the Memphis Grizzlies after Pascal Siakam scored 44 points in the Raptors’ 131-129 overtime loss to the Wizards.
The Raptors are 16-17 on their home court. Toronto averages 41.6 rebounds per game and is 17-5 when winning the rebound battle.
The Grizzlies are 19-15 on the road. Memphis is second in the league with 11.2 offensive rebounds per game led by Jonas Valanciunas averaging 4.1.
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The teams square off for the second time this season. The Raptors won the last meeting 128-113 on Feb. 8. Siakam scored 32 points to help lead Toronto to the win.
TOP PERFORMERS: Siakam leads the Raptors scoring 21.4 points per game, and is averaging 7.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists. Fred VanVleet is averaging 14.2 points and 3.3 rebounds while shooting 25.6% over the last 10 games for Toronto.
Valanciunas has shot 58.2% and is averaging 16.7 points for the Grizzlies. Kyle Anderson is shooting 47.6% and averaging 12.8 points over the last 10 games for Memphis.
LAST 10 GAMES: Raptors: 4-6, averaging 110.7 points, 42.6 rebounds, 25.5 assists, 8.6 steals and 4.5 blocks per game while shooting 44.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 111.8 points on 47.1% shooting.
Grizzlies: 4-6, averaging 110.3 points, 47 rebounds, 24.7 assists, 7.3 steals and 6.3 blocks per game while shooting 44.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 115.9 points on 45.9% shooting.
INJURIES: Raptors: Yuta Watanabe: out (ankle), Paul Watson: out (knee), Kyle Lowry: out (rest), Chris Boucher: out (knee), Aron Baynes: out (foot), OG Anunoby: out (injury management).
Grizzlies: Xavier Tillman: out (illness), Grayson Allen: out (abdonminal).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
The Vancouver Canucks blitzed the Edmonton Oilers for four goals in the first period on the way to a 6-3 win Thursday night at Rogers Place.
The Canucks scored on their first four shots of the game, all of them on Oilers goaltender Mikko Koskinen.
Nils Hoglander scored 31 seconds into the game. Jack Rathbone notched his first NHL goal. Travis Hamonic and Jayce Hawyrluk had the third and fourth goals.
“That’s on us, that’s not on Mikko,” Oilers forward Kailer Yamamoto said. “We’ve got to be a lot better in front of him, helping him out and keeping those pucks out of the net.”
Koskinen was in net for all four goals and became just the third goalie since 1979 to not make a save on the first four shots of a game.
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“The first one was poor coverage, the second one’s a poor turnover and the third and fourth one should’ve been saves from the goalie,” Oilers head coach Dave Tippett said. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that where the first four shots go in your net, so that’s a big hole to jump out of.”
Oilers netminder Mike Smith took over in goal with 7:38 left in the first. On a power play, Smith’s long pass to Connor McDavid helped set up a goal by Leon Draisaitl.
Then, McDavid fed Jesse Puljujarvi, who blasted in a one-timer.
Vancouver’s Tyler Graovac banked a shot in off Smith’s back halfway through the second to make it 5-2 Canucks.
“I thought tonight was good to keep the battle level high, so that was a positive I guess, but in terms of our game, our game wasn’t good enough and we need to get back to the details and doing things right for the last four (games) here,” McDavid said.
McDavid had a penalty shot with 7:16 left in the third. He went to his backhand, but Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko came up with a stretching pad save.
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Just eleven seconds later, Draisaitl ripped in his second of the night to pull the Oilers within two.
Vancouver forward Brock Boeser squashed any comeback hopes with a goal less than three minutes later.
“Physically, we responded well. Obviously, you don’t like to lose but it’s not so bad to go through a game like that where it’s a little physical and the intensity was up,” McDavid said.
Demko made 39 saves to earn the win.
“You’ve got to stay even-keel and just keep moving forward,” Yamamoto said. “They had a really good game tonight and we’ve got to put that one behind us and come back next game even stronger.”
McDavid had three assists and has 96 points with four games left in the regular season.
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“I think we’ve done a good job responding after games like this — responding after losses,” McDavid said. “Just getting back to our game and regrouping. That’s all you can do.”
“All I said after the game is we need a good practice tomorrow,” Tippett said.
The Oilers (32-18-2) will host the Canucks again Saturday.
Police began enforcing COVID-19 restrictions on non-essential travel on four B.C. highways on Thursday.
Each of the RCMP road checks is prefaced by highly visible signs warning drivers that non-essential travel is not allowed, and offering them the opportunity to make U-turns before they encounter officers.
Anyone who does enter a checkpoint will be asked for ID, their address and their reason for travel.
If police determine that reason to be non-essential, they’ll be directed to turn around. Refusal could result in a fine.
Albertans face no travel restrictions in B.C., despite provincial orders
Albertans face no travel restrictions in B.C., despite provincial orders
“The goal here is not to be putting out fines, really. The goal is to encourage people to stay local,” RCMP Staff Sgt. Janelle Shoihet told Global News.
“That’s what we’re doing, we’re asking people to turn around and return to their home base. If they refuse to turn around they could be served with an Emergency Program Act fine of $575.”
Under B.C.’s travel restrictions, the province has been split into three zones: the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island and the Interior/North.
Checkpoints have been set up in the following areas:
Highway 1 in the Boston Bar area
Highway 3 in the Manning Park area
Highway 5 in the Old Toll Booth area
Highway 99 in the Lillooet area
Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said the province was serious about enforcing the restrictions, including pursuing collection on the fines issued to any drivers who refuse to abide by the travel ban.
“At this point when you get a ticket you have the opportunity to dispute it just like any other ticket but if you don’t dispute it within 30 days you are deemed guilty and it is sent directly to a collection agency,” Farnworth said.
Farnworth added he would be introducing legislation next week to “make it easier” for the province to collect debts accrued for violating public health restrictions.
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The RCMP said it would be taking a flexible approach to the checkpoints in the weeks to come, implementing them on a rotational basis and in different directions or different specific locations at varying times.
Police say they will give drivers plenty of warning about any road checks, though would not be revealing the exact locations.
An infection prevention specialist with Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) told staff on Thursday that he expects to see “steep decreases” in the city’s COVID-19 case numbers in the last few weeks of the province’s stay-at-home order.
Dr. Dominik Mertz said new modelling shows that one of the city’s “most plausible scenarios” could be about half the current average cases per 100,000 population, which is 30.
“Based on this model, we will be roughly 10 new cases per 100,000 by the end of June, which is still more than we would have had between the second and third wave,” Mertz said.
Unlike the first wave, the 80-plus age group is expected to come out of the latest wave relatively unscathed in terms of cases as people aged 20 to 59 are currently facing the brunt of new infections.
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As of Thursday, more than 67 per cent of Hamilton’s 1,204 active cases are with residents between the ages of 20 and 50, according to public health data. Only about two per cent of active cases involve people in their 80s.
“What you clearly see, compared to what we’ve seen the second wave in the 80-plus age group, we hardly see anything happening currently,” Mertz said.
“Obviously, that’s the effect of the vaccine.”
Meanwhile, 58 patients were transferred to west region hospitals, including Hamilton, in the past week, reaching a total of 259 since transfer programs began in late 2020.
HHS EVP and CEO Sharon Pierson said the bulk of patient transfers to Hamilton have been coming from William Osler Health System in Etobicoke.
COVID-19: Ontario long-term care homes easing restrictions
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Pierson said a recent move to increase bed capacity at HHS by 43 per cent and the redeployment of 230 staff is probably all the agency is going to need by the time the third wave ends.
“We see a glimmer of hope that we may not need that additional capacity, but of course we will ensure everything’s in place in case we do,” Pierson told staff.
Patients with COVID-19 within the city’s two hospital agencies stands at 149, with 99 at Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) and 50 in St. Joe’s.
HHS hospitals are now running at about 109 per cent capacity, according to Pierson. Forty-nine COVID-19 patients are in intensive care units (ICU).
Compounding the problem are outbreaks at four HHS hospitals, including Hamilton General, the Juravinski and St. Peter’s. Combined, the outbreaks involve 40 people – including six staff members.
In all, there are 105 staff members and physicians isolating in connection with COVID-19 contact tracing investigations in the agency’s hospitals.
Hamilton reports 147 new COVID-19 cases, compliance orders issued for three outbreaks
Hamilton reported 147 new COVID-19 infections on Thursday and has ongoing investigations at three locations in outbreaks.
Public health orders under Section 22 are in effect at a workplace and two seniors’ homes as of Thursday in connection with COVID-19 inspections between April 23 and May 5.
The order at National Steel Car was issued by associate medical officer of health Dr. Ninh Tran on May 4 and extends the outlet’s closure for no less than 10 more days. Tran alleged staff continued to work at the location through a voluntary closure tied to an outbreak declared on April 23.
“There is an active workplace outbreak of COVID-19 in the facility, based on documentation received the facility has employees diagnosed with COVID-19 while working on site during the voluntary closure and the measures in this order are necessary to respond to and to limit the spread of infection,” Tran said in the order.
The order instructed the manufacturer to remain closed, conduct screenings, operate with minimal essential employees, maintain workplace disinfection protocols, provide hygiene supplies, keep a contact list of those on site and ensure staff understand contact tracing and isolation instructions.
On Tuesday, the operation told its team members through a Facebook post that it would remain closed until May 17 for health and safety reasons.
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“Out of an abundance of caution and in consultation with Public Health Hamilton, we have decided to temporarily suspend our manufacturing operations for an additional week,” the post said.
Global News has reached out to National Steel Car for comment but has not received an answer to any queries as of Thursday afternoon.
Meanwhile, public health also issued two separate orders in late April to a pair of homes with seniors in outbreaks.
Heritage Green nursing home and Evergreen Manor retirement home were issued orders under Section 22 “for breaches in infection and control measures.”
Both are asking operators to complete 13 actions tied to screening protocols, contact tracing, maintaining personal protective equipment (PPE), hand hygiene and sanitizing of the facilities.
The outbreak at Heritage Green has been going on since April 10 and involves 10 cases among four residents and six staffers. The surge at Evergreen Manor, which began on April 29, involves 18 residents and two workers.
Hamilton has 36 outbreaks as of Thursday involving over 340 people.
The largest involves 67 total cases among 66 tenants and one staff member at central Hamilton high-rise Rebecca Towers. Officials say there are currently 28 active cases in the surge.
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On Thursday, Hamilton paramedics began testing all residents at the 164-unit building at 235 Rebecca St. The outbreak recorded one virus-related death.
The city reported just two new outbreaks as of Wednesday at Assured Automotive on the Mountain and the Medallion Corporation in central Hamilton. Each case involves a pair of workers.
The only outbreak closed was at Goulet Cleaning in Waterdown with five cases over eight days.
Over 205,000 vaccines administered in Hamilton, AstraZeneca walk-in option begins
On Thursday, Hamilton topped 205,000 COVID-19 vaccination doses administered through city clinics, local hospitals, primary care partners and pharmacies.
Public health says 205,574 shots have been given out as of the end of the day on Wednesday.
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The city will expand its COVID-19 vaccination plan on Thursday with a one-week Oxford-AstraZeneca clinic at the David Braley Health Sciences Centre on Main Street East.
The clinic runs May 6 to 13 between 11:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Monday to Friday and 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
Walk-ins are available Thursday through Sunday, while appointments will take place every day until May 13.
Appointments for the shots can be booked through the public health hotline (905-974-9848, option 7).
Hamiltonians 50 years of age and older, individuals considered to have high-risk health conditions and those who cannot work from home will also be able to book appointments with the province’s online portal.
As of Wednesday, Canada is reporting that just over 11.1 million people have received at least one vaccine shot, while Ontario says about 5.7 million have gotten jabs with just over 384,000 fully vaccinated.
Just over 38 per cent of Hamiltonians over the age of 16 have received a vaccine to date.
