Top Capitol Hill negotiators sealed a deal Sunday on an almost $1 trillion COVID-19 economic relief package, finally delivering long-overdue help to businesses and individuals and providing money to deliver vaccines to a nation eager for them.

The agreement, announced by Senate leaders, would establish a temporary $300 per week supplemental jobless benefits and $600 direct stimulus payments to most Americans, along with a new round of subsidies for hard-hit businesses and money for schools, health care providers and renters facing eviction.

ALSO: The incoming White House chief of staff said on Sunday that President-elect Joe Biden’s response to the massive hacking campaign uncovered last week would go beyond sanctions.

Ron Klain said Biden was mapping out ways to push back against the suspected Russian hackers who have penetrated half a dozen U.S. government agencies and left thousands of American companies exposed.

GUEST: Reggie Cecchini, Washington Bureau Chief for Global News

In the months since the pandemic hit, many parts of normal life have come to a stop.

But while so much has been on hold or locked down to keep people safe and the health-care system functioning, oncologists fear that pause has contributed to another potential crisis.

"What we're worried about, of course, is that there may be a tsunami of cancer out there that's going to suddenly show up," said Dr. Keith Stewart, director of the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto. 

Cancer specialists are worried about the significant drop in the number of cancer screening, referrals and diagnoses in Canada since the pandemic began in March.

It doesn't mean that cancer rates are dropping — experts say it means that cases are being missed and people aren't getting the treatment they need.

GUEST: Dr. Ralph Meyer, Vice President, Oncology and Palliative Care with Hamilton Health Sciences, Regional Vice President of Cancer Care Ontario and a Professor in the Department of Oncology at McMaster University

Ontario says its COVID-19 cases continue to rise and the province’s ability to control the spread of the virus is “precarious.”

The findings come in new data that concludes “hard” lockdowns lasting four to six weeks could cut daily case counts to less than 1,000.

The new projections show that under all scenarios the province will see 300 intensive care unit beds filled within 10 days — double the 150-bed threshold where surgeries must be cancelled.

GUEST: Dr. Michael Warner, Head of ICU at Michael Garron Hospital

Ontario says its COVID-19 cases continue to rise and the province’s ability to control the spread of the virus is “precarious.”

The findings come in new data that concludes “hard” lockdowns lasting four to six weeks could cut daily case counts to less than 1,000.

The new projections show that under all scenarios the province will see 300 intensive care unit beds filled within 10 days — double the 150-bed threshold where surgeries must be cancelled.

GUEST: Dr. Michael Warner, Head of ICU at Michael Garron Hospital

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Imgrund says Ford got the lockdown all wrong!

The big misses in the lockdown announcement: 

1. Waiting until December 26th for the lockdown to start.

2. Elementary only online one week.

3. Supermarkets are allowed to operate at 50% capacity; big box has been reduced to 25% which is almost there

GUEST: Ryan Imgrund, Biostatistician and Teacher

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The COVID-19 pandemic is taking a toll on Life satisfaction.

Individuals were asked how they feel about their life as a whole at the moment of responding, using a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 means "very dissatisfied" and 10 means "very satisfied." In 2018, the average life satisfaction of Canadians was 8.09; by June 2020 average life satisfaction was 1.38 points lower, at 6.71. This was the lowest level of life satisfaction observed in Canada over the 2003-to-2020 period for which comparable data are available.

GUEST: Grant Schellenberg Analyst for Statistics Canada

It's time for Tech Talk with Adam Oldfield!