Following conversations with business and worker representatives, the Province of British Columbia has extended the temporary layoffs provisions to a maximum of 24 weeks expiring on Aug. 30, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.The extension will give employers and workers additional flexibility to support economic recovery in the province with the expectation that businesses honour their obligations to workers and reach agreement with their employees in the event a further extension is required."This extension will provide even more certainty and flexibility," said Harry Bains, Minister of Labo

A joint investigation by the privacy commissioners of Ontario and British Columbia says Lifelabs failed to put in place reasonable safeguards to protect the personal health information of millions of Canadians. A statement released by the commissioners says the breach last year at LifeLabs, one of Canada's largest medical services companies, broke Ontario's health privacy law and B.C.'s personal information protection law. The joint investigation found LifeLabs collected more personal health information than was necessary, failed to protect that data in its electronic systems and relied on ina

Air Canada has quietly changed its refund policy to allow some customers whose flights were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic to recoup their cash.A document recently posted to its website says customers with planes departing from the European Union, Switzerland and Iceland due to the pandemic are "entitled to receive a refund."The post made on June 15, according to the metadata cites an EU regulation that grants passengers ``the right to choose between reimbursement, rerouting or rebooking the flight at a later date'' if their trip is called off by the airline.Air Canada's apparent shif

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is emphatically rejecting calls to drop extradition proceedings against a Chinese tech executive in the hope China would free Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig.He says bowing to pressure from Beijing would put many more citizens at risk by signalling Canada can be intimidated.Meng Wanzhou was taken into custody over American allegations of violating sanctions on Iran, and her extradition case is now before a British Columbia court.Trudeau says "randomly arresting Canadians doesn't give you leverage over the government of Canada anywhere in the world."

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and general secretary KC Venugopal held a meeting with party's state presidents on Wednesday through video conferencing to discuss the country's tension with China on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the situation in the country due to COVID-19 pandemic and rising fuel prices.In memory of the 20 soldiers who lost their lives in the violent face-off with China at Galwan Valley in Ladakh, the party has decided to hold a 'Salute to the Martyrs' programme across the country on June 26.The Congress has directed state units to stage a dharna (sit-in protest) a

There are 102,242 confirmed and presumptive cases in Canada. Quebec: 54,937 confirmed (including 5,441 deaths, 23,710 resolved) Ontario: 34,016 confirmed (including 2,631 deaths, 29,336 resolved) Alberta: 7,825 confirmed (including 153 deaths, 7,134 resolved) British Columbia: 2,849 confirmed (including 171 deaths, 2,516 resolved) Nova Scotia: 1,061 confirmed (including 63 deaths, 998 resolved) Saskatchewan: 757 confirmed (including 13 deaths, 643 resolved) Manitoba: 304 confirmed (including 7 deaths, 293 resolved), 11 presumptive Newfoundland and Labrador: 261 confirmed (including 3 deaths,

BC is easing more health restrictions imposed to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, including allowing spas, hotels, resorts and RV parks to resume operating. Premier John Horgan say the province can gradually move into the third phase of its reopening plan because it's been successful in flattening the curve of the pandemic. But while more businesses and recreational areas are allowed to open, large public gatherings will remain capped at a maximum of 50 people. The province has also released summer travel guidelines that include people respecting local travel advisories to remote communities an

WestJet Airlines Ltd. says it will lay off 3,333 employees as part of major restructuring amid the coronavirus pandemic that has devastated the travel industry. The company says it will consolidate call centre activity in Alberta, restructure its office and management staff and contract out operations at all but four of the 38 Canadian airports where it operates. WestJet CEO Ed Sims says the changes are ``unavoidable'' as the Calgary-based company contends with ``the biggest crisis in the history of aviation.'' The pandemic has seen the airline park two-thirds of its fleet after border shutdo

Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, and Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.'s provincial health officer, have issued the following joint statement regarding updates on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) response in British Columbia: "Today, we are announcing 14 new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 2,849 cases in British Columbia."There are 162 active cases of COVID-19 in the province and 2,516 people who tested positive have recovered."Of the total COVID-19 cases, 14 individuals are hospitalized, seven of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people with COVID-19 are recovering at home in self-isolation."Si