BCMay 12, 2020
Search crews pull the body of a young man from a river in Chilliwack, B.C.
The body of a 22 year old man who was last seen swimming with friends in a Chilliwack, B.C., river has been found.
RCMP say the man's friends reported that he entered the Vedder River on Monday night and became distressed.
Police say the friends tried to pull the man from the water without success.
The body was discovered by Chilliwack Search and Rescue crews on Tuesday.
Police say the man is a South Asian national from India.
Both the RCMP and the BC Coroners Service are investigating the death.
CanadaMay 12, 2020
PM Trudeau says Canada will be very cautious when it comes to reopening international travel
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada will be very cautious when it comes to reopening international travel. He would not say whether he expects the Canada-U.S. border to reopen when a mutual ban on non-essential travel expires next week. But rather he says preventing transmission of COVID-19 into Canada from other countries will be an essential part of preventing a second wave of the outbreak. He says Canada will need to see a decrease in the number of new cases in the country, and will need to have the ability to detect and track new cases.
CanadaMay 12, 2020
Quebec Premier strongly recommending to wear a mask while leaving home
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is strongly recommending that Quebecers wear a mask whenever they leave home. Legault, who wore a mask as he entered his daily briefing, says the mask can help prevent the spread of illness in situations where people can't stay at least two metres apart. He announced 118 more deaths in the last 24 hours, for a total of 3,131. He said there were also 756 new cases for a total of 39,225, including 10,056 who have recovered.
BCMay 12, 2020
Smart phones for B.C.'s vulnerable, homeless aids access to supports, services
Vulnerable and homeless people across British Columbia could soon receive a smartphone to access support services and to stay connected with friends and family while practising physical distancing. Social Development and Poverty Reduction Minister Shane Simpson says providing up to 3,500 smartphones for vulnerable people will give them easier access to services and helps them connect to others when public spaces are closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Simpson says 1,000 smartphones have already been distributed, with 200 provided to people moved to hotels from homeless encampments in Vic
WorldMay 12, 2020
India's prime minister announces huge virus relief package
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced Tuesday that the government will spend more than $260 billion, the equivalent of nearly 10% of the country's GDP, on a coronavirus economic relief package designed to make the world's second most populous nation more self reliant.“The package’s main aim is to build a self-reliant India,” Modi said in a televised speech, adding that it will help the country compete globally.India entered its sixth week of a stringent nationwide lockdown on Tuesday, pushing an economy already enfeebled before the pandemic to the brink of collapse.The lockdown
CanadaMay 12, 2020
Some Canadian universities say fall classes will be offered primarily online
Some Canadian universities say classes this fall will be offered primarily online as uncertainty over the COVID-19 pandemic continues.In recent days, McGill University, the University of British Columbia, the University of Ottawa and others have laid out broad plans for how they will handle the fall semester amid evolving health and safety measures.In Montreal, students at McGill will see classes delivered largely through remote platforms, while the Universite de Montreal says only a few courses or parts of courses will take place on campus.UBC says larger classes will be held online, with a s
CanadaMay 12, 2020
Feds pledge one-time benefit top-up to seniors in COVID-19 aid
The federal government is giving seniors a one-time, tax-free top-up payment to help manage extra costs associated with COVID-19.Seniors Minister Deb Schulte says seniors who receive old age security will get $300, and those who receive the guaranteed income supplement will receive $200.In all, the $2.5-billion measure will provide payments to 6.7 million seniors, Schulte says.She says many have faced an increase in the cost of living as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, from more for dispensing fees for medications or delivery fees for food and services.She also says their savings have taken
IndiaMay 12, 2020
Punjab CM pitches for lockdown extension with 'carefully crafted strategy'
Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday pitched for extension of the lockdown with a "carefully crafted strategy", which is to be backed by fiscal and economic empowerment of the states to save lives and secure livelihood. During a video conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Singh said that states needed to be given greater flexibility in micro-planning as part of a carefully planned exit strategy, encompassing both COVID containment and a defined path of economic revival. He demanded urgent financial assistance to states to meet at least 33 per cent of their committed
CanadaMay 12, 2020
Nearly 70,000 total number of COVID-19 cases in Canada, 4,993 deaths reported
There are 69,981 confirmed and presumptive cases in Canada. Quebec: 38,469 confirmed (including 3,013 deaths, 9,703 resolved) Ontario: 20,546 confirmed (including 1,669 deaths, 15,131 resolved) Alberta: 6,300 confirmed (including 117 deaths, 4,659 resolved) British Columbia: 2,353 confirmed (including 130 deaths, 1,719 resolved) Nova Scotia: 1,019 confirmed (including 48 deaths, 767 resolved) Saskatchewan: 568 confirmed (including 6 deaths, 363 resolved) Manitoba: 278 confirmed (including 7 deaths, 247 resolved), 11 presumptive Newfoundland and Labrador: 261 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 244