International students who would have started their courses in fall this year but are unable to reach Canada due to the COVID-19 travel restrictions, can start their studies online from their home country. Under normal circumstances, any time spent in the home country during course duration is deducted from the eligibility period for Post-Graduation Work Permit Program (PGWPP). CIC announced yesterday that up to 50% of the course can be completed from home country, and that time will not be deducted from the PGWPP eligibility period. This would mean that students can directly apply for work pe

The Canadian Real Estate Association says national home sales fell by more than half in April as the COVID-19 outbreak put a chill on market activity.The association says April home sales were down 57.6 per cent from a year earlier, and down 56.8 per cent on a month-over-month basis, posting the lowest volume for the month since 1984.Activity was down 66.2 per cent in the Greater Toronto Area, 57.9 per cent in Greater Vancouver, 51.5 per cent in Ottawa, and 42 per cent in Winnipeg.Nationally, new listings were down 55.7 per cent from March to April, but inventory levels jumped to 9.2 months i

There are 73,401 confirmed and presumptive cases in Canada. Quebec: 40,724 confirmed (including 3,351 deaths, 10,829 resolved) Ontario: 21,494 confirmed (including 1,798 deaths, 16,204 resolved) Alberta: 6,457 confirmed (including 121 deaths, 5,205 resolved) British Columbia: 2,392 confirmed (including 135 deaths, 1,885 resolved) Nova Scotia: 1,026 confirmed (including 51 deaths, 909 resolved) Saskatchewan: 582 confirmed (including 6 deaths, 398 resolved) Manitoba: 278 confirmed (including 7 deaths, 252 resolved), 11 presumptive Newfoundland and Labrador: 261 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 24

Gurdas Singh Badal, father of Punjab's Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, and brother of the former Chief Minister of Punjab, Parkash Singh Badal has passed away. 90 year old Gurdas Singh Badal was not keeping well due to multiple issues related to acute diabetes, blood pressure, and heart problem. He was recently admitted to a private hospital in Mohali. Manpreet Badal shared the news of his father's demise on his twitter handle, "It is with great sorrow that I inform about the demise of my father S.Gurdas Singh Badal. He passed away last night at Fortis Hospital, Mohali. He was 90. His h

A collision between a car and a motorcycle on the outskirts of Kamloops has left one person dead. RCMP say a woman on the motorcycle died at the scene yesterday afternoon when a vehicle with Alberta plates turned left in front of her, on a red light. The victim's name has not been released but investigators say she was a local resident in her 50s, while the woman driving the car is in her 70s and was not hurt. An investigation continues and Mounties are appealing for information, although they say the crash was caught on a nearby surveillance camera.

British Columbia's public health officer is suggesting walking, running or biking to work during the COVID-19 pandemic rather than getting on a packed train or bus. Dr. Bonnie Henry says public health officials are working on guidelines to protect people as well as transit workers. She says 15 people in B.C. have tested positive for the novel coronavirus over the past 24 hours bringing the total to 2,392. B.C. also reported three more deaths, bringing the death toll to 135. The number of people who have recovered from COVID-19 is 1,885.

Vancouver's police department is protesting a one-per cent cut in his department's 314-million dollar budget, saying the cut will reduce the city's policing levels to those last seen in the 1990s. Council voted in-camera last night to impose the cut, despite a note from the chairman of the police board finance committee. In it, Barj Dhahan reminded councillors that demand for police services remains high during the COVID-19 pandemic. Council says it anticipates a revenue loss of 152-million dollars due to the new coronavirus, yet it's required by law to balance its books, and it wants all dep

The COVID-19 pandemic has sideswiped British Columbia's public vehicle insurer, but the attorney general says it's too soon to assess the potential damage. David Eby, who is also the minister responsible for the Insurance Corporation of B.C., said Thursday claim costs are down by about $160 million because there have been fewer accidents as drivers stay home. But he said plunging prices on global stock markets have hit the corporation's investment portfolio. Eby says the clear picture of the pandemic's impact on ICBC won't be truly known until the end of the current fiscal year in about 10 mo

Correctional Service Canada reports 343 inmates have tested positive for COVID-19. Almost all have occurred in two Quebec institutions and one in British Columbia. Hardest hit has been the Federal Training Centre in Laval, Que., with 148. The Mission Medium Institution in B.C. has had 120 cases of COVID-19. Two inmates have died. At least 88 guards have been infected.