Ontario says its plan to ease restrictions introduced because of the COVID-19 pandemic will happen in three stages, though the steps unveiled today contain few specifics or timelines. Stage one in the framework published today could include opening select workplaces, opening parks, allowing for more people at certain events such as funerals and having hospitals resume some non-urgent surgeries. Stage two could include opening more businesses, more outdoor spaces, and allowing some larger public gatherings. Stage three would include having all workplaces open and further relaxing rules on publ

The body of a missing British Columbia woman has been found two months after she disappeared. A statement from New Westminster police says the body believed to be that of Nirla Sharma was discovered Sunday along the Fraser River between New Westminster and Burnaby. The woman's disappearance from her New Westminster home sparked a major search in late February. Sgt. Jeff Scott says there is no indication of foul play but the cause of death has not yet been determined. The 44 year old was last seen Feb. 23 when she went to bed but it's believed she left her home the next day because a family mem

Quebec Premier Francois Legault is announcing elementary schools and daycares outside the greater Montreal area will reopen on May 11.Schools and daycares in greater Montreal region will reopen the next week, on May 19.He says school attendance will not be mandatory.Legault says high schools, junior colleges and universities will remain closed until September, and he is urging those institutions to do as much online teaching as possible.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says nearly 10,000 businesses have applied for the federal government's wage-subsidy program to help them deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.The emergency measure will cover 75 percent of wages for employers that have seen sharp declines in revenue since the novel coronavirus hit Canada hard in March, up to $847 per worker.Applications opened early this morning and payments can be retroactive to the middle of March.Trudeau says money under the program will start flowing by May 7.It may take longer for the money to arrive for companies that aren't signed up for direct

B.C. has pledged to double its contribution to help support caregivers and seniors as part of its emergency COVID-19 response plan.The province's seniors advocate, Isobel Mackenzie, says B.C. is providing an additional 500,000 to help support caregivers and seniors.She says this doubles the funding to Family Caregivers of B.C. to $1 million for the year and will help expand toll-free support line hours, emotional supports and healthcare navigation.Family Caregivers of B.C. is a not-for-profit organization that supports people who care for senior citizens.

British Columbia is looking to temporarily relocate over 1,000 people from tent encampments in Vancouver and Victoria to hotel and community centre accommodations to protect them from the ongoing pandemic. Shane Simpson, Social Development and Poverty Reduction Minister, says 686 hotel and community centre accommodations in Vancouver and 324 hotel spaces in Victoria have been secured by the province. Simpson says people will have their own living space and access to services, such as meals, laundry, washroom facilities, health-care services, addictions treatment and harm reduction, storage for

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is announcing a $62.5-million aid package to help the country's fish and seafood processors protect workers from COVID-19. Trudeau said today the money is earmarked for personal protective equipment and to help fish and seafood companies adapt their plants to comply with health directives. The prime minister says the funding can also help pay for other equipment such as freezers, so that companies can store food products while they adapt their factories to ensure workers can maintain a safe distance from one another. Fish and seafood are among the country's top fo

There are 43,888 confirmed and presumptive cases in Canada. Quebec: 22,616 confirmed (including 1,340 deaths, 4,724 resolved) Ontario: 13,519 confirmed (including 763 deaths, 7,087 resolved) Alberta: 4,017 confirmed (including 72 deaths, 1,397 resolved) British Columbia: 1,853 confirmed (including 98 deaths, 1,114 resolved) Nova Scotia: 850 confirmed (including 16 deaths, 392 resolved) Saskatchewan: 341 confirmed (including 4 deaths, 280 resolved) Manitoba: 252 confirmed (including 6 deaths, 174 resolved), 11 presumptive Newfoundland and Labrador: 256 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 199 resolv

Thirty-five workers at the United Poultry plant in Vancouver have now tested positive for COVID-19. That's up from 29 and in addition to two cases at a sister plant in Coquitlam. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix say in a joint statement that 10 cases of the virus in B.C. have been connected to the Kearl Lake project near Fort McMurray, Alta. Seventy-eight inmates and staff have also tested positive at the Mission Institution in the Fraser Valley. The province is reporting four more deaths, for a total of 98 deaths, and 29 new cases. The province has a