Canada's chief public officer Dr. Theresa Tam is warning against using any medication, including hydroxychloroquine, to try to treat COVID-19 until scientific evidence confirms its efficacy. The warning follows reports on social media that hydroxychloroquine can cure the respiratory illness. Among those who have repeated the claim is U.S. President Donald Trump. Tam says there is a large number of pre-existing medications that scientists are looking at to see whether they can treat COVID-19, but people should not take anything until the results are confirmed. Tam adds that some of the medicat

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the Canadian Olympic Committee made the right decision in announcing Canadian athletes will not go to the Tokyo Olympics or Paralympics if they start on the scheduled date in July. Trudeau says the move is heartbreaking for athletes, coaches, staff and fans, but feels it's the right call in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak. He called on all Canadians to follow the lead of the COC. The Tokyo Olympics are scheduled to start July 24. The International Olympic Committee announced Sunday that it will make a decision on if the Games are postponed in the next fou

The latest numbers of confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases in Canada as of 4.51pm on March 29, 2020: There are 6320 confirmed and presumptive cases in Canada. Ontario: 1355 confirmed (including 23 deaths, 8 resolved) British Columbia: 884 confirmed (including 17 deaths, 396 resolved) Alberta: 661 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 73 resolved) Quebec: 2840 confirmed (including 22 deaths, 1 resolved) Saskatchewan: 156 confirmed (including 3 resolved) Nova Scotia: 122 confirmed Manitoba: 25 confirmed, 47 presumptive (including 1 death) New Brunswick: 66 confirmed Canadians quarantined at CFB Tr

Alberta now has 42 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total in the province to 301. Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta's chief medical health officer, says 18 people are in hospital. She also says 11 of 47 people, many of them physicians, have tested positive for the virus since attending a curling bonspiel in Edmonton earlier this month. She says some of those doctors returned to work and saw patients before they were notified that they had been exposed.

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney says there's ``a special place in hell'' for hoarders and scammers during the COVID-19 crisis. Kenney says officials are continuing to hear about cases of hoarding food and other vital supplies, along with Internet scams stoking fears about the novel coronavirus to obtain credit card information. He says such behaviour is un-Canadian and anyone caught scamming will face the full weight of the law. Kenney says he was at a soup kitchen where demand is soaring but the kitchen is having trouble getting supplies because of bottlenecks at grocery stores. He says the pro

Former Kelowna mayor Jim Stuart, a farmer who became a politician and oversaw a period of rapid growth in the city, has died. He was 84. Stuart was mayor from 1986 to 1996, winning election twice and being acclaimed twice. He was also an alderman, first winning a council seat in 1973. Mayor Colin Basran confirmed Stuart's death in a news release. City officials say Stuart's 30 years in office served as a bridge between Kelowna's farming origins and the mid-sized municipality it was becoming. In a statement, Basran said the city's current expansion gives him some insight into what Stuart was d

Canada's most populous province says that non-essential businesses must close for at least 14 days starting at 11:59 p.m. Tuesday in efforts to stem the new coronavirus pandemic. Ontario Gov. Doug Ford said Monday he will release the list of businesses that will be allowed to stay open, but food will remain on the grocery store shelves and people will still have access to medication. Ford also acknowledged students will not going back to school on April 6, the date initially set for a return to classes. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau earlier that ``Enough is enough. Go home and stay h

The British Columbia government is spending $5 billion to help support the province's economy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Premier John Horgan says it is a stressful time for people and businesses, and help is needed now. Horgan says the province is spending $2.8 billion on people and services, and $2.2 billion on businesses and economic recovery in the future. Horgan says the plan includes direct payments to people as well as deferment of payments. He says there will be targeted tax relief and support for renters to make sure no one is evicted because of the novel coronavirus. The British Co

Vancouver council has approved a motion giving it the power to crack down on businesses ignoring closure orders or residents defying the requirement to maintain social distancing. This morning's vote, giving the city the ability to levy 50-thousand dollar fines on businesses or slap residents with fines of up to one-thousand dollars was approved unanimously. The measures follow numerous violations in the days following last week's declaration of a local state of emergency in Vancouver, restricting shop hours or operations and limiting many public activities. Vancouver, Victoria and Whistler a