Health Minister Patty Hajdu says Canada is paying inflated prices for personal protective equipment. She says the global market is extremely competitive as every country vies for the limited supply. She says Canada is keeping an eye on the cost, but is focused on getting what's needed. Health Canada is also taking measures to guard against fraud and counterfeit PPE that's being produced.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland says the government is planning to `pull out all the stops' to press the U.S. on its plans to limit supplies to Canada. The White House ordered manufacturer 3M not to ship N95 respirators across the border to Canada. Freeland says Canada will push back hard. She says all ministers are in touch with their U.S. counterparts and the provincial premiers have also been asked to get involved.

Ontario is reporting 462 more COVID-19 cases today, bringing the total number in the province to 3,255. Health officials also reported 14 more deaths, bringing the toll to 67. There are also 192 more resolved cases for a new total of 1,023.

British Columbia's prosecution service says NDP legislature member Jinny Sims will not face charges following an RCMP investigation and the appointment of a special prosecutor last fall.In a statement, the prosecution service says the RCMP investigation into allegations of criminal wrongdoing against Sims found no evidence to support the accusations and the investigation has concluded.Special prosecutor Richard Peck, who was appointed last October, says there will no charges and there is no further action to take.Sims resigned as minister of citizens' services following the announcement of Pec

The steps the Ontario government has taken so far to limit the spread of COVID-19 have likely saved tens of thousands of lives, public health officials said Friday, but even with further action the death toll could reach as high as 15,000. Projections released by the province showed 100,000 Ontario residents could likely have died over the full course of the pandemic if the province hadn't implemented measures such as widespread closures of businesses and schools in order to promote physical distancing. As it is, the figures estimate thousands of people could still die without more aggressive

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the Canadian Forces are being sent to northern Quebec to help communities there prepare to respond to COVID-19. He says the federal government is answering a call from the Quebec government. In a daily appearance outside his Ottawa residence today, Trudeau also says the federal government has an agreement with Amazon to use its distribution network to send medical supplies to meet provincial needs. Trudeau also announced that the government would donate $100 million to meet urgent food needs across the country, including in northern and Indigenous communitie

The City of Surrey has laid off 1,900 part-time and auxiliary staff and 140 regular employees following the closure of recreation centres, libraries, pools, and other civic facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Other municipalities are making similar cuts. The City of Vancouver has laid off about 1,500 workers, mostly from community centres, libraries, and theatres. In Delta, 500 auxiliary and part-time workers – 90 per cent tied to community centres – are also off the job. Residents say the closures have left families struggling without access to community spaces. Baljit Kaur, a mother

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will share a small video message with the people of the country on Friday. "At 9 am tomorrow morning, I'll share a small video message with my fellow Indians," Modi said in a tweet. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi interacted with the Chief Ministers through video conferencing to discuss measures to combat COVID-19. He also thanked the states for supporting the decision of lockdown due to which India has achieved some success in limiting the spread of COVID-19. In his last address to the nation on March 24, the Prime Minister had announced a 21 day lockdown

There are 11,283 confirmed and presumptive cases in Canada. Quebec: 5,518 confirmed (including 36 deaths, 224 resolved) Ontario: 2,793 confirmed (including 53 deaths, 831 resolved) British Columbia: 1,121 confirmed (including 31 deaths, 641 resolved) Alberta: 968 confirmed (including 13 deaths, 174 resolved) Saskatchewan: 206 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 36 resolved) Nova Scotia: 193 confirmed (including 16 resolved) Newfoundland and Labrador: 183 confirmed (including 1 death, 10 resolved) Manitoba: 152 confirmed (including 1 death, 11 resolved), 15 presumptive New Brunswick: 91 co