Ontario's finance minister has resigned from his cabinet position after going on a Caribbean vacation during the pandemic. Premier Doug Ford says he has accepted Rod Phillips's resignation as minister. Phillips returned to Ontario this morning after spending more than two weeks in St. Barts despite provincial guidelines urging people to avoid non-essential travel. Ford says he has asked Treasury Board President Peter Bethlenfalvy to assume the role of minister of finance and deliver the government's 2021 budget.Earlier today Ontario Finance Minister Rod Phillips had returned from his Caribbea

Premier John Horgan says economic recovery and health-care reforms are his New Democrat government's priorities for 2021. He says the COVID-19 pandemic has tested him personally as it has the people of British Columbia. Horgan says getting the economy moving next year will be the main goal of the budget in April, despite the recent forecast of a 13.6 billion dollar deficit. There have been almost 900 deaths due to COVID-19 in the province and Horgan says the government is planning health-care reforms that focus on BC's elderly, the hardest hit by the pandemic. The premier says his government

Union Agriculture Minister Singh Tomar on 6th round of talks with farmers' unions at Vigyan Bhawan informed that consensus on 2 out of 4 issues was reached between both sides. "Today's talks were held in a very good environment and it concluded on a positive note. Consensus on 2 out of 4 issues was reached between both sides," said Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar.

Health officials in British Columbia are cutting off alcohol sales on New Year's Eve in an effort to prevent gatherings where COVID-19 can spread. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says last call for alcohol sales will be at 8 p.m. on New Year's Eve and the ban continues until 9 a.m. the next day. The health order restricts the sale of alcohol at restaurants, pubs and stores. Dr. Henry says the order is an attempt to mitigate "risky behavior" and curb parties from springing up, particularly in resort towns where New Year's Eve celebrations are common. B.C. reported 485 new cases of C

Following a cabinet meeting this morning, the Trudeau government plans to bring in stricter pandemic regulations for airline passengers. Travellers will be required to test negative for COVID-19 three days before landing in Canada. Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc didn't say when the requirement will be in place. The announcement comes as Ontario Finance Minister Rod Phillips and Quebec Liberal MNA Pierre Arcand find themselves in hot water over international travel. Both travelled out of the country on Caribbean vacations despite Canadians being asked to avoid such trips.

Police say a Vancouver man who spent Christmas in jail after repeatedly hosting parties in violation of public health orders is now bound by bail conditions requiring him to answer the door if officers knock. Sgt. Steve Addison says police issued multiple warnings and twice fined the 24 year old man but he vowed to continue hosting parties. Addison says the man was arrested on Christmas Day, and he spent the night behind bars. He must comply with public health orders that limit people living on their own to host two others that are part of their social bubble. The Vancouver Police Department

The dispatcher that handles most of British Columbia's 911 calls says COVID-19 gave a different twist to some calls this year, but E-Comm's annual list of nuisance callers reveals little change elsewhere. In an effort to remind the public that 911 should only be dialed in an emergency, E-Comm has released its list of the top-10 nuisance calls of 2020. The dispatcher says inquiries such as the number-one-ranked complaint about missing food deliveries or the second-ranked call about a possible COVID-19 lockdown probably wouldn't have made previous nuisance lists. Even the third-ranked question

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he found out his finance minister was travelling abroad roughly two weeks ago, and should have pushed then for his immediate return. Ford says Rod Phillips "never told anyone" he was going to St. Barts on December 13th, but the premier learned of the trip shortly after it began. Opposition leader calls for Phillips removal from the cabinet Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath is calling for Ontario Finance Minister Rod Phillips to be removed from cabinet. Phillips revealed yesterday that he flew to St. Barts on the 13th of the month, not knowing a provincewide lockd

Health Canada says it can't provide a definite timeline for when it will wrap up its review of the COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by AstraZeneca. This morning, Britain approved the use of the drug created by the UK based drugmaker and Oxford University. Health Canada says it needs more information before it can complete its analysis. Britain became the first country to authorize AstraZeneca’s inexpensive, easy-to-handle COVID-19 vaccine Wednesday, gaining another weapon against the virus amid a resurgence so severe that the government extended lockdowns to three-quarters of England’s popul