Finance Minister Carole James says thousands of people applied for British Columbia's $1,000 tax-free emergency benefit in the first minutes of the program going online today.She says more than 16,000 people registered to receive the one-time B.C. Emergency Benefit for Workers in the first 45 minutes. James says the program is part of the province's $5 billion plan to help people, businesses and organizations affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.It is also available to people in B.C. who are receiving the federal Canada Emergency Response Benefit of $2,000 a month.To get the B.C. benefit, people

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government is banning a range of assault-style guns, with an order that takes effect immediately.He says the order has a two-year amnesty period for current owners, and there will be a compensation program.In an announcement this morning, he cites numerous mass shootings, from Ecole Polytechnique in 1989 to the killings in Nova Scotia last week, as the reasons for the move.Stricter controls on firearms were a promise in the Liberals' election campaign platform last fall.Trudeau has said the government was on the verge of bringing in stricter gun-

Tiff Macklem, a former second in command at the Bank of Canada, is coming back to the central bank to take over the top job. Macklem, the dean of the business school at the University of Toronto, will take over the reins of the central bank as governor in early June when Stephen Poloz's seven-year term ends. Finance Minister Bill Morneau says Macklem brings a deep knowledge of and expertise in financial markets and will serve the central bank well as it navigates the an economic crisis like no other. The bank controls the country's money supply, trying to support economic growth and stability

Veteran actor Dharmendra expressed grief over the demise of legendary star Rishi Kapoor who passed away at the age of 67 on Thursday in Mumbai. The 84-year-old star shared a throwback picture with the 'Naseeb' co-actor and shared an affectionate memory between the two. The picture showed Rishi sitting close to the feet of Deol while he holds Rishi as they both share a smile. Taking to the captions, the 'Sholay' star shared that he is shocked by the loss of two versatile actors Irrfan and Rishi. His tweet read, "... he fought a brave battle against cancer. He was like son to me. I am extremely

There are 53,236 confirmed and presumptive cases in Canada. Quebec: 27,538 confirmed (including 1,859 deaths, 6,299 resolved) Ontario: 16,187 confirmed (including 1,082 deaths, 10,205 resolved) Alberta: 5,355 confirmed (including 89 deaths, 2,161 resolved) British Columbia: 2,112 confirmed (including 111 deaths, 1,322 resolved) Nova Scotia: 947 confirmed (including 28 deaths, 545 resolved) Saskatchewan: 389 confirmed (including 6 deaths, 295 resolved) Manitoba: 264 confirmed (including 6 deaths, 220 resolved), 11 presumptive Newfoundland and Labrador: 258 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 225 re

The RCMP say its COVID-19 Fraud Response Team has helped Health Canada seize more than 15-hundred unauthorized testing kits in B.C. The Mounties say they began investigating after receiving a tip that unauthorized COVID-19 test kits were being sold online to British Columbians. They say they found a Richmond resident had acquired and was selling them without authorization. No charges were laid as a result of the seizure but the Mounties warn testing kits that aren't authorized by Health Canada may lead to a potential misdiagnosis.

Alberta is planning to reopen dental offices and golf courses on Monday that were shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic. The government says boat launches would also start opening next week and campsites would hopefully be open June 1. Some retail businesses, restaurants, hair salons, museums, daycares and summer camps would also be allowed to open May 14. The relaunch plan comes with some restrictions including a rule requiring people to wear masks on mass transit. Alberta reported 190 more cases of COVID-19 today, as the government launched a reopening plan for some businesses and service

Provincial health officer Doctor Bonnie Henry is reporting 25 new cases of COVID-19 and two new deaths as the province marks a milestone in its updates. Henry says it's been 100 days since B.C. issued its first statement about the novel coronavirus. She says lives have changed dramatically since then but Premier John Horgan will outline what she is describing as a go forward plan next week. The new cases include another 12 inmates at the Mission Institution, bringing the total to 120 with Henry saying more are expected to develop symptoms.

The BC government is moving to help the provincial forest industry survive the COVID-19 pandemic by delaying harvesting fees for three months. Forest Minister Doug Donaldson says deferring the stumpage fees will leave eligible companies with about 80 million dollars to pay workers, contractors and other bills, helping them stay afloat. The industry had been struggling before the pandemic with low timber prices and high operating costs, forcing layoffs and mill closures. The government also says major industries like pulp and paper mills and mines will have the opportunity to defer 50 per cent