Prime Minister Justin Trudeau opened today's virtual first ministers meeting talking about the need to work together on the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines. He listed everything his government has done to help the provinces cope with the pandemic, reminding premiers that Ottawa has covered 80 per cent of the costs so far. But Trudeau acknowledged the meeting is an opportunity to discuss the premiers' unanimous demand for at least 28 billion dollars more each year in unconditional federal transfers for health care. He says the government is determined to offer Canadians the efficient, high-qualit

Vancouver City Council has approved a revised start date of January 1, 2022 for the shopping bag and single-use cup by-laws. Businesses will now have an additional year to prepare for the ban on plastic shopping bags and requirement to charge fees for paper shopping bags, new reusable shopping bags and single-use cups. The City remains committed to reducing waste and litter from single-use items as we transform Vancouver into a zero waste community by 2040. However, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, local businesses are experiencing significant economic challenges and are working hard to

The federal Liberals are proposing to spread voting over three days if there's a federal election during the COVID-19 pandemic.A bill tabled in the House of Commons today would also add nearly two weeks of advance polls in long-term care homes and make it easier to get and deliver mail-in ballots.And it would give the country's chief electoral officer authority to make other adjustments to make balloting safer for both voters and poll workers.Dominic LeBlanc, the minister responsible for Democratic Institutions, says the measures are meant to prevent potential crowding at polling places and to

An octopus named after provincial health officer Doctor Bonnie Henry is set to be released next week from an aquarium on Vancouver Island. Henry is a giant Pacific octopus who was brought to the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea for care in June. The aquarium says in a release that Henry has been particularly calm, just like Dr. Henry, during its time at the facility in Sidney. Henry is set to be released next Thursday in the area where it was found, on the west coast of Vancouver Island.

Global Affairs Canada says reports that detained Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor had been put on trial in China are not correct. Canadian Embassy officials in Beijing spoke directly with Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials to clarify the media report. They determined there has been no new development in the cases and say the confusion was caused by an inaccurate characterization of the process made by the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson.Kovrig and Spavor are marking two years in separate Chinese prisons.Canada and dozens of its Western allies say the Michaels are b

Over 50 free round-the-clock medical camps have come up at Singhu, one of the multiple Delhi borders, where farmers have been agitating against the three recently enacted farm laws, braving the winters, for the last 15 days. Free medicines and ambulance services are also being provided to the agitating farmers. Dr Kanwar Pal Singh, a volunteer associated with United Sikhs NGO, which has set up many such camps, told ANI people mostly complained of fever and sore throat here. "Protesters, however, are taking all precautions here amid the COVID-19 pandemic," he said on Thursday.Doctors and volunt

British Columbia's top doctor says health-care workers in long-term care facilities and intensive care units will be the first to be immunized against COVID-19 with the Pfizer vaccine starting next week. Dr. Bonnie Henry says immunizations will happen at two clinics in the Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health regions, before eventually expanding to 30 sites as part of a process that will ramp up as more doses and vaccines become available. Up to 400,000 B.C. residents can get a shot in the arm by the end of March. Henry says prioritizing those who work at care homes will protect the eld

Health Canada has approved the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech, paving the way for vaccinations to begin countrywide next week. Dr. Supriya Sharma, the chief medical adviser to Health Canada, says the authorization follows a science and evidence-based review. Sharma says there's no significant evidence of severe adverse reactions to the shot.Dr. Sharma says she and other health officials are amazed at the accomplishment in such a short time. Supriya Sharma says they are making the approval process as open and transparent as possible by publishing the technical information for each va

An evidence-gathering hearing in the extradition case of Meng Wanzhou has heard from a senior manager with the Canada Border Services Agency, who told BC's Supreme Court she was instructed not to take notes after the arrest of the Huawei executive. Nicole Goodman testified today that she wanted to create a case summary or timeline of events, but was warned by the agency's then-regional director general that the record could later be obtained through an access to information request. The court is hearing witness testimony that Meng's lawyers will use to bolster an abuse of process claim next y