Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is trying to offer Canadians modest hope about progress in testing and vaccine development after Canada notched an all-time high of new COVID-19 cases in a day. Trudeau told a news conference today that the government is spending $214 million towards the development of COVID-19 vaccines, signing deals with Quebec's Medicago and British Columbia's Precision NanoSystems. Trudeau says the Medicago contract includes the rights to buy 76 million doses of its vaccine, should it meet health and safety standards, as well as funding for a production facility in Quebec Cit

Voters in British Columbia go to the polls on Saturday in a snap election that has seen the Greens singing the praises of minority governments, the NDP asking for the stability of a majority and the BC Liberals accusing the New Democrats of playing politics with COVID-19.NDP Leader John Horgan's decision to call an election, more than a year ahead of schedule and during a pandemic, became a campaign issue right from the start.Horgan says he pulled the plug on his minority government because he is seeking the certainty of a majority during uncertain times, but he spent much of the campaign fen

BC has seen another big jump in COVID-19 cases with another record for a second straight day. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry is reporting 274 new cases, up from the 203 reported yesterday. Dr. Henry says much of the recent surge in cases is due to social gatherings such as weddings and funerals and recommends people revise plans to small gatherings only. She warns additional measures will be put in place if necessary to break what she describes as ``large transmission events.''

Shiromani Akali Dal will reject and block the implementation of the Centre's farm laws in Punjab when if it forms a government in the state, party chief Sukhbir Singh Badal said on Thursday."We will totally reject and block the implementation of Modi's anti-farmer Acts in Punjab," Badal told the media. He said the entire state should be declared a principal market area.He said that Shiromani Akali Dal has been demanding that the assured marketing at MSP regime must not only continue but must also be expanded to cover all the 22 listed crops. "When Shiromani Akali Dal forms a government in the

The case of a Newfoundland and Labrador man who recently went missing in British Columbia reached the prime minister Wednesday during a virtual town hall with members of Memorial University.Memorial graduate Jordan Naterer, 25, was reported missing on Thanksgiving weekend after he didn’t return from a hike in E.C. Manning Provincial Park, 175 kilometres east of Vancouver.Justin Dearing, the school’s sustainability officer, said he felt compelled to ask Justin Trudeau for help convincing police to resume their search for Naterer.Authorities called off the search Saturday, but Naterer's fath

Leaders of British Columbia's three main parties are in the home stretch of the election campaign, with only today and tomorrow left to woo votes. NDP Leader John Horgan says his party has committed the most money for health care and that will help navigate the response to the second wave of COVID-19. The leader of British Columbia's N-D-P is firing back after Green party Leader Sonia Furstenau called Saturday's election ``unsafe'' in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. John Horgan says he listened to the province's top doctor as well as officials with Elections B-C, who told him an election

The Royal Canadian Navy says it is investigating an unexplained breakdown on its brand-new, $400-million Arctic patrol ship.The problem first emerged last week as HMCS Harry DeWolf's crew was training off the coast of Halifax, two and a half months after Irving Shipbuilding delivered the vessel to the Navy.Commodore Richard Feltham, commander of Canadian Fleet Atlantic, says the ship was forced to return to port after its freshwater generator and communications systems didn't work.It was while the ship was docked that the crew discovered the cooling pumps on two of ship's four diesel generator

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden says he has tested negative for COVID-19 ahead of his debate with President Donald Trump. Biden made the comments to reporters in Wilmington, Delaware, on Thursday before flying to Nashville, Tennessee, where he's scheduled to participate in the second debate with the Republican president, the final scheduled meeting of the two candidates before the Nov. 3 election. Biden says he underwent the coronavirus testing on Thursday. Trump seems confident, court to end 'Obamacare'President Donald Trump says ``it will be so good'' if the Supreme Court puts an

Russian President Vladimir Putin says there is no need for a Russia-China military alliance now but the idea of a future one can't be ruled out. Putin was asked during a video conference with international foreign policy experts Thursday if a military union between Moscow and Beijing was possible. He replied that ``theoretically, it's quite possible to imagine it.'' Russia and China have hailed their ``strategic partnership,'' but so far rejected any talk about the possibility of their forming a military alliance. Putin noted that Russia has been sharing highly sensitive military technologies