Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart says he'll ask Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland to clarify Tuesday how federal relief funding during the COVID-19 pandemic will flow to cities. Stewart announced the closure today of public recreation centres, libraries, civic theatres and other non-essential services in an effort to encourage social distancing. He is also encouraging bars and restaurants to limit their capacity if they cannot ensure at least one metre of distance between people, while suggesting residents order take out or delivery to continue supporting those businesses. Three main ser

Idris Elba says he has tested positive for the coronavirus. The actor tweeted Monday that he has no symptoms so far and has been isolated since Friday when he found out about his possible exposure. He says he sought out the test after discovering he had come into contact with someone who had been diagnosed with the new coronavirus. Elba is the latest high profile celebrity to have tested positive for the virus. Last week, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson said they had also tested positively in Australia. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and co

Vancouver's fire department is preparing to stop responding to the site of non-critical medical calls in order to preserve its resources during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fire Chief Darrell Reid says the department is looking at changing its service model so that firefighters only respond to the most critical medical calls, which may include COVID-19 cases in the future. But he says the idea is to triage calls to ensure the department can still respond to major fires and other emergencies. Under a triage system, he says emergency calls will be prioritized using a scoring system based on their sev

BC is reporting three more deaths from the new coronavirus. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said all three deaths occurred over the weekend and all are related to an outbreak at the Lynn Valley long term care centre in North Vancouver, where the first death occurred earlier this month. Henry has also ramped up the restriction on the size of permitted gatherings, ordering cancellation of any events where more than 50 people are likely to attend, the limit was set at 150 people last week. The province also plans to restrict long-term care access to essential visitors, only, in an eff

Port Coquitlam has joined Surrey, Delta and West Vancouver in closing all libraries, rec centres and other municipal facilities and scaling back civic services in order to contain the spread of COVID-19. The city of Vancouver is expected to make an announcement about its services this afternoon. This follows cancellation of many events over the weekend, the closure of 10 casinos operated by Great Canadian Gaming and several ski resorts, including Mount Washington on Vancouver Island and Whistler Blackcomb, and the closure or reduction in hours of many stores and malls, including Pacific Centr

Canada is now denying entry to nearly everyone who isn't a Canadian citizen or permanent resident but Americans are exempt from that ban.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the level of integration between Canada and the United States is behind that decision. But he says there's more work to be done in the coming days to ensure Canadians are being kept safe and that the necessary goods keep flowing. Trudeau says Canada and the U.S. are co-ordinating closely.

Restaurant Brands International Inc. says it is asking Canadian Tim Hortons restaurant owners to provide take-out, drive-thru and delivery only in an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19.The company says it is closing all dining room seating effective Tuesday.The closures will continue until future notice.The change comes as governments across the country urge Canadians to engage in social distancing to slow the spread of the virus.Restaurant Brands says if there are further instructions from public health officials it will take further steps. Starbucks made a similar announcement over the

The Canada Border Services Agency says it is adding new screening questions for travellers arriving in Canada, asking whether they have symptoms of COVID-19.The agency took heat all weekend for apparent disarray at entry points, especially airports. While the federal government wants people returning to Canada from abroad to stay in isolation for 14 days, some travellers reported customs officials weren't routinely providing the direction to new arrivals.The union representing Canada's border officers, which is set to meet with the agency later today, also raised concerns last week about a lac

The annual Vancouver Vaisakhi parade has been cancelled due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic.The parade was scheduled to happen on April 18, 2020.Each year this celebration draws over 150,000 spectators.It’s the first time in the event’s 41 year history that it’s been cancelled.Organizers said they look forward to everyone’s participation and enjoyment in next year’s parade.