Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government will fund provinces' efforts to test people for COVID-19, track the contacts of those who test positive, and help different jurisdictions share data.Trudeau says the measures are essential because COVID-19 remains a serious health threat and the economy can't fully recover until Canadians are confident that the novel coronavirus will be contained anywhere new it breaks out.He says federal contact-tracers are helping public health authorities in Ontario and are ready to make thousands more calls a day when any province asks.He says Ottaw

There are 81,324 confirmed and presumptive cases in Canada. Quebec: 45,495 confirmed (including 3,800 deaths, 13,327 resolved) Ontario: 24,187 confirmed (including 1,993 deaths, 18,509 resolved) Alberta: 6,768 confirmed (including 132 deaths, 5,710 resolved) British Columbia: 2,479 confirmed (including 152 deaths, 2,020 resolved) Nova Scotia: 1,046 confirmed (including 58 deaths, 959 resolved) Saskatchewan: 622 confirmed (including 7 deaths, 509 resolved) Manitoba: 279 confirmed (including 7 deaths, 265 resolved), 11 presumptive Newfoundland and Labrador: 260 confirmed (including 3 d

WestJet Airlines Ltd. says it has asked the federal labour minister for an exemption to Canada Labour Code provisions to facilitate group terminations. The company said in an email the exemption would give it flexibility “to act in a timely manner” amid the COVID-19 pandemic that has tanked travel demand across the globe. The April 27 letter to Labour Minister Filomena Tassi, signed by vice-president Mark Porter and obtained by The Canadian Press, states that WestJet expects to cut some employees and that the provisions are “seriously detrimental” to its operations and “unduly pre

The Canadian Armed Forces says 28 military members have tested positive for COVID-19 after being deployed to help at long-term care facilities in Ontario and Quebec. That represents a dramatic increase from the five cases announced last week. The number include 12 new cases in Ontario and 16 in Quebec. The military says nearly 1,700 members of the Forces are working in nursing homes, where regular staff have been overwhelmed by the novel coronavirus. Members are working in 25 long-term care homes in Quebec and in five in Ontario. Most are in support roles such as cleaning, serving food and as

The Quebec government will allow children's day camps to open on June 22 with physical distancing measures due to COVID-19. Premier Francois Legault told reporters in Montreal today that camps will proceed with smaller groups of children, and he encouraged teenagers and young adults to apply for counsellor jobs. The premier says the province hasn't ruled out providing help for municipalities and groups that run the camps and will have to double staffing to meet public health guidelines. Legault says the province is also looking to open up public pools, but authorities say sleep-away summe

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he will be speaking with the premiers today about how Ottawa can help provinces massively scale up their COVID-19 testing capacity to fend off a potential second wave of the novel coronavirus. He says testing needs to increase immediately in Ontario and Quebec, where the economies are starting to reopen but the number of new COVID-19 cases remains high. Trudeau first offered provinces a national framework on testing and contact tracing last week. He says he's received positive responses from across Canada so far and is set to further discuss the offer during

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government is sending $75 million to organizations that help Indigenous people living in urban areas and off reserves through the COVID-19 pandemic. The government had previously promised $15 million in funding for services such as counselling, health care, food and supportive housing.More than a million Indigenous people live in cities or off reserves, Trudeau says, and they deserve good services that are culturally appropriate.The Liberals have promised $290 million for organizations representing First Nations, Metis and Inuit people, primarily

Autism Canada and Asthma Canada are just two of the organizations raising issues about the wearing of face masks. Even as she was encouraging people to wear masks in public to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam warned people not to judge those who can't wear them. Asthma Canada's president says wearing a mask can trigger asthma symptoms.Autism Canada says adults and children who have trouble with sensory processing, as well as tactile, olfactory and nervous-system hypersensitivity could face serious challenges in wearing a mask.Deaf and hearing-impair

There are 80,142 confirmed and presumptive cases in Canada. Quebec: 44,775 confirmed (including 3,718 deaths, 12,822 resolved) Ontario: 23,774 confirmed (including 1,962 deaths, 18,190 resolved) Alberta: 6,735 confirmed (including 128 deaths, 5,637 resolved) British Columbia: 2,467 confirmed (including 149 deaths, 2,001 resolved) Nova Scotia: 1,045 confirmed (including 57 deaths, 956 resolved) Saskatchewan: 620 confirmed (including 7 deaths, 494 resolved) Manitoba: 279 confirmed (including 7 deaths, 260 resolved), 11 presumptive Newfoundland and Labrador: 260 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 25