Quebec children have begun heading back to class today for the first time since March as the province reopens elementary schools and daycares outside the Montreal area. Quebec is the first province to open schools following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and school officials say it will be far from business as usual. Students are being met by staff wearing masks and in some cases face shields, and they are being told to follow physical-distancing rules and wash their hands frequently. Libraries, gyms and cafeterias will be closed, and children will spend most of the day at their desks

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada will not pay the full price for medical masks that do not live up to medical standards.About eight million of 11 million N95 respirators shipped to the government from China through a Montreal-based supplier failed to meet specifications, federal officials said Friday.Trudeau says the discovery speaks to the government's “rigorous verification system” overseen by the Public Health Agency of Canada.The prime minister did not name the price the government will pay for the sub-standard respirators, which are used to protect against the COVID-19 virus.

There are 66,434 confirmed and presumptive cases in Canada. Quebec: 36,150 confirmed (including 2,725 deaths, 8,928 resolved) Ontario: 19,598 confirmed (including 1,540 deaths, 13,990 resolved) Alberta: 6,098 confirmed (including 115 deaths, 4,020 resolved) British Columbia: 2,315 confirmed (including 127 deaths, 1,579 resolved) Nova Scotia: 1,008 confirmed (including 46 deaths, 722 resolved) Saskatchewan: 544 confirmed (including 6 deaths, 355 resolved) Manitoba: 273 confirmed (including 7 deaths, 247 resolved), 11 presumptive Newfoundland and Labrador: 261 confirmed (including 3 de

Canada's arts and culture organizations are getting a clearer picture of how the federal government plans to divide 500 million dollars of COVID-19 support. Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault says the temporary relief plan aims to keep Canada's arts, culture and sports infrastructure intact through the pandemic. He says nearly 327-million dollars will be handed out in the initial stages, while the remainder will be ``assessed based on needs.'' The television and film industry will receive 116-million-dollars, through the Canada Media Fund and Telefilm Canada.

A year-long police investigation has resulted in 13 criminal charges against a former correctional officer whose alleged assaults of inmates at a federal prison for women in Nova Scotia are also the subject of a civil lawsuit. Truro police say Brian Wilson faces six sexual assault charges, six charges of breach of trust and one charge of communication for the purpose of obtaining sexual services.Police say they received a complaint in March 2019 alleging inappropriate relationships between Wilson and several female inmates at the Nova Institution for Women in Truro, N.S.They say Wilson has bee

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government's emergency wage-subsidy program will be extended beyond its early-June endpoint.The program covers 75 percent of worker pay up to $847 a week to try to help employers keep employees on the job in the face of steep declines in revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic.In an announcement in Ottawa, Trudeau says more details on the extension will come next week.The Canadian economy lost almost two million jobs in April, a record high, as the closure of non-essential services to slow the spread of COVID-19 forced businesses to shutter temporari

The Canadian economy lost almost two million jobs in April, a record high, as the closure of non-essential services to slow the spread of COVID-19 forced businesses to shutter temporarily. The loss of 1,993,800 comes on top of more than one million jobs lost in March, and millions more having their hours and incomes slashed.Statistics Canada says the unemployment rate soared to 13.0 per cent as the full force of the pandemic hit compared with 7.8 per cent in March. It was the second highest unemployment rate on record as job losses spread beyond the service sector to include construction and

There are 64,922 confirmed and presumptive cases in Canada. Quebec: 35,238 confirmed (including 2,631 deaths, 8,673 resolved) Ontario: 19,121 confirmed (including 1,477 deaths, 13,569 resolved) Alberta: 6,017 confirmed (including 114 deaths, 3,809 resolved) British Columbia: 2,288 confirmed (including 126 deaths, 1,512 resolved) Nova Scotia: 1,007 confirmed (including 44 deaths, 708 resolved) Saskatchewan: 531 confirmed (including 6 deaths, 329 resolved) Manitoba: 272 confirmed (including 7 deaths, 243 resolved), 11 presumptive Newfoundland and Labrador: 261 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 244

Greyhound Canada is temporarily slamming the brakes on all of its busing routes and services as ridership plummets amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The transportation company says starting May 13 it will halt all routes until passenger demand recovers. Greyhound Canada says it made the decision after its ridership dropped by 95 per cent. The bus operator says it has already cut costs across its business and "made significant outreach efforts" to provincial and federal governments seeking financial support. It says 400 employees will be affected by the decision. Greyhound Canada has pulled back on