A group of Quebec fitness centre owners says its members are no longer planning to open Thursday in defiance of the government's lockdown orders. The owners released a statement today calling on their clients to instead join them in a series of protests outside their gyms and fitness studios on Thursday. On Monday, a coalition of more than 250 gym owners threatened to open their doors this week, prompting a warning from Premier Francois Legault that they and their clients would be fined. This week Legault extended lockdown orders across regions under the government's highest pandemic-alert le

Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says it will take quite some time for the economy to fully recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.In its latest economic outlook, the bank says a rapid expansion as the Canadian and global economies re-opened has given way to slower growth.It says Canada's economy won't fully recover what was lost to COVID-19 until 2022 and Macklem says the the path will be uneven over time and across sectors.The economy is forecast to contract by 5.7 per cent this year but grow by 4.2 per cent next year and 3.7 per cent in 2022.The outlook was issued as the bank kept its over

Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet is calling on the government to apologize for legislation that remains controversial 50 years after its passage during the October Crisis in Quebec. In October 1970, the Liberal government under then-prime minister Pierre Trudeau decided to suspend civil liberties by invoking the War Measures Act in response to the kidnapping of a Quebec cabinet minister and a British diplomat by members of the militant FLQ separatist group.The legislation, passed at the request of the Quebec premier and Montreal's mayor, saw soldiers patrolling the streets as auth

Canada's deputy chief public health officer says containing the second wave of COVID-19 has a simple solution, but implementing it is difficult. Doctor Howard Njoo says it's clear gatherings over the Thanksgiving weekend are contributing to the current increases in infection rates. He says it is critical to follow public health guidelines, including physical distancing, staying home, wearing a mask and practising good hygiene. Njoo says if we don't do those things, the virus that causes COVID-19 spreads and puts vulnerable people at risk. Ontario is reporting 827 new cases of COVID-19 today,

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says far too many Canadians are living without a roof over their head, and his government is taking action to reduce that number. Trudeau revealed details this morning on Ottawa's one-billion-dollar investment into a federal rapid housing initiative. Fifteen cities will share a 500-million-dollar fund to allow them to buy properties being sold because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The other 500 million dollars will be used for building housing projects that will have to be completed within 12 months of receiving the funds. The federal government's money would be used

A coalition of about 200 Quebec gym, yoga, dance studio and martial arts business owners say they intend to reopen their doors on Thursday in defiance of provincial health restrictions. The businesses are calling on Quebec Premier Francois Legault to lift COVID-19 restrictions that were imposed on fitness facilities Oct. 8. In a statement, they say their facilities were not the source of COVID-19 outbreaks and they contribute to the overall physical and mental health of the population. They say the lockdown measures will force them out of business after they've made significant investments to

Federal Procurement Minister Anita Anand says a proposed parliamentary investigation of the Trudeau government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic could trigger the release of commercially sensitive information. She says that could risk the health of Canadians by scaring off manufacturers and drug companies that would otherwise do business with Ottawa. Opposition parties are poised to approve the probe this afternoon despite growing objections from industry and experts. Canada's procurement minister says a Conservative motion to probe the government's pandemic spending will put federal contra

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

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