Dr. Theresa Tam said there are some provinces that have not seen any community transmission of coronavirus and that in the provinces where there has been, things are getting better. But Tam warned that despite the positive signs, which are a testament to the efforts being made by Canadians, ``now is not the time to slow down'' physical distancing efforts. Canada's chief public health officer says the COVID-19 pandemic complicates the grieving process for the families and friends of the victims of the deadly mass shooting in Nova Scotia. But Dr. Theresa Tam urges people to reach out to one ano

Nova Scotia is reporting 46 new cases of COVID-19 for a total of 721 confirmed cases. Health officials say there are nine licensed long-term care homes and unlicensed seniors' facilities with cases of the virus, involving 127 residents and 61 staff. There have been nine deaths in the province and the provincial health lab has registered 21,769 negative test results. The province says 12 people are currently in hospital, with four of those patients in intensive care, while 248 people have now recovered and their cases of COVID-19 are considered resolved.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says it is ``heartbreak on top of heartbreak'' when families whose loved ones were killed in Nova Scotia on Sunday cannot gather to mourn because of the COVID-19 physical distancing rules. Trudeau says it is the same heartbreak felt by thousands of other Canadians who have lost loved ones to the virus, or to cancer or other illnesses. He says there will be a virtual vigil on Friday night for all of Canada to support the community.

Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam says Canada has been testing more than 20,000 people a day for COVID-19 over the last few days. Tam said more than 555,000 people have now been tested. These have resulted in 36,216 confirmed cases as of this morning.

Ontario is reporting 606 new cases of COVID-19, the largest single-day increase, and 31 new deaths. Despite the large increase, the new total of 11,184 cases is just 5.7 per cent higher than the day before, continuing a relatively low growth trend. The total includes 584 deaths and 5,515 resolved cases. The number of people in hospital confirmed to have COVID-19 and those on a ventilator went down slightly, while the number of people in intensive care remained stable.

Quebec is delaying all non-urgent activities in hospitals for the next two weeks to allow more medical professionals to work full time in the province's struggling long-term care homes. Premier Francois Legault says the province is short 2,000 people to work in the homes, where the majority of the province's COVID-19 deaths have originated. The province reported 62 more deaths due to COVID-19 for a total of 939, and 962 more cases for a total of 19,319. Legault said 3,847 people have recovered from the illness.

The names of victims of the weekend mass killing in Nova Scotia are beginning to emerge.The president of the Nova Scotia Teachers Union says Lisa McCully, a teacher at Debert Elementary School was a victim of senseless violence who was known as a passionate teacher and ``as a shining love'' in the lives of her friends and family.Constable Heidi Stevenson was the first victim to be named.Her husband Dean Stevenson, teaches at Cole Harbour District High School.The couple has two children.Darcy Dobson posted on Facebook that her mother Heather O'Brien, a nurse from Truro, was among the dead.She

Negotiations around re-opening the House of Commons are going down to the wire. Members of Parliament from across Canada are expected to return to their seats tomorrow unless the Liberal government and Opposition parties can agree on an alternative arrangement. The Liberals have proposed one in-person sitting with a limited number of MPs per week bolstered by a virtual sitting to prevent COVID-19 from spreading among MPs and Parliament Hill staff. But Andrew Scheer and his Conservatives are pushing for three in-person sittings per week to hold government accountable for its pandemic response.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the U.S. and Canada have agreed to keep their border closed to nonessential travel for another 30 days. Trudeau says it will keep people on both sides of the border safe amid the pandemic. U.S. President Donald Trump said this past Wednesday that the U.S.-Canada border will be among the first borders to open and says the U.S. and Canada are doing well in handling the pandemic. The U.S. and Canada agreed last month to limit border crossings to essential travel amid the pandemic, but that agreement was due to expire this coming week.