Ontario's finance minister has resigned from his cabinet position after going on a Caribbean vacation during the pandemic. Premier Doug Ford says he has accepted Rod Phillips's resignation as minister. Phillips returned to Ontario this morning after spending more than two weeks in St. Barts despite provincial guidelines urging people to avoid non-essential travel. Ford says he has asked Treasury Board President Peter Bethlenfalvy to assume the role of minister of finance and deliver the government's 2021 budget.Earlier today Ontario Finance Minister Rod Phillips had returned from his Caribbea

Following a cabinet meeting this morning, the Trudeau government plans to bring in stricter pandemic regulations for airline passengers. Travellers will be required to test negative for COVID-19 three days before landing in Canada. Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc didn't say when the requirement will be in place. The announcement comes as Ontario Finance Minister Rod Phillips and Quebec Liberal MNA Pierre Arcand find themselves in hot water over international travel. Both travelled out of the country on Caribbean vacations despite Canadians being asked to avoid such trips.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he found out his finance minister was travelling abroad roughly two weeks ago, and should have pushed then for his immediate return. Ford says Rod Phillips "never told anyone" he was going to St. Barts on December 13th, but the premier learned of the trip shortly after it began. Opposition leader calls for Phillips removal from the cabinet Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath is calling for Ontario Finance Minister Rod Phillips to be removed from cabinet. Phillips revealed yesterday that he flew to St. Barts on the 13th of the month, not knowing a provincewide lockd

Health Canada says it can't provide a definite timeline for when it will wrap up its review of the COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by AstraZeneca. This morning, Britain approved the use of the drug created by the UK based drugmaker and Oxford University. Health Canada says it needs more information before it can complete its analysis. Britain became the first country to authorize AstraZeneca’s inexpensive, easy-to-handle COVID-19 vaccine Wednesday, gaining another weapon against the virus amid a resurgence so severe that the government extended lockdowns to three-quarters of England’s popul

Quebec is reporting a record-high 2,511 new COVID-19 cases today as well as an 80 patient jump in hospitalizations. Another 41 people died from the virus, including 10 in the past 24 hours. Health Minister Christian Dube noted on Twitter that all the province's pandemic-related indicators are up, including hospitalizations, which broke the 1,200 mark. Of those in hospital with the disease, four more people were in intensive care compared with the prior day, for a total of 152. Ontario reports record breaking casesOntario is reporting a record-breaking 2,923 new COVID-19 infections today. The

Governor General Julie Payette is paying tribute to essential workers, front-line health workers and the military in her New Year's message. Governor General Julie Payette says Canadians owe a debt of gratitude to front-line workers for their efforts to save lives and care for others during the COVID-19 pandemic. In her year-end message, Payette says while the pandemic has made for a challenging year, Canadians can respond, and have responded, positively to hardship. In a departure from previous annual messages, Payette rallies Lieutenant Governors and Territorial Commissioners from across th

Retired general Rick Hillier says the call to close Ontario's COVID-19 vaccination clinics over Christmas Day and Boxing Day was the wrong decision. Medical experts were sharply critical of the move, pointing out on social media that the virus doesn't take a holiday. That's been borne out in the latest stats, which show Ontario recorded 2,553 new cases of COVID-19 today and 1,939 yesterday. Hillier says all of the province's clinics are open today and that Ontario expects to receive its first doses of the Moderna vaccine tomorrow, which will be sent to long-term care and retirement homes. Ont

Canada's industry minister says the country faces mounting mental health concerns that the government will have to address in 2021.Navdeep Bains says he has heard more stories about the mental health of workers and entrepreneurs alongside needs for financial help to individuals and businesses.He says it is particularly the case in his Toronto-area riding that is home to Pearson International Airport, where local hotels and restaurants are also suffering from a drop in travel.Bains tells The Canadian Press that he has seen the issue in his own home.A father of two, Bains says the toll the pande

Quebec has become the fourth province to confirm its first case of a more contagious COVID-19 variant. Health Minister Christian Dube says the person who tested positive is a family member of someone who returned from the United Kingdom on Dec. 11. Three other provinces have confirmed cases of the new variant in recent days, with three cases in Ontario, one in Alberta and one in British Columbia. The variant was first identified in the U.K. and has since spread to several other countries. The latest case in Canada comes as Yukon Health and Social Services Minister Pauline Frost says the terri