A heat wave engulfing large swaths of Ontario and Quebec is forcing cities such as Toronto to rethink how they offer relief in light of restrictions meant to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.Libraries, community centres and pools spaces where residents can traditionally go to cool down remain closed due to COVID-19 related health measures as temperatures are expected to soar above 30C for several days.In Toronto, where hundreds of such spaces were identified as a heat relief network last year, officials say they will open six emergency cooling centres across the city.They say the cent

The Canadian Forces say 36 members working in long-term care homes in Ontario and Quebec have now become sick with COVID-19. That's up from 28 cases of the novel coronavirus among those troops less than a week ago.The military has been deployed to nursing homes in the two provinces to reinforce workers overwhelmed by the illness, unable to keep up with residents' needs because of all the protective measures they need to take, or off work because they're ill themselves.Much of their work is tasks such as food service and moving and maintaining equipment, with some medical staff also serving in

There are 85,711 confirmed and presumptive cases in Canada. Quebec: 47,984 confirmed (including 4,069 deaths, 14,654 resolved) Ontario: 25,904 confirmed (including 2,102 deaths, 19,698 resolved) Alberta: 6,879 confirmed (including 138 deaths, 5,979 resolved) British Columbia: 2,530 confirmed (including 161 deaths, 2,102 resolved) Nova Scotia: 1,051 confirmed (including 58 deaths, 974 resolved) Saskatchewan: 634 confirmed (including 7 deaths, 546 resolved) Manitoba: 281 confirmed (including 7 deaths, 268 resolved), 11 presumptive Newfoundland and Labrador: 260 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 25

Quebec is reporting 85 additional deaths linked to COVID-19 today, bringing the total number to 4,069 since the beginning of the pandemic. Premier Francois Legault says 42 of the newly reported deaths occurred more than seven days ago in Laval, a hard-hit city north of Montreal. The province now has 47,984 confirmed cases of COVID-19, an increase of 573 cases compared to Sunday. With a heat wave forecast for Montreal this week, the province says it's trying to come up with a plan to keep seniors in long-term care homes cool while avoiding more outbreaks. Legault says he's happy the province m

After photos of Toronto park this weekend showed people packed together with little regard for physical distancing, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canadians have a responsibility to follow public health rules to slow the spread of COVID-19. He says any reopening of public spaces and restoration of economic activity will have to happen gradually and carefully, with each community tailoring restrictions to local circumstances. PM Trudeau avoids responding to a few questions directly Prime Minister Justin Trudeau avoided responding directly to questions about why the Liberal party is using

Ontario says it has appointed hospitals to take over the management of two long-term care homes that have been unable to contain COVID-19.The province says Humber River Hospital will manage Downsview Long Term Care Centre, which has reported 52 deaths, up from 40 just a week ago.Southlake Regional Health Centre will manage River Glen Haven Nursing Home in Sutton, a 119-bed facility where there have been 20 deaths and 54 confirmed cases.The orders last for 90 days, but the government says they can be extended, if necessary.The government says that the homes have been receiving supports from th

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he'll push the provinces to give workers 10 days of paid sick leave a year as the country deals with the COVID-19 pandemic. That appears to meet a key demand from NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, in exchange for the New Democrats' support for a motion to limit sittings and votes in the House of Commons through the summer. Singh laid out the demands on Monday morning, shortly before a small number of members of Parliament returned to the House of Commons to begin debate over the future of parliamentary sittings for as long as several months. The debate will revolve

Ontario Premier Doug Ford urged people to get tested for COVID-19 if they wanted to, while admonishing Torontonians who crowded into a popular downtown park yesterday. Ford said the only way to reach testing capacity in the province is for people to get tested, and said asymptomatic people will not be turned away at assessment centres during a televised address today. The new directive for asymptomatic people to get tested is a marked change from earlier guidelines that said only people displaying symptoms are able to be tested. Ford said the province will also unveil a new testing strategy th

Federal political parties are tapping into the emergency wage subsidy program to avoid laying off their staff as donations dry up during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Liberal and Conservative parties have both been approved to receive the 75 per cent wage subsidy. The NDP and Greens have both applied but have not yet been approved. The Bloc Quebecois says it has not applied for and does not need the subsidy. Under the $73-billion program, the federal government will cover 75 per cent of wages, up to $847 per week, per employee, for eligible companies and organizations. The program was initially i