CanadaAug 14, 2020
Canada-U.S. to extend border restrictions until Sept. 21
Public Safety Minister Bill Blair says restrictions at the Canada-U.S. border will be extended another 30 days due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It means the two countries will continue their mutual ban on non-essential cross-border travel until at least Sept. 21. In a tweet, Blair says officials will keep doing what's necessary to keep communities safe. A formal announcement of the extension was expected to come later. The Canada-U.S. border has been closed to so-called ``discretionary'' travel like vacations and shopping trips since the pandemic took hold of the continent in mid-March. The Unit
CanadaAug 14, 2020
Asylum seekers on front lines of COVID-19 to have chance at permanent residency
Asylum seekers working on the front-lines of the COVID-19 crisis are getting an early chance at permanent residency in Canada.Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino announced the program today in response to public demand that the so-called "Guardian Angels" many in Quebec be recognized for their work in the health-care sector during the pandemic.Ordinarily, asylum seekers must wait for their claims to be accepted before they can become permanent residents, but the new program waives that requirement.To apply for residency now, they must have claimed asylum in Canada prior to March 13 and have
CanadaAug 14, 2020
390 COVID-19 cases reported in Canada
There are 121,234 confirmed cases in Canada. Quebec: 60,917 confirmed (including 5,715 deaths, 53,441 resolved) Ontario: 40,367 confirmed (including 2,787 deaths, 36,689 resolved) Alberta: 11,969 confirmed (including 220 deaths, 10,713 resolved) British Columbia: 4,274 confirmed (including 196 deaths, 3,500 resolved) Saskatchewan: 1,511 confirmed (including 20 deaths, 1,325 resolved) Nova Scotia: 1,071 confirmed (including 64 deaths, 1,007 resolved) Manitoba: 588 confirmed (including 8 deaths, 377 resolved), 15 presumptive Newfoundland and Labrador: 268 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 263 reso
CanadaAug 13, 2020
Increase in the number of threats made against the PM and cabinet ministers: RCMP
The RCMP says there has been an increase in the number of threats made against the prime minister and cabinet ministers. From January to July 2019, protective policing opened 100 investigations into threats, while from January to last month it launched about 130 investigations. That doesn't include the investigation police launched this week into an incident where a man yelled obscenities at a staff member at Infrastructure Minister Catherine McKenna's Ottawa office. Ottawa MPP Lisa MacLeod was reportedly put under police protection this week when she was threatened after speaking out against
CanadaAug 13, 2020
WE Charity laying off staff, looking to sell real estate in Toronto
WE Charity is scaling back its operations, making dozens of layoffs in Canada and the United Kingdom and looking to sell some of its real estate holdings in Toronto. WE Charity's U-K operations will be centralized in Canada, which means 19 full-time and contract employees in London will be laid off. At its global headquarters in Toronto, 16 full-time employees will be laid off and another 51 employees working on fixed-term contracts won't have them renewed. All this follows the uproar over the Liberal government's decision to award WE a sole-source contract to manage its student jobs program,
CanadaAug 13, 2020
Bank of Canada cuts benchmark mortgage rate to lowest level in three years
The Bank of Canada has cut its benchmark five-year mortgage rate to 4.79 per cent, the second cut in three months. The central bank in May had trimmed the rate to 4.94 per cent from 5.04 per cent. Three-year rates now dropped to 3.75 per cent and one-year rates remained unchanged at 3.09 per cent. The Big Six banks had already cut their advertised five-year fixed mortgage rates to the same level, though some special offers reduce rates to as little as 2.19 per cent. Lower rates risk propelling housing demand higher. The Bank of Canada's governor, Tiff Macklem, indicated about a month ago that
CanadaAug 13, 2020
Budget watchdog says COVID-19 wage subsidy might cost less than predicted
Canada's official fiscal watchdog says the federal wage subsidy program might cost $14 billion less than the government predicted. A new report today by Parliamentary Budget Office analyst Ben Segel-Brown estimates subsidizing wages for companies during the COVID-19 pandemic will cost $67.9 billion through the end of December.Finance Minister Bill Morneau estimated in his July fiscal report it would cost $82.3 billion.Segel-Brown says that figure was prudent at the time because of economic uncertainty and ongoing work to update the program's rules.The Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy encourages
CanadaAug 13, 2020
COVID-19 deaths in Canada rise over 9,000
There are 120,844 confirmed cases in Canada. Quebec: 60,813 confirmed (including 5,709 deaths, 53,270 resolved) Ontario: 40,289 confirmed (including 2,787 deaths, 36,590 resolved) Alberta: 11,893 confirmed (including 217 deaths, 10,632 resolved) British Columbia: 4,196 confirmed (including 196 deaths, 3,469 resolved) Saskatchewan: 1,484 confirmed (including 20 deaths, 1,314 resolved) Nova Scotia: 1,071 confirmed (including 64 deaths, 1,007 resolved) Manitoba: 563 confirmed (including 8 deaths, 368 resolved), 15 presumptive Newfoundland and Labrador: 268 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 263 reso
CanadaAug 12, 2020
Feds commit $305M in additional funds for Indigenous communities during COVID-19
The federal government has announced an additional $305 million to help Indigenous Peoples combat COVID-19.Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller says the money is meant to help Indigenous communities prepare for emergencies and prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.He says communities can also use the money for a variety of other measures, including helping elders and vulnerable people, food insecurity, educational and other supports for children and mental health assistance.The new money will flow through the Indigenous community support fund, bringing the total amount to $685 million