The country's medical officers of health are at work setting criteria that from a health perspective could provide guidance on when physical distancing restrictions can ease up. Several provinces are now considering loosening their lockdowns. Chief Public Health Officer Teresa Tam says criteria that might be included are the rate of hospitalizations, new cases being reported daily and how the virus appears to be reproducing. She says the special advisory committee on COVID-19 is actively at work on the details of that guidance now.

Ontario is reporting 510 new cases of COVID-19 today and 37 more deaths. That brings the total number of cases in the province to 12,245, a 4.3 per cent increase over Tuesday, which is the lowest growth rate in weeks. The total also includes 659 deaths and 6,221 cases that have been resolved, which puts the percentage of resolved cases over 50 per cent for the first time.

Nova Scotia is reporting two more deaths related to COVID-19, bringing the province's total to 12. The deaths occurred at the Northwood long-term care home in Halifax. The province is also reporting 35 new cases of the virus bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 772. It says 10 licensed long-term care homes and unlicensed seniors' facilities in Nova Scotia are dealing with cases of COVID-19, involving 148 residents and 65 staff.

Premier Francois Legault is asking the federal government for 1,000 Canadian Armed Forces members to help in the province's struggling long-term care homes. Despite extensive recruitment efforts, Legault says he was only able to fill half the 2,000 positions needed to overcome a staffing shortfall rendered critical by COVID-19. The Canadian Armed Forces have already committed about 130 medically-trained staff and personnel members to help in care homes, but Legault said the additional people he's requesting won't necessarily have medical qualifications but can help with general tasks. The pro

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is unveiling a $9 billion emergency program aimed at students. It includes a Canada Emergency Student Benefit worth at least $1250 a month from May to August. The benefit can be accessed by those in post-secondary school now, headed to post secondary school in September or anyone who graduated after December 2019.The government is also creating 76,000 job placements for young people in sectors currently dealing with labour shortages.

There are 38,422 confirmed and presumptive cases in Canada. Quebec: 20,126 confirmed (including 1,041 deaths, 4,048 resolved) Ontario: 11,735 confirmed (including 622 deaths, 5,806 resolved) Alberta: 3,095 confirmed (including 61 deaths, 1,273 resolved) British Columbia: 1,724 confirmed (including 87 deaths, 1,041 resolved) Nova Scotia: 737 confirmed (including 10 deaths, 286 resolved) Saskatchewan: 320 confirmed (including 4 deaths, 252 resolved) Newfoundland and Labrador: 257 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 194 resolved) Manitoba: 246 confirmed (including 6 deaths, 150 resolved), 9 presumpti

A Halifax area man impersonating an RCMP officer killed 22 people, including a 17 year old, with bodies found in five Nova Scotia communities. RCMP confirm the murders began in Portapique. They say when police arrived they discovered several casualties inside and outside of a home. Police say they are working at 16 specific locations to gather evidence and learn more about what happened. The violence began Saturday night and ended at around noon on Sunday when police shot and killed 51-year-old Gabriel Wortman.

The federal government says it hopes to process 90 per cent of applications for wage subsidies from employers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic by May 5. Jean-Yves Duclos, the vice-chair of the cabinet committee on COVID-19, offered the timeline after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced this morning that applications for wage support will be open next Monday. However, neither Trudeau nor Duclos could say when money would actually start to flow to employers. Employers whose bottom lines have been hit by the pandemic will be able to apply for the federal government to cover up to 75 per cen

Canada's chief medical officer Dr. Theresa Tam says she and her provincial counterparts are considering ways to ease restrictions around COVID-19. But she says the fight against the pandemic remains a ``marathon'' and there are lots of unknowns at play. Tam is urging individual sectors to start thinking about innovative ways of reopening while preventing the illness from spreading, as immunity against COVID-19 across the country is ``not high.''