Quebec public health officials are reporting the province's second presumptive case of the new coronavirus. The province’s Health Department announced this morning that the patient had returned from a trip, but it did not say from where. Tests performed by the province's public health lab came back positive for the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, but the result needs to be confirmed by the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg. If confirmed, it would be the second case in the province and the 35th in Canada, with the others all in Ontario and British Columbia. Officials say they are seeki

The head of the Public Health Agency of Canada says several Canadians are in serious condition with the new coronavirus in Japan, and one is also in serious clinical shape in Canada. Doctor Theresa Tam says all the other 32 cases in Canada are mildly ill, and several have recovered completely. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland chaired the first meeting of the Trudeau government's new committee on the coronavirus outbreak. She says the panel takes its cue from science on managing the virus known as COVID-19. Health Minister Patty Hajdu (HY-doo) says if there ever is an outbreak in commun

Workers have served strike notice at the Fairmont Empress, a well known landmark hotel in Victoria. A statement from Unifor Local 4276 says it represents almost 500 workers in several departments from housekeeping to groundskeeping. The strike notice expires at 8 a.m. Saturday. The union says it is seeking modest gains in wages, benefits, and workload and blames concession demands from the company for the impasse. Tracey Drake, the hotel's director of marketing and public relations, says in an email the ``main goal'' is to continue negotiations and she is optimistic that the remaining issues

University students from Halifax to Victoria and many places in between are holding marches and rallies to show support for Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs. The group Indigenous Youth for Wet'suwet'en whose members have been camped on the steps of the BC legislature since last month released a statement saying students at more than 32 universities and many high schools have pledged to take part in today's rallies. Posts on social media show groups of students marching at universities in Halifax, Kingston and London, while students at Simon Fraser University plan a demonstration at 2:30 this af

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has created a new cabinet committee to deal with the novel coronavirus outbreak, which began in China but now has spread around the world.The COVID-19 cabinet committee will complement the work being done by the government's incident response group.Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland will chair the group, while Treasury Board President Jean-Yves Duclos will be vice-chair.The other members will include Industry Minister Navdeep Bains, Public Safety Minister Bill Blair, Health Minister Patty Hajdu, Economic Development Minister Melanie Joly, Finance Minister Bi

CN Rail is starting to call back workers laid off because of rail blockades tied to an Indigenous pipeline protest in B.C. Via Rail trains are moving once again from Ottawa to Toronto and between Toronto and Montreal. But the Mohawks in Kahnawake Quebec are maintaining a rail blockade south of Montreal. The community is trying to determine what to do next since an arrangement was forged on the weekend with the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs in B.C. and cabinet ministers.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he knows people are impatient over the disputed natural gas pipeline in northern British Columbia. Trudeau says the opposition of some Wet'suwet'en leaders to the Coastal GasLink pipeline has led to difficult times for many Canadians over the past few weeks. He says his government has been focused on trying to find a solution, but added that current tensions stem from Canada's dark history of mistreatment of Indigenous peoples.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the government is working with the international community to make sure it does everything that is necessary to ensure Canadians are kept safe from the novel coronavirus.Trudeau says the risks in Canada remain low, but says people should take the same precautions that they do during flu season like frequent hand washing to help keep themselves safe.Health officials have recorded at least 27 cases in Canada so far, with Ontario reporting the highest number at 18.Trudeau says Canada has been following the recommendations of the World Health Organization.The pri

The federal government has increased border screening measures for travellers especially from Iran in light of the growing number of novel coronavirus cases linked to that country. It is now at level three, which means avoid non-essential travel. Several of Canada's 27 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been linked to travel to Iran or close contact with people who've recently returned from that country. But Dr. Theresa Tam, head of the Canadian Public Health Agency, says given that the novel coronavirus has spread to at least 60 countries, all travellers should take precautions.