The first person in Canada to test positive for the novel coronavirus has now been completely cleared of the virus. Ontario health officials say the man in his 50s has now had two negative tests 24 hours apart, which is the standard for being cleared. Associate chief medical officer of health Dr. Barbara Yaffe says the man is no longer infectious to others and has recovered. The man returned to Toronto in January from the Chinese city at the centre of the outbreak, and had to be hospitalized. His wife, who had travelled with him, also fell ill, but had less severe symptoms and is still in sel

Healthy Canadians were issued face masks and coloured wrist bands before they left the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Yokohama, Japan to board buses that took them to Tokyo's airport. They have spent weeks under quarantine for the novel coronavirus, and will face a further quarantine at a Nav Canada facility in Cornwall, Ontario. The ship has seen the largest outbreak of the virus outside China, with 634 passengers testing positive, including 47 Canadians who will have to remain in Japan for treatment. François-Philippe Champagne's tweet: The Canadian flight departing #Tokyo is wheels up. M

Public Safety Minister Bill Blair says the RCMP in British Columbia has offered to move its officers to a town away from the area where traditional leaders of the Wet'suwet'en First Nation have been opposing a pipeline project on their territory.Blair said on Parliament Hill Thursday morning he believes this move meets the conditions set by the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs and that barricades set up in solidarity with that nation should come down."I believe the time has come now for the barricades to come down," Blair said before a cabinet meeting."We have met the condition that those who ar

Two people are dead in a crash that involved about 200 vehicles on Highway 15 in La Prairie south of Montreal. The confirmation comes from the Surete du Quebec, which says the victims are two people who were trapped in the wreckage near a diesel spill. Whiteout conditions likely triggered the massive pileup that sent a dozen people to hospital with minor to serious injuries. The crash occurred around 12:30 p-m on a stretch of the highway that runs along the St. Lawrence River. Quebec Transport Minister Francois Bonnardel says the pileup took place in an area where heavy winds come off the riv

Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says Canadians who want to leave Japan where they were stuck on board a quarantined cruise ship, can begin the process of taking a chartered jet today evening. That could mean they will be back in Canada on Friday, when they will be taken to a hotel in Cornwall, Ontario for another two-weeks' isolation. About 500 healthy passengers have been allowed to leave the Diamond Princess. The 47 Canadians who have symptoms of COVID-19 will have to stay in Japan for treatment.

Three federal Opposition parties are calling on the Trudeau government to halt expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline from the Edmonton area to port in Burnaby. Members of the N-D-P, Green party and Bloc Quebecois made the joint appeal this morning, arguing a recent poll shows Canadians are alarmed at the multi-billion dollar price hike for the work. The federal government bought the unfinished project from Kinder Morgan in 2018 for 4.5-billion dollars and planned to complete the twinning at a total cost of 7.4-billion dollars but recent estimates have pushed completion costs to nearly 13-b

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his government's approach to ending rail blockades across the country might cause economic pain in the short term. But Trudeau told the House of Commons today the Conservative call for hard-line police action to end the protests would cause even more, longer term disruption. Via Rail announced this afternoon that it is laying off close to one thousand employees, calling the disruption an unprecedented situation in its 42-year history. CN Rail announced yesterday that it was laying off 450 of its employees. Quebec Premier Francois Legault is urging Trudeau to

Via Rail says it is temporarily laying off 1,000 employees due to blockades that continue to stop service on CN tracks in Eastern Canada. The Crown corporation has suspended passenger trains on its Montreal-Toronto and Ottawa-Toronto routes for about two weeks in the wake of protests that have disrupted rail service across the country. Via says it commends ongoing dialogue efforts between government and demonstrators at rail blockades in support of Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs who oppose a natural gas pipeline in British Columbia. Via says it is proceeding with temporary suspensions of the

The Conservatives may introduce a non-confidence motion linked to the Liberals' response to the rail blockades that have virtually shut down freight and passenger service across the country. Via Rail announced this afternoon it will temporarily lay off close to one-thousand employees due to the rail line closures. Conservative House Leader Candice Bergen says party members don't believe the Trudeau government's strategy of dialogue instead of issuing deadlines to protesters is going to solve the crisis. Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller says we are a nation of peace, order and good gov