Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller says the government will not cancel important ceremonies for First Nations peoples in the face of COVID-19. He says banning of such ceremonies in the past has been a dark stain on Canada's history. 185 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on First Nations reserves As of May 13, there have been 185 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on First Nations reserves in Canada. Of those, two people have died and 63 per cent have recovered. Chief medical officer of Indigenous Services Canada Dr. Tom Wong says the fatality rate is so far less than the rest of Canada. But numbers a

Ottawa has announced $469 million in federal support for fish harvesters who have been ineligible for other aid initiatives during the COVID-19 pandemic.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau today announced the support, which will come in the form of an industry-specific benefit and a grant.The Fish Harvester Benefit, structured similarly to the previously announced federal wage subsidy, offers income support covering 75 per cent of losses for harvesters losing 25 per cent or more of their income this year.The Fish Harvester Grant is a sector-specific grant similar to the Canada Emergency Business Acc

The Bank of Canada says there are signs in the country's financial markets that suggest concern about the ability of companies to weather the COVID-19 economic crisis.The central bank has spent the last two months making a flurry of policy decisions that has seen it slash its target interest rate and embark on an unprecedented bond-buying program to ease the flow of credit.The report suggests these measures have helped ease liquidity strains and provide easy access to short-term credit for companies and households.But it is warning this morning that a cash-flow problem for businesses seeing sh

Provincial health official Doctor Bonnie Henry says the response to a COVID-19 survey launched by the province yesterday has been outstanding. Dr. Henry says 75,000 people had provided input by noon today on their experiences during the pandemic. She says the province wants information from a lot of people in order to understand the unintended consequences of public health measures put in place to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. Henry reported 16 new cases of COVID-19 today and one new death, bringing the total to 2,376 cases with 132 fatalities.

Metro Vancouver Transit Police say a suspect in an alleged violent attack against a woman on a bus died of an apparent drug overdose a week after the incident in April. Police appealed to the public for help identifying the man on Tuesday. On Wednesday, they said he has been identified as a 48 year old Vancouver resident with no fixed address. Transit police say the suspect boarded a bus in the Downtown Eastside on April 15 and made remarks towards two Asian women who got on wearing masks. Police said in a statement on Tuesday that he stated ``words to the effect of 'Go back to your country;

Justin Trudeau says it's still too early for Canada to confront the challenges that will come with reopening the shared border with the United States.The prime minister says with the ban still in effect for another week, he's not ready to announce an extension just yet.A source familiar with the ongoing discussions between the two countries tells The Canadian Press that Canada has requested another 30-day extension to the current ban on non-essential travel.The source, who isn't authorized to share details of the talks publicly, says it will likely be several days before the U.S. formally agr

Health Canada says it has authorized the first COVID-19 serological test for use in the country to detect antibodies specific to the virus.DiaSorin, an Italian multinational biotechnology company, had developed the LIAISON test that was also recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.In a statement Tuesday, Health Canada says it will be used in Canadian laboratories to detect COVID-19 antibodies and help contribute to a better understanding of whether people who have been infected are immune to the virus.Health Canada says further research will also help understand the relation

Vulnerable and homeless people across British Columbia could soon receive a smartphone to access support services and to stay connected with friends and family while practising physical distancing. Social Development and Poverty Reduction Minister Shane Simpson says providing up to 3,500 smartphones for vulnerable people will give them easier access to services and helps them connect to others when public spaces are closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Simpson says 1,000 smartphones have already been distributed, with 200 provided to people moved to hotels from homeless encampments in Vic

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced Tuesday that the government will spend more than $260 billion, the equivalent of nearly 10% of the country's GDP, on a coronavirus economic relief package designed to make the world's second most populous nation more self reliant.“The package’s main aim is to build a self-reliant India,” Modi said in a televised speech, adding that it will help the country compete globally.India entered its sixth week of a stringent nationwide lockdown on Tuesday, pushing an economy already enfeebled before the pandemic to the brink of collapse.The lockdown