Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says nearly 10,000 businesses have applied for the federal government's wage-subsidy program to help them deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.The emergency measure will cover 75 percent of wages for employers that have seen sharp declines in revenue since the novel coronavirus hit Canada hard in March, up to $847 per worker.Applications opened early this morning and payments can be retroactive to the middle of March.Trudeau says money under the program will start flowing by May 7.It may take longer for the money to arrive for companies that aren't signed up for direct

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is announcing a $62.5-million aid package to help the country's fish and seafood processors protect workers from COVID-19. Trudeau said today the money is earmarked for personal protective equipment and to help fish and seafood companies adapt their plants to comply with health directives. The prime minister says the funding can also help pay for other equipment such as freezers, so that companies can store food products while they adapt their factories to ensure workers can maintain a safe distance from one another. Fish and seafood are among the country's top fo

An online vigil with recorded tributes and music honouring the 22 people who died in a tragic rampage began Friday with a fiddle performance from the massacre's youngest victim. Nova Scotia residents spent the week gathering recorded tributes from public figures, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Premier Stephen McNeil and Governor General Julie Payette. Nova Scotia fiddler Natalie MacMaster recorded herself playing along with a video of 17 year old Emily Tuck performing the waltz ``In Memory of Herbie MacLeod,'' uploaded to Facebook a month before she was killed with her mother and fa

Procurement Minister Anita Anand says Canada is facing many procurement challenges given the intense global demand for equipment and supplies, but the government is taking an aggressive approach to quickly bring COVID-19 supplies to Canada.She says much of the world's supply of these materials are in China, and moving equipment from that country is highly complex.Two planes from China were forced to return empty to Canada on Monday, one a federal charter and the other destined for a particular province arriving in Canada without the protective medical equipment that they were sent there to pic

Nova Scotia RCMP are confirming a weekend rampage that claimed 22 lives began with the gunman attacking his girlfriend on Saturday night.She was able to escape and hide in the woods during the night.As she hid, shots were fired and several buildings were set on fire.Bodies were found in seven locations.Police say they set up a perimeter to try to capture the gunman and started going door-to-door. More than six hours later, the woman told police that Gabriel Wortman was wearing a police uniform and driving a replica RCMP cruiser.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry is reporting a COVID-19 outbreak at a second poultry processing plant in the province. Henry says two cases have been confirmed at the Superior Poultry plant in Coquitlam. She says it's a sister plant to the United Poultry facility in east Vancouver that was closed earlier this week after an outbreak where 29 people have tested positive for the virus. Henry is reporting 29 new cases of the virus and four new deaths raising the total to 1,824 with 94 deaths.

International students are not currently eligible for the newly announced Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB), according to Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough, who spoke in an exclusive interview on Connect FM’s Sver Wala Show. Qualtrough confirmed international students can work up to 40 hours per week until the end of August – a temporary relaxation of the 20-hour cap normally in place during the school year. She noted, however, that the legislation for CESB is still being finalized and did not rule out the possibility that eligibility rules could change before it passes Parliament

The number of COVID-19 cases diagnosed in B.C. has jumped by 71, a surge that Health Minister Adrian Dix says reflects the outbreak in workers at the United Poultry Co. Ltd. Twenty eight workers at the Vancouver plant have tested positive for COVID-19. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says employers are expected to pay attention to the health of their staff, without penalizing them for calling in sick. Three more people have died in the province, all from long-term care homes, for a total death toll of 90. There have been 1,795 cases in the province, while 1,079 people have fully re

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.