British Columbia's top doctor says COVID-19 cases in the province are levelling off after peaking in mid-November, though she warns now is not the time to relax public health rules. Dr. Bonnie Henry says the majority of cases are being traced to known infections and outbreaks, but keeping up with contact tracing is still a challenge, particularly in the hard-hit Fraser Health region. When presenting the latest modelling data, Henry showed the reproductive number for the illness has dipped slightly below one, meaning on average, someone who's infected may not transmit COVID-19 to anyone. She s

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the COVID-19 pandemic has created a holiday season nobody wanted. But in his annual Christmas message, Trudeau says there is hope for the New Year. He says everyone can agree 2020 has been tough, but Canadians have met the challenging times with generosity, kindness and hope. He says throughout 2020, neighbours have helped neighbours, kids have given up play dates to be safe, front-line workers have put themselves at risk and businesses have retooled to help in the fight against COVID-19. Trudeau says Canadians should give thanks for what unites us.

Quebec's police watchdog has completed its investigation into the New Brunswick police-involved killing of Chantel Moore, a 26-year-old Indigenous woman.The watchdog, known as the Bureau des enquetes independantes, said Wednesday it had forwarded its report to New Brunswick's Public Prosecutions Services and to the coroner in the case, on Dec. 16.Quebec's independent police watchdog investigated the case because New Brunswick does not have its own police oversight agency.Moore was shot by a member of the Edmundston Police Force during a wellness check on June 4, after the young woman had alleg

Two officers are nursing various injuries after the Vancouver Police Department says they were attacked while trying to help a father deal with his mentally ill son. A statement from Sgt. Steve Addison says the officers were patrolling in downtown Vancouver Tuesday night when they were called to help the father, who told them he had just been assaulted by his 31 year old son. The father said his son had stopped taking his medication and he led the constables to the man. Addison says shortly after the officers realized the younger man needed medical attention, he attacked, repeatedly kicking t

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says a travel restriction on passengers from the United Kingdom is being extended by two weeks. The original 72 hour ban imposed on Sunday was set to expire today. Trudeau says the new ban will last until Jan. 6. The U.K. is struggling with a new strain of COVID-19 that experts suggest is more contagious than other variants. Britain is battling a new, apparently more contagious strain of COVID-19 and today recorded 744 deaths, the most since April.

Royal Canadian Navy commander Vice-Admiral Art McDonald has been named as the next head of the Canadian Armed Forces. This announcement has ended the months of speculation about who would succeed General Jonathan Vance. The appointment also ends a long drought for the Navy, which has been passed over numerous times in favour of appointments from the Canadian Army and Royal Canadian Air Force. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says McDonald will oversee the role of the Canadian Armed Forces in the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines across the country.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he knows the country's top experts have upheld the highest standards in Health Canada's approval of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine. The Moderna shot is the second to be greenlit in Canada, following the approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on December 9th. Trudeau says deliveries from Moderna should arrive in the coming days. He says between the earlier doses of the Pfizer vaccine and the upcoming shipments, Canada is on track to have at least 1.2 million doses of the two shots by the end of January. Health Canada says the COVID-19 vaccine from U.S. biotech f

Statistics Canada says real gross domestic product grew 0.4 per cent in October, its sixth consecutive month of growth. The increase followed growth of 0.8 per cent in September. Economists had expected an increase of 0.3 per cent for October, according to financial data firm Refinitiv. Both goods-producing and service-producing sectors were up overall in October, but Statistics Canada report notes declines in manufacturing and food services. Despite the growth, the Canadian economy remains about four per cent below where it was prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Statistics Canada says its preli

Eleven partying teenagers in Nanaimo are the latest to be fined 230 dollars each. Tickets were issued for ignoring public health rules aimed at fighting COVID-19. RCMP say officers saw a large group of youth late Saturday in the parking lot of the Dover Bay High School and asked them to break up the event. When police went back a while later, there were even more vehicles and people in the parking lot who weren't social distancing or wearing masks. Police say the youth were respectful, apologetic and understanding of why they were getting tickets.