US President Donald Trump is tweeting that only he can make the decision when states can re-open businesses and ease social distancing measures. That's setting up a potential battle because legal experts say that power rests with state governors. The White House has signaled that May 1st is a target date to reopen some parts of the country but top public health officials say those decisions will be driven by scientific data.

Ontario is reporting 421 new COVID-19 cases today and 17 new deaths. That brings the province to a total of 7,470 cases, including 291 deaths and 3,357 that have been resolved. It's an increase of six per cent over Sunday's total number of cases, continuing a relatively low growth rate of the past several days. The number of patients in hospital 760 rose slightly, but rates of patients in intensive care and on ventilators remained relatively stable.

Quebec is reporting 32 more COVID-19 deaths today, bringing the provincial total to 360. Premier Francois Legault says there are 13,557 confirmed cases of the virus in the province, an increase of 711 cases in one day. There are 879 cases requiring hospitalization, of which 226 are in intensive care. Legault says 40 privately owned long-term care homes were inspected across the province over the weekend after 31 deaths were reported at a Montreal-area private residence. He says the situation is stable in the residences, and most are providing adequate care, but four or five are being monitore

The federal government is providing $50 million to help farmers and food processors cover the costs associated with mandatory quarantine rules for workers coming in from outside the country.Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau says the labour shortage on farms is acute and depends on foreign temporary workers.But rules designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 mean this year's incoming workers must quarantine for 14 days.Bibeau says employers are committed to making sure workers follow those rules but they do come at a cost.She says the money is designed to help offset those and w

A new survey commissioned by the City of Vancouver is highlighting the impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on its residents.The survey says nearly half of Vancouver's residents have lost their jobs or faced a reduction in working hours.Mayor Kennedy Stewart says the economic downturn could cost the city half-a-billion dollars in lost revenue.He's calling for more aid from the provincial and federal governments warning that cities will have to take drastic measures if help isn't available.

Health Canada has approved the use of a portable, rapid-testing device for COVID-19.The Spartan Cube from Ottawa's Spartan Bioscience is expected to help provide rapid tests for health services in rural and remote areas such as Indigenous communities.The hand-held device, about the size of a coffee cup, eliminates the need for swab samples to travel to the nearest lab, which can be a logistical challenge.The federal, Alberta and Ontario governments are among those who have contracts for the testing kits, which can confirm results in less than one hour.Ontario has ordered nearly 1 million test

An under construction house in Surrey caught fire which further spread to three more houses. The incident is now being investigated by Surrey RCMP and fire department. The homes are located near 126A street and 80th Avenue. Nearly 22 firefighters worked to extinguish the fire. According to authorities, the fire is contained and an investigation is pending. Cause of fire is under investigation and not known as of now. Some pictures on social media showed large flames covering the houses.

There are 24,383 confirmed and presumptive cases in Canada. Quebec: 12,846 confirmed (including 328 deaths, 1,745 resolved) Ontario: 7,049 confirmed (including 274 deaths, 3,121 resolved) Alberta: 1,651 confirmed (including 44 deaths, 823 resolved) British Columbia: 1,445 confirmed (including 58 deaths, 905 resolved) Nova Scotia: 445 confirmed (including 2 deaths, 97 resolved) Saskatchewan: 296 confirmed (including 4 deaths, 164 resolved), 2 presumptive Manitoba: 226 confirmed (including 4 deaths, 96 resolved), 16 presumptive Newfoundland and Labrador: 242 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 129 r

Pope Francis delivered Easter Sunday Mass from a nearly empty St. Peter's Basilica due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pontiff appealed for solidarity the world over to confront the ``epochal challenge'' posed by virus, saying ``this is not a time for self-centeredness.'' Police checkpoints in Europe and closed churches around the globe forced the faithful to watch Easter services online or on TV.