The BC Wildfire Service lists the fire danger rating across most of the province as low to moderate but firefighters in several regions still had a busy Easter weekend. The wildfire service website shows crews responded to 11 blazes between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Most were barely larger than spot fires and were quickly handled, but of the eight reported on Sunday, four remained listed as out of control by midnight. They included a fire covering half a square kilometre in the southern Interior east of Merritt, and two of three separate fires along Highway 3 south of Cawston in the Simi

This is something that at one time would have been unheard of. Bernie Sanders has endorsed Joe Biden's presidential candidacy. The two former rivals made a joint online appearance today. Sanders says he's asking all Americans to come together to support Biden's candidacy. The Democrats are showing solidarity after years of bitter divide. Sanders recently admitted he can't beat Biden for the Democratic nod.

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.