CIBC says it is offering reduced interest rates on personal credit cards for Canadians in financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The bank says credit card clients who request to skip a payment and are experiencing financial difficulties will receive a temporary lower annual interest rate of 10.99 per cent. It says for the 80,000 Canadians who have already received CIBC credit card relief, the temporary lower rate will be retroactively applied to March 15.

Canada's top public health official is urging people to have caution when looking at provincial models for how COVID-19 will develop. Ontario released its projections for the best and worst case scenarios of the crisis. Dr. Theresa Tam says people should remember they are just that, projections, and not real data. She says both must be examined to get an accurate picture of where the virus is headed.

Quebec Premier Francois Legault says provincial police are looking into using cell phone data to track the movements of people infected with COVID-19. The premier said today police are not currently using that kind of data but may in the future. Quebec is among many jurisdictions across the world that are either considering or already using electronic data to monitor people infected with the virus and those they come into contact with. Quebec Premier Francois Legault says the province recorded 25 more deaths related to COVID-19 since the day prior, bringing the provincial total to 61. But Leg

The growing movement in British Columbia and across Canada to salute health care workers by clapping and making noise each evening at 7 p.m. will gain even more volume tonight. A statement from the Chamber of Shipping, the voice for the marine industry on Canada's west coast, says all ships in B.C. waters will sound their horns in solidarity. The statement says the audible celebration is noteworthy because ship crews are also working to maintain essential transportation networks. The chamber says vessels move critical cargo directly supporting medical efforts or supplying communities to ensur

Health Minister Patty Hajdu says Canada is paying inflated prices for personal protective equipment. She says the global market is extremely competitive as every country vies for the limited supply. She says Canada is keeping an eye on the cost, but is focused on getting what's needed. Health Canada is also taking measures to guard against fraud and counterfeit PPE that's being produced.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland says the government is planning to `pull out all the stops' to press the U.S. on its plans to limit supplies to Canada. The White House ordered manufacturer 3M not to ship N95 respirators across the border to Canada. Freeland says Canada will push back hard. She says all ministers are in touch with their U.S. counterparts and the provincial premiers have also been asked to get involved.

Ontario is reporting 462 more COVID-19 cases today, bringing the total number in the province to 3,255. Health officials also reported 14 more deaths, bringing the toll to 67. There are also 192 more resolved cases for a new total of 1,023.

British Columbia's prosecution service says NDP legislature member Jinny Sims will not face charges following an RCMP investigation and the appointment of a special prosecutor last fall.In a statement, the prosecution service says the RCMP investigation into allegations of criminal wrongdoing against Sims found no evidence to support the accusations and the investigation has concluded.Special prosecutor Richard Peck, who was appointed last October, says there will no charges and there is no further action to take.Sims resigned as minister of citizens' services following the announcement of Pec

The steps the Ontario government has taken so far to limit the spread of COVID-19 have likely saved tens of thousands of lives, public health officials said Friday, but even with further action the death toll could reach as high as 15,000. Projections released by the province showed 100,000 Ontario residents could likely have died over the full course of the pandemic if the province hadn't implemented measures such as widespread closures of businesses and schools in order to promote physical distancing. As it is, the figures estimate thousands of people could still die without more aggressive