Parliament's budget watchdog says that it's likely the federal deficit for the year will hit $252.1 billion as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.The figure is an estimate based on the almost $146 billion in spending measures the government has announced to help cushion the economic blow from the pandemic, estimated declines in the country's gross domestic product, and the price of oil remaining well below previous expectations.Parliamentary budget officer Yves Giroux's report assumes real GDP will contract by 12 per cent this year, and help shoot the federal debt-to-GDP ratio to 48.4 percent.T

A Nova Scotia man says his daughter Abbigail Cowbrough is one of the victims of the Canadian military helicopter crash in the Mediterranean. Shane Cowbrough posted a message on Facebook this morning saying his daughter died when the Cyclone helicopter went down in the sea on Wednesday during a NATO training exercise. A Baptist church in Dartmouth, N.S., followed, saying the church family had lost ``a wonderful woman'' who played the bagpipes at a Remembrance Day service last fall. Cyclone helicopters carry a crew of four, including two pilots, a tactical operator and a sensor operator, with s

There are 51,596 confirmed and presumptive cases in Canada. Quebec: 26,594 confirmed (including 1,761 deaths, 6,048 resolved) Ontario: 15,728 confirmed (including 996 deaths, 9,612 resolved) Alberta: 5,165 confirmed (including 87 deaths, 1,953 resolved) British Columbia: 2,087 confirmed (including 109 deaths, 1,305 resolved) Nova Scotia: 935 confirmed (including 28 deaths, 529 resolved) Saskatchewan: 383 confirmed (including 6 deaths, 291 resolved) Manitoba: 262 confirmed (including 6 deaths, 209 resolved), 10 presumptive Newfoundland and Labrador: 258 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 225 resol

The RCMP say they've arrested two people after recovering $33,000 worth of government-issued cheques that were allegedly stolen from several places in British Columbia's Lower Mainland. The Mounties in Surrey say the cheques include Canada Emergency Response Benefits, GST cheques and income tax refunds, in addition to cheques issued by other organizations. They were recovered by the RCMP's COVID-19 compliance and enforcement team, which conducts patrols to educate people about and prevent contraventions of public health safety orders. The Mounties say in a statement they recovered the cheques

Vancouver police say they safely detonated a suspected improvised explosive device found in a vehicle in the Downtown East Side. Police say officers found the device during a search of the vehicle after they spotted fentanyl in plain view during a traffic stop last night. Sergeant Aaron Roed says officers secured the area to protect the public and then used a specialized robot and other tools to properly disable and dispose of the device. A 25 year old Surrey resident was arrested for unauthorized possession of an explosive device but has been released with no charges at this time.

Premier John Horgan says his government will announce plans next week to start loosening some restrictions imposed to curtail the spread of COVID-19. He says he's resisted laying out roadmaps as other provinces have done because people assume that's the green light to resume regular activity, but that's not the case. Horgan also says B.C. is better off than other regions because it has allowed construction, agriculture and other industries to continue operating. Despite looking forward to re-opening the economy, his government has extended a provincial state of emergency as he warns the provi

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry is reporting four new deaths due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all at long-term care homes for seniors. That brings the provincial death toll to 109. Henry says there have been 34 new cases of COVID-19 for at total of two thousand and 87. She says there have been two new outbreaks at long term care homes, assisted living facilities and acute facilities for seniors, including a new case at a care home where an outbreak had earlier been declared over.

The Canadian military says it has lost contact with one of its helicopters in the Mediterranean. In a statement, the military says the aircraft from HMCS Fredericton went missing during an exercise off the coast of Greece. It says a search-and-rescue operation is underway. NATO spokeswoman Col. Juanita Chang earlier confirmed an incident involving a helicopter from a ship under NATO command. Chang did not reveal the nationality of the aircraft or vessels. HMCS Fredericton left Halifax for a six-month deployment around Europe in January with one of the Royal Canadian Air Force's new Cyclones o

The Canadian Armed Forces is deploying its famed Snowbirds aerobatics team on a cross-country tour aimed at boosting morale as Canadians continue to struggle with the COVID-19 pandemic. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the planned spectacle this morning as he took a page from the U.S., where the American military's own flight demonstration teams have been flying over cities in honour of frontline workers and first responders. The Snowbirds cut their season short last year after one of the Snowbirds' famous Tutor aircraft crashed on Oct. 13 prior to an air show at the Atlanta Motor Spee