Canada's top military commander says his force is ``stretched thin'' following Defence Minister Anita Anand's announcement of the deployment of up to 150 Armed Forces members to help Ukrainian refugees in Poland. Defence chief General Wayne Eyre says many Canadian Armed Forces members are exhausted from supporting Canadians throughout the COVID-19 pandemic as well as different natural disasters and numerous deployments overseas. Eyre says Russian President Vladimir Putin is unpredictable, and Canada must be ready for anything.

A 29-year-old man has been charged with drug trafficking offences after Toronto police say they seized large amounts of drugs earlier this month. Police say a total of 189 kilograms of cocaine and 97kg of crystal methamphetamine were seized during the investigation. Investigators say the bust is the largest single-day seizure of drugs in the force's history. They say officers arrested the suspect on April 2 in the underground parking lot of a building near Yonge Street and The Esplanade in downtown Toronto. Police allege the accused had 50kg of cocaine in his possession when he was arrested.

Canada’s chief public health officer says a number of factors are combining to cause rising levels of COVID-19 activity across the country. Dr. Theresa Tam says the loosening of public health restrictions, an increase in our in-person contacts, some waning of immunity and the spread of the more transmissible B-A-2 variant have all likely contributed to the rising levels of infection. Dr. Tam says multiple indicators, from average daily case counts, to lab test positivity and waste water monitoring indicate increasing transmission in recent weeks. Dr. Tam is again stressing that a booster dos

Chief James Ramer expressed condolences to the families of the victims and reassured the public about their safety while asking them to remain vigilant at a news conference on April 12 at police headquarters. "They’re the types of incidents that will understandably cause concern in our communities," Ramer said. "While we appreciate that this news does nothing to ease the suffering of the victims and their families, particularly those now grieving death, I can report that the suspects for all of these incidents are now in police custody. It is my hope that this fact provides at least a sliver

A 21 year old man who was fatally shot outside a Toronto subway station entrance has been identified as a student from India who had arrived in Canada in January. Family and Indian consular officials say Kartik Vasudev was the person shot several times outside Sherbourne Station at about 5 pm yesterday. His brother tells CP 24 that Vasudev was a student at Seneca College and was taking the subway to his job when he was killed. The Consulate General of India says in a statement posted on Twitter that it's in touch with his family and will provide all possible assistance in early repatriation o

The unemployment rate fell from 5.5 per cent in February to 5.3 per cent last month, knocking it down to its lowest rate since Statistics Canada started keeping records in 1976. The agency reports the economy created 72-thousand, 500 jobs, with the majority of the gains coming in Quebec and Ontario. CIBC senior economist Andrew Grantham believes there may be room for the unemployment rate to fall a little further.

The federal Liberal government is promising $500 million in additional military aid to Ukraine as well as more humanitarian and financial support to Kyiv in response to Russia’s invasion. The commitments are contained in today’s federal budget and follow previous promises from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other ministers that Canada is looking at sending more weapons and other assistance to Ukraine.Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland says while Canada and its allies have sanctioned Russia over its invasion, recent allegations of Russian war crimes show the Ukrainians need more help.The

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland tabled the 2022 federal budget on Thursday. Here are some of the smaller promises that you might have missed:— $1.9 billion over 24 years to build and operate the new Canadarm3 for the next generation NASA Lunar Gateway project.— $1.3 billion over the next five years and $331.2 million on going to support the long-term stability of Canada’s asylum system to better help people seeking refuge from violence and persecution.— $159 million over five years, starting in 2022-23, to protect Canadian post-secondary and research institutions from foreign intell

Former Conservative deputy leader Leona Alleslev is set to formally announce her candidacy to be the party's next leader tomorrow. A source close to her campaign, speaking on the condition of anonymity, says she is expected to do so in Ottawa on Wednesday. Alleslev has all but formally made the announcement, having set up a campaign website to collect signatures needed for her nomination. She also posted on social media about hosting a meet-and-greet in Ottawa Wednesday, along with the tag line ``All in with Alleslev.'' Alleslev was first elected as an Ontario Liberal MP who crossed the floor