Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos says the government has signed a four-year deal with GlaxoSmithKline to produce and deliver influenza vaccines. The deal includes an option to procure 80-million doses of influenza vaccine if a pandemic occurs and a minimum of 4 million doses annually to be used in publicly-funded vaccination programs. Influenza pandemics hit every 11 to 40 years and the most recent one happened 13 years ago when the H-1-N-1 pandemic hit. He’s also encouraging Canadians to get their first and second COVID-19 boosters. Duclos says if there’s one lesson to be learned from th

The federal government says it will provide more than $35 million during the papal visit to Canada to support Indigenous communities, organizations and residential schools survivors. Pope Francis visit is set to start in Edmonton July 24th and will go to Quebec and Nunavut before it ends on the 29th. Indigenous Services Canada and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada are putting up 30.5-million dollars for community-led activities and travel for survivors. Another three-million dollars will support Indigenous groups in the three regions where Pope Francis will spend time, a

The Bank of Canada raised its key interest rate by a full percentage point on Wednesday, marking the largest single rate hike since August 1998.The central bank’s decision signalled a more aggressive approach to bringing skyrocketing inflation, which hit a 39-year-high of 7.7 per cent in May, back down to its target of two per cent.Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem said the "Inflation is too high, and more people are getting more worried that high inflation is here to stay. We cannot let that happen."In its latest monetary policy report, the Bank of Canada said inflation in Canada is “l

The Conservative Party of Canada has brought in independent legal counsel to review whether one of its committees can hear an appeal from disqualified candidate Patrick Brown. Brown has hired Marie Henein, the high-profile lawyer who successfully defended ex-C-B-C host Jian Ghomeshi, among other clients. Brown hired Henein after members of the party's leadership election organizing committee voted to remove him from the race based on an allegation that he may have breached federal financing laws. Brown's campaign denies the allegation and says the party failed to provide it with the details i

The number of people looking for work in Canada set another record low, for the second time in as many months, as Statistics Canada reports the jobless rate fell to 4.9 per cent in June from 5.1 per cent in May. That's despite an overall loss of 43,000 jobs across the country last month. Economists say fewer people were looking for work in June, which would explain the continued dip in unemployment. Unemployment in BC didn't change much in June, climbing one-tenth of a point to 4.6 per cent, while Kelowna saw one of the biggest drops as the rate there fell to an even four per cent from its 4.

Ontario Provincial Police are praising a group of people who pulled a Toronto man from his burning vehicle on the westbound QEW on Monday. The force's highway safety division tweeted a video that shows five men approaching a Toronto man's white sedan, which appears to be stopped on the side of the road. The force says the 36 year old Toronto man had experienced a medical episode before his car stopped at the Cawthra Road exit. The men were able to smash the driver's side window and free the driver before his car burst into flames moments later.

An emergency resolution before the Assembly of First Nations annual meeting to reaffirm the suspension of National Chief RoseAnne Archibald has failed in Vancouver. The resolution says Archibald disclosed confidential information about the complaints against her by the organization's staff, compromising the integrity of the assembly's complaint process. The vote needed the support of 60 per cent of eligible delegates for approval, but the resolution was defeated, with the tally to come later. Tk'emlups te Secwepemc Chief Rosanne Casimir moved the motion saying there are rules for leaders and

Canadian airlines and airports claimed top spots in flight delays over the July long weekend, notching more than nearly any other around the world. Air Canada ranked No. 1 in delays on Saturday and Sunday as two-thirds of its flights – 717 trips in total – took off late, according to tracking service FlightAware. It was more than 14 percentage points above the three carriers tied for second place. Jazz Aviation – a Halifax-based company that provides regional service for Air Canada – and the lower-cost Air Canada Rouge both saw 53 per cent of flights delayed, putting them in the No. 2

Federal Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair says Ottawa is reaffirming its support of Lytton's recovery on the anniversary of the devastating wildfire that destroyed 90 per cent of the village last June. Blair also thanked first responders, volunteers and community members who stepped up over the past year. The federal government announced 77 million dollars in funding earlier this month to help rebuild a fire-resistant and energy-efficient community. BC's public safety minister Mike Farnworth says he expects many houses and the municipal infrastructure to be rebuilt by this time next