It’s not the news we want to hear on the COVID front. Canada's chief public health officer says we are seeing a steady increase in the B-A-2 variant of the virus. Dr. Theresa Tam says the rising numbers are totally expected because anytime we relax public health measures and increase in-person activities then cases are going to go up. She also says the B-A-2 variant is more transmissible and that will significantly impact people who aren’t up to date with their COVID vaccinations. Dr. Tam’s parting message at her briefing today was, Get your booster.

Vaccinated travellers will no longer need a COVID-19 test to enter Canada as of Friday. The change is a departure from Canada's policy since the early days of the pandemic, and the struggling tourism industry describes it as a major boon. Travel agents say they've seen a surge in demand for flights since the change was announced two weeks ago. Domestic tourism groups also report a big bump in bookings over the last few weeks. While no test will be required after April 1 for people who are considered fully vaccinated, Health Canada still requires that anyone arriving from outside the country w

One First Nations delegate who met with Pope Francis at the Vatican says he hopes the event marks the beginning of a new relationship. Chief Gerald Antoine, the head of the Assembly of First Nations delegation, says there is ``hope for change'' despite the collective grief and pain. The delegates were emotional as they walked out of the meeting, surrounded by the drumming of family and community members who waited in St. Peter's Square. They say they shared stories of residential schools and requested that the doctrine of discovery be rescinded and Indigenous lands returned. They also request

Toronto police have identified the woman whose dismembered body was found in a plastic bag Monday in the city's Leslieville neighbourhood. Homicide investigators identify the victim as 46-year-old Tien Ly of Toronto. Now, they are trying to locate her son, 20-year-old Dallas Ly. Investigators say they're concerned for his well-being based on evidence discovered in their apartment.

Retired general Jonathan Vance has pleaded guilty to one charge of obstruction of justice following a months-long investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct. The judge has given the former chief of the defence staff a conditional discharge and sentenced him to 80 hours of community service. Vance was accused of repeatedly contacting a woman and trying to convince her to make false statements to military investigators about their past relationship. He was not charged with any inappropriate sexual misconduct. Defence Minister Anita Anand told reporters it's not her role to comment on c

The sister of a man killed in a Brampton house fire along with his wife and three young children has set up a GoFundMe campaign to cover their funeral costs. The online fundraiser identifies the family as Nazir Ali, his wife Raven Alisha Ali-O'Dea, and their children Layla Rose, Jayden Prince and Alia Marilyn Ali-O'Dea. Bismah Fatimah Ali says her brother and his wife had dedicated their lives to their. She describes the kids as ``little angels'' whose smiles could light up a room. The mother of Raven Alisha Ali-O'Dea also lived with the family and remains in critical condition in hospital fo

Ambitious and achievable is how Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is describing his government's new climate plan. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his government's new climate action plan is its boldest and most specific step yet. Trudeau says it is ambitious because it will get the country to 40 per cent lower emissions by 2030 compared with 2005 and keep Canada on track to net zero by 2050.It projects the oil and gas industry will need to cut emissions by 42 per cent by 2030 if the country is to meet its targets. Oil and gas accounts for more than one-quarter of Canada's total greenhouse gas

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the discovery of unmarked graves at residential school sites has highlighted for all Canadians the horrors of our past for which we all bear some responsibility. Trudeau will visit the Williams Lake First Nation Wednesday, just two months after the band announced it had found 93 "reflections," indicating unmarked graves of children around the former St. Joseph's Mission residential school.The prime minister was in Vancouver on Tuesday to speak to a climate change conference shortly after his government released its new emissions-reduction plan.Trudeau says he

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland says she will deliver this year's budget next week. Freeland tells the House of Commons she will unveil the government's spending plans on April 7 in a document that has been expected to focus on measures to spur economic growth. The budget is also expected to have new social programs promised as part of an agreement to earn the backing of the New Democrats in key parliamentary votes. That includes the first steps on national pharmacare and dental care. The budget is also expected to have billions of dollars in housing-related measures that the Liberals and