The first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have arrived in British Columbia and will start to be administered on Tuesday. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says the vaccine's arrival is "momentous" news, but warned it doesn't mean it's safe to break physical distancing restrictions. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is being used in the regions covered by the Fraser and Vancouver Coastal health authorities and will be given to workers in long-term care facilities. There were 2,146 new cases of COVID-19 over the last three days, bringing the total number of infections to 42,943 since the pande

Quebec and Ontario have administered the country's first COVID-19 vaccinations to a health-care worker from a Toronto nursing home and a Quebec care home resident. Anita Quidangen, a personal support worker at the Rekai Centre, received the first dose at a hospital in Toronto. Her coworker Derek Thompson was also inoculated and he says the shots represent progress for all front-line workers in the province. Just shortly before that Quebec also administered its first Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines to residents of long-term care homes in Montreal and Quebec City. In Quebec City, Gisele Leves

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the first shipments of the COVID-19 vaccine have arrived in Canada.Trudeau made the announcement Sunday night on Twitter, and noted that while it's good news, the fight against COVID-19 is not over and Canadians must keep up their vigilance.The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines are bound for 14 distribution sites across the country.There are distribution sites in all 10 provinces, but none in the territories because health officials say the Pfizer shot's -70 C storage temperature make it difficult to stock there.Quebec is expected to be the first province to administ

BC has recorded 737 cases of COVID-19 today and another community outbreak. A joint statement from provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix says 11 more people have died, while 342 people are in hospital. The number of actives cases climbed slightly to 9,589 in the province. That includes 87 patients in intensive care. At least 30 people have tested positive after an outbreak at the Regent Christian Academy and the private school has been closed until after the winter break. There are over 12,000 people under active public health monitoring because they were e

The federal government has released a climate change plan. It includes eight-billion dollars in environmental funding on top of the seven-billion already announced. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says clean technology presents enormous opportunities for economic growth and jobs. He says Canadians aren't alone in realizing that.The government's plan includes steady increases to the carbon tax in each of the next 10 years, eventually reaching 170-dollars per tonne by 2030. The federal government has released a 15 billion dollar plan to meet its climate change commitments that includes steady inc

New federal forecasts say all large provinces need to strengthen their COVID-19 response "now," with data suggesting the death toll could hit nearly 15,000 on Christmas Day. Updated modelling indicates that Canada remains on a "rapid growth trajectory," with daily cases expected to cross the 10,000 mark later this month. The projections indicate that the total number of deaths related to the outbreak could reach between 14,410 to 14,920 by Christmas Day. The data says infections continue to climb in the six provinces west of the Atlantic region, with rates rising precipitously Alberta, Saska

British Columbia's provincial health officer is urging people to be patient and keep taking precautions to prevent transmission of COVID-19 as the province recorded its highest death toll in a single "tragic" day. Dr. Bonnie Henry says all but two of the 28 fatalities occurred in long-term care homes, and 587 people have now died in B.C. since the start of the pandemic. She says 723 new infections have been diagnosed as the province surpasses 40,000 cases of the virus. The number of people in hospital continues to rise at 346, while 83 of them are in intensive care. Dr. Henry says the start o

Global Affairs Canada says reports that detained Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor had been put on trial in China are not correct. Canadian Embassy officials in Beijing spoke directly with Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials to clarify the media report. They determined there has been no new development in the cases and say the confusion was caused by an inaccurate characterization of the process made by the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson.Kovrig and Spavor are marking two years in separate Chinese prisons.Canada and dozens of its Western allies say the Michaels are b

British Columbia's top doctor says health-care workers in long-term care facilities and intensive care units will be the first to be immunized against COVID-19 with the Pfizer vaccine starting next week. Dr. Bonnie Henry says immunizations will happen at two clinics in the Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health regions, before eventually expanding to 30 sites as part of a process that will ramp up as more doses and vaccines become available. Up to 400,000 B.C. residents can get a shot in the arm by the end of March. Henry says prioritizing those who work at care homes will protect the eld