The parliamentary budget office says a one-time payment to people with disabilities this fall will cost the federal treasury $792 million.The majority of that amount will go to about 1.67 million people in payments of up to $600, which the Liberals say are aimed at offsetting any extra costs linked to the COVID-19 pandemic.The total cost should hit federal books this year, but the budget office warns there may be potential fiscal impacts in subsequent years.The first legislative push to provide the special payments failed in June when the minority Liberal government couldn't gain opposition s

British Columbia has two outbreaks of COVID-19 at health care facilities as officials reported 58 new cases across the province on Tuesday. They say the two outbreaks are in the Fraser Health region, one at Bear Creek Villa and the other at Langley Memorial Hospital. Health officials declared an outbreak at the hospital in Langley when a patient tested positive after being discharged Monday and noticed symptoms on returning home. Dr. Elizabeth Brodkin, Fraser Health's interim chief medical health officer, says they are working to identify how many people may have been exposed. She says the ho

A new survey suggests Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberals are well placed if they end up losing a confidence vote this fall, seen as the party best able to care for Canadians during the COVID-19 pandemic and to get the economy back on its feet.Respondents to the online survey, conducted by Leger and the Association for Canadian Studies, were split about the prospect of a federal election this fall, with 42 per cent opposed to the idea and 38 per cent in favour.But if there were an election today, 38 per cent of decided voters said they'd support the Liberals, compared to 30 per cent for

British Columbia has hit its highest number of daily COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic, with 109 people testing positive for the disease. The milestone was reached between Friday and Saturday, surpassing the 100 cases reported on Aug. 14. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says 269 cases were reported between Friday and Sunday, and one person died, for a total of 203 fatalities in B.C. Dr. Henry says the province has ramped up testing, with up to 5,000 tests being done every day, and that the undetected transmission rate remains low. However, she says keeping the number o

Visitors who are currently in Canada and have a valid job offer will be able to apply for an employer-specific work permit and, if approved, receive the permit without having to leave the country, thanks to a new public policy announced today by the Marco E.L. Mendicino, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship.This temporary policy change takes effect immediately and will benefit employers in Canada who continue to face difficulties finding the workers they need, as well as temporary residents who would like to contribute their labour and skills to Canada’s recovery from the COVID-

Erin O'Toole begins a new political life today as the leader of the federal Conservative party. O'Toole was declared the winner of the leadership race early this morning after technical problems delayed the vote count by hours.His victory over rival Peter MacKay will be a blow to some progressives, who had hoped by choosing the former longtime cabinet minister the party could finally move past some of the social conservative issues that weighed it down in the last election.The hours-long delay was a less-than-auspicious beginning for the new leader, who now is racing to get a team in place bef

Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, and Dr. Réka Gustafson, B.C.’s deputy provincial health officer, have issued a joint statement regarding updates on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) response in British Columbia. "Today, we are announcing 90 new cases, for a total of 4,915 cases in British Columbia. "There are 824 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, 2,594 people who are under active public health monitoring as a result of identified exposure to known cases and 3,889 people who tested positive have recovered. "Currently, 13 individuals are hospitalized with COVID-19, five of whom are in

As the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 continues to climb in BC, especially among young people, Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth says a party is ``not worth someone's life.'' Farnworth says $2,000 tickets can now be issued to the owner of a home where a large party is underway or to the organizer of an event such as a drum circle if such gatherings violate health rules. $200 tickets can also be issued to anyone refusing to leave a gathering or who is abusive to staff trying to maintain physical distancing rules. Farnworth says a small minority of people are either wilfully ignorant

Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, and Dr. Réka Gustafson, B.C.'s deputy provincial health officer, have issued a joint statement regarding updates on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) response in British Columbia. "Today, we are announcing 80 new cases for a total of 4,825 cases in British Columbia. "There are 780 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, 2,574 people who are under active public health monitoring as a result of identified exposure to known cases and 3,845 people who tested positive have recovered. "Currently, 11 individuals are hospitalized with COVID-19, four of whom are in int