Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Canada Day statement touches on issues confronting everyone due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Large celebrations in many parts of the nation are being replaced with backyard barbecues and digital events due to COVID-19. That includes the annual pomp and pageantry on Parliament Hill. It's going online to keep crowds from gathering. The Ottawa shows will be streamed at midday and in the evening, followed by virtual fireworks. Trudeau's statement talks about the need to ensure "every senior has a safe place to live" after reports of appalling conditions in long-term c

Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, and Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.'s provincial health officer, have issued a joint statement regarding updates on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) response in British Columbia."Today, we are announcing 12 new cases, for a total of 2,916 cases in British Columbia."There are 152 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 2,590 people who tested positive have recovered."Of the total COVID-19 cases, 18 individuals are hospitalized, four of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people with COVID-19 are recovering at home in self-isolation. "Tomorrow, as we all celebr

Residents at long-term care facilities in British Columbia are now able to have in-person visits after months of being limited to virtual meetings or phone calls because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says restrictions stopping family visits to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among vulnerable people will now be eased to allow one designated person to see a long-term care resident. She says the designation could be expanded to allow more visitors in the future, but she wants to start slowly. Henry says she is immensely aware of the impacts the restrictions

Statistics Canada says the economy saw its largest monthly drop on record in April as it came to a near standstill due to the pandemic, but early indications point to a rebound in May as businesses began to reopen. The agency says gross domestic product fell 11.6 per cent in April with non-essential businesses shut for the full month following a 7.5 per cent decline in March.However, Statistics Canada says its initial flash estimate for May points to growth of three per cent, which will be revised and finalized at the end of July.Economists on average expect a drop of 13 per cent for April, ac

BC now has more than 2,900 cases of COVID-19 after 26 new cases were reported over the past three days. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says only two of those cases were reported from yesterday to today and there have been no new deaths. Henry also says she's concerned that Canadian airlines are ending physical distancing rules on flights. Health Minister Adrian Dix says airlines are the responsibility of Transport Canada and he's waiting to hear an explanation from the federal agency for allowing the change.

Lululemon Athletica Inc., Mountain Equipment Co-op and Arc'teryx are joining a growing list of top international brands vowing not to advertise on Facebook Inc. in July because of hateful content that continues to spread on the social media platform. The Vancouver-based athleticwear companies confirmed to The Canadian Press that they are pulling their paid ads from Facebook and joining the #StopHateForProfit boycott that has already been supported by Coca-Cola, Unilever, Honda America, Patagonia and more. Champions of the boycott say Facebook has not done enough to keep white supremacists and

Health officials say one more person has died from COVID-19 and 10 have tested positive in British Columbia. In a joint statement, Health Minister Adrian Dix and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry say the new figures bring the total confirmed cases to 2,878. The new total includes a data correction of one case from yesterday's report. Dix and Henry say there are 159 active cases in the province and 2,545 people who tested positive have recovered. The First Nations Health Authority announced today that 87 First Nations individuals have tested positive for COVID-19, a rate below the pro

The Supreme Court of Canada has cleared the way for Uber drivers to take the next step in their fight to be recognized as employees. In a decision today, the high court upheld an Ontario Court of Appeal decision that opened the door to a class-action suit aimed at securing a minimum wage, vacation pay and other benefits for drivers. The man behind the planned class action, David Heller, is an Ontario driver for UberEats, a service that delivers food from restaurants to customers at home. He argues that Uber drivers are employees, which entitles them to protections under Ontario's Employmen

BC is reporting 20 new cases of COVID-19 and two more deaths, both residents of long-term care centres. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says one of the new cases is a teacher in the Fraser Health region but she says no students were exposed to the virus. It's the second case linked to a school since classes resumed earlier this month. Henry notes today is the last day of classes for the current school year and congratulates students for making it through one of the most challenging years anyone can remember. The new cases push the total in the province to 2,869 including 173 deaths