Skip to Main content

7.3°^C Vancouver

News Entertainment Videos Shows Podcast Contact Us

Mar 20, 2020 4:35 PM -

Feds boost efforts to secure medical gear supplies as COVID-19 cases multiply

Share On

feds-boost-efforts-to-secure-medical-gear-supplies-as-covid-19-cases-multiply

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau listens to a question on a teleconference as reporters call in to ask questions during a news conference at Rideau Cottage in Ottawa, Thursday, March 19, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

The federal government is unveiling a plan to have companies quickly produce supplies of needed medical equipment to cope with the rapidly multiplying cases of COVID-19 across Canada.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the plan will provide support to manufacturers that want to retool their assembly lines to build ventilators, masks and other personal protective gear.

And it will also help those already producing the products to quickly scale up.

Ottawa has been working in close collaboration with provinces and territories, who deliver health care, to determine where gaps exist in the system and to try to fill them before they become a significant problem.

Trudeau also says that the government is in discussions with airline to repatriate Canadians who are overseas, and the first flight will leave this weekend from Morocco.

Public Services and Procurement Minister Anita Anand, and Industry Minister Navdeep Bains are to provide more details at a briefing this afternoon.

Latest news

calgary-committee-backs-motion-to-scrap-blanket-rezoning-ahead-of-full-council-vote

AlbertaNov 17, 2025

Calgary committee backs motion to scrap blanket rezoning ahead of full council vote

Calgary’s executive committee has endorsed a motion from Mayor Jeromy Farkas to roll back the city’s blanket rezoning bylaw, setting the stage for a final decision by full council on December 15. The move begins the formal process to undo a housing policy approved earlier this year under former mayor Jyoti Gondek. The bylaw, adopted in April 2024, allowed fourplexes and rowhouses on all residential lots without requiring individual public hearings or neighbourhood-level consultation. Council approved the changes despite strong opposition from residents who argued the citywide approach w

alberta-cabinet-minister-apologizes-after-voicemail-with-expletive-becomes-public

AlbertaNov 17, 2025

Alberta cabinet minister apologizes after voicemail with expletive becomes public

Alberta cabinet minister Tanya Fir has issued a public apology after a voicemail she left for a Calgary constituent captured her using an expletive once she believed the call had ended. Fir, who serves as minister of arts, culture and Status of Women, acknowledged the remark in a written statement and described it as a lapse in judgment. The voicemail, released over the weekend by Alberta columnist Doug Firby, begins with Fir returning a constituent’s call and referencing feedback she had received. After offering a goodbye, the line remains open as she turns to speak with someone nearby. In

WorldNov 17, 2025

Australian Paralympic champion Paige Greco dies at age 28

Australian para-cyclist Paige Greco, a gold medalist from the Tokyo Paralympics, has died following what officials described as a sudden medical episode at her home in Adelaide on Sunday. She was 28. Greco, who lived with cerebral palsy, captured international attention in 2021 when she won the first gold medal awarded at the Tokyo Paralympic Games, breaking her own world record on the track. She went on to earn two bronze medals in the road race and individual time trial. Paralympics Australia and the national cycling federation said her family is grieving the unexpected loss, remembering her

langley-rcmp-search-for-two-suspects-after-hit-and-run-involving-unmarked-police-vehicle

Langley RCMP search for two suspects after hit and run involving unmarked police vehicle

Police in Langley say they are looking for two people who ran from the scene of a hit and run that involved an unmarked Abbotsford Police vehicle late Friday evening. The collision took place around 7:20 p.m. in the 5200 block of 264 Street, an area that links rural Langley to several major Fraser Valley routes. Investigators say a white GMC Canyon pickup struck the unmarked vehicle, injuring the officer inside. The officer was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and has since been released. Members of both Langley RCMP and the Abbotsford Police Department responded to the sce

surrey-police-ask-for-public-help-to-find-missing-84-year-old-man

CanadaNov 17, 2025

Surrey police ask for public help to find missing 84-year-old man

Surrey Police Service is asking the public for help to locate 84-year-old Won Kil Kim, who has been missing since early Sunday morning. Police say he was last seen around 7 a.m. on November 16 in the 10300 block of 155A Street in northeast Surrey. Family members told officers Kim had planned to travel to a church in Burnaby before heading to the Grouse Mountain area for a hike, but investigators say it is not clear whether he reached either location. Police note that he may have been carrying two hiking poles, though his clothing is unknown. Kim is described as a Korean man, about five foot fi

Related News

Surrey police ask for public help to find missing 84-year-old man

Surrey police ask for public help to find missing 84-year-old man

Surrey Police Service is asking the public for help to locate 84-year-old Won Kil Kim, who has been missing since early Sunday morning. Police say he was last seen around 7 a.m. on November 16 in the 10300 block of 155A Street in northeast Surrey. Family members told officers Kim had planned to travel to a church in Burnaby before heading to the Grouse Mountain area for a hike, but investigators say it is not clear whether he reached either location. Police note that he may have been carrying two hiking poles, though his clothing is unknown. Kim is described as a Korean man, about five foot fi

Canadian home sales slip year over year in October as economists anticipate stronger activity in 2026

Canadian home sales slip year over year in October as economists anticipate stronger activity in 2026

Canadian home sales were lower last month compared with the previous year, as rising inventories and cautious buyers continued to shape market conditions heading into winter. New figures from the Canadian Real Estate Association show 42,068 residential properties changed hands in October, a 4.3 per cent decline from October 2024. Despite the annual drop, monthly activity inched higher. Sales increased 0.9 per cent from September, marking the sixth monthly gain in seven months. Analysts say that pattern suggests the market may be stabilizing after several years of volatility driven by interest

Canada’s inflation rate eases to 2.2 percent in October as fuel and food costs decline

Canada’s inflation rate eases to 2.2 percent in October as fuel and food costs decline

Canada’s inflation rate slowed to 2.2 percent in October, with Statistics Canada reporting that lower gasoline and grocery prices played a leading role in easing overall consumer costs. The agency says fuel prices dropped more sharply than in September as retailers shifted to less expensive winter fuel blends. Grocery prices also moved downward, falling 0.6 percent from the previous month. Statistics Canada notes that this was the most significant month to month decline in more than five years, offering some relief to households facing persistent affordability pressures. Annual food inflatio

Legals

Journalism code of ethics

© 2021 AKASH Broadcasting Inc.

MANAGED BY STRATWIT

useful links

Accessibility Plan

BC Children's Hospital