The latest developments on COVID-19 in Canada

The latest news on the COVID-19 global pandemic (all times eastern):

11:15 p.m.

An employee at a Real Canadian Superstore in Oshawa, Ont., has tested positive for COVID-19.

The store says it is working with local public health authorities to investigate the employee’s recent shifts and direct contacts.

10:52 p.m.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau held a conference call with provincial and territorial leaders this evening.

A federal source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the call publicly, says there was a lengthy discussion about whether the federal government should invoke the Emergencies Act to give itself extraordinary powers to deal with the health crisis.

Justice Minister David Lametti joined the call to explain what the act allows the federal government to do and what the impact could be on provincial measures to curb the spread of COVID-19.

While some premiers want the act invoked, others are concerned that it could impede their efforts to responds to unique circumstances in their provinces.

The federal government continues to consider the Emergencies Act to be a “last resort.”

First ministers also discussed the various measures that the federal, provincial and territorial governments are taking to curb the spread of the virus, and offer financial help to individuals and businesses.

They also talked about potential shortages of critical medical supplies, such as swabs, gowns, masks and ventilators and what Ottawa can do to fill the gaps.

8:30 p.m.

British Columbia politicians unanimously passed legislation today to spend $5 billion to help the province fight the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Members of the legislature’s three parties, including the minority New Democrats, Opposition Liberals and Greens, also passed new employment standards legislation to ensure workers don’t lose their jobs due to the pandemic.

The B.C. legislature has 87 members but the three parties agreed only one dozen members would debate and pass the two bills in a one-day emergency sitting.  

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8 p.m.

Federal Conservative leadership candidate Peter MacKay says an election for party leader should be held as soon as possible.

MacKay, a former cabinet minister and early front-runner in the contest, says the party needs a permanent leader sooner rather than later.

Wednesday marks the deadline for contenders to enter the race, with the election currently scheduled for June 27.

MacKay’s call for a shortened campaign comes after two other candidates on the ballot have called for the contest to be postponed so people can focus on dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

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6:15 p.m.

Alberta now has 42 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total in the province to 301.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s chief medical health officer, says 18 people are in hospital.

She also says 11 of 47 people, many of them physicians, have tested positive for the virus since attending a curling bonspiel in Edmonton earlier this month.

She says some of those doctors returned to work and saw patients before they were notified that they had been exposed.

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5:30 p.m.

Ottawa’s medical officer of health says the public health authority may use cellphone data to find out whether people really are self-isolating.

Dr. Vera Etches says the agency is trying to get a better handle on whether people are following the advice to stay home and away from others.

She says one way to do that is with polling, but they are also looking at ways to use “electronic data” to see if people are congregating in public spaces or moving about.

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4:34 p.m.

Mail delivery has stopped in St. John’s and Mount Pearl in Newfoundland and Labrador after a Canada Post employee tested presumptive positive for COVID-19.

Canada Post says the public health authority in St. John’s confirmed the test.

Employees at Canada Post’s Kenmount Road facility in St. John’s were informed and sent home to await further information.

Mail and parcels will not be delivered today and Canada Post says it will continue to evaluate the situation, with further updates to come.

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4:32 p.m.

Saskatchewan is reporting 14 new cases of COVID-19.

That brings the total number of cases in the province to 66.

All but one case has been confirmed; the other remains presumptive.

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4:30 p.m.

Prince Edward Island has announced stronger measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 and protect the health and safety of Islanders.

Cabinet has empowered the chief public health officer to issue orders under the Public Health Act as needed, including fines to anyone who is not complying with the direction to self-isolate.

There will be a fine of $1,000 for a first offence; $2,000 for a second offence; and $10,000 for a third offence and every offence after that.

Premier Dennis King says the province is at a crucial point in the COVID-19 pandemic and decisions made now will help in the long run.

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4:10 p.m.

Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil says his province will push Ottawa to get banks to defer loan payments owed by businesses.

McNeil also says he will tell the prime minister about Nova Scotia companies such as Stanfields and Michelin that would be able to provide more equipment to hospitals and front-line health workers.

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4:05 p.m.

The British Columbia government says it will provide a tax-free $1,000 payment to people whose jobs have been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.

The B.C. Emergency Benefit for Workers will be a one-time payment for those who receive federal Employment Insurance benefits or the new federal Emergency Care Benefit or Emergency Support Benefit.

It will go to workers who have been laid off, who are sick or quarantined, parents with sick children, parents who stay at home while child-care centres and schools are closed, and those who are caring for other sick family members.

The government says it will continue to provide funding to non-profit agencies and child-care providers, even if they are closed or have had to reduce their hours of operation.

B.C. student loan payments are being frozen for six months.

For businesses, it is also deferring employer health tax payments, delaying a scheduled increase to the provincial carbon tax and cutting the school tax in half.

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4 p.m.

The mayor of Toronto has declared a state of emergency in the city.

John Tory says no new measures are planned immediately, but says the declaration gives him the tools to respond quickly if further steps are needed to limit the spread of COVID-19.

He says, however, that he has been distressed by images of people going about their business as usual and not heeding public health advice to practice social distancing.

Tory says he would like to see city streets looking relatively empty, saying such an image would show that city residents are taking the pandemic seriously.

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3:55 p.m.

New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs says he will be looking for some clarity, particularly on cross border issues, when the prime minister speaks tonight with provincial leaders.

Higgs says the focus has been on the American border, but he would like to see some standardization on closing borders interprovincially.

Higgs says he’s in favour of the prime minister triggering the Emergencies Act.

He says it would start to unify Canada’s approach to dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

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3:30 p.m.

The British Columbia government is spending $5 billion to help support the province’s economy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Premier John Horgan says it is a stressful time for people and businesses, and help is needed now.

Horgan says the province is spending $2.8 billion on people and services, and $2.2 billion on businesses and economic recovery in the future.

Horgan says the plan includes direct payments to people as well as deferment of payments.

He says there will be targeted tax relief and support for renters to make sure no one is evicted because of the novel coronavirus.

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3:25 p.m.

Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart says now is the time to “shut down, stay put, save lives.”

He made the statement in a tweet shortly after Vancouver council held an online meeting to vote unanimously in favour of tough penalties for anyone violating efforts to halt the spread of COVID-19.

Following last week’s declaration of local emergency, council has approved fines of up to $50,000 on businesses and $1,000 for residents who ignore procedures aimed at ensuring social distancing.

During discussion of the motion, the city’s legal adviser told council that police officers and fire fighters would have the authority to issue the fines.

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3:15 p.m.

Health authorities in Nunavut are restricting travel into the territory in an effort to slow the possible spread of COVID-19.

Dr. Michael Patterson, Nunavut’s chief public health officer, says that starting Tuesday at 11:59 p.m., only residents and critical workers will be allowed into the territory.

He says residents will have to show proof of residency to fly in, and undergo 14 days of isolation before boarding their flight.

Critical workers will have to provide written permission from the chief public health officer to be allowed to fly in.

There are currently no confirmed COVID-19 cases in Nunavut.

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2:40 p.m.

No new cases of COVID-19 are reported in New Brunswick today.

Dr. Jennifer Russell, chief medical officer of health, says there are still 17 total cases — confirmed and presumptive — in the province.

The Dr. Georges L. Dumont Hospital in Moncton is now able to confirm test results, meaning the province won’t have to send tests to the national lab for confirmation.

Premier Blaine Higgs says people and businesses need to follow directives on social distancing and self-isolating.

He says officials have checked businesses across the province and the compliance rate is 94 per cent. Higgs says the target is 100 per cent.

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2:25 p.m.

Lawmakers from U.S. states that border Canada are urging President Donald Trump to preserve the flow of essential goods and services between the two countries.

And they want those channels to stay open even if the global pandemic forces more stringent quarantines and travel restrictions in the United States.

New York senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, both Democrats, have written Trump to emphasize the importance of bilateral travel to certain businesses, families and communities, including hospitals and medical equipment providers.

The letter was co-signed by 18 other border-state lawmakers, including Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown.

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2:05 p.m.

Newfoundland and Labrador has announced 15 new presumptive cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases in the province to 24.

Four have been confirmed positive.

Dr. Janice Fitzgerald, the province’s chief medical officer of health, says nine of the new cases are linked to previous cases, two are travel related and the rest are being investigated.

Fitzgerald ordered additional business closures today under the public health emergency declared last week, including non-essential retail stores and spas, hair salons and other aesthetic services.

She ordered restaurants to close in-person dining and prohibited gatherings of more than 10 people, including weddings, wakes and funerals.

Premier Dwight Ball says reports of businesses and people who have breached orders under the public health emergency are being investigated and some people will hear from law enforcement.

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1:30 p.m.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is ordering the closure of all non-essential businesses in the province to help deal with the spread of COVID-19.

He says the order will be effective Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. and will be in place for at least 14 days.

Ford says he will release the list of businesses Tuesday that will be allowed to stay open.

He says food will remain on the grocery store shelves and people will still have access to medication.

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1:25 p.m.

The total number of COVID-19 cases has nearly tripled in Quebec, reaching 628.

Premier Francois Legault says there is reason to believe the novel coronavirus is now being transmitted in the community.

He says all non-essential businesses will be ordered to close no later than midnight Tuesday, adding that grocery stores and pharmacies will be among those allowed to remain open.

The number of cases jumped by 409 since Sunday. There are 45 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Quebec, of whom 20 are in intensive care.

Legault notes that the province is now grouping probable and confirmed cases, which accounts in part for the major increase.

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1:20 p.m.

British Columbia has recorded three more deaths from COVID-19 since Saturday.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says 472 people have now tested positive for the respiratory virus.

She says the three deaths were all related to long-term care facilities, including one in the Lynn Valley care centre in North Vancouver where several other deaths have occurred, and another at a care home in downtown Vancouver.

Henry says of the 472 positive cases, 33 people have been hospitalized and 14 are in intensive care. 

She says 100 people now listed as “recovered” have been released from isolation.

In total, the virus has so far claimed the lives of 13 people in the province.

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1:15 p.m.

Canada’s chief public officer Dr. Theresa Tam is warning against using any medication, including hydroxychloroquine, to try to treat COVID-19 until scientific evidence confirms its efficacy.

The warning follows reports on social media that hydroxychloroquine can cure the respiratory illness.

Among those who have repeated the claim is U.S. President Donald Trump.

Tam says there is a large number of pre-existing medications that scientists are looking at to see whether they can treat COVID-19, but people should not take anything until the results are confirmed.

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11:12

Tam adds that some of the medications have serious side effects that can actually hurt those who take them.

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12:50 p.m.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s phone call with premiers later today will be important for getting a sense of the situation in different provinces and whether the federal government needs to do more.

Freeland was responding to questions about whether the federal government plans to invoke the Emergencies Act this week.

Health Minister Patty Hajdu is also leaving the door open to strict enforcement of social distancing, describing it as “not nice to have,” but absolutely essential.

Chief public health officer Theresa Tam, meanwhile, says more than a dozen people remain in quarantine at CFB Trenton after being evacuated from the Grand Princess cruise ship earlier this month and subsequently testing positive for COVID-19.

Tam also says public-health authorities are continuing “rigorous contact tracing” to identify anyone who comes in contact with a person who has COVID-19.

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12:45 p.m.

Prince Edward Island’s chief public health officer, Dr. Heather Morrison, says there are no new cases of COVID-19 in the province.

There are still just three confirmed cases on P.E.I.

She says 400 tests have been done so far and she wants that to increase in the days ahead.

Morrison again stressed the need for social distancing and self-isolation.

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12:05 p.m.

Ontario says it will provide $200 million in relief funding to food banks, shelters and other emergency services in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The funding aims to help municipalities and other providers deliver services and hire additional staff to help their clients.

The province says local municipal service managers will be able to allocate the funding where they need it most.

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12:02 p.m.

Manitoba officials are telling people to cancel non-essential travel outside of the province as another case of COVID-19 is confirmed.

Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba’s chief provincial public health officer, says anyone who returns from travel, either international or domestic, should self-isolate for 14 days.

The latest case is a man in his 50s from Winnipeg and it is believed to be travel-related.

Roussin said one other probable case has been found not to be the novel coronavirus.

There are a total of 20 confirmed and presumptive cases of the virus in Manitoba.

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12 p.m.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is announcing multiple new flights to bring home Canadians who have been stranded abroad due to the novel coronavirus.

Trudeau says Air Canada, Air Transat, WestJet and Sunwing airlines all have flights planned this week.

The government announced earlier today there would be three new Air Canada flights to bring Canadians back from Peru, which has otherwise closed its airspace.

Trudeau says two more Air Canada flights are confirmed to reach Canadians in Morocco in the coming days.

Trudeau says an Air Canada flight to Spain is also confirmed, while Air Transat has been cleared for two flights to Honduras and one each to Ecuador, El Salvador and Guatemala.

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11:53 a.m.

Alberta is prioritizing who will be tested for COVID-19.

Groups at the greatest risk of local exposure and people in high-risk populations are to receive tests first if they show symptoms.

Included will be people in hospital with respiratory illness, residents in continuing care homes and travellers who returned from abroad between March 8th and March 12th before self-isolation was required.

Health-care workers who have respiratory symptoms will also receive priority.

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11:30 a.m.

Thirteen new cases of COVID-19 have been identified in Nova Scotia, bringing the province’s total to 41.

The new cases were confirmed yesterday and announced this morning.

The province says the cases are related to travel or to earlier reported cases.

It says the 41 individuals affected range in age from under 10 to mid-70s.

At this point, there has been no evidence of spread within communities.

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11:25 a.m.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government is planning to invest $192 million to help create and produce vaccines for COVID-19.

The money will be distributed to a number of different companies and universities in the drive to find a way to stop the illness’s spread.

The federal government is also unveiling advertisements to hammer home the importance of social distancing.

The move is in response to concerns some people are continuing to ignore calls for distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Trudeau says the government will take whatever steps are needed to get people to comply, including enforcement.

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11:20 a.m.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the Canadian Olympic Committee made the right decision in announcing Canadian athletes will not go to the Tokyo Olympics or Paralympics if they start on the scheduled date in July.

Trudeau says the move is heartbreaking for athletes, coaches, staff and fans, but feels it’s the right call in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak.

He called on all Canadians to follow the lead of the COC.

The Tokyo Olympics are scheduled to start July 24.

The International Olympic Committee announced Sunday that it will make a decision on if the Games are postponed in the next four weeks.

Later Sunday night, the COC announced Canada would not go if the Olympics start at the scheduled date.

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10:55 a.m.

The host of a flagship current affairs show on Ontario’s public broadcaster says the network is shutting down its headquarters for the day after an employee tested positive for COVID-19.

Steve Paikin, the host of TVO’s “The Agenda,” says in a tweet that the network’s offices in midtown Toronto — including the TV control room — need to be sanitized.

He says a repeat episode of “The Agenda” will air tonight as a result.

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10:50 a.m.

Ontario is reporting 78 new COVID-19 cases today, bringing the provincial total to 503.

It’s the largest increase in a day so far.

The total includes six deaths and eight cases that have fully resolved.

At least six of the new cases are hospitalized.

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10:30 a.m.

Just 12 members of the British Columbia legislature will be present this afternoon as the sitting resumes in Victoria to consider what the New Democrat government says is urgent legislation related to COVID-19.

NDP, Green and Liberal representatives approved plans for the scaled-down sitting to meet social distancing requirements, although the proceedings will be broadcast online and via legislative TV.

The handful of politicians are expected to enact amendments to the Employment Standards Act, intended to provide greater protection for B.C. workers whose jobs are at risk because of the global pandemic.

B.C. declared a state of emergency last week to support its response to COVID-19.

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10 a.m.

Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says it won’t be possible for the government to repatriate all Canadians stranded abroad due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In an interview with CBC’s The Current this morning, Champagne says the challenges the government faces are unprecedented with airport and airspace closures, border closures and the fact some countries have imposed martial law.

He says Global Affairs Canada has had 10,000 calls and 14,000 emails in the last 48 hours.

Earlier today, the minister said on Twitter that the government has arranged for three new flights to bring stranded Canadians home from Peru.

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9:05 a.m.

Anyone who ignores Vancouver’s state of local emergency declaration could receive a ticket and stiff fine if city council approves a recommendation supporting enhanced powers to enforce it.

Council votes later today on the recommendation that would immediately impose fines of up to $50,000 on businesses violating the declaration.

If approved, bylaw officers would also have the power to hand out $1,000 tickets to anyone not honouring social distancing requirements to stay at least one metre apart.

Vancouver declared a state of local emergency last week and did not include violation penalties in anticipation of compliance, but Mayor Kennedy Stewart says that didn’t happen, prompting the call for stricter measures.

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9 a.m.

Ottawa says arrangements have been made to help repatriate Canadians stranded in Peru due to COVID-19 related restrictions.

Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says in a tweet that the government has secured authorizations for Air Canada to operate three flights from that country this week.

The minister is urging Canadians in Peru to register with the federal government so they can receive further information.

Champagne said Saturday that negotiations are also underway with other countries that have closed airspace and borders to try to get Canadians out.

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7:55 a.m.

Canadian Blood Services says it’s concerned that the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a spike in cancellations for blood donation appointments in several cities.

The organization, which is responsible for the national blood system outside Quebec, says it’s safe for those who aren’t ill to give blood.

The agency says those who have been told by public health authorities to self-quarantine, or who live with a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19, are also barred from donating for 14 days after their last contact with the infected, or potentially infected, person.

It says Canada’s blood inventory is currently strong but the cancellations are worrying given that shortages have been reported in other countries affected by the novel coronavirus.

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7:30 a.m.

Transat AT Inc. says it has temporarily laid off about 70 per cent of its workforce in Canada, about 3,600 people.

The decision comes as non-essential travel around the world comes to a standstill as governments close borders in an effort to slow the COVID-19 pandemic.

Transat says some of these layoffs are effective immediately, while others will take effect following advance notice of up to one month.

The layoffs include all flight crew personnel.

The company says the final Air Transat flight prior to the full suspension of its operations is scheduled for April 1.

Transat says operations are being stopped gradually in order to enable it to repatriate as many of its customers as possible to their home countries.

The Canadian Press