The latest developments on COVID-19 in Canada

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

7 p.m.

British Columbia’s public health officer is suggesting walking, running or biking to work during the COVID-19 pandemic rather than getting on a packed train or bus.

Dr. Bonnie Henry says public health officials are working on guidelines to protect people as well as transit workers.

She says 15 people in B.C. have tested positive for the novel coronavirus over the past 24 hours bringing the total to 2,392.

B.C. also reported three more deaths, bringing the death toll to 135.

The number of people who have recovered from COVID-19 is 1,885.

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5:45 p.m.

Alberta is reporting 50 new cases of COVID-19 and one more death due to the illness.

The latest death was of a resident at a continuing-care centre in the Calgary area.

The total number of cases in the province is now at 6,457.

So far, 5,205 people have recovered and 121 have died.

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3:50 p.m.

Saskatchewan is reporting more cases of COVID-19 in the northern area of La Loche.

The province says there are four new cases in the area, along with one in the Regina region.

The government has banned non-essential travel to the northern area because of an outbreak of the illness in and around La Loche.

The province says 210 of its of 582 cases are in the far north.

So far, 398 people have recovered from COVID-19 and six have died.

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3:15 p.m.

Correctional Service Canada reports 343 inmates have tested positive for COVID-19.

Almost all have occurred in two Quebec institutions and one in British Columbia.

Hardest hit has been the Federal Training Centre in Laval, Que., with 148.

The Mission Medium Institution in B.C. has had 120 cases of COVID-19.

Two inmates have died.

At least 88 guards have been infected.

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2:50 p.m.

Manitoba health officials are reporting no new COVID-19 cases for a second day in a row.

There are now 289 cases after a probable case was found to be negative.

Four people remain in hospital and one is in intensive care.

Officials are reminding people to stay home as much as possible especially with a long weekend approaching.

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2:18 p.m.

New Brunswick is reporting no new cases of COVID-19 today, meaning the number of confirmed cases in the province remains 120.

The number of active cases is two and 118 people have recovered.

The two remaining active cases are not in the hospital.

As of today, 19,307 tests have been conducted.

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1:25 p.m.

The Quebec government is putting off reopening schools in the Montreal area until August or September.

Premier Francois Legault says public health conditions for reopening haven’t been met in Montreal, which is the COVID-19 epicentre of the province.

The Montreal area had initially been slated to reopen schools, daycares and businesses on May 25, but now daycare in the region will only reopen June 1 at the earliest while no firm decision has been taken on retail businesses.

Authorities reported an additional 793 new cases of COVID-19 and 131 new deaths today.

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1:10 p.m.

Public Safety Minister Bill Blair says the Canadian Armed Forces has agreed to extend its support to Quebec for 30 more days.

The Canadian military has sent in more than 1,000 members, including most of its medical personnel, to help staff in long-term care homes in Quebec and Ontario that have been hit hard by COVID-19.

Blair said in a tweet today that the extension began Wednesday.

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12:45 p.m.

Newfoundland and Labrador is announcing no new cases of COVID-19 and has now gone one week without a positive case.

The province has confirmed 261 cases of the illness with 248 recoveries and three deaths.

The province is expanding its testing criteria to cover anyone with two or more symptoms including fever, cough, sore throat, loss of appetite, sense of smell or taste and small red or purple spots on hands or feet.

The provincial government also announced a one-time credit on electricity bills that will be dispersed to residential and commercial customers starting in July and waived interest on overdue accounts starting in June.

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12:35 p.m.

Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller says the government will not cancel important ceremonies for First Nations peoples in the face of COVID-19.

He says banning of such ceremonies in the past has been a dark stain on Canada’s history.

He says any such cancellations will be the decision of First Nations leadership who have been provided with public health advice.

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12:30 p.m.

As of May 13, there have been 185 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on First Nations reserves in Canada.

Of those, two people have died and 63 per cent have recovered.

Chief medical officer of Indigenous Services Canada Dr. Tom Wong says the fatality rate is so far less than the rest of Canada.

But numbers are only available for Indigenous peoples living on reserves, and the provinces will need to help in order to get a clearer picture of how the virus is impacting Indigenous people at large.

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12:25 p.m.

The Manitoba government is bolstering the ranks of people who can enforce public health orders during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Premier Brian Pallister says liquor inspectors, park patrol officers, food safety inspectors and others will join the efforts already being made by police and conservation officers.

More than 3,000 people will now help ensure people observe rules such as the 10-person limit on public gatherings.

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12:20 p.m.

Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson says some national parks will be reopened on June 1 in conjunction with provincial parks in their various jurisdictions.

The reopening will not apply to all parks.

Facilities like washrooms and comfort stations will be available, but they will be limited.

Wilkinson says people should not travel to national parks outside their local area.

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12 p.m.

Nova Scotia is reporting two new cases of COVID-19 today, bringing the total to 1,026 confirmed cases.

The province reported no additional deaths, leaving the total at 51.

Three licensed long-term care homes and unlicensed seniors’ facilities in Nova Scotia have active cases of COVID-19.

Northwood in Halifax has 27 residents and 15 staff with active cases, while another facility has one staff member infected and a third facility has one resident infected.

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11:49 a.m.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says rapid tests for COVID-19 that were developed in Ottawa still have not been deployed.

He says there were challenges with the tests, and they’ve been sent back to the company for repair and improvement.

The tests are said to be key for remote communities to avoid long delays in getting test results.

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11:45 a.m.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the government will be instituting new regulations on boating next month.

No pleasure crafts will be allowed to operate in Arctic coastal waters or in coastal regions of northern Quebec and Labrador.

That will not include boats used for essential services.

Meanwhile he says some national parks will partially reopen in June.

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11:36 a.m.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the government is putting extra money into support for Indigenous communities.

During his daily briefing, Trudeau said there will be targeted support for Inuit and Metis students and Indigenous businesses.

He says there will also be funds for support services and shelters for women and children fleeing domestic violence.

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11:30 a.m.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced a benefit for fish harvesters hit financially by the COVID-19 crisis.

The fish harvesters’ benefit will provide 75 per cent of lost revenue up to $10,000 for harvesters who’ve had a 25 per cent drop in income.

The government will also give non-repayable grants of $10,000 for fish harvesters who own their own businesses.

For next year, Trudeau says requirements to apply for employment insurance will be adjusted so harvesters can apply based on last year’s revenues.

The support is expected to cost the government about $470 million.

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10:40 a.m.

Ontario is reporting 258 new cases of COVID-19 today, and 33 more deaths.

That brings Ontario to a total of 21,494 cases, which is a 1.2 per cent increase — the lowest growth rate since early March.

The total includes 1,798 deaths and 16,204 cases that have been resolved, which is now more than 75 per cent of the total.

Hospitalizations increased, though the numbers of people in intensive care and on a ventilator decreased.

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The Canadian Press