12:20 p.m.
Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam says over 576,000 people have now been tested for COVID-19 in Canada.
She says 6.5 per cent of those tests were positive.
Tam says as Canada continues to make progress in slowing the spread, there are bumps in the road that mean the country can't let down its guard.
She says a focus must be placed on stopping outbreaks in places like seniors homes and other places where vulnerable populations live together in close quarters.
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12:10 p.m.
Ontario is expanding COVID-19 testing to every resident and worker in the province's long-term care homes, as nearly 450 residents have died amid growing outbreaks in the facilities.
Provincial health officials have previously resisted calls for such widespread testing of asymptomatic people.
But a new memo from the deputy ministers of health and long-term care, as well as Ontario's chief medical officer of health, tells public health units to immediately develop plans for the broad testing.
As of today, there have been at least 448 deaths in long-term care in Ontario, amid outbreaks at 127 facilities.
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11:50 a.m.
Trudeau says that over the past month about 20,000 Canadians have returned to the country on repatriation flights.
He says he knows there are still Canadians all around the world who still want to come back, and the government continues to work with other countries to make that happen.
All returning Canadians are required to quarantine for 14 days.
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11:30 a.m.
Nova Scotia is reporting two more deaths related to COVID-19, bringing the province's total to 12.
The deaths occurred at the Northwood long-term care home in Halifax.
The province is also reporting 35 new cases of the virus bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 772.
It says 10 licensed long-term care homes and unlicensed seniors' facilities in Nova Scotia are dealing with cases of COVID-19, involving 148 residents and 65 staff.
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11:25 a.m.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is unveiling a $9 billion emergency program aimed at students.
It includes a Canada Emergency Student Benefit worth at least $1250 a month from May to August.
The benefit can be accessed by those in post-secondary school now, headed to post secondary school in September or anyone who graduated after December 2019.
The government is also creating 76,000 job placements for young people in sectors currently dealing with labour shortages.
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10:35 a.m.
Ontario is reporting 510 new cases of COVID-19 today and 37 more deaths.
That brings the total number of cases in the province to 12,245 — a 4.3 per cent increase over Tuesday, which is the lowest growth rate in weeks.
The total also includes 659 deaths and 6,221 cases that have been resolved, which puts the percentage of resolved cases over 50 per cent for the first time.
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8:50 a.m.
The chief of a First Nation in northeastern Alberta says a local curfew has been imposed between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., affecting all members of the Fort Chipewyan, Allison Bay and Doghead reserves.
Chief Archie Waquan of the Mikisew Cree First Nation says he remembers his father's stories about the influenza pandemic of 1918 and he is not going to let COVID-19 devastate his people in the same way.
Waquan says he recognizes there may be opposition to the curfew but he doesn't want a repeat of the Spanish flu outbreak when his father told him the First Nation could not bury its dead fast enough.
The First Nation has no cases of COVID-19 but proactively declared a state of local emergency last month and took other steps to ensure members have access to food and cleaning supplies.
Stay up to date at all Levels of Government
Canada – Federal: Canada.ca/coronavirus
Ontario – Provincial: Ontario.ca/
Toronto – City: Toronto.ca/coronavirus .
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