The latest developments on COVID-19 in Canada

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This article was published 18/04/2020 (1713 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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

2:10 p.m.

B.C. police and enforcement officers will start issuing $2,000 tickets for price gouging and reselling essential supplies during the COVID-19 state of emergency.

The province’s minister of public safety and solicitor general says the measures are effective immediately through powers under the Emergency Program Act.

Mike Farnworth says Consumer Protection BC has already received more than 800 complaints about these types of practices.

He says all these complaints will be investigated.

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2:10 p.m.

Two more people have died from COVID-19 at a Halifax long-term care home.

Five people have now died during the crisis at Northwood Manor.

Nine people in Nova Scotia have died from the illness.

The province also announced 26 new cases today, bringing the province’s total to 675.

Two-hundred people have recovered.

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2:05 p.m.

Newfoundland and Labrador reported no new cases of COVID-19 today.

The province has confirmed 257 cases of the illness and 191 people have recovered.

Six people are in the hospital and three in intensive care.

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2:05 p.m.

There are no new cases of COVID-19 in New Brunswick today.

A government news release says 92 people have recovered from the illness. The province has had 118 total cases.

Dr. Jennifer Russell, chief medical officer of health, says the slow growth in case numbers is encouraging, but it’s too early to let up on preventive efforts.

Premier Blaine Higgs says he is proud of how most people have followed public health directives and done their part to slow the spread.

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2 p.m.

Quebec is reporting 72 new deaths linked to COVID-19, bringing the province’s total to 877.

There were also 836 more cases, for a total of 18,357.

Provincial data shows that most of the deaths occurred in long-term care homes, some of which have dozens of residents infected.

The government says 3,555 people have recovered.

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12 p.m.

Negotiations around re-opening the House of Commons are going down to the wire.

Members of Parliament from across Canada are expected to return to their seats tomorrow unless the Liberal government and Opposition parties can agree on an alternative arrangement.

The Liberals have proposed one in-person sitting with a limited number of MPs per week bolstered by a virtual sitting to prevent COVID-19 from spreading among MPs and Parliament Hill staff.

But Andrew Scheer and his Conservatives are pushing for three in-person sittings per week to hold government accountable for its pandemic response.

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11 a.m.

Ontario is reporting 568 more cases of COVID-19 today and 39 more deaths related to the virus.

There are now a total of 10,578 cases of the illness and a death toll of 553.

Just under half of all cases are marked as resolved.

There are 809 people in hospital with the coronavirus and 247 of them are in intensive care.