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OTTAWA — Canadians should be prepared to live with the reality of COVID-19 for a year or longer, said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday, as small outbreaks will likely persist until a vaccine is found.

But he also expressed hope that the first wave of infections will end in the summer, and gradual steps to reopen the economy can start to happen afterwards.

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His remarks came after federal modelling showed that even under a best-case scenario, with strong public health measures in place, Canada may see 11,000 to 22,000 deaths before the pandemic is over. Under the worst-case scenario with no measures in place, the model showed deaths would easily top 300,000.

Trudeau was speaking on the 103rd anniversary of the start of the Battle of Vimy Ridge, and he called on Canadians to stand “united and strong” once again.

We’re at a fork in the road

“On Vimy Ridge, more than 100 years ago today, thousands of Canadians gave their lives so that our country would know peace,” Trudeau said. “Their legacy lives on in the women and men who continue to step up and serve us in uniform, in our nurses and doctors who put themselves in harm’s way for us all to stay healthy, and in everyone who steps up and asks what they can do for their fellow Canadians.”