The latest novel coronavirus news from Canada and around the world Wednesday (this file will be updated throughout the day):

10:40 p.m.: Ottawa reports its first death related to COVID-19, bringing Ontario’s death toll to 13. The man who was in his 90s was living at home and had no history of travel, according to a press release.

8:55 p.m.: The Ministry of Education has asked school boards to use the next two weeks to develop a curriculum for an extended school closure. The TDSB plans include exploring ways to provide student access to devices and the internet, accommodating different types of learners, students with special needs, and English-language learners as well as programming for adult and continuing education students. The TDSB is also providing online resources and outreach to students and families regarding mental health and well-being.

Meanwhile, Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health has called on all school boards to close all playgrounds, sports fields and basketball and tennis courts, until further notice to limit public congregation and reduce the spread of COVID-19.

8:05 p.m.: Two million Canadian workers have been laid off or are at “immediate risk” of layoff as a result of the public health measures to combat COVID-19, according to an analysis of employment data by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

Toronto alone could have 260,564 newly unemployed people — translating into an unemployment rate of 12.4 per cent, up from 5.4 per cent in February. Ontario, meanwhile, could have 564,174 newly unemployed people.

6:42 p.m.: Two residents of a city-run long-term care home, have died after contracting COVID-19. Toronto’s medical officer of health said of the 249 residents at Seven Oaks, nine are confirmed to have the virus and four others are “presumed” cases. There are also four staff confirmed positive for COVID-19.

There were 319 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Toronto, de Villa said — an increase of 39 cases from Tuesday. Of those, 22 patients were hospitalized. And 16 per cent of all cases can be attributed to community spread, she said.

6:15 p.m.: Toronto Police relax rush-hour parking rules during a state of emergency in the city effective immediately, after reports of people being towed while trying to make deliveries and pick up essentials.

4:36 p.m.: The British Columbia government is suspending evictions and offering a $500 monthly rebate to help renters and landlords during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Premier John Horgan says the government is also imposing a freeze on rent increases.

4:36 p.m.: Quebec Premier Francois Legault said Wednesday as the province’s death toll from COVID-19 rose to six from four.

The two new deaths were people “of an advanced age” and one was travel-related, the province’s director of public health said.

The number of cases in the province rose to 1,339 on Wednesday, up 326 from the day before. Seventy-eight people were in hospital, and 35 in intensive care. More than 1,000 new cases have been detected since Sunday.

4:25 p.m.: Prince Edward Island’s chief health officer says the province has recorded two new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number on the island to five.

Dr. Heather Morrison said today the two new cases are from men in their 30s who had returned home from separate international trips. Both men are in good health with mild symptoms, she said.

Morrison says all five positive cases in PEI have originated from people who had travelled internationally.

PEI has so far conducted 539 tests for COVID-19, with five positive and 326 negative results, and 208 results pending.

4:16 p.m.: Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Health is reporting 14 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the confirmed total in the province to 86.

It says there are four cases of the virus that have led to hospitalization.

As previously reported, the ministry says four of the 86 cases are linked to community transmission while the rest are travel-related.

4:14 p.m. Canada will spend millions to help the world’s most desperate people fight COVID-19 because it is in the country’s long-term security interest as well as being the right thing to do, says International Development Minister Karina Gould.

Gould says that’s why Canada has earmarked $50 million, part of its response to today’s launch of the United Nations COVID-19 humanitarian response plan, targeting the spread of the virus in South America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

In an interview with The Canadian Press, Gould rebutted criticism in some quarters that the government ought to be focusing instead on Canadians hunkering down at home to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus.

“The world is connected ... Whatever happens over there, far away, is something that can very easily come to our doorstep,” she said.

4:06 p.m. Ontario is introducing a $17-billion package to support the health sector, people and businesses through the COVID-19 outbreak.

New spending includes a $1-billion pandemic contingency fund, nearly $1 billion more for hospitals, and $75 million for more personal protective equipment for front-line workers.

Measures also include a one-time payment for parents of $200 per child 12 years old and under, doubling payments for low-income seniors and suspending student loan payments for six months.

The plan includes both new spending and tax deferrals and will be a major hit to Ontario’s bottom line, pushing the current $9-billion deficit to $20.5 billion next year.

Finance Minister Rod Phillips says COVID-19 is an extraordinary threat to the health and economy of Ontario and it demands an extraordinary response.

Phillips was originally scheduled to introduce a full budget today, but instead is tabling a one-year fiscal outlook in light of the global pandemic’s impact on the economy.

4 p.m.: The Saskatchewan government is tightening up its restrictions on public gatherings over COVID-19.

It announced starting Thursday the limits on public and private crowds were dropping from no more than 25 to no more than 10 people.

The province is also prohibiting non-essential businesses from being open to the public.

It says even though retail stores won’t be allowed to have customers inside, they can offer pick-up and delivery services.

3:45 p.m.: The Manitoba government is reaching out to the private sector for COVID-19 related medical supplies such as ventilators, masks and swabs.

Health Minister Cameron Friesen says a new online portal will ask businesses to provide existing equipment or manufacture it for the government.

Friesen says there is no shortage of equipment currently but the need for supplies will rise in the coming days and weeks.

The province is also setting up a new medicare tariff that will let doctors change the same fee for a virtual patient consultation as an in-person one.

The move is aimed at helping people get medical care without having to meet their doctor face-to-face.

3:50 p.m.: Toronto’s medical officer of health Dr. Eileen de Villa says there are three new confirmed deaths in the city as a result of COVID-19 — an elderly man with pre-existing health conditions tested at North York General Hospital and two residents of the city-run Seven Oaks long-term care home in Scarborough where a resident was earlier reported to have tested positive.

3:30 p.m.: The City of Toronto is closing all playgrounds and park amenities to help slow the spread of COVID-19, Mayor John Tory announced. The list of closures include: city-owned playgrounds, sports fields, basketball and tennis courts, off-leash dog parks, skateboard and BMX parks, picnic areas, outdoor exercise equipment and other parks amenities, as well as parking lots attached to its parks system. In a news release, the city announced: “Where fencing or gates exists, they will be locked. Unfenced playground structures will be signed and taped off. Parks green spaces will remain accessible, but all amenities within City parks will be closed.”

“Violations of municipal bylaws related to accessing a closed, City-owned parks amenity vary depending on the offence, but can result in fines of up to $5,000. Residents with concerns can call 311.”

3:05 p.m.: Dr. Barbara Yaffe, associate medical officer of health for Toronto Public Health, says 40 people with COVID-19 in the province are in hospital, 17 of them are in ICU and 15 are on ventillators. This is more than triple the number on ventilators last Friday.

Yaffe says the latest to die was a man in their 80s, a resident at Ina Grafton Gage Village retirement home in St. Catharines. He died 11 days after he was confirmed to have COVID-19. The St. Catharines Standard reported that he was 84 years old and the first person to die in Niagara.

2:42 p.m.: The Supreme Court of Canada is delaying more hearings. The top court says cases scheduled to be heard in March, April and May will now be postponed at least until June.

Previously, the Supreme Court had just postponed hearings for this month. The court says it will continue to issue judgements on applications for leave and on appeal for the time being.

2 p.m.: The number of COVID-19 cases in Yukon has increased by one, to a total of three in the territory.

Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Brendan Hanley says the third case is related to travel outside Yukon, the patient is doing well at home and health officials have begun tracing anyone who may have had contact with the person.

Starting Thursday, Hanley says all non-urgent and routine services will be suspended at Yukon hospitals as the territory works to halt the spread of the respiratory virus.

1:40 p.m.: New Brunswick has diagnosed eight more cases of COVID-19, bringing the provincial total to 26.

Dr. Jennifer Russell, chief medical officer of health, says all the new cases are travel-related or close contacts to people who travelled.

She says more than 1,700 tests have been conducted so far.

1:25 p.m.: Quebec Premier Francois Legault says two more people have died of COVID-19, bringing the total number of deaths in the province to six. The province currently has 1,339 cases, which is an increase of 326 over yesterday’s total.

Seventy-eight people are in hospital, including 35 in intensive care. Legault says the test results are nevertheless encouraging because the number of positive cases remains relatively low compared to the number of tests taken.

1:24 p.m.: University of Toronto cancels spring convocation ceremonies amid COVID-19 pandemic. “It is clear that it would have been impossible to hold such large gatherings in person,” the school said in a statement. “This is a special time of year for the university community and this decision saddens us. Graduates will still receive their degrees, and parchments will be sent to them by mail.”

1:15 p.m.: The Liberal Member of Parliament for Brampton West says she has tested positive for COVID-19, the first MP to reveal that she’s been infected by the virus. Kamal Khera found out she tested positive Tuesday night.

1 p.m.: There are 32 more presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 in Newfoundland and Labrador. The total of presumptive and confirmed cases in the province is now 67, with cases reported in all four health authorities.

Chief medical officer Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says the ages of people diagnosed range from eight to 78 and says all the individuals are currently at home.

Fitzgerald says 44 of the cases are linked to Caul’s Funeral Home in St. John’s, where a person diagnosed with the illness attended services between March 15 and 17. She says anyone who attended services during those dates must self-isolate until April 1.

12:20 p.m.: The federal government is enacting measures in the Quarantine Act to make 14-day self isolation mandatory for all travellers who have returned to Canada. People who show coronavirus symptoms upon arriving in Canada will be forbidden from using public transit to travel to where they intend to isolate, and can’t serve out their 14 days in a place where they’d be in contact with vulnerable people.

The formal quarantines come with the potential for fines or even arrests for people violating them. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland says the government has been urgently advising people to self-isolate. But she says a decision has been taken that it must be mandatory in order to curb the spread of COVID-19.

12:20 p.m.: Canada’s chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam says Canadians are getting the message that donating blood is safe. Tam told the Senate today that both Canadian Blood Services and Hema-Quebec have put “amazing” systems in place to screen donors for symptoms of COVID-19 before allowing them into the blood donation centres.

12:18 p.m.: Manitoba health officials are reporting a sharp spike in COVID-19 cases. Dr. Brent Roussin, the province’s chief public health officer, says there are 14 new cases, bringing the total to 35. He says one Winnipeg woman in her 60s is in intensive care in hospital.

12:17 p.m.: Nova Scotia is reporting 17 new cases of COVID-19 for a total of 68 confirmed cases. The cases are travel-related or connected to earlier reported cases, with several of the new cases connected to groups or families who have returned to Nova Scotia following travel outside of Canada.

None of the cases are from spread within the community. The 68 individuals affected range in age from under 10 to mid-70’s.

12:14 p.m.: The deputy chief public health officer says 142,000 people in Canada have now been tested for COVID-19. Dr. Howard Njoo says that’s an increase over more than 20,000 since yesterday.

He says more cases in Canada are now linked to community transmission than travel. But he says everything must still be done to reduce travel-related outbreaks.

12 p.m.: Canada Goose has announced that they’ll be producing medical gear for frontline healthcare workers and patients across Canada in the fight against COVID-19. “The company will begin making scrubs and patient gowns, which are in short supply across the country, and will begin distributing them to hospitals next week.”

11:36 a.m.: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his wife Sophie is feeling much better after contracting the COVID-19 virus on a trip to the U.K. earlier this month.

The Trudeaus, including the prime minister, have been in isolation since she was diagnosed two weeks ago.

The required 14-day isolation period for them is now over, and Trudeau says he and his children are still symptom free.

But he says they’ll continue to follow public health protocols, though did not specify whether that means he’ll emerge from self-isolation.

11:30 a.m.: The federal government will announce financial support today for Canadian media outlets to assist in coverage of the COVID-19 crisis.

Trudeau says Canadians are depending on news outlets to get the latest information on the spread of the virus.

Facing collapsing advertising, one large newspaper chain in Atlantic Canada has already closed numerous publications and combined others, laying off hundreds of people.

Trudeau says more details will be provided by the federal heritage minister later.

11:25 a.m.: Trudeau says new federal benefits for those losing income due to COVID-19 will be in people’s pockets within 10 days of their applications.

He says the government has redeployed thousands of civil servants to work on the benefits package so the funds can flow to people as soon as possible.

11:20 a.m.: “Help is on the way,” Trudeau says in announcing the emergency response benefit that will provide $2,000 a month for four months for people who have lost their income because of COVID-19. The Canada Emergency Response Benefit combines two benefits announced last week to streamline application process.

Trudeau says one million people applied for EI last week and urges Senate to quickly pass bill that the Commons approved earlier this morning.

10:50 a.m.: Among the 100 new patients in Ontario, 31 were missing any kind of information. Among those who got infected while travelling, destinations listed include United States, U.K., Egypt and Peru. Five of the new patients are in hospital, including a woman in her 20s in Peel.

10:45 a.m.: In its latest report, Ontario said that 35,635 patients have been tested, with 24,458 negative and 10,489 under investigation. Eight are listed as resolved, a patient who is no longer infectious based on two consecutive negative tests at least 24 hours apart.

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10:35 a.m.: Ontario reports 100 more COVID-19 cases, bringing the provincial total to 688. It’s the biggest one-day increase in Ontario since the outbreak began. The province also reports that nine people have died, one more than last night.

10:20 a.m.: Canada’s main stock index posted a triple-digit advance at the start of trading, adding to gains Tuesday that saw it advance more than 1,000 points or nearly 12 per cent. The S&P/TSX composite index was up 206.47 points at 12,777.55.

10 a.m.: Global Affairs Canada says 93 loans have been approved under the Emergency Loan Program, which offers up to $5,000 per person to Canadians who are stranded abroad and need financial help.

Another 380 applications are being processed right now.

As well the first in a series of flights bringing Canadians home from Peru left Lima this morning and additional flights are in the works in eight other countries including Ukraine and Morocco.

Canada is giving priority to places where there are no or very limited commercial options for flights, and where there are a “critical mass” of Canadians trying to get out.

9:45 a.m.: Leon’s Furniture Ltd. is laying off 3,900 employees or about half its total current workforce as it deals with the COVID-19 pandemic.

9:38 a.m.: Stocks are opening higher on Wall Street after Congress and the White House reached a deal to inject nearly $2 trillion of aid into an economy ravaged by the coronavirus. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose two per cent. The gains came a day after the Dow had its biggest percentage gain since 1933.

9 a.m.: A woman was arrested in Newfoundland on Tuesday for violating public health emergency orders enacted by the provincial government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Const. James Cadigan says The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary responded to complaints that a woman in Corner Brook had arrived in the province and was not self-isolating for 14 days.

He says officers spoke with her about the measures and later made an arrest due to non-compliance or orders issued under the province’s Public Health Protection and Promotion Act.

She was held in custody overnight to appear in provincial court this morning. Individuals breaching the orders could be fined between $500 and $2,500 and could face jail sentences of up to six months.

8:05 a.m.: A bus driver in Brampton has tested positive for COVID-19, the City of Brampton reported Wednesday.

“This is Brampton Transit’s first confirmed case,” the city said in a news release after midnight. “The operator confirmed to Brampton Transit that they had tested positive for COVID-19 late (Monday) evening. Our team has been in touch with this operator who is self-isolating at home.”

8 a.m. The death toll in Spain from the coronavirus shot up by more than 700 on Wednesday, surpassing China and is now second only to Italy as the pandemic spread rapidly in Europe.

Spain recorded a record daily increase of 738 deaths, pushing it to 3,434 overall and past China’s 3,285, the Ministry of Health said. The country’s infections rose by 20 per cent to 47,610, and more than 5,000 have recovered.

7:45 a.m.: Indians struggled to comply with the world’s largest coronavirus lockdown on Wednesday as the government began the gargantuan task of keeping 1.3 billion people indoors.

Official assurances that essentials wouldn’t run out clashed with people’s fears that the disease toll could soon worsen, gutting food and other critical supplies.

In five days, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, has jumped from about 200 to 519, and experts say the real toll is likely to be much higher because of insufficient testing.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a three-week countrywide lockdown covering nearly one-fifth of the world’s population “to save India and Indians.”

6:48 a.m.: Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne, has tested positive for the new coronavirus.

The prince’s Clarence House office says the 71-year-old is showing mild symptoms of COVID-19 and is self-isolating at a royal estate in Scotland.

It says his wife Camilla has tested negative.

The palace says Charles “has been displaying mild symptoms but otherwise remains in good health and has been working from home throughout the last few days as usual.”

6:30 a.m.: The government house leader says the House of Commons has adopted emergency legislation for up to $82 billion in relief for Canadians impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak.

Pablo Rodriguez says it’s now up to the Senate to approve the bill.

The bill will deliver financial aid and tax deferrals to individuals and businesses hit by the economic impact of the outbreak.

6:10 a.m.: A new poll from the Angus Reid Institute shows 44 per cent of Canadians reported that they or someone in their house had lost work because of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Another 18 per cent of Canadians polled said they expected to lose work in the near future.

More than half the people who had lost work said they were not being otherwise compensated by their employer and the same amount said that applying for employment insurance had been a difficult process.

4:01 a.m.: There are 2,780 confirmed and presumptive cases in Canada.

Quebec: 1,013 confirmed (including 4 deaths, 1 resolved)

British Columbia: 617 confirmed (including 13 deaths, 173 resolved)

Ontario: 588 confirmed (including 7 deaths, 8 resolved)

Alberta: 358 confirmed (including 2 deaths)

Saskatchewan: 72 confirmed

Nova Scotia: 51 confirmed

Newfoundland and Labrador: 4 confirmed, 20 presumptive

Manitoba: 11 confirmed, 10 presumptive

New Brunswick: 17 confirmed

Canadians quarantined at CFB Trenton: 13 confirmed

Prince Edward Island: 3 confirmed

The Territories: 3 confirmed

Total: 2780 (30 presumptive, 2750 confirmed including 26 deaths, 182 resolved)

4 a.m.: The international development minister says Canada will spend millions to help the world’s most desperate people fight COVID-19

Karina Gould says it is in the country’s long-term security interest as well as being the right thing to do.

Gould says Canada has earmarked $50 million, which is part of its response to today’s launch of the United Nations COVID-19 humanitarian response plan.

4 a.m.: Residential tenants and landlords face a dilemma as rent comes due on April 1.

Advocacy groups for both landlords and tenants are calling on the federal and provincial governments to offer some kind of relief before the first of April.

Geordie Dent, the executive director of Toronto’s Federation of Metro Tenants Associations, says employment insurance applications are even higher than during the 2008 financial crisis.

On Tuesday, Manitoba’s government suspended any rent increases starting April 1 in response to the economic fallout from COVID-19.

The province joined others including Ontario, Quebec and Prince Edward Island in halting all non-urgent hearings before their landlord-tenant tribunals, effectively banning any evictions resulting from non-payment of rent.

3:35 a.m.: The government has won unanimous consent to quickly pass emergency legislation to free up $82 billion to help Canadians weather the COVID-19 crisis.

After a day of tense negotiations, MPs began debating the bill in the wee hours of morning, with a vote planned within a couple of hours.

3 a.m.: Members of Parliament are close to voting on a deal that would see a unanimous approval for a COVID-19 bill delivering 82-billion-dollars in financial aid and tax deferrals to individuals and businesses.

The government House leader Pablo Rodriguez has tweeted that they were heading back to the House.

Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer also tweeted that they had received the government’s offer.

Negotiations over the language of the bill continued late Tuesday night and overflowing into early Wednesday.

The bill only needs one party’s support to pass the Commons eventually but it needs the support of every MP present to be put through on an expedited one-day schedule.

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