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9:05 a.m.

How the Habs are coping

With the NHL season and entry draft, scheduled for June in Montreal, suspended because of the COVID-19 crisis, Canadiens players have scattered across North America and a few Habs have taken to social media recently to while away some of this unexpected free time.

Read our story here.

Agréable surprise des derniers jours: les joueurs des Canadiens qui se sont joints à TikTok 😂



A pleasant surprise of staying home: Seeing the Habs jump on TikTok



🎥 bgally.11 pic.twitter.com/MTPIFaOdv2 — Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) March 25, 2020

9 a.m.

Montreal rush hour a lot quieter these day

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8:51 a.m.

Ottawa to spend $30M on ads to help media

The federal government announced that it is planning a $30-million COVID-19 awareness advertising campaign and moving closer to implementing long-promised tax credits for newspapers as it seeks to support Canada’s struggling media industry during the pandemic.

Yet the measures were immediately deemed by some as insufficient to deal with the financial pinch that newspapers, broadcasters and other media organizations, many of which were struggling even before COVID-19, are now facing as their advertising revenues evaporate.

Read our story here.

8:47 a.m.

Agriculture sector warns of price hikes, possible food shortages

Canada’s agriculture sector is warning of higher prices and potential food shortages if it isn’t designated an essential service, The Canadian Press is reporting.

Todd Hames, president of the Alberta Wheat Commission, says they have concerns about potential problems.

Hames says railways, the Port of Vancouver and companies that supply fuel and farm implements also need to remain open with spring seeding only weeks away.

He says it’s especially important since there have been delays in getting grain to market due to strikes and rail blockades.

8:38 a.m.

Trudeau, Legault to provide updates today

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault will holding briefings today. Trudeau is to speak at 11:15 a.m. outside his Ottawa residence, while Legault is scheduled for 1 p.m. at the National Assembly in Quebec City.

I’ll live blog the key points here and we’ll post stories about the briefings soon after they begin.

8:35 a.m.

Quebec has the most COVID-19 cases in Canada

Quebec, with about 23 per cent of Canada’s population, had almost 40 per cent of the country’s COVID-19 cases, as of 4 a.m. on Thursday.

There were 3,409 confirmed and presumptive cases in Canada as of that time, The Canadian Press reported.

Here’s the breakdown by province:

Quebec: 1,339 confirmed (including 6 deaths, 1 resolved)

British Columbia: 659 confirmed (including 14 deaths, 173 resolved)

Ontario: 688 confirmed (including 13 deaths, 8 resolved)

Alberta: 419 confirmed (including 2 deaths)

Saskatchewan: 86 confirmed

Nova Scotia: 68 confirmed

Newfoundland and Labrador: 4 confirmed, 63 presumptive

Manitoba: 25 confirmed, 10 presumptive

New Brunswick: 26 confirmed

Canadians quarantined at CFB Trenton: 13 confirmed

Prince Edward Island: 5 confirmed

The territories: 4 confirmed

Total: 3409 (73 presumptive, 3336 confirmed including 35 deaths, 182 resolved)

8:30 a.m.

What’s open and closed in Montreal

We are constantly updating our list of what is open, and mostly what is closed, in Montreal.

8:30 a.m.

Nightly newsletter

Sign up for our email newsletter dedicated to local coronavirus coverage here: montrealgazette.com/coronavirusnews

8:30 a.m.

If you have symptoms

Quebecers who think they have symptoms of COVID-19 should call Quebec’s hotline at 1-877-644-4545.

ariga@postmedia.com