When Patrick Hibbitts saw COVID-19 spreading into Alberta, he knew what to do because he had lived through a similar event a few years before.  In 2016, Hibbitts had to protect his company, YZF Cosmetic & Laser Clinic, from the impact of the Horse River wildfire when it tore through Fort McMurray, destroying more than 2,400 buildings and forcing the evacuation of over 80,000…

Imams, religious scholars and Muslim medical professionals in Canada are divided over whether to suspend the funerary rituals for a Muslim who has died from COVID-19. Under normal circumstances, a deceased Muslim is to be washed, shrouded and a communal prayer performed before a body is interred in a grave in the shortest possible time after…

Until a little more than a month ago, Edmonton family physician Dr. Krystle Kay-Pfau assessed only a handful of patients every week by video conference or over the phone. The Alberta government’s cap on billing for phone appointments was still being enforced and the coronavirus, while a growing public-health concern, had not upended daily life in…

Another dozen or so daycare centres opened up across the province last week for the children of workers deemed essential during the COVID-19 crisis. The province has allowed 190 facilities to reopen, but only 13 offer $25-per-day spots. The reopenings allow children a place to go while their parents work at nearby hospitals, health-care facilities, grocery stores and…

This story is part of The COVID Economy, a CBC News series looking at how the uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic is affecting jobs, manufacturing and business in regions across Canada. This is usually the busiest time of the year inside the factory at Smithbilt Hats as the weather begins to change and people begin to get a…

Two senators from Alberta say they aren’t satisfied with answers they’ve received from the federal government to questions about when help for the energy industry could be on the way. Sen. Doug Black told CBC News he’s asked Finance Minister Bill Morneau twice in recent weeks for a timeline on when a promised support package will…