Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said today there will be a phased-in approach to reopening Canada’s economy as the COVID-19 crisis subsides — but it will be weeks still before business and school shutdowns begin to ease off. During a briefing outside his residence at Rideau Cottage, Trudeau said talks with provinces on resuming economic activity are…

New measures intended to reduce the risk of human-caused wildfires during the COVID-19 pandemic are expected to be imposed by the Alberta government.  Agriculture and Forestry Minister Devin Dreeshen will hold a news conference at 12 p.m. Tuesday to “provide an update on next steps to reduce the risk.”  Dreeshen will be accompanied by Shane Schreiber, the managing director…

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…