COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the US and India but the numbers for BC are being tackled. BC Health Minister Adrian Dix worried about the jump in cases in certain US states. Worldwide there have been 7.1 million cases of the new coronvirus.
Virtual sittings of the House of Commons and parliamentary committees are causing headaches for interpreters — literally. Coping with iffy audio quality, occasional feedback loops, new technology and MPs who speak too quickly has resulted in a steep increase in interpreters reporting workplace injuries, according to the union that represents some 70 accredited interpreters who translate English into French and vice versa.
Conservative leadership hopeful Peter MacKay is calling for use of the Magnitsky Act if specific individuals in China can be identified as having suppressed information related to COVID-19 A full inquiry, perhaps an international one, into how the novel coronavirus turned into a pandemic is required, MacKay told supporters.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says it's a fundamental principle of life in Canada that no one should have to go to work if they don't feel safe doing so. Trudeau made the comments today as the country confronted some of the worst unemployment numbers in history — nearly two million jobs lost last month and an unemployment rate of 13 per cent.
Metro Vancouver's transportation authority has reversed its plans to cut service and rescinded layoff notices to 1,500 people as it works out an emergency funding plan with the provincial government. Translink and the province say in a joint news release that they are working on a comprehensive solution to address the financial impact on the service because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government's emergency wage-subsidy program will be extended beyond its early-June endpoint. The program covers 75 per cent of worker pay up to $847 a week to try to help employers keep employees on the job in the face of steep declines in revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
British Columbia Finance Minister Carole James says she doesn't want to sugar coat what will be a hard road ahead as labour force figures show the province lost a quarter of a million jobs in April. Combined with jobless figures in March, almost 400,000 people were unemployed.
