Legislative, Regulatory & Legal

A week after anti-mask groups rode public transit without face coverings to protest new city bylaws requiring them, the CBC those same groups are making "exemption cards" that claim they are medically exempt from wearing face coverings. The Canadian Red Cross told CBC Toronto said the cards contain a version of the organization's emblem that is being used without permission.

Premier Doug Ford said Tuesday his government has a plan to deal a second wave of COVID-19 this fall, a pledge that comes as Ontario's hospitals warn the surge may come as flu season strikes. Ford said he has been consulting with provincial health officials about the plan, but offered no details about how or when it will be announced.

Nearly two weeks after a loosened travel agreement between their provinces came into effect, Atlantic Canadian premiers are not rushing to set a date to welcome visitors from the rest of the country. The Atlantic travel "bubble'' that opened July 3 allows residents of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island to travel between the four provinces without being required to self-isolate for 14 days.

Nova Scotia's auditor general says the COVID-19 pandemic has the potential to raise costs for a health care expansion project that represents the largest capital output in the province's history. Michael Pickup released his second report on the expansion of the Halifax Infirmary and the construction of a community outpatient centre, which has an estimated $2-billion price tag.

The union's primary concern is that province's emergency order suspends collective bargaining

Premier Francois Legault has announced mask-wearing will be mandatory in all indoor public places across Quebec starting Saturday, July 18—just in time for the province's annual construction holiday.

Health minister threatens to reveal salaries in response

The federal government is extending its program to subsidize wages in companies hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic until December, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday. The program is the heart of the government's promise to help Canadians get back to work, even if has to be at a slower pace, as the pandemic wanes.