Coronavirus: Everything you need to know in Montreal today
Every day in Canada, a lot of news regarding COVID-19 comes out nationally and locally.
And for now, we will be putting together Montreal and Canada’s top headlines daily to help digest the news in one place.
Throughout the day, you can see all the headlines in real-time here.
Top coronavirus stories for April 21, as of 5 pm ET:
Quebec’s coronavirus-related death toll tops 1,000
The Quebec government revealed the province’s COVID-19-related death toll has topped 1,000 total after announcing 102 new deaths since Monday.
As part of his daily briefings, Premier François Legault updated provincial numbers, stating that Quebec now has 1,041 virus-related deaths, 20,126 known cases, and 1,224 hospitalized patients, 201 of whom are in intensive care.
A total of 151,394 cases have turned up negative throughout Quebec.
Canada’s economic recovery to rebound slower than in the US
Economists predict that Canada’s financial recovery will take longer than the US’s once measures are lifted from the pandemic.
According to TD Bank, in 2020, Canada’s GDP will decline by 7.6% compared to the US which will see a 6.5% decrease — globally, there will be a 4.4% contraction in GDP.
Applications for the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy open next week
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy applications will open next week.
Trudeau said the federal government is launching a calculator on the Canada Revenue Agency website to help businesses calculate what they are covered for through the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy.
Applicants will be able to access the Subsidy starting on Monday, April 27, according to the prime minister.
The 12th edition of Montreal Comiccon has been postponed to next summer
Not even superheroes can overcome the pandemic.
Montreal Comiccon has announced that the 12th edition of the pop culture festival will be postponed to Summer 2021 because of you know what.
“The health and safety of our attendees, guests, volunteers, partners, exhibitors, and employees remain our top priorities,” reads Comiccon’s statement. “We support the measures taken by the government and health authorities to deal with COVID-19 and we hope that together we can overcome this crisis.”
Air Canada temporarily suspends US transborder flights
Air Canada is suspending scheduled transborder service to the United States after April 26 due to an agreement reached between the Canadian and US governments to extend border restrictions for an additional 30 days.
Service is anticipated to resume as of May 22, so long as there are no further governmental restrictions implemented beyond that date.
The airline is also waiving change fees for customers with bookings affected during this time, giving them the opportunity to reschedule their trips without incurring any additional fees.
Oktoberfest 2020 has been cancelled due to coronavirus
Oktoberfest, the largest beer festival in the world, is officially cancelled.
Minister-President of Bavaria, Markus Söder, along with Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter, announced the event’s cancellation in a press conference in the Bavarian State Chancellery on Tuesday.
Reminder: Quebec’s minimum wage will increase next month
While the pandemic has ravaged its way throughout the world’s economy, Quebec’s lowest-paid employees will still be getting a raise, as the minimum wage is set to increase throughout the province.
Originally announced in December 2019, Quebec’s Labour Minister Jean Boulet stated that minimum wage is going up 60 cents an hour, totalling $13.10 per hour, starting on May 1, 2020.
Minimum wage in Quebec is currently $12.50 per hour.