National News

Officials expressed growing concern Wednesday over highly transmissible new COVID-19 variants taking hold in Canada's biggest cities and in First Nation reserves across the country.

The latest numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Canada as of 7:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021. There are 834,182 confirmed cases in Canada. _ Canada: 834,182 confirmed cases (32,986 active, 779,761 resolved, 21,435 deaths).

OTTAWA — Senators overwhelmingly approved Wednesday a bill to expand access to medical assistance in dying with amendments that would relax access even more than proposed by the government.

EDMONTON — Lawyers have told a jury that a man lied numerous times after finding a woman's body in the bathtub of his Edmonton hotel room, because he either wanted to cover up the sexual assault that killed her or he was in shock.

The latest developments on the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada (all times eastern): 6:45 p.m. British Columbia is reporting 427 new COVID-19 cases today, bringing the total recorded since the pandemic began to 74,710.

REGINA — RCMP in Saskatchewan have charged the leader of the Canadian Nationalist Party with wilfully promoting hate against Jewish people.

VANCOUVER — A judge has dismissed the British Columbia government's application for an injunction against three Fraser Valley churches that are breaking COVID-19 rules that prohibit in-person services, though he agreed the public will likely face wha

OTTAWA — The voice of Canada's legal profession says security, privacy and access to justice should be preserved as the courts modernize through expanded use of technology.

OTTAWA — Health Canada is not yet ready to make a decision about approving the COVID-19 vaccine from AstraZeneca, more than two weeks after it signalled the ruling could be imminent.

PORT HAWKESBURY, N.S.