National News

OTTAWA — New data is painting a stark picture of how the marked slowdown of the immigration system due to the COVID-19 pandemic has affected thousands of lives.

TORONTO — The judge overseeing the van attack trial has begrudgingly granted a request to seal all recordings of interviews the accused had with an American psychiatrist who had warned the videos could incite more violence if made public.

Environmental groups say a new ban on a highly polluting shipping fuel in Arctic waters is full of gaps and Canada should not make use of loopholes in the new regulations for heavy fuel oil.

HALIFAX — Nova Scotia imposed new limits on gatherings across most of Halifax on Friday and New Brunswick moved Saint John into a higher alert level as Atlantic Canada's two biggest provinces tried to stop rising cases of COVID-19.

A police officer shot and killed in the line of duty this week was a joyful, gentle giant who loved his four children dearly, a church leader said Friday as investigators probed the incident that also left a 60-year-old man dead.

OTTAWA — A rapid rise in the number of active COVID-19 cases in First Nations communities on reserve — especially in Alberta and Saskatchewan — likely does not tell the full story due to lack of data, says Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller.

FREDERICTON — The Fredericton man who shot four people, including two police officers, while in the grip of delusions about demons and a pending apocalypse has been found not criminally responsible due to a mental disorder.

MONTREAL — Quebec's anti-corruption police force says it has arrested two people in connection with an alleged fraud scheme at a major Montreal-area English-language school board.

VICTORIA — An unusual duck is fluttering the hearts of birdwatchers on southern Vancouver Island after flying far off course during its migration between Europe or Asia and the waterways of Southeast Asia or Japan.

TORONTO — Canada's process for appointing federal judges is unconstitutional because it is open to partisan political interference, a new lawsuit claims.