National News

CALGARY — A privacy expert says Alberta's plan to use smartphone technology to enforce quarantines should come with a clear end date and detailed explanation of how data would be handled.

EDMONTON — Albertan Premier Jason Kenney has announced some details about what he calls the province's relaunch strategy. The plan focuses on gradually boosting the economy while preventing a second wave of COVID-19.

The latest numbers of confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases in Canada as of 8:33 p.m. ET on April 8, 2020: There are 19,291 confirmed and presumptive cases in Canada.

TORONTO — Canada's confirmed cases of COVID-19 surged past 19,000 on Wednesday, with more than 500 deaths ascribed to the raging global pandemic as Quebec became the province with the most fatalities attributed to the disease.

Mounties say they're investigating the death of an eight-year-old boy in British Columbia's Interior.

YELLOWKNIFE — The Northwest Territories is creating a squad of public health officers specifically to enforce orders around the COVID-19 pandemic.

OTTAWA — First Nations and Metis leaders say they need more from Ottawa to combat COVID-19 in their communities, including money, assistance with security and help acquiring protective equipment.

OTTAWA — Legislation to enact a massive wage subsidy program is being held up as political parties debate how Parliament should work in the midst of a deadly global pandemic.

A look at some of the top quotes from Wednesday on COVID-19 in Canada: "Job numbers will come out tomorrow. It's going to be a hard day." — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. ——— "Test, test, test, test and don't stop testing.

TORONTO — The shortcomings of Canada's COVID-19 testing strategy came to the fore Wednesday as Ontario's premier admitted to "unacceptable" testing rates, Quebec promised to aggressively root out infections in long-term care homes and Nova Scotia exp