National News

OTTAWA — Saskatchewan's premier says First Nations are receiving mixed messages after Canada's Indigenous services minister said sacred ceremonies would be allowed to continue despite restrictions put in place due to COVID-19.

TORONTO — Ontarians will be able to go shopping, play tennis and take their pets to the vet next week, but they should still avoid visiting friends and family, Premier Doug Ford announced Thursday.

Alberta's relaunch of its COVID-compromised economy Thursday was busy in some spots, slow in others and overshadowed by different rules for different communities.

OTTAWA — Financial markets are showing signs of concern about the how well companies can weather the COVID-19 economic crisis, the Bank of Canada said in a report outlining issues the pandemic is having on business and household debt.

EDMONTON — A landmark environmental agreement that helped close the ozone hole in the 1990s has led to new chemical contaminants forming in the atmosphere and accumulating on land.

OTTAWA — Canada's trade minister is thanking the departing head of the World Trade Organization for his help trying the reform the troubled referee for global trade.

MONTREAL — For the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Quebec Premier Francois Legault visited Montreal on Thursday, to announce the province recorded 131 new deaths linked to the virus — 91 of them in the hard-hit city.

HALIFAX — A stance by Nova Scotia's premier that his province would only play a support role if a public inquiry is called into a shooting rampage that took 22 lives is puzzling to some legal experts.

OTTAWA — A large number of Canada's national parks and historic sites will partly reopen for daytime visitors next month but Canadians should plan to go only to those fairly close to home, Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said Thursday.

OTTAWA — Canadian fish harvesters welcomed the announcement Thursday of $469 million in federal support for the sector during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying they're watching closely for clarity as fishing seasons open across the country.