The latest news on COVID-19 developments in Canada on Tuesday, June 29, 2021

The latest news on COVID-19 developments in Canada (all times eastern):

5:45 p.m.

Alberta is reporting 61 new cases of COVID-19 and four new deaths.

The province says there are 1,132 active cases and, of those, 771 are the more contagious variants of concern.

There are 170 people in hospital due to the virus, including 36 in intensive care.

Since the pandemic began last year, 2,299 people in Alberta have died of COVID-19.

—

3:35 p.m.

Saskatchewan is reporting 52 new cases of COVID-19 and two more deaths linked to the virus.

The province says 464 cases are active.

There are 72 people in hospital because of COVID-19, with 60 in intensive care.

About 70 per cent of people 12 and older have received a first dose of vaccine.

—

1:40 p.m.

Manitoba is reporting 61 new COVID-19 cases and no new deaths. 

The five-day test positivity rate is 6.3 per cent provincially and 5.8 per cent in Winnipeg.

—

1:10 p.m.

The Manitoba government has selected 25 community groups and businesses to help drive up COVID-19 vaccination rates. 

The program offers grants of up to $25,000 to make sure vaccines are easily accessible and uptake can be encouraged by people trusted at the community level. 

One group that helps disadvantaged people in the Steinbach area, where vaccination rates are low, will host a barbecue where medical professionals will answer questions.

—

12:30 p.m.

Health officials in New Brunswick are reporting three new cases of COVID-19.

Two of the new cases are related to travel, involving people in their 30s from the Moncton region, and one case in the Edmundston area is a contact of a previously confirmed case.

There are 25 active cases of COVID-19 in New Brunswick, and three patients are hospitalized.

—

12:15 p.m.

Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole promises to implement an emergency preparedness plan if his party is elected to form the next government.

The plan includes measures he says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau failed to take to prevent the worst of the pandemic, such as ensuring Canada has better manufacturing capacity for vaccines.

He also pledges to call a public inquiry to examine the Liberal government’s response to COVID-19.

The Conservative preparedness plan includes increasing the domestic production of personal protective equipment and overhauling the country’s stockpile.

It also commits to making improvements to Health Canada so that it can review new technologies and innovations faster.

O’Toole says under a Conservative government health officials would “develop a data-driven system of benchmarks for removing bans” to provide more certainty to businesses and individuals.

—

11:45 a.m.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has finished his mandatory 14-day quarantine after travelling to Europe earlier this month to attend meetings with G7 and NATO allies.

His office says he received a negative COVID-19 test taken eight days into his stay at his Rideau Cottage residence in Ottawa.

—

11:30 a.m.

After one week with no new cases of COVID-19, Nunavut says it will ease restrictions in Iqaluit starting Friday.

Starting Friday, travel restrictions in and out of Iqaluit will be lifted.

A household can have up to 10 people in their home and up to 50 people can gather outdoors.

Theatres and restaurants can also open at 25 per cent capacity or 25 people, whichever is less.

There are no active cases of COVID-19 in Nunavut.

—

11:20 a.m.

Quebec is reporting 71 new cases of COVID-19 today and four more deaths attributed to the novel coronavirus, none of which took place in the prior 24 hours.

Health officials say hospitalizations dropped by two, to 122, and 31 people were in intensive care, unchanged since the last report.

Officials say 102,841 doses of vaccine were administered Monday, and the province’s public health institute says 81.1 per cent of Quebec residents over 12 have received at least one dose of vaccine and 27.4 per cent of all Quebec residents are considered adequately vaccinated.

Montreal reported 29 new cases today; no other region in the province reported more than 13 new cases.

—

11:15 a.m.

Nova Scotia is reporting one new case of COVID-19 today.

Health officials say the case is in the eastern health zone, which includes Cape Breton, and is a close contact of a previously reported case.

There are now 51 active cases of novel coronavirus in the province, with two people in hospital as a result of the infection.

As of Monday, 898,247 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered, with 193,200 people who have received a booster shot.

—

10:45 a.m.

Prince Edward Island is reporting one new case of COVID-19 today.

Health officials say the case involves a person in their 50s who had travelled outside the Atlantic region.

The new case is the only active reported infection in the province.

—

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 29, 2021.

The Canadian Press