The federal government is expected to provide more details Thursday on its 75 per cent wage subsidy program for businesses.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised "stiff, severe" penalties for businesses that do not pay up its 25 per cent share in the wage subsidy program.
Trudeau also announced that Canadians can begin applying for the Canada Emergency Relief Benefit online beginning April 6.
Cheques will be mailed out within 10 days of applying for the benefit, Trudeau said.
In local news, social services is adapting its services to address COVID-19 by implementing outflow shelter services, buying meals for food banks and offering special emergency assistance through Ontario Works.
Air Canada has announced that as of Thursday, April 2, all flights between Sault Ste. Marie and Toronto will be suspended until April 30.
The Toronto-Thunder Bay, Toronto-Sudbury and Toronto-Timmins routes remain operational with up to seven flights weekly, the Air Canada website indicates.
Sault Transit has scaled back its hours due to COVID-19 concerns.
The City of Sault Ste. Marie Economic Development and Tourism and Community Development teams will host its third business conference call Thursday, April 2 at 9:15 a.m.
Here are the latest COVID-19 numbers from Algoma Public Health:
- 405 tested
- 5 positive
- 224 negative
- 176 pending
The City of Elliot Lake has confimed a positive case of COVID-19 in the community.
In Ontario, the province announced the Ontario Together program Wednesday, which will provide $50 million to Ontario companies and organizations in order to retool and build capacity for the production of innovative solutions in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic.
More information on the Ontario Together application process can be found here.
On Tuesday, Ontario announced that provincial offences officers have now been granted temporary power to obtain identifying information of Ontarians charged with emergency order offences, with strict fines for Ontarians who fail to comply.
Ontario surpassed its single-day record for increases in COVID-19 cases, with the province reporting 426 positive cases Wednesday morning.
The total number of cases for the province is now 2,392.
