COVID-19 Ottawa:

There are twelve new, confirmed COVID-19 cases in Ottawa Thursday.

Throughout the pandemic the city has recorded 2,758 cases, with 120 active, and 85 per cent of patients recovered. No new deaths related to the virus are being reported Thursday.

COVID-19 Ontario:

There are 76 new cases and one new death related to the virus across Ontario.

The province is also reporting 76 newly resolved cases. The total number of provincial cases now stands at 41,048, which includes 2,793 deaths and 37,291 cases marked as resolved.

Another OC Transpo Driver Tests Positive:

Yet another OC Transpo Bus Driver has tested positive for COVID-19.

The fifth driver to test positive in the last two weeks last worked August 13, and drove on a route that served Lincoln, Parliament, Greenboro, Hurdman and Tunney’s Pasture stations. Public Health staff are reaching out to those who may have come into close contact with the driver when symptoms were present.

3M To Produce Masks in Brockville:

The federal and Ontario governments have reached an agreement with 3M that will see it produce N-95 masks at a facility in Brockville.

Both governments will each contribute $23.3-million to help increase production capacity. Under the agreement the facility is expected to produce up to 100-million N95 mask a year, with an official announcement in Brockville expected Friday.

CERB To Be Extended:

The federal government has announced a $37-billion income-support plan for workers whose earnings have crashed during the pandemic.

The plan will support some four million workers receiving the $500-a-week Canada Emergency Response Benefit, which is set to wind down starting next month. CERB will be extended another four weeks, and a new benefit that pays $400 a week for up to 26 weeks will replace it for those ineligible for Employment Insurance.

Search Continues For Mi’kmaq Teen:

Mounties in Eskasoni, Nova Scotia, have issued an emergency alert regarding a Mi’kmaq girl who has been missing for a week.

Police say they received new information about Molly Martin’s possible whereabouts. They believe Martin, 14, and Darcy Doyle, 47, were in the area of Canoe Lake in southeast Cape Breton last evening, using a green A-T-V. There are still increasing calls for them to issue a full Amber alert.

Deans Returning From Medical Leave:

Gloucester-Southgate City Councilor Diane Deans has injected some rare good news into 2020.

Deans has announced she will return from a medical leave of absence next month. It’s been almost a year since she announced that she had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, but says she is feeling healthy, strong, and ready to get back to work.