National News

CALGARY — Like a sports coach coming off a disappointing season, the new head of the agency that regulates Alberta's heavily challenged energy industry knows he's got some work to do.

FORT MCMURRAY, Alta. — More of the 13,000 residents forced out by flooding in Fort McMurray have been allowed to return to their homes, but an ice jam on the Peace River was threatening several other northern Alberta communities.

SMITHERS, B.C. — Elected chiefs of a First Nation that's split over a natural gas pipeline through their territory say they will not sign a deal on rights and title, a day after the hereditary chiefs backed the agreement.

TORONTO — The Globe and Mail has won a leading eight awards at the National Newspaper Awards, including prizes for breaking news and project of the year.

EDMONTON — Alberta is launching a voluntary mobile app to expand contact tracing for COVID-19 to help reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus.

CALGARY — A union is trying to halt the planned reopening of an Alberta beef-packing plant that has been the site of a major COVID-19 outbreak. There have been 921 cases of the virus at the Cargill plant south of Calgary, which has 2,000 workers.

TORONTO — Canada took further baby steps toward post-pandemic normalcy on Friday as Atlantic provinces began easing rigid restrictions imposed to curb the COVID-19 scourge, while Quebec's death toll climbed past 2,000 as it set to ease its measures.

The latest news on the COVID-19 global pandemic (all times Eastern): 7:12 p.m.

The latest numbers of confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases in Canada as of 7:03 p.m. on May 1, 2020: There are 55,061 confirmed and presumptive cases in Canada.

OTTAWA — Federal officials say the next two weeks will be crucial in trying to determine the scope and severity of the spread of COVID-19 in First Nations communities.