With the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic walloping Canada, the federal government has extended non-essential travel restrictions with the United States until May 21, Public Safety Minister Bill Blair announced Tuesday. “We will continue to base our decisions on… »
Levon Sevunts
Born and raised in Armenia, Levon started his journalistic career in 1990, covering wars and civil strife in the Caucasus and Central Asia.In 1992, after the government in Armenia shut down the TV program he was working for, Levon immigrated to Canada. He learned English and eventually went back to journalism, working first in print and then in broadcasting.
Levon’s journalistic assignments have taken him from the High Arctic to Sahara and the killing fields of Darfur, from the streets of Montreal to the snow-capped mountaintops of Hindu Kush in Afghanistan.
He says, “But best of all, I’ve been privileged to tell the stories of hundreds of people who’ve generously opened up their homes, refugee tents and their hearts to me.”
Liberals unveil $101.4B in new spending, project massive deficit in new budget
Canada’s minority Liberal government unveiled on Monday its first budget in two years, promising to invest federal funds in a national childcare program, establish a federal minimum wage of $15 per hour, support people and businesses through the pandemic and… »
Canada’s new home construction hits record high in March
Fueled by loosening pandemic restrictions and warmer weather, Canadian housing starts set an all time record by rising 21.6 per cent in March, data from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation showed on Monday. The seasonally adjusted annualized rate of… »
Provinces lower minimum age for AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine from 55 to 40
Struggling to cope with the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Canadian provinces of Ontario, Alberta and Manitoba will start offering the AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine and its Indian-produced version, Covishield, to people age 40 and over. In Quebec, where AstraZeneca… »
Canada’s Blue Metropolis literary festival set for virtual opening
The 23rd edition of Montreal’s Blue Metropolis International Literary Festival along with the TD-Blue Metropolis Children’s Festival is set to open virtually on Apr. 24, festival organizers have announced. The theme of this year’s festival, which will feature more than… »
Canada to get 8M more doses of Pfizer vaccine, as Moderna delivery stumbles
The federal government has secured an additional eight million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Friday, hours after Moderna said its incoming delivery of 1.2 million more vaccine doses would be slashed in half. Canada will… »
Humanitarian groups call for more international aid in new Liberal budget
As Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland prepares to present to Parliament the Liberal budget on Monday, Canadian humanitarian groups are urging the Trudeau government to increase spending on international assistance in line with its increased spending on tackling the pandemic… »
Immigration & Refugees, Politics
Federal Court of Appeal upholds Safe Third Country Agreement
The Federal Court of Appeal ruled on Thursday that an agreement between Canada and the United States to treat each other as “safe countries” for refugees does not violate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The court allowed the federal… »
Nunavut’s capital, Iqaluit, reports 1st case of COVID-19, orders closures
Iqaluit, the capital of Canada’s Arctic territory of Nunavut, has reported its first case of COVID-19, forcing territorial authorities to order the shut down of non-essential businesses and introduce other public health restrictions. “The individual is currently isolating and is… »
Montreal public health officials opposed to holding 2021 Canadian Grand Prix
Worried about the potential spread of COVID-19, Montreal public health authorities say they are “categorically opposed” to holding the Canadian Grand Prix in the city this summer, Radio-Canada reported Thursday. Earlier this week, Radio-Canada reported that provincial health authorities in… »
The world in pictures
Canada in pictures
