By: Thomas I. Likness
EBC Edmonton Bureau

EDMONTON (Eagle News) — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is calling on Canadians with specialized skills to sign up as volunteers to help in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Health Canada is building an inventory of specialized volunteers that provinces and territories can draw on to provide more support for health care workers,” Trudeau said Sunday. “This could include tracking cases and tracing contacts as well as collecting and reporting data.”

Trudeau said the government is also offering full-time jobs to those in the military reserves.

“We’re contacting reservists across the country to see if they’re interested and offering them the same pay and benefits as regular force personnel,” said the prime minister. “Bolstering the military’s ranks will help offset some of the economic consequences of COVID-19 and ensure that our communities are well supported.”

As of noon (EDT), Canada had 14,426 cases of COVID-19. The infection has claimed 258 lives.

(Eagle News Service)