COVID-19 in Quebec: What you need to know on Wednesday

The latest:

• Quebec has 51,884 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 4,794 people have died, an increase of 291 cases and 81 deaths since Monday.
• There are 1,141 people in hospital (a decrease of 34), including 158 in intensive care (a decrease of three). Here's a guide to the numbers.
• With schools in the Montreal area closed until September, Quebec is considering setting up a catch-up summer school for struggling students. 
• The City of Montreal is feeling the financial impact of COVID-19, and Mayor Valérie Plante is calling on the province and federal governments for help.
• The new program to recruit 10,000 orderlies for understaffed CHSLDs is proving popular.

Treasury Board President Christian Dubé tabled a bill Wednesday to spend more on infrastructure projects to try to stimulate an economy weakened by the pandemic.

Lawsuit against CHSLDs expanded

A class-action lawsuit authorized last fall contends the living conditions at CHSLDs are unacceptable, with poor food, low standards of hygiene, a lack of quality care and poor building maintenance.

In May, after the advent of the pandemic, the lawsuit was amended, with a request to add compensation for damages suffered due to COVID-19 outbreaks.

Nearly two-thirds of the 4,713 Quebecers who have died from complications of COVID-19 were residents of long-term care homes.

• MORE: Son who lost both parents to COVID-19 joins suit against Quebec nursing homes

Montreal faces financial woes in wake of COVID-19

Mayor Valérie Plante is exploring solutions as she looks to rebuild the city's economic engine.

Plante said Tuesday that her administration has done what it can to feed the hungry, postpone property tax payments and address the housing crisis.

Now she's calling on the provincial and federal governments to help cover a looming $500-million deficit as Montreal struggles to keep its public transit network afloat in a work-from-home era that's draining downtown of its daily influx of shoppers, diners and commuters.

• MORE: Montreal mayor calls on Quebec, Ottawa to help balance budget

Quebec government considers catch-up summer school

The Quebec government is considering setting up a catch-up summer school for struggling students.

A spokesperson for Education Minister Jean-François Roberge said the camps would be offered to students of all levels in the greater Montreal area and Joliette, and to high school students in other regions.

The camps, which would run three weeks, could start later this month, and participation would be optional.

But teachers are anxious to find out what that would actually look like, while some parents say they'd be reluctant to send their children.

• MORE: Teachers, parents want more details on proposed summer school