PRESS DIGEST-Canada - Dec. 1

Dec 1 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories from selected Canadian newspapers. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

THE GLOBE AND MAIL

** Canada will be among the first countries to receive vaccine shipments from Moderna Inc, its chief medical officer said Monday, amid questions about how quickly the country will be able to administer COVID-19 vaccines to Canadians. https://tgam.ca/2Vp3n6F

** Canadian Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland delivered a fiscal update Monday that promises a stimulus plan of up to C$100 billion ($77.14 billion), but the government won't release the details of that plan until the 2021 budget. https://tgam.ca/3qjYbz8

** Jordy Chilcott, a former Sun Life Global Investments Inc executive and ex-CEO of Dynamic Funds, has been appointed executive vice-president of wealth strategy and enablement at Wellington-Altus Private Wealth Inc, where he will lead the firm's wealth management teams, including advanced wealth planning, marketing, and future asset management initiatives. https://tgam.ca/39BXf3z

NATIONAL POST

** The federal government of Canada is boosting the size of its interest-free loan program for small businesses by 50% to help them weather the pandemic, with half of the top-up forgivable if the loan is repaid by the end of 2022. https://bit.ly/33zNDCn

** The federal government of Canada has announced new support in its fall economic statement to help the tourism industry and other sectors that have been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic, including through arranging low-interest loans of up to C$1 million for heavily impacted businesses. https://bit.ly/37nM9fx

** The Liberal government expects to post a C$381 billion deficit in 2021, not including a new round of pandemic spending announced on Monday that will put further strain on Ottawa's finances. https://bit.ly/2JfUpGI ($1 = 1.2964 Canadian dollars) (Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom)