TORONTO -- The military has submitted a deeply troubling report about conditions in five long-term care facilities in Ontario that has left him both saddened and infuriated, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday.

Speaking in Ottawa, Trudeau said it would be up to Premier Doug Ford to provide details, which was expected to happen later in the day. But the prime minister said what he had read had evoked a wide range of emotions, including anger, sadness, frustration and grief.

"It is deeply disturbing," Trudeau said. "There are things in there that are extremely troubling."

There was no doubt we must do much better when it comes to supporting seniors in long-term care homes across the country, he said.

At the request of Quebec and Ontario, the Armed Forces have been helping out at nursing homes, which have accounted for most of Canada's 6,566 deaths from coronavirus disease, in those provinces. The deployment has exposed military members to both the conditions seniors are living in as well as to the virus.

As of Tuesday, the Armed Forces reported that 36 members working in long-term care homes in Ontario and Quebec had become sick -- a 30 per cent jump in less than a week. Of those, 22 infected were in Quebec and 14 in Ontario.

Some good news did emerge from Ontario, which reported its lowest number of new cases -- 287 -- in more than two weeks. That's down sharply from the more than 400 cases a day reported over the previous five days. However, 21 more people died from the disease.

The ongoing battle to keep the novel coronavirus in check comes as a blanket of hot, humid air has settled over much of south Central Canada, while anti-pandemic measures have closed many of the usual places where people might seek relief.

Heat waves can be dangerous for those with underlying health conditions but with malls, swimming pools and cooling centres closed to help curb the spread of COVID-19, various authorities are trying to come up with ways to mitigate the concern.

The City of Toronto, for example, has opened six designated sites from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at otherwise idled cooling centres. Given that hundreds of sites would normally be available to cool off, it was not immediately clear how the centres would ensure physical distancing among users or how many spaces were available.

"They may not all meet your immediate needs based on hours and access," the city said.

The City of Ottawa noted many of the usual places and ways people cool off might not be available given the pandemic but offered tips such as drinking lots of water and avoiding strenuous outdoor activity.

Environment Canada did say conditions would moderate significantly in the next few days.

Trudeau also announced a federal contract with General Motors to produce 10 million face masks and help employment in Oshawa, Ont. The government had also been diligent in ensuring personal protective equipment meets standards, he said.

Trudeau said ensuring members of Parliament can vote remotely was holding back a return to more normal House of Commons sittings. The Liberals want a special COVID-19 committee to continue to replace official House of Commons sittings for as long as four more months. The Conservatives are demanding more normal functions, with reduced numbers of MPs in person and some available through videoconferencing.

-With files from Canadian Press reporters across the country.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on May 26, 2020.