The Vatican says Pope Francis is willing to visit Canada, as Indigenous leaders call on him apologize for the Catholic Church's role in residential schools. The Vatican says in a statement that the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops invited Francis to travel to Canada, and that he indicated his "willingness" to do so at an undetermined date. The development comes ahead of a trip to the Vatican that First Nations, Metis and Inuit leaders plan to take in December to meet with the Pope in hopes of securing an apology. The 2015 final report from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Cana

British Columbia's top doctor says COVID-19 booster shots will be prioritized for front-line health-care workers, rural Indigenous Peoples and those over 70 because they're at highest risk of experiencing breakthrough infections. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says those groups and people who are most immunocompromised were vaccinated first and are getting to the point of waning immunity just ahead of flu season. She says the third dose will be given to those residents until December as part of a program already underway and appointment bookings will be offered based on the time s

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his new cabinet this morning and there are no surprise names from BC on the list but the shuffle has affected all but one of them. Vancouver South member Harjit Sajjan is out as defence minister, moving to international development and minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency. North Vancouver's Jonathan Wilkinson has been replaced in environment, instead taking on natural resources, while Vancouver Quadra MP Joyce Murray makes the biggest jump from president of the treasury board and minister of digital government to the fisherie

The final results from Alberta's equalization referendum show a split between the province's two major cities on whether it shouldbe removed from the Constitution. Overall, 62 per cent of those who voted were in favour of getting rid of equalization, including 58 per cent in Calgary.But 52 per cent of voters in Edmonton were in favour of leaving the system alone. A second referendum on whether to stick with daylight timeyear-round failed by the narrow margin of 50.1 per cent to 49.9 per cent.

Alberta's top court has agreed to hear a sentence appeal of a man convicted of killing three people but a hearing date has been delayed indefinitely.Derek Saretzky was found guilty of first-degree murder in the 2015 deaths of Terry Blachette, the man's two-year-old daughter, Hailey Dunbar-Blanchette, and Hanne Meketech. He was sentenced to life with no chance at parole for 75 years. His lawyer, Balfour Der, asked the Alberta Court of Appeal for permission to challenge the constitutionality of consecutive parole ineligibility periods. The Appeal Court says it will hear the appeal, but only afte

Edmonton's first racialized mayor and a diverse city council sworn in Tuesday afternoon. Amarjeet Sohi, an immigrant from India and a former federal Liberal cabinet minister, won the municipal election last week. He will lead the capital's most diverse council yet. Eight of the 13 council members are women and four are people of colour.Sohi says in a statement that he is excited for the ceremony, which will abide with all public health orders related to COVID-19. Edmonton's council will have its first meeting following the swearing-in ceremony.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has tasked Minister Anita Anand with correcting the culture crisis in the Canadian Armed Forces. As the national defence minister, Anand says she plans to start by reviewing all recommendations that have been made to date, and will consult with men and woman in uniform. Former Procurement Minister Anita Anand will take up the challenge of addressing the culture crisis in the Canadian Armed Forces as the new minister of defence. She warned there is no one magical solution to the problem the Armed Forces faces.Trudeau praised Anand's governance expertise and says th

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his team of familiar and new faces will deliver on real change. Flanked by his new cabinet, Trudeau says the top-of-mind issue for Canadians is ending the pandemic for good. He says the country is not out of the COVID-19 pandemic yet, despite high vaccination rates. He says his government will move forward on legislation that specifically criminalizes harassment of health-care workers. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canadians are expecting big things from this Parliament and his government. He says they expect Canada to step up its efforts on fighting cli

The Prime Minister's Office says Justin Trudeau spoke with Premier John Horgan Monday about the launch of BC's plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions. The PMO says Trudeau was pleased to see similarities between the Clean BC roadmap and the federal government's climate plan, including increasing the price on pollution, reducing methane emissions and expanding use of electric vehicles. It says in a statement Trudeau also raised the importance of continuing to work with B-C to prepare for future wildfire seasons and to rebuild the Village of Lytton. Trudeau is among the world leaders headed to Gl