Metro Vancouver's latest homeless count shows more seniors without a place to live, while the number of young people without a home is shrinking. The count took place in March and shows three thousand 634 people were homeless, about the same number as 2017. However, the figures show that those aged 55 and over now account for 25 per cent of the homeless, up two per cent from 2017, while the number of those under 25 on the street has been cut in half _ from 16 to eight per cent. The communities with the highest number of homeless are Vancouver, Surrey and Langley.

A worker has been killed at a gold mine in northwestern BC. Vancouver-based Pretium Resources says the unnamed man was doing maintenance work Friday at the surface of the mine northwest of Stewart when he was severely injured. The company says he was treated immediately by medics at the mine and then transported to hospital in Terrace, where he died Sunday. Pretium says it is co-operating with an outside investigation and will conduct its own probe, but its first concern is to support the victim's family and friends, and other workers at the mine.

International aid flights are arriving in Lebanon, as the government struggles to deal with the aftermath of the massive blast that killed at least 135 and sent thousands more to hospital. Investigators are looking into why nothing was done about 2,750 tonnes of highly explosive ammonium nitrate stored at the port for six years. Search and rescue teams, medical personnel, humanitarian support packages and equipment designed to find trapped victims are being sent from countries like Australia and Indonesia as well as Europe. Russia's Ministry for Emergencies says that its first plane carrying

Buyers purchased 3,128 homes in the Greater Vancouver area last month, up both from June and from July 2019.The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver said on Wednesday that sales in July were up 22.3 per cent from this time last year, and up 28 per cent from June, as the economy has largely recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic and shutdown. Home prices also rose in Vancouver, hitting a benchmark of $1,031,400, 4.5 per cent higher on a year-over-year basis.While more homes hit the market in July compared to June, the total number of homes listed for sale, 12,083, is down compared to last July

Canada is signing deals with pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and U.S.-based biotech firm Moderna to procure millions of doses of their experimental COVID-19 vaccines.Procurement Minister Anita Anand is announcing the deals this morning in Toronto, which will see Canada get access to the vaccines if they prove to be both safe and effective.Both companies began Phase 3 clinical trials of their vaccine candidates in the last week, large-scale tests to determine how well the vaccines work.Earlier in July both Pfizer and Moderna reported positive results from smaller trials.The Phase 3 trials will both

There are 117,791 confirmed cases in Canada. Quebec: 59,845 confirmed (including 5,685 deaths, 50,886 resolved) Ontario: 39,628 confirmed (including 2,782 deaths, 35,601 resolved) Alberta: 11,146 confirmed (including 201 deaths, 9,754 resolved) British Columbia: 3,787 confirmed (including 195 deaths, 3,273 resolved) Saskatchewan: 1,368 confirmed (including 18 deaths, 1,097 resolved) Nova Scotia: 1,071 confirmed (including 64 deaths, 1,005 resolved) Manitoba: 427 confirmed (including 8 deaths, 341 resolved), 15 presumptive Newfoundland and Labrador: 266 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 259 resol

British Columbia health minister is urging residents not to attend private parties and gatherings after recent increases in the number of COVID-19 cases across the province. Health Minister Adrian Dix says many of the latest cases stem from such events and the numbers serve as a reminder that people must adhere to public health rules this summer. B.C.'s top doctor says public health workers are tracing the contacts of almost all the new cases. But Dr. Bonnie Henry says that's possible because transmission remains low and residents must ensure it stays that way. She says common factors in many

The province is ramping up its response to the leaping number of overdose deaths related to illicit drugs. The coroner says B-C set records for the highest number of overdose deaths in May and broke that record in June as supply issues during the pandemic have made illicit drugs increasingly toxic. Mental Health and Addictions Minister Judy Darcy says a total of 29 new supervised consumption or inhalation services will open around B-C and more staff will ensure users are connected to the help they need.She says the funds come from 10.5-million dollars set aside to aid those who have seen deva

The British Columbia government says new rules for private cannabis retailers will allow pot to be reserved and paid for online, but customers still have to pick up their orders in person.The province says the regulations now allow private cannabis stores to accept payments made on a website, app or by telephone. Previous licence conditions allowed customers to reserve cannabis products online, but required them to visit a store to complete the payment and obtain their purchases.The province says it changed its policies because of a request from private retailers, which felt online orders wou