Thousands of pages of newly released documents back up the Trudeau government's contention that it was federal public servants who recommended a student service grant program be administered by WE Charity.They also suggest bureaucrats may have been nudged to look in that direction by their political masters. The five-thousand-plus pages of government documents were tabled with the finance committee almost two weeks ago.They had not been released to committee members because legal counsel was still vetting them to ensure there were no breaches of cabinet confidences or personal privacy.The doc

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Tuesday said that there is a need to look at the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal issue from a national security perspective and that Punjab will burn if a decision is taken to go ahead with the link canal. Singh made these remarks during a meeting via video-conferencing with Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on SYL canal issue. "You have to look at the issue from the national security perspective. If you decide to go ahead with SYL, Punjab will burn and it will become a national prob

There are 123,154 confirmed cases in Canada. Quebec: 61,252 confirmed (including 5,727 deaths, 54,083 resolved) Ontario: 40,870 confirmed (including 2,793 deaths, 37,126 resolved) Alberta: 12,419 confirmed (including 225 deaths, 11,025 resolved) British Columbia: 4,677 confirmed (including 198 deaths, 3,704 resolved) Saskatchewan: 1,582 confirmed (including 22 deaths, 1,403 resolved) Nova Scotia: 1,075 confirmed (including 64 deaths, 1,007 resolved) Manitoba: 733 confirmed (including 11 deaths, 502 resolved), 15 presumptive Newfoundland and Labrador: 268 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 263 res

Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, and Dr. Réka Gustafson, B.C.’s deputy provincial health officer, have issued a joint statement regarding updates on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) response in British Columbia. "Today, we are announcing 83 new cases, for a total of 4,677 cases in British Columbia. "There are 775 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 3,704 people who tested positive have recovered. "Currently, six individuals are hospitalized with COVID-19, three of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people with COVID-19 are recovering at home in self-isolation. As well, 2,326

Mexican marines and customs authorities say they have seized 250 pounds (113.5 kilograms) of the synthetic opioid fentanyl at the Mexico City airport. It was the second such large bust at the airport this month. Authorities said Tuesday the fentanyl was found in four small cardboard drums that were part of an air freight shipment. Mexican drug cartels once favoured importing fentanyl and closely related chemical precursors from Asia through Mexico's Pacific coast seaports, but they now appear to have turned to airports. In mid-August, customs authorities seized almost 500 pounds (220 kilogram

Lawyers representing Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou are back in BC Supreme Court today fighting to win release of more confidential documents tied to the case. Meng's legal team says some of the documents relate to her detention at Vancouver's airport in December 2018 and could shed light on her claim that her rights were violated before her arrest. Meng is wanted in the US on fraud charges, which she and Huawei deny, and this chapter in her extradition battle began yesterday with Meng attending via phone link. The matter could continue all week and today's arguments will focus on the technica

The BC Wildfire Service says 79 wildfires have been sparked in the last two days, in the wake of a fierce lightning storm that moved across southern BC Sunday night. The wildfire service website says 74 per cent of the new fires were caused by lightning, including 14 of 15 reported on southern Vancouver Island. Most remain very small, with only a handful larger than a hectare, although a fire on the eastern shore of Sooke Lake, east of Langford, is listed at eight hectares and considered out of control. In all, 475 fires have been reported across B-C since the start of the fire season in Apri

Another hot day is unfolding across much of southern B-C, but Environment Canada has dropped heat warnings for all but the Fraser Canyon and Kootenay Lake regions. Temperatures above 35 degrees, with nighttime lows not falling below 18, will continue there for at least another day but the weather office is calling for slightly cooler conditions tonight. It's still set to be a scorcher for many areas with the mercury nudging the mid-30s in the Kamloops, Kelowna, Cranbrook and Trail areas. There's also the risk of more thunderstorms across southeastern B-C where the wildfire service rates wildf

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says the resignation of Bill Morneau as federal finance minister will do little to quash the WE Charity affair. Singh says that's because Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the rest of his inner circle are still at the cabinet table. Jagmeet Singh says he does not believe the resignation of Bill Morneau as federal finance minister will end the ethical problems plaguing the federal Liberals. Singh told reporters in Vancouver that Morneau's replacement, Chrystia Freeland, was at the cabinet table when decisions were made to offer WE Charity a multi-million dollar contract