The Alberta government says people in the province 12 years of age and older can soon get the latest COVID-19 vaccine booster. Health Minister Jason Copping says starting on October 24th, the bivalent (bye-VAY'-lent) Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, which includes some protection for the Omicron B-A-4 and B-A-5 subvariants, will be available This is in addition to the currently available bivalent Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, which includes the B-A-1 subvariant. Copping says many Albertans are looking to receive their COVID-19 booster dose and the B-A-4 and B-A-5 are the prevalent strains in the provin

The British Columbia government says it's ready to deploy sand bags and tiger dams in case flooding follows the ongoing drought. Emergency Management BC says when rain falls after long dry spells, the parched soil can increase runoff and river flow. It says the transition to the rainy season doesn't typically cause extensive flooding and the devastation wreaked by last year's atmospheric rivers was rare. However, it adds that flooding is natural in B.C. and people living near streams and rivers that have breached their banks in previous years are encouraged to keep an eye on the weather and r

Vancouver Police are searching for witnesses after a 93-year-old man was knocked to the ground and suffered a broken hip in Chinatown Tuesday night. The victim, a neighbourhood resident for 30 years, was walking to a bakery near Main Street and East Pender when he was pushed over by a stranger around 3:15 Tuesday afternoon. Several witnesses stopped to help the senior, who was taken to hospital. "Our officers have been canvassing the neighbourhood since the assault, and we have now located video of the incident," says Sergeant Steve Addison, adding the suspect has not yet been identified. "W

A joint VPD and Metro Vancouver Transit Police investigation has led to the arrest of Bryce Michael Flores-Bebington for two alleged sexual assaults. At 7:30 p.m. on July 6, a 24-year-old woman reported she had been sexually assaulted while on the escalator at the Granville SkyTrain Station by a suspect who ran away. The investigation was completed by Metro Vancouver Transit Police.A second incident occurred the following day on West Broadway at Ash Street. Just before 2 p.m. a 38-year-old woman was sexually assaulted.Bryce Michael Flores-Bebington, 19, has been charged with two counts of sexu

Vancouver Police are searching for a suspect after a woman was assaulted last night in another downtown stranger attack. "This is another concerning unprovoked assault," says Constable Jason Doucette. "The victim was simply walking down the sidewalk when a man came up and sucker-punched her in the face for no reason."At 6:30 Wednesday evening, the 29-year-old woman was walking near Cambie and Pender streets when a man approached and suddenly lashed out. He punched her in the face, knocking her to the ground. The suspect was last seen running west on Dunsmuir Street."A number of people came to

Surrey RCMP is advising the public that multiple charges, including a manslaughter charge, have been laid in relation to an ongoing investigation. In September 2021, Surrey RCMP initiated an investigation after officers in the Community Response Unit linked multiple reports of men being drugged and having their belongings stolen while utilizing an escort service. In one of the incidents in February 2021, a man died, allegedly after being administered a substance during an encounter.The Surrey RCMP Serious Crime Unit took conduct of the investigation, which was multijurisdictional and complex d

Alberta is reporting a growing number of people in hospital with COVID-19. As of Monday, there were 1,014 people being treated for the illness, including 31 in intensive care. Dr. Dan Gregson, an infectious diseases physician, says a new wave of COVID coupled with a big wave of seasonal flu would really stress the health system. The latest data shows 4,951 people in Alberta have died from COVID-19.

Premier John Horgan says he believes his Alberta counterpart's comments on the discrimination faced by those who did not get vaccinated against COVID-19 are short-sighted as well as laughable. Horgan says Danielle Smith chose to focus on a sliver of the population when she said yesterday that unvaccinated people have experienced the most discrimination she has ever seen in her lifetime. But he says he believes most Canadians understood that they had a collective responsibility to get their shots. He also told C-FAX radio in Victoria that it was the wrong move when the world is going through a

The BC Coroners Service says preliminary figures show deaths among the province's homeless population climbed dramatically last year, compared with 2021. A statement from the coroners office says 247 deaths were recorded among people experiencing homelessness last year, a 75 per cent leap over 2020. Coroner Lisa Lapointe says the findings highlight the risks that the homeless face every day, including physical and mental health concerns, disabilities and substance use issues. The report shows an average of 153 deaths were reported annually among the homeless between 2016 and 2020 and deaths f