Efforts to provide COVID-19 vaccines to as many drug users as possible in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside have paid off, prompting an advocate to urge communities with similar, vulnerable populations across the country to learn lessons from a targeted, well-resourced approach. Karen Ward said a study that showed high vaccine uptake in the neighbourhood also suggests a co-ordinated strategy can work with a marginalized group that sometimes faces discrimination in the health-care system.Ward, who was not involved in the study, said drop-in clinics, including at a community centre, a market, a hote

The federal Liberal government is promising $500 million in additional military aid to Ukraine as well as more humanitarian and financial support to Kyiv in response to Russia’s invasion. The commitments are contained in today’s federal budget and follow previous promises from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other ministers that Canada is looking at sending more weapons and other assistance to Ukraine.Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland says while Canada and its allies have sanctioned Russia over its invasion, recent allegations of Russian war crimes show the Ukrainians need more help.The

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland tabled the 2022 federal budget on Thursday. Here are some of the smaller promises that you might have missed:— $1.9 billion over 24 years to build and operate the new Canadarm3 for the next generation NASA Lunar Gateway project.— $1.3 billion over the next five years and $331.2 million on going to support the long-term stability of Canada’s asylum system to better help people seeking refuge from violence and persecution.— $159 million over five years, starting in 2022-23, to protect Canadian post-secondary and research institutions from foreign intell

The U.N. General Assembly has voted to suspend Russia from the U.N.'s leading human rights body over allegations of horrific rights violations by Russian soldiers in Ukraine, which the United States and Ukraine have called tantamount to war crimes. Russia is the second country to have its membership rights stripped at the Human Rights Council, which was established in 2006. In 2011, the assembly suspended Libya when upheaval in the North African country brought down longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi. The vote on Thursday was 93-24 with 58 abstentions. Defence Minister Anita Anand says the 93-to

Changes that make collective bargaining more accessible will help protect workers who want more say about workplace safety, compensation and benefits. The new single-step certification process will enable workers to join a union when a clear majority of employees indicate they want to, as is the case in jurisdictions such as Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and federally regulated workplaces.Collective bargaining helps workers obtain better pay and workplace benefits, supporting an inclusive economy that works for everyone."Throughout this pandemic, we’ve seen that many people wan

RCMP say the pilot of a helicopter that crashed in a remote area on northeast Vancouver Island has been killed. Police say in a news release they were notified Wednesday morning a helicopter that was moving wood crashed north of the village of Sayward along the Johnstone Strait. It says a search and rescue team from the Canadian Forces base in Comox was sent to the scene and found the only person on board the aircraft dead. The Transportation Safety Board says it has deployed a team of investigators to the site where the commercial Hughes 369D helicopter crashed. That type of helicopter is us

Air Canada will suspend its flights between Vancouver and Delhi beginning June 2 until early September 2022. The route is operationally constrained because of extended flying times and a re-fueling stop that is required due to the current flight paths taken to go around Russian and Ukraine airspace. Summer wind and weather conditions in South Asia are expected to compound these constraints, making the route unviable during this period.If you are scheduled to travel on an Air Canada flight from Vancouver to Delhi from June 2 until Sept. 6 (June 4 to Sept. 8 from Delhi to Vancouver), you will be

A female firefighter and paramedic has resigned from Leduc Fire Services south of Edmonton over on-the-job harassment allegations. Megan Wright ended her seven-year career with a speech on Monday night to city council. Wright said she brought allegations of sexual misconduct to superiors and was questioned instead of getting support. In February, two other female firefighters filed a proposed class-action lawsuit against the city with similar allegations of harassment, bullying, discrimination and abuse. At the council meeting, Mayor Bob Young called Wright's allegations alarming, but said he

Calgary police say they have charged a youth with second-degree murder in the death of a teen whose body was found in a suburban greenspace last week. Police say emergency crews were called last Wednesday to the Arbour Lake neighbourhood for reports of an injured person. There, they found the body of 16-year-old Jal Acor Jal. Police say the homicide unit canvassed the neighbourhood to collect any CCTV footage, spoke with potential witnesses and worked closely with Jal's family and friends. They say a search warrant was executed Tuesday at a home and a male youth was taken into custody. The su