Quebec Premier Francois Legault says he is abandoning his threat to tax the unvaccinated. Legault told a news conference today he is worried about dividing Quebecers and is backtracking in order to maintain social peace in the province. The premier announced on Jan. 11 he planned to make the unvaccinated pay a significant financial penalty because they were overrepresented in the health-care system. About 10 per cent of the province's eligible population are unvaccinated. Legault is also announcing that gyms and spas will be allowed to reopen on Feb. 14.

Tesla is recalling nearly 54,000 vehicles because their ``Full Self-Driving'' software lets them roll through stop signs without coming to a complete halt. Documents posted Tuesday by U.S. safety regulators say that Tesla will disable the feature with an over-the-internet software update. The software allows vehicles to go through intersections with all-way stop signs at up to 5.6 miles per hour. Disregarding stop signs is illegal in most states. The recall covers Model S sedans and X SUVs from 2016 through 2022, as well as 2017 to 2022 Model 3 sedans and 2020 through 2022 Model Y SUVs. Tesla

A blockade in southern Alberta at the United States border is entering its fourth day. A convoy of commercial trucks, vehicles and camper vans has been blocking the highway at the Coutts border crossing since Saturday to protest COVID-19 restrictions. Mounties said in a statement last night that they thought there was a path to resolve the matter, but protesters chose not to comply. They say the protest is no longer lawful, and resources are in place to make arrests and tow away vehicles. Some demonstrators say they have no plans to leave. Coutts Mayor Jim Willett says he wants them gone,

Over a three-day period, B.C. is reporting 4,075 new cases of COVID-19, including five epi-linked cases, for a total of 324,615, cases in the province. Jan. 28-29: 1,725 Jan. 29-30: 1,293 Jan. 30-31: 1,057 There are currently 27,454 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 293,124 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 1,048 COVID-positive individuals are currently in hospital and 138 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation. The new/active cases include: 1,225 new cases in Fraser Health Total active cases: 11,503 645 ne

Fire officials say a Monday morning blaze inside a downtown apartment building killed a Vancouver man, the fourth fire-related death in just 24 hours in the city after a house fire killed claimed three family members the day before.Assistant Chief Ken Gemmill says crews were called to the highrise around 6 a.m., finding flames and smoke coming from a fourth-floor unit with a man still inside.He says crews rescued and worked to revive the man, who was suffering from extensive burns and smoke inhalation, but he was pronounced dead in hospital.Gemmill says the burning unit didn't have a balcony,

The smell of smoke lingered Monday after a house fire in Vancouver killed three members of the same family, including a child, and injured two others.Fire officials have yet to confirm what sparked the flames Sunday.Assistant Chief Brian Bertuzzi confirmed a child under 10 years old, their mother and grandfather were killed, while the grandmother and father suffered smoke inhalation.A handwritten sign placed near the front steps of the charred bungalow reads, "We love you, Ivan" and "Our prayers to you, mom (and) grandpa."Susana Mora lives in a neighbouring home and says she was in lying awake

BC Transit says it is hoping for a resolution soon as a strike enters a third day between unionized transit workers and transit contractors in Whistler, Pemberton and Squamish. Bus service has been suspended there since Saturday as Unifor Local 114 seeks better wages, benefits and working conditions for drivers. The union says its members can barely afford to live in parts of the Sea-to-Sky corridor such as Whistler, where accommodation and affordability are especially challenging. The union says the job action is continuing because the two contractors, Diversified Transit in Squamish and Whi

Two people have been taken to hospital in Vancouver after an early morning blaze in a highrise in the city's West End. Flames broke out just before 7 a.m. on the building's fourth floor and crews were quickly able to knock the fire down, but not before firefighters say it caused extensive smoke and water damage to several units. The two victims, a man and woman, are believed to be suffering from smoke inhalation and the extent of their injuries is still being determined. A cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Vancouver Police has released information about an attack on a person in a hotel in Gastown area. A 26 year old man was attacked with a machete while sleeping inside Gastown's Colonial Hotel on Friday. The attack left the man with two partially severed fingers and knife wounds to his left knee. VPD has identified a person of interest and is investigating. Although Vancouver police has not given any information about any person's arrest so far.